The Nome nugget., 1903-12-23

could easily travel ten miles a day, bu) the natives would not; they were sup posed to know the route and we there fore were simply helpless, after being on the trail a few days. 1 do not believe we made ten miles the first four days It was case of breaking deer. Every deer had long line attached to his horns: this line trailed behind about fifty feet: when deer was required a native sneaked up behind him and at times the native was ten feet in the air, then the deer would take a roll and up like flash, making for the north pole, dragging the native over the snow. Finally down the deer would go exhausted. While down he would be harnessed and the sled attached to him, and there would be more of circus. After dragging and clubbing the poor beast for an hour or so he was attached to a sled hauled by a broken deer. When he pulled back the broken deer would be obliged to pull him as well as his own load of 250 pounds. Every few yards the unbroken one would lie down. Then all the natives would surround him and whip him up. There was one native who was a star performer at the trick of making deer hustle. He would reach down and bite the brute's nose. He claimed this was a Lapp trick. One day he was little slow and got bad gash across the scalp.
 After deer had one day $ experience like this, he was considered fine deer, and well broken. I often wondered he was not killed instead of only broken. My friend, Dr. Jackson should have seen this method, he would have been pleased. The two deer we lost going in died the day after receiving such treatment. Just imagine taking five year old horse and breaking him in a day.
 After being on the road three weeks l was pretty we'll disgusted and played out-being disgusted at the natives and disgusted at myself for ever having anything to do with them, and promis- ing to let others win glory and gold leading expeditions in the Arctic dur ing the winter. Our hands and faces had been frozen since leaving Point l Do nd ;t n our hands out of our fur mitts when handling the dogs, and making and breaking camp, we had no chance to protect ourselves The thermometer ranged between 30 and 40 deg below all the way in.
 About this time discovered that not one of our natives had ever been over this route in winter. Instead of cross ing from point to point they would follow the shore line. When 1 remon- strated they claimed no wood could be found and that it was necessary to keep along shore. l had them cut wood and carry it on the sleds in case we were caught at night without fuel. After this we made better time. When We reached Harrison Bay we concluded to leave the coast and cut inland to the
 
 ing we came to what we supposed was the COlville. Here we met a native. the first we had seen since leaving Point Barrow. He was attending his traps, and his surprise at seeing such an outfit can be imagined. We found that we were not on the main river but on one of it's several mouths. The ami mals being in a bad way on account of the soft snow since leaving the coast, we remained here couple of days, resting them as well as ourselves. We obtained few fish here-large white fish weighing about eight or ten pounds apiece. The several natives camping here were in a deplorable condition, and seeing our sleds loaded, tried in every way to induce us to remain at this camp for the winter. It was very amusing to listen to their various reasons for us to do so. There were no wood, fish or game up the river, but plenty where we now were camped. Here they were literally starving. After we left we heard that they had killed and eaten their three dogs, and two of them died about a month later, no doubt from starvation.
 After travelling up the river couple of days we reached the mouth of tho Nikilik, one of the largest tributaries of the Colville-this is the river by which Mr. Peters. us. Surveyor and party entered the Colville after cross ing over from the KOyukuk in 1901, reaching Nome the fall of that year.
 Finding few inland natives here located in well protected spot, we concluded to call this finish to our 3l days journey, being the 24th of Decem- Der. With assistance of natives we dug away about five feet of snow, erected our tents and banked them in with snow and brush. Christmas day was spent in hauling wood. With boxes and few straight pieces of willow we arranged things in the tent in very reputable manner. We got rid of our natives on the 26th and believe me, it was a great relief. found native here who had big supply of fish, and immediately gathered him and his wife into our out fit. I agreed to feed him on white mans food, if he would supply us with fish and his wife do our sewing. It was . great ''snap" for them and lucky thing for us. for if dog feed could not I IA II T l. l.