Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1905-06-23
rur lnon MAlp on sleERIA.

sunday Magazine by Waldemar Jochel.
son of the American Museum OF Naturai
| History.l
Three hundred miles as the snow flies.
| arrow-straight from the frozen Arctic
ocean, stands the hut OF Katherine
Kokorin. Half dozen others, huddled
| close make UP the little hamlet OF
| Karaktalxh. one OF the loneliest In the
ioneliest country Of the world, Aslatlc
| Siberia. On all sides stretches the tun-
| dra-close- packed moss which, frozen
| during the greater part OF the year, FORMS
a trackless plain, or in the warm months
| affords a footing so spongy and treacher-
| Gus that travel across Il is almost i'm
| possible The nearest neighboring settle
! ment To Karaktakh is 2S miles east; the
| the nearest village of any size Is four
hundred miles northeast; the nearest rail-
| road point Is FIVE thousand miles SOUTH
| east. -
Katherine's people are Yakuts They
are a strange race, decended from some
| wandering tribe of Turks; for their
| language is pure Turkish, although IN
| appearance they resemble the Mongols.
The girl is pretty, with the heritage OF
Oriental beauty in her soft eyes and ten
der coloring
When l saw her, after her extraordin-
airy survival from the adventure which
won her the nickname Of THE Iron Maid
the Yakuts are apt at sobriquets-she
was just turned seventeen, a tall lissome,
-blooded creature, little the worse for
her privations
had come down from the Arctic over
| the April SHOWS, bringing my collection
| for the American Museum Of Natural
History on four dog sledges, and we had
just reached the line Of dwarf larches
| which mark the northern limit Of tree
| growth when one OF my drivers went
| snow-blind. For three days we had not
! seen a settlement; for three nights we
i had slept in our fur bags on the snow.
Now II was necessary that we find shelter
| and help soon, for the driver not only
was suffering agony from the infiamma-
| ton Of his eyes, but he was in panic
lest he should become separated from the
rest OF the party. Between groans he
| told me how, travelling alone some years
| before, he had been stricken with snow
! blindness and lost his way. Stepping out
| OF the sledge to feel for the trail with his
feet, he had lost control Of his dogs, which
ran away. Several days later a party
| found him, demented and almost dead
! from cold and hunger, lying on the tun-
dra- The dogs, becoming tangled in their
harness, had died in the woods whittier
| they had run.
This was a cherries story for me to
hear, particularly as night was coming
| on and a bitter wind had risen. We knew
| that Karaktakh was near the timber,line,
| and We pressed on until we literally ran
upon it, our dogs swerving toward
mound Of snow which covered hut, and
| from which rose sparks. A minute later
we were safe within the house OF the
| Kokorins, where We remained snow
bound for four days. 1t was there that
heard the story OF THE Iron Maid" from
| her own lips.
1T was four months ago." said Kath-
crime. Il then was living in the house
OF my stepfather in this settlement. He
had agreed to deliver some goods to
| Kelly, a days journey away. He sent
j me with the horse and sledge It was
very cold-almost as cold as l have ever
| known"
Afterward obtained records showing
| that the thermometer at the time was
between forty and fifty degrees below
| zero.
THE sun did not rise any more above
| the horizon at that season. Only family
reflected light made the day different
from the night. I started at daybreak
on horseback, dragging the packed sled
by thong fastened to the saddle. signs
| OF blizzard were threatening was
afraid; but / had to 20.
Soon the wind rose high; fresh snow
fell. hiding all marks. The storm became
binding. There was a dense fog Time
and again got down from the horse to
look for the trail. Night came. and
/ was lost completely. All that night Law
sleepiess In the sled. 1 was not frtRhten-
ed at the loneliness; the horse was COM
| pany for me. The poor animal hungry
and without shelter from the savage wind,
| shook and trembled all night At the
FIRST light I got up and tried to mount.
Stinened from the cold, was clumsy and
| lost my hold. The horse ran away with
the sledge. 1 followed, calling and coax
| ing But the horse was nervous and
frightened. He would not stop. Soon /
| lost sight OF him in the snow-fiurI-v
Then followed the tracks until the snow
| had blotted them out
NOW l found myself on the lake that
| Is halfway to Kelly. All day and ali
night / wandered about on the ice. con-
unually searching for the road or some
| footprints OF the horse, and soon became
exhausted. When my foot sank into the
snow was not able to pull it out again
| because my strength failed me-
could go no farther I sat down
under a dwarf larch on the shore of the
Iake. ana scarcely had laid down when
feu asleep. How long / slept / do NOT
| know but when 1 awoke could hardIy
breathe, and could not move a limb I
| was entirely covered with snow ana
was lying on my right side, but could
not turn. l began to weep. At last I
succeeded In freeing my left arm and in
| wlping the snow from my face with NV
hand. My face was wet-the SNOW baS
Lhawed from the heat of my body
now raised my hand and bored a hole IN
the snow. "'-S ="
Finally my first finger went throuyb
Immediately felt a cold draft of air. ana
could breathe more easily. All around me
was a great darkness, and the .stoTpo
howled through the night
AFTER 1t became lighter. no+toad
above me the little hole my finger hsd
bored. A feeble ray OF light neenaS
1nrough It, but the sky could not be seen
Inc FOG and storm continued. The snow
Kept on covering my little window. and 7
sept on opening 1t with my finger. I Law
sun and wept but felt neither hunger
nor cold l suffered only from thirst
put some snow into my mouth with nv
liberated left hand; but 1t did NOT ouencS
my my tnlrst So lay there and cried and
me- ""uiu una
whether / slept, and how long do
not know. l almost was insensIble. but
noticed when II grew lighter SeyaraI
times . II became day and night; hut how
olien 1 could not tell / did NOT feel
cold; / was warm. nv teei
:, Inc storm ceased on the third dav
II am not mistaken saw a niece -
the blue sky, and in the night I saw,
stars; the opening was not covered ,,,i,S
any more snow. So lay there and lis
Tened II l might not hear the sound ~
soiIhepody passing. But everything was
Suieti only the wind blew fercelv. and
me frozen limbs of the trees craalrad