Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-11-21
STALKING CARIBOU.
EslIi,nos Power of Enduiance-Thcir
Two Camps.

Two Camps.
The only man who navigates the
Arctic ocean in a gasoline launch is
Young Rochesterian who is on his way
home from the Bering straits, says the
Rochester Post Express. Alexander
Allen left Rochester some years ago 10
seek "A fortune digging for color IN
Alaska. in the rich goldtleds that lie
beside and behind Nome, but when a
two-years' stake did not bring him
fortune he loaded 4 gasoline launch TO
the scuppers with everything from
Teddy bears 10 harpoons and started
hyperborean trading cruises.
Mr.. Allen says that the American
Eskimos acquire wonderful powers nf
endurance, and are possibly the great
est long distance runners in the world,
for they have to trail game to get food
for their starving camps in winter ana
hunt the far north animals for furs TO
barter with the traders in summer.
The natives have two camps When
the thaw sets in and the rivers open
they come down from the interior u
camp in villages at the heads OF creeks
and inlets OF the Arctic coast. But
after the few traders who visit them in
the open season, have returned south 10
escape the early forming ice and TO
miss the rigorous dangers of the IN
blowing storms Which pile the ice packs
,1pon the broken Alaskan coast, the
l,skiuos again break camp to return
inland for hundreds of miles. where
they subdivide once more into smaller
hodies. each family of which has as
signed to it the hunting rights to GER
tain creeks and country.
When MI. Allen arrived with Well
laden cargo at killaturruck, shortly
after the hunters of the village had re-
turned from inland points distant 500
miles, he saw them engage in games
and contests after finishing their bar
tering. The boys played football and
the men ran races. The game con-
sisted in kicking what looked like a
ba seball made out of raw sealskin and
stuffed with caribou hair. and the run
ming track was merely the round Of q
lake the circumference of which meas
,ued between 80 and 40 miles, These
| offorts to play and race While clad in
the ordinary warm fur costumes SEEM
ed 10 fatigue neither boys nor men.
The runners acquire their remark
| able power Of endurance and tenacity
| through contending With exigencies
| while hunting in the winter. After they
leave the summer camp by the ocean
! land each family is senaratcd ana To-
| ca ted on 4 certain section. But in times
| when food or clothing is scarce a chief
| hunter has to proceed an even fur
| ther stage inland, and leaves to others
( the trapping Of smaller although per-
| haps richer game while he hunts neces-
! saries The mink. marten. Hudson hay
| sable and black tipred erninc are shot
| and caught near the family camp.
| while The chief hunter or best runner
! goes off by himself 10 hunt caribou or
! moose. according TO longitude,
\ Since caribou follow the high ridges
1 of the mountains. where the snow is
| least deep and tile chances to find
| browsing most favorable the hunter
| has to follow course that Is usually
| the coolest. When he crosses tract
/ where the white moss grows he knows
/ he has found 9 run game viii frequent.
1 Some follow the same rims year after
+eaf and OF course il those cases the
| hunter knows beforehand fairly accu-
I raiely where he will locate to hunt; but