Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-03-08

made by Rube one of the
local mainstays of the ms
sion to a group of VOL
| unteer workers who had just returned
from church Sunday, January g. We
all hustled outdoors to confirm the
glad tidings, and saw steamships
smoke behind a neck of land which
shuts in the harbor. AS We knew that she
must have picked up our pilot and would
be some time coming. in. we hurriedly ate
dinner amid considerable excitement be-
fore We put on our '"racquets'' OF snow
shoes.
| Then the men watching on the hill came
| down with the news that the vessel. after
coming to the edge of the ice and delay
ing short time to send out boat. had
turned south. evidently intending to put
into the next harbor. about two miles dis
tart by land. 1t is very bad harbor
and seldom used. if ever. by shipping.
while st. Anthony is the best on the
coast
Following this announcement. which
spread like wildfire. the whole population
turned toward. the little settlement of
Cremeliere, travelling over high hills by
poor and little used path. Obstacles like
this. however. had no lettering effect on
the crowd. for. driven on by wild excite
ment and enthusiasm. they made record
breaking time.
The ship had pushed through the ice for
some distance, and, as We watched. she
drew off and bucked the harbor ice at
full speed. She made little progress, how
ever. and gave it up after only one more
attem1t. The procession filed down the
III n1rar h0
steamship. She was Norwegian yes
sci. the Anita. 1000 tons According TO
the captain. she had been unable to break
through the ice at ST. Anthony. anu had
open. The people here. however. declared
she could with the greatest ease nave
gotten through If her captain had had
the smallest ice experience.
Mr.. Cole who is to be In charge OF the
fifty reindeer for the Harmsworth pulp
mills. and Mr.. Lindsay. who had volun-
teered to do this work for Dr. Grenfell.
held a conference with the chief Laps.
| through the interpreter. Three OF these
speak Norwegian. a Language which they
| learned at the trading posts in their
country. These three do the necessary
talking for ali through the Interpreter. as
| the others speak only Lapp which even
| the interpreter doesn't understand.
The deer. were slowed fore and aft Just
| below decks in temporary pens. Tho
does of which there are go. seem small.
about the size. Of yearlinK red deer. as
| nearly as one could judge in the poor
light. There are twenty-five bucks from
! four to ten years. broken to harness. The
| latter are about the size Of an average
| horse. but not as high. Besides these
, are twenty-five oxen or unbroken young
| bucks OF three years old. for breeding
later or breaki All had their horns
cut off before starting. to prevent fight
! ing on the crowded ship.
Moss Is the Same.
In the hold beneath the deer was the
reindeer moss. of which about a week.
supply remained. We were ove-joyed to
confirm with our own eyes the statement
| that it is practically Identical with the
moss which covers the surface of New
| roundIand and Labrador called cladonia
cank.ferina.
The Laps. OF whom there are ten In
ALL, three couples and a. fourth couple
with two boys. were. after the deer. the
center OF interest. they are very short
about shoulder high to the average man
the women. Tine men wear moustaches
and brush them straight Up, which adds
to their queer appearance.
Both s,xes wear deerskin breeches and
khec-lenEth coats. with the hair outside.
the only difference in costume Is the cap,
the women wearing close-ftting hood
! and the men a cap with four stuffed cloth
horns. Their clothes seem to be mad. of
innumerable SCRAPS sewn together: some
have red cloth stripes sewn into the
seams. murderous sheath knife and a
tobacco pouch. hung from the belt, COM
piete each costume All the men chew.
and both men and womap smoke.
The captain told us that the Laps had
given t!lc deer constant care during the
voyage. even when both Laps and d>er
were so seasick that they could hardly
stand up. The excellent condition of the
animals, in spite of the twenty-five days
voyage confirmed his testimony.
With the Lamps were ten Lap,and dogs
to help fard the deer. These are mostly
black. and much like the Huskies. or Es-
kimo dogs. as regards heavy fur. short
pointed ears and tails curved over this
back but are smaller and less fierce
After the necessary business had been
settled it was decided to begin landing the
deer early the next morning. The cap
tain put DIP MIR. Lindsay on board. and, as
1t began to get dark about O'Clock. the
rest OF US started for ST. Anthony.
Before light next morning, about eight
O'Clock. thu path was alive with men on
komatiks drawn by dog teams ranging
from three mongrel pups to the Doctors
ten big Newfoundland and Eskimo dogs.
on their way to help unload the reindeer.
we found the cove jammed full OF
| broken ice and the st samsllip lying close
| inshore. The captain told us that during
the night the wind had risen. causing a
! heavy sea in the open water. which had
weled under the ice, raising and breaking
| 1t in spots. land driving the vessel toward
| the shore In spite of ali efforts. About =
o'clock she ran hard and fast on q rock
| and lay humping and banging consul
| tatlon OF officers was held, steam was
raised, and the ship finally worked of the
rock. Although badly dented she was still
/ ssaworthy. The wind then took her fur
Their inshore and the ice packed in around
her.
Landing the Deer.
When the Laps had gone up On the
| hills to take the lay of the land and ex-
anime the moss. though 1t was covered
! with ice and snow. they pronounced it
| identical with that in their own country,
and fairly easy for the deer to get at. so