Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1909-10-18

without the usual barriers Of uplifted
blocks Over ii direct air line course
was possible. Progress. however was
| quite as difficult as over the irregular
| pack. The snow was crusted with
| large crystals An increased friction
reduced the speed. while the surface.
| too hard for snowshoes. was also too
| weak to give secure footing. The
loneliness. the monotony. the hardship
Of steady. unrelieved travel We're now
keenly felt.
1t is not often that mans horsepow-
| err is put to the test as ours was We
were compelled to develop working
energy to the limit of animal capacity.
| Day after day we had pushed along
at the same steady pace over plains OF
frost and through mental desert
! AS the eye opened at the end of an
icy slumber the fire was lighted little
by little. the stomach was filed with
! liquids and solids, mostly cold-enough
| to last for the day. for there could be
no halt or waste of fuel for midday
| Feeding. We next got into harness
| and paced off the days pull under the
! bash Of duty. We worked until stand.
! ing became mpossble-longer in light
winds. shorter in strong winds but al
ways until the feet became numb and
| heavy
! Then came the arduous task of build
ing snow house. IN this the eyes. no
| longer able to wink, closed. but soon
! the empty stomach complained. and 1t
was filled up again-not with things
that pleased the palate. only hard fuel
| to feed the inner fires while the ear
| sought the soft side of ice to tlispel
fatigue; no pleasure in mental recrea.
| ton, nothing to arouse the soul from
| it's icy Enclosure.
| To eat, to sleep. to press one foot
! ahead of the other. was our steady vO.
! cation. like the horse to the cart. but
| we had not his advantage of an agree
| able climate and comfortable stable
at night.
| Words and pictures cannot adequate
| ly describe the maddeninc influence
| of this snmeness of polar glitter. COM
| bined with bitter winds. extreme cold
| and an overworked body To me there
was always the inspiration of antici-
| patton of the outcome of ultimate sue
| cess. but for my young savage com.
| panions it was torment almost be-
| vond endurance. Their WEAKNESS was
| made evident by lax use of the whip
| and an indifferent urging of the dogs
| They were. however brave and faith
! full to the bitter end. seldom allowing
| selfish ambitions or uncomfortable
! passions seriously to interfere with the
| main effort of the expedition.
On the morning of April IS strain
! of agitating torment reached a break
| ing point. For days there had been a
! steady cutting wind from the west.
! which drove despair to its lowest
reaches.
No torment could be worse than that
never ceasing rush of icy air. Alive
lah bent over his sled and refused to
| move.
His dogs turned and looked in
| quiringly. I walked over and stood
| by his side. Etukshuk came near and
stood motionless, staring blankly at the
southern skies. Large tears fell from
Ahwelah's eyes and piled little frost
! of sadness in the blue of his own shad-
ow for several minutes. Not a word
was uttered, but I knew that each felt
that the time had come to free the fet-
tiers Of human passions. Slowly Alive
| lah said. Time sinig pa-oo-ah-tonia
| i-o-doria" CIT is we'll to die-beyond is
impossble'0.