Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-12-25

reached when their shadows remained
stationary. They wee naturally on the
watch for It: and a s they are too ignorant
to have imagined such thing, they must
have seen it,
The first white man at the north pole
stayed their during .Tive sleeps
He had heavy instruments which We
carried for him. said Ireena. He
but he also made great feasts TO Us. We
all got drunk. The white man said to me
that my name should be famous. He
said this voyage was the greatest eve!
made. There is secret spot up here.
he said. where nothing moves All was
well: We broke camp and went joyousiy
south. Who could have foreseen the bad
things ccming?''
They reached the Tchoom. where they
had wintered. Twenty young men driving
a great herd of reindeer had already ar
rived from the south to feed them and
escort them back. The ncith pole party
welcomed them Saviors: hu. the young
men were morose and troub ed. netting
was wrong.
when We reached home. after long
travel, said Ireena, I'VE learned what
was wrong. We others. the strongest and
bravest of our people. had werked year
TO earn the great stores of our European
master. Now. when they should be di-
vided. there were no stores eft. The stay
at-homes had consumed tfem. The strange
foods and sweets had been eaten. The
3eaut1ful red and blue garments mao Deeil
worn and sciled."
"A rage seized ON us: there was battle.
and our friend, the European. was killed
with many others.
So ends the tragic mystery OF the first
white man at the north p"'e. His head.
placed on an iron bcx full Of instru-
ments and observations. renoses in the
last pagan shrine of E-rope-the DWELLING
place of Hye, the ecd which Bo-issoff
never reached. Ireena ard Darillo started
--ekl I-s- -
they reached the cliffs containing what.
he was informed, was the chief holy
place. reached only after a terrible Jour
ney over icy rocks and fearful ravines
and river beds stuffed with snow.
-
Three versts distance from the Shrine
they stopped on the threshold of the
Samoyede Mecca. Borissoff stumbled
over huge mounds of idols heaped be-
tween cliffs. one of them so great that
forty isledges could not have removed
the idols. He passed mountains of deer
skulls and antlers. skulls of polar bears.
and heaps OF rusty axes, knives. chains,
fragments OF anchors. harpoons and parts
OF rifles brought as offerings over weary
leagues.
THE Samoyedes often drive here from
thousand miles away. stop at the
threshold of this dwelling place Of the
supreme idol-god of the polar regions.
and, killing a domestic deer as the least
sacrifice, bespr!nkie the shrine with Its
blood.
People who naively believe that the
Samoyedes are no longer heather are
greatly mistaken says NJ. Bori soft.
Notwithstanding their being nominally
Christians. they still worship their Hyes
and siadeys no less fervently than in
olden times. Eyes, ears, shouts and re-
cent bloodstains on the idols testified to
recent visits: but it was only when we
were about to take our departure that l
learned that this was not the chief shrine
at ALL
Borissoff insisting. Ireena reluctantly
guided him three or four versts down the
coast, to the east: but he never got to
the altar.
Now we passed far greater mounds Of
axes, knives and other valuable Offer
ings,'' he tells. THE idols stood like an
army around two enormous elevated
round clay affairs at the very top of the
mountain cut off by q deep chasm bridged
by stone archway: but the number of
bones was less than / expected to find