The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-10-04
, CHRIST ARTICLE>

l AhAeiA AO NOTUn HOle
 THE expedition was equipped 9 l Gloucester. Mass. All was read II on the evening of July 3, 19Oi
 Ashore boys were testing thei
 fireworks for the morrow of celebra
 uon, but aboard, as our vessel. tn
 John R. Bradley, withdrew from tn
 pier, all was quiet. There were n,
 visiting crowds of curiosity seekers
 No footing whistles signalized our de
 parture
 An arctic expedition had been bor,
 without the usual public bombast
 There was, indeed. no excuse fo,
 clamor. Neither the help of the gov
 ernment nor the contributions of pri vate individuals had been sought. The
 project was quietly given life and its
 expenses were paid by John R. Brad
 ley. It's destiny was shaped by the | writer
 MT. Bradley was interested in game animals of the north. I was interested
 Tn the game of the polar quest. For
 the time being the business concerned
 us only. If the venture proved sue. cessful there would be time enough to
 raise the banner of victory. If it fail ed none had the privilege of heapine upon us the unmerited abuse which usually comes to the returning polar traveller
 In a brief month all had been pre- pared for the peculiar mission. We had purchased strong Gloucester fish, ing schooner, fitted with motor. GOV cred for ice and loaded down with suitable supplies for prolonged pe- riod
 One morning the bold cliffs of Cape York were dimIy outlined in the gray mist which screened the land. A storm nad carried so much ice against the coast that near approach was im- possible. and continued winds kept up a sea which made it equally difficuItH to land on the ice
 In Ice Free Polar Waters.
 Though anxious to meet the natives at Cape York. we were forced to turn and set a course for the next village. at North Star bay. At.noon the sooty clouds separated, and in the north through the narrow breaks we saw the steep slopes and warm color of crim- son cl1ffs resting on the rising water.
 Darting through the air were count less guillemots, gulls. little auks and cider ducks. We were in the ice free north waters, where creatures of tho sea find marine oasis in midst of a polar desert. -.-e
 This kind of coast extends poleward 10 the lands end. It is the abundant sea life which makes human habita- ton just possible here, though land animals are also important. , The people of the farthest north are crowded into natural reservation by The arctic ice wall of Melville bay in the south and the stupendous line of cliffs of Humboldt glacier in the north. 1
 Home of the EsLimos.
 Widely scattered in small villages. the northernmost Eskimo finds here a l good living. A narrow band of rocky | land between the land ice and the sea | offers grasses upon which feed ptarrni- gan, hare and caribous. S
 Numerous cliffs and islands afford a resting place in summer for myriads or marine birds that seek the small life Of the icy waters. Blue and white foxes wander everywhere. Seal, walrus. narWhal and white whale sport in the sun, while the bear, king of the polar wilds. roams over the sea at all times.
 The yacht lodged the icebergs and dangerous rocks in the fog about Cape Athol, then turned eastward to ,ross Wolstenholme sound.
 AS we neared Table mountain. which guards North Star bay. many latves came out in kayaks to meet IS. Some were recognized as old r1ends. There was Myah, he of many yves; Oobloiah, who had executed Angodgibsah, styled the villain by i1bson at Radcliffe House, and Pin oota, husband of the queen, in whose amily are to be found the only hy- rid children of the tribe. Later, krud Rasmussen, Danish Vr1ter, living as native among the . eople, came aboard With him we 1 ot better acquainted during the win , ar.
 ne town of Oomanooi. There were z .ven triangular sealskin tents, con- t placed on picturesque rocks. S athered about these in large num- CTS were men, women and children, S l1yering in the midnight chill. They were odd looking specimens of s umanity. In height the men aver a sed but five feet two inches and the g omen four feet ten inches All had fl 'oad, fat faces. heavy trunks and \ ell rounded limbs. Their skin was h tightly bronZed. Men and women a Id coal, black hair and brown eyes. i, he nose was short, and the hands V Id feet were short, but thick There was not much news to ex- . lange. After we had gone over the tt of marriages and deaths the luck the chase became the topic of con- rsa ation. [ It was a period of monogamy. yah had exchanged a plurality of ' ives for larger team of dogs, and :. ere was but one other man in the ] be with two wives. Women were rather scarce Several arriageable men were forced to fore
 the advantages of married life be U use tnere were not enough wives for V
 fI1s