The Irish standard., 1910-01-15

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coast growing ever more bleak and
desoiate-past Nome and its gold.
sanded shores, stopping at Chuck
Cape just long enough to pick up some
native hunters, and ultimately round,
Ing the shoulder Of Alaska, where the
full force Of the cold-storage zephyrs
caused our stanch little craft to grow
Its way among the ice-foes like SOM
aquatic bull dog. And such a buffet
Ing! You see, the month was August
and an off-shore wind was frisking the
cutrglass out to the open, thus giving
Us our only chance Of creeping in to
the coast. go, ...a
THE moment the Saucy Liz poked
her head inside the cape four native
whale boats put out to meet us, and
the captain sighed his disappointment
For, he explained, IT Olfen's Innuit
flock has returned he'll never leave
them, and we've had our little jaunt
for nothing ;.
,"But lib, shaping his fox-skin
gloves: briskly. together, refused to en-
tertAn this ,anwholesSmer suggestion,
and intimated that inasmuch as our
boss had spent enough money on the
trip to buy carpet slippers for every
barefooted owl in the country, we
must take back something, If only an
iceberg. A.;.'-
1.-THE desire to trade kept the natives
about the sealer,' and we three, lib,
the captain and I, slid in to shore
alone. Then the captain hurried US
inland several hundred yards to low,
stone house banked high with dirt md
plugged with moss, and called on the
missionary to appear and welcome US.
But the door remained closed. Father
Olfen!' he cried again.
"And then-great Scott, sir! but my
heart certainly skipped seven throbs;
for from around the corner of the hut
paraded seven Of the biggest polars 1
ever saw. And the whole outfit reared
with one accord and eyed US COM
placently. At our apparent concern
the captain laughed and assured us
they were tame as kittens. Then he
boldly advanced and said, Hello, Min
nie!' and stuck out his fist. And hang
me, sir, If Minnie didn't return the
chaste salute most amiably!
''Tib, you know, always had q hyp-
motto way with animals, and he, too,
tripped forward and slapped another
elf on the flank. Mr.. Bruin slowly
dropped to all-fours and rubbed his
massive white head lovingly against
my patrons sealskin coat.
"But no missionary had appeared,
and finding the door unfastened we
entered. The room was deserted, but
on a rough table was a letter ad-
dressed to the captain. In it Often ex-
planned that he was about to leave on
a chance sealer then of shore, as to
remain longer meant death. BY the
date Of the note he had been gone
about week. "A strange tribe has
settled here he wrote, and while their
superstition leads them to avoid the
hut, as they believe, because of my
bears, that must be an evil spirit,
they nevertheless threaten to kill me.
They cry out I am Nenook shaman,
IA0 oSdI 0plIIty 6uU IL 10 Only u Qu6b'
ton of time when they will attack me.
Poor, ignorant savages! II I were
younger l would stay, regardless Of
the risk; but find my last days are
suddenly filed with desire to see the
flowers, and I cannot wait for you. II
you come and my pets are still here,
be kind to them.
After the captain had slowly
spelled this out q scratching at: the
door caused me to open 1t, and there
was a nine-foot, sixteen-hundred-po pound
toy sitting ON his launches and polite.
ly salaaming. lib said the old boy
was hungry and, finding a stock Of
dried fish. we led the seven into their
rock corral behind the hut-and say,
for endurance in gastronomic stunts
those fairies had all the old Roman
gluttons reduced to lightweight 'dys
peptics.
Just as we had cemented the en-
tente cordiale by the simple donation
q cloud of snow capered over the hut
and the captain gained the OMEN In