The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1910-02-17
BILKINS NEAR POLE.
CONTINUED from Page i.

know none ov the scientists hev ex-
planned OR attempted to explain this,
an with the above clumsy effort I'll
rest my case until somebody adj
vances a more logical theory, if any
body can. My opinion liz that hit
will be many years before we under
stand even half ov the secrets that
may be turned up in this unexplored
land. Even in the most populous
portions ov Europe an in America
new things air bein' discovered, an
what wuZ once beyond the under
standin' liz, in most cases, bein' made
plain after many years hev passed.
The wind, the bitin', cuttin', cold
wind, blows from the West nearly
awl the time. Az we air travelin'
due North we hev rugged up barri-
cade on the west side ov the front ov
the sleigh an that hez awlso served
to put my Eskimo in a better humor
az the stingin' blasts ov wind do not
strike him with so much force. Ov
course 1 am wrapped up well or
could not live through hit a-ridin'
Bob. But we air now takin' hit turn
about. The Eskimo had never rid
den on horse back, an after watchin'
me fer many days he could stand hit
no longer an began to hint that he'd
like to swap jobs with me. Az had
never driven pair Ov deer to a
sleigh, I thought hit fair swap. The
Etc hi no tah Cd nj mr.
| dismount until he thought he knew
the combination. But he didn't. I
! had to assist him. But he is larnin' to
ride well. After goin' several miles we
stopped to feed an rest. I assisted
the Eskimo to dismount for we can't
afford to take any risks at this time.
did you enjoy your first mule-ride?"
axed. He wuz smilin', an sed
several words in Eskimo, but I could
not make out the meanin'. AZ he
! hez ridden Bob twice since that I
am satisfied that he wuz well pleased
with the first experience. When we
stopped to feed after hiz first ride ]
patted Bob on the neck an told him
that he wuz still in the swim; that
j he had bin ridden by President
Roosevelt while we wuz in Washing
ton gettin' ready ter start on the
trip around the world, an that he
wuz probably the first mule that wuz
ever ridden by President ov the
United States. Now he hez carried
an Eskimo on hiz back fer a few
miles, somethin' that no other mule
in the world ever did, which orter
increase hiz social standin' in mule
dom an fit him fer life contract in
a museum.
Hit may be Imagination, but I be-
leeve that man kin see further up
here near the Pole. When we start
on our daily struggle I lay our course
by picking out some object on the
ice an then steer fer hit That IL
easier an quicker than usin' the
compass. In most cases the objects
selected, a small mound or a rough
place on the ice, or somethin' SINH.
lar, do not appear to be more than a
mile or so ahead. But we ofte
travel az much az two or three miles
to reach the spot. Scientists hey
long predicted that this would be
noticed at and near the Pole. Ny
opinion, which ov course, liz not of.
fetal, liz that this liz due to the facl
that az we approach the Pole the at.
mosphere becomes clearer, OWN tt
the fact that hit liz so cold for one
thing. Another reason liz that the
air IL free from dust an smoke. !
noticed this when I wuz in the Rock,
Mountains in Colorado a few years
ago, in a portion ov the mountains
some distance from any city. The
climate liz quite cool, even in sum
mer, and a man or other object ap
pears to be magnified until he will
seem to be awlmost az large at 8
distance or mile az If he wuz only
fifty yards away. Hit liz interestin'
but not alarmin'.
Notwithstandin' the cold the view.
we air now gettin', some ov which