The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-01-09

alone into district where the natives were so dreaded that whalers would storm.
 Since that time Lopp has seen the got the gold fever only once), he has travelled up and down and criscross Alaska on foot. mushing with dogs, or driving reindeer from Pt. Barrow, northernmost pinnacle of the conti- nent, down to the Alaskan peninsula in the warm Japan stream. and east ward to the Canadian boundary.
 Before. white men came he has known what it is to be driving exhaus- ted dogs in the bitter cold Of inter- for Alaska with the food .dwindling; he has been in an Esquimaux hunting boat scuttled by the tuSks of an in- furiated walrus; he has fearlessly ter whaling stations in the Arctic Ocean; he has faced death in a score. of forms. <. But of all these he will say nothing. He prefers to talk about the governments Alaskan reindeer, herd of which he was the creator and is the present administrative
 we got the idea of simporting rein deer from Siberia that first year we were at. Cape Prince of Wales" he said tsThe country then had a. bad ed a little more of the Esqumaux language. we discovered that most of the whites resulted from i'll Urea tment of the natives. We found them kind fy. good natured people. with more native intelligence than Indians have. and eager to learn the white mans awys. Their chief faults were drufH-- enness and tendency to steal what tasyVe had some trouble with them at first, but we insisted on having our way. When they saw we were atso-s lutely just and fair with them. their attitude changed. We taught them that stealing and drinking were wrong and they listened to us: To-day it people than the Esquimaux living from Cape Prince of Wales northward. and Drunkenness is almost unknown. Also they are the most advanced of the ings of cleanliness and hygiene.
 "That first winter we learned that the Esquimaux wanted to own rein deer, but that the revenue officers would not permit the importa tion Some of the natives even owned rein deer in the Siberian herds across, the they were forbidden to bring their property across from Asia, so near that the Siberian heights could be
 eve appealed to Washington for per mission to import reindeer But soth- CT government agents had precedeo reply from our letter that summer a revenue cutter put into port W1ttf--a shipment of reindeer on toard- Nes were overjoyed to know that the pro- hibition of the law. had been ~remoV-s ed, and set about getting more.
 '.In 1892 came the first large impor- year. and from these grew the present herd, scattered throughout Alaska and numbering over S5 900.
 -"The reindeer policy was gradually evolved. We impress upon the. Lapps and Esquimaux that the reindeer are exclusively their property and care sell female reindeer to white men, so that the breed animals are to be per petuaHY in the custody and ownership
 we usually establish a reindeer herd wherever we have a native school. The school superintendent has supervision over the herd. though the animals are owned by the natives. When a. new herd is to be started, young. ambitious natives are selected as apprentice herders for a four year term For his first years services. in addition to his living. the appren- tice receives six reindeer; the second year eight. and the third year ten. and the fourth year ten- So that what you may term journeyman herder owns 34 reindeer They are then free to breed their animals and sell thefr calves or stock of any age or sex to the other natives.
 -"Reindeer are food. clothing and transformation to the Eatives. AS food reindeer is delicious. resembling both mutton and beef. hut more pale tahle than either. Alone in October. when the deer are, fat from a sum- mer's feeding on grasses and foliage they are best for eating. The na- tives take reindeer taIlow and mix red moss berries into it. making a dish that looks like ice cream and which is fine to eat.
 fsThe. reindeer finds his food along the ways. He can paw throueh tho snow when tethered out and 6nd rnoss to eat He is strong. so the driver can ride And the rein5oor can trav- eI 40 miles a day and keep it up for a week at a time"
 New York-The sight of a hand