The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1912-09-13


UzzanHnu>zu most have passed be-
yond my ken. All
put Two were chance acquaintances,
with whom spent an hour or 50.
There was Helmslund for instance
his line is birds-sea-birds although,
as Tar as that goes, anything wild and
unknown attracts Helmslund. / dare
say you never heard of Helmslund.
You would soon enough, though, il
you undertook to collect rare birds as
a hobby, Helmslund is Indispensable
to scores Of collectors in this country
and Europe
/ met him one Sunday afternoon at
the house Of friend who possesses
really remarkable collection Of
North American birds.
odd sort Of fellow-Helmslund. >"
our host later remarked. I've known
him several years, now, and he's Just
getting to the point where he gives
me a sketchy account of the main in
cidents of interest in his trips"
What trips?" asked.
After birds" replied my host
That's HeImslund's work. He gets
birds, not for the feather people-he
would regard that as sacrilege-but
Tor collectors like myself He goes
everywhere to get them don't sup
pose there's country he hasn't been
to in search Of some particular spe-
cimen."
And that was how l happened to
hear the story of Helmslund's battle
for life on the wrathy waters Of Lake
kbushka, far up by. the Arctic circle
In the grim desolation of the Siberian
steppes. II had happened the sum-
mer before, on trip he had taken to
secure some specimens of the rosy
gull for a European collector.
With a single companion and a cou-
pie OF dog-teams, he was working
around the country, paying especial at
tention to the marshy tracts bordering
several large lakes, which are the hab-
ftat OF various species of water fowl.
There is probably no more desolate
country in the world than this portion
of the steppes.
Helmslund soon found that the rosy
gulls had deserted the shores of Lake
K1bushka, and he determined to cross
the lake, which was about twenty
miles wide, and try his luck in the
country beyond. Sc he secured a craft
which he called a dingey and which
was large enough to hold his compan-
Ion and three Of the dogs, besides
himself, and the party. set out early
In the morning. They propelled the
craft by padding, and 1t was slow
work At first, everything went well.
Then a brisk breeze sprang up, agi-
tating the surface of the lake until the
waves became as large as those of the
open sea. To add to the confusion,
the dogs became frightened and start
ed to quarrel among themselves.
Before they realized the danger, the
boat had capSiZed and the two men
and three dogs were struggling in the
water. Helmslund kept his wits about
him and helped his companion to swim
to the overturned dingey. The dogs
had already clustered about it and
were fighting desperately in the wa
ter to climb on the bottom. but Helms
lund pushed through them ruthlessly
and helped the other man to get
seat, before he followed him. Luckily.
he had retained possession of his pad
die and he used it to beat off the DOGS.
crazy with fear as they felt the stead
lily increasing weight of their heavy
Water-soaked fur. Snarling fiercely,
the beasts attacked the boat again
and again, swapping at the mems legs
and leaping out of the water in wild
attempts to seize their threats.
Early in the Afternoon, Helmslund's
companion tainted and dropped Off
My friend said that the tears stood in
the little mans eyes as he told of this
occurrence. He told it quite simply,
rs be told the whole story, indeed
without any straining for effect. It
was only by direct questioning that
my friend discovered that Heimslund
haG fallen off the boat himself in his
efforts to save the other man, who
had sunk like stone When Helms
luno gained the boat a second time
he was utterly exhausted and barely
able to crawl on to it's bottom. He
had lost his paddle and had no means
OF directing his progress or even of
determining in which direction he was
going.
Fortunately for him, the wind was
on-shore, and late in the afternoon
he drifted within sight of land. The
sight gave him renewed energy to
strip of his shirt and use it to signal
TO village of natives.
Whenever / smell the sickly-sweet
scent of South American orchids
vision rises before me of another one
of the Ska fever-racked specter
whom ! met toiling down the gang
plank of a fruit-steamer from La
Guayra. His name was Grayson, and
he belonged to that legion of reck-
less Adventures, the orchid hunters.
Grayon had gone to Venezuela
some months before, with vague de-
termination to strike into the jungle
country in the direction of the GUAM