The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1913-10-18
Law of the
Tribe
C Copyright by REX Beach
BY REX BEACH

eOge OF Things, lnNOlVlng white mems
passions and the smoldering hate OF
the Eskimo. as IL was told 10 me by a
revenue nan while we were STEPPED In
laughter. music. blinking glasses inc
the mufiied clang OF Broadway troll
leys.
l had bemoaned the ~urbanity or life.
the paucity OF the pastoral. What
though the duck had been delicious
and the salad perfectl The stale
breath OF the city was I'm my nostrils,
and rallied at It's refinement SO, led
by my mood. my friends discourse
wandered out into the distant reaches
TIL / felt the heave OF slanting decks.
smelt the sea spume and heard the
salt air whining through the shrouds.
North and west we cruised through the
smoky seas where the sea parrots
scream. up toward the Diomedes.
where the roar OF the bull walrus
browns the beat OF the surf, and there.
out OF the tropic blue OF his Havana,
he WOW this story OF the a%rctlcs:
At the tip OF that point OF land
which leans farthest U and whispers
across TO the moss CARRIED hills or
Siberia nestles q native village. Since
the earliest days nc whaling ship has
passed 1t without pause TO trade, for IL
is the most prosperous OF all the towns
from Dutch Harbor TO Point Barrow.
The strait teens with walrus. deer
range the ridges behind, salmon choke
the rivulets, and the cry OF geese In
the slow summer air is like a noisy
burden.
One June midnight, as the yellow
sun dipped shallowly below the hori-
ron. a Hawaiian schooner anchored
abreast the sand spit and was o
surrounded by the curious populace.
They came on In kayaks and big skin
boats. bearing many things 10 barter,
noisy aud pleased In their childlike
frlendliness. They had not trathcked
long until the captain ordered up a
cask OF whisky and preached IL. So II
was but a short time until the sailors
were IN possession OF the Eskimos
Hpoils and they In turn reeled under
the drunken fumes. The s~chooners
master was n half ~breed-swart, thick
and domineering. As time drew along
for some reason he grew enraged at n
native and struck him. That one. iq-
nor maddened and aroused from his
customary good nature. drew n knife
and made at the master. Doubtless
white blood would have run had not "A
sailor snatched n b%ludgeon and beaten
Down the Eskimo. at which his tribes
men drew together threateningly. The
crew, who had likewise become In
famed, charged them with every
weapon handy aud swept them over
board, all but a dozen, who fought
back doggedly. These. forced down
the deck inch by inch, sought refuge
beneath the forward deck, where they
crouched. thoroughly terrified.
The sailors, drunk with victory M
the blood lust, seized blubber hooks
and. reaching In. dragged them out
one by one. AS each was brought
forth they knocked In his head and
threw him overboard-eleyen In all.
Then, glutted with the XIII. their decks
awash with blood. they weighed an
Choir and sailed away like pirates OF
the Spanish main. In this fashion ha'
tired was sown at Prince OF Wales.
ON the sand ridge behind the town
they reared eleven great whale ribs In
a row. while the squaws let down their
hair aud rocked and walled. and the
men spoke with stony faces and bit
ter words.
AS the years passed. whenever n
Nra -. a. ,xnAaruta nAfnv hiQ moth
or taught him the story OF the bleach.
ing bones and nursed the hatred Ia
him as jealously as she did his life.
wIthal they were a crafty people and
realized that vengeance must come eau
tiously, for each year there were more
and more white men In the country.
and back OF them was n great power
which they felt. but could not fully
grasp. These newcomers treated them
well. as a rule, and but for the mem
DRY or the whalers' treachery they
would have made friends greedily. As
II was. the tribe came TO be known rs
unfriendly and inhospltable, and II was
at this time that my friend sailed
north out or the mists. bearing on the
ven cutter misslonaries-two OF
them.
Zone was n farmer lad" said he. IAN
Ohio boy. lie ran less to prayer than
20 hard work. and ] told the old man
that he would make the Indians like
him. But the other-somehow | knew
he was due for trouble from the first
He was nice enough. only for his airs.
and he brought his young wife with
him-both OF them ahame with the de
sire TO teach the heather.
We anchored about a mile and
half from shore. and the old man
sent for all the villagers. II was the
only town we had ever stopped al
where they didn't hurry out Of theiI
own accorS. but ever since the day OF
N