The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1913-01-03
AND ADVENTURE N |
The BLOND ESK|AOS |
Fair Natives Make lmple-
ments From Abundant
Supply of Copper.

30 200 yards wide. We followed the
edge Of this lead south for about half
a mile and barely succeeded in cross
ing a lead about seVenty-nve yards
wide, rushing the sleds acroos singly,
although the ice sagged deeply.
"On the morning Of Nov. 2a, 1909,
three of us left Horton river to get
large number of needed articles cached
in an old house near the wreck Of the
steam whaler Alexander at Cape Par
ry. The thermometer stood at 81 de-
gree below zero, and a gale was blow
ing from west-northwest, with snow
drifting everywhere, but az the wind
was a little abaft we made good time.
I'VE expected to reach Lanston bay
in one sleep so took only six small
fish with us-one each for supper and
the same for breakfast. But the next
day the wind increased, blowing all
the ice away from the beach, necessi-
tating much hard pulling over bare
ground and sand covered snow. Nov.
rs we were unable to travel at all, and
we reached Langton bay on the even
ing Of the 26th after a fast of sixty
hours.
Bears Raided Stores.
eve reached the cache near the
wreck of the Alexander on Dec. 3.
Polar bears had broken into the house
and devoured four boxes about 500
pounds) Of whale blubber (all our dog
food. two slabs Of bacon, overturned
and spilled ten gallon can Of alcohol
(all we had left and knocked things
ed out a cache of ugynk bearded seaD
meat and blubber which Stefansson
had made some distance down the ford
I'VE started back to Mackenzie delta
on June 16, 1910, finding travelling
much better. as the snow had disap-
peared and water had run down
through cracks, leaving a smooth sur
face Of solid ice five or six feet thick,
but rapidly disintegrating into sharp
prismatic needles.
"Travel was rapid, but exceedingly
hard on the dogs feet, which had to be
protected by boots or often rewrapped
in calico. Sailing from Kittigaryuit
on June 10, three days brought us from
the ice fields to the almost tropical
heat of the Mackenzie delta propeI
Mosquitoes were abundant, and On tiz54
22d 1 found a robins nest with four
young birds. The season seemed To-
be fully a month further advanced
than 1t was twenty-five or thirty miles
north. Fresh moose tracks were seen,
and rabbits appeared to be numerous.
1--WE crossed the divide on Sept. 81
and camped on the southern slope, al
though with no fuel but green willows.
Next day we moved south about six
miles before we sighted band of ten
caribou. We made camp at once and
succeeded in killing eight 1t was dark
before finished shdnning two for speci-
mems, and, failing to find camp, l was
obliged to walk the rest Of the night to
keep from freezing.
During our entire four years and a
half the times when we depended upon
the supplies we brought from civiliza-
ton we often went hungry, but the
year during which we lived on the
country we never missed a single
meal"
Whenever we got in touch with
ships, however, q certain amount of
provisions must be obtained to satisfy
native employees, who seemed to con-
slider the "luxuries" OF civilization
(four, molasses, etc. more necessary
than did either Stefansson or myself
A native lives only in the present and
considers that he is justified in de-
manding whatever creature comforts
are obtainable, while we were willing
to make sacrifices in order to accom-
plish an end some distance in the fu-
ture.
Hard Shedding With Specimens.
after DR.. Stefansson had left the
party l went back to Coronation gulf,
where my 1000 specimens had been
cached. We loaded them on sledges,
of which we had only two, and drag
ged them in three trips to Bailie is
land, ninety miles away, the total
weight of the whole collection being
about five tons. By a mere lucky
chance we were able to hail the whaler
Belvedere. which cleared from Bed
ford, R. l., thirty years ago and has
never returned to the Atlantic coast.
1--WE loaded the specimens and then
spent several months cruising for
whales, OF which we got a number of
fine specimens. We killed them with
hard lances, at the end OF which were
concussion bombs, which exploded in
side the whales body.
q 81 repacked everything at San Fran