The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1917-11-15

4
and mosquitoes were swarming owe
them and the scent was strong enough
TO drive dog off from a earrion
Ugh,
II was condition, not a theory
that confronted US, and it had to b
met. We met it.
| With pick the soldier loosoned thu
moss for wide grave to hold tho
three, and we both took a shovel ant
dug in. At about two and half fee,
we struck the solid frost, and conclud.
ed that was deep enough for Eskimos
If they dind't like it they should moi
have died there.
We rolled the man and woman into
the grave without touching them, and
then the swarm of flies and mosquitoes
swarmed off the dead bodies onto US.
| We had nets over our heads and had
gloves on. They could not get to us,
but it was horrible to hear them buzz
around and try to.
The squaw under the canoe had to
be carried-there was no other way
and we were conscripted as bearers.
We rolled the kyak off and scattered
the flies, then ! grabbed her muck
lucks and he took her shoulders, and |
believe | broke the worlds record for
long distance breath holding.
There was a little ridge in the mid
die of the grave and the two corpses
had rolled to each side, so we dropped
Minnehaha between the man and wo-
man. The grave was hardly wide
enough and she crowded some. The
soldier held his nose and observed that
we might be parting man and wife,
but as there was no marriage certlfi-
cate in evidence and as we had not
access to the family history, we let her
wedge in between. We covered their
faces with some leaves and was about
to proceed with the last sad rites,
when the soldier, in full seriousness,
observed that perhaps ! would like to
say something.
| told him | hadn't my music with
me, and that to Judge from the smell
of things their spirits had long since
arrived at the happy hunting ground,
therefore / would move that we close
in short form. Carried. We shoveled
the dirt over the trio, rolled the logs
over the grave and beat it for the
boat.
Where the dead whale was we did
not find out. We did not see any, but
we took the Indians word for that.
Certainly there were no marks of vio-
lence on any of the dead.
l could not help but think how diff
ferent would have been the procedure
in the States. There the sheriff
would have been notified; the coroner
would have been sent for; an inquest
would have been held and the county
would have provided collins and buried
them. But in Alaska, where men are
hardened to the unyielding, such trim
mings are all cut out.
didn't go back to the station. |
went on board the ship, to my state
room, where | washed my hands and
face. Then washed them again, then
once more. For dinner / chewed a
stick of pepsin gum on the deck
somehow and somewhere l had lost
perfectly good appetite, and after
it all over ! concluded ! had
left it on shore.
When the tide had reached to nearly
full head, the barge was released from
the bar, and we slowly pushed the
group over, and were out in the open
sea. / did not know how much truth
there might be in what the operator
had told me, that we would not catch
the steamer, so / did not spring it.
And l did not want to believe it, any
way.
The young fellow who declared ne
was Jonah, came on deck. He had
Just awakened. / told him we had
been tied up for hours on the bar
81 knew it," he exclaimed. u
couldn't get away from the hoodo with
wings. We will miss the boat and
then something will happen to tie us
up in st. Michael. The jinks will stick
until once get off Alaska soil. 1t has
been with me for years, and it sure
mates to be pried loose"
The passengers were too nervous to
enjoy lunch. | felt like telling them
my story, when | concluded it would
work for the benefit of the steamship
They were all anxious to
get on deck and catch first sight OF
he Umatilla. After time lady
With opera glasses called out, "There
the is, off that point" and everybody
vas happy. Then an officer with a
glass, sized up the boat and dashed !
,ur hopes. "That isn't the Umatilla,
a. fxxs,f.&uv |