The sun., 1919-04-06


Continental Arctic Circle with the
Copper Eskimos and his winter So
journ in the same vicinity, Mr..
Stefansson, with DR.. Rudolph M.
Anderson, his only white companion.
set forth again to work northward
and eastward into the little known
region of Coronation Gulf in order
to spend another year with the
primitive Eskimos of tie Stone Age
and those who have since become
known to all the world as the
blond Eskimos."
To-day's article tells of this jour
ney and of his life among the peo-
pie.
By VILHJALMUR STEFANSSON.
T was near the end Of March when
We broke our winter camp on the
headwaters of the Dease River
in tho interior mainland Of North
America and started once more for
: Coronation Gulf, the home Of the peo-
pie who had remained untouched by
the ages that had rolled over Europe
and America.
We had two toboggans and nine
dogs and carried with us about four
days provisions of meat, besides few
trade articles, chiefly butcher knives,
needles and empty Tin cans. The tin
cans, although of little value to us,
were of inestimable value to the Ex-
kimos. One tin such as We throw away
after emptying its contents will last
q thrifty Eskimo housewife several
years as cooking pot for boiling small
things over n seal oil lamp.
/ remember one trade we made
where we gave some carpenter tools
worth about SO for a bow and CULVER
OF arrows. The man later. with our
permission, returned the carpenter
tools and took in their stead a cubical
tin which had once held about five
pounds of dried onions.
On the northward journey we broke
new ground partly because we wanted
to see the country further west than
We had seen 1t before, but also be-
cause We thought that by going
straight north from our camp we
would probably strike the west end
of Dismal Lake. We wanted not only
to see the lake, but also to use the
thirty-six smooth miles of its Ice
covered length, because by doing SO
We were sure of just that much easy
going.
After eight days we reached the
Coppermine River and began to follow
1t along northward to reach the Arc
tic coast. 1t was a trip devoid OF any
unusual incidents and with simply the
varying interest of an expedition that
lives on the country. On the whole
we found caribou in sufficient numbers
to keep us and the dogs we'll in food.
DR.. Anderson had one attack OF
snow blindness owing to a hunt with
out glasses and this leads me to men,
ton that we have tried glasses of all
colors and makes and have found the
amber ones. made on the same prin-
ciple as light filters for cameras, to be
far superior to blue, green, plain
smoked or any other variety.
The Eskimo goggles, which of course
contain no glass, are made of pieces
OF wood with two narrow Sits for the
eyes, each about large enough for a
half dollar to be slipped through 1t.
They are satisfactory in that they do
not cloud over and that they protect
the eyes from snow blindness; but the
range OF vision Is so restricted that
II Is as II you were looking through a
pair of keyholes In a door. This is
especially troublesome on rough ice
or uneven ground, where you keep
stumbling your toe against every OBJ
stacle, for through the narrow Sits
you can see what is in front of your
foot only by looking directly down.
To the Arctic Coast.
On the evening OF April we aban-
doned the Coppermine and struck
straight north about four miles to the
sea coast. where we camped on finding
a few sticks of wood. In spring, when
the Snow has melted, fresh drift wood
may be found almost anywhere In
Coronation Gulf, especially to the east
of the Coppermine. But at this time
of year the finding of stick of wood
on any. Of the shores is rare, 80 that we
used to make 1t a practice whenever
we saw a piece to put 1t on the sled
and haul it along until camp time.
We had with us also a primus stove
and a gallon and a half of kerosene,
which We had hauled all the way from
Langton Bay. These we kept for an
emergency as at this season seals from
which we might have obtained blubber
for fuel are not to be had in Corona
ton Gulf, except by the method of
hunting practised by the local Eslsimos,
which depends partly on the ability of
dogs In smelling out the breathing
holes If the seals and partly on skill
In that particular game. II is q hunt