The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-03-30

il might be spoken of as one continue
Gus trail. Had been there myself
don't think there would have been any
possibility Of making even an approx
mate count of the herd. As 1t was l
merely agree with the Eskimo that
the numbers were beyond comprehen-
sion. We got only twenty nine ami
mails out of it, however. while with
any management at all we should have
been able to kill at one spot enough
meat to last us the whole winter.
Between us at Bear Lake. and our
Arctic coast base at Langton Bay, lay
the largest UNEMPLOYED area of the
North American continent, and 1 was
anxious to cover 1t. was particularly
eager to chart the Horton River, which
is set down OH the maps vaguely az
merely a small stream, but which We
had found to have all the earmarks OF
a big river, since It seemed as wide at
ESQ miles upstream as it was 25 miles
from the sea Il may say that we
succeeded in mapping 1t. and that II liz
q river of about the magnitude OF the
Hudson.)
We had seven days of hard travel
and short commons. for caribou were
scarce. Then we got a few and finally
reached the base, where we found DIR.
Anderson had gone n thousand miles
to get from the whaling station at
Herschel Island. The most recent date
on a letter was May 10. 1t was then
December 4.
This trip northward across the sec
ton of the continent looked easy on
the map. but it really was the most
difficult we ever made. We had failed
to find game, even ptarmigan. For a
period our fat ration had been down to
an eighth of n pound Of tallow per day
per man. We gave our dogs about rs
much tallow as we took ourselves, and
to give them something in bulk in their
stomachs we divided among them
some long-haired caribou skins.
After resting at Langton Bay for
1.-TWO weeks, DIR. Anderson and started
on the return to Bear Lake where we
intended to stay till spring would per-
NIT my journey to Coronation Gulf to-
live once more among the Eskimos
We made the journey successfully in
thirty-three days and with no adven-
lures except another period of short
commons, and some experiences Of in
tense cold
Extraordinary Aspects of Cole.
Our thermometer had broken and So
speak without the book, but there
is little doubt that the temperature
often was considerably below 30 de-
grees Fahrenheit.
! There are few things one sees in the
/ North so nearly beyond belief as GER
| tain of the phenomena of intense cold
as ! saw and heard them then. Wher-
ever a band of caribou was in the
woods you could not only see steam
rising from it above the trees and even
on the other side of a fairly high hifl.
| but more remarkable still, the air was
so calm that an animal running rap
Idly left a cloud of steam on his trail
marking 1t out plainly for a mile be-
hind him. When you stopped to listen
you could hear the tramp of marching
caribou all around you. on such DAYS
I have watched caribou bands a full
mile away whose walking I could hear
| distinctly although there was no crust
on the snow: and as for them, thew
could not only hear me walking, but
could even tell the difference In the
/
the hundreds of caribou that werc
walking about at the same time.
Once when l heard the approach OF
n small band, | stopped and waited
| for them. | always carry the maya
zine of my rifle full but the chamber
/ empty. As The animals approached
! drew back tho bolt 10 throw cart
ridge into the chamber. but when 7
tried TO shove the holt forward II
stuck fast This is the only time in four
years of hard usage that anything has
| interfercd with the perfect working
OF my Mannlcher- Schoenauer. Tho
caribou We're moving past without
seeing me. and ! became a bit excited
7 knew the rife was strong. and 7
hammered on the end of the holt
with the palm Of my hand, but n
would not move.
When the caribou were finally our
Of range. l for the first time tool,
a good look at the rifle, and saw that
one side Of the bolt had something
frozen fast to It. 1t turned out that
when | had drawn the bolt back 7
had carclessly allowed the palm NJ
my bare hand to rest against the bolt
and piece Of skin about AN inch long
and n quarter of an inch wide had
frozen fast TO the bolt and been torn
away from my hand without my no.
ticing 1t. 1t took but a few moments
scraping with my hunting knife TO
remove tho blood from the bolt, and
the rifle was in good working order
again.
Within twenty days after establish
ing our winter camp we killed slxty-
eight caribou, and thus had ample
meat for the rest of the winter. and
We were In good condition when
March arrived, and We were ready Ia
start again To live with the Eskimo
tribes Of Coronation Gulf.