The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-03-09
"Blond Eskimo" Watching Approach of Stefansson.
Explorer Tells How He Gained First
Clue Leading to His Discov-
cry of Blond Esklmo'

side it till the people could be informed
that We were visitors with friendly
intentions.
As we proceeded toward the viii
lage other seal hunters gradually.
Converged toward us from all over the
neighboring four or five square miles
of ice and Joined Tannaumirk and his
companion. who walked about 200 yards
ahead. AS each of these was armed
with a long knife and seal spear 1t
may be imagined that the never very
brave Tannaumirk was pretty thor
oughly frightened.
When we approached the village
every man, woman and child was out
doors waiting for us eXcitedly, for
they gould tell from afar that we were
no ordinary visitors. The man whom
we first approached--who that day ac-
quired a local prominence which still
distinguishes him above his fellows
explained to an eagerly silent crowd
that we were friends from distance
who had come without evil intent
and Immediately the whole crowd
(about forty) came running toward us.
Introduced Themselves Eagerly.
As each came up he would say: Il
! am So-andso. I am well disposed. I
| have no knife. Who are you?" After
| being told our names in return and
| being assured that We were friendly
and that our knives were packed
away in the sled and not hidden under
our clothing each would stand aside
! Sometimes a man would present
| his wife, or II woman her husband.
according to which came up first. The
women were in more hurry to be pre-
scented than were the men, for they
must, they said, go right back to their
| houses to cook us something to eat
The men asked US whether We pre-
| ferred to have our camp right in their
| village or a little outside Of it. We
agreed it would be better TO camp
about 200 yards from the other houses.
to keep our dogs from fighting with
theirs. Immediately half a dozen
small boys We're sent home to get
their fathers snow knives and house
| building mittens,
Well Bred snyaGes.
1 We were not allowed to touch hand
TO anything in camp making but stood
! idly by. surrounded continually by a
| crowd who used every means to show
/ how friendly they felt and how well
come we were, while a few OF the best
house builders set about erecting for
Us the house IN which we-were 20 live
as long as we cared to stay with them.
J When it had been finished. and fur
! nished with the skins, lamp and tho
other things that go to make a snow
house the Cosiest and most comfortable
of camps, they told us they hoped We
would occupy it at least till tho last
piece of meat in their storehouses had
poep. eaten, and that saasEf- az We
stayed in the village no man would
hunt seals or do any work until his
iChildren began TO complain OF hunger.
II was to be a holiday, they said, for
this was the first time their people had
been visited by strangers from so
great distance that they knew moth
ing of the land from which they cana
Saw a Match for the First Time.
These simple, well bred and hos
pitable people were the savages whom
we had come so far 70 find. That eva
ming they saw for the first time ths
lighting of sulphur match: the next
day / showed them the greater mar
wells OF my rifle; it was a day later still
that they first understood that was
one of the.-white men OF whom they
had heard from other tribes, under the
name of kablunat.
asked them: Couldn't YOU tell by
my blue eyes and the color OF nv
hair"
but We didn't know" they an
swered, what sort Of compilations the
Kabluhat have Besides, our next
, neghbors north have eyes and boards
like yours"
That was how they first told us al
, the people whose discovery has brough,
up such ipportant biological and his,
! torical probloms-the people who have
become known sinCe To newspa pei
A., readers as the Blond Eskimo"
= COPYRIGHT, 1919, bV Vihjdlmur Ste
% fdHSSOH.
{ C7'oe be continued IN merit Sunday
. SUM