The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1921-01-12
FIRST
ACT Of FL|ERS
BalloonistS Now Stubble From
Chins With Signs Of
Great Relief.
BY GENE FOWLER.


MATTICE, Ontario, Jan. 12.-They
had fought the unyielding battle of
the North. In the sky and over the
snow and then through the bewilder-
ing fastness of the sub-arctic brush.
American courage and American luck
had won.
CREE INDIAN BROKE TRAIL
For mile upon mile along tho rail-
way that marks the frontier OF civiIi-
xation the trees stand like a bleak
wall of mystery. Beyond that line Of
hoary- bonneted pines lies the weary
trail that was broken through the
virgin snow only q few days ago BY
advance runners.
As the balloonists greeted civiliza-
tion-their backs to the wilderness
from which they had glided like furry
snomes a little while before-they
were greeted by man who had
opened that trail for them. He was
a runner who had delivered the first
message, apprising the world that
Kloor Hinton and Farrell had beaten
the game.
The man was the Cree Indian. En-
land Vincent. He stretched a hand
to the men trappers. putting their
pipes calmly as they watched three
men come back to their own. Let II
be said that the American navy owes
much to these Indians Of the North.
FIRST THING A SHAVE.
One of the first things the airmen
did was to shave and spruce up"
This was one Of the first moves made
by Lieutenant Commander Reed and
his men when the NC4 finished Its
historic fight across the sea- Hinton
was a member OF that crew.
Bunks were assigned to the navy
men as soon as they arrived. Then
they were piled with questions by
the white COLONY" The Indians,
however, for the most part gaped in
silence or spoke in guarded tones
among themselves. They could not
exactly understand what had hap
pened, but they knew instinctively
that a courageous battle had been
waged. Like others of the North,
they worship courage and despise its
opposite.
The highly brave demeanor Of
Farrell in keeping to the trail. al
though exhausted, placed him firmly
in the affections Of the Indians at
Moose Factory.
Vincent said there had been abso-
lutely no snow at Moose Factory all
winter up to the day after the air.
men arrived. He added that in the
recollections Of the oldest Indian at
the post the trapping zone had had
only one winter as mild as this one
and that was, in the language OF the
Cree, Tong, long time away ago.
"HUM,, GRUNTs MARKS.
Another man who will be remem-
bered long by the three Americans Is
Sinclair Marks. He is the son or
Tom Marks. the Cree trapper, who
first found the balloonists and guided
them to Moose Factory.
Sinclair accompanied Vincent on the
tramp across the SHOWS. He is
80 years old, has a face the color
of a seasoned briar pipe bowl and
wears a moustache that juts from
his short upper lip and glistens like
beaver hair. He speaks no English,
but displaying his yellowed teeth
when it came his turn to shake" and
grin. Marks made one laconic utter
ance. 1t was, Hum"
The younger Marks always says
t;um," his colleagues assert, and II
can mean almost anything. Sled
Gogs strain at the canvas traces and
throw their bodies against the load
when Sinclair's "hum" sings like the
lash of a whip. His two papoosea,,
who live at Moose Factory, nestle
close to him when he purrs another
kind Of "hum" and when a certain
other wistful "hum' comes from his