Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-11-11
BY RICHARD PEARCE.
ny Radio to The Star.

ny Radio to The Star
BATHURST -.TLET. Above Arctic
Circle Northwest Territory, CANADA,
November lion october rs we started
on our trek across the treacherous DeaSe
Strait to the trading post at Cambridge
Fay. Breakfast came at O'Clock anu
then we were OF The travelling was
6ificult, but one of the EskimoS said we
would reach the other side in three
hours. Suddenly, to our CONSERVATION
and apparently to that of the EsKlmoS
as we'll we ran into a lead of water. A
hurried consultation tool. place among
our guides, and we started along the
water looking for some place to cross.
There was none. but soon an ice foe
100 wards wide was noticed to be NOV
ing, showing that the straits were break-
ing up again. 1t was crushed party
that iourneyed back to shore-the two
miles or so that had taken nearly three
hours to cover. Igloos were Iebuilt and
hope held of colder weather that night
to close UP the leads. Instead 1t turned
warmer. The temperature rose to above
zero and wind blew strongly all night.
That evening flares were sent on on
the top of high hill, on the chance
that some one on the Cambridge SIDE
Of the straits would notice them ana
help be sent out. We found out later
that Eskimos 100 miles away had seen
the flares, but the people at Cambridge
were unable to do so, as that settlement
is surrounded on three sides by hign
hills.
The food question again became acute
on october 81. All the frozen fresh
fish were gone by that time, and there
was nothing left but dried herring and
S1TSeesh. That the Eskimos had eX-
pected no difficuity in making the cross
ing is indicated by the fact that no tea,
coffee, flour or oatmeal had been saved.
Again nothing was left but dog food.
Thereafter members of the party re-
ferred to the northwest arm of Kent
Peninsula as Peechuk Point, meaning
in Eskimo "all gone"
EskimOs Lose Smiles.
There was a long conference that
morning in our! igloo and for the first
time since we met them the ESkimos
had lost their smiles. Two of them
: started off late in the afternoon for
Dease Point, intending to travel all night
and expecting to be back in two days.
Colder weather would by then close up
the straits again. October % gave us
little comfort in the way of weather.
The wind continued and the ice moved
until there were open stretches two to
three miles wide separating us from
cambridge Bay.
Much Of the ice which had been there
Q few days previously had moved down
the coast and it looked as though it
would take a long time to repair the
damage. Although the day seemed
comparatively mild, it was raw in the
isloo, so we spent our time In our sleep
ing bags until the Eskimos warned us
we had better get up, as the continued
heat was causing US to perspire.
So we had to get up, and were even
more miserable. The old order OF stay
ing In bed until noon that had reigned
at Dease Point, so as to cut down on
food requirements, again went into eff
feet, but 1t was long wait until the
two EskimoS, Charlie and Jimmie, re-
turned about am. on November /.
BY that time our food supply had
dwindled to almost nothing. Worse
still, our fuel had run out, and there
was no way Of heating the only food
left-frozen herring. 1t was a question
OF eat the fish raw or not, and We had
TO eat.
Joe, another of the Eskimos, had gone
for seal blubber, but there was not