Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-12-29
PRIVATIONS Barred
IN ARCTIC DIARY
Youth Leaves Account of H.
Fated Horribly Expedition
in 1927.

=, The Star is enabled to publish one of
in the diary Of Edgar Vernon Christian.
the l9-year-old explorer. who died with
Hornby Expedition in 1927. It is one Of
the most stark revelations of priyation
and death ever yielded by the Frozen
Young Christian. the son of Lieut.. Col.
". ?; Christian. d. S. o. Of Lianwnda.
cousin, John Hornby, an experienced
Arctic explorer. on an expedition across
Northwest Territory.
They were Joined by Harold Challoner
don publisher. The expedition reached
the sanctuary in 1926 and was not heard
patrol OF the Northwest Mounted Police
1hs oofes tS Of IRE Of
Christians dairy.
The diary opens on June IS. 1925
when Horribly and the two young men
set of with their canoe and provisions
on the long paddle across Slave Lake.
1t was a beginning which excellently
suited young Christian. THE sun was
gently tanning me under the blue sky
and thoroughly enjoying the life" he
writes. He describes the hours of
padding, the pitching of camp on the
islands, a feast of gulls' and ducks
eggs, which they found such a welcome
relief to the staple menu OF hammock
toaten cake) and pemmican (concen-
trated beef used in Arctic expeditions).
There is no further entry until Octo-
Der IA, by which time the explorers
have trekked from the lake down the
Thelon River to the point where they
decided to build the log cabin for the
Winter.
1t is clear that they hoped to shoot
Suf6cient caribou and other animals to
provide for their needs until the fol-
lowing Spring, their intention being to
store the meat by burying it in the
earth. Thus, Christian and his COM
panions are concerned only with the
collecting of food for their cache dur
ing the early part of the diary. But
they do not have great luck in trap
ping and hunting.
All capitalized passages are actual
transcripts from the diary. Others are
written from the diary and information
from other sources.
October Is Jack and Harold
(runs the third entry in the diary
came back in the evening bringing
another white fox alive good COM
panion for our other little captive.
Wolverine DepIetes Cache.
Martens, weasels, ptarmigan. VOL
VERNE (carca jou-member of the wolf
family, whisky jack canadian jay
are caught in the traps, but herd
of 80 caribou. which the explorers sight,
get away without adding to the larder.
The cache, in fact, is depleted by
hungry wolverine which they caught
al
good bones and bits of meat"
The dreaded Winter of the grim
Barren Lands was heralded on Octo-
Der as, when it began to snow hard.
There was q terrific wind, and Chris
tian naively writes: Being in all day
was like Sunday in civilization" The
time indoors Is spent in sewing fur shoes
and developing camera films. But, de-
spite the rapidly falling temperature,
sometimes there were 20 degrees frost
during October-it is not until Novem-
Der ii. that Christian refers to the
weather as "wintry." There is heavy
snow, and an icy Arctic wind is piling
deep drifts upon the Barrens.
Travel has become diff1cult. There
ale tracks of caribou going South in
front of the storm, and in the search
S&S- more meat the explorers sometimes
plod Is miles through the deep snow.
Adlard's luck in catching five trout is
celebrated by days rest, and they
discuss the absence of musk OK, which
had been reported fairly numerous near
this part Of the river.
No Indication Of Fears.
Horribly, with his Arctic experience.
must have felt some anxiety during
those days of fruitleSs hunting, but
there is no suggestion In the diary that
he hofro vnd hic faorc m thu
There are desultory entries of mo fish"
look for caribou. but nothing" bad
luck" and Christian writes:
Meat Gone.
November IL Jack dug up all
the fish left-60 in all, which will last
just two weeks. And then, If we have
no meat, We will be IN q bad way.
The explorers have now been away
from civilization for five months They
have discussed every topic, and one
feels that the younger men, less tried
In the philosophy of loneliness than
their leader, are deviSing additional
means for passing the long, quiet hours
November 29.-Harold made a pack
of cards. 1t will help to pass the evening
by. though 1 wish to goodness there
was no time for cards.
On December Horribly and Adlard.
determined to find caribou, set out with
provisions for four days hunting, but
they returned, unsuccessful, two DAYS
later. That night they must have dis
cussed with some seriousness the dimin-
ishing food supply, for the leader, still
concealing fears of the worst, has urged
economy.
December 5-All took it easy to
economic grub and rest. Now we must
den up" q. e., get up "fuggy" atmos-
phere by budding together with every
crevlce shut for warmth) and get hold
OF any grub We can without creating q
big appetite by hunting in short, cold
days
CCopyrisht. 1929. by North American News
paper Alliance.D
tomorrow the dead explorers diary