Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-05-05

On our arrival at SanlVlnd we ran
into a bad storm, which prevented our
| discharging the cargo that day. We
tried it, using the dory: Ivan, the Dali
| matian sailor and David" Offering to
take charge of managing the transfer.
| The only result of their efforts, how
ever was that the dory was swept out
| to sea by the storm and we had to fol-
| low in the schooner. It took US three
and half hours of very anxious work
before We rescued them and got both
| men and dory back on the schooner.
We then returned to Sanivina and
anchored off the station until morning.
waiting for the wind and heavy seas
to abate.
| In the morning, however. the gale
was blowing with as much violence
| as on the day before, making 1t i'm
| possible to get ashore or for those at
| the station to come to US. Our anchor
had dragged quarter of mile during
the night. but we were lucky to have
had nothing worse happen.
We spent the day trying to rearrange
| things in the cabin so we could all be
more comfortable. But on account of
the pitching and tossing of the vessel.
we did not accomplish much.
| Late in the afternoon the wind mod
Grated and We were able to get some
cargo ashore. The natives helped us
with their whale boat on account of
the heavy surf on a rocky coast, which
made our dory useless for the purpose.
| On the last trip I went ashore in the
whale boat with the Eskimos eve were
| back once more in the Eskimos' coun-
| try, and in making the surf landing
| jumping oversize and between combers.
| as was necessary fingered a second
| too long in picking up one of my fur
gauntlets which had dropped. tried
to make up that precious, lost instant
1 by running at my best speed but was
badly hampered by my fur clothing and
muckluks. I was just a shade too slow
being about 20 feet behind the
| scurrying nativeS-and the next great
comber, chasing after at express speed,
| caught me when had some 40 or so
feet to reach the rocks on shore
x =
THERE was no keeping ones feet at
= the onslaught of that wave, and
down went ANONYMOUSLY enough and
| was tossed about in the icy water and
| finally flung up against one of the big
rocks on the beach, where the natives
rescued me and pulled me up, blind
and drenched.
For few yards I managed to stumble
along with them, feeling most unpleas-
antly numb and dizzy Then the Eski-
mos must have noticed my condition,
| for suddenly I was picked up and car
ried about, shaken up, and made gener-
| ally dlzzier every moment. They knew
what they were doing, however, for
while the three men who had charge
OF me were keeping me in motion to
start my frozen circulation again, the
rest OF them started digging frantically
IN the shelving rocks and sand, until
they had made shallow pit, rather
unpleasantly resembling a grave.
They next built fire of dried tundra
moss and other vegetation that could
be found, and succeeded in heating a lot
OF iair-sized stones with which they
lined the pit, making kind Of print
tive bake oven Of 1t. The final step in
the novel proceeding was to strip off
my wet clothes, roll me in a reindeer
skin and lower me into the inprovised
oven where was kept until thoroughly
dry, and most blissfully warm and COM
Portable. There is no doubt that their
prompt and effectual treatment saved
my life, for I was nearly gone when
they pulled me out of the waves back
wash.
When my rescuers were satisfied that
1 was fit to travel, they took me out of
my oven and insisted upon carrying me
still wrapped In reindeer skins-all
the way to our station. Arrived there.
was given dry clothing the fire was
built up higher, and I was planted as
closely 10 1t as ! could stand; after
which came hot coffee and some food.
had an appetite by that time and
enjoyed the meal No white man should
attempt improvement upon the methods
of arctic natives when it comes to pro-
lection from the dangers with which
| they are familiar.
remained at the station that night
sleeping on the floor near the fire on a
soft Winter reindeer skin and covered
snugly with two more. BY the next
morning Parsons, our trader at SAM
vina. and were up and got ourselves a
hearty breakfast of coffee. flap-jacks
and store eggs, while around us on the
! floor my Eskimo saviors Of yesterday
slept-and snored vigorously.
The greater part Of that day was
spent In discharging cargo and taking
on new one of furs. ivory and whale
bone to take home with us. Later, to-
ward evening, we pulled out.
Everybody on the schooner went about
saying jubilantly. "Good-by, Siberiar
We had turned our backs at last on the
Siberian Arctic and our bow was headed
for-homei
Taking the voyage all in all, there
was certainly lot of hard work. ten
sion. exposure and hardship to It; we
were cold, overworked and worried the
greater part of the time. Yet, like
every one who ventures into that "Top
o. the World" country, I have ham
kering to return. Everything is different
there. It's like no other place in the
world and no other experienced
(CopyrlSht, 1929