Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-04-28

she appeared likely to remain indefi-
nitely.
1t was very discouraging, as so much
ice was bound materially to delay our
return home, and the arctic Winter was
drawing nearer every day. To add to
our troubles, we discovered that our
steering gear was out of order, the
quadrant leg having been bent during
the previous night.
1t was decided that we should try to
communicate with Russian trader at
Cape Nord with whom we had business.
Early that morning Carl johnson and
a sailor took the dory and worked their
way over the ice close to shore, and
then through narrow leads and breaks
in the ice, to the shore itself Here they
were fortunate In encountering a group
of Deermen who were bringing their
reindeer herds down from the interior
to feed near the shore south and west
of Cape Nord
With them Carl was able to converse
| by means of his knowledge Of Chukchi,
and some recourse to the ever useful
sign language. They informed him with
great positiveness that there was no
possible hope Of the schooner getting
beyond the cape, and that we were
finally and completely blocked at this
point.
AS some of these Deermen were going
TO the cape, we asked them to tell the
Russion that we would follow them on
foot later that same day; and at Q
O'Clock Carl, Dave and started on an
other of those tedious and exhausting
hikes over the shore and the hum
mocks of ice.
A FTER five hours of the hardest sort
of walking, over ice, sand and
gravel, we discovered our mistake about
the distance involved, but eventually
reached VeLeadgumer's place-he being
the trader at Cape Nord for the Rus
sian, Karieff. There we were revived
with strong. hot coffee and blubber.
In the Arctic there Is nothing quite
so indispensable in the way of either
food or drink as blubber When ones
intense cold, few mouthfulS of this
oily. slippery, jelly-like substance will
start grateful glow throughout the en-
tire body, sending the sluggish blood
coursing actively through the veins
once more, and causing a new energy
to take possession of jaded nerves and
muscles.
Probably at home. with well cooked
meals Of recognized familiar dishes. one
could not force oneSelf TO swallow raw
blubber. much less actually relish it.
But do know that in the Far North
came to crave it, not only as neces-
sity to comfort and well being, but be-
cause the taste (what little flavor it
can be said to possess) began to seem
distinctly pleasant.
We spent the night at the station, re-
turning to the schooner about noon of
the following day. VeLeadgumer came
back with us. We reached the schooner
at 1880, having covered more than is
miles since morning.
While exceedingly weary at the end
of it. the walk itself was not without
its compensations. The country we COW
cred was fascinating. Cape Nord was
literally carpeted with small white and
pink flowers (of which I do not yet
know the nance, Just peeping out of
the moss and tundra, and springing
hardly through crevices In the bleak
and inhospitable- looking rocks.
Carl picked nosegay for his wife,
and the realization of how many miles
separated me from doing the same for
mine, gave me quick, acute pang of
inconsistencies. It was not pleasant to
contemplate the possibility that we
might be in for all Winter unless the
ice-pack soon released us. Though we
were perfectly aware of this conting-
ency nobody talked about it. Our real
perils lay ahead of us.
(Copyright, 1927