Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-04-21

n Tie news Oh our arrival SpTedu
land news travels with mysteri-
GUS rapidity in the Arctic, regardless
of the lack of telephone and telegraph
lines) we were besieged by visitors who
wished to come on beard. They were
mainly Chukchis, though there was a
sprinkling of Eskimos among them.
The trouble was that the first callers
never rose to leave with the arrival OF
the second batch, and before long the
Iskum's deck was so crowded with
heavy. fur-clad bodies, sprawled about
in groups, that at times 1t was almost
impossible for us to move about.
If their visit conceded with meal
time land 1t nearly always did, they
remained eXpectantly. their round, oily
faces so full of kindly, childish antici-
patton that it would have taken much
harder hearts than any of our outfit
possessed to drive them off unfed.
The task of feeding this great num-
Der of self-invited guests was rather
staggering at first glance. 1t presented
a difficulty we solved only by closing
the hatch to provide a table" on
which great copper kettle Of soup was
set out, containing reindeer meat, bear
meat, some fish, and usually the bones
of Arctic duck and other water fowl
with bits of meat left on them. This,
together with added flour, bread, and
hard biscuits, blended in stew that
made a decided hit with the natives
Alongside this stew we placed an
other big caldron filled with hot tea,
of which all natives are Unfortunately
fond. On the other side of the soup
pot we put huge box Of pilot bread.
and then stood back and watched the
feast.
It was something of sight to see
anywhere between fifty and a hundred
natives industriously making inroads on
such a repast with incredible rapidity;
and-if the water around the schooner
were fairly clear of ice at the time
the ship presented somewhat the ap-
pearance of small island in the midst
of solid sea of native skin-boats OF
every conceivable make and size,
stretching out from the schooner on
both sides and far to the rear, which
were waiting for their owners to finish
their feast and go ashore.
AS q rule, when the business Of eat
ing was at an end, most of the callers
home. But If there was anything of
interest going on board, such as the
opening Of boxes of rifles and ammuni-
ton, with the enhancing prospect Of
trading, the middle-aged and older men
promptly sat down again on the deck
and waited to take part in the next
number on the program.
The women, too, waited to see If there
was a chance Of acquiring additional
strings Of bright beads Of different
pattern or design from those they al
ready possessed. They proudly opened
their fur parkas at the throat, and
pointed to you to look inside and see
what vast collection Of wildly colored
wealth they owned. I found out after
ward that these bead necklaces were not
usually worn in such numbers by the
women. except upon the arrival Of a
trading schooner or visiting strangers,
who were to be duly impressed with the
importance and af1luence of the wearer.
X Il +
WHILE at Whalen we picked up a
w Russian named Astrosoff and his
wife. They we're anxious to find a
means of reaching Kolyma; and when
one desires to travel in the Arctic one
accepts "lift" in any vessel Journey
ing the desired direction, whether it is
actually bound for the exact port or not.
Every few miles in the right general
direction help, especially when one Is
travelling in region entirely lacking in
schedules and dependable lines. know
of patient travellers who have taken
more than a year to reach desired
SPOT. though the distance might very
wen have been covered in few weeks
Of straight voyaging, If that had been
possible.
on Wrangell Island one night the ice
began to prevent us from making any
appreciable Roadway. At first the con-
startly recurring ice blockades had been
merely rather exciting obstacles to be
overcome by skillful maneuvering, but
we had met 50 many Of them, and been
turned aside from our course SO FREE
auently, that they were becoming any
thing but an adventure.
Now, with Ice on every side, all hands
were ct high state Of tension and