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


l. off the southeastern end oil
Kaluchin Island, and decided
to make the attempt to walk across the
intervening Ice and to work my way
along the shore to our station at ths
northern end of Kaluchin Bay.
was fortunate in having Koiingo, a
half-breed Chukchi, to act as guide, and
the mate, w. w. Putta-who was also
navigating offlcer--came along with us
Putta was giant In strength, and his
good nature was as great as his powers
of endurance. He happened to be the
only one of the party wearing high rub
Der boots, and he picked Kolingo up and
carried him across the worst lagoons, on
his shoulders.
While I was able to walk through the
shallow lagoons and streams, could not
with muckluks, wade the really deer
places, so after the mate had carried
Kolingo over, he patiently and cheerfullJ
returned, and carried me. I am not a
light load by any means, but the man
only grunted bit as he swung me up to
his shoulder. much as if had been q
trunk and he an xtra-burly express
man.
OF course, after plunging through the
water. back and forth several times, he
was thoroughly wet. as it came in places
well above even his hip boots. BY the
time we had covered about three
quarters of the distance to the station,
decided that something must be done.
Accordingly, the three of us sat down
Kolingo and removed our muckluks
and the deer socks underneath, letting
our legs and feet dry In the clear, cold
air. We pulled off the mates rubber
boots and I put my fairly dry socks on
him.
Kolingo's socks and muckluks were
still almost dry-thanks to Puttas strong
arms-and / donned my muckluks
minus the socks. We were all a bit
lame and stumbling from fatigue and
bruises when we finally toiled within
sight of the station, after more than
10 strenuous hours of steady walking.
X
CARL JOHNSON, our trader at Kalu-
~ chin, had married a Russian girl
whom he had rescued in quite roman
tic--not to say melodramatic--rnan
from the Bolshevists She was a young
woman belonging TO family of cul-
ture and breeding In Petrograd and had,
in one week of massacre and horror,
lost mother, father and two brothers,
as well as quite considerable inheri-
lance. Threatened by starvation, cap
tiyity and worse, this plucky g.rl,
brought up tenderly and in the midst of
plenty. had managed to eIude her
enemies and made her escape alone
northward from Petrograd.
One hesitates even to imagine her
physical sufferings. Her mental an
guish of grief and fear can of course
self, but the privations, fatigue and
hunger she endured in that long flight
northward to the little Chukchi village
where johnson found and fell in love
with her. would, to my thinking, make
as tremendous an epic as has ever yet
been written. A story. not, alas, for my
practical pen TO attempt!
johnson was aboard the Iskum at the
time, on his way TO hts new post at
Kaluchin. 1t must have been q quick
wooing, for when the schooner sailed
three days later they took the girl with
them; put to sea beyond the three-mile
limit: hoisted the Stars and Stripes:
and the captain married johnson to his
Russian bride.
Knowing the story, we were naturally
all most anxious to meet Mrs. Johnson
We planned to stock the station with
the best we had on board IN the way OF
food, stores. medical supplies, clothing,
etc, in order to render her situation up
there in that lonely and desolate post
as comfortable as possible
Upon our arrival at the station that
evening we found that small exceed
ingly red-faced and chubby son and
heir to the house of johnson had pre-
coded us by Is days Both the baby and
the young Russian mother were doing
well, having been capably taken care OF
by wise old toothless Chukchi woman
who had in her day ushered q good
many native babies into this world.
AS far as we could learn, little Carl
junior had the honor to be the first
white child born in the Siberian Arctic,
but at that period of his career he
knew nothing about such honors and
cared less.
He was fine healthy. little chap and
while the old Chukchi woman and his
mother had done their best for him
with what they had on hand, the latter
was greatly distressed by the lack of
proper clothing for her baby. She
missed those small comforts and dainty