Alaska -- Description and travel; Frontier and pioneer life -- Alaska
June seventeenth: This is Bunker Hill Day in New England, and the men
have been celebrating on their own account, setting off a fifty pounds
box of dynamite in the neighborhood to frighten the women, I suppose.
The shock was terrific, breaking windows, lamp shades, and jarring
bottles and other articles off the shelves. Jennie was dreadfully
frightened, and screamed for a few minutes, while the living room soon
filled with men inquiring the cause of the explosion. By and by a man
came in saying that another box of giant powder would be set off, but
with that the Marshal left the room with a determined face, and we heard
no more dynamiting. The men, as usual, were intoxicated.
I have just had a pleasant little outing at the Home, going with Mollie,
who invited me to go with her. She was going out seal hunting on the
ice, would leave me at the Home for a short visit, and pick me up on her
return. Ageetuk and grandmother would take good care of Jennie for so
short a time, and I needed the change, so I ran up to my room, threw
some things hastily into a small bag to take with me, locked my trunk,
(I had long ago put a package consisting of papers and diaries into the
safe in the kind storekeeper's care), dressed myself in my shortest
skirts and longest rubber boots, and we started. The weather was too
warm for furs in sunshine, or while running behind a sled, so I wore a
thick jacket, black straw hat with thick veil, and kid gloves.
We left the hotel about half-past seven o'clock in the evening, but with
the sun still high and warm. Mollie had her small sled and three dogs,
with Muky and Punni Churah and their guns. The other sled was a large
one, and to it were hitched seven good dogs, accompanied by Ituk and
Koki. Upon the sleds were furs, guns, bags and fishing tackle. Along
shore there was considerable water on the ice, in a few spots the latter
had disappeared, and we could see the sandy beach, but farther east the
ice was firmer, and Mollie, who made for the best looking places, led
the way, I running closely in her footsteps.
Behind us came the men and teams, the calls of the Eskimos to their dogs
sounding musically on the quiet evening air. Mollie and I were now
leaping over water-filled cracks or lanes in the ice, she having assured
me that after getting away from the shore it would be better traveling,
and we could ride on the sleds when we were tired, but I felt
considerable pride in keeping up with her, and soon grew very warm from
the stiff exercise, unaccustomed as I was, while she was well used to
it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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