Alaska -- Antiquities; Eskimos; Eskimos -- Anthropometry; Indians of North America -- Alaska; Indians of North America -- Yukon
Lunch with Ralph and Carl; then a good walk in the open; and then
another lecture. All pleased, and two bring me specimens for our
museum. Slowly back to boat and 4.45 on the _Bear_ again. Nice day, but
getting cooler and blustery.
Captain Ross comes to port, the graphophone starts its usual jazz songs
next (ward) room, then the supper, all visitors gone, and the _Bear_
raises anchor to be off for the north once more.
August 19, evening. A new, final chapter begins with to-day. What will
it contain when over?
August 20. Rough. Go north until in plain sight of the Diomedes as well
as Cape Wales, and then the captain decides landing would be risky,
if not impossible; and so reluctantly we turn back and proceed toward
Teller. What a tantalizing experience this must have been to poor
Jenness, who is waiting for us on the Little Diomede, a most dreary
place, to be taken off; and I, too, expected collections at both the
Diomedes and the Cape.
Saturday, August 21. Port Clarence, off Teller. This proved a day never
to be forgotten; for failure of a rigid system, for bad weather, for
strain and endurance, and nearness to almost anything.
My purpose was to utilize the _Bear's_ visit to Teller for a survey of
a Chukchee-Eskimo battle field, of which I heard repeatedly from the
Yukon onward. Sometime during the earlier half of the last century the
Chukchee from Asia are said to have made an invasion of the peninsula
and to have reached as far as the Salt Lake, east of Teller, when they
were met by the united Eskimo and badly defeated. The exact spot where
this happened is, however, somewhat uncertain, and it was to locate it,
examine, and collect what might be possible of the remains that were
said to be still there that I asked Captain Cochran to let me have one
of the motor boats, to which he kindly consented, uniting the trip with
some topographical observations for his own purposes.
The evening before I was told by the second officer that we shall
start some time soon after midnight for that part of the old battle
field--there seemed to be two of them--at the eastern point of the Salt
Lake. As a result could not undress, and after ship stopped in Port
Clarence, near 11 p. m., had but a little rest. The call came at 4 a.
m. A little breakfast, a package of lunch, and start at 5.10.
First note. Ship about 7 miles from Teller. Water deep enough much
nearer, but we came at night. Here there are already dark nights
between about 9 p. m. and 4 a. m., and so they were cautious.
Second. The officer says he has orders not to stop at Teller, where
there is an old Indian (Dunak) from whom I expected to get exact
bearings, and where there is also a white trader, Mr. Peterson, who
knows the place and might possibly have accompanied us.
Third. Distances, as usual, longer than estimated. We find eventually
that the destination is about 32 miles from Teller.
Fourth. A brisk head wind and sea retarding us.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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