Alaska -- Antiquities; Eskimos; Eskimos -- Anthropometry; Indians of North America -- Alaska; Indians of North America -- Yukon
A nice site, but small. Fine beach for bathing if it were in a warmer
climate. Remains of about a half dozen semisubterranean houses. A
copper nail from one shows they were not very ancient. And no burials
left, save one, more recent, of a child, most of which is gone. But
there is a green elevated plane rising from the beach and we soon find
several varieties of berries, especially large and good blueberries, a
variety of huckleberry, and a sort of wine-tasting dwarf blackberry.
Collect enough for immediate consumption--a most welcome diversion in
every way--and get some for the captain.
Leave near 1 p. m. A little lunch on boat, then once more the reindeer
camp, where the young women make us good hot coffee with as good
biscuits as one could find anywhere. Buy more berries from them, load
our fish (12 salmon ranging about 12 pounds each, for $3), and start
off for another site just around Stony Point.
Round up one point, then another and another, up to five, and by that
time the going has become so rough that we get much tossed about, ship
water, dog gets frightened and near sick, and just as we reach what we
thought must be the last point there juts out still another. It is now
so rough that the boatswain thinks we could not land, and so nothing
remains but to turn back to the mother boat. Reach there near 3.30 p.
m. Soon all boats are hoisted, and at 4 the _Bear_ is on her way to St.
Michael.
August 18. Arrived about midnight off St. Michael; must stay outside
due to shoal water. Somewhat rough.
In the morning boat coaling, dirty work, so all who can go ashore. Meet
Mr. Williams again; buy a few native articles in stores, visit Mrs.
Evans, the teacher-nurse, who has on an occasion successfully amputated
a native's finger. The deputy marshal takes me to his house, gives me
some dried deer meat and smoked salmon strips, and promises to be on a
lookout for specimens for us. Near noon return. Still rough.
At night a bad blow and the ship tossing a great deal, almost as during
the storm to St. Lawrence. Feel it considerably, but after 3 a. m. wind
and water moderate. Feel effects of it, however, whole morning. For an
explorer to be ever in rough weather subject to seasickness is a horrid
affliction.
August 19. Off Nome once more. Everything, city, mountains, appear
exceedingly, unnaturally clear--not a good sign. After 9 a. m. go to
town. Soon at the Lomens' headquarters, and the sons, particularly
Carl, bring out three smaller boxes full of things from St. Lawrence
and Nunivak Islands, and give me the choice of all. And after I am
through--near two hours' fast work--Carl adds one beautiful tusk
(carved) from Nunivak Island, and then adds another, and two big bones
of a mammoth, some as gifts, some as an addition to his loan to our
institution. Excellent men.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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