some active measures are taken to prevent | a few years. They realize this, but freely acit, their total destruction is but a question of knowledge their inability to resist the temp THE CORWIN IN A "NIP." (FROM A SKETCH BY CAPT. C. L. HOOPER.) tation to buy and drink liquor when offered. | them are all dead; at the fifth, the one Formerly, there were six settlements on at which we stopped, between three and the island: the inhabitants of four of four hundred are living; and at a small. settlement on the south-west end, there are | natives near Cape Serdze, Siberia, which was fourteen. In the vicinity of these villages, the ground was strewn with unburied corpses, bleached and ghastly, presenting a sickening sight; from the top of a small hill near one of the villages, I counted over fifty, and in one of the houses, thirty dead bodies were found in a heap. The immediate cause of the terrible mortality among these people seems to have been starvation, brought on by their neglect to provide food for winter use. Plenty of walrus pass the island each spring and fall; but instead of laying in a store of meat, the natives take only what they require for use from day to day, and save the tusks, with which they buy whisky, and keep drunk as long as it lasts. An unusually severe spell of weather which prevents their hunting, or freezes the ice solid a long distance from the shore, so that they cannot reach the edge where the seals and walrus are to be found, necessarily causes great suffering; and if these conditions remain long enough, starvation is sure to follow. The survivors have become so accustomed to this most terrible state of affairs, that it seems to have lost all of its terrors for them, and they speak of it as a very commonplace matter. When asked what has become of all of the people who formerly lived here, they answer, with the utmost nonchalance, and with a wave of the hand in the direction of the dead bodies, "O, all muckie" (all dead). supposed to be one of the missing whalers. Captain Lapham stated, that, although the accounts received from the different natives varied somewhat, it was the general belief of the masters of the whaling vessels that there was some foundation of truth for it; so we determined to fit out a sledge party, to travel along the coast of Siberia and investigate this report, as well as to make inquiries for the Jeannette, or any parties of white men that might have been seen traveling along the shore. At Marcus Bay, a small Tchooktchee settlement a few miles north of Plover Bay, we engaged the services of an interpreter named Joe. On anchoring at this place, a party of natives came alongside in a skin boat, and, as usual, clambered on board without ceremony. It was asked if any of them could speak English, and one, pointing to Joe, said, "He speak too much." I immediately made him acquainted with the nature of our business, and asked if he would accompany us with his dog team. At first he was in some doubt, and said he was afraid; but we assured him that he would be in no danger, and that he would be well paid, upon which he consented to go with us. I went on shore with him, to see that he did not change his mind; and as soon as we landed, he shot away like a deer, saying he would soon be ready. While waiting for Joe, I tried my hand for the first time at dog-driving; but it resulted in a decided fail After spending several hours at St. Law-ure, with the usual accompaniments of being rence Island, we got under way for Plover run away with, and rolled over in the snow, Bay (on the Siberian coast), for the double greatly to the amusement of the female and purpose of taking in a supply of coal, and juvenile portion of the settlement. communicating with the natives, to learn if anything had been heard from the objects of our search. We were unable to enter Plover Bay, as the ice was still unbroken there, and for several miles outside. But during the afternoon, we spoke the whaling bark Rainbow, Captain Lapham, and from him learned that a report had reached the whaling vessels (several of which had already passed through the straits), to the effect, that, sometime during the previous autumn, a wreck had been seen and boarded by some In a short time, Joe emerged from his house, completely changed in appearance, having doffed his fur clothing, and donned a less comfortable but more showy suit of blue flannel, ornamented with red shoulder-straps, etc. The effect of this sudden change was very ludicrous, and created a hearty laugh, in which Joe joined. His wife accompanied him on board, and remained until we got under way, when she took her leave, sobbing and looking very unhappy, while Joe looked glum, and smoked hard. He soon recovered his spirits, however, and proved a valuable | high; it lies a mile off shore. Along this acquisition. He was a good interpreter, coast we found a rim of ice from five to thirand an energetic driver, and in every way ty feet high, and extending from two to ten thoroughly reliable. On the 29th, we reach- miles off shore. At our landing place it was ed St. Lawrence Bay (the wintering place quite narrow, but so rough and hummocky, of the Rodgers), and rode out a north-west that it seemed to us impassable; and we gale and snow-storm in the outer bay, the were about to give up the attempt, and reice being still unbroken in the harbor. We turn to the ship, when we saw some natives tried to buy some dogs and sleds from going in the direction of the vessel, about a the natives, who came on board in large mile farther north. Taking our boat, we numbers, but they did not care to part with rowed to a point opposite them, and getting them. On the following day, however, we out on the ice, we waited for them to aplanded at the west Diomede, the largest of proach, which they did with some caution, the three islands in Behring's Strait, where as if they were not quite sure what our inwe obtained nineteen good working-dogs tentions might be. and three sleds, paying for all, twenty-two sacks of flour. As soon as it became known to the natives that we would buy dogs, a raid was made on all the aged, female, and useless dogs of every description in the settlement; and boat load after boat load arrived, until we were almost compelled to use force to stop them from bringing the animals on board. With Joe's assistance, we passed judgment on them, by saying, "That dog no good," or "This good"; the required number of the best were selected, and the natives were informed that no more were wanted, and the rejected ones must be taken out of the ship. This last order Joe proceeded to carry out, by picking them up by the back, and dropping them into the boats, without regard to the howls and snarls of the dogs, or the expostulations of their owners. Having now twenty-five good dogs and four sleds, it only remained to fit out our party, and land them as far to the northward as practicable, along the Siberian coast. On the 31st of May, 'we reached Cape Serdze, latitude 67.05°, longitude 171.4°, near the watering place of Prof. Nordenskjold, in the Vega, 1878–79, having literally felt our way in through heavy drift ice and and thick fog. However, a few words from Joe, and a present of some tobacco, soon quieted their fears, and established friendly relations between us. At first, they denied all knowledge of the report in regard to the wrecks; but subsequently, having acknowledged that they had heard it, they told so many wonderful tales, that we were inclined to doubt them all. They were a rollicking, good-natured, careless lot, and when told of the object of our visit, and asked if one of their number would go with us, laughed heartily, and said, “What is the use of looking for them? if they have been there so long"-pointing to the north— "they must be all dead." After some persuasion, and promises of liberal rewards, two of them consented to accompany us if we would shoot walrus for their families to subsist upon during their absence. This we readily promised, provided we could find the walrus; but as none were in sight, and we could not spare the time to hunt for them, we compromised by giving them a few pounds of tobacco. One of them proved to be such a great talker, that Joe, who was a man of very few words, said, after listening to him awhile, "I think it's more better we don't take this fellow: too much talk"; and in deference to Joe's wishes, the loquacious Tapkan was left behind. The other, a large, quiet, good-natured fellow, accompanied us, and was found useful, although given to romancing. He seemed to think we were in search of infor Following the coast to the westward, we came to a settlement of Tchooktchees, behind an island called by the natives Tapkan, which is about one mile long, one-fourth of a mile wide, and one hundred and fifty feet | mation, which it was his special province to supply; and some of the flights of imagina- | advancement toward a state of decomposition he indulged in were truly surprising, tion, the better it is relished by them. The considering that he had never received odors exhaled by a party of natives after a any of the advantages of a civilized educa- feast of this kind cannot be described. tion. Having signified a desire to visit the settlement, we were invited to ride there upon the dog-sleds, about a dozen of which, with from five to eight dogs attached to each, we saw after climbing over the rough, hummocky ice for half a mile or so. At first, this proposition seemed to me either a huge joke or a diabolical plan to break all our bones, and I was in some doubt how to treat it; but seeing that they were evidently in earnest, and kindly disposed, we determined to venture; and taking our seats, grasping the sides of the sled with each hand, we succeeded, either in holding on, or falling in such a way as to save our bones when thrown off, until we came to the village, where we were received kindly. Deer skins were spread on the ground for us to rest upon, and each one of us presented with a pair of deer-skin mittens of peculiar make. In one of the houses we found them enjoying a meal of seal's entrails, boiled and smoking hot. They are cooked and eaten just as taken from the animal. I have observed this peculiarity in the domestic economy both of the Tchooktchees of Siberia and the Innuits of northern Alaska. No part of any animal is wasted. We were often invited to partake of their meals with them, but declined. During our visit here, we were shown a silver fork and spoon, which had been presented to one of the old men by Professor Nordenskjold, whom they called "Captain Enshall," and for whom they seemed to entertain a very friendly feeling. After our visit to Tapkan, we returned to the vessel by the same rugged path, and, thanks to the skillful management of the native driver, we had no accident. It is really astonishing over what rough ice these people can travel with their loaded sleds. Before making this trip, I had seen a rather spirited engraving, representing a party, under command of Lieutenant Pim, R. N., crossing very rough ice in Melville Sound, going from Dealy Island to Mercy Bay, Bank's Land, in search of Captain McClure. But after our experience over the shore ice at Tapkan, I feel sure the artist had not indulged in a flight of imagination, as I had at first supposed. Finding a lead of open water between the shore ice and the floe, we entered it, and steamed to the north-west, being anxious to get as far as possible before landing our sledge party, in order to reduce their land To the coast people, the seal furnishes travel, as the snow was rapidly disappeareverything. From the skin they make boating, and the sledging growing poorer every and house covering, boots, pants, and all day. About four, P. M., June 1st, in latarticles of wearing apparel, except the fur shirt, or parkie, which is made of reindeer skins. They also make, of the seal skins, pokes in which they store the oil for winter use, both for food and fuel. I have never seen them drink the oil, as some travelers say they are in the habit of doing; but dried fish or meat, well soaked in seal or whale oil, is one of their principal dishes, and the blubber, raw, is a luxury. The flesh, blood, and entrails are all eaten with equal relish. Like more civilized epicureans, they think meat improves with age; but, unfortunately, they know no limit to the rule, and the further its itude 68° 28′ north, longitude 175° 10' west, we came to the end of the lead. It was snowing hard, and blowing a gale from north-west; and as we had not seen the land since leaving Cape Serdze, the previous evening, and could not tell how far off shore we were, or what might be the condition of the ice between us and the coast, it was decided not to land our party until a sight of the coast could be obtained. The north-west gale was bringing down the pack, and rapidly closing the lead, necessitating a very close watch upon its movements. We hove to in the lead under sail, thinking |