124 FOUR YEARS IN THE WHITE NORTH [Jan. 



changes in the bones." That sounds fatal. The 

 Eskimo died a few months after. 



Ah-nah-doo, one of the oldest in the tribe, gave me 

 an^interesting bit of information in regard to the mys- 

 terious death of Sonntag, the astronomer of the Doctor 

 Hayes Expedition of 1860-61. Doctor Hayes, in his 

 book. The Open Polar Sea, hints at foul play, and was 

 never quite satisfied with the explanation of the Eskimo 

 Hans, Sonntag's companion. The old woman averred 

 that the sledge upon which the white man was riding 

 south from the ship plunged down a steep embankment 

 into the sea; and that Hans, the Eskimo driver, de- 

 signedly did not warn the man of his danger, nor make 

 any effort to save him. To my question as to why 

 Hans should be guilty of this treachery she replied: 

 "Hans wanted all the white man's things for himself. 

 He distributed them among his relatives at the different 

 villages." 



However, I attach no importance at all to the story. 

 Such an accident might easily happen to an inexperi- 

 enced white man; and undoubtedly it would prove 

 fatal at low temperatures to one clothed in woolens, 

 unless shelter could be reached within a few minutes. 

 Hans declared that he had done his best to get the 

 freezing man to a place of safety, but that Sonntag died 

 on the way. 



With Freuchen's help we secured dogs for Tanquary, 

 and we planned to add to the number at Cape York. 

 When we were on the sea ice, ready for the start on 

 the morning of the 31st, Peter (Freuchen) exclaimed: 



"Vate von moment, blease!" He returned within a 

 few minutes with the remark, "Vel, I have doon it!" 

 What was that, Peter.^" I inquired. 



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