Aboard the ''Bear'' 207 



Now a word about the reindeer. The American 

 whalers had killed off the sea amphibians on which 

 the Alaskan natives subsisted, and in 1890 Dr. 

 Sheldon Jackson, who was among them on his mis- 

 sionary and educational duties, found that they 

 were starving. It was proposed to ask the govern- 

 ment to feed them, but Jackson was opposed to 

 that, having seen enough of the pauperizing of the 

 Indians in the Dakotas and farther west. He pro- 

 posed the importation of reindeer, and then began 

 the constant opposition and obstruction against 

 which he has had to make slow but sure headway. 

 The scientific men of the departments in Washing- 

 ton brought forth "facts" to show that the plan 

 was impracticable, i. The Russian Finns would 

 not, for superstitious reasons, sell them. 2. The 

 deer were so tender that they would not bear trans- 

 portation. 3. The American natives and their dogs 

 would kill them off. 4. The whole scheme was 

 that of a visionary missionary. Jackson had raised 

 the sum of two thousand dollars in the spring of 

 1891, and the treasury department gave him leave 

 to go with the Bear on her cruise. He bought six- 

 teen head, and landed seven at Dutch Harbor, on 

 the island of Unalaska, and turned them loose. 

 The Aleuts, Thlinkits, and Eskimo prize the deer 

 so highly that they will almost starve before they 

 will kill one for food. 



Seasickness is not favorable to literary work. 

 One's head very soon goes off. So I went up on 



