26 CONQUERING THE ARCTIC ICE 



a large bear, which, after a long climb, they had managed to 

 shoot. They had all the meat and the skin in the boat. The 

 meat we wanted badly, and a couple of plugs of tobacco was 

 sufficient payment for all the good parts of the bear. 



The natives there were only men, their women had been 

 left behind in their village at another fjord were very dirty 

 and looked poor. They did not at all resemble the class of 

 natives which we met later on along the coast of Alaska. I 

 can safely say that I have never seen such dirty, poorly clad, 

 unintelligent-looking, and insolent natives as those we met on 

 Kiliuak Fjord. 



When the shower had passed the last remnant of wind had 

 gone with it, and we had to get our boats out in order to tow 

 the Duchess of Bedford to anchorage. Mr. Lemngwell and Dr. 

 Howe went out to look for a good place, and, after searching 

 for some time, they decided on a continuation of a sandbar 

 rather close at hand. The water was very deep all through in 

 the fjord, in fact too deep for us to anchor, and although we 

 were very tired, we were forced to undertake the hard work of 

 towing the ship. The crew went at it cheerfully enough. At 

 first laughter and song were heard from the boats, but before 

 long the singing ceased, and the men were anxiously watching 

 the shore to see whether progress was made. A mark was 

 taken ahead, and cheers from the crew told us on board when 

 it was reached. 



Toward nightfall the natives came out again and offered 

 their assistance, but they would not work until the pay had 

 been settled. When we had promised a piece of tobacco for 

 each man and some molasses, they went ahead, and the Duchess 

 of Bedford made considerably better headway. It was cer- 

 tainly a beautiful day, but we were working too hard to look at 

 the scenery, to admire the exquisite reddish tints on the snow- 

 clad mountains when the sun was setting, to watch the deep 

 shadows beginning at the water's edge and slowly climbing 

 upwards until the sun was so low that the rays did not touch 

 even the highest peaks. On we went ; inch by inch the ship 

 was pulled towards the sandbars which Mr. Leffingwell had 

 found, but it was past 10 P.M. before we could let go the anchor 

 with nine fathoms of water under the bow and eleven feet under 

 the stern. 



