98 INTRODUCTION OF DOMESTIC REINDEER INTO ALASKA. 



Nils Bahr and Nallogoroak, who were to make the round trip with 

 me to Bethel, and Per Sara joined our company to meet his parents 

 in Andreafski. We found the herd and herders near Andreafski 

 on the 23d of November. On the 25th the onward march l)egan 

 with the herd toward Bethel, Kuskokwim, which place we success- 

 fully reached without any accidents, and all in an excellent condition, 

 on December .3d. As far as we were able to ascertain, not one deer 

 was lost. True, one old male deer, belonging to Spein, fell on the 

 ice when crossing a lake and hurt itself so that we found it best to 

 kill the same, but that deer ought to have been killed before, because 

 it had been sick nearly a year. 



Adolph Stecker, the local superintendent at Bethel, took the charge 

 and responsibility of the herd and herders right then and there, 

 and was to take them on to their special feeding ground, 100 miles to 

 the east, as soon as climatic conditions would allow. Thus I was 

 free to return so as to be on time for Lindseth's and Mary's case, 

 which was set for trial February 1 to 10. A report was obtained 

 about the herd and herders at Bethel, which was really encouraging. 

 Some deer had died from various causes during the summer, but in 

 December all were well and thri-^ing. As there was no Laplander 

 at the herd after Bals left, the native herders had all the responsi- 

 bility, and they had proven themselves fully capable of doing their 

 work. The best of feelings existed l)etween the local superintendent 

 and the herders, as well as among the herders themselves. These 

 herders have taken much to the deer and they love their work. 



According to a letter from Mr. Stecker, the herd wliich we had 

 brought from Andreafski and the Lapps all reached the Bethel rein- 

 deer station on January 8." Mr. Bals, Nallogoroak, and myself 

 started on our homeward journey on the morning of December 8, 

 and on the 23d of December we safely arrived at home, Unalakleet. 

 Some of our deer had then made the round trip from Unalakleet to 

 Bethel and back and traveled easily 30 miles the last day out. 

 Between Andreafski and Bethel those deer were traveling loose with 

 " the herd, but all the rest of the time and distance they pulled their 

 load of from 100 to 200 pounds over a very poor trail. 



On January 23 I started for Nome to be there in Mary's defense. 

 Mary, her husband, and two witnesses from Unalakleet left here a 



«Wlien Wasely and Tanny were here, only Mr. Spein went up with them; the herd could 

 not go; it was no worse on the ice nor tundra, ifr. Spein, Robert, and Henry came down 

 again just at Christmas ; so we had the Lapps all here ; only the two boys were with the deer. 

 They left December 29, and have come to their homes January 8 all well. I will mark the 

 Government's division, to take only females, down in the book. 



We are without any news from the outside. December 15, the two boys here named were 

 the ones that came down at the time we were there. Spein only followed them at the time, 

 but then they returned and all went up to their camp. — Written by A. Stecker, Bethel, 

 January 18, 1904. 



