THE WHITE WORLD 



us and Captain Hooper came on board. From him we 

 learned that nearly all the natives of St. Lawrence Island 

 died from starvation last winter; that he had been within 

 20 miles of Herald Island and could go no farther on 

 account of the ice; that he could not reach Point Barrow 

 nor beyond Icy Cape for the same reason; that he had seen 

 Nelson at St. Michaels and found him well; he had heard 

 nothing of the missing whalers or of the Jeannette; the 

 whaling fleet now in the Arctic is doing well, having from 

 four to ten whales each. 



The bluffs about the Plover Bay region are variously 

 colored — gray, purple, yellowish red, and in the ravines 

 there is still considerable snow. Small streams come down 

 the hillsides in various places. Clouds hang along the 

 summits as if to hide the desolation. Flocks of murres. 

 mormons, guillemots and other birds fly landward and 

 seaward. Gulls and fulmars hover over or rest upon the 

 water. 



There are numerous pinnacles off the headlands and 

 jagged nubs along the ridges, yet the hill tops are usually 

 rounded and the visible faces are much broken up by frost. 

 A small settlement is near the west head (entrance to 

 Plover Bay), and we saw a few natives come down toward 

 the water. 



As we worked in, a bidarra containing eight men from 

 the settlement at Port Providence came alongside and 

 some of the natives came on board. None of them are 

 tall. I should estimate the tallest as not over 5 feet 6 

 inches. Their teeth are small and short, worn down by 

 much chewing. Their color is nearly like that of the 

 Chinese. Most of them shave a part of the head, leaving 

 a naked space and a hairy rim. One had two concen f ric 

 naked spaces. Thev wear deerskin parkas, as a rule, with 

 bear-skin collars. Hair seal pantaloons and boots or moc- 

 casins of seal are worn. Belts and a few beads and bone 

 ornaments are in use. Thev employ single paddles. They 

 talk some English and a little of several other languages. 



Thursday, August 12 

 At 10.45 Capt. Herendeen and I left the " Yukon " in a 

 bidarra for the head of Plover Bay, taking the seine along. 



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