WIND AND FOG IN BERING SEA 57 



prevent the skin covering from caving in. This was of 

 raw hide, stretched over the outside, carried inboard over 

 the gunwale and laced to one of the stringers just above 

 the line of thwarts. At bow and stern the gunwales did 

 not meet, but ended about four inches beyond the end of 

 the stem, and haK that distance from each other. The 

 skins were fitted and sewed to stretch taut and water- 

 proof. Oarlock sockets were lashed to the gunwales and 

 the oars fashioned from a single timber. These Chukchi 

 boats at this harbor were about twelve feet long. Those 

 used in the Arctic for whaling and walrus hunting farther 

 out at sea were as much as thirty feet long. 



Kleinschmidt and the launch party soon returned 

 from the Russian vessels with the information that we 

 should come back about noon and learn if we could use 

 their wireless. In the interval all went ashore to see the 

 town. The Baron's servant watched our every move. 

 He objected to our cameras; when Elting, Collins and 

 Lovering started out across Rosene Creek toward some 

 native tents, he seemed uneasy but could not convey his 

 thoughts to them, so they paid no attention to him. To 

 ease his mind Albrecht put his camera in the launch 

 before joining the others on their walk. Kleinschmidt 

 and I waited at the house, observing the lace curtains 

 and such other evidences of woman's care as showed 

 through the windows. It was a forlorn post for a young 

 woman to live in, and I pitied her. 



Noon found us at the gang- way of the "Vaigach,'* 

 one of the Russian ice-breakers. A group of officers wel- 

 comed us cordially and the ship's doctor, a short man 

 with long reddish moustache, introduced all hands in 

 excellent English. ''Will you kindly come to the ward 

 room," he invited, and we filed below. Elting conversed 



