90 HUNTING IN THE ARCTIC 



cargo, too much for her to take safely on a long voyage, 

 had been placed in a warehouse, and the men were tinker- 

 ing with, her machinery and waiting for a new propeller. 

 Dr. Anderson was in charge. 



Also hauled on the beach were the ''Kotzebue/' a 

 stern wheeler, and the "Dewey," an old scow, which had 

 lain there six years. These vessels all contributed to our 

 help. 



The day after our arrival the launch ''Wilhelmina" 

 came in from Nome with a bridal couple on board, and 

 took back wdth her a note from us to the postmaster at 

 that place, asking him to forward mail to us at Teller by 

 the next boat; and if we should have left in the mean- 

 time, to bring it back to Nome on its return voyage. 



Kleinschmidt, who had been scouring the town, now 

 came on board greatly excited. "I've found an old 

 rudder in the 'Dewey,' " he cried. "It looks as if it 

 might do." Forthwith the Captain went to it and meas- 

 ured it. With a few changes it might serve, but would 

 the material be good enough after six years of rusting to 

 stand the strain of hard service? It was entirely of steel, 

 one-quarter inch plate passing round a stock, and riveted 

 together. Many blows of the hammer to test it brought 

 down huge scales of rust within and without. "It might 

 do," said the Captain. Kleinschmidt bought it for fifty 

 dollars. 



An entire day went by while we got the rudder out of 

 the "Dewey." She was so deeply embedded in the sand 

 that a pit had to be dug to let the stock slip down from 

 the sleeve far enough to withdraw its length. 



While the crew was at this labor we four passengers 

 started to a large reindeer herd on the tundra back of 

 the village, beyond a small lake. They let us approach 



