DOMESTICATED REINDEER INTO ALASKA. 13 



having readied the coast, at a. m. we cast loose from the ice and 

 started southward through Bering Straits for South Head, encounter- 

 ing heavy ice all day. At 7 p. in., the fog lifting a little, land was 

 sighted, and in half an hour we came to anchor in St. Lawrence Bay. 

 Lieut. Jarvis, with the native interpreter, Enker, were sent ashore to 

 communicate with the village at South Head. Upon his return to the 

 ship at 3:15 a. in., we again got under way for the village on the south- 

 ern side of Cape Kiiieugoune, and in about an hour afterwards came 

 to anchor off the village. This being the native village of one of the 

 Siberian herders, whom we were returning home, we landed Enker and 

 his supplies, after which we again sailed for Port Clarence, reaching 

 there at 10 p. in. 



On the 5th of July, having an opportunity to return to the Aleutian 

 Islands via St. Michael, and thus reach the schools located between 

 Unalaska and Sitka, and also the schools in southeastern Alaska, I 

 availed myself of the opportunity. Upon my deciding to go south, 

 Capt. M. A. Healy, commanding officer of the U. S. steamer Bear, very 

 kindly consented to look after the reindeer station and purchase such 

 additional reindeer during the year as he should have opportunity. In 

 pursuance of this plan, he made a trip on the 8th of July to South 

 Head, Siberia, where he procured thirty reindeer, which were landed 

 at the station. He then started for Eutau and the Arctic shore of 

 Siberia, but owing to heavy ice was unable to get beyond Enchowan. 

 After spending a week battling with the ice and being unable to make 

 any further progress, he concluded to change his course and visit Point 

 Barrow, where, after inspection of the station, he could return south- 

 ward and speud the month of August in procuring reindeer. Keturn- 

 ing from Point Barrow to the Siberian coast he found that Capt. 

 Wagner, of the schooner Berwick, had been over to Siberia to secure 

 reindeer for Mr. Bruce to take to the States for exhibition purposes. 

 It was reported by the natives that Capt. Wagner had represented 

 that he was buying the reindeer for the Government, and had traded 

 for the same, in part, 5 gallons of liquor, which demoralized the trade 

 during the remainder of the season. Wherever Capt. Healy went and 

 tried to trade for reindeer the first demand on the part of the natives 

 was for whisky, and he reports that the unauthorized whisky trading 

 of Capt. Wagner prevented the Government purchasing at least one 

 hundred reindeer, besides increasing the price of those that Avere pur- 

 chased. 



Beaching Cape Serdze Kainen, August 11, the shore was found fairly 

 char of ice, but during the clear interval the Siberians refused to bar- 

 ter their reindeer, in hope of compelling the captain to sell whisky. 

 Two of the leading reindeer men were »n board four days, refusing to 

 trade. As the ice began to come in and make it dangerous for the ves- 

 sel to lie there any longer, and the natives saw that it was useless to 

 hold out longer for whisky, they began to bargain, and the captain 



