58 REPORT ON THE INTRODUCTION OF 



and their shouts and laughter are often heard after we have been abed 

 several hours. We soon found that the natives slept as they ate. 

 namely, when they felt like it, and many of them were snoring in their 

 tents when we were up and at work. 



I was puzzled for some time to find how the natives knew when it 

 was morning. When sleeping in their houses I have been disturbed 

 by their getting up when it was yet dark, but before long the glow of 

 daybreak appeared through their little skin windows. I soon learned 

 that they depended on the "big dipper" for their timepiece, and knew 

 from its position when it was approaching day. 



Early last fall we began to be troubled by the Siberians' fears for 

 their safety from harm by the natives. It became known soon after the 

 deer were landed that there was a disposition to ridicule the idea of 

 introducing reindeer on this side on the part of some of the Cape Prince 

 of Wales natives, the largest in number as well as the most viciously 

 inclined of any in this portion of the country. 



Although very little disposition to quarrel with any of the other tribes 

 has become manifest of late years, their history in former times justifies 

 the reputation they still have of being quarrelsome. They are, moreover, 

 less feared by the natives about the station, and through them all sorts 

 of stories were told, and all sorts of predictions were made to the Sibe- 

 rians. They were given to understand that they would be killed, the 

 white men at the station butchered, and the deer driven away and 

 slaughtered. 



Such tales as these after awhile became annoying to us, but such 

 was the anxiety among the Siberians that we felt something must be 

 done to reassure them, and the opportunity came in time and in such 

 a manner as to save them many sleepless nights and made them feel we 

 were abundantly able to protect them. 



We had some natives sawing wood one morning at the station and 

 quite a number were standing by. Suddenly one of our own natives, 

 whom, on account of his appearance and manner, we had dubbed 

 "Thug," came up drunk and in a vicious manner demanded some 

 matches. 



This man, the fall before, had killed a native belonging to another 

 tribe in cold blood, and was looked upon as a bad character generally. 

 It became evident that we must make a demonstration for our own secur- 

 ity, and, while Mr. Gibson stood by to prevent interference by others, I 

 took hold of him and dragged him to the beach, where a number of 

 natives belonging to the Cape Prince of Wales tribe were eucamped 

 and where we felt certain he had procured his whisky. 



A plan was quickly agreed upon to search the tents of these natives 

 and sieze any whisky found. We demanded of the natives to deliver 

 up their whisky, but of course they did not have any, and the man had 

 not got any from them. I immediately commenced a search, Mr. Gibson 

 standing by to be ready in case of any hostile demonstration, and after 



