INTRODUCTION OF DOMESTIC KEINDEER INTO ALASKA. 33 



Learnino- that a prominent deer man with 2,000 reindeer wa.s a day's 

 journey inland, we hired a runner to go and notify him that a ship was 

 in the harbor and that the captain wished to buy reindeer. The vil- 

 lagers were drying fish, long racks of which were to be seen. At 10 

 p. m. we returned to the ship. At 11 :35 p. m. we came to anchor oflf 

 the mouth of the Karaga Harbor, it ])eing too dark to attempt to 

 enter. Karaga Bay is 1) miles long and from 4 to 8 miles wide. 



June 27: Temperature, 56°. The morning was foggy. Two parties 

 were sent out in small boats to make soundings to find the best way 

 into the harbor. After lunch the steam launch was put into the water 

 and Lieutenant Bertholf, Assistant Engineer Lewton, Dr. Call, and 

 myself, with a rowboat in tow, at 1.45 p. m., started ashore to com- 

 municate with the natives and get the sarosta or headman of the vil- 

 lage to go with us to Karaginski Island for reindeer. Within a mile 

 of the shore, at the upper end of the harbor, the steam launch got 

 aground and could go no farther. We then transferred ourselves to 

 the rowboat and started for the mouth of the river, the village sought 

 being 2 or 3 miles up the river. As we were passing a small fishing 

 village the natives raised a flag and signaled us to come ashore, which 

 we did, although the water became so shallow that those who had on 

 rubber boots reaching to the hip were compelled to get out and help 

 pull the boat over the shallow places. To our gratification we found 

 the man we were looking for at this village. The village consisted of 

 several earth huts for the people, and eight or ten storehouses raised on 

 poles, beyond the reach of the dogs. These storehouses had conical 

 roofs thatched with wild grass. Dr. Call secured some photographs, 

 and later in the afternoon I secured for the Alaska Society of Natural 

 History, at Sitka, a good specimen of one of these notched logs that 

 serve as a ladder. Having completed our arrangements with the head- 

 man and a friend who wished to accompany him to the herd, in half 

 an hour we returned to the beach. The sailor in charge of the launch, 

 misunderstanding the orders given him, had steamed back to the ship. 

 Rowing was hard work; we had a head wind and strong tide against 

 us, and soon decided to go ashore on the sand spit and camp imtil the 

 steam launch should return in search of us. 



A good fire of driftwood was soon burning, water was ])oiled for tea 

 and coffee, bacon was fried to a crisp, sundry cans were opened, and 

 with good appetites we sat down in the sand to enjoy our lunch. After 

 lunch, those who had guns strolled off after wild ducks. About 9 

 p. m. we saw through the fog the smoke of the steam launch, and at 

 10 o'clock we were again aboard the ship, having had an enjoyable 

 afternoon. 



June 28: Temperature, 51°. The fog lifting; pleasant day. At 7.10 

 the anchor was raised and we steamed away for Karaginski Island, 

 reaching there at 11.35 a. m., and anchoring in Lozhnuikh Vyestei Bay. 

 S. Doc. 245 3 



