38 INTRODUCTION OF DOMESTIC REINDEER INTO ALASKA. 



One of thciii, a blind num, hud his friends place a riHo so that ho could 

 discharge it with his foot, and then shot himself . Another man, after 

 certain heathen ceremonies, was shot by his sister-in-law, A man and 

 woman were strangled by hanging. All these persons were sick and 

 asked to be killed. It is their belief that when sick and about to die, 

 if they, or their friends for them, take their lives they will thereb}^ 

 escape the devil and go direct to God. Therefore this killing is 

 regarded as a favor. After a person is thus killed his relatives and 

 those that assist make great lamentation over the deceased. It is 

 very rarely that a man i« strangled at St. Lawrence Island. He is 

 either expected to take his own life with a knife or rifle or have his 

 friends do it for him. In the above cases Mr. Doty had been informed 

 of what was about to take place, but his protests and expostulations 

 were of no avail. The influenza extended also along the Siberian 

 coast. It was reported that at Indian Point 6 adults and 18 or 20 

 children died and that among the reindeer men inland from that point 

 there had been 60 deaths. Prol^ably many of these were assisted 

 deaths. Capts. S. F. Cottle and B. T. Tilton, of the whaling fleet, 

 report that on the Diomede Islands a woman was hung and a man 

 stal)bed by their friends. 



The whaling vessels Jeanette^ Gramfpiis^ Thrafihei\ Bmvheatl^ Belve- 

 dere^ Fearless^ Alexander^ and Wm. Bayliss had called at Gaml)ell. 

 The Belena, Bonanza^ and JVarwhal passed without stopping. The 

 Alh/on^ with freight and the cutter Thetis, had also called. Charles E. 

 Buckler, cai)tain of the Win. Bai/liss, who had been drinking hard, 

 accidentally shot himself and was buried at St. Lawrence Island. Mr. 

 Doty conducted the funeral services. Four whales had been taken by 

 th(^ fleet up to June 20. They also had done a large amount of trad- 

 ing. At Cxambell the natives secured one whale by hunting and another 

 was found dead in the ice, and the l)one secured. Two whales floated 

 ashore, but the l)one had l)een removed. It was reported that one 

 whale had been captured by the natives at Indian Point, one near St. 

 I^awrence Bay, one at East Cape, and one at Plover Baj'. At the 

 latter place i\vo boat loads of natives ott' whaling were gone live weeks 

 and given up for lost. They had subsisted on raw walrus meat. 

 At 10.85 p. m. we hoisted anchor and steamed for Point Rodney, 

 Alaska, where we expected to land our reindeer for Antisarlook. 



July 13: Rained all day; dropped anchor ofl' Point Rodney at It p. ni. 

 Surf too high for landing. 



July 14: Being too rough to land the deer, at 6.30 we hoisted anchor 

 and started for Port Clarence, dropping anchor at the sand spit at 1.15. 

 The following vessels were at anchor: Bark ./. I). Peters with coal; 

 steamer Balenn^ schoonei" -/. M. Chlenuui (coal and supplies), Wm. 

 Bayliss^ steamers Gninqnix^ Narwhal, and Thrasher. 



