234 INTRODUCTION OF DOMESTIC REINDEER INTO ALA8KA. 



lu'east and thou on her back, then repeating- the .same strange rite on 

 the persons of her father and ])rother. After throwing this can away, 

 she went home with her brother. 



The body was placed in the shelter of some rocks about one-third of 

 the waj^ from the base to the top of the mountain. The father 

 sharpened one end of the pole and later thrust it thrice into the naked 

 body of the baby. He may have had only curiosity as his motive, or 

 possibly wanted to make an exit for the devil. It was a horrible sight. 

 After circling around the body, I followed the pallbearers in their 

 studied single file, each man treading in the very tracks left by the 

 father. Later some of the party stepped aside at intervals, but soon 

 assumed their former positions. 



November 30: Snowstorm. 8°; northeast wind, strong; cloudy 

 all da}^ 



December 1: School. 5°; strong east wind; snow in the forenoon. 

 Forming ice near the shore on the sea. In the bay ice formed long 

 ago, as the surf there is not high, as a rule; but near the cape and the 

 sand spit the rough waves to a considerable extent defeat the forma- 

 tion of ice, while the strong current also is quite an effective check. 



December 8: School. 2°; light east wind. The third finger of my 

 left hand is considerably inflamed on account of a " nip" by the frost. 

 Abrahamsen has been making the shed and the storehouse as secure as 

 possible against the strong winds, which of late have forced snow 

 through very small crevices and chinks in the boards of these 

 buildings. 



Began to study the Massinga dialect more systematically than 

 hitherto, having taken a first lesson from Aninga, one of the young 

 men, the oldest pupil at the school. His lameness, due to a white 

 swelling, prevents him from joining other young men in hunting, and 

 he is consequently in an unfortunate position, being a burden to his 

 father. This has brought him into disrepute in the communitv. His 

 lameness has interfered considerably with his attendance at school 

 since those privileges were accessible to him, and consequently he is 

 not quite so far advanced as three or four of his schoolmates, but he 

 is not occupied as they are frequently, and hence can give his time to 

 me when I desire it. I have agreed with him as to the stipend for his 

 monthly service as interpreter on Sunday and at other times, as well 

 as my native teacher of the language and customs of the people. I 

 can not expect to progress rapidly, as his English vocabulary is very 

 meager indeed, but will hope to compile a vocabulary of the dialect 

 for the use of my successor, which may prove of more or less value 

 to him. Finding no vocabulary of the language at the house has 

 made it hard for me to acquire the language. The schoolboys, after 

 three years only, can not be said as yet to understand even the rudi- 

 ments of English, and hence give varying equivalents for English 



