240 INTRODUCTION OF DOMESTIC REINDEER INTO ALASKA. 



"God-given" powers as a *'devil-ohaser;" for he had olaiuied these 

 powers emphaticall}' as bestowed upon him by God. Of course I had 

 to expose his deception, although my arguments fell on deaf ears. 

 Assoone failed to accept my in\'itatit)n to talk over the matter, and so 

 1 had to send messages to him. If he had not made himself enriched 

 at the expense of sick people, one would not so seriously blame him. 

 I tried to appeal to his better nature to give over his superstitions and 

 deceptive practices. To undermine the ''devil-chasing" as the main 

 prop of Eskimo superstition has been one of my undertakings. To 

 give hope to the sick and to have all ''possessed persons'" abandon 

 their fear of the everlasting torment in the devil's house has seemed 

 to be an incumbent duty upon me. ''Shamanism" must first sustain 

 a severe blow before it will give place to Christianity. 



February 28: School. —3°; north and east winds, very light; clear. 

 My puppy ""^as set upon b}' four other and larger Eskimo dogs and 

 nearly dispatched before I could rescue him. Abrahamsen and I had 

 become attached to this puppy during the two weeks of his sojourn at 

 the house, and were sorr}' that our efforts to relieve him proved 

 unavailing. He died live hours after the attack. The Eskimo dogs 

 are very ferocious in their onsets upon one another. They are of wolf 

 origin. I understand, at least partly so. Half starved, as they gener- 

 alh' are. it is no wonder that they attack weaker ones and devour 

 them. They will eat even offal, so great is their hunger or so coarse 

 their tastes. A man has to defend himself from their attacks frequently. 

 I have been bitten even through a thick fur coat and trousers b}' one. 

 The bite, however, did not amount to anything, as my clothing pro- 

 tected me considerably. 



March 1: School. 0^, —3^; northeast wind, light; very clear. 



March 2: School. — 10"^, 0°; calm; clear until evening. Some men 

 were able to go hunting in canoes in the open water near the shore. 



March 3: School. 0^; north wind, light; clear. Some men in a canoe 

 brought back 11 seals, while another party in a canoe secured 5 seals. 



March -1: Saturda}'. 0°, 10°; southeast wind, verv strong; cloudy. 

 Some of the boj'S and girls coasted down a slope near the west shore. 



March 5: Sunday school. 10°, 16°; heavy fall of snow; big drifts; 

 southeast Avind. very strong until evening. Spoke about the call of 

 Moses to deli\er the Israelites out of Egypt. 



March 0: School. 10°, 19°; calm until evening, then southeast 

 wind, light; cloudy. Abrahamsen worked hard, as on former occa- 

 sions, shoveling snow oft' the roof and away from the entrances and 

 windows of the house. The wind at times forces snow under the sash 

 of the Avindow facing east, in the sitting room. 



March 7: School. 5"^, 0°, fog in afternoon; strong northeast wind; 

 clear in morning and evening. The hunters went to the east side of 

 the promontory to-day. They dare not venture upon the ice on the 

 north and west shores unless the wind is favorable. The ice moves 



