INTRODUCTION OF DOMESTIC REINDEER INTO ALASKA. 245 



the sides of the nose near the eyes with soot, in order to a)»8or]) some 

 of the glaring light, but no one has acted upon the suggestion. It 

 received the same reception evidently as did my advice a))out using 

 snow for frostbites. Some eye remedies appear to help the suli'erers. 



April IT: No school. 0', 10^; calm and clear in morning, fogg}^ 

 in the afternoon, and overcast in the evening: with strong winds 

 from east-southeast and southeast. Only 4 scholars presented them- 

 selves for school. Turned over some supplies to Shoolook to trade 

 for me with some hungry and needy people. Aminga informed me 

 that the old men attributed the bad weather of late to my kayak trips 

 at this season; they never went in kayaks except in sunmier time, and 

 believed that it was at other seasons displeasing to the moon god. I 

 said that for the present I would not cause anxiety to these old men, 

 while I sent a message to them to give over their dread of offending 

 the moon god. Abrahamsen scoured the country south of this place, 

 walking probably about 30 miles on skees. to see if there was an abun- 

 dance of moss. 



April 18: No school. 10^, 0-^; northeast wind, strong; snowed in 

 the morning, but was quite clear in the evening. A polar bear was 

 seen but not secured. Only a few scholars were ready for school. 



April 19: No school. 10', 0^; northeast gale; snowed in afternoon; 

 cleared off' in evening. Abrahamsen's left eye was greatly inflamed. 

 It had been in bad condition since Christmas. The exposure on the 

 long walk may have been the immediate cause of the inflammation 

 to-day. Treated his eyes. His other eye went blind, or became nearly 

 powerless, when he was a small boy. Had I known of his disability, I 

 should not have had him make the long exploring trip. 



April 20: No school. 0^, 10-; northeast gale; clear. 1 was informed 

 before leaving home to undertake this educational work that, in all 

 probability. I could not hold school in the spring after the active hunting- 

 began. 



April 21: 0'-,10-; northeast gale violent; clear in forenoon; snowed 

 in evening. Some skins have lately been turned over to Shoolook b}^ 

 persons who had stolen some Ijoards belonging to the Government. 

 No one went hunting. Abrahamsen's eye is better. 



April 22: Saturday-. 16"-, 24^; northeast gale; snowed all day. 

 Finished taking a census of natives here and at Southwest Cape; find 

 that at this place there are 313 people, and 24 persons at the other 

 village. By aid of Shoolook I wrote down the names and indicated 

 on a large map the important geographical features of the island, mark- 

 ing sites of former villages. It seems that all of the communities save 

 this one and that at Southwest Cape succumbed to a food famine a few 

 years ago; while half of the people at the more fortunate villages per- 

 ished. The calamity seems to have been general among the Eskimos 

 on the Siberian and Alaskan coasts. It is denied by the natives that 

 whiskj" was in any way responsible for it. 



