INTRODUCTION OF DOMESTIC REHSTDEER INTO ALASKA. 247 



do not trade it, I under.stand. Oonndook and his party were una)>Ic 

 to get back this evening from their hunting trip east of the promon- 

 tory, 1)eing caught in the ice. 



May 3: 20^, 26^; northeast wind, very strong; clear in afternoon. 

 A rescue party taking food went with dog teams and sled to aid Oomj'- 

 look. The party brought the whalel)oat overland several miles by the 

 help of the dogs and runners placed under the boat. Raw walrus 

 meat, to which the Eskimo is accustomed, had sustained the hunting 

 party. 



May 4: 20^, 28^; northeaist wind, strong; clear. There is open 

 water for a long distance, save a covered stretch near the shore. 



May 5: 18^,22"-; north wind, strong; cloudy; snow Hurries. Inves- 

 tigated and wrote down some traditions relative to the '"ancients" 

 here. 



Ma}' (3: 22^, 26^; north wind, moderate; clear. Akulky's whale- 

 boat was damaged by a large crest and began to fill. The party was 

 rescued by another hunting crew. 



May 7: 18"^. 20^; northeast wind, strong, later moderate; cloudy. 

 A severe cough prevented me from holding Sunday school. The men 

 broke up the shore ice in places to get rid of it. 



May 8: 28°, 32°; southwest wind, light, later moderate; clear in 

 morning, foggy in afternoon, followed by snow in the evening. Three 

 whales were chased, but not secured. A number of walruses were 

 brought in. 



May 9: 32°, 37°; south-southwest wind, light; snowed all day. I 

 observed a woman take the head of a seal, which had been broken into 

 small pieces, and cast it into the sea, according to the custom here. 

 The head of a walrus is merely thrown on the ground. A boy showed 

 me a "stone god," as he termed it — a luck stone, I fancy — which he had 

 found on the shore. Anv pretty pebble would thus be a charm, though 

 not a deity, I think. 



May 10: 37°, 32°; south-southwest wind, moderate; foggy all day. 

 Timkaroo found a "bowhead whale"' of small size which Akulky had 

 struck on the previous day. Being nearly dead, it was quickly dis- 

 patched. The bone was divided among the people generally — follow- 

 ing the invariable custom — the discoverer and his crew retaining larger 

 shares than those given to their neighbors. The old women, as well as 

 the men, receive a portion. 



May 11: 32°, 35°; south-southwest, southeast, and east winds, light; 

 fogg}' all day. The surf has loosened the shore ice in places. I expect 

 to see ships here within the next ten days. 



May 12: 34°, 32-; east gale strong; snowed hard in afternoon. The 

 hunters experienced a rough sea on their return. Two whales were 

 pursued, but not captured. I am still suflering from a severe cold on 

 my chest. 



