400 
NATURE 
The book commences with a chapter which 
should appeal particularly to officers of the British 
Army, for it discusses those moral qualities which, 
as a factor of success in war, count for so much 
more than mere numbers. The bulk of the volume 
is occupied by ten chapters on the characteristics 
of the various arms of the service; within these 
will be found some interesting remarks on mounted 
infantry, the réle of the cyclist, and the possibilities 
of aircraft. The remaining chapters deal with 
such subjects as inter-communication, orders, 
movements, and billets, all of which will be of 
particular interest to officers serving, or aspiring 
to serve on the staff. 
But though we are satisfied that General Altham 
has supplied a much-felt want, we are constrained 
to sound a note of warning. He expresses the 
opinion that the study of military history is but 
imperfectly appreciated by the army at large, and 
the purpose of his book is doubtless to stimulate 
officers to read and re-read the campaigns of the 
great commanders, and that too with greater 
profit to themselves than in the past. His pur- 
pose is wholly commendable. At the same time, 
we cannot conceal from ourselves the danger, in- 
herent in any volume of this character, that it may 
be regarded by some as a convenient gold mine 
of “nuggets” from which to cram for examination 
purposes, and that, in so far as these officers are 
concerned, the volumes of military history which 
are to Be found in the well-stocked shelves of 
every garrison library, may continue to lie there 
even more neglected han General Altham says 
they do at present. We trust, howev er, that our 
fears on this point may prove to be entirely 
groundless. 
LIFE AMONG THE ESKIMO. 
My Life with the Eskimo. 
son. 
By Vilhjalmur Stefans- 
Pp. ix+538+plates. (London: Mac- 
millan and Co., Ltd., 1913.) Price 17s. net. 
HE expedition conducted by Mr. V. Stefdns- 
son and Dr. R. M. Anderson along the 
Shores of the Arctic Ocean is remarkable in the 
fact that for four years they lived on the country, 
as the Eskimos do, and trusted little to any stores 
procurable in Canada, except ammunition. Mr. 
Stefansson had prepared himself for this under- 
taking by a previous journey during which he 
lived with the Eskimo, supported himeen on their 
food, and learned their language. The result was 
satisfactory, though even his cheery account of 
their adventures shows that they were exposed to 
much danger and privation. Only exceptional 
travellers can survive under such conditions. 
NO. 2329, Wel, 93)| 
[JuNE 18, 1914 
John Rae, he remarks, wintered in this manner at 
Repulse Bay, within a decade of the time when 
Sir John Franklin’s party perished from want in 
a country occupied by Eskimo, who existed in 
comparative plenty, unaided by the muskets and 
other implements which the English possessed in 
abundance. 
The country explored by this expedition extends 
from Point Barrow in North Alaska, including the 
valleys of the Yukon and Mackenzie rivers, to 
_ Victoria Island, where the most interesting dis- 
covery was made. This region was crossed along 
the seaboard in various directions; large collec- 
tions of ethnological material, and of the minerals, 
flora, and fauna were made. These collections are 
described in a special appendix by Dr. R. M. An- 
derson, which deals with many interesting and 
novel specimens. Many of the charts of this 
region were found to be untrustworthy, and Mr. 
| Stefansson’s surveys furnish a basis for more 
correct delineation of the coast-line and of the 
river deltas than was hitherto available. He gives 
also a useful account of the Eskimo language and 
its dialects. 
The most important part of the book is the 
account of the comparatively fair tribe of Eskimos 
encountered in Victoria Island. Some individuals 
have blue eyes, light brown beards, and dark 
brown or rusty-red hair. They are clearly dis- 
tinguished from the true Eskimos by the facial 
index, which in the latter is about 1o1, while in 
the Victoria Island tribe it falls to 97. Mr. 
Stefansson discusses in detail the origin of this 
remarkable tribe. He dismisses the supposition 
that they can be derived from survivors of the 
Franklin or other European expeditions, or from 
Russians in the Alaska region. He traces the 
Scandinavian settlements in Greenland from the 
time of Eric the Red at the close of the tenth 
century of our era. The route from Greenland 
to Victoria Island occupies a year by boat, two 
years by sled. There is thus no objection to a 
westward movement of half-blood Eskimos. On 
the whole, he seems to regard this solution more 
probable than the supposition that this blond> 
type may have been accidentally produced, while 
the influence of environment cannot account for 
: the facts. 
This book will take a high place in the literature 
of Arctic adventure. It is written in a graphic, 
modest way, and the tact and endurance of the 
two explorers deserve hearty recognition. The 
route map might be improved by the addition of 
the European to the Eskimo place-names, but the 
photographs really assist in realising the condi- 
tions of the enterprise. 
