192 /. H. Turner — The Alaskan Boundary Survey. 



skin bags, deer-skin thongs, and old sled covers. Several old 

 people died of sheer starvation, and the outlook grew gloomy. 

 Timely assistance from the missionary, Mr Wallis, and a case of 

 flour from camp Colonna tided over the emergency until a few 

 deer were secured by an expert hunter, who had been j)ermitted 

 the use of a Winchester rifle from our camp. 



The main food supply of the Porcupine River Indians consists 

 of fish and reindeer meat. In early spring this fare is supple- 

 mented by a vegetable diet of wild rhubarb and a root resem- 

 bling licorice. Later in the season blueberries, raspberries and 

 wild currants are found in abundance. 



Salt is never used. Although we Avere supplied with an abun- 

 dance of this article and offered it to the natives gratis, none 

 seem'ed to desire this addition to their cooked meat'. Scurvy is 

 unknown in this portion of Alaska, and the remoteness of the 

 settlements from the civilizing influence of the whites has pre- 

 vented the introduction of several fatal diseases, but scarlet fever 

 nearly depopulated the country many years ago. The prevail- 

 ing distemper now seems to be of a pulmonary nature. Many 

 natives seemingly in perfect health were suddenly attacked, and 

 m a few weeks succumbed to acute pneumonia or galloping con- 

 sumption. Medicine is of no avail. . The doctor Avho accompa- 

 nied the expedition administered gallons of physic, but if not 

 present to watch the patient the course of treatment was at once 

 discontinued unless beneficial results followed the first dose. 

 As several Indians treated by the doctor died, his influence over 

 them rapidly waned. From implicit confidence, the natives sud- 

 denly reverted to extreme distrust and resumed the rites for cur- 

 ing the sick practiced by their own " shamans." Very little 

 attention is shown the sick. We detected the post trader's hunter 

 in the act of devouring some crackers supplied him for his 

 daughter, who was sick abed. The girl subsequently died, doubt- 

 less of starvation, abandoned to her fate by her unnatural father. 

 Shortly afterward a young woman in the settlement was taken 

 sick and permitted to slowly starve to death by a sister, who 

 subsequently attempted the destruction of her surviving child 

 by t3dng it to a stake out of doors and leaving it to freeze in the 

 winter night. 



Though the Indian may evince affection for his children, it 

 extends to no other member of the family. Father and mother, 

 brother and sister, wife and husband are neglected as soon as 



