846 FOREST AND STREAM. I[Oct. 28, 1905. 
Stories of Some Sea Dogs. 
III. — Zero, a Hero of the North. 
I UNWILLINGLY Spent the winter of 1851 in the Arctic 
Ocean on board the brig Swallow, a little craft that had 
gone up there fur trading and to secure as many walrus 
tusks as was possible to obtain. I was the supercargo 
and ice-pilot, the latter position being due to the fact that 
I had been in these ivaters the previous year on a New 
Bedford whaler in quest of the famous bowhead whale 
and, the big bone they yielded. When, in my opinion, 
the time came for us to up anchor and leave these waters 
the captain was deaf to my entreaties to depart, and the 
result, was that we were frozen in for the loug dreary 
Arctic winter. Fortunately, we were lying in a snug 
little bay in St. Lawrence Island in about 63 degrees 
North latitude and longitude 170 East. 
The island at that time belonged to Russia and was 
much frequented by Yankee whalemen, who did a rush- 
ing business in catches, but at the time we were nipped 
sll of' the whaling fleet had sailed southward. On my 
previous voyage , I had become acquainted with several 
Eskimo families, who were constantly visiting us, and 
when I piloted the Swallow to a comparatively safe 
anchorage, which was to be our winter quarters, my old 
native friends came on board in goodly numbers, and I 
especially was greeted with many expressions of pleasure, 
and it was not long before I had made arrangements 
with several families to remain by the brig for the winter, 
promising them comfortable quarters, plenty of food and 
a far better time than if they went off to their own win- 
ter resort. We now felt assured that if the vessel was 
so unfortunate as to be crushed in the ice we could rely 
upon these faithful men of the Far North to be of. valu- 
able assistance to us through the long winter night, and 
being to the manor born, they would be able perhaps to 
save us from perishing amid the ice and snows of that 
little island. 
Our crew consisted of some forty all told_, the Eskimos 
numbered twenty-two, including several little children, 
and eighteen native dogs, the latter a rather unruly, 
tough lot and always hungry-; in fact, never satisfied, no 
matter how often fed. One of the dogs attracted my at- 
tention, and it seemed to me that he in return took a 
fancy to me; at any rate, it was only a few days before 
we became friends and constant companions in my jour- 
neys between the brig and the shore, where we had begun 
to store our provisions in case the brig was destroyed by 
the ice. I christened him Zero, an appropriate name for 
the surroundings, I thought, but his nature was the exact 
opposite of his new name, for he was affectionate, intel- 
ligent, apt to learn my words of command, and it w^as 
not long before his devotion and good fellowship were 
most marked. We soon became inseparable and he often 
slept in my stateroom, which was warmer than the main 
cabin. It was not long before he began to ignore his 
canine companions and had little to do with them. My 
heart went out to that dog as never did it to one of his 
species. When I first met Zero he was a heathen dog, an 
unchristian, uncivilized fellow that knew not my language 
or my manners ; in fact, he was an unclean dog, but how 
changed he became in a few days, for he had been 
washed, combed and brushed and was now a presentable 
being, full of that tenderness we find in the trained house 
dog at home. 
One fine day along in the latter part of September Zero 
and I went out for a stroll among the snow hummocks 
and in quest of any game that might give me a chance 
to bag it. I carried an old-fashioned musket loaded with 
a ball and about an ounce of buckshot; slung over rny 
shoulder was a copper powder flask, and in a sealskin 
hag were some percussion caps and the necessary wadding, 
and strapped on Zero’s back was some lunch for us both. 
We did not carry water, for if thirsty we could moisten 
our mouths by eating snow. 
We had jogged along for about two miles when a snow 
squall overtook us and we halted and took shelter behind 
a large hummock until the squall had passed. Just as we 
were starting I noticed that Zero had scented something, 
for he would look steadily and intently off to seaward 
and then look at me as much as if to say, “Can’t you 
smell something?” And again he would look up at me 
almost saying, “Don’t you know that there is a bear here- 
abouts, I do?” Presently around the hummock came the 
head of a big lump of a polar bear, who evidently had 
not yet discovered our position. Off came my fur mit- 
tens and putting a fresh cap on the nipple of the gun and 
j arring the powder in my gun well, I was ready for the 
bear. Zero showed his delight by wagging his tail and 
jumping up and down as if to say, “Now, old fellow, you 
will get it.” _ . , 
We were, not more than fifty feet from the bear when 
he discovered us and evidently he was more surprised 
than we were. We were dead to leeward of him, and up 
to this time the wind had been so fresh our scent had 
not reached him, but now that lie had seen us he hesi- 
tated for a moment, evidently querying as to what he 
should do. My mind was made up, and no matter what 
the brute contemplated I was ready for him, for I felt 
that being a good shot and with my old musket to do its 
duty I did not fear for the results being in my favor. 
All that I feared was that Zero might take it into his 
head to rush at the bear and interfere with my aim. This 
773.3 my first h,unt wdth the dog, and I did not know how ' 
he would act under the circumstances. I bade him keep 
still, and he seemed to understand my command. I never 
shall forget how he looked at me and then at the bear 
as much as to say, “Now, what are you going to do? 
Why don’t you fire? What are you waiting for?” Yet, 
he seemed to have full confidence in me, and perhaps in 
the musket, for he had seen many the time what firearms 
could do. I was walking slowly up to the bear, who 
alternately was on all . fours, then on his haunches, and 
wdien I was within about fifteen feet of the fellow, and 
when he 'was showing me the finest set of bear’s teeth I 
ever saw, I took deliberate aim and sent the handful of 
assorted lead into that blood-red mouth. The huge crea- 
ture gave a mighty lunge toward us, fell over on his side 
and after a series of terrific struggles lay quiet, as if 
dead. Zero was wild with excitement and wanted to 
rush at the monster, but I checked him, for I had read 
that bears could do the possum act at times with seriofis 
results; so I loaded my old trusty and sat down to make 
sure that my prize was “done dead.” 
Now, the question arose how was I to get tidings to 
the brig that I had shot a bear and that I needed assist- 
ance to transport it to the ship where it would be gladly 
welcomed, for we had not had any fresh meat for a 
long time. I did not dare to leave the bear while I went 
to the vessel for help lest some other bear should come 
and spoil my day’s hunting trip. I had neither pencil nor 
paper on which to write a message to my shipmates, so I 
resolved to test Zero’s intelligence as a messenger. He 
was intently watching the carcass when I called him to 
me, and patting him on the head said: “Now, Zero” — 
pointing in the direction of the vessel — “you go as fast 
as you can to the brig and tell them I have killed a big 
bear and to send a sledge here quick.” Then he went up 
to the bear and I cut a piece off its ear and putting the 
piece in Zero’s mouth said, “Now go.” He looked at me 
for an instant then started off at full speed. That dog 
knew just what I wanted and it would be pretty hard to 
convince me that he did not know what I actually said. 
It did not take him long to reach the brig and the na- 
tives understood the message Zero brought telling the 
crew that I had shot a big bear — the ear told that part 
of the story. It was not many minutes before a dozen 
natives and a half dozen of my shipmates were on their 
way with ' two dog sledge teams and hurrying to my 
assistance. Long before they hove in sight Zero came 
bounding over the snow, and rushing up to me licked 
my face and said, as plain as a dog can say, “They are 
coming with the dogs and sledges to carry back the dead 
bear.” The party arrived in good season, and, loading 
my prize on the sledge, we started to the brig, and as 
there was a spare sledge my shipmates insisted that I 
get on and ride back to the vessel in state. I agreed 
provided that Zero might share the ride and honors with 
me; and, we both then had our first sledge ride on S,t. 
Lawrence Island. The bear weighed about 800 pounds 
and kept us in fresh meat for several days. 
Zero was the first canine I ever owned or claimed as 
my exclusive property on a ship. I had shipmates with 
dogs before, but they were always the “captain’s dog,” 
and they were all expected to remain aft, and were not 
allowed to become too familiar with the foremast hands, 
and while I loved dogs it was only on rare occasions that 
I could gratify my pleasure to pet or caress them. But 
my Eskimo dog was “mine own,” and, to tell the truth, 
I was a bit jealous when anyone else presumed to pet 
him. Our love for each other was genuine, while his 
devotion to me was something beyond my description. 
Always present, but never obtrusive, he seemed to- divine 
my very thoughts, and what amazed me most was that 
from ah untutored animal, among surroundings not at 
all ennobling, he became in a very brief period the personi- 
fication of all that was noble and endearing in a dumb 
creature. Oh, how many times I wished that he was en- 
dowed with the gift of human speech, for to have been 
able to converse witli him would have been happiness in- 
deed. Yet we seemed to understand each other, aye bet- 
ter than many of my shipmates understood me. I was 
often taunted by them for my love for “that dog.” But 
why should I not love him? He never lied to me, nor 
stole from me, nor maligned me. He was true as steel, 
and in many ways, especially in touring around the snow- 
clad island. Ins knowledge of trails, his scent of game, or 
of danger was far superior to mine. I had but to follow 
Zero and I was safe. Ever kind and genlle as a com- 
panion, in the presence of an animal enemy he was a 
demon incarnate. 
In one of my hunting trips I fell over a cliff and was 
badly stunned by the’ fall. When I awoke to conscious- 
ness some hours afterward I found myself neatly covered 
with snow that he had blanketed me with, and' cuddled 
up beside me w'as faithful Zero giving out to me the 
warmth of his body. But for his almost human intelli- 
gence and his prompt action I should have perished that 
night and the story of my Arctic dog would never have 
been written for these pages. Can you wonder that I 
loved that dumb animal? After that mishap, and when 
we went off on a hunt I harnessed him to a little light 
sledge that I made. It carried a fur sleeping bag, a cou- 
ple of blankets, a pair of single-barreled pistols — there 
were no revolvers in those days — and a couple of days’ 
provisions for us. Zero was very proud of his sledge 
outfit,- and I often, thought he wondered why I did not 
take a ride on i, b ?ut I had resolved that I never would, 
unless it wa*' abscilutely necessary. This outfit often 
eamg in v'-^y hand.\fi^ when we were “caught out.” All 
we had to do was to select a sheltered place, go into camp, 
open up the sleeping bag and Zero and I w'ould pass the 
time as comfortably as two “bugs in a rug.” I, slept 
soundly feeling assured that if we were discovered by any 
prowling animals my trusty companion would give ample 
warning, so that I could properly deal with the intruder. 
We were never disturbed but once, and then finding that 
the watchman wns' on duty he cleared out before I could 
get a shot at it. 
The time came when Zero was to be the pet 'and hero 
of the little brig. The chief mate with three of the crew 
one day took it into their heads to go gunning. I sug- 
gested that as the weather looked threatening they had 
better wait a day or two, but go they would and go they 
did. About four hours after they left the vessel a ter- 
rific storm set in, and all hands began to worry about the 
hunters, and even the natives on board expressed their 
doubts ofThe party reaching the wreck of the old whaler 
Richmond, of Cold Spring, that had gone on the beach 
the year before about two miles to the northward of 
where we were anchored in the ice. If they reached her 
it would be all well, for they would be well shel- 
tered and have plenty of fire wood to keep warm. It 
would have been madness to send out a relief party in 
such a storm, so all we could do was to wait and worry, 
until the storm abated somewhat. For one I spent a 
wretched night thinking of what might befall my ship- 
mates, for they were totally unprepared for such a storm, 
and besides had had no experience, as I had had, in shel- 
tering themselves under such circumstances. 
The hours wore heavily away and it seemed as if the 
storm would never abate. About 9 o’clock next morning 
I called for a volunteer rescue party from among the 
crew, and selecting a few of the natives and two dog 
teams we started out with heavy hearts but dogged de- 
termination to find our imperiled shipmates. We were 
bountifully equipped with sleeping bags, furs, provisions 
and some needed stimulants. I pinned my faith largely 
upon Zero to lead us to the trail of the lost ones. Fie 
seemed to realize fully the object of our mission and dis- 
played much anxiety when we first began to prepare for 
the expedition and was very impatient to be off. When 
I harnessed him up his joy knew no bounds. 
When at last we started the wind had moderated a 
little, but the snow was still falling and it was pretty 
cold. We laid our course for the wrecked ship, steering 
by compass, for each party was provided with a small 
boat compass. Of course we did not expect to find any 
trail on that route, for the snow that had been failling 
all the night and part of the day before had blotted that 
out and we must trust to “blind luck,” so far as the 
white men were concerned, and trust to the Eskimos 
who were the leaders of the three parties. Zero and I 
made up the fourth. After struggling through the snow 
drifts for nearly three hours, some of the men were for 
returning to the brig and giving up the quest until the 
weather moderated, but by alternate pleadings and 
threats I urged them forward. Om crew men were 
suffering terribly, but I asked them what would they 
think if they were lost and we made no effort to save 
them. That seemed to appeal to them and they plodded 
on ; betimes cursing the mate for starting out for a hunt 
when he had been warned of the coming storm. The 
party as a whole were fast ^becoming demoralized and 
the cold was telling upon them, and I began to fear that 
my attempt at rescuing the mate was to end in a failure 
and that our four shipmates would never see the brig 
again. All at once Zero stopped for a moment, and with 
a peculiar bark started off at right angles to the course 
we had been going. I felt certain that he had picked 
up a scent, and telling the boys to follow me, we started 
after the dog, who was now some distance in advance of 
us. I fired off my musket, the signal for the other par- 
ties to come to us. We could hear Zero barking like mad 
and presently saw him come running back, and as he 
reached us we knew by his actions he had found at least 
some of the lost ones. We redoubled our speed and in 
about twenty minutes We were under the lee of a big 
hummock where Zero stood barking as I never had heard 
him bark before. Here we found, in a bunch, our ship- 
mates, all badly frozen and two of them unconscious. 
We at once gave each a good rubbing down with snow, 
gave them a drink of brandy and bundled them into the 
sleeping bags, piled the furs over them and started on 
our backward journey. It was too late and too far to 
attempt to reach the brig that night, and our party were 
too exhausted to attempt it, so I ordered all hands to 
the wreck where we could be sure of shelter, a good fire 
and a night’s rest. I sent a small party ahead to kindle 
a fire, and as. we approached the wreck we could smell 
the smoke, which was the forerunner of a cheerful 
warmth in .store for us. Arrived we set to work to get 
our rescued shipmates into shape and succeeded, and, 
after a frugal morning meal, we wended our way back to 
the brig with the glad tidings that our mission had been 
successful. It was then that the skill of Zero as a trail 
hunter, as the saviour of the four men was told, and that 
he was caressed, fondled and even kissed ; he was an idol 
and a hero. Then no one ever questioned my love for my 
Arctic dog. 
When we got out of the ice in the late spring we sailed 
for Honolulu, and on the passage my faithful, yes . my 
beloved friend sickened, and despite all we could do for 
him passed away quietly, his head pillowed in my lap. 
That death scene comes up to me as I write this, and my 
eyes are dimmed, aye wet, and I am not a bit ashamed 
