CAPT. ROBERT A. BARTLETT 
GREENLAND EXPEDITION of 1938 
Under the Auspices of 
SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION 
AND CLEVELAND MUSEUM 
(24) 
Field Notes for the Salmon Lake Region (between Inglefield Gulf and 
Orlick’s Bay); 
Shortly after midnight of July 30, I was given short notice to 
organize a shore party and expedition to the Salmon Lake Region* I chose 
for my companions and members of this party, Rupert Bartlett, botanist of 
the expedition, and Ray HelLman, my invaluable assistant* I set them to 
work getting the gear ready while I went vriLth the cook to grab what grub 
1 could, which included a bag of hard buscuits, a tin of sweet biscuits, 
2 cans of corned beef hash and peaches, and some tea and jam* I was told 
that we would be ashore two days but to be prepared to stay longer in 
case the vessel was unable to get back on time* Other gear consisted of 
sleeping bags, personal clothing, collecting gear for flowers, birds, 
insects and marine life, a tent and an axe* 
We were dumped ashore at Koengeralaksouag, an Eskimo village on 
the south side of Inglefield Gulf just west of Academy Bay* Ray and fiur- 
ert set to work pitching camp near by while I supeinrised the cutting up 
of a Namvhal skull that was to gdto the United States National Museum* 
By 2 a.m*, July 31, the Eskimo men had left on the vessel to hunt Namirhal 
and we were alone with the women and children* Having had a long hard 
day already, we turned in for a good rest before starting inland* 
By 10 a*m* we had awakened and got the Eskimo women to boil the 
pot for us* Since it Tms such hard going over the rooks and we did not 
have much time, we dadided not to lug our sleepings in but just take 
food and collecting *gear* The Captain had given explicit instructions to 
take an Eskimo boy along to show us the way and we took the oldest boy. 
Mini by name, who was not more than ten or eleven years old* He seemed 
young, and from the start I wondered hovf he would stand up under the 
long hard walk* 
By 11 a*m* -m had started up the rocky slope from the sea* There 
TOS nothing but rocks, rocks, and a few scattered tufts of flowers that 
dared to peep out at the arctic sun from the tumbled turmoil of rocks. 
We bore to the left of a small pond and up over the shoulder of a rooky 
hill that overlooked a canyon at the bottom of which could be heard the 
