262 THE LAST VOYAGE OF THE KARLUK 
and though I had picked up a few phrases along 
the coast I could speak no native language that he 
could understand. He was considered the dare¬ 
devil of northern Siberia and had such a reputation 
for taking chances that it was said that when Cor¬ 
rigan could not get a bear it was because bear were 
scarce and it would not be worth while for any one 
else to try. Mr. Wall had told Corrigan what I 
had said about our voyage and shipwreck and our 
experiences since. Now, while we were riding 
along, Corrigan would start in to tell me of his 
exploits. I knew just enough of the language to 
recognize an occasional word when he described 
hunting the walrus and polar bear and the narrow es¬ 
capes he had had on the drift ice and hunting whale 
in skin-boats with the harpoon. He would get 
more and more excited, and finally I would cease to 
understand anything and could do nothing but nod at 
frequent intervals, until he would become aware 
of my total ignorance of what he was saying; then 
he would put his hands to his head, with a gesture 
of despair. He became greatly excited and irri¬ 
tated when he found that neither of us could relate 
his adventures to the other. It was all very amus¬ 
ing to me, especially as when I had first heard his 
name mentioned I had thought of him as an Irish¬ 
man. 
Stopping at intervals along the w T ay to have tea 
