p. 22, on the murder of a native by other natives: About 11 o’clock in the forenoon on the 17th of November, 1807, Mr. Rustan Nelson was sitting in his house reading, and Messrs. Charles Sandbourne and George F. Tilton were working in one of the other rooms, when they all heard two rifle shots fired in quick succession, followed shortly after by four others. Nelson thrust his revolver in his pocket, rushed out of the house, and there saw, close to the house, two natives, Avulik and Shukurana, each with a smoking rifle in his hand, standing over the body of Washok, which was lying on the snow close to his sled, pierced with six bullet holes. Washok’s wife was close by, and several other natives were running to the scene of the firing. Sandbourne and Tilton ran out soon after Nelson, and after ascertaining that Washok was dead and beyond all help, they all returned to the house. Soon after the body was carried out into the country and put up on sticks, after the native fashion, the murderers aiding in the ceremony.
p. 71: March 10 .—We now began to strike soft snow and rough ice. In some places where the snow lay in hollows our sleds and dogs would sink almost out of sight; and at others, around the bluffs, we had to stop to cut off the corners of the rough ice, fill up the hollows, and make our own road. It was hard work, and it was not until about 3 o’clock in the afternoon that we came to the mouth of the Pitmegea River, where we had planned to meet Lopp. We looked anxiously around for some sign of the deer herd, and saw sticking in the snow a cross made of two pieces of bread box, which our natives immediately recognized as the work of a white man. Such it proved to be, and was the message Lopp had left for me according to our agreement. “Letter between boards” was what the sign read on the outside. Hastity tearing it apart, I found his note. He had arrived here on the 7th, having been six days crossing the mountains; the sled deer were nearly played out, but the herd was all right, and after one day’s rest he had gone on the day before we arrived. The last great obsta- cle had been overcome; and though the cold, strong winds were hard to face it was now a straight drive over a level country, and it seemed we surely must arrive at Point Barrow before the month was out. Human nature could not accomplish more, than had been done, so, pushing on until nightfall, we went into camp, feeling we had things well in hand to go to the end of the journey.
p. 95, on the need for diversions among the crew: When the sun began to eat away the snow, the water settled through the drifts and promised to flood the houses, and men were kept busy digging and making drains all over the beach. With the moderate weather it was possible for all of them to be gotten out of the houses and kept out most of the day, and though it was a heavy tax on our resources to provide them with water boots, it was necessary for the health of all. Baseball had been in vogue for exercise during the cold weather when the snow was hard enough to give good footing. It was excellent exercise and gave all something of interest to talk about and furnished a relief from the idle monotony. Later when the snow was off the ground the games were resumed, and I required the men to either play baseball or carry ducks from our shooting camp 5 miles away, the exercise grew more popular.
p. 97: In the early part of that month great flocks of eider ducks were moving northward along the lead of open water off shore. This flight continued all of May and June, and the men out Avhaling not only kept themselves in ducks, but from time to time furnished us ashore enough to augment our food supply and vary the monotony of the diet.
p. 129: I had heard incidentally while at St. Michael that Lieutenant Bertholf, in obedience to orders from Lieutenant Jarvis, had discharged Koltchoff at St. Michael on January 1. Instead of reporting at the reindeer station at Unalaklik as ordered, he had gone overland with Mr. Tilton, who came down from the wrecked whalers. Koltchoff said Lieutenant Bertholf had given him a paper, the contents of which he claimed to be ignorant, which he had given to Lieutenant-Colonel Randall, United States Army, commanding at Fort St. Michael, and that Lieutenant-Colonel Randall, with Mr. Shepard, agent of the North American Trading and Transportation Company at Fort Get There, had sent him to assist Mr. Tilton to carry out the mail. I told Mr. Koltchoff that he had better go to the Port Clarence reindeer station and await the arrival of Dr. Jackson, who was daily expected.
p. 132: Knowing that if a southwest gale sprung up the pack would again move and nothing could save the vessel, I had a large quantity of provisions brought on deck and placed so they could readily be passed to the ground ice in the event of another nip. The ship’s papers and books were also packed ready for removal. From the 3d until the 14th of August we remained in suspense. On the morning of the 3d the Jeanie came in sight to the eastward of Point Barrow. During the forenoon the Jeanie, Fearless, and Newport got around Point Barrow and came down inside the ground ice to abreast where we were. These vessels were all short of provisions—the Newport and Fearless short of coal. They were supplied with such quantities as could be spared from the Bear.