FROM THE ARCTIC

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 19804, 21 May 1934, Page 10

FROM THE ARCTIC

FIRST GLIMPSE OF CIVILISATION ESKIMO FUR TRADER! Three sons of Captain Klengenbe are “out” for a holiday. For two them it is their first visit to civilis tion, says the Vancouver corresponde of the “New Zealand Herald.” For teldest, the head of the family, it the second trip. Three years ago 1 went to Vancouver to take back to tl Arctic the ashes of his father, a Seal dinavian, whose name is revered fro Point Hope. Alaska, to Victoria Islar and King William Island, where 1 established a chain of trading pos now carried on by his sons. The sons bring news, eagerly awaite of their famous sister. Aetna, eldest the family, born of an Eskimo mothe Aetna, married to an Eskimo trad< Isaac Bolt, is devoting her life, as si approaches middle age. to urging h Eskimo sisters to desist from the lon prevalent habit of doing away wi their girl babies. But for her father Aetna would n have survived. She was barely fo years old, the age of intelligence amot these hardy people, when she unde stood why the family met no girl chi dren on their wanderings in search game and fur. Between her and h i<x i-xLL-x there grew an remarkab affinity. At seven years she saved h life under circumstances that prov< she would be as hardy as any ma of the species. Caught in Quicksand. Accompanying her father on b hunting expeditions, Aetna had acqui ed a shotgun of her own, and cou go out alone and bring in a “bag” f the family larder. Klengenberg hi ventured too far on shell ice, crash* through, and was caught in a quid sand. His daughter ran up and dov the shore, loosening driftwood ai pushing it out to him. While he he on—for a matter of hours—she r turned to camp, and obtained son rope, and towed him ashore. Aetna saver her father’s life aga when, scarcely out of her teens, si had graduated as a hunter, from du< shooting, snaring fox, whaling, follow ing the trail of the caribou, to hun ing the seal at the floe edge. Eskim hunt the seal in groups, a whole tri spreading its stalwarts for sever miles. But Klengenberg and his daugl ter hunted together. The fur seal wary. For an instant only his slee inconspicuous head may rise above tl surface. If he scents danger, he disai peurs for good. Infinite patience is tl price of his pelt. Lying, half-hidden, for hours behir an ice hummock. Aetna observed a di tant- floe detach itself from the pa< and drift. On it was her father. SI returned to shore, shipped her dya a skin canoe, made to carry one onl and towed him ashore on his precar ous raft. Father’s Life Again Saved. Once again Klengenberg owed h life to his daughter, before her 21 birthday. They were stalking tl northern, or silver tip, a species di tinct from the Polar bear, resemblii the grizzly, but smaller and swifte Coming suddenly on his quarry Kiel genberg fired, w r ounding, but not di abling, the animal, which charged. Tl second cartridge jammed. Klengei berg went down to a blow from tl bears paw. Aetna, unarmed, us* primitive methods to distract the bea running close behind it, emittii violent yells, and hurling a barrage rocks and missiles at the maraud till it decamped. Next day, while h father rested his injured shoulder, si followed the blood trail for 10 mil before avenging the insult. As her brothers grew up Aeti taught them to be hunters. She swo them to two oaths—kill only in sel defence, or for food, and conser ammunition by withholding fire till tl game is close enough to be despatch* with one bullet. Her trailcraft got i supreme test when her mother wai and it became necessary to visit cache 100 miles away for food. SI made the journey, non-stop, and r turned in 48 hours. Story of a Gun Duel. Aetna was 10 years of age when h father took command of his fir whaler, whose crew came mainly fro dives in California ports. Negro* Chinese, half-breeds, harangued by drunken mate into mutiny, forced tl issue to a gun duel between master ar mate. The mutineer fired first, but tl captain’s aim was steadier. Arriving , Hershchel Island. Klengenberg turr ed in his commission, and shippe with his family as crew, on tl schooner What. Salved as a discard* hulk at the mouth of the Mackeirzi the What was so named because si defied description. Yet Klengenbei and his daughter piloted the shapi less mass in the Arctic Ocean for s years. Tragedy attended the marriage < this daughter of the Arctic. Wed 1 a full-blooded Eskimo, her first-bor a daughter, died. No other childre blessed their union. They adopted a Eskimo boy. They travelled widel Aetna gradually won her sisters ovi to her view that girl babies must t given an equal chance with boys. H< name is whispered with awe an reverence whenever nomad tribes hal She has now established herself i Coronation Gulf in a pretentious, _oc walled home, from which she is bett< able to carry on her work, for which grateful Government at Ottawa afforc every facility.