“FLAHERTY’S KINGDOM.”

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16267, 6 November 1920, Page 17

“FLAHERTY’S KINGDOM.”

THE BELCHER ISLANDS. A ROMANTIC DISCOVERY. There is an interesting romance of picturesque adventure in the discovery five years ago of the Belcher Islands. ) A young Canadian, named “ Bob ” Flaherty. who, even at the age of twentyone, nad achieved a reputation as a tried adventurer in the Canadian and American wilds, while engaged in searching for minerals between James Bay and Fort George, heard a rumour that there were islands off the Nastapokas, barely 100 miles from a Hudson Bay post, yet never seen by any white man’s eyes. Flaherty was familiar with tho Admiralty charts, and know that only a few small islands were there shown. Reckoning distance by the time it took to travel with dog teams, he surmised that the largest island must not be less than 100 miles long. Returning to civilisation at the end of his mineral quest, Flaherty told his “ hacker,” Sir William MacKenzic, that this large and mysterious island might be worth exploring—if it existed. “All right,” said Sir William, “ go and find out.” Flaherty went back to the north by way of James Bay, but for two years persistent misadventures, including the wrecking of a craft purchased for the expedition, prevented his attaining his goal. He returned to Toronto, refurther financial assistance from Sir William MacKenzic, .purchased the topsail schooner Laddie from Captain Sam Bartlett, the Arctic nagivator, and, with Captain H. Bartlett in command, set sail for Newfoundland, and finally sighted the islands of mystery the Belchers—on August 23, 1915. A BARREN WASTE OF ROOKS. Belcher Island had little to recommend it. It was a barren waste of rocks, ninety-one milea long by fortyseven miles wide. On this island there were only about twenty-live families, about 125 people iu all, who supported themselves by hunting foxes, whose pelts they sold for odds and ends ot finery and rough tools in their annual trip across tho ice to the Hudson “ay, trading post on the mainland at oandy Point. There was practically no vegetation, and there were no animals, though there was a legend that caribou once had been plentiful, it any rate there were no skins for clothing and the natives, making the best of the situation, had used that winch was most plentiful and most readily obtained— the skin of the eiderduck. Worn with the feathers inside. finite A a wonde *; fu | l y warn costume, but to the nose of the white man, at least, a thing of horror. Yet such vvas the national costume of Flaherty's fn3 gd ° m > a costume, it is believed, of Efekimo her ° 686 amoDg th ° fcnboa JMTitt7 er X ms ‘S es 1 walrus hide, for boote process of squeezing the skin in their bands and finally chewing it, a lump at a time, to remove the fat. Hides * i - and seffed *>y hand prove absolutely impervious to water. ESKIMOS AND GRAMOPHONE. Although the Eskimos on Belcher Island were intensely interested, with the naive curiosity of children, in almost everything in the Laddie’s cargo, yet two small phonographs were really their chief delight. Sir Harry Lauder was their favourite. The lilt of the songs caught their ear and bronchi broad grins to stolid countenances, they listened and learned, learned with almost iinbehevablo fidelity, and it was a sight for the gods to see some Eskimo woman sitting cross-legged on the rockSj and-to hear the Scotsman’s rollmg r 8 dropping from lips as ignorant of the white man s tongue as the foxes that roamed the gullies. It may be added that Ottawa expiessed frank unbelief, and asserted tliat where Flaherty’s island was said f«w S f Admiralty chart 886 showed twenty fathoms of water. However, a Government geologist and a Dominion land surveyor were sent to investigate, and returned to corroborate all that I’ lallert - T h / d claimed. Great stores of oro were found, but believed to be of too low a grade to make it worth ex-