harold-noice-01-02-16-005

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Alliance would probably haw offered him considerably less than $3,000
because the Captain has had no literary experience. Mr. Stefansson’s claim
that because I had been sent to Wrangel to do certain definite work for the
company I was morally bound to turn over to the company any money I might
make through my ability as a writer is absurd. It would have been equally
absurd if the American Museum who sent Mr. Stefansson north to collect ethnol-
ogical specimens had demandedthat he give them the money he received from the
sale of articles based on his experiences during the expedition.

Upon my return to Nome I sent out detailed information
concerning the tragedy, clearly showing that all themen of the party had
perished but that the tragedy was not due to the inherent inhospitality of
Wrangel Island, either in severity of climate or lack of game resources, and
that I had, therefore, established the new colony of professional trappers com-
pletely outfitted with all things necessary for the maintenance of a happy
existence for two years and ammunition for three years, I received, congrat-
ulations from Stefansson and the company stating that high personages in
the British Government were delighted with my action. Then six days after I
had returned to Nome I received a cable forwarded from Stefansson instructing
me to purchase the Donaldson outright and leave her at Nome to be used by the
company the following year. I was unable to do this for obvious reasons and
I was also considerably annoyed and astounded because the cables also stated
that Mr. Stefansson hoped the impression could be created that both the
establishment of the colony and the purchase of the ship were for the sole
purpose of being useful to the survivors of the Crawford party. I refused
to perjure myself but when I met Mr. Taylor in Toronto upon my return from
Alaska he explained the matter by saying that doubtless it was only a
political move on Stefansson's part to please the British authorities who for
diplomatic reasons wanted the idea to get abroad that the colony had been
established for humanitarian rather than for Imperialistic reasons, but who