stefansson-wrangel-09-22

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Aug. 31 - Fine weather, perceptible breeze E. Ice moving slightly coming in. M & K go out in dory after ugruk, down before out. Hear walrus all day & night, see seldom. Stay in camp. I print some more, not as good as I'd like it. Change from steaks to stew. C shoots at some brant - south.

Sept. 1 - Good weather, breeze E., ice not moving. The new ice is pretty thick because it holds back some big floes. All stay in camp.

Sept. 2 - Weather foggy & thick overhead, sun out short time in morning, later behind clouds. All stay in. We hear walrus. Now eathing boiled meat again. Tastes good boiled, the meat is just starting to turn sour and that is good tasting.

Sept. 3 - The day is thick overhead. I hear walrus and see two brant south early in morning. We see some walrus on ice, all go after them in dory, 6 P.M., see more in water. These we approached and killed, getting up to about 50 feet. Maurer killed large f., I small male. K brings dory up. 3 skin, I take dory to shore to get ax, tarp, files & coffee & lantern. Get out in ice & stuck. C. comes over ice to me. Later he & I take coffee and axe apiece and go to others leaving dory on large floe. Get to fellows, then all come to dory & go to camp at about 1:30 A.M. Bring along hearts & kidneys. I did not sleep the night before & I felt pretty sleepy when we came back. We left a paddle on floe assignal. I predict no ice to be seen in 3 weeks.

Sept. 4 - Got up about noon, try to get meat in dory 4:30. Get out to large floe but can't get to small one meat on. Come back for sled, easy to get to meat. Load with skin large walrus 4" thick 10' long 8' wide. Start off, ice moving, dump skin, go back get meat, start again, almost get to large floe sled turns to side & meat falls in water, only 1 shoulder & bit of liver saved. Foggy & ice moving all directions. When in dory C shoots seal floated, by time out in dory seal sank. Get to camp 8:30. Bear tracks on some small floes back & forth but not near walrus.

Sept. 5 - Weather clear, breeze E, ice pretty far offshore, i.e. farther than the last two days. Cloud not see large floe from shore. See walrus in water & one attempting on small floe, not stay on. Do general duties. Ada gets some roots, cooks up withwalrus heart. Moon out full "seemingly," take one picture & reflection in water, time exp. Ice in motion, E & W, flow & ebb. I wash my face & head, surprised at cleanliness of water when finished, first wash in many months.

Sept. 6 - Calm all day, sun out. About 4 M. sees something on ice looks like walrus meat. We launch dory 4:30, get meat, paddle around but cannot find skin which we needed

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most. 2 bears had been there & eaten their fill, the birds, gulls & ravens, had almost picked the small skin clean. Arrive at camp with 1 small skin, most of small walrus meat & the rear flippers from large one at 7, 21/2 hrs. out. Have some fried walrus meat, very tough - otherwise palatable. A bear had been close to camp on beach, E.

Sept. 7 - Dr. Kane, McClintock, Nansen, Amundsen, Grace Miller White, Nordenskiold. The Great White North. The Voyage of the Fox.

Weather fine, sun out most all day. C decided to go to Mts. to see how far out ice was. Reports unfavorable for ship. He also sees lake I did not see back of lake to E due N from here 2 hrs. Ada packs up to go to Mts. to spend night, leaves about 5 P.M. A fog came up at about 6:30 & C returned with Ada. We did not launch dory for old squae C shot. I continue on box as panorama for V.P. Finish box but not the part to turn film. We have some boiled walrus ribs, very good. Have ulcer on lower jaw, bothers pretty much during day. Kept taking aspirin. Ulcer breaks while I ate.

Sept. 9 - Weather bum, thick & snowed (fine) most day, breeze E. All stayed in. We see 1 walrus asleep on water, do not go after. We fry some H.B. crumbs in oil, taste good for change.

Sept. 10 - Sun out few hrs., breeze steady E., foggy at times, ice not moved. All stay in. Ada cleans some seal skins. Fry last of H.B. crumbs today. The last order, mine, consisted of one handful crushed H.B., almost flour, ate it with spoon. Seems as prediction about ice going out in 3 weeks all wrong.

Sept. 11 - Sun out a short time around noon, thick otherwise. K goes E to get his traps, finds some & brings back 1 brant. C tried for seagulls, no luck. Ada gets roots to boil with brant. Very good stew, usedlast of barley. Make suggestion to C: To break out one box hard B. and to each day issue 2 to each, advised fried in oil, making 10 a day, 1 box lasting about 2 days 20 days. C approves & we start today. K says he saw 3 fresh bear tracks on beach to E.

Sept. 12 - We go to bed at about 6 A.M., thick fog then. Get up 3 P.M. still thick, stayed rest time, shortly before midnight fog lifted bit, could see to Mts. Ada scraped more seal skin. K wants her to scrape hair off 1 skin, then that I cut lashing for him so he can repair sled.

Sept. 13 - At a dinner if anything happens amiss, To appear quite unconscious is bestIts bad form to notice the little Faux Pas, They should pass unobserved by the guests.

Developed film of mine & K's, mine of whale vertebrate good but moonlight rotten. K same good, moonlight & ice. Weather fine, sun out part of day, slight breeze from E.,

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gets stronger & later fogs. Alternates. Ice on horizon in motion w.bound, see by large hummocks. Ada scrapes hair off 1 seal skin. I cut skin into lashing (275 feet-) 3/8"). I stayed up last night, cut lash & worked on Panoramagraph. All stay in today. K lets dogs run, B.K.J. stay many hrs. By 12 Midnite breeze strong, prediction may yet come true.

Sept. 14 - To bed at about 1:30 A.M., M. at 3:30. Wind still strong, ice not moved out today, cannot see far, fog. Wind pretty strong, steady, parallel to beach here. Hear walrus several times today. Evening fog lifted but still very dark. Lit lantern about 6 today on account of darkness.

Sept. 15 - Wind strong early in morning, could not see out to ice at 3 A.M. I copy diary into loose leaf with Corona. Stay up till 1 P.M. At about 10 there was water sky to the south, a long strip of it as far as could see running E. & W., appeared & disappeared several times after. If wind conttinues may take all ice away yet. I get up at 9 P.M., others up. Raining & blowing still E.

Sept. 16 - Midnight wind still same, rain, lets up around 5 A.M. Fog most all day, sun out only once. Fog lifted only once so could see to cliffs just w. R. Harbor. See 3 brant flying east. To E nog much water sky (along beach), out to sea much of it. See that about 3 2:30 P.M. lots of water sky south & w. C killed 2 gulls today for soup. I go to bed 4:30 P.M., othes have been bed since 7 A.M. All get up 6 P.M. Cut wood. Calm since about 3 P.M., started rain 11:30 P.M. Light breeze w.

Sept. 17 - Rained for about an hr. after 12 - stopped - start again 3:30. I to bed 4:30 A.M., up 4 P.M. Misty, slight w. breeze, calm 7 P.M. I went w. pile wood, give up as too far to haul (same place M & I got dory load wood). C kills seagull. We haul wood from E. dory. Get about 10 days to two weeks wood, leave camp 7:30 return 8:15 P.M. A slight breeze w. at 12 midnite. I decided to change mode, will use: