stefansson-wrangel-09-25-004-020

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fifty moulting birds and in all we got about five hundred, so our hungry
days were temporarily over.

The first part of September the new ice was strong enough
for us to go three miles from shore, where we saw several bear tracks, and
several seals but no walrus close enough to shoot. As the season was
getting late and no ship had appeared, we thought we were in for another
winter and would have to be careful of our cartridges. I had about fourty-
five and the native around fifty, so we decided we ought not to shoot any-
thing but bears and walrus unless we were pinched.

The sixth of September the weather was fine and the Eskimo
and I went out on the floe, as our ducks were getting low, and I was lucky
enought to get two seals. When we came ashore in the evening we got the
welcome news that the Eskimo woman had caught about fifty pounds of tomeod,
the first we had seen, so we went to sleep quite happy with great expecta-
tions for the narrow.

Next morning we fished for a while with poor luck and then
all hands went back to the tent. About ten o' clock the Eskimo went outdoors.
A few minutes afterwards he sang out, "I think I see a ship!" I jumped up
and there, sure enough, was a schooner coming along the island about twelve
miles off. I told the native to runout to the edge of the ice and attract
their attention and he was off like the wind. Shortly afterwards she headed
in for the floe where she finally tied up, and our troubles were over. A
gang of men climbed over the bow and headed for the beach.

It proved to be the King and Winge of Seattle, owned by
Mr. Swenson, who was on board. They had along a moving picture man with his
machine and he marshaled us up and down for about ten minutes, taking films
of us. When that was finished we went on board where we had a bath, a suit