stefansson-wrangel-09-29-039

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188

he did not get a shot. While duck hunting at the mouth of the river near camp
I killed another seal in the water with the shotgun, which immediately sank."

At this time the hunting was going very well. On July 4th
"Maurer got three seals. Galle killed five seals, three of which he secured,
total six seals. . . . . As a sealing place this is getting better all the time."

Between July 7th and 12th Knight made a trip east along the south
coast and north along the east coast to the northeast corner of the island,
visiting the two camps occupied by the Karluk crew in 1914, Rodgers Harbor and
Waring Point. Apart from natural weathering, he found everything as our men
abandoned it. The tents had been left standing at Waring Point but had naturally
collapsed since.

On this journey Knight encountered one of the largest streams of
the island, Skeleton River. On the way north he was able to avoid cross it by an ice
bridge just outside the mouth, but when he came back he found that this had
melted. Thinking he might find a shallow place somewhere inland, Knight
traveled west along the north bank of the stream seven hours but found no ford.
"Occasionally I tried likely looking places for a crossing and, although I found
places that I do not think were more than shoulder deep, the current was so
rapid that to keep ones footing was impossible. Finally I decided to swim the
river, so, putting my kodak, films, matches, etc., in a pair of water boots,
across we went. I did not put my trusty watch in the water boots. It stopped
then and I lost track of the time. After traveling about five hours more through
snow, mud and water, I reached the camp\site at Rodger's Harbor. Had a sleep and
rest, then went to the old trapping camp, had another sleep, and reached home
at 7 P.M. the evening of July 12th, footsore and weary."

On various other journeys inland the party frequently discovered
fossil ivory, occasionally the tusks of mammoth but more often of walrus.

By the latter part of July sealing conditions were bad. Most

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