stefansson-wrangel-09-26-001-056

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out to use as a bird seine. The first cast we got about 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 forty-five and the native around fifty,
so we decided we ought not to shoot anything 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 enough 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 tomcod, the first we had seen, so we went to
sleep quite happy with great expectations for the morrow.

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 run out 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