C Ihe Ladies c cu. V'VVAN - History and Classics, Department of

210 Appendix 1cramp his style + I want him to come up to the convent + amusemy friend." He said: "You can easily take the lid off that!"About 2:30 Gwen was carried ashore on a mattress + stretcherby 4 men + taken straight up to convent balcony + S.S.Distributor backed out from the bank + steamed slowly awayleaving us with the queerest sense of isolation: Eskimoscheering from the banks + a mixed crowd. Here we are nowfairly marooned no communication with the outside world tillthe next boat comes in August maybe. We have a fine view ofmountains + big clean room and wooden building put up in ayear by a carpenter who has just gone" out." To our horrorMission time 2 hours slow + Mission supper 6.30 which meantthat we lunched at 12 on boat + had to wait 8 hours for nextmeal: after which to bed for 12 hours.AklavikSATURDAY 26 JUNEThe lethargy of the North is stealing on us both. Went out at 10 AM +found Aklavik like a city of the dead. Called Wireless station forbooks, Mr Young "under the covers." Called on my trader to lookfor him dead asleep. Called on missionaries busy washing +sewing. Walked down mud river bank: met Ellesmere M.P.walked back w. him to MP hut: some typing or reading orcooking others sleeping: good library of novels borrowed 5.Mt. came Capt. MacIntyre to our balcony for a yarn: a hardenedold sinner with a most pictorial tongue. Cold wind all dqy nomosquitoes. Dr. 9'ringed my ear: beastly painful.SUNDAY 27 JUNESunny + cold wind. Mass in our little chapel. Swiss boy camealong for a yarn + to see sketches: talked of trapping + ofcunning of foxes. Choose a windy spot to blow away traces: baitwith fish or meat or stale musk-rat: often a trampled roundtrap more enticing than solitary because fox thinks it likely tohave camp refuse-walked down or rather up river + foundanother semi-palmated Plover's nest 4 eggs. Mt. in high bootspottered round swamp at back of convent saw 6 yellowshanks inbed of buckbean + many grackles + a canary like bird. SergeantAnderton walked in to see us + had a chat about Eskimo + aboutour Rat R. tour. Perfectly all right he says for us to do those 3days from LaPierre House to Old Crow alone. So differentfromWinnipeg + SS. Distributor croakers. The Rat adventure grows smalleras we approach it. Now we plan hiring a motor boat to tow usright up to the slack water of the Rat, save 3 or 4 days. SergeantAnderton talked much of Eskimos + of handling them + ofutter uselessness of the evidence got from them. Facial expressionthe only evidence + their minds like those of children of12. He took a year bringing in the murderer who was acquitted+ says M.P. go with lives in their hand + control Eskimo bybluff about numbers of Police. This trial a farce of course +only impression made on Eskimo was when 2 criminals weretaken out to Edmonton + imprisoned for murder: they camehome immensely impressed with our numbers + kept their tribes incheck. Sad stories ofH B Co's rapaci!J on freights +c: for instance flour 6 dollarshigher at Norman than here because here a trader beats it down coming in fromSan Francisco. Also thry still trade a tin cup for a fox skin. Covt insist on sendingin fork spoon + cup +c as bonus to stop Infanticide in spite of MP's requests forobjects the natives would really welcome. He is going for ~ summerto Bernard Harbour + then away to O'Reilly Island to rangeround K. William ~ Land Victoria Island +c in winter. He sqysMP prevent Eskimos exterminating each other + the fauna of the country. Notmuch good words for missionaries. Archdeacon Whitaker exposedSteffannson + his old hag in pulpit in Toronto + Stefannson'sfiancee went + married a Yank but what of ArchdeaconWhitaker?AklavikMONDAY 28 JUNEWoke to find snow on the ground + the range of mountains covered with snowcatching a rare gleam of sunlight. Wandered out for an hour + found aYank in a canoe going to his fish nets + tried my hand atpaddling aX the river and back. Met Mr. Brabant + Capt. Macln!Jre +Mr Karel just came in w. the 2 schooners after a rough trip + dropped in atEnglish mission. Aft. Canon Hester called: vague overworked but asimple childlike man who can enter the Eskimo mind + workon those lines not enforce missionary morality from without:e.g. offer of another man's wife (part of their hospitality) "Nothank you we white men don't?" "Why what do you do?" Andthere's my chance. Story of blood feud + 3 men 2 discussingwhetherthryshould kill the other: decided to do so on which No 3 went under the bed to fetchthe sinew to be strangled with-translated 'Jerusalem the Golden" finehymn to appeal to Eskimo imagination: Hellfire no use: paintcold place. He bought 95 dollars worth of sketches.TUESDAY 29 JUNEWashing dqy. Sun'!)' but rather cold. Sisters all in gt. ercitement over unpackingcandelabra cotton bales +c their summer stores. One sister missed her last year'smail so is anxiOUSly awaiting the Northern Trader. We sat out on balco,!), for