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

XXXIITHE LADIES, THE GWICH'IN, AND THE RATto Lazarus, who was travelling with him, he stood in for Archdeacon Whittaker atRampart House when his wife Emma's poor health necessitated their departure(qtd in Sax and Linklater 82). In 19II, he was assigned to Rampart House. Later,he made Fort McPherson his mission and was the only resident Anglicanminister there between 1918 and 1924 (Fumoleau 141). His itinerant ministryoften required crossing from Fort McPherson to Old Crow and Rampart House,so the route was well known to his son, who would later guide mounties over themountains from Herschel Island to Fort McPherson (Nagy 46). But most ofLazarus' crossings occurred in winter. In an interview in 1976, he told EdwardZealley that he "had only once gone up the Rat during the summer-two yearspreviously he had guided a lawyer up the notorious river. After that arduousjourney, Lazarus had promised himself that he would never attempt it again"("Lazarus" 3). Still, Lazarus was hardly daunted by the challenge of the job.Vyvyan's field note for 10 July, the fourth day on the Rat River, records hisamusement at her notion that the wilderness is full of danger: "He screamed withlaughter at idea of us dying of hunger if he upset + at idea of Jimmy drowning."His laughter is not included in the book version, although her fear remains. Bythe end of the trip, Sittichinli had impressed Vyvyan immensely with his knowledgeof wilderness travel and his powers of endurance, and even in the last yearof her life she was curious to know about the welfare of her Gwich'in guide(Vyvyan to Zealley).It is clear that everyone was in good hands with Sittichinli in charge. Thisincludes Jim Koe, who was about twenty in 1926, when Sittichinli asked him tojoin the trip. In an interview recorded about forty years later, his respect for hisbrother-in-law dominated his memory of that summer. In 1925, he had beenhelping build the first wireless station at Aklavik. It opened in October of thatyear, and in the winter of 1926 one of the messages received at it was for JackParsons, the manager of the HBC post, asking him to arrange for two men toguide two women over the mountains. Parsons, who had been among the peoplefor many years and knew everyone ... went straight to Lazarus. He was marriedto Old Man Firth's (an old trader) daughter-her name was Ellen. They bothworked among the people for many years. Jack Parson asked Lazarus if hecould be a guide to these two women that were coming in this steamboat. Heagreed; he said he was willing to go and was going to get paid. Lazarus told Jack