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Kalitan, Our Little Alaskan Cousin-Mary F. Nixon - Roulet · The Wind Boy

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Preface of Calatin, Our Little Alaskan Cousin. This is a
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: Recording by Larry Wilson. Calatan, Our Little Alaskan Cousin by
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: Mary F.
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  Speaker 2: Nixon Rouleet.
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: Preface Away Up toward the frozen north lies the Great Peninsula,
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: which the United States brought from the Russians and thus
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: became responsible for the native peoples from whom the Russians
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: had taken the land. There are many kinds of people there,
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  Speaker 1: from Indians to Eskimos, and they are under the American government,
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: yet they have no votes and are not called American citizens.
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: It is about this country and its people that this
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  Speaker 1: little story is written, and in the hope of interesting
• 0:56
  Speaker 1: American girls and boys in these very strange people, their
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: little Alaskan cousins. In the preface.
• 1:10
  Speaker 3: Chapter one of Caltan, Our Little Alaskan Cousin. This is
• 1:17
  Speaker 3: a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
• 1:23
  Speaker 3: For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
• 1:29
  Speaker 3: Recording by Lindame Nielsen, Vancouver, BC. Caletin Our Little Alaskan
• 1:37
  Speaker 3: Cousin by Mary F. Nixon Relay, Chapter one, Caletin Tenas
• 1:46
  Speaker 3: it was bitterly called Caletin Tenas felt it more than
• 1:52
  Speaker 3: he had in the long winter, for then it was
• 1:56
  Speaker 3: still and calm at night, and now the wind was blown,
• 2:00
  Speaker 3: going straight in from the sea, and the river was
• 2:03
  Speaker 3: frozen tight. A month before, the ice had begun to break,
• 2:08
  Speaker 3: and he had thought the cold was over, and that
• 2:11
  Speaker 3: the all too short Alaskan summer was at hand. Now
• 2:16
  Speaker 3: it was the first of May, and just as he
• 2:20
  Speaker 3: had begun to think of summer pleasures, lo a storm
• 2:24
  Speaker 3: had come which seemed to freeze the very marrow of
• 2:28
  Speaker 3: his bones. However, our Little Alaskan Cousin was used to cold,
• 2:34
  Speaker 3: and trained to it, and would not dream of fussing
• 2:37
  Speaker 3: over a little snow storm. Keletin started out to fish
• 2:43
  Speaker 3: for his dinner, And though the snow came down heavily,
• 2:47
  Speaker 3: and he had to break through the ice to make
• 2:50
  Speaker 3: a fishing whole, and soon the ice was a wind
• 2:54
  Speaker 3: sweat plain, where even his own tracks were covered with
• 2:59
  Speaker 3: a white paul, he fish steadily on. He never dreamed
• 3:05
  Speaker 3: of stopping until he had fish enough for dinner. For
• 3:10
  Speaker 3: like most of his tribe, he was persevering and industrious.
• 3:15
  Speaker 3: Calatin was a Tinklet, though if you asked him he
• 3:21
  Speaker 3: would say he was kling Kit. This is a tribe
• 3:26
  Speaker 3: which has puzzled wise people for a long time. For
• 3:30
  Speaker 3: the Tinklets are not Eskimos, not Indians, not colored people,
• 3:36
  Speaker 3: not whites. They are the tribes living in southeastern Alaska
• 3:42
  Speaker 3: and along the coast. Many think that a long long
• 3:46
  Speaker 3: time ago they came from Japan or some far eastern country,
• 3:52
  Speaker 3: for they look something like the Japanese, and their language
• 3:56
  Speaker 3: has many words similar to Japanese in it. Perhaps long
• 4:01
  Speaker 3: years ago some shipwrecked Japanese were cast upon the coast
• 4:06
  Speaker 3: of Alaska, and, finding their boats destroyed and the land
• 4:10
  Speaker 3: good to live in, settled there and thus began the
• 4:14
  Speaker 3: Tinklet tribes. The Chilkats, Kaidas, and Shimshams are all Tinklets,
• 4:22
  Speaker 3: and are by far the best of the brown people
• 4:26
  Speaker 3: of the Northland. They are honest, simple and kind, and
• 4:31
  Speaker 3: more intelligent than the Indians living farther north in the
• 4:36
  Speaker 3: colder regions. The Tinklet coast is washed by the warm
• 4:41
  Speaker 3: current from the Japan Sea, and is not much colder
• 4:46
  Speaker 3: than Chicago or Boston, though the winter is a little longer.
• 4:51
  Speaker 3: Keletan fished diligently, but caught little. He was warmly clad
• 4:57
  Speaker 3: in seal skin. Around his neck a white bear skin, rough,
• 5:02
  Speaker 3: as warm as toast and very pretty too, as soft
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  Speaker 3: and fluffy as a lady's boa. On his feet were
• 5:11
  Speaker 3: moccasins of walrus hide. He had been perhaps an hour
• 5:15
  Speaker 3: watching the hole in the ice, and knelt there so
• 5:20
  Speaker 3: still that he looked almost as though he were frozen. Indeed,
• 5:25
  Speaker 3: that was what those thought who saw him there. For
• 5:30
  Speaker 3: suddenly a dog sledge came round the corner of the hill,
• 5:34
  Speaker 3: and aloud Halloo greeted his ears. Boston men, he said
• 5:41
  Speaker 3: to himself, as he watched them lost the trail. They
• 5:45
  Speaker 3: indeed had lost the trail, and Tad Strong had begun
• 5:50
  Speaker 3: to think they would never find it again. Checkwulf, their
• 5:55
  Speaker 3: Indian guide, had not talked very much about it, but
• 6:00
  Speaker 3: lapsed into his favorite no understanding, a remark he always
• 6:05
  Speaker 3: made when he did not want to answer what was
• 6:08
  Speaker 3: said to him. Ted and his father were on their
• 6:12
  Speaker 3: way from Sitka to the Copper River, mister Strong was
• 6:17
  Speaker 3: on the United States Geological Survey, which Ted knew meant
• 6:21
  Speaker 3: that he had to go all around the country and
• 6:25
  Speaker 3: poke about all day among rocks and mountains and glaciers.
• 6:31
  Speaker 3: He had come with his father to this far Alaskan
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  Speaker 3: climb in the happiest expectation of adventures with bears and Indians,
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  Speaker 3: always dear to the heart of a boy. He was
• 6:45
  Speaker 3: pretty tired of the sledge, having been in it since
• 6:49
  Speaker 3: early morning, and he was cold and hungry besides, so
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  Speaker 3: he was delighted when the dogs stopped and his father said,
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  Speaker 3: hop out, son, and stretch your legs. We'll try to
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  Speaker 3: find out where we are before we go any farther.
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  Speaker 3: Check Gulf meanwhile was interviewing the boy, who came quickly
• 7:11
  Speaker 3: toward them. Who are you, demanded Chepwulf palaquin Canas was
• 7:18
  Speaker 3: the brief reply. Where are we was the next question?
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  Speaker 3: Near to pilt Chickenman River. Where is a camp there,
• 7:29
  Speaker 3: said the boy, pointing toward a clump of pine cheese ours.
• 7:34
  Speaker 3: Ted by this time was tired of his own unwonted silence,
• 7:39
  Speaker 3: and he came up to Calatan holding out his hand.
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  Speaker 3: My name is Ted Strong, he said genially, greeting cheerfully
• 7:48
  Speaker 3: at the young Alaskin. I say, this is a jolly place.
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  Speaker 3: I wish you would teach me to fish in a
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  Speaker 3: snow hole. It must be great fun. I like you.
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  Speaker 3: Let's be friends. Caleton took the boy's hand in his
• 8:05
  Speaker 3: own rough one. Ma Sie, thank you, he said, a sudden,
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  Speaker 3: quick smile, sweeping his dark face like a fleeting sunbeam,
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  Speaker 3: but disappearing as quickly, leaving a grave again. Olo hungry, yes,
• 8:25
  Speaker 3: said mister Strong. Hungry and cold, camp, said Caleton, preparing
• 8:31
  Speaker 3: to lead the way with the hospitality of his tribe,
• 8:35
  Speaker 3: for the Tenklets are always ready to share food and
• 8:40
  Speaker 3: fire with any stranger. The two boys strode off together,
• 8:45
  Speaker 3: and mister Strong could scarcely help smiling at the contrast
• 8:50
  Speaker 3: between them. Ted was the taller, but slim, even in
• 8:55
  Speaker 3: the furs which almost smothered him, leaving only his bright
• 9:00
  Speaker 3: face exposed to the wind and weather. His hair was
• 9:04
  Speaker 3: a tangle of yellow curls which no parting could ever affect,
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  Speaker 3: for it stood straight up from his forehead like a
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  Speaker 3: golden fleece. His mother called it his aureole. His skin
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  Speaker 3: was fair as a girl's and his eyes as big
• 9:22
  Speaker 3: and blue as a young Viking's. But the Indian boy's
• 9:26
  Speaker 3: locks were black as ink, his skin was swarthy, his
• 9:31
  Speaker 3: eyes small and dark, and its features that strained mixture
• 9:35
  Speaker 3: of the Indian, the Eskimo, and the Japanese, which we
• 9:39
  Speaker 3: often see in the best of our Alaskan cousins. Boys, however,
• 9:45
  Speaker 3: are boys all the world over, and friendly animals, and
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  Speaker 3: Ted was soon chatting away to his newly found friend,
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  Speaker 3: if he had known him all his life. What's your name,
• 9:58
  Speaker 3: he asked, Caletin was the answer. They call me Caleton
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  Speaker 3: tennas footnote little arrow in footnote. My father was Ta'e.
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  Speaker 3: Where is he asked Tad. He wanted to see an
• 10:15
  Speaker 3: Indian chief dead, said Caleton briefly. I'm sorry, said Ted.
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  Speaker 3: He adored his own father and felt it was hard
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  Speaker 3: on a boy not to have one. He was killed,
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  Speaker 3: said Caletin. But we had blood money from them, he added, sternly,
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  Speaker 3: what's that, asked Tad curiously, long time ago, when one
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  Speaker 3: man killed another, his clan must pay with a life.
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  Speaker 3: One must be found from the tribe to cry, oh
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  Speaker 3: o oh e cou cut e chieku cut ready to die,
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  Speaker 3: ready to die. His voice wailed out the mournful chant,
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  Speaker 3: which was weird and solemn and almost made Tad shiver.
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  Speaker 3: But now the boy went on Boston men. Americans do
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  Speaker 3: not like the blood tax, so the murderer pays money instead.
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  Speaker 3: We got many blankets and baskets and monies for Caletin Tayee,
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  Speaker 3: he great chief. Do you live here, asked Ted? No,
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  Speaker 3: live on island out there. Caletin waved his hands. Seaward,
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  Speaker 3: come to fish with my uncle klaik ta'ee. This good
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  Speaker 3: fishing ground. It's a pretty fine country, said Ted, glancing
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  Speaker 3: at the scene, which bore charm to other than boyish eyes.
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  Speaker 3: To the east were the mountains, sheltering a valley through
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  Speaker 3: which the frozen river wound like a silver ribbon, winding
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  Speaker 3: toward the sea. A cold green glacier filled the valley
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  Speaker 3: between two mountains, with its peak a beauty toward the shore,
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  Speaker 3: which swept in toward the river's mouth in a sheltered
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  Speaker 3: cove where glumps of trees giant fir aspen and hemlock,
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  Speaker 3: green and beautiful. While Seaward swept the waves in white
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  Speaker 3: capped loveliness. Caleton ushered them to the camp with great
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  Speaker 3: politeness and considerable pride. You've a good place to camp,
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  Speaker 3: said mister Strong, and we will gladly share your fire
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  Speaker 3: until we are warm enough to go. On Ted's face fell.
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  Speaker 3: Must we go right away? He asked? This is such
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  Speaker 3: a jolly place. No go to day, said Calton, briefly,
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  Speaker 3: to check wolf coal as nasts footnote snow and humph,
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  Speaker 3: said Chuckwulf. Think some here comes my uncle, said Caletin,
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  Speaker 3: and he ran eagerly to meet an old Indian who
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  Speaker 3: came toward the camp from the shore. He eagerly explained
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  Speaker 3: the situation to the Tayee, who welcomed the strangers with
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  Speaker 3: grave politeness. He was an old man with a seamed,
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  Speaker 3: scarred face but kindly eyes, chief of the Tinklets. His
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  Speaker 3: tribe was scattered, his children dead, and Caletin about all
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  Speaker 3: left to him of interest in life. There will be
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  Speaker 3: more snow, he said to mister Strong, you are welcome,
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  Speaker 3: stay and share our fire and food. Do let us stay, father,
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  Speaker 3: cried Tad, and his father smiled indulgently, but Calton looked
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  Speaker 3: at him in astonishment. Alaskan boys are taught to hold
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  Speaker 3: their tongues and let their elders side matters. A Caletin
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  Speaker 3: would never have dreamed of teasing for anything. But mister
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  Speaker 3: Strong did not wish to face another snow storm in
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  Speaker 3: the sledge, and knew he could work but little till
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  Speaker 3: the storm was past. So he readily consented to stay
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  Speaker 3: a few days and let Ted see some real Alaskan
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  Speaker 3: hunting and fishing. Both boys were delighted, and soon had
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  Speaker 3: the camp re arranged to accommodate the strangers. The fire
• 14:34
  Speaker 3: was built up, ted and caletant, gathering cones and fur brunches,
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  Speaker 3: which made a fragrant blaze, while Checkwuff cared for the dogs,
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  Speaker 3: and the old Chief helped mister Strong pitch his tent
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  Speaker 3: in the lee of some fragrant firs. Soon all was prepared,
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  Speaker 3: and supper cooking over the coals, a supper of fresh
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  Speaker 3: fish and seal fat, which Alaskans consider a great delicacy,
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  Speaker 3: into which mister Strong added coffee and crackers from his stores.
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  Speaker 3: And Indians and Whites ate together in friendliness and ammity.
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  Speaker 3: End of chapter one recording by Lindamee. Nielsen, Vancouver, BC.
• 15:26
  Speaker 3: Chapter two of Keleton, Our Little Alaskan Cousin. This is
• 15:32
  Speaker 3: of LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
• 15:38
  Speaker 3: For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
• 15:44
  Speaker 3: Recording by Linda Mae Nielsen, Vancouver, BC. Calton, Our Little
• 15:51
  Speaker 3: Alaskan Cousin by Mary F. Nixon Roulay, Chapter two, Around
• 15:58
  Speaker 3: the camp Fire. How does it happen that you speak English?
• 16:04
  Speaker 3: Calton asked mister Strong as they sat around the camp
• 16:08
  Speaker 3: fire that evening. The snow had continued during the afternoon,
• 16:13
  Speaker 3: and the boys had had an exciting time coasting and
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  Speaker 3: snowballing and enjoying themselves generally. I went for a few
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  Speaker 3: months to the mission school at Wrangell, said Calton. I
• 16:27
  Speaker 3: learn much there. They teach the boys to read and write,
• 16:31
  Speaker 3: and do sums and to work the ground. Besides, they
• 16:35
  Speaker 3: learn much more than the girls. Huh, said the old
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  Speaker 3: chief grimly, girls learn too much. They no good for
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  Speaker 3: Indian wives, and white men not marry them. Best for
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  Speaker 3: girls to stay home at the will of their fathers
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  Speaker 3: until they get husbands. So you've been in Wrangell, to Caletin.
• 17:02
  Speaker 3: We went there too. It's a dandy place. Do you
• 17:06
  Speaker 3: remember the fringe of white mountains back of the harbor?
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  Speaker 3: The people said the woods were full of game, but
• 17:13
  Speaker 3: we didn't have time to go hunting. There are a
• 17:16
  Speaker 3: few shops there, but it seemed to me a very
• 17:20
  Speaker 3: small place to have been built since eighteen thirty four.
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  Speaker 3: In the States, whole towns grow up in two or
• 17:28
  Speaker 3: three weeks. Huh, said Caletin, with a quick shrug of
• 17:34
  Speaker 3: his shoulders. Quick grow, sun fade and wind blow down.
• 17:40
  Speaker 3: I don't think the sun could ever fade in Wrangle,
• 17:44
  Speaker 3: laughed ted. They told me it hadn't shone but fifteen
• 17:48
  Speaker 3: days in three months. It rained all the time. Rain
• 17:54
  Speaker 3: is nothing, said Caletin. It is when the ice spirit
• 17:58
  Speaker 3: speaks in the north, winds roar, and in the crackling
• 18:02
  Speaker 3: of the floes that we tremble. The glaciers are the
• 18:07
  Speaker 3: children of the mountain spirit, whom our fathers worshiped. He
• 18:11
  Speaker 3: is angry and low. He hurls down icebergs in his wrath.
• 18:18
  Speaker 3: He tosses them about upon the streams. He tosses the
• 18:22
  Speaker 3: kayaks like feathers, and washes the land with the waves
• 18:27
  Speaker 3: of Sita. When our people are buried in the ground,
• 18:32
  Speaker 3: instead of being burnt with the fire, they must go
• 18:36
  Speaker 3: ever to the place of Sita. Are everlasting cold, where
• 18:41
  Speaker 3: never sun abides, nor rain nor warmth heat this and
• 18:47
  Speaker 3: spell bound to this poetic speech, and gazed at Caltan
• 18:52
  Speaker 3: in open mouthed amazement. A boy who could talk like
• 18:57
  Speaker 3: that was a new and delightful playing. And he said,
• 19:01
  Speaker 3: tell me more about things, Caletin. But the Indian was silent,
• 19:07
  Speaker 3: ashamed of having spoken. What do you do all day
• 19:12
  Speaker 3: when you are at home, persisted the American. In winter,
• 19:17
  Speaker 3: there is nothing to do but hunt and fish, said Caletin.
• 19:22
  Speaker 3: Sometimes we do not find much game. Then we think
• 19:26
  Speaker 3: of how when a blinket dies, he has plenty if
• 19:31
  Speaker 3: he has lived as a good tribesman. His kayak glides
• 19:35
  Speaker 3: smoothly over the silver waters into the sunset, until or
• 19:42
  Speaker 3: gently flowing currents it reaches the place of the mighty forest.
• 19:47
  Speaker 3: A bad warrior's canoe passes dark wool poles and terrible
• 19:52
  Speaker 3: rapids until he reaches the place we speak not of,
• 19:56
  Speaker 3: where rains sit a In the summer time time we
• 20:00
  Speaker 3: still hunt and fish. Many have learned to till the ground,
• 20:06
  Speaker 3: and we gather berries and wood for the winter. The
• 20:10
  Speaker 3: other side of the inlet, the tree trunks drift from
• 20:14
  Speaker 3: the Yukon and are stranded on the islands, so there
• 20:18
  Speaker 3: is plenty for firewood. But upon our island the women
• 20:24
  Speaker 3: gather a vine and dry it. They collect seaweed for
• 20:28
  Speaker 3: food in the early spring, and dry and press it
• 20:32
  Speaker 3: into square cakes, which make good food. After they have
• 20:36
  Speaker 3: hung long in the sun, they make baskets and sell
• 20:41
  Speaker 3: them to the white people. Often my uncle and I
• 20:44
  Speaker 3: take them to Valdez, and once we brought back fifty
• 20:48
  Speaker 3: dollars for those my mother made. There is always much
• 20:53
  Speaker 3: to do. Don't you get terribly cold hunting in the winter,
• 20:58
  Speaker 3: asked Head? Think that not a baby, said Calton, A
• 21:03
  Speaker 3: trifle scornfully. We begin to be harden when we are babies.
• 21:09
  Speaker 3: When I was five years old, I left my father
• 21:12
  Speaker 3: and went to my uncle to be taught. Every morning
• 21:16
  Speaker 3: I bathed in the ocean, even if I had to
• 21:19
  Speaker 3: break ice to find water, and then I rolled in
• 21:24
  Speaker 3: the snow. After that, my uncle brushed me with a
• 21:27
  Speaker 3: switch bundle, and not lightly, for his arm is strong.
• 21:33
  Speaker 3: I must not cry out, nor matter if he hurt,
• 21:37
  Speaker 3: For a chief's sun must never show pain nor fear
• 21:41
  Speaker 3: that would give his people shame. Don't you get sick?
• 21:46
  Speaker 3: Asked Head, who felt cold all over at the idea
• 21:50
  Speaker 3: of being treated in such a heroic manner. The cushta
• 21:56
  Speaker 3: footnote Cushta a spirit in animals which inhabits a body
• 22:02
  Speaker 3: of sick persons and must be cast out according to
• 22:06
  Speaker 3: thinklet belief and footnote comes sometimes, said Caletin. The shaman
• 22:14
  Speaker 3: footnote shaman native medicine man and footnote used to cast
• 22:20
  Speaker 3: him out, but now the white doctor can do it
• 22:24
  Speaker 3: unless the cushta is too strong. Ted was puzzled as
• 22:29
  Speaker 3: to Caleton's exact meaning, but did not like to ask
• 22:33
  Speaker 3: too many questions for fear of being impolite, so he
• 22:39
  Speaker 3: only said, being sick is not very nice anyhow, to
• 22:44
  Speaker 3: be bewitched is the most terrible, said Calton gravely. How
• 22:50
  Speaker 3: does that happen? Asked Ted eagerly, But Caletin shook his head.
• 22:56
  Speaker 3: It is not good to hear, he said. The medicine
• 23:00
  Speaker 3: man must come with his drum and rattle, and he
• 23:03
  Speaker 3: is very terrible. If the white men will not allow
• 23:07
  Speaker 3: any more punishing of the witches, they should send more
• 23:11
  Speaker 3: of the white medicine men. If we are not to
• 23:15
  Speaker 3: have any more of our own. Boys should not talk
• 23:19
  Speaker 3: about big things, said the old chief. Suddenly, he had
• 23:23
  Speaker 3: been sitting quietly over the fire, and spoke so suddenly
• 23:28
  Speaker 3: that Caleton collapsed into silence. Ted, too, quieted down at
• 23:33
  Speaker 3: the old chief's stern voice and manner, and both boys
• 23:37
  Speaker 3: sat and listened to the men talking while the snow
• 23:41
  Speaker 3: still swirled about them. Tyee Klake told mister Strong many
• 23:47
  Speaker 3: interesting things about the coast country and gave him valuable
• 23:52
  Speaker 3: information as to the route he should pursue in search
• 23:56
  Speaker 3: for interesting things in the mountains. It will be two
• 24:01
  Speaker 3: weeks before the snow will break, so you can travel
• 24:04
  Speaker 3: in comfort, he said. Camp with us. We remain here
• 24:09
  Speaker 3: one week, then we go to the island. We can
• 24:12
  Speaker 3: take you there. You will see many things, and your
• 24:16
  Speaker 3: boy will hunt with Calton. Where is your island, asked
• 24:21
  Speaker 3: mister Strong. Ted said nothing, but his eyes were fixed
• 24:25
  Speaker 3: eagerly upon his father. It was easy to see that
• 24:29
  Speaker 3: he wished to accept the invitation out there. Tyee Clake
• 24:34
  Speaker 3: pointed toward where the white coast line seemed to fade
• 24:39
  Speaker 3: into silvery blue. There are many islands on some lives
• 24:44
  Speaker 3: no one, but we have a village. Soon it will
• 24:48
  Speaker 3: be nearly deserted. For many of our people rove during
• 24:53
  Speaker 3: the summer and wander from one camping ground to another,
• 24:58
  Speaker 3: seeking the best game or fish. But Calatan's people remain
• 25:03
  Speaker 3: always on the island him. I take with me to
• 25:07
  Speaker 3: hunt the whale and seal, to gather the berries, and
• 25:11
  Speaker 3: to trap the little animals who bear fur. We find
• 25:15
  Speaker 3: even seal upon our shores, though fewer since your people
• 25:20
  Speaker 3: have come among us. Which were the best Russians or Americans?
• 25:27
  Speaker 3: Asked mister Strong, curious to see what the old Indian
• 25:31
  Speaker 3: would say. But the Taie was not to be caught
• 25:34
  Speaker 3: napping men all alike, he said, Think it Russian American?
• 25:42
  Speaker 3: Some good, some bad Russians used Indians more, gave them
• 25:47
  Speaker 3: hunting and fishing, and only took part of the skins.
• 25:52
  Speaker 3: Americans liked to hunt and fish all themselves and leave
• 25:56
  Speaker 3: nothing for the Indians. Russian teach quass, Americans teach whiskey.
• 26:04
  Speaker 3: Before white men came, Indians were healthy. They ate fish, game, berries.
• 26:10
  Speaker 3: Now they must have other foods, and they are not
• 26:14
  Speaker 3: good for Indians. Here, he touched his stomach. Indian use
• 26:20
  Speaker 3: to dress in skins and furs. Now he must copy
• 26:24
  Speaker 3: white men and shiver with cold. He soon has the
• 26:29
  Speaker 3: coughing sickness. And then he goes into the unknown. But
• 26:34
  Speaker 3: the government of the Americans is best because it tries
• 26:39
  Speaker 3: to do some things for the Indian. It teaches our
• 26:43
  Speaker 3: boys useful things in the schools. And if some of
• 26:47
  Speaker 3: its people are bad, some Indians are bad too. Men
• 26:52
  Speaker 3: all alike, he repeated, with the calm stolicism of his race.
• 26:59
  Speaker 3: The government is far away, said mister Strong, and should
• 27:03
  Speaker 3: not be blamed for the doings of all its servants.
• 27:08
  Speaker 3: I should like to see this island home of yours,
• 27:11
  Speaker 3: and I think we must accept your invitation, shall we, ted?
• 27:16
  Speaker 3: He smiled at the boy. Yes, indeed, thank you, sir,
• 27:21
  Speaker 3: said Ted, and he and caleton grinned at each other happily.
• 27:26
  Speaker 3: We shall stay in camp until the blue jay comes,
• 27:30
  Speaker 3: said the old chief, smiling, and then seek the village
• 27:34
  Speaker 3: of my people. What does the blue jay mean? Said
• 27:39
  Speaker 3: Ted timidly, for he was very much in awe of
• 27:43
  Speaker 3: this grave old man. Caletin said something in tlinklet to
• 27:49
  Speaker 3: his uncle, and the old chief, looking kindly at the boy,
• 27:54
  Speaker 3: replied with a nod. I will tell you the story
• 27:58
  Speaker 3: of the blue jay, he said. My story is of
• 28:02
  Speaker 3: the far far north, beside a salmon stream. There dwelt
• 28:06
  Speaker 3: people rich in slaves. These caught and dried the salmon
• 28:10
  Speaker 3: for the winter, And nothing is better to eat than
• 28:14
  Speaker 3: dried salmon dipped in sea oil. All the fish were
• 28:18
  Speaker 3: caught and stored away. When low the whiteness fell from heaven,
• 28:24
  Speaker 3: and the snows were upon them. It was the time
• 28:27
  Speaker 3: of snow, and they should not have complained. But the
• 28:33
  Speaker 3: chief was evil, and he cursed the whiteness. No one
• 28:37
  Speaker 3: should dare to speak evil of the snow spirit, which
• 28:41
  Speaker 3: comes from the unknown. Deeper and deeper grew the snow.
• 28:45
  Speaker 3: It flew like feathers about the eglu footnote. E Glue
• 28:52
  Speaker 3: is a hot in footnote. And slaves had many troubles
• 28:57
  Speaker 3: in putting in limbs for the fire. Then the snow
• 29:01
  Speaker 3: came in flakes so large they seemed like the wings
• 29:05
  Speaker 3: of birds. And the house was covered, and they could
• 29:09
  Speaker 3: no longer keep their kayaks on top of the snow.
• 29:14
  Speaker 3: All were shut tight in the house, and their fire
• 29:17
  Speaker 3: and food ran low. They knew not how many days
• 29:21
  Speaker 3: they were shut in, for there was no way to
• 29:24
  Speaker 3: tell the day from night. Only they knew they were sore, hungry,
• 29:29
  Speaker 3: and that the snow spirit was angry and terrible in
• 29:34
  Speaker 3: his anger, But each one spoke not. He only chose
• 29:39
  Speaker 3: a place where he should lie down and die when
• 29:43
  Speaker 3: he could bear no more. Only the chiefs spoke, and
• 29:47
  Speaker 3: he once snow spirit. He said, aloud, I alone am evil,
• 29:54
  Speaker 3: these are not so Slay me and spare. But the
• 29:59
  Speaker 3: snow spirit answered not only the wind screamed around the igloo,
• 30:05
  Speaker 3: and his screens were terrible and sad. Then Hope left
• 30:09
  Speaker 3: the heart of the chief, and he prepared to die
• 30:13
  Speaker 3: with all his people and all his slaves. But on
• 30:17
  Speaker 3: the day, when their last bit of food was gone,
• 30:20
  Speaker 3: lo something pecked at the top of the smoke hole,
• 30:25
  Speaker 3: and it sang nut tea, and it was a blue jane.
• 30:30
  Speaker 3: The chief heard and saw and wondered, And looking neath
• 30:35
  Speaker 3: the smoke hole, he saw a scarlet something upon the floor.
• 30:40
  Speaker 3: Picking it up, he found it was a bunch of
• 30:43
  Speaker 3: Indian tomato berries, red and ripe. And quickly Hope sprang
• 30:49
  Speaker 3: in his breast. Somewhere is summer, He cried, let us
• 30:54
  Speaker 3: up and away. Then the slaves hastened to dig out
• 30:59
  Speaker 3: the canoe, and they drew it with mighty labor, for
• 31:03
  Speaker 3: they were weak from fasting over the snows. To the shore,
• 31:08
  Speaker 3: and there they launched it without sail or paddle, with
• 31:12
  Speaker 3: all the people rejoicing. And after a time the wind
• 31:16
  Speaker 3: carried them to a beach where all was summer. Birds sang,
• 31:22
  Speaker 3: flowers bloomed, and berries gleamed, scarlet in the sun, and
• 31:27
  Speaker 3: there were salmon jumping in the blue water. They ate
• 31:31
  Speaker 3: and were satisfied, for it was summer on the earth
• 31:35
  Speaker 3: and summer in their hearts. That is how the tinklets
• 31:39
  Speaker 3: came to our island. And so we say, when the
• 31:44
  Speaker 3: snow breaks, that now comes the blue jay. Thank you
• 31:49
  Speaker 3: for telling us such a dandy story, cried Tad, who
• 31:53
  Speaker 3: had not lost a word of this quaint tale, told
• 31:57
  Speaker 3: so graphically over the camp fire of the old Chief
• 32:02
  Speaker 3: Clayte end of chapter two. Recording by Lindamee Nielsen, Vancouver.
• 32:09
  Speaker 4: B c.
• 32:15
  Speaker 5: Chapter three of Keeletin, Our Little Alaskan Cousin. This is
• 32:20
  Speaker 5: a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
• 32:25
  Speaker 5: For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
• 32:31
  Speaker 5: Recording by April six, zero nine zero, California, United States
• 32:36
  Speaker 5: of America. Keeleatin, Our Little Alaskan Cousin by Mary F.
• 32:42
  Speaker 5: Nixon Roulaz Chapter three, To the Glacier. Ted slept soundly
• 32:48
  Speaker 5: all night, wrapped in the bearskins from the sledge in
• 32:52
  Speaker 5: the little tent he shared with his father. When the
• 32:55
  Speaker 5: morning broke, he sprang to his feet and hurried out
• 32:58
  Speaker 5: of doors, hopeful for the day pleasures. The snow had stopped,
• 33:02
  Speaker 5: but the ground was covered with a thick white pall,
• 33:05
  Speaker 5: and the mountains were turned to rose color in the
• 33:08
  Speaker 5: morning sun, which was rising in a blaze of glory.
• 33:12
  Speaker 5: Good morning, Keletin, shouted Ted to his Indian friend, whom
• 33:17
  Speaker 5: he spied heaping wood upon the camp fire. Isn't it dandy?
• 33:21
  Speaker 5: What can we do to day? Have breakfast, said Calton briefly.
• 33:26
  Speaker 5: Then do what Tayee says. Well, I hope he'll say
• 33:30
  Speaker 5: something exciting, said Ted. Think Good day to hunt, said Caletin,
• 33:36
  Speaker 5: as he prepared things for the morning meal. Where did
• 33:39
  Speaker 5: you get the fish, asked Ted. Broke iceol and fished
• 33:43
  Speaker 5: when I got up, said the the linket. You don't
• 33:47
  Speaker 5: mean you have been fishing already, exclaimed the lazy Ted,
• 33:51
  Speaker 5: and Calton smiled as he said. White people like fish.
• 33:55
  Speaker 5: Tay Ye said, catch fish for Boston man's breakfast.
• 33:58
  Speaker 6: And I go.
• 33:59
  Speaker 5: Do you always mind him like that? Asked Ted. He
• 34:03
  Speaker 5: generally obeyed his father, but there were times when he
• 34:06
  Speaker 5: wasn't anxious to and argued a little about it. Caltin
• 34:09
  Speaker 5: looked at him in astonishment. He chief. He said, simply,
• 34:14
  Speaker 5: what will we do with the camp if we all
• 34:16
  Speaker 5: go hunting, asked Ted, Nothing, said Calatin. We shut wolf
• 34:22
  Speaker 5: to watch, I suppose, continued Ted. Watch why asked Calatin?
• 34:27
  Speaker 5: Why everything? Someone will steal our things, said Ted. The
• 34:33
  Speaker 5: link sits not steal, said Caletin, with dignity. Maybe white
• 34:37
  Speaker 5: men come along and steal from his brothers Indians not
• 34:41
  Speaker 5: if we go away too long, hunt we cash blankets
• 34:44
  Speaker 5: and no one would touch What do you mean by cash,
• 34:48
  Speaker 5: asked Ted. We build a mound hut near the house
• 34:51
  Speaker 5: and put there the blankets and stores. Sometime they stay
• 34:55
  Speaker 5: there for years, but no one would take from a cash.
• 34:58
  Speaker 5: If one has plenty of wood by the sea or
• 35:00
  Speaker 5: in the forest, he may court it and go his way,
• 35:03
  Speaker 5: and no one will touch it. A deer hangs on
• 35:06
  Speaker 5: a tree where dogs may not reach it, but no
• 35:09
  Speaker 5: stray hunter would slice even a piece. We are not thieves.
• 35:14
  Speaker 5: It's a pity you could not send missionaries to the states.
• 35:17
  Speaker 5: You thinklets my boy, said mister Strong, who had come
• 35:21
  Speaker 5: up in time to hear Calatin's words. I'm afraid white
• 35:25
  Speaker 5: people are less honest. Teddy, do you know we are
• 35:28
  Speaker 5: to have some hunting to day, and that you'll get
• 35:30
  Speaker 5: your first experience with a glacier? Hurrah, shouted Ted, dancing
• 35:36
  Speaker 5: up and down in excitement. Kayee Klake says, we can
• 35:39
  Speaker 5: punt toward the base of the glacier, and I shall
• 35:42
  Speaker 5: try to go a little ways upon it and see
• 35:45
  Speaker 5: how the land lies, or rather the ice. It is
• 35:48
  Speaker 5: getting warmer, and if it continues a few days, the
• 35:51
  Speaker 5: snow will melt enough to let us go over to
• 35:53
  Speaker 5: that island. You are so anxious to see. Ted's eyes shone,
• 35:57
  Speaker 5: and the amount of breakfast he put away quite pre
• 36:00
  Speaker 5: prepared him for his day's work, which, pleasant though it
• 36:03
  Speaker 5: might be, certainly was hard work. The chief said they
• 36:07
  Speaker 5: must seek the glacier first before the sun got hot,
• 36:10
  Speaker 5: for it was blinding on the snow. So they set
• 36:13
  Speaker 5: out soon after breakfast, leaving Chetwuff in charge of the
• 36:17
  Speaker 5: camp and with orders to catch enough fish for dinner.
• 36:20
  Speaker 5: We'll be ready to eat them heads and tails, said Ted,
• 36:23
  Speaker 5: and his father added laughingly, Bible bones and hymn book two.
• 36:28
  Speaker 5: What does that mean, asked Ted, as Caletin looked up inquiringly.
• 36:34
  Speaker 5: Once a writer named mc cauley said he could make
• 36:36
  Speaker 5: a rhyme for any word in the English language, and
• 36:39
  Speaker 5: a man replied, you can't rhyme Timbuctoo. But he answered,
• 36:43
  Speaker 5: without a pause, if I were a cassewary on the
• 36:47
  Speaker 5: plains of Timbuctoo, I'd eat up a missionary Bible bones
• 36:51
  Speaker 5: and hymbuok two. Ted laughed, but Caletin said grimly, not
• 36:56
  Speaker 5: good to eat Boston missionary. He all skin and bone.
• 37:00
  Speaker 5: Where did they get the name Alaska, asked Ted, as
• 37:02
  Speaker 5: they tramped over the snow toward the glacier. Alac suh,
• 37:07
  Speaker 5: great country, said Keleton, It certainly is, said Ted. It's fine.
• 37:12
  Speaker 5: I never saw anything like this at home, pointing as
• 37:15
  Speaker 5: he spoke to the scene in front of him. A
• 37:18
  Speaker 5: group of evergreen trees, firs and the Alaska spruce so
• 37:22
  Speaker 5: useful for fires and torches, fringed the edge of the
• 37:26
  Speaker 5: ice field, green and verdant, in contrast to the gleaming
• 37:29
  Speaker 5: snows of the mountain, which rose in a gentle slope
• 37:32
  Speaker 5: at first, then precipitously in a dazzling and enchanting combination
• 37:37
  Speaker 5: of color. It was as if some marble palace of
• 37:40
  Speaker 5: old rose before them against the heavens. For the ice
• 37:44
  Speaker 5: was cut and serrated into spires and gables, turrets and towers,
• 37:49
  Speaker 5: all seeming to be ornamented with fretwork, where the sun's
• 37:52
  Speaker 5: rays struck the peaks and turned them into silver and gold.
• 37:56
  Speaker 5: Lower down, the ice looked like animals, so twisted into
• 38:00
  Speaker 5: fantastic shapes, fierce sea monsters with yawning mouths seeming ready
• 38:05
  Speaker 5: to devour, Bears and wolves, whales, gigantic elephants and snowy tigers,
• 38:11
  Speaker 5: tropic beasts, looking strangely out of place in this arctic climb.
• 38:16
  Speaker 5: Deep crevices cut the ice fields, and in their green
• 38:19
  Speaker 5: blue depths lurked death. For the least misstep would dash
• 38:24
  Speaker 5: the traveler into an abyss which had no bottom. Beyond
• 38:27
  Speaker 5: the glacier itself, the snow capped mountains rose grand and serene,
• 38:33
  Speaker 5: their glittering peaks clear against the blue sky, which hue
• 38:37
  Speaker 5: the glacier reflected and played with in a thousand glinting
• 38:40
  Speaker 5: shades from purpling amethyst to lapis lazuli and turquoise. As
• 38:45
  Speaker 5: they gazed spell bound, a strange thing occurred, a thing
• 38:49
  Speaker 5: of such wonder and beauty that Ted could but grasp
• 38:52
  Speaker 5: his father's arm in silence. Suddenly the peaks seemed to
• 38:56
  Speaker 5: melt away, the white ice pinnacles became real, turf houses
• 39:01
  Speaker 5: and cathedrals appeared, and before them arose a wonderful city
• 39:04
  Speaker 5: of white marble, dreamlike and shadowy, but beautiful as Aladdin's
• 39:09
  Speaker 5: palace in the Arabian nights. At last, Ted could keep
• 39:13
  Speaker 5: silent no longer. What is it? He cried, And the
• 39:16
  Speaker 5: old chief answered gravely, the city of the dead. But
• 39:20
  Speaker 5: his father said, a mirage, my boy. They are often
• 39:24
  Speaker 5: seen in these regions, but you are fortunate in seeing
• 39:27
  Speaker 5: one of the finest I have ever witnessed. What is
• 39:30
  Speaker 5: a mirage, demanded Ted? An optical delusion, said his father,
• 39:35
  Speaker 5: and one I'm sure I couldn't explain so that you
• 39:38
  Speaker 5: would understand it. The queer thing about a mirage is
• 39:41
  Speaker 5: that you usually see the very thing most unlikely to
• 39:44
  Speaker 5: be found in that particular locality. In the Sahara, men
• 39:49
  Speaker 5: see flowers and trees and fountains, and here on this
• 39:52
  Speaker 5: glacier we see a splendid city. It certainly is queer.
• 39:57
  Speaker 5: What makes glaciers Daddy Ted even more interested than usual
• 40:02
  Speaker 5: in his father's talk because of Calatin, whose dark eyes
• 40:05
  Speaker 5: never left mister Strong's face, and who seem to drink
• 40:08
  Speaker 5: in every word of information as eagerly as a thirsty
• 40:12
  Speaker 5: bird drinks water. The dictionaries tell you that glaciers are
• 40:16
  Speaker 5: fields of ice or snow and ice formed in the
• 40:19
  Speaker 5: regions of perpetual snow and moving slowly down the mountain
• 40:24
  Speaker 5: slopes or valleys. Many people say the glaciers are the
• 40:27
  Speaker 5: fathers of the icebergs which float at sea, and that
• 40:31
  Speaker 5: these are broken off the glacial stream, but others deny this.
• 40:35
  Speaker 5: When the glacial ice and snow reaches a point where
• 40:38
  Speaker 5: the air is so warm that the ice melts as
• 40:41
  Speaker 5: fast as it is pushed down from above, the glacier
• 40:45
  Speaker 5: ends and a river begins. These are the finest glaciers
• 40:48
  Speaker 5: in the world, except perhaps those of the Himalayas. This
• 40:53
  Speaker 5: bed's fair to be a wonderfully interesting place for my Workted,
• 40:56
  Speaker 5: and I'm glad you'll likely be satisfied with your friends,
• 41:01
  Speaker 5: For I shall have to go too many places and
• 41:03
  Speaker 5: do a lot of things less interesting than the things
• 41:06
  Speaker 5: Calatin can show.
• 41:08
  Speaker 4: You.
• 41:09
  Speaker 5: See these blocks of fine marble, and those superb masses
• 41:12
  Speaker 5: of pori free and chalcedony. But there's something which will
• 41:16
  Speaker 5: interest you more. Take my gun and see if you
• 41:19
  Speaker 5: can't bring down a bird for supper. Wild ducks were
• 41:22
  Speaker 5: flying low across the edge of the glacier and quite
• 41:25
  Speaker 5: near to the boys, and Ted grasped his father's gun
• 41:28
  Speaker 5: in wild excitement. He was never allowed to touch a
• 41:31
  Speaker 5: gun at home. Dearly as he loved his mother, it
• 41:34
  Speaker 5: had always seemed very strange to him she should show
• 41:38
  Speaker 5: such poor taste about fire arms and refused to let
• 41:41
  Speaker 5: him have any. And now that he had a gun
• 41:43
  Speaker 5: really in his hands, he could hardly hold it he
• 41:46
  Speaker 5: was so excited. Of course, it was not the first time,
• 41:49
  Speaker 5: for his father had allowed him to practice shooting at
• 41:52
  Speaker 5: a mark ever since they had reached Alaska, but this
• 41:56
  Speaker 5: was the first time he had tried to shoot a
• 41:58
  Speaker 5: living target. He selected his duck, aimed quickly, and fired.
• 42:03
  Speaker 7: Bang.
• 42:03
  Speaker 5: Off went the gun, and in wonder of wonders, two
• 42:07
  Speaker 5: ducks fell instead of one. Well done, Ted, that duck
• 42:11
  Speaker 5: was twins, cried his father, laughing, almost as excited as
• 42:15
  Speaker 5: the boy himself, and they ran to pick up the birds.
• 42:19
  Speaker 5: Caletin smiled too, and quietly picked up one, saying, this
• 42:23
  Speaker 5: one'skeletins showing as he spoke his arrow through the bird's side,
• 42:27
  Speaker 5: for he had discharged an arrow. As Ted fired his
• 42:30
  Speaker 5: gun to bed Ted, I thought you were a mighty hunter,
• 42:34
  Speaker 5: a nimrod who killed two birds with one stone, said
• 42:37
  Speaker 5: mister strong. But Ted laughed and said, so I got
• 42:40
  Speaker 5: the one I shot at. I don't care. They had
• 42:43
  Speaker 5: wild duck at supper that night. For check. Wolf plucked
• 42:46
  Speaker 5: the birds and roasted them on a hot stone over
• 42:49
  Speaker 5: the spruce logs, and Ted, tired and wet and hungry,
• 42:53
  Speaker 5: thought he had never tasted such a delicious meal in
• 42:56
  Speaker 5: his life. End of Chapter three the Glacier.
• 43:07
  Speaker 8: Chapter four of Calatan, Our Little Alaskan Cousin. This is
• 43:12
  Speaker 8: a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
• 43:17
  Speaker 8: For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
• 43:24
  Speaker 8: Recording by Betsy Walker, Santa Fe, New Mexico. Calatan, Our
• 43:29
  Speaker 8: Little Alaskan Cousin by Mary F. Nixon Roulat Chapter four,
• 43:35
  Speaker 8: Ted meets Mister Bruin. It seemed to Ted as if
• 43:40
  Speaker 8: he had scarcely touched the pillow on the nights which
• 43:43
  Speaker 8: followed before it was daylight, and he would awake to
• 43:46
  Speaker 8: find the sun streaming in at his tent flap. He
• 43:49
  Speaker 8: always meant to go fishing with Calatan before breakfast, so
• 43:53
  Speaker 8: the moment he woke up, he jumped out of bed,
• 43:55
  Speaker 8: if his pile of fragrant pine boughs covered with skins
• 43:58
  Speaker 8: could be called a bed, and hurried through his toilet
• 44:02
  Speaker 8: quick as he tried to be. However, he was never
• 44:05
  Speaker 8: ready before Calatan, for when Ted appeared, the Indian boy
• 44:10
  Speaker 8: had always had his roll in the snow and was
• 44:12
  Speaker 8: preparing his lines. Calatan was perfectly fascinated with the American boy.
• 44:18
  Speaker 8: He thought him the most wonderful specimen of a boy
• 44:21
  Speaker 8: that he had ever seen. He knew so much that
• 44:25
  Speaker 8: Calatan did not, and talked so brightly that being with
• 44:29
  Speaker 8: Ted was to the Indian like having a book without
• 44:32
  Speaker 8: the bother of reading. There were some things about him
• 44:35
  Speaker 8: that Calatan could not understand. To be sure, Ted talked
• 44:39
  Speaker 8: to his father just as if he were another boy.
• 44:43
  Speaker 8: He even spoke to tayee Klake on occasions when that
• 44:46
  Speaker 8: August personage had not only not asked him a question,
• 44:50
  Speaker 8: but was not speaking at all. From the Clinkett point
• 44:53
  Speaker 8: of view, this was a most remarkable performance on Ted's part.
• 44:58
  Speaker 8: But Calatan thought it must be all right for a
• 45:00
  Speaker 8: Boston boy, for even the stern old chief seemed to
• 45:04
  Speaker 8: regard happy, go lucky Ted with approval. Ted, on the
• 45:08
  Speaker 8: other hand, thought Calatan the most remarkable boy he had
• 45:12
  Speaker 8: ever met. In all his life, he had not been
• 45:16
  Speaker 8: much with boys. His lady mother, as he always called
• 45:20
  Speaker 8: the gentle brown eyed being who ruled his father and himself,
• 45:25
  Speaker 8: had not cared to have her little Galahad mingle with
• 45:28
  Speaker 8: the rougher city boys who thronged the streets, and had
• 45:31
  Speaker 8: kept him with herself a great deal. Ted had loved books,
• 45:36
  Speaker 8: and he and his little sister Judith had lived in
• 45:39
  Speaker 8: a pleasant atmosphere of refinement, playing happily together until the
• 45:43
  Speaker 8: boy had grown almost to dread anything common or low.
• 45:48
  Speaker 8: His mother knew he had moral courage and would face
• 45:51
  Speaker 8: any issue pluckily, but his father feared he would grow
• 45:55
  Speaker 8: up a milk sop and thought he needed hardening. Missus
• 45:59
  Speaker 8: strong objected to the hardening process if it consisted in
• 46:03
  Speaker 8: turning her boy loose to learn the ways of the
• 46:05
  Speaker 8: city streets, but had consented to his going with his father.
• 46:10
  Speaker 8: Urged thereto by fears for his health, which was not
• 46:13
  Speaker 8: of the best, and the knowledge that he had reached
• 46:16
  Speaker 8: the bear An Indian age, and it was certainly a
• 46:20
  Speaker 8: good thing for him to have his experiences first hand.
• 46:26
  Speaker 8: To Ted, the whole thing was perfectly delightful. When he
• 46:30
  Speaker 8: lay down at night, he would often like to see
• 46:32
  Speaker 8: mother and jew, but he was generally so tired that
• 46:35
  Speaker 8: he was asleep before he had time to think enough
• 46:38
  Speaker 8: to really be homesick. During the day, there was too
• 46:41
  Speaker 8: much doing to have any thinking time, and since he
• 46:45
  Speaker 8: had met this boy friend, he thought of little else
• 46:48
  Speaker 8: but him and what they were to do next. The
• 46:52
  Speaker 8: Taiee had assured mister Strong that it was perfectly safe
• 46:55
  Speaker 8: for the boys to go about together. Carlton knows old
• 47:00
  Speaker 8: the trails. He said he'd take care of White brother
• 47:03
  Speaker 8: anything come called Chetwulf, as mister Strong was very anxious
• 47:09
  Speaker 8: to penetrate the glacier under Clake's guidance and wanted Ted
• 47:13
  Speaker 8: to enjoy himself to the full, he left the boys
• 47:16
  Speaker 8: to themselves, the only stipulation being that they should not
• 47:20
  Speaker 8: go on the water without Chetwulf. There seemed to always
• 47:24
  Speaker 8: be something new to do. As the days grew warmer,
• 47:27
  Speaker 8: the ice broke in the river, and the boys tramped
• 47:30
  Speaker 8: all over the country. Ted learned to use the bow
• 47:34
  Speaker 8: and arrow and brought down many a bird for supper,
• 47:37
  Speaker 8: and proud he was when he served up for his
• 47:39
  Speaker 8: father a wild duck, shot, plucked and cooked all by himself.
• 47:45
  Speaker 8: They fished in the stream by day and set lines
• 47:48
  Speaker 8: by night. They trapped rabbits and hares in the woods,
• 47:52
  Speaker 8: and one day even got a silver fox, a skin
• 47:55
  Speaker 8: greatly prized by the fur traders on account of its rarity,
• 48:00
  Speaker 8: insisted that Ted should have it, though he could have
• 48:02
  Speaker 8: gotten forty dollars for it from a white trader, and
• 48:06
  Speaker 8: Ted was rejoiced at the idea of taking it home
• 48:08
  Speaker 8: to make a set of furs for Judith. One day,
• 48:13
  Speaker 8: Ted had a strange experience, and not a very pleasant one,
• 48:17
  Speaker 8: which might have been very serious had it not been
• 48:19
  Speaker 8: for Calatan. He had noticed a queer looking plant on
• 48:24
  Speaker 8: the river bank the day before, and had stopped to
• 48:26
  Speaker 8: pick it up. When he received such a sudden and
• 48:30
  Speaker 8: unexpected pricking as to cause him to jump back and
• 48:33
  Speaker 8: shout for Calatan. His hand felt as if it had
• 48:36
  Speaker 8: been pierced by a thousand needles, and he flew to
• 48:39
  Speaker 8: a snow bank to rub it with snow. I must
• 48:43
  Speaker 8: have gotten hold of some kind of cactus, he said
• 48:46
  Speaker 8: to Calatan, who only replied, Ah, picked edgehog. He pointed
• 48:52
  Speaker 8: to where Ted's cactus was, ambling indignantly away with every
• 48:56
  Speaker 8: quill rattling, and set straight out in anger at having
• 48:59
  Speaker 8: his morning nap disturbed. Calatan wrapped Ted's hand in soft mud,
• 49:05
  Speaker 8: which took the pain out, but he couldn't use it
• 49:07
  Speaker 8: much for the next few days and did not feel
• 49:09
  Speaker 8: eager to hunt. When his father and Tayee started out
• 49:12
  Speaker 8: in the morning, Calatan remained with him, although his eyes
• 49:16
  Speaker 8: looked wistful, for he had heard the chief talk about
• 49:19
  Speaker 8: bear tracks having been seen the day before. Bears were
• 49:24
  Speaker 8: quite a rarity, but sometimes an old cinnamon or even
• 49:27
  Speaker 8: a big black bruin would venture down in search of
• 49:31
  Speaker 8: fresh fish, which he would catch cleverly with his great paws.
• 49:36
  Speaker 8: Calatan and Ted fished awhile, and then Ted wandered away
• 49:39
  Speaker 8: a little wondering what lay around a point of rock
• 49:42
  Speaker 8: which he had never yet explored. Something lay there which
• 49:46
  Speaker 8: he had, by no means expected to see, and he
• 49:49
  Speaker 8: scarcely knew what to make of it. On the river bank,
• 49:52
  Speaker 8: close to the edge of the stream was a black figure,
• 49:56
  Speaker 8: an Indian fishing as he supposed, and he paused to watch.
• 50:00
  Speaker 8: The fisherman was covered with fur from head to foot,
• 50:03
  Speaker 8: and as Ted watched him, he seemed to have no
• 50:06
  Speaker 8: line or rod. Going nearer, the boy grew even more puzzled,
• 50:12
  Speaker 8: and though the man's back was toward him, he could
• 50:14
  Speaker 8: easily see that there was something unusual about the figure.
• 50:19
  Speaker 8: Just as he was within hailing distance and about to shout,
• 50:22
  Speaker 8: the figure made a quick dive toward the water and
• 50:25
  Speaker 8: sprang back again with a fish between its paws, and
• 50:28
  Speaker 8: Ted saw that it was a huge bear. He gave
• 50:32
  Speaker 8: a sharp cry and then stood stalk still. The creature
• 50:37
  Speaker 8: looked around and stood gnawing his fish and staring at
• 50:40
  Speaker 8: Ted as stupidly as the boy stared at him. Then
• 50:45
  Speaker 8: Ted heard a halloo behind him and Calatan's voice run
• 50:49
  Speaker 8: for chet dwolf quick Ted obeyed. As the animals started
• 50:54
  Speaker 8: to move off, he ran toward the camp, hearing the
• 50:57
  Speaker 8: report of Kalatan's gun as he ran. Chet hearing the noise,
• 51:01
  Speaker 8: hurried out, and it was but a few moments before
• 51:04
  Speaker 8: he was at Calatan's side. To Ted, it seemed like
• 51:08
  Speaker 8: a day before he could get back and see what
• 51:10
  Speaker 8: was happening. But he arrived on the scene in time
• 51:13
  Speaker 8: to see Chetwuff dispatch the animal. Hurrah, cried, Ted, you've
• 51:18
  Speaker 8: killed a bear, but Chetwuff only grunted crossly. Very bad look,
• 51:23
  Speaker 8: he said, and Calatan explained Indians don't like to kill
• 51:28
  Speaker 8: bears or ravens spirits in them, maybe ancestors. Ted looked
• 51:34
  Speaker 8: at him in great astonishment, but Calatan explained, once long ago,
• 51:40
  Speaker 8: a clinking girl laughed at a bear track in the
• 51:43
  Speaker 8: snow and said, ugly animal must have made that track.
• 51:47
  Speaker 8: But a bear heard and was angry. He seized the
• 51:50
  Speaker 8: maiden and bore her to his den and turned her
• 51:54
  Speaker 8: into a bear, and she dwelt with him until one
• 51:58
  Speaker 8: day her brother killed the bear and she was freed.
• 52:02
  Speaker 8: And from that day Clinkett speak respectfully of bears, and
• 52:06
  Speaker 8: do not try to kill them, for they know not
• 52:09
  Speaker 8: whether it is a bear or a friend who hides
• 52:12
  Speaker 8: within the shaggy skin. The Taiee and mister Strong were
• 52:17
  Speaker 8: greatly surprised when they came home to see the huge
• 52:21
  Speaker 8: carcass of mister Bruin, and they listened to the account
• 52:24
  Speaker 8: of Calatan's bravery. The old chief said little, but he
• 52:29
  Speaker 8: looked approvingly at Calatan and said, hyask Clochet very good,
• 52:35
  Speaker 8: which unwonted praise made the boy's face glow with pleasure.
• 52:40
  Speaker 8: They had a great discussion as to whom the bear
• 52:43
  Speaker 8: really belonged. Ted had found him, Calatan had shot him first,
• 52:48
  Speaker 8: and Chetwulf had killed him, so they decided to go shares.
• 52:53
  Speaker 8: Ted wanted the skin to take home and thought it
• 52:56
  Speaker 8: would make a splendid rug for his mother's library. So
• 52:59
  Speaker 8: his father paid Calatan and chetwoof what each would have
• 53:02
  Speaker 8: received as their share had the skin been sold to
• 53:05
  Speaker 8: a trader, and they all had bear meat for supper.
• 53:09
  Speaker 8: Ted thought it finer than any beefsteak he had ever eaten,
• 53:14
  Speaker 8: and over it Calatan smacked his lips audibly. End of
• 53:20
  Speaker 8: chapter four.
• 53:28
  Speaker 2: Chapter five of Calatan Our little Elastin Cousin. This is
• 53:34
  Speaker 2: a abrivox recording. All libravox recordings are in the public domain.
• 53:41
  Speaker 2: For more information or to volunteer, please visit libravox dot org.
• 53:48
  Speaker 2: Recording by Shasta OpenD, California, Calotan Our Little Alastin Cousin
• 53:57
  Speaker 2: and Mary F. Nixon Role Chapter five, A Monster of
• 54:04
  Speaker 2: the Deep. The big bear occupied considerable attention for several days.
• 54:11
  Speaker 2: He had to be carefully skinned and part of the
• 54:15
  Speaker 2: meat dried for future use. Alaskans never use salt for
• 54:22
  Speaker 2: preserving meat. Indeed, they seemed to dislike salt very much.
• 54:27
  Speaker 2: It had taken Head some time to learn to eat
• 54:31
  Speaker 2: all his meat and fish quite fresh without a taste
• 54:36
  Speaker 2: of salt, but he had grown to like it. There
• 54:40
  Speaker 2: is something in the sun and wind of Alaska which
• 54:45
  Speaker 2: cures meat perfectly, and the bear's meat was strung on
• 54:50
  Speaker 2: sticks and dried in the sun so that they might
• 54:55
  Speaker 2: enjoy it for a long time. It seemed as if
• 54:59
  Speaker 2: the adventure with Bruin was enough to last the boys
• 55:04
  Speaker 2: for several days. For Ted's hand still pained him from
• 55:08
  Speaker 2: the Portupine quills, and he felt tired and hazy. He
• 55:14
  Speaker 2: lay by the campfire one afternoon listening to Kelton's tales
• 55:19
  Speaker 2: of his island home. When his father came in from
• 55:23
  Speaker 2: a long tramp, and looking at him a little anxiously, asked,
• 55:29
  Speaker 2: what's the matter, son, Nothing, I'm only tired, said Ted.
• 55:35
  Speaker 2: The Peloton said portupine Quill's poisoned hand well in a
• 55:41
  Speaker 2: few days, so your life practice is getting in his work,
• 55:46
  Speaker 2: as he I'm glad it wasn't the bear you've mistook
• 55:51
  Speaker 2: for an elasting posey and tried to pick. I'm tired myself,
• 55:56
  Speaker 2: and mister Strong threw headself down to rest. Daddy, how
• 56:03
  Speaker 2: do we come to have Alaska? Anyway? Well, that's a
• 56:08
  Speaker 2: long story, said his father, but an interesting one. Do
• 56:14
  Speaker 2: tell us about it, urged Ted. I know we bought it,
• 56:18
  Speaker 2: but what would be pay the Indians for it? I
• 56:21
  Speaker 2: shouldn't have thought they'd have sold such a fine country.
• 56:26
  Speaker 2: Platan looked up quickly, and there was a sudden gleam
• 56:32
  Speaker 2: in his dark eyes that Ted had never seen before.
• 56:37
  Speaker 2: Think let's never sell, he said, Russians steal. Mister Strong
• 56:44
  Speaker 2: put his hand kindly on the boy's head. You're right, Peloton,
• 56:50
  Speaker 2: he said. The Russians never conquered the Flints, the bravest
• 56:55
  Speaker 2: tribe in all Alaska. To see Teddy, it was this
• 57:00
  Speaker 2: way a great many years ago about seventeen forty, a
• 57:06
  Speaker 2: Danish sailor named Bearing, who was in the service of
• 57:11
  Speaker 2: the Russians, sailed across the ocean and discovered the street
• 57:16
  Speaker 2: named for him and a number of violens. Some of
• 57:21
  Speaker 2: these were not inhabited, others at Indians or eskimos on them,
• 57:29
  Speaker 2: but after the manner of the earlier discoverers, Bearing took
• 57:34
  Speaker 2: possession of them all in the name of the Emperor
• 57:39
  Speaker 2: of Russia. It doesn't seem right as we look at
• 57:43
  Speaker 2: things now, but in those days might made right, and
• 57:50
  Speaker 2: it was just the same way the English did when
• 57:53
  Speaker 2: they came to America. The Russians settled here, finding the
• 57:59
  Speaker 2: fishing and furs fine things for trade, and driving the Indians,
• 58:06
  Speaker 2: who would not be old to them farther and farther inland.
• 58:11
  Speaker 2: In seventeen ninety the Tsar made Alexander Bevanov manager of
• 58:18
  Speaker 2: the trading company. Beveranov established trading posts in various places
• 58:25
  Speaker 2: and settled at Sitka, where you could see the ruins
• 58:30
  Speaker 2: of the splendid castle he built. The Russians also sent
• 58:36
  Speaker 2: missionaries to convert the Indians to the Greek Church, which
• 58:41
  Speaker 2: is the Church of Russia. The Indians however, never learned
• 58:47
  Speaker 2: to care for the Russians and often were cruelly treated
• 58:51
  Speaker 2: by them. The Russians, however, tried to do something for
• 58:56
  Speaker 2: their education and established several schools. Rules one as early
• 59:02
  Speaker 2: as seventeen seventy five on Cadiak Island had thirty peopils
• 59:08
  Speaker 2: who studied arithmetic, reading, navigation, and four of the mechanical trades.
• 59:16
  Speaker 2: And this is a better record than the American purchasers
• 59:21
  Speaker 2: can show. I'm sorry to say. One of the recent
• 59:26
  Speaker 2: travelers in Alaska says that he met in the country
• 59:32
  Speaker 2: American citizens who never in their lives heard a prayer
• 59:37
  Speaker 2: for the President of the United States, nor of the
• 59:42
  Speaker 2: fourth July, nor the name of the capital of the nation,
• 59:47
  Speaker 2: but who have been taught to pray for the Emperor
• 59:52
  Speaker 2: of Russia, who celebrate his birthday, and to commemorate the
• 59:57
  Speaker 2: victories of ancient gri. In March eighteen sixty seven, the
• 1:00:04
  Speaker 2: Russians sold Alaska through the United States for seven million,
• 1:00:10
  Speaker 2: two hundred thousand dollars in gold. It was bought for
• 1:00:15
  Speaker 2: a song, almost when we consider the immense amount of
• 1:00:20
  Speaker 2: money made for the government by the seal fisheries, the
• 1:00:25
  Speaker 2: cod and salmon industries and the opening of the gold fields.
• 1:00:31
  Speaker 2: The resources of the country are not half known, and
• 1:00:35
  Speaker 2: the government is beginning to see this. That is one
• 1:00:40
  Speaker 2: of the reasons they have sent me here with the
• 1:00:44
  Speaker 2: other one to find out what the earth holds for
• 1:00:48
  Speaker 2: those who do not know how to look for its treasures.
• 1:00:53
  Speaker 2: Gold is not the best thing the earth produces. There
• 1:00:57
  Speaker 2: is land in Alaska, little known, full of coal and
• 1:01:03
  Speaker 2: other useful minerals. Other land is covered with magnificent timber,
• 1:01:10
  Speaker 2: which could be shipped to all parts of the rubb.
• 1:01:14
  Speaker 2: There are pasture lands where stock will fatten like pigs
• 1:01:19
  Speaker 2: without any other feeding. There are fertile soils which will
• 1:01:25
  Speaker 2: raise almost any crops. And there are intelligent Indians who
• 1:01:31
  Speaker 2: can be taught to work and be useful members of society.
• 1:01:36
  Speaker 2: I do not mean dragged off to the United States
• 1:01:41
  Speaker 2: to learn things they could never use in their home lives,
• 1:01:45
  Speaker 2: but who should be educated here to make the best
• 1:01:49
  Speaker 2: of their talents in their home surroundings. That is one
• 1:01:55
  Speaker 2: crying shame to our government that they have neglected the
• 1:01:59
  Speaker 2: old lasting citizens. Forty years had been wasted, that we
• 1:02:05
  Speaker 2: are beginning to wake up now and twenty years more
• 1:02:10
  Speaker 2: to see the Indians of Colatan's generation industrious men and women,
• 1:02:17
  Speaker 2: not only clever hunters and fishermen, but lumbermen, hoopers, furniture makers, farmers, miners,
• 1:02:26
  Speaker 2: and stock raising. At this moment, their quiet conversation was
• 1:02:33
  Speaker 2: interrupted by a wild shout from the shore, and springing
• 1:02:38
  Speaker 2: to their feet, they saw checkwolf gesticulating wildly and shouting
• 1:02:45
  Speaker 2: to the Tari, who had been mending his canoe by
• 1:02:49
  Speaker 2: the river bank. Culatan dropped everything and ran with outer ward,
• 1:02:56
  Speaker 2: scudding like the arrow from which he took his name.
• 1:03:00
  Speaker 2: Before Ted could follow or ask what was the matter.
• 1:03:05
  Speaker 2: From the ocean, a huge body rose ten feet out
• 1:03:10
  Speaker 2: of the water, spouting jets of spray twenty feet into
• 1:03:15
  Speaker 2: the air, the sun striking his sides and turning them
• 1:03:20
  Speaker 2: to glistening silver. Then it fell back, the water's churning
• 1:03:27
  Speaker 2: into frothy foam for a mile around. It's a whale, Tad,
• 1:03:33
  Speaker 2: sure as you live, not certainly is coming your way,
• 1:03:38
  Speaker 2: said his father. But at the word whale, Ted had
• 1:03:42
  Speaker 2: started after Keleton, losing no time in getting to the
• 1:03:47
  Speaker 2: scene of action as fast as possible. Watch the tide,
• 1:03:53
  Speaker 2: called Selotan over his shoulder. As both boys ran down
• 1:03:58
  Speaker 2: to the water's edge. The old chief was launching his
• 1:04:03
  Speaker 2: kayak into the seething waters, and to Ted it seemed
• 1:04:08
  Speaker 2: incredible that he meant to go in that frail bark
• 1:04:13
  Speaker 2: in pursuit of the mighty monster. The old man's face, however,
• 1:04:19
  Speaker 2: was as calm as though starting in the blizzard drift
• 1:04:23
  Speaker 2: in peaceful waters, and Ted watched in breathless admiration to
• 1:04:29
  Speaker 2: see what would happen next. Klake hadled swiftly out to see,
• 1:04:36
  Speaker 2: growing as near as he dared to, where the huge
• 1:04:40
  Speaker 2: monster splashed idly up and down like a great puppy
• 1:04:46
  Speaker 2: at play. He stopped the kayak and watched, then poised
• 1:04:52
  Speaker 2: his spear and threw it. And so swift and graceful
• 1:04:58
  Speaker 2: was his gesture that Ted exclaimed in amazement.
• 1:05:02
  Speaker 4: III.
• 1:05:03
  Speaker 2: Clayt best harpoon thrower of all the slickens, said Kelta, proudly.
• 1:05:10
  Speaker 4: To watch.
• 1:05:12
  Speaker 2: Ted needed no such instructions. His keen eyes passed from
• 1:05:19
  Speaker 2: fish to man and back again, and no movement of
• 1:05:23
  Speaker 2: the taie escaped him. The instant the harpoon was thrown,
• 1:05:29
  Speaker 2: the taie haddled furiously away. For when a harpoon strikes
• 1:05:35
  Speaker 2: a whale, he is lightly to lash violently with his
• 1:05:40
  Speaker 2: tail and may destroy his enemy. And this is a
• 1:05:45
  Speaker 2: moment of terrible danger to the harpooner that the whale
• 1:05:50
  Speaker 2: was too much astonished to fight, and with a terrible splash,
• 1:05:56
  Speaker 2: he dived deep, deep into the water to get rid
• 1:06:01
  Speaker 2: of that stinging thing in his side. In the cold
• 1:06:05
  Speaker 2: green waters below, the taiee waited, his grim face, tense
• 1:06:12
  Speaker 2: and earnest. It might have been fifteen minutes, for whales
• 1:06:17
  Speaker 2: often stay under water for twenty minutes before coming to
• 1:06:22
  Speaker 2: the surface to breathe, but to Keletan and Ted, it
• 1:06:26
  Speaker 2: seemed an hour. Then the spray dashed high into the
• 1:06:32
  Speaker 2: air again, and the instant the huge body appeared, claked,
• 1:06:38
  Speaker 2: drew near, and away went another stinging lance, again, swift
• 1:06:45
  Speaker 2: and oh so sure of aim. This time the whale
• 1:06:50
  Speaker 2: struck out wildly, and Keuletan held his breath, while Ted
• 1:06:56
  Speaker 2: gasped at the highy's danger. For his kayaker like a shell,
• 1:07:01
  Speaker 2: and then was quite hidden from their sight by the spray,
• 1:07:06
  Speaker 2: which was dashed heavenward like clouds of white smoke. Once more,
• 1:07:12
  Speaker 2: the creature dived, and this time he stayed down only
• 1:07:17
  Speaker 2: a few minutes, and when he came up, blood spouted
• 1:07:21
  Speaker 2: into the air and dyed the sea. Crimson and Telatin exclaimed,
• 1:07:29
  Speaker 2: perce his lungs now he must die. There was one
• 1:07:34
  Speaker 2: more bright lancing weapon flying through the air, and had
• 1:07:39
  Speaker 2: noticed attached to it by a thong a curious looking bulb,
• 1:07:45
  Speaker 2: and asked Keletan, what is on that lance? Seal skin
• 1:07:51
  Speaker 2: boy said Keletan. We make the bag and blow it up,
• 1:07:56
  Speaker 2: tie it to the harpoon, and when the glance sticks
• 1:08:01
  Speaker 2: into the whale, the boy makes it very hard for
• 1:08:05
  Speaker 2: him to die. After a while, he dies and drifts ashore.
• 1:08:12
  Speaker 2: The waters about the whale were going red, and the
• 1:08:16
  Speaker 2: carcass seemed drifting out to sea, And at last the
• 1:08:22
  Speaker 2: Taie seemed satisfied. He sent a last look toward the
• 1:08:27
  Speaker 2: huge body, then turned his kayak toward the watchers on
• 1:08:33
  Speaker 2: the banks. If it only comes to shore, said Platin,
• 1:08:39
  Speaker 2: What would you do with it? Asked ted, Oh, there
• 1:08:43
  Speaker 2: are lots of things we can do with a whale,
• 1:08:46
  Speaker 2: said Plotin. The blubber is the best thing to eat
• 1:08:51
  Speaker 2: in all the world. Then we use the oil in
• 1:08:55
  Speaker 2: a bowl with a bit of pith in it to
• 1:08:59
  Speaker 2: light our huts. The bones are all useful in building
• 1:09:05
  Speaker 2: our houses. Whales were once bears, but they played too
• 1:09:10
  Speaker 2: much on the shore and ran away to sea. So
• 1:09:15
  Speaker 2: they wore off all their fur on the rocks, and
• 1:09:19
  Speaker 2: had their feet nibbled off by the fishes. Well, this
• 1:09:24
  Speaker 2: one didn't have his tail nibbled off at any rate.
• 1:09:28
  Speaker 2: Raft Head. I saw it flat at the taie and
• 1:09:32
  Speaker 2: thought that was the last of him. Sure tieee, much
• 1:09:37
  Speaker 2: big chief, said other him. And just then the old
• 1:09:42
  Speaker 2: man's kayak grew near them, and he stepped ashore as calmly,
• 1:09:48
  Speaker 2: as though he had not just been through so exciting
• 1:09:53
  Speaker 2: a scene with a mighty monster of the deep and
• 1:09:58
  Speaker 2: of chapter five, chapter six of Calatan, Our Little Alaskan Cousin.
• 1:10:12
  Speaker 2: This is the LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in
• 1:10:17
  Speaker 2: the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please
• 1:10:22
  Speaker 2: visit LibriVox dot org. Recording by Shasta Oakland, California. Calatan,
• 1:10:31
  Speaker 2: Our Little Alaskan Cousin by Mary F. Nixon Rouley, Chapter six,
• 1:10:40
  Speaker 2: the island home of Calatan swift, and even were the
• 1:10:46
  Speaker 2: strokes of the paddles as the canoes sped over the
• 1:10:51
  Speaker 2: water toward Kelotan's island home. Ted was so excited that
• 1:10:57
  Speaker 2: he could hardly sit still, and Tai Klake gave him
• 1:11:02
  Speaker 2: a warning glance and muttered kulichika, which means dangerous channel.
• 1:11:10
  Speaker 2: The day before, a big canoe had come through the
• 1:11:14
  Speaker 2: camp the paddlers bearing messages for the Taie, and he
• 1:11:20
  Speaker 2: had had a long conversation with mister Strong. The result
• 1:11:26
  Speaker 2: was astonishing to Teddy, for his father told him that
• 1:11:30
  Speaker 2: he was to go for a month to the island
• 1:11:34
  Speaker 2: with Talatan. This delighted him greatly, but he was a
• 1:11:40
  Speaker 2: little frightened when he found that his father was to
• 1:11:44
  Speaker 2: stay behind. It's just this way, son, mister Strong explained
• 1:11:50
  Speaker 2: to him, I'm here in government employee, taking government pay
• 1:11:57
  Speaker 2: to do government work. I must do it and do
• 1:12:01
  Speaker 2: it well in the shortest time possible. You will have
• 1:12:06
  Speaker 2: a far better time on the island with Caldhan than
• 1:12:10
  Speaker 2: you could possibly have loafing around the camp here. You
• 1:12:16
  Speaker 2: couldn't go to many places where I am going. And
• 1:12:20
  Speaker 2: if my mind is easy about you, I can take
• 1:12:25
  Speaker 2: checkwoof and do my work in half the time. I'll
• 1:12:30
  Speaker 2: come to the island in three or four weeks and
• 1:12:34
  Speaker 2: we'll take a week's vacation together, and then we'll hit
• 1:12:39
  Speaker 2: the trail for the gold fields. Are you satisfied with
• 1:12:44
  Speaker 2: this arrangement? Yes, Sir ted Stone was dubious, but his
• 1:12:50
  Speaker 2: face soon cleared up. A month won't be very long, father, No,
• 1:12:57
  Speaker 2: I'll wager you'll be sorry to leave when I come
• 1:13:01
  Speaker 2: for you. Try and not make any trouble. Of course,
• 1:13:06
  Speaker 2: Indian ways are not ours a jewel. Get used to
• 1:13:11
  Speaker 2: it all and enjoy it. It's a chance most boys
• 1:13:16
  Speaker 2: would be crazy over and you'll have tales to tell
• 1:13:21
  Speaker 2: when you get home to make your playmates envy you.
• 1:13:26
  Speaker 2: I'm glad I have a son I can trust to
• 1:13:29
  Speaker 2: keep straight when he is out of my sight, and
• 1:13:34
  Speaker 2: he laid his hand affectionately on the boy's shoulder. Ted
• 1:13:40
  Speaker 2: looked his father squarely in the eye. But I've only
• 1:13:45
  Speaker 2: a little nod in answer. Then he laughed, his clear,
• 1:13:50
  Speaker 2: ringing laugh. Wouldn't mother have spasms? He exclaimed. Mister Strong
• 1:13:58
  Speaker 2: laughed too, but said, you'll be just as well off
• 1:14:03
  Speaker 2: tumbling around with Kelatan as falling off a glacier or two,
• 1:14:09
  Speaker 2: as you would be certain to do if you were
• 1:14:13
  Speaker 2: with me. Teddy felt a little blue when he said
• 1:14:18
  Speaker 2: good bye to his father, but Calatin quickly dispelled his
• 1:14:22
  Speaker 2: gloom by a great piece of news. Great time on island,
• 1:14:29
  Speaker 2: he said. As the canoe glided toward the dim outline
• 1:14:35
  Speaker 2: of land to which Ted's thoughts had so often turned
• 1:14:40
  Speaker 2: ty east, whale came ashore. We go seek him. Caught up, Hurrah,
• 1:14:47
  Speaker 2: cried Ted, delighted to think I shall see all that?
• 1:14:54
  Speaker 2: What else will we do? Calotin hunt fish here, old
• 1:15:00
  Speaker 2: calakash stories, see buried dance. If you stay long enough,
• 1:15:05
  Speaker 2: perhaps a potlatch, do many things, said the Indian. One
• 1:15:11
  Speaker 2: of the Indian paddlers said something to Kelatan, and he
• 1:15:16
  Speaker 2: laughed a little, and Ted asked curiously, what did he say?
• 1:15:24
  Speaker 2: Said Calatan. Tennis learned to talk as much as a
• 1:15:28
  Speaker 2: Boston boy, said Kelatan, laughing heartily, and Ted laughed too.
• 1:15:36
  Speaker 2: The canoes were nearing the shore of a wooded island,
• 1:15:41
  Speaker 2: and Ted saw a fringe of trees and some native
• 1:15:46
  Speaker 2: houses clustered picturesquely against them, at the crest of a
• 1:15:51
  Speaker 2: small hill which sloped down to the water's edge, where
• 1:15:57
  Speaker 2: stood a group of people waiting for canoes. My home,
• 1:16:03
  Speaker 2: said Caltan, pointing to the largest house. My people. There
• 1:16:10
  Speaker 2: was a great deal of pride in his tone and look,
• 1:16:14
  Speaker 2: and he received a warm welcome. As the canoes touched
• 1:16:19
  Speaker 2: land and their occupants sprang on shore, the boys crowded
• 1:16:25
  Speaker 2: around the young Indian and chattered and gesticulated toward ten,
• 1:16:32
  Speaker 2: while a bright looking little mala sprang upon Keletan and
• 1:16:38
  Speaker 2: nearly knocked him down. Covering his face was eager puppy kisses.
• 1:16:45
  Speaker 2: The girls were less boisterous and regarded Teddy with shy curiosity.
• 1:16:52
  Speaker 2: Some of them were quite pretty, and the babies were
• 1:16:57
  Speaker 2: as cunning as the puppies. They barked every time the
• 1:17:02
  Speaker 2: dogs did, in a funny, horse little way, and indeed
• 1:17:08
  Speaker 2: Alaskan babies learned to bark long before they learned to talk.
• 1:17:14
  Speaker 2: The taie's wife received Teddy kindly, and he soon found
• 1:17:20
  Speaker 2: himself quite at home among these hospitable people, who seemed
• 1:17:26
  Speaker 2: all was friendly and natural. Nearly all spoke some English,
• 1:17:33
  Speaker 2: and he rapidly added to his store of chinook, so
• 1:17:38
  Speaker 2: that he had no trouble in making himself understood or
• 1:17:43
  Speaker 2: in understanding. Of course, he missed his father, but he
• 1:17:49
  Speaker 2: had little time to be lonely. Life in the village
• 1:17:53
  Speaker 2: was anything but uneventful. At first, there was the whale
• 1:17:58
  Speaker 2: to be attended to, and all the village turned out
• 1:18:01
  Speaker 2: for that. The huge creature had drifted ashore on the
• 1:18:07
  Speaker 2: farther side of the island, and Ted was much interested
• 1:18:12
  Speaker 2: in seeing him gradually disposed of. Great masses of lubber
• 1:18:18
  Speaker 2: were stripped from the sides, to be used later for
• 1:18:22
  Speaker 2: food and fuel. The hoial bone was carefully secured to
• 1:18:27
  Speaker 2: be sold to the traders, and it seemed to Ted
• 1:18:31
  Speaker 2: that there was not one thing in that vast carcass
• 1:18:35
  Speaker 2: for which the Indians did not have some use. Ted
• 1:18:41
  Speaker 2: soon tired of watching the many things done with the whale,
• 1:18:46
  Speaker 2: but there was plenty to do and see in the village.
• 1:18:51
  Speaker 2: The village houses were all alike. There was one large
• 1:18:56
  Speaker 2: room in which the people cooked, ate and slept. The
• 1:19:01
  Speaker 2: girls had blankets strung across one corner, behind which were
• 1:19:07
  Speaker 2: their beds. Teddy was given one also for his corner
• 1:19:12
  Speaker 2: of the great room. In the Tiese house. He learned
• 1:19:17
  Speaker 2: to eat the food and to like it very much.
• 1:19:21
  Speaker 2: There was dried fish, heron's eggs, berries, or those put
• 1:19:28
  Speaker 2: up in seal oil, which is obtained by frying the
• 1:19:32
  Speaker 2: fat out of the bubber of the seal. The Alaskans
• 1:19:37
  Speaker 2: use this oil in nearly all their cooking, and are
• 1:19:42
  Speaker 2: very fond of it. Ted Ate also dried seaweed, chopped
• 1:19:47
  Speaker 2: and boiled in seal oil, which tasted very much like
• 1:19:52
  Speaker 2: boiled and salted leather, but he liked it very well. Indeed,
• 1:19:58
  Speaker 2: he grew so strong and well out of doors all
• 1:20:03
  Speaker 2: day in the clear air and bright sunshine of the
• 1:20:08
  Speaker 2: last in June, that he could eat anything and tramp
• 1:20:12
  Speaker 2: all day without being too tired, to sleep like a
• 1:20:17
  Speaker 2: top all night, and weak ready for a new day
• 1:20:22
  Speaker 2: with a zest he never felt at home. Fresh fish
• 1:20:28
  Speaker 2: were plentiful. The boys caught salmon, smelts, and whitefish, and
• 1:20:34
  Speaker 2: many were dried for the coming winter, while clams, gum boots,
• 1:20:40
  Speaker 2: sea cucumbers, and devilfish found on the rocks of the
• 1:20:45
  Speaker 2: shore were everyday diet Kelatan's sister and ted became great friends.
• 1:20:54
  Speaker 2: She was older than Keltan, and though only fifteen, was
• 1:21:00
  Speaker 2: soon to be married to Tak thee Ah, a fine
• 1:21:05
  Speaker 2: young Indian who was ready to pay high for her,
• 1:21:10
  Speaker 2: which was not strange, for she was both pretty and sweet.
• 1:21:16
  Speaker 2: At the next full moon, said Keltan, there will be
• 1:21:20
  Speaker 2: a pot ledge and Tanana will be sold to tad Aw.
• 1:21:27
  Speaker 2: He says he will give four hundred blankets for her,
• 1:21:31
  Speaker 2: and my uncle is well pleased. Many only pay ten
• 1:21:37
  Speaker 2: blankets for a wife. But of course we would not
• 1:21:41
  Speaker 2: sell my sister for that. She is of high caste,
• 1:21:46
  Speaker 2: chief's daughter, niece and sister. The boy spoke proudly, and
• 1:21:53
  Speaker 2: Ted answered, she's so pretty too. She's not like the
• 1:21:58
  Speaker 2: Indian girls I saw at Wrangel and Juno. Why there
• 1:22:05
  Speaker 2: the women sat around as dirty as dogs on the
• 1:22:09
  Speaker 2: sidewalk and didn't seem to care how they looked. They
• 1:22:13
  Speaker 2: had baskets to sell and were too lazy to care
• 1:22:18
  Speaker 2: whether anyone bought them or not. They weren't a bit
• 1:22:22
  Speaker 2: like Kanana. She's as pretty as a Japanese Calatan smiled
• 1:22:30
  Speaker 2: well pleased, and Ted added, I guess the Linketts must
• 1:22:36
  Speaker 2: be the best Indians in Alaska. Kelatan laughed outright at this.
• 1:22:43
  Speaker 2: Flinkett's pretty good, he said. Tanana, good girl. She learned
• 1:22:49
  Speaker 2: much good at the mission school, married talk de ha
• 1:22:54
  Speaker 2: and make people better. She can weave blankets, make fine
• 1:23:00
  Speaker 2: baskets and keep house like a white girl. Geese all right,
• 1:23:06
  Speaker 2: said ten, But Kalakan, what is a potlatch? Potlatch is
• 1:23:13
  Speaker 2: a good will feast, said his friend. Very fine thing.
• 1:23:18
  Speaker 2: But white men do not like say Indian feasts are
• 1:23:24
  Speaker 2: all bad. Why is it bad when an Indian gives
• 1:23:29
  Speaker 2: away all his goods for others. That is what a
• 1:23:33
  Speaker 2: great potlatch is. When white men give us whiskey and
• 1:23:39
  Speaker 2: it is drunk too much, then it is very bad.
• 1:23:43
  Speaker 2: But Tai'e will not have that for Tanana's feast. We
• 1:23:49
  Speaker 2: will drink only cross, as my people made it before
• 1:23:53
  Speaker 2: they learned evil drinks and fire water, which makes them crazy.
• 1:24:00
  Speaker 2: I guess tie E Clake was right when he said
• 1:24:04
  Speaker 2: all men were alike, said Tad sagely. It seemed to
• 1:24:10
  Speaker 2: me that there are good and bad ones in all countries.
• 1:24:15
  Speaker 2: It's a pity you have had such bad white ones
• 1:24:19
  Speaker 2: here in Alaska. But I thiss you have had good
• 1:24:23
  Speaker 2: ones too, plenty good, plenty bad. Flinkit men and Boston men,
• 1:24:30
  Speaker 2: said Calatan, all same. Footnote eight. Qross is a native drink,
• 1:24:39
  Speaker 2: harmless and acid, made with rye and water fermented. The
• 1:24:45
  Speaker 2: bad Indians mix it with sugar, flour, dried apples, and
• 1:24:51
  Speaker 2: hops and make a terribly intoxicating drink. And of chapter six.
• 1:25:05
  Speaker 9: Chapter seven of Calatan, Our Little Alaskan Cousin. This is
• 1:25:09
  Speaker 9: a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
• 1:25:15
  Speaker 9: For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
• 1:25:21
  Speaker 9: Recording by Anita Sloma Martinez. Calatan, Our Little Alaskan Cousin
• 1:25:29
  Speaker 9: by Mary F. Nixon Roulette, Chapter seven, Twilight Tales and Totems.
• 1:25:38
  Speaker 9: Once a small girl child went by night to bring
• 1:25:41
  Speaker 9: water in the skies above. She saw the moon shining brightly,
• 1:25:46
  Speaker 9: pale and placid, and she put forth her tongue at it,
• 1:25:50
  Speaker 9: which was an evil thing, for the moon is old,
• 1:25:53
  Speaker 9: and a klinket child should show respect for age, so
• 1:25:58
  Speaker 9: the moon would not endure. So room the thing from
• 1:26:00
  Speaker 9: a girl child, and it came down from the sky
• 1:26:04
  Speaker 9: and took her thither. She cried out in fear and
• 1:26:08
  Speaker 9: caught at the long grass to keep herself from going up.
• 1:26:12
  Speaker 9: But the moon was strong and took her with her
• 1:26:14
  Speaker 9: water bucket and her bunch of grass, and she never
• 1:26:17
  Speaker 9: came back. Her mother wept for her, but her father said, cease,
• 1:26:23
  Speaker 9: we have other girl children. She is now wedded to
• 1:26:27
  Speaker 9: the moon. To him, we need not give a potlatch
• 1:26:31
  Speaker 9: you may see her still if you will look at
• 1:26:34
  Speaker 9: the moon. There grass in one hand, bucket in the other.
• 1:26:38
  Speaker 9: And when the new moon tips to one side, and
• 1:26:41
  Speaker 9: the water spills from the clouds, and it is the
• 1:26:44
  Speaker 9: months of rain, it is the bad mood mated tipping
• 1:26:48
  Speaker 9: over her water bucket upon the earth. No clinket child
• 1:26:53
  Speaker 9: would dare ever to put her tongue forth at the moon,
• 1:26:56
  Speaker 9: for fear of a like fate to that of squiyaw Nce.
• 1:27:00
  Speaker 9: The moon maiden. Tanana's voice was soft and low, and
• 1:27:06
  Speaker 9: she looked very pretty as she sat in the moonlight
• 1:27:08
  Speaker 9: at the door of the hut and told Calatan and
• 1:27:11
  Speaker 9: Ted quaint old stories. Ted was delighted with her tales
• 1:27:16
  Speaker 9: and begged for another, and yet another, And Tanana told
• 1:27:19
  Speaker 9: the quaint story of Kagamille. A mighty Toyan dwelt on
• 1:27:25
  Speaker 9: the island of Kagamille. By name, he was kat Hayakuchat,
• 1:27:31
  Speaker 9: and he was of great strength and much to be feared.
• 1:27:36
  Speaker 9: He had long had a death feud with people of
• 1:27:38
  Speaker 9: the next Totem. But the bold warrior Yakaga, chieftain of
• 1:27:43
  Speaker 9: the tribe, married the toyan's daughter, and there was no
• 1:27:47
  Speaker 9: more feud. Zampa was the son of kat Hayakuchat and
• 1:27:52
  Speaker 9: his pride. He built for this sun a fine dharka,
• 1:27:57
  Speaker 9: and the boy launched it on the sea. His father
• 1:28:00
  Speaker 9: watched him sail and called him to return lest evil befall.
• 1:28:05
  Speaker 9: But Zampa heard not his father's voice and pursued diving birds,
• 1:28:10
  Speaker 9: and lo he was far from land, and the dark fell.
• 1:28:14
  Speaker 9: He sailed to the nearest shore and beheld the village
• 1:28:17
  Speaker 9: of Yakaga, where the people of his sister's husband made
• 1:28:21
  Speaker 9: him welcome. Though Yakaga was not within his hut, there
• 1:28:26
  Speaker 9: was feasting and merrymaking, and according to their custom, he
• 1:28:31
  Speaker 9: the stranger was given a chieftain's daughter to wife, and
• 1:28:35
  Speaker 9: her name was Kittayu, and Zampa loved her and she him,
• 1:28:40
  Speaker 9: and he returned not home. But Kittayu's father liked him
• 1:28:44
  Speaker 9: not and treated him with rudeness because of the old
• 1:28:48
  Speaker 9: enmity with his Tayi father. So Zampa said to Kittayu,
• 1:28:54
  Speaker 9: let us go, hence we cannot be happy here. Let
• 1:28:58
  Speaker 9: us go from your father, who is unfriendly to me,
• 1:29:01
  Speaker 9: and seek the Barabora of my father, the mighty Chief,
• 1:29:06
  Speaker 9: that happiness may come upon us, and Kittayu said, what
• 1:29:11
  Speaker 9: my lord says is well. Then Zampa placed her in
• 1:29:15
  Speaker 9: his canoe, and alone beneath the stars, they sailed and
• 1:29:20
  Speaker 9: it was well, and Zampa's arm was strong at his paddle.
• 1:29:25
  Speaker 9: But Lo, they heard another paddle, and one came after them,
• 1:29:30
  Speaker 9: and soon arrows flew about them, arrow swift and cruel,
• 1:29:35
  Speaker 9: and one struck his paddle from his hand, and his
• 1:29:38
  Speaker 9: canoe was overturned. The pursuer came and placed kitty Youu
• 1:29:43
  Speaker 9: in his canoe, seeking too for Zampa. But alas Zampa
• 1:29:48
  Speaker 9: was drowned, and when his pursuer dragged his body to
• 1:29:51
  Speaker 9: the surface, he gave a mighty cry for Lo, it
• 1:29:55
  Speaker 9: was his brother in law whom he had pursued for
• 1:29:59
  Speaker 9: he was Yakaka. Then, fearing the terrible rage of Zampa's father,
• 1:30:04
  Speaker 9: he dared not return with the body, so he left
• 1:30:07
  Speaker 9: it with the overturned canoe in the kelp and weeds.
• 1:30:11
  Speaker 9: Kitta you He bore with him to his own island.
• 1:30:15
  Speaker 9: There she was sad as the sea gulls scream, for
• 1:30:19
  Speaker 9: the lord she loved was dead, and her father gave
• 1:30:23
  Speaker 9: her to another Toyan who was cruel to her and
• 1:30:26
  Speaker 9: her life was as a slave's, and she loathed her
• 1:30:30
  Speaker 9: life until Zampa's child was born to her, and for
• 1:30:34
  Speaker 9: it she lived alas it was a girl child, and
• 1:30:39
  Speaker 9: her husband hated it, and Kitta, you saw nothing for
• 1:30:43
  Speaker 9: it but to be sold as a slave, as was
• 1:30:46
  Speaker 9: she herself. And she looked by day and by night
• 1:30:50
  Speaker 9: at the sea, and its cold cold waves seemed warmer
• 1:30:53
  Speaker 9: to her than the arms of men. With my girl child,
• 1:30:58
  Speaker 9: I shall go. Hence, she whispered to herself, and the
• 1:31:02
  Speaker 9: great unknown spirit will be kind. So by night she
• 1:31:06
  Speaker 9: stole away in a canoe and steered to see ere
• 1:31:10
  Speaker 9: she knew where she was, reaching the seaweeds where she
• 1:31:13
  Speaker 9: had journeyed with her young husband. The morning broke and
• 1:31:18
  Speaker 9: she saw the weeds and the kelp where her lover
• 1:31:20
  Speaker 9: had gone from her sight, and with a glad sigh,
• 1:31:24
  Speaker 9: she clasped Zampa's child to her breast and sank down
• 1:31:28
  Speaker 9: among the weeds where he had died. So her tired
• 1:31:32
  Speaker 9: spirit was at rest, For a woman is happier who
• 1:31:36
  Speaker 9: dies with him, she loves now. Zampa's father had found
• 1:31:40
  Speaker 9: his boy's body and mourned over it and buried it
• 1:31:44
  Speaker 9: in a mighty cave. The which he had once made
• 1:31:47
  Speaker 9: for his furs and stores. With it, he placed bows
• 1:31:52
  Speaker 9: and arrows and many valuables in respect for the dead.
• 1:31:56
  Speaker 9: And Zampa's sister, going to his funeral, feet, fell upon
• 1:32:01
  Speaker 9: a stone with her child, so that both were killed.
• 1:32:05
  Speaker 9: Then broke the old chief's heart. Beside her brother, he
• 1:32:09
  Speaker 9: laid her in the cave and gave orders that he
• 1:32:13
  Speaker 9: himself should be placed there as well. When grief should
• 1:32:16
  Speaker 9: have made way with him, then he died of sorrow
• 1:32:20
  Speaker 9: for his children, and his people in teared him in
• 1:32:23
  Speaker 9: his burial cave, and with him they put much wealth
• 1:32:27
  Speaker 9: and blankets and weapons. When therefore the people of his
• 1:32:33
  Speaker 9: tribe fought the bodies of Kittayu and her child among
• 1:32:36
  Speaker 9: the Keelp. Having heard of her love for Zampa, they
• 1:32:40
  Speaker 9: bore them to the same cave, and wrapping them in furs,
• 1:32:44
  Speaker 9: they placed Kittaiu beside her beloved husband, and in her
• 1:32:49
  Speaker 9: burial she found her home and felt the kindness of
• 1:32:52
  Speaker 9: the great Spirit. This, then is the story of the
• 1:32:56
  Speaker 9: burial cave of Cagamil. And since that day no man
• 1:33:00
  Speaker 9: dwelt upon the island, and it is known as the
• 1:33:03
  Speaker 9: island of the Dead. I'd like to see it, I
• 1:33:07
  Speaker 9: can tell you, said Ted. Are there any burial caves
• 1:33:11
  Speaker 9: round here? The Clinkets do not bury in caves, said Tanana.
• 1:33:16
  Speaker 9: We used to burn our dead, but often we place
• 1:33:18
  Speaker 9: them in totem poles. I thought those great poles by
• 1:33:22
  Speaker 9: your doors were totems, said Ted. Puzzled, Yes, said the girl.
• 1:33:27
  Speaker 9: They are cast totems, and all who are of any
• 1:33:31
  Speaker 9: rank have them. As we belong to the raven, or
• 1:33:35
  Speaker 9: bear or eagle clan. We have the carved poles to
• 1:33:39
  Speaker 9: show our rank. But the totem of the dead is
• 1:33:41
  Speaker 9: quite different. It does not stand beside the door, but
• 1:33:45
  Speaker 9: far away. It is alone as the soul of the dead,
• 1:33:49
  Speaker 9: in whose honor it is made, It is but little carved.
• 1:33:54
  Speaker 9: A square hole is cut at the back of the pole,
• 1:33:57
  Speaker 9: and the body of the dead, wrapped in a madding
• 1:34:00
  Speaker 9: of cedar bark, is placed within a board, being nailed
• 1:34:04
  Speaker 9: so that the body will not fall to the ground.
• 1:34:07
  Speaker 9: A potlatch is given, and food from the feast is
• 1:34:11
  Speaker 9: put in the fire for the dead person. It seems
• 1:34:15
  Speaker 9: queer to put weapons and blankets and things to eat
• 1:34:17
  Speaker 9: on people's graves, said Ted. Why do they do it?
• 1:34:22
  Speaker 9: Of the dead. We know nothing, said Tanana. Perhaps the
• 1:34:26
  Speaker 9: warrior's spirit wishes his arrows in the land of the
• 1:34:29
  Speaker 9: great unknown. Yes, but he can't come back for them,
• 1:34:33
  Speaker 9: persisted Ted at Wrangell. Busted man put flowers on his
• 1:34:38
  Speaker 9: girl's grave, said Calatad dryly, she come back and smell posy.
• 1:34:44
  Speaker 9: Having no answer ready, Ted changed the subject and asked,
• 1:34:48
  Speaker 9: why do you have the raven at the top of
• 1:34:50
  Speaker 9: your totem pole? Indian cannot marry same totem, said Calatan.
• 1:34:57
  Speaker 9: My father was eagle totem, my mother was totem. He
• 1:35:01
  Speaker 9: carve her totem at the top of the pole than
• 1:35:04
  Speaker 9: his totem, and those of the family are carved below.
• 1:35:08
  Speaker 9: The greater the family, the taller the totem. How do
• 1:35:12
  Speaker 9: you get these totems, demanded Ted. Clan totems we take
• 1:35:17
  Speaker 9: from our parents. But a man may choose his own totem.
• 1:35:21
  Speaker 9: Before he becomes a man, he must go alone into
• 1:35:25
  Speaker 9: the forest to fast, and there he chooses his totem.
• 1:35:29
  Speaker 9: And he is brother to that animal all his life,
• 1:35:32
  Speaker 9: and may not kill it. When he comes forth, he
• 1:35:36
  Speaker 9: may take part in all the ceremonies of his tribe.
• 1:35:40
  Speaker 9: Why it is something like knighthood, and the vigil at arms,
• 1:35:44
  Speaker 9: and his cutcheons, and all those round table things, exclaimed
• 1:35:49
  Speaker 9: Ted in delight, for he dearly loved the stirring tales
• 1:35:52
  Speaker 9: of King Arthur and his knights, and the doughty deeds
• 1:35:55
  Speaker 9: of Camelot. Tell us about that, said Calatan, So Ted
• 1:36:00
  Speaker 9: told them many tales in the moonlight, as they sat
• 1:36:03
  Speaker 9: beneath the shadows of the quaint and curious totopoles of
• 1:36:08
  Speaker 9: Calatan's tribe. End of chapter seven.
• 1:36:18
  Speaker 4: Chapter eight of Calatan, Our Little Alaskan Cousin. This is
• 1:36:23
  Speaker 4: a LibriVox recording. A LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
• 1:36:28
  Speaker 4: For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. Calatan,
• 1:36:34
  Speaker 4: Our Little Alaskan Cousin by Mary F. Nixon Rollo, Chapter
• 1:36:40
  Speaker 4: eight The Berry Dance. Teddy's month upon the island stretched
• 1:36:47
  Speaker 4: out into two. His father came and went, finding the
• 1:36:51
  Speaker 4: boy so happy and well that he left him with
• 1:36:53
  Speaker 4: an easy mind. Ted's fair skin was tanned to a
• 1:36:57
  Speaker 4: warm brown and clad in Indian clothes. For his oreole
• 1:37:01
  Speaker 4: of copper colored hair so strong a contrast to the
• 1:37:05
  Speaker 4: straight black locks of his Indian brothers, he could hardly
• 1:37:09
  Speaker 4: be told from one of the island lads who roamed
• 1:37:12
  Speaker 4: all day by wooden shore. They called him Yakso Pil Chikamun,
• 1:37:17
  Speaker 4: and all the village liked him. Tanana's marriage feast was held,
• 1:37:22
  Speaker 4: and she and Tajiha went to housekeeping in the little hut,
• 1:37:26
  Speaker 4: where the one room was as clean and neat as
• 1:37:29
  Speaker 4: could be, and not a bit like the dirty rooms
• 1:37:31
  Speaker 4: of some of the natives. Tanana spent all her spare
• 1:37:35
  Speaker 4: time weaving beautiful baskets for her slim fingers were very skillful.
• 1:37:40
  Speaker 4: Some of the baskets which she made out of the
• 1:37:43
  Speaker 4: inner bark of the willow tree were woven so closely
• 1:37:47
  Speaker 4: that they could hold water and teddy never tired of
• 1:37:50
  Speaker 4: watching her weave the gay colors in and out, nor
• 1:37:53
  Speaker 4: seeing the wonderful patterns grow. Tajiha would take them to
• 1:37:57
  Speaker 4: the mainland when she had enough made and sell them
• 1:38:00
  Speaker 4: to the travelers from the States. Meantime, taji Hi himself
• 1:38:04
  Speaker 4: was very, very busy carving the totem pole for his
• 1:38:08
  Speaker 4: new home. For Tanana was a chieftain's daughter, and he
• 1:38:12
  Speaker 4: too was of high caste, and their totem must be
• 1:38:15
  Speaker 4: carved and stand one hundred feet high beside their door
• 1:38:18
  Speaker 4: lest they be reproached. Ted also enjoyed seeing old Kalikash carve,
• 1:38:25
  Speaker 4: for he was the finest carver among the Indians, and
• 1:38:28
  Speaker 4: it was wonderful to see him cut strange figures out
• 1:38:30
  Speaker 4: of bone, wood, horn, fishbones, and anything his gnarl little
• 1:38:35
  Speaker 4: fingers could get a hold of. And he would carve grasshoppers, bears, minnows, whales, seagulls, babies,
• 1:38:43
  Speaker 4: or idols. He made two a canoe for Ted, a
• 1:38:46
  Speaker 4: real Alaskan dugout, shaping the shell from a log and
• 1:38:49
  Speaker 4: making it soft by steam filling the hole with water
• 1:38:53
  Speaker 4: and throwing in red hot stones. The wood was then
• 1:38:57
  Speaker 4: left to season, and Ted could hardly wait patiently until
• 1:39:00
  Speaker 4: sun and wind and rain had made his precious craft seaworthy.
• 1:39:05
  Speaker 4: Then it was painted with paint made by rubbing a
• 1:39:08
  Speaker 4: certain rock over the surface of a coarse stone, and
• 1:39:11
  Speaker 4: the powder mixed with oil or water. At last it
• 1:39:15
  Speaker 4: was done, a shapely thing, more beautiful in Ted's eyes
• 1:39:18
  Speaker 4: than any launcher yacht he had ever seen at home.
• 1:39:22
  Speaker 4: His canoe had a carved stern and a sharp prow
• 1:39:25
  Speaker 4: which came out of the water, and which had carved
• 1:39:28
  Speaker 4: upon it a fine eagle. Kalikash had not asked Ted
• 1:39:31
  Speaker 4: what his totem was, but supposing that the American eagle
• 1:39:35
  Speaker 4: on the buttons of the boy's coat was his emblem,
• 1:39:39
  Speaker 4: he carved the rapid bird upon the canoe as the
• 1:39:41
  Speaker 4: boy's totem. Ted learned to paddle and to fish, never
• 1:39:45
  Speaker 4: so well as Calatan, of course, for he was born
• 1:39:48
  Speaker 4: to it. But still he did very well, and enjoyed
• 1:39:51
  Speaker 4: it hugely. Happily waned the summer days. And then came
• 1:39:56
  Speaker 4: the time of the berry dance, which Calatan had oken
• 1:40:00
  Speaker 4: of so often that Ted was very anxious to see it.
• 1:40:03
  Speaker 4: The salmon berry was fully ripe, a large and luscious berry,
• 1:40:07
  Speaker 4: found in two colors, yellow and dark red. Besides these
• 1:40:12
  Speaker 4: there were other small berries, marskins like the New England, dewberries, huckleberries,
• 1:40:18
  Speaker 4: and whortleberries. We have five kinds of berries on our islands,
• 1:40:22
  Speaker 4: said Calatan. All good. The birds flying from the mainland
• 1:40:26
  Speaker 4: first brought the seeds, and our berries grow larger than
• 1:40:29
  Speaker 4: almost any place in Alaska. There's certainly good, said Ted,
• 1:40:34
  Speaker 4: as mouthful as he spoke. These salmon berries are a
• 1:40:38
  Speaker 4: kind of halfway between our blackberries and strawberries. I never
• 1:40:42
  Speaker 4: saw anything prettier than the way the red and yellow
• 1:40:45
  Speaker 4: berries grow so thick on the same bush. There come
• 1:40:49
  Speaker 4: the canoes. Interrupted Calatan, and the two boys ran down
• 1:40:52
  Speaker 4: to the water's edge, eager to be the first to
• 1:40:55
  Speaker 4: greet the visitors. T Klak was giving a feast to
• 1:40:59
  Speaker 4: the people of the neighboring islands, and a dozen canoes
• 1:41:02
  Speaker 4: glided over the water from different directions. The canoes were
• 1:41:06
  Speaker 4: all gaily decorated, and they came swiftly onward to the
• 1:41:10
  Speaker 4: weird chant of the paddlers, which the breeze wafted to
• 1:41:13
  Speaker 4: the listener's ears in a monotonous melody. Everyone in the
• 1:41:19
  Speaker 4: village had been astir since daybreak preparing for the great event.
• 1:41:23
  Speaker 4: Parallel lines had been strung from the chief's house to
• 1:41:26
  Speaker 4: the shore, and from these were hung gay blankets, pieces
• 1:41:29
  Speaker 4: of bright calico, and festoons of leaves and flowers. As
• 1:41:34
  Speaker 4: the canoes landed their occupants, the dancers thronged to welcome
• 1:41:38
  Speaker 4: their guests. The great drums sounded its loud note, and
• 1:41:41
  Speaker 4: the dancers arrayed in wonderful blankets woven in all manner
• 1:41:45
  Speaker 4: of fanciful designs, and trimmed with long woolen fringes, swayed
• 1:41:50
  Speaker 4: back and forth, up and down, to and fro in
• 1:41:53
  Speaker 4: a very graceful manner, keeping time to the music. In
• 1:41:57
  Speaker 4: the center of the largest canoes stood the Tayis of
• 1:42:00
  Speaker 4: a neighboring island, a tall Indian dressed in a superb
• 1:42:03
  Speaker 4: blanket with fringe of foot long fringe, leggins and moccasins
• 1:42:08
  Speaker 4: of walrus hide, and the chief's hat to show his rank.
• 1:42:12
  Speaker 4: It was a peculiar head dress half a foot high,
• 1:42:15
  Speaker 4: trimmed and down in feathers. The Tayee, in perfect time
• 1:42:19
  Speaker 4: to the music, swayed back and forth, never ceasing for
• 1:42:23
  Speaker 4: a moment, shaking his head so that the down was
• 1:42:26
  Speaker 4: wafted in a snowy cloud all over him. As the
• 1:42:30
  Speaker 4: canoes reached the shallows, the shore Indians dashed into the
• 1:42:34
  Speaker 4: water to draw them up to land, and the company
• 1:42:36
  Speaker 4: was joyously received. Teddy was delighted for in one of
• 1:42:40
  Speaker 4: the canoes was his father, whom he had not seen
• 1:42:43
  Speaker 4: for several weeks. After the greetings were over, the dancers
• 1:42:47
  Speaker 4: arranged themselves in opposite lines, men on one side, women
• 1:42:51
  Speaker 4: on the other, and swayed their bodies, while the drum
• 1:42:54
  Speaker 4: kept up its unceasing tom tum tomb. It's a little
• 1:43:00
  Speaker 4: bit like square dances at home, said Ted. It's ever
• 1:43:03
  Speaker 4: so pretty, isn't it. First they sway to the right,
• 1:43:06
  Speaker 4: then to the left, over and over and over. Then
• 1:43:09
  Speaker 4: they bend their bodies forward and backward without bending their knees.
• 1:43:13
  Speaker 4: Then sway again and bend to one side and then
• 1:43:16
  Speaker 4: the other, singing all the time. Isn't it odd? Father?
• 1:43:20
  Speaker 4: It certainly is, but it's very graceful, said mister Strong.
• 1:43:24
  Speaker 4: Some of the girls are quite pretty, gentle looking creatures,
• 1:43:27
  Speaker 4: but the older women are ugly. The very old woman
• 1:43:31
  Speaker 4: looked like the mummies in the museum at home, said Ted.
• 1:43:35
  Speaker 4: There's one old woman over a hundred years old, whose
• 1:43:37
  Speaker 4: skin is like a piece of parchment, and she wears
• 1:43:41
  Speaker 4: the hideous lip button, which most of the thing kits
• 1:43:44
  Speaker 4: have stopped using. Calatan says all the women used to
• 1:43:47
  Speaker 4: wear them. The girls used to make a cut in
• 1:43:50
  Speaker 4: their chins between the lip and the chin and put
• 1:43:53
  Speaker 4: in a piece of wood change in every few days
• 1:43:56
  Speaker 4: for a piece a little larger, until the opening was
• 1:43:59
  Speaker 4: stretched like a mouth. When they grew up, a wooden
• 1:44:02
  Speaker 4: button like the bowl of a spoon was set in
• 1:44:04
  Speaker 4: the hole and constantly enlarged. The largest I have ever
• 1:44:09
  Speaker 4: seen was three inches long. Isn't it a curious idea, father?
• 1:44:15
  Speaker 4: It certainly is. But there's no telling what women will admire.
• 1:44:19
  Speaker 4: A Chinese lady binds her feet and an American her waist,
• 1:44:23
  Speaker 4: a Mayori woman slits her nose, and an English bell
• 1:44:26
  Speaker 4: pierces her ears. It's on the same principle that your
• 1:44:30
  Speaker 4: think kit friends slip their chins for the lip button.
• 1:44:34
  Speaker 4: I'm mighty glad they don't do it now, for Tanana's
• 1:44:37
  Speaker 4: as pretty as a pink, and it would be a
• 1:44:40
  Speaker 4: shame to spoil her face that way, said Ted. The
• 1:44:43
  Speaker 4: dancing is stop, father, Let's see what they'll do next.
• 1:44:47
  Speaker 4: There comes Calatan. A feast of berries was to follow
• 1:44:50
  Speaker 4: the dance, and Calatan led mister Strong and Ted to
• 1:44:54
  Speaker 4: the chief's house, which was gaily decorated with blankets and
• 1:44:58
  Speaker 4: bits of bright cloth. The table, covered with a cloth,
• 1:45:01
  Speaker 4: was laid around three sides of the room, and on
• 1:45:04
  Speaker 4: this was spread hard tack and huge bulls of berries
• 1:45:08
  Speaker 4: of different colors. These were beaten up with sugar into
• 1:45:11
  Speaker 4: a foamy mixture. Pink purple and yellow according to the
• 1:45:15
  Speaker 4: color of the berries, which tasted good and looked pretty.
• 1:45:20
  Speaker 4: Ted and Calatan had helped gather the berries, and their
• 1:45:23
  Speaker 4: appetites were quite of the best. Mister Strong smiled to
• 1:45:27
  Speaker 4: see how the once fussy little gentleman helped himself with
• 1:45:30
  Speaker 4: a right good will to the Indian dainties of his friends.
• 1:45:35
  Speaker 4: Many pieces of goods had been provided for the potlatch,
• 1:45:38
  Speaker 4: and these were given away, given and received with dignified politeness.
• 1:45:43
  Speaker 4: There was laughing, in merriment, with a feast, and when
• 1:45:46
  Speaker 4: it was all over, the canoes floated away as they
• 1:45:49
  Speaker 4: had come into the sunset, which gilded all the sea
• 1:45:53
  Speaker 4: to rosy, golden beauty. Ted's share of the potlatch was
• 1:45:57
  Speaker 4: a beautiful blanket of Tanana's weaving, and he was delighted
• 1:46:01
  Speaker 4: beyond measure. You're lucky, boy, Ted, said his father. People
• 1:46:06
  Speaker 4: pay as high as sixty five dollars for an Alaskan blanket,
• 1:46:10
  Speaker 4: and not always a perfect one at that. Many of
• 1:46:13
  Speaker 4: the Indians are using dyed yarns to weave them. But
• 1:46:16
  Speaker 4: yours is the genuine article, made from white goat's wool,
• 1:46:20
  Speaker 4: long and soft and died only in the Native reds
• 1:46:23
  Speaker 4: and blacks. We shall have to do something nice for
• 1:46:26
  Speaker 4: Tanana when you leave. I'd like to give her something
• 1:46:29
  Speaker 4: in Calatan too. Ted's face looked very grave. When do
• 1:46:34
  Speaker 4: I have to go, father right away? I'm afraid, was
• 1:46:38
  Speaker 4: the reply of Let you stay as long as possible,
• 1:46:41
  Speaker 4: and now we must start for our northern trip. If
• 1:46:44
  Speaker 4: you are to see anything at all of Mines and
• 1:46:46
  Speaker 4: Eskimos before we start home, the mail steamer passes Newkek
• 1:46:52
  Speaker 4: day after tomorrow, and we must go over there in
• 1:46:55
  Speaker 4: time to take it. Yes, Sir, said Ted, forlornly. You
• 1:46:59
  Speaker 4: want it to see the minds and all the wonderful
• 1:47:01
  Speaker 4: things of the far North. But he hated to leave
• 1:47:04
  Speaker 4: his Indian friends. What's the trouble? Ted His father laid
• 1:47:08
  Speaker 4: his hand on his shoulder, disliking to see the bright
• 1:47:11
  Speaker 4: face so clouded. I was only thinking of Calatan, said Ted.
• 1:47:17
  Speaker 4: Suppose we take Calatan with us, said mister Strong. Oh, Daddy,
• 1:47:20
  Speaker 4: could we really? Ted jumped in excitement. I'll ask the
• 1:47:25
  Speaker 4: Tai if he will lend him to us for a month,
• 1:47:27
  Speaker 4: said mister Strong, And in a few minutes it was decided,
• 1:47:31
  Speaker 4: and Ted, with one great bear hug to thank his
• 1:47:33
  Speaker 4: father rushed off to find his friend and tell him
• 1:47:36
  Speaker 4: the glorious news. End of chapter eight. The Very Dance.
• 1:47:50
  Speaker 2: Chapter nine of Calatan, Our Little Alaskan Cousin. This is
• 1:47:56
  Speaker 2: a libra of arks recording. All lib recordings are in
• 1:48:01
  Speaker 2: the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please
• 1:48:06
  Speaker 2: visit libravox dot org. Recording by Shasta Oakland, California. Calatan,
• 1:48:16
  Speaker 2: Our Little Alaskan Cousin by Mary F. Nixon Rouley, Chapter nine,
• 1:48:24
  Speaker 2: on the way to Nome. Well, boys, we're off for
• 1:48:29
  Speaker 2: a long sail, and I'm afraid you will be rather
• 1:48:33
  Speaker 2: tired with the steamer before you are done with her,
• 1:48:37
  Speaker 2: said mister Strong. They had ordered the mail steamer late
• 1:48:41
  Speaker 2: the night before, and going right to bed, had awakened
• 1:48:45
  Speaker 2: early next day and rushed on deck to find the
• 1:48:49
  Speaker 2: August sun shining in brilliant beauty, the islands quite out
• 1:48:55
  Speaker 2: of sight, and nought but sea and sky around and
• 1:49:00
  Speaker 2: above them. Oh, I don't know. We'll find something to do,
• 1:49:06
  Speaker 2: said Teddy. You'll have lots to tell us about the
• 1:49:11
  Speaker 2: places we pass, and if there aren't any other boys
• 1:49:16
  Speaker 2: on board, Kelatan and I will be together. What's the
• 1:49:20
  Speaker 2: first place we stop? We passed the Kenai Peninsula in
• 1:49:27
  Speaker 2: the night. I wish you could have caught a glimpse
• 1:49:30
  Speaker 2: of some of the waterfalls, volcanoes and glaciers. They are
• 1:49:36
  Speaker 2: as fine as any in Alaska, said mister Strong. Our
• 1:49:42
  Speaker 2: next stop will be Katiak Island. Katiak Island was once
• 1:49:48
  Speaker 2: near the mainland, said Kelatan. There was the only narrowest
• 1:49:54
  Speaker 2: passage of water. But a great Kenai otter tried to
• 1:49:59
  Speaker 2: swim the pass and was caught fast. He struggled so
• 1:50:05
  Speaker 2: that he made it wider and wider, and at last
• 1:50:09
  Speaker 2: pushed Katiak way out to sea. He must have been
• 1:50:14
  Speaker 2: a whopper, said Tad, to push it so far away?
• 1:50:18
  Speaker 2: Is that the island? Yes, said his father. There are
• 1:50:23
  Speaker 2: no splendid forests on the island as there are on
• 1:50:27
  Speaker 2: the mainland, but the grasses are superb for the fog
• 1:50:32
  Speaker 2: and rain here keeps them green as Emerald. What a
• 1:50:37
  Speaker 2: queer canoe that Indian has exclaimed? Ted? It isn't a
• 1:50:43
  Speaker 2: bit like yours, Keltin. It is a bidarka, said Calatin.
• 1:50:50
  Speaker 2: Cadiac people make canoe out of waldraside. They stretch it
• 1:50:55
  Speaker 2: over frames of driftwood. It holds two people. They sit
• 1:51:00
  Speaker 2: in small hatch with apron all around their bodies, and
• 1:51:06
  Speaker 2: the bidarka goes over the roughest sea and floats like
• 1:51:11
  Speaker 2: a bladder. Big bidarka called an umiak and holds whole family.
• 1:51:19
  Speaker 2: Someone has called the bidarkas the cossacks of the sea,
• 1:51:24
  Speaker 2: said mister Strong. They skim along like swallows and are
• 1:51:29
  Speaker 2: as perfectly built as any vessel I ever saw. What
• 1:51:34
  Speaker 2: are those huge buildings on the small island, asked Ted
• 1:51:39
  Speaker 2: as the steamer wound through the shallows. Ice houses, said
• 1:51:44
  Speaker 2: his father. Before people learned to manufacture ice, immense cargoes
• 1:51:50
  Speaker 2: were shipped from here to as far south as San Francisco.
• 1:51:56
  Speaker 2: It was fun to see them go fishing for ice
• 1:51:59
  Speaker 2: from the steamer. When we came up to Skaguay, said Tad.
• 1:52:04
  Speaker 2: The sailors went out in a boat, slipped a net
• 1:52:08
  Speaker 2: around a block of ice, and towed it to the
• 1:52:12
  Speaker 2: side of the ship. Then it was hitched to a
• 1:52:15
  Speaker 2: derrick and swung on deck. Huh, said Kalatan. What people
• 1:52:21
  Speaker 2: want ice or stored up? Think they'd store sunshine. If
• 1:52:28
  Speaker 2: you could invent a way to do that, you could
• 1:52:31
  Speaker 2: make a fortune, my boy, said mister Strong. Laughing. The
• 1:52:36
  Speaker 2: next place of any interest is Karluk. It's around on
• 1:52:41
  Speaker 2: the other side of the island in Shelikhov Strait and
• 1:52:47
  Speaker 2: is famous for its salmon canneries. Nearly half of the
• 1:52:52
  Speaker 2: entire salmon pack of Alaska comes from Kadiak Island, most
• 1:52:59
  Speaker 2: of the fish coming from the Carluk River. Very bad
• 1:53:04
  Speaker 2: for Indians, said Calatan. Used to have plenty fish, taie
• 1:53:11
  Speaker 2: Klak said, Salmon used to come up this river in
• 1:53:15
  Speaker 2: shoal sixteen miles long, and now Boston men take them all.
• 1:53:22
  Speaker 2: It does seem a pity that the Indians don't even
• 1:53:26
  Speaker 2: have a chance to earn their living in the canneries,
• 1:53:30
  Speaker 2: said mister Strong. The largest cannery in the world is
• 1:53:35
  Speaker 2: at Carluk. There are thousands of men employed, and in
• 1:53:40
  Speaker 2: one year over three million salmon were packed. Yet with
• 1:53:46
  Speaker 2: all this work for busy hands to do, the canneries
• 1:53:50
  Speaker 2: employ Chinese, Greek, Portuguese and American workmen in preference to
• 1:53:58
  Speaker 2: the Indians bringing them by the shipload from San Francisco.
• 1:54:05
  Speaker 2: What other places do we pass, asked ted, A lot
• 1:54:10
  Speaker 2: of very interesting ones, and I wish we could coast along,
• 1:54:15
  Speaker 2: stopping wherever we felt like it. Said mister Strong. The
• 1:54:20
  Speaker 2: Schumiken Islands are where Bearing, the great discoverer and explorer,
• 1:54:26
  Speaker 2: landed in seventeen forty one to bury one of his crew.
• 1:54:32
  Speaker 2: Codfish were found there, and Captain Cook, in his voyages
• 1:54:38
  Speaker 2: and discoveries, speaks of the same fish. There is a
• 1:54:42
  Speaker 2: famous fishery there now called the Davidson Banks, and the
• 1:54:48
  Speaker 2: codfishing fleet has its headquarters on Popof Island. Millions of
• 1:54:55
  Speaker 2: codfish are caught here every year. These islands are also
• 1:55:01
  Speaker 2: a favorite haunt of the sea. Otter Bulavsky, at the
• 1:55:06
  Speaker 2: foot of Mount Pavlov is the center of the train.
• 1:55:12
  Speaker 2: What kind of fur is Otter asked Ted, whose mind
• 1:55:16
  Speaker 2: was so inquiring that his father often called him the
• 1:55:21
  Speaker 2: living Catechism. It is the court fur of China and Russia,
• 1:55:28
  Speaker 2: and at one time the common people were forbidden by
• 1:55:32
  Speaker 2: law to wear it, said mister Strong. It is a
• 1:55:36
  Speaker 2: rich purplished brown, sprinkled with silver tipped hairs, and the
• 1:55:41
  Speaker 2: skins are very costly. At one time any one could
• 1:55:47
  Speaker 2: have Otter said Keltan. We hunted them with spears and
• 1:55:51
  Speaker 2: bows and arrows. Now they are very few, and we
• 1:55:56
  Speaker 2: find them only in dangerous spots hiding on rocks or
• 1:56:02
  Speaker 2: floating kelp. Sometimes the hunters have to lie in hiding
• 1:56:07
  Speaker 2: for days watching them. Only Indians can kill the otter.
• 1:56:13
  Speaker 2: Boston men can if they marry Indian women. That makes
• 1:56:18
  Speaker 2: them Indian, rather puts otter at a discount and women
• 1:56:24
  Speaker 2: at a premium. Left mister strong. Now we pass along
• 1:56:29
  Speaker 2: near the Alaska Peninsula, past countless isles and islets, through
• 1:56:36
  Speaker 2: the Fox Islands of Unalaska, and then into the Bearing Sea.
• 1:56:43
  Speaker 2: One of the most interesting things in this region is
• 1:56:47
  Speaker 2: called the Pacific Brink of Fire, a chain of volcanoes
• 1:56:53
  Speaker 2: which stretches along the coast. Often the passengers can see
• 1:56:59
  Speaker 2: from the ships at night a strange red glow over
• 1:57:04
  Speaker 2: the sky, and know that the fire Martins are burning.
• 1:57:09
  Speaker 2: The most beautiful of these volcanoes is Mount Shishalden, nearly
• 1:57:16
  Speaker 2: nine thousand feet high and almost as perfect a cone
• 1:57:21
  Speaker 2: in shape as fuji Yama, which the Japanese love so
• 1:57:26
  Speaker 2: much and call the Honorable Mountain. At Unalaska or Ellen
• 1:57:33
  Speaker 2: Link the curving Beach, we stop. If we could stay
• 1:57:38
  Speaker 2: over for a while, there are a great many interesting
• 1:57:43
  Speaker 2: things we could see. An old Greek church and the
• 1:57:48
  Speaker 2: government school are in the town and Ogoslav's Volcano and
• 1:57:55
  Speaker 2: the Sea Lion Rookeries are on the island of Saint John,
• 1:58:00
  Speaker 2: which rose right up out of the sea in seventeen
• 1:58:03
  Speaker 2: ninety six after a day's roaring and rumbling and thundering.
• 1:58:10
  Speaker 2: In eighteen fifteen there was a similar performance, and from
• 1:58:15
  Speaker 2: time to time the island has grown larger ever since.
• 1:58:20
  Speaker 2: One fine day in eighteen eighty three there was a
• 1:58:24
  Speaker 2: great shower of ashes, and when the clouds had rolled away,
• 1:58:29
  Speaker 2: two peaks were seen, where only one had been separated
• 1:58:35
  Speaker 2: by a sandy isthmus. This last was reduced to a
• 1:58:40
  Speaker 2: fine thread by the earthquake of eighteen ninety one. And
• 1:58:45
  Speaker 2: I don't know what new freaks it may have developed
• 1:58:49
  Speaker 2: by now. I know some friends of mine landed there
• 1:58:53
  Speaker 2: not long ago and cooked eggs over the jets of
• 1:58:58
  Speaker 2: steam which gusta out of the mountain side. Did you
• 1:59:02
  Speaker 2: ever hear of using a volcano for a cook stove? Well,
• 1:59:08
  Speaker 2: I should say not, said Ted, amused. These Alaskan volcanoes
• 1:59:14
  Speaker 2: are great things. The one called Makushin has a crater
• 1:59:20
  Speaker 2: filled with snow, in a part of which there is
• 1:59:24
  Speaker 2: always a cloud of sulfurous smoke that's making extremes. Meat,
• 1:59:30
  Speaker 2: isn't it? Yale made some strange things, said Calatan, who
• 1:59:37
  Speaker 2: had been taking in all this information even more eagerly
• 1:59:42
  Speaker 2: than Teddy. He first dwelt on nas River and turned
• 1:59:47
  Speaker 2: two blades of grass into the first man and woman.
• 1:59:53
  Speaker 2: Then the flinkits grew and prospered till darkness fell upon
• 1:59:59
  Speaker 2: the earth. A thlinket stole the sun and hid it
• 2:00:04
  Speaker 2: in a box, but Yale found it and set it
• 2:00:08
  Speaker 2: so high in the heavens that none could touch it.
• 2:00:12
  Speaker 2: Then the flinkets grew and spread abroad, but a great
• 2:00:19
  Speaker 2: flood came, and all were swept away, save two, who
• 2:00:24
  Speaker 2: tossed long upon the flood on a raft of logs,
• 2:00:29
  Speaker 2: until Yale pitied and carried them to Mount Edgecombe, where
• 2:00:35
  Speaker 2: they dwelt until the waters fell. Old Kalakash tells this story,
• 2:00:43
  Speaker 2: and he says that one of these people, when very old,
• 2:00:48
  Speaker 2: went down through the crater of the mountain, and, given
• 2:00:52
  Speaker 2: long life by Yell, stays there always to hold up
• 2:00:57
  Speaker 2: the earth out of the water. But the other lives
• 2:01:02
  Speaker 2: in the crater as the thunderbird hot Law, whose wing
• 2:01:08
  Speaker 2: flap is the thunder and whose glance is the lightning.
• 2:01:14
  Speaker 2: The osprey is his totein and his face glares in
• 2:01:19
  Speaker 2: our blankets and totems. I've wondered what that fierce bird was,
• 2:01:26
  Speaker 2: said Teddy, who was always quite carried away with Keletant's
• 2:01:30
  Speaker 2: strange legends. Well, what else do we see on the
• 2:01:35
  Speaker 2: way to Nome, father? The most remarkable thing happening in
• 2:01:40
  Speaker 2: the Bearing Sea is the seal industry. But I do
• 2:01:46
  Speaker 2: not think we pass near enough to the islands to
• 2:01:49
  Speaker 2: see any of that. You'd better run about and see
• 2:01:54
  Speaker 2: the ship now. And the boys needed no second permission.
• 2:02:00
  Speaker 2: It was not many days before they knew everybody on board,
• 2:02:05
  Speaker 2: from captain to deck hands, and were prime favorites. With
• 2:02:10
  Speaker 2: them all, ted and Calatan enjoyed every moment. There was
• 2:02:17
  Speaker 2: always something new to see or hear, and ere they
• 2:02:22
  Speaker 2: reached their journey's end, they had heard all about seals
• 2:02:27
  Speaker 2: and sealing, although the famous Privilov Islands were too far
• 2:02:32
  Speaker 2: to the west of the vessel's route for them to
• 2:02:35
  Speaker 2: see them. They cited the United States Revenue Cutter, which
• 2:02:40
  Speaker 2: plies about the seal islands to keep off poachers, for
• 2:02:45
  Speaker 2: no one is allowed to kill seals or to land
• 2:02:50
  Speaker 2: on this government reservation except from government vessels. The scent
• 2:02:56
  Speaker 2: of the rookeries, where millions of seals had been killed
• 2:03:00
  Speaker 2: in the last hundred years, is noticed far out at sea,
• 2:03:06
  Speaker 2: and often the barking of the animals can be heard
• 2:03:09
  Speaker 2: by passing vessels. Why is seal skin so valuable? Father
• 2:03:16
  Speaker 2: asked ted? It has always been admired because it is
• 2:03:21
  Speaker 2: so warm and soft, replied mister Strong. All the ladies
• 2:03:26
  Speaker 2: fancy it, and it never seems to go out of fashion.
• 2:03:31
  Speaker 2: There was a time when the tribilof Islands were first discovered.
• 2:03:36
  Speaker 2: The seal skins were so plentiful that they sold in
• 2:03:40
  Speaker 2: Alaska for a dollar apiece. Hunters killed so many, killing
• 2:03:47
  Speaker 2: old and young, that soon there was scarcely any left,
• 2:03:52
  Speaker 2: so a law was passed by the Russian government forbidding
• 2:03:56
  Speaker 2: any killing for five years. Since the Americans have owned Alaska,
• 2:04:03
  Speaker 2: they have protected the seals, allowing them to be killed
• 2:04:07
  Speaker 2: only at certain times, and only male seals from two
• 2:04:13
  Speaker 2: to four years old are killed. The Indians are always
• 2:04:17
  Speaker 2: the killers, and are wonderfully swift and clever, never missing
• 2:04:23
  Speaker 2: a blow, and always killing instantly, so that there is
• 2:04:28
  Speaker 2: almost no suffering. How do they know where to find
• 2:04:34
  Speaker 2: the seals? Asked Ted. For half the year the seals
• 2:04:39
  Speaker 2: swim about the sea, but in May they return to
• 2:04:44
  Speaker 2: their favorite haunts, and these rookeries families of them heard
• 2:04:49
  Speaker 2: on the rocks, the male staying at home with his
• 2:04:54
  Speaker 2: funny little black puppies while the mother swims about seeking
• 2:04:59
  Speaker 2: f The seals are very timid and will rush into
• 2:05:04
  Speaker 2: the water at the least strange noise. A story is
• 2:05:09
  Speaker 2: told that the barking of a little pet dog belonging
• 2:05:14
  Speaker 2: to a Russian at one of the rookeries lost him
• 2:05:19
  Speaker 2: a hundred thousand dollars. For the seals took fright and
• 2:05:24
  Speaker 2: scurried away. Before anyone could say, Jack Robinson rather an
• 2:05:30
  Speaker 2: expensive pop, commented Ted. But what about the seals, Daddy,
• 2:05:37
  Speaker 2: you seem to think I am an encyclopedia on the
• 2:05:42
  Speaker 2: seal question, said his father. There is not much else
• 2:05:47
  Speaker 2: to tell you. How can they manage always to kill
• 2:05:52
  Speaker 2: the right ones? Demanded Ted. The gay bachelor seals heard
• 2:05:59
  Speaker 2: together away from the rest and sleep at night on
• 2:06:03
  Speaker 2: the rocks. Early in the morning, the elutes slip in
• 2:06:09
  Speaker 2: between them and the herd and drive them slowly to
• 2:06:14
  Speaker 2: the killing ground, where they are quickly killed and skinned,
• 2:06:19
  Speaker 2: and the skins taken to the salting house. The Indians
• 2:06:24
  Speaker 2: use the flesh and blubber, and the climate is such
• 2:06:29
  Speaker 2: that before another year, the hollow bones are lost in
• 2:06:34
  Speaker 2: the grass and earth. What becomes of the skins. After
• 2:06:40
  Speaker 2: they are salted, they are usually sent to London, where
• 2:06:46
  Speaker 2: they are prepared for market. The work is all done
• 2:06:50
  Speaker 2: by hand, which is one reason that they are so expensive.
• 2:06:56
  Speaker 2: They are first worked in sawdust, cleaned, scraped, washed, shaved, plucked,
• 2:07:05
  Speaker 2: died with a handbrush from eight to twelve times, washed again,
• 2:07:12
  Speaker 2: and freed from the least speck of Greece by the
• 2:07:16
  Speaker 2: last bath in hot sawdust or sand. I don't wonder
• 2:07:22
  Speaker 2: a sealskin coat costs so much, said Ted, if they
• 2:07:28
  Speaker 2: have got to go through all that performance. I wish
• 2:07:33
  Speaker 2: we could have seen the islands. But I hate to
• 2:07:36
  Speaker 2: see the seals killed. It doesn't seem like hunting just
• 2:07:41
  Speaker 2: to knock them on the head. It's too much like
• 2:07:45
  Speaker 2: the stockyards at home. Yes, but it's a satisfaction to
• 2:07:52
  Speaker 2: know that it's done in the easiest possible way for
• 2:07:56
  Speaker 2: the animals. What a lot you are learning way up
• 2:08:02
  Speaker 2: here in Alaska, aren't you? Son? Tomorrow will be at
• 2:08:08
  Speaker 2: Gnome and then your head will be so stuffed with
• 2:08:13
  Speaker 2: minds and mining that you will forget all about everything else.
• 2:08:19
  Speaker 2: I don't want to forget any of it, said ted
• 2:08:23
  Speaker 2: It's all bully. Footnote thirteen Yale embodied in the raven
• 2:08:32
  Speaker 2: is the slinket Great Spirit, end of chapter nine.
• 2:08:45
  Speaker 5: Chapter ten of Keletin, Our Little Alaskan Cousin. This is
• 2:08:49
  Speaker 5: a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
• 2:08:54
  Speaker 5: For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
• 2:08:58
  Speaker 5: Recording by six zero nine zero, California, United States of America, Calitan,
• 2:09:06
  Speaker 5: Our Little Alaskan Cousin by Mary F. Nixon. Roulay in
• 2:09:11
  Speaker 5: the Gold Country, a low sandy beach without a tree
• 2:09:16
  Speaker 5: to break its level. Rows of plain frame houses, some
• 2:09:20
  Speaker 5: tents and wooden shanties scattered about, the surf breaking over
• 2:09:24
  Speaker 5: the shore in splendid foam. This was Teddy's first impression
• 2:09:28
  Speaker 5: of Nome. They had sailed over from Saint Michael's to
• 2:09:31
  Speaker 5: see the great gold fields, and both the boys were
• 2:09:35
  Speaker 5: full of eagerness to be on land. It seemed, however,
• 2:09:38
  Speaker 5: as if their desires were not to be realized. For
• 2:09:41
  Speaker 5: landing at Nome is a difficult matter. Nome is on
• 2:09:45
  Speaker 5: the south shore of that part of Alaska known as
• 2:09:48
  Speaker 5: Seaward Peninsula, and it has no harbor. It is on
• 2:09:52
  Speaker 5: the open sea coast and catches all the fierce storms
• 2:09:55
  Speaker 5: that sweep northward over bearing sea, generally seacoast to town.
• 2:10:00
  Speaker 5: Are built in certain spots because there is a harbor.
• 2:10:03
  Speaker 5: But a Gnome was not really built, It just growed.
• 2:10:07
  Speaker 5: For when gold was found there, the miners sat down
• 2:10:10
  Speaker 5: to gather the harvest, caring nothing about a harbor. Ships
• 2:10:14
  Speaker 5: cannot go within a mile of land, and passengers have
• 2:10:18
  Speaker 5: to go ashore in small lighters. Sometimes when they arrive
• 2:10:22
  Speaker 5: they cannot go ashore at all, but have to wait
• 2:10:24
  Speaker 5: several days, taking refuge behind a small island ten miles away,
• 2:10:29
  Speaker 5: lest they dragged their anchors and be dashed to pieces
• 2:10:32
  Speaker 5: on the shore. There had been a tremendous storm at
• 2:10:35
  Speaker 5: Nome the day before Ted arrived, and landing was more
• 2:10:39
  Speaker 5: difficult than usual, but impatient as the boys were. At
• 2:10:43
  Speaker 5: last it seemed safe to venture, and the party left
• 2:10:46
  Speaker 5: the steamer to be put on a rough barge, flat
• 2:10:49
  Speaker 5: bottomed and stout, which was hauled by cable to shore
• 2:10:52
  Speaker 5: until it grounded on the sands. They were then put
• 2:10:56
  Speaker 5: in a sort of wooden cage, let down by chains
• 2:10:59
  Speaker 5: from a huge wooden beam, and swung round in the air,
• 2:11:03
  Speaker 5: like the unloading cranes of a great city, over the
• 2:11:06
  Speaker 5: serf to a high platform on the land. Well, there
• 2:11:10
  Speaker 5: is a new way to land, cried Tad, who had
• 2:11:13
  Speaker 5: been rather quiet during the performance, And his father thought
• 2:11:16
  Speaker 5: a trifle frightened. It's sort of a balloon ascension, isn't it.
• 2:11:21
  Speaker 5: It must be rather hard for the miners who have
• 2:11:23
  Speaker 5: been waiting weeks for their mail when the boat can't
• 2:11:26
  Speaker 5: land her bags at all, said mister Strong. That sometimes happens.
• 2:11:31
  Speaker 5: From November to May. Nome is cut off from the
• 2:11:34
  Speaker 5: world by snow and ice. The only news they receive
• 2:11:38
  Speaker 5: is by the monthly mail when it comes over at Kronstead.
• 2:11:42
  Speaker 5: The Russians have ice breaking boats which keep the Baltic
• 2:11:46
  Speaker 5: clear enough of ice for navigation, and plow their way
• 2:11:50
  Speaker 5: through ice fourteen feet thick for two hundred miles. The
• 2:11:54
  Speaker 5: Gnome miners are very anxious for the government to try
• 2:11:57
  Speaker 5: this ice boat service at Nome. Why did people settle
• 2:12:01
  Speaker 5: here in such a forlorn place, asked ted as they
• 2:12:05
  Speaker 5: made their way to the town, which they found anything
• 2:12:09
  Speaker 5: but civilized. I liked the Indian houses on the island
• 2:12:12
  Speaker 5: better than this. Your island is more picturesque, said mister Strong.
• 2:12:17
  Speaker 5: But people came here for what they could get. In
• 2:12:21
  Speaker 5: eighteen ninety eight, gold was discovered on Anville Creek, which
• 2:12:25
  Speaker 5: runs into Snake River, and this turned people's eyes in
• 2:12:29
  Speaker 5: the direction of Nome. Miners rushed here and set to
• 2:12:33
  Speaker 5: work in the gulches inland. But it was not till
• 2:12:36
  Speaker 5: the summer of eighteen ninety nine that gold was found
• 2:12:39
  Speaker 5: on the beach. A soldier from the barracks you know,
• 2:12:42
  Speaker 5: this is part of a United States military reservation, found
• 2:12:46
  Speaker 5: gold while digging a well near the beach, and an
• 2:12:50
  Speaker 5: old miner took out twelve hundred dollars worth in twenty days.
• 2:12:55
  Speaker 5: Then a perfect frenzy seized the people. They flocked to
• 2:12:59
  Speaker 5: Nome from far and near. They camped on the beach
• 2:13:02
  Speaker 5: in hundreds and staked their claims. Between one and two
• 2:13:05
  Speaker 5: thousand men were at work on the beach at one time.
• 2:13:09
  Speaker 5: Yet so good natured were they that no quarrels seemed
• 2:13:12
  Speaker 5: to have occurred. Doctors, lawyers, bar keepers and all dropped
• 2:13:17
  Speaker 5: their business and went to rocking, as they called beach mining.
• 2:13:21
  Speaker 5: Oh Dad, let's hurry and go and see it, cried
• 2:13:24
  Speaker 5: Ted as they hurried through their dinner at the hotel.
• 2:13:28
  Speaker 5: I thought gold came out of deep mines like copper
• 2:13:31
  Speaker 5: and had to be melted out or something. But this
• 2:13:33
  Speaker 5: seems to be different. Do they just walk along the
• 2:13:36
  Speaker 5: beach and pick it up? I wish I could. Well,
• 2:13:40
  Speaker 5: it's not quite so simple as that, said mister Strong, laughing.
• 2:13:44
  Speaker 5: We'll go and see, then you'll understand. And they went
• 2:13:47
  Speaker 5: down the crooked streets to the sandy beach. Men were
• 2:13:51
  Speaker 5: standing about, talking and laughing. Others worked hard. All manner
• 2:13:55
  Speaker 5: of men were there, scattered over the tundra footnote the
• 2:13:59
  Speaker 5: name given to the boggy soil of the beach. End
• 2:14:03
  Speaker 5: of footnote, and Ted became interested in two who were
• 2:14:07
  Speaker 5: working together in silence. What are they doing, he asked
• 2:14:12
  Speaker 5: his father. I can't see how they expect to get
• 2:14:15
  Speaker 5: anything worth having out of this mess. Beach mining is
• 2:14:19
  Speaker 5: quite different from any other, said his father. Let's watch
• 2:14:23
  Speaker 5: those two men. They evidently staked a claim together, which
• 2:14:27
  Speaker 5: means that nobody but these two can work on the ground.
• 2:14:30
  Speaker 5: They have staked out, and that they must share all
• 2:14:33
  Speaker 5: the gold they find. They came here to prospect, and
• 2:14:36
  Speaker 5: evidently found a block of ground which suited them. They
• 2:14:40
  Speaker 5: then dug a prospect hole down two to five feet
• 2:14:43
  Speaker 5: until they struck bed rock, which happens to be clay
• 2:14:46
  Speaker 5: around here. They passed through several layers of sand and
• 2:14:50
  Speaker 5: gravel before reaching this, and these were carefully examined to
• 2:14:54
  Speaker 5: see how much gold they contained. Upon reaching a layer
• 2:14:58
  Speaker 5: which seemed to be a good one, the gravel on
• 2:15:01
  Speaker 5: top was stripped off and thrown aside, and the paystreak
• 2:15:04
  Speaker 5: worked with the rocker. What is that? Asked Ted, who
• 2:15:08
  Speaker 5: was all ears, while Calatan was taking in everything with
• 2:15:12
  Speaker 5: his sharp black eyes. That arrangement that looks like a
• 2:15:16
  Speaker 5: square pan on a saw buck is the rocker. The
• 2:15:20
  Speaker 5: rockers usually have copper bottoms, and there is a great
• 2:15:23
  Speaker 5: demand for sheet copper at Nome, but often there's not
• 2:15:27
  Speaker 5: enough of it, and the miners have been known to
• 2:15:29
  Speaker 5: cover them with silver coins. That man you are watching
• 2:15:33
  Speaker 5: has silver dollars in his about fifty. I should say.
• 2:15:37
  Speaker 5: It seems extravagant, doesn't it. But he'll take out many
• 2:15:41
  Speaker 5: times that amount if he has good luck. The man
• 2:15:44
  Speaker 5: who had glanced up at them smiled at that and said,
• 2:15:47
  Speaker 5: and if I don't have luck, I'm broke anyhow, So
• 2:15:51
  Speaker 5: fifty or sixty plunks won't make much difference. They're going
• 2:15:54
  Speaker 5: to be a miner, youngster, not this trip, said Ted,
• 2:15:58
  Speaker 5: with a smile. Say I'd like to know how you
• 2:16:01
  Speaker 5: get the gold out with that. At first, we used
• 2:16:04
  Speaker 5: to put a blanket in the rocker and wash the
• 2:16:06
  Speaker 5: pay dirt on that. Our prospect hull has water in
• 2:16:09
  Speaker 5: it and we can use it over and over. Some
• 2:16:13
  Speaker 5: of the holes are dry, and there the men have
• 2:16:16
  Speaker 5: to pack their pay dirt down to the shore and
• 2:16:18
  Speaker 5: use surf water for washing. Most of our gold is
• 2:16:22
  Speaker 5: so fine that the blanket didn't stop it. So now
• 2:16:25
  Speaker 5: we use quick. I reckon you'd call it mercury, but
• 2:16:28
  Speaker 5: we call it quick. You see, it saves time, and
• 2:16:32
  Speaker 5: work up here is so short on account of winter
• 2:16:34
  Speaker 5: setting in so early, that we have to save up
• 2:16:37
  Speaker 5: our spare minutes and not waste them on long words.
• 2:16:41
  Speaker 5: Ted grinned cheerfully and asked, what do you do with
• 2:16:44
  Speaker 5: the quick We painted over the bottom of the rocker,
• 2:16:48
  Speaker 5: and it acts like a charm and catches every speck
• 2:16:51
  Speaker 5: of gold that comes its way as the dirt is
• 2:16:54
  Speaker 5: washed over it.
• 2:16:55
  Speaker 4: The quick in the.
• 2:16:55
  Speaker 5: Gold make a sort of amalgam. But how do you
• 2:17:00
  Speaker 5: get at the gold after the Malcolm's or whatever you
• 2:17:02
  Speaker 5: call it, asked Ted. Sure, we fry it in the
• 2:17:05
  Speaker 5: frying pan, and it's elegant pancakes. It makes, said the man.
• 2:17:10
  Speaker 5: See here, and he pulled from his pocket several flat
• 2:17:12
  Speaker 5: masses that looked like pieces of yellow sponge. This is
• 2:17:16
  Speaker 5: pure gold. All the quick has gone off, and this
• 2:17:19
  Speaker 5: is the real stuff, just as good as money. An
• 2:17:22
  Speaker 5: anunce will buy sixteen dollars worth of anything in Gnome.
• 2:17:26
  Speaker 5: It looks mighty pretty, said Ted. Seems to me it's
• 2:17:29
  Speaker 5: redder than any gold I ever saw it is, said
• 2:17:32
  Speaker 5: his father. No, beech gold is redder and brighter than
• 2:17:36
  Speaker 5: any other Alaskan gold. I guess I'll have to get
• 2:17:40
  Speaker 5: you each a piece for a souvenir. And both boys
• 2:17:42
  Speaker 5: were made happy by the present of a quaintly shaped
• 2:17:45
  Speaker 5: nugget bought by mister Strong from the very miner who
• 2:17:49
  Speaker 5: had mined it, which of course added to its value.
• 2:17:53
  Speaker 5: You're gathering quite a lot of souvenirs Toed, said his father.
• 2:17:57
  Speaker 5: It's a great relief that you have not asked me
• 2:17:59
  Speaker 5: for anything alive yet. I have been expecting a modest
• 2:18:03
  Speaker 5: request for a malamute or a husky pup, or perhaps
• 2:18:07
  Speaker 5: a pet reindeer to take home, but so far you
• 2:18:10
  Speaker 5: have been quite moderate in your demands. Calton never asks
• 2:18:14
  Speaker 5: for anything, said ted I asked him once why it was,
• 2:18:18
  Speaker 5: and he said, Indian boys never got what they asked for.
• 2:18:21
  Speaker 5: That sometimes they had things given to them that they
• 2:18:24
  Speaker 5: hadn't asked for. But if he asked the tie for anything,
• 2:18:28
  Speaker 5: all he got was good Indian get things for himself,
• 2:18:31
  Speaker 5: and he had to go to work to get the
• 2:18:33
  Speaker 5: things he wanted. I guess it's a pretty good plan too,
• 2:18:36
  Speaker 5: for I noticed that I get just as much as
• 2:18:38
  Speaker 5: I did when I used to tease you for things,
• 2:18:41
  Speaker 5: Teddy added sagely. Wise boy said his father. You're certainly
• 2:18:46
  Speaker 5: more agreeable to live with. The Next thing you are
• 2:18:49
  Speaker 5: to have is a visit to an Eskimo village, and
• 2:18:52
  Speaker 5: if I can find some of the Eskimo carvings, you
• 2:18:55
  Speaker 5: shall have something to take home to mother. Calatan, what
• 2:18:58
  Speaker 5: would you like to remember the Eskimos buy? Calatan smiled
• 2:19:02
  Speaker 5: and replied, simply mucklucks. What are mucklucks, demanded Ted Eskimo moccasins,
• 2:19:09
  Speaker 5: said mister strong, Well, you both shall have a pair.
• 2:19:12
  Speaker 5: And they are rather pretty things too, as the Eskimos
• 2:19:15
  Speaker 5: make them.
• 2:19:17
  Speaker 7: End of chapter ten, Chapter eleven of Carleton, Our Little
• 2:19:28
  Speaker 7: Alaskan Cousin.
• 2:19:30
  Speaker 6: This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in
• 2:19:34
  Speaker 6: the public domain. More information or to volunteer, please visit
• 2:19:38
  Speaker 6: LibriVox dot org. Recording by Chad Horner from Benidorm in
• 2:19:42
  Speaker 6: the Province of Alacante in southeast Skin Carlton, Our Little
• 2:19:47
  Speaker 6: Alaskan Cousin by Mary F. Nixon Roulette, Chapter eleven. Often
• 2:19:53
  Speaker 6: in Tea and an igloo, the Eskimo village was reached
• 2:19:57
  Speaker 6: across the tundra, and Teddy and Calatin were much interested
• 2:20:02
  Speaker 6: in the queer houses built for the long winter of
• 2:20:04
  Speaker 6: six or eight months, when it is impossible to do
• 2:20:08
  Speaker 6: anything out of doors. The igloo seems quite comfortable from
• 2:20:12
  Speaker 6: the Eskimo point of view, but very strange to their
• 2:20:16
  Speaker 6: American cousins. I thought the Eskimos lived in snow houses,
• 2:20:21
  Speaker 6: said ted as they looked at the queer little huts
• 2:20:24
  Speaker 6: and callton, exclaimed ha in yet queer Indian, No, said
• 2:20:29
  Speaker 6: mister Strong. His hut is built by digging a hole
• 2:20:33
  Speaker 6: about six feet deep and standing logs up side by
• 2:20:37
  Speaker 6: side around the hole. On the top of these are
• 2:20:40
  Speaker 6: placed logs which rest even with the grind. Stringers are
• 2:20:45
  Speaker 6: put across days and other logs, and moss and mud
• 2:20:49
  Speaker 6: drift over it, leaving and opening in the middle about
• 2:20:53
  Speaker 6: two feet square. This is covered with a piece of
• 2:20:56
  Speaker 6: walrus in trail so thin and transparent that life easily
• 2:21:00
  Speaker 6: passes through it, and it serves as a window, the
• 2:21:03
  Speaker 6: only one they have. A smoke hole is cut through
• 2:21:07
  Speaker 6: the roof, but there is no door for The hut
• 2:21:10
  Speaker 6: is entered through another room built in the same way,
• 2:21:14
  Speaker 6: fifteen or twenty feet distant and connected by an underground
• 2:21:17
  Speaker 6: passage about two feet square with the main rim. The
• 2:21:21
  Speaker 6: entrance room is entered through a hole in the riff,
• 2:21:25
  Speaker 6: from which a ladder reaches the bottom of the passage.
• 2:21:28
  Speaker 6: Come we go into the hut, asked Teed. I'll ask
• 2:21:31
  Speaker 6: that woman cooking over there, said mister Strong, as they
• 2:21:34
  Speaker 6: went up to a woman who was cooking over a
• 2:21:37
  Speaker 6: peat fire. Holding over the coals an old battered skillet
• 2:21:41
  Speaker 6: in which she was frying fish. She nodded and smiled
• 2:21:44
  Speaker 6: at the boys, and as Eskimos are always friendly on
• 2:21:48
  Speaker 6: hospitable soles, told him to go right into her igloo,
• 2:21:52
  Speaker 6: which was close by. They climbed down the ladder, crawled
• 2:21:55
  Speaker 6: along the narrow passage to wear a skin hut before
• 2:21:59
  Speaker 6: an opening, and pushing it aside, entered the living room.
• 2:22:03
  Speaker 6: Here they found an old man busily engaged in carving
• 2:22:06
  Speaker 6: a wolverstiff, another sewing mukluks, while the girl was singing
• 2:22:10
  Speaker 6: a quaint lullaby to a child of two in the corner.
• 2:22:14
  Speaker 6: The young girl rose, and, putting the baby down on
• 2:22:18
  Speaker 6: a pile of skins, spoke to them in good English,
• 2:22:21
  Speaker 6: saying quietly, you are welcome. I am alahlik. May we
• 2:22:25
  Speaker 6: see your wares we wish to buy, said mister strong courteously.
• 2:22:29
  Speaker 6: You may see whether you buy or not, she said,
• 2:22:32
  Speaker 6: with a smile which showed a mouthful of even white teeth.
• 2:22:36
  Speaker 6: And she spread out before them a collection of Eskimo goods.
• 2:22:40
  Speaker 6: There were all kinds of carvings, from walrus, tusks, grass baskets,
• 2:22:45
  Speaker 6: moccasins of warvous hide, stone, bowls and cups, parkers made
• 2:22:50
  Speaker 6: of reindeer skin, and once superb one of bird feathers, ramleikis,
• 2:22:55
  Speaker 6: and all manner of carved trinkets, the most charming of which,
• 2:22:59
  Speaker 6: to Ted's eyes, being a tiny omaiac with an Eskimo
• 2:23:03
  Speaker 6: in it, made to be used as a breastpin. This
• 2:23:06
  Speaker 6: he thought for his mother, and the carving of a
• 2:23:09
  Speaker 6: baby for Judith, while his father made him an caletin
• 2:23:13
  Speaker 6: happy with presents. Where do you learn such English? Asked
• 2:23:17
  Speaker 6: mister Strong of a lilac, wondering too, where she learned
• 2:23:20
  Speaker 6: her pretty modest ways. For Eskimo women are commonly free
• 2:23:24
  Speaker 6: and easy. I was for two years at the mission
• 2:23:28
  Speaker 6: at holy Cross, she said. There I learned much that
• 2:23:31
  Speaker 6: was good. Then my mother died and I came home.
• 2:23:35
  Speaker 6: She spoke simply, and mister Strong wondered what would be
• 2:23:39
  Speaker 6: the fate of this sweet faced girl? Did you learn
• 2:23:41
  Speaker 6: to sew from the sisters? Asked Ted, who had been
• 2:23:44
  Speaker 6: looking at the garments she had made, in which the stitches,
• 2:23:49
  Speaker 6: though made in skins and sown with deer signew, were
• 2:23:52
  Speaker 6: as even as though done with a machine. Oh no,
• 2:23:56
  Speaker 6: she said, we learn that at home when I was
• 2:23:59
  Speaker 6: no larger on sex Rhiner. There my mother taught me
• 2:24:02
  Speaker 6: to breid thread from deer and whale sinew. And we
• 2:24:06
  Speaker 6: must so very much in winter if we have anything
• 2:24:09
  Speaker 6: to sell. When summer comes, it is very hard to
• 2:24:12
  Speaker 6: get enough to live. Since the Boston men come. Our
• 2:24:16
  Speaker 6: people waste the summer in idleness, so we have nothing
• 2:24:20
  Speaker 6: stored for the winter's food. Hundred stye and many sicknesses
• 2:24:24
  Speaker 6: come upon us. In the village where my people lived,
• 2:24:27
  Speaker 6: each house lay the dead of what the Boston men
• 2:24:30
  Speaker 6: called measles, and there were not left enough living to
• 2:24:33
  Speaker 6: bury the dead. Only we escaped, and a black gown
• 2:24:37
  Speaker 6: came from the mission to help, and he took me
• 2:24:40
  Speaker 6: and Auntie Sarlik, my brother to the skull. The rest
• 2:24:44
  Speaker 6: came here where we live very well, because there are
• 2:24:47
  Speaker 6: in the summer people who buy what we make in
• 2:24:50
  Speaker 6: the winter. How do you get your skins so soft?
• 2:24:53
  Speaker 6: Asked ted, feeling the exquisite texture of a bag she
• 2:24:57
  Speaker 6: had just finished. It was a beautiful bit of work,
• 2:25:00
  Speaker 6: a tobacco pouch or tea rum ay. It made of
• 2:25:04
  Speaker 6: reindeer skin, decorated with beads, and the soft, creamy fur
• 2:25:08
  Speaker 6: of the ermine in its summer hue. We scrape it
• 2:25:12
  Speaker 6: a very long time and pull and rub, she said.
• 2:25:15
  Speaker 6: Plenty of time for patience in winter. Your hands are
• 2:25:18
  Speaker 6: so small and slim. I shouldn't think you could do
• 2:25:21
  Speaker 6: much with those stiff skins, said Terry. A Lilac smiled
• 2:25:26
  Speaker 6: at the compliment, and a little thush crept into the
• 2:25:30
  Speaker 6: clear olive of her skin. She was clean and neat,
• 2:25:33
  Speaker 6: and the igloo, though close from being shut up, was
• 2:25:36
  Speaker 6: neater than most of the Eskimo houses. The bowl, filled
• 2:25:40
  Speaker 6: with seal oil, which served as fire and light, was unlighted,
• 2:25:44
  Speaker 6: and a Lilac's father motioned to her and said something
• 2:25:48
  Speaker 6: in innate, to which she smilingly replied. My father wishes
• 2:25:52
  Speaker 6: you to eat with us, she said, and produced her
• 2:25:55
  Speaker 6: flint bag. In this were some mods of fibrous material
• 2:26:00
  Speaker 6: used for wicks. Rolling a piece of this in wood ashes,
• 2:26:03
  Speaker 6: she held it between her thumb, and a flint struck
• 2:26:06
  Speaker 6: hers stail against the stone, and sparks flee out, which
• 2:26:10
  Speaker 6: slided the fiber so that it burst into flame. This
• 2:26:13
  Speaker 6: was thrown into the bowl of oil, and she deftly
• 2:26:16
  Speaker 6: began preparing tea. She served it in cups of grass
• 2:26:20
  Speaker 6: and Ted thought he had never tasted anything nicer than
• 2:26:23
  Speaker 6: the cup of afternoon tea served in an igloo elilac.
• 2:26:27
  Speaker 6: What were you singing as we came in, asked Ted?
• 2:26:30
  Speaker 6: A song my mother always sang to us. She replied,
• 2:26:33
  Speaker 6: It is called Ami and as an Eskimau slumber song.
• 2:26:36
  Speaker 6: Will ye sing it now, asked mister Strong, And she
• 2:26:40
  Speaker 6: smiled in assent and sang the quaint, crooning lullaby of
• 2:26:43
  Speaker 6: her Eskimo mother. The wind blows over the Yuchen. My
• 2:26:47
  Speaker 6: husband hunts the deer on the Koyukun mountains. Ame ame, sleep,
• 2:26:52
  Speaker 6: little one, wake? Not long since my husband departed? Why
• 2:26:56
  Speaker 6: does he wait in the mountains? Ahme, amme, sleep, little one? Softly?
• 2:27:02
  Speaker 6: Where is my own? Does he lie starving on the
• 2:27:04
  Speaker 6: hill side? Why does he linger? Comes?
• 2:27:07
  Speaker 2: He not?
• 2:27:07
  Speaker 6: Sin? I will seek him along the mountains? Ah Me
• 2:27:11
  Speaker 6: at me, sleep, little one sleep. The crew has come laughing.
• 2:27:15
  Speaker 6: His beak is red, his eyes glisten. The false one
• 2:27:19
  Speaker 6: thanks for a good male to Cusco calla the shammon
• 2:27:22
  Speaker 6: on the sharp mountain quietly lies your husband. At me,
• 2:27:26
  Speaker 6: at me, sleep, little one, wake not twenty deer's tongues
• 2:27:30
  Speaker 6: tied to the pack on his shoulders, not a tongue
• 2:27:34
  Speaker 6: in his mouth to call to his wife. With wolves,
• 2:27:36
  Speaker 6: foxes and ravens are fighting for morsels. Tough and hard
• 2:27:40
  Speaker 6: are the sinews. Not so the child in your bosom,
• 2:27:43
  Speaker 6: at me, at me, sleep, little one, wake, not over
• 2:27:46
  Speaker 6: the mountains slowly staggers the hunter. Two bucks thighs on
• 2:27:50
  Speaker 6: his shoulders, with bladders of fat between them, twenty deer's
• 2:27:54
  Speaker 6: tongues in his belt. Go gather wood, old woman, awfully,
• 2:27:58
  Speaker 6: the crew liar, cheap, and the savior. Wake, little sleeper,
• 2:28:02
  Speaker 6: and call to your father. He brings you back fat,
• 2:28:06
  Speaker 6: marrow and venison, fresh from the mountain, tired and worn.
• 2:28:09
  Speaker 6: He has carved a toy of the deer's horn while
• 2:28:12
  Speaker 6: he was sitting and waiting long for the deer on
• 2:28:15
  Speaker 6: the hill side. Wake and see the crew hiding himself
• 2:28:18
  Speaker 6: from the arrow. Wake, little one, wake, for here is
• 2:28:21
  Speaker 6: your father thinking a lilac for the quaint song sung
• 2:28:25
  Speaker 6: in a sweet, touching voice. They all took their departure,
• 2:28:29
  Speaker 6: laden with purchases, and delighted with their visit. But you
• 2:28:32
  Speaker 6: must not think this a fair sample of eskimaux hut
• 2:28:36
  Speaker 6: or Eskimo life, said mister Strong to the boys. These
• 2:28:40
  Speaker 6: are near enough civilized to show the best side of
• 2:28:43
  Speaker 6: their grace, but theirs must be a terrible existence, who
• 2:28:46
  Speaker 6: are inland or on islands where no one ever comes,
• 2:28:49
  Speaker 6: and whose only idea of life as a constant struggle
• 2:28:52
  Speaker 6: for food. I think I would rather be an American,
• 2:28:54
  Speaker 6: remarked Ted White. Callaton said briefly, I like flink footnote
• 2:28:59
  Speaker 6: the egg as the Eskimo house. Often they occupy tents
• 2:29:04
  Speaker 6: during the summer, but returned to the huts the first
• 2:29:06
  Speaker 6: cool nights and of chapter eleven. Recording by Chadhorner from
• 2:29:11
  Speaker 6: bally Claire.
• 2:29:18
  Speaker 3: Chapter twelve of Caletin Our Little Alaskan Cousin. This is
• 2:29:24
  Speaker 3: a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
• 2:29:30
  Speaker 3: For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
• 2:29:36
  Speaker 3: Recording by Lynda Marie Nielsen, Vancouver, BC. Caletan, Our Little
• 2:29:42
  Speaker 3: Alaskan Cousin by Mary F. Nixon Rouley, Chapter twelve, The
• 2:29:49
  Speaker 3: Splendor of segally Tye. The tundra was greenish brown in
• 2:29:56
  Speaker 3: color and looked like a great meadow, stretching from the
• 2:29:59
  Speaker 3: b each like a new moon. Gently upward to the
• 2:30:04
  Speaker 3: cones of volcanic mountains. Far away. The ground frozen solid
• 2:30:09
  Speaker 3: all the year, faws out for a foot or two
• 2:30:13
  Speaker 3: on the surface during the warm months. And here and
• 2:30:17
  Speaker 3: there were scattered wild flowers, spring beauties, purple primroses, yellow anemone,
• 2:30:24
  Speaker 3: and sassy fridges bloomed in beauty, and wild honey bees,
• 2:30:30
  Speaker 3: gay bumble bees, and fat mosquitoes buzzed and hummed everywhere.
• 2:30:36
  Speaker 3: Ted and Calton were going to see the reindeer farm
• 2:30:41
  Speaker 3: at Port Clarence, and as this was to be their
• 2:30:45
  Speaker 3: last jaunt in Alaska, they were determined to make the
• 2:30:48
  Speaker 3: best of it. Next day they were to take ship
• 2:30:52
  Speaker 3: from Cape Prince of Wales and go straight to Sitka.
• 2:30:56
  Speaker 3: Here ten was to start for home, and mister Strong
• 2:31:01
  Speaker 3: was to leave Calatin at the Mission School for a
• 2:31:05
  Speaker 3: year's schooling, which, to Caltan's great delight, was to be
• 2:31:10
  Speaker 3: a present to him from his American friends. Tell us
• 2:31:15
  Speaker 3: about the reindeer farms, Daddy, have they always been here?
• 2:31:20
  Speaker 3: De manded head, as they tramped over the tundra covered
• 2:31:24
  Speaker 3: with moss, grass and flowers. No, said his father, they
• 2:31:30
  Speaker 3: are quite recent arrivals in Alaska. The Eskimos used to
• 2:31:35
  Speaker 3: live entirely upon the game they killed. Before the whites came.
• 2:31:40
  Speaker 3: There were many walruses, which they used for many things.
• 2:31:45
  Speaker 3: Whales too, they could easily capture before the whalers drove
• 2:31:50
  Speaker 3: them north. And then they hunted the wild reindeer until
• 2:31:55
  Speaker 3: now there are scarcely any left. There was little left
• 2:31:59
  Speaker 3: for them to eat but small fish. For you see,
• 2:32:03
  Speaker 3: the whites had taken away or destroyed their food supplies.
• 2:32:07
  Speaker 3: One day in eighteen ninety one, an American vessel discovered
• 2:32:12
  Speaker 3: an entire village of Eskimos starving, being reduced to eating
• 2:32:17
  Speaker 3: their dogs. And it was thought quite time that the
• 2:32:22
  Speaker 3: government did something for these people, whose land they had bought.
• 2:32:27
  Speaker 3: Finding that people of the same race in Siberia were
• 2:32:31
  Speaker 3: prosperous and healthy, they sent to investigate conditions and found
• 2:32:36
  Speaker 3: that the Siberian Eskimos lived entirely by means of the reindeer.
• 2:32:42
  Speaker 3: The government decided to start a reindeer farm and see
• 2:32:46
  Speaker 3: if it would not benefit the natives. How does it work,
• 2:32:51
  Speaker 3: asked ted? Very well, indeed, said his father. At first
• 2:32:56
  Speaker 3: about two hundred animals were brought over, and they increased
• 2:33:01
  Speaker 3: about fifty percent the first year. Everywhere in the Arctic region,
• 2:33:06
  Speaker 3: the tundra gives the reindeer the moss he lives on.
• 2:33:10
  Speaker 3: It is never dry in summer because the frost prevents
• 2:33:14
  Speaker 3: any underground drainage, and even in winter the animals feed
• 2:33:19
  Speaker 3: upon it and thrive. There are, as it is said,
• 2:33:24
  Speaker 3: hundreds of thousands of square miles of reindeer moss in Alaska,
• 2:33:30
  Speaker 3: and reindeer stations have been established in many places, and
• 2:33:35
  Speaker 3: as the natives are the only ones allowed to raise them,
• 2:33:39
  Speaker 3: it seems as if this might be the way found
• 2:33:44
  Speaker 3: to help the industrious Eskimos to help themselves. But if
• 2:33:50
  Speaker 3: it all belongs to the government, how can it help
• 2:33:54
  Speaker 3: the natives, asked Heed. Of course they have to be
• 2:33:59
  Speaker 3: taught the business, said mister Strong. The government brought over
• 2:34:04
  Speaker 3: some laps and Finlanders to care for the deer at first,
• 2:34:09
  Speaker 3: and these took young estimals to train. Each one serves
• 2:34:14
  Speaker 3: five years as herder, having a certain number of deer
• 2:34:19
  Speaker 3: set apart for him each year, and at the end
• 2:34:23
  Speaker 3: of his service goes into business for himself. Why I
• 2:34:28
  Speaker 3: think that's fine, cried ted, Oh Daddy, what is that?
• 2:34:33
  Speaker 3: It looks like a queer tangled up forest all bare
• 2:34:37
  Speaker 3: branches in the summer. That's a reindeer herd lying down
• 2:34:42
  Speaker 3: for their noonday rest. What you see are their antlers.
• 2:34:47
  Speaker 3: How would you like to be in the midst of
• 2:34:51
  Speaker 3: that forest of branches, asked mister Strong. No, thank you,
• 2:34:56
  Speaker 3: said Teddy, But Callton said, reindeer very gentle. They will
• 2:35:01
  Speaker 3: not hurt unless very much frightened. What queer looking animals
• 2:35:06
  Speaker 3: they are, said ted as they approached dearer, A sort
• 2:35:11
  Speaker 3: of cross between a deer and a cow. Perhaps they
• 2:35:15
  Speaker 3: are more useful than handsome, but I think there is
• 2:35:19
  Speaker 3: something picturesque about them, especially when hitched to sleds and
• 2:35:25
  Speaker 3: skimming over the frozen ground. A far mac keller was
• 2:35:30
  Speaker 3: certainly an interesting spot. Ted saw the deer fed and
• 2:35:34
  Speaker 3: milked the lapland women be experts in that line, and
• 2:35:40
  Speaker 3: found the herders in their quaint parkas tied around the
• 2:35:44
  Speaker 3: waist and conical caps, scarcely less interesting than the deer.
• 2:35:51
  Speaker 3: Two funny little lap babies he took to ride on
• 2:35:54
  Speaker 3: a large reindeer, which proceeding did not frighten the babies
• 2:35:59
  Speaker 3: half so much as did the white boy who put
• 2:36:03
  Speaker 3: them on the deer. A reindeer was to them an
• 2:36:07
  Speaker 3: every day occurrence, but a Boston boy was quite another matter.
• 2:36:12
  Speaker 3: Better than the reindeer, however, Teddy and Keleton like the
• 2:36:17
  Speaker 3: draft dogs who hauled the water at the station. A
• 2:36:22
  Speaker 3: great cask on wheels was pulled by five magnificent dogs,
• 2:36:27
  Speaker 3: beautiful fellows with bright alert faces. They are the most
• 2:36:31
  Speaker 3: faithful creatures in the world, said mister Strong, devoted to
• 2:36:36
  Speaker 3: their masters, even though the masters are cruel to them.
• 2:36:41
  Speaker 3: Reindeer can work all day without a mouthful to eat,
• 2:36:45
  Speaker 3: living on one meal at night of seven pounds of
• 2:36:48
  Speaker 3: corn meal mushed with a pound or so of dried
• 2:36:52
  Speaker 3: fish cooked into it. On long journeys they can live
• 2:36:56
  Speaker 3: on dried fish and snow, and five dogs will caul
• 2:37:00
  Speaker 3: four hundred pounds thirty five miles a day. They carry
• 2:37:05
  Speaker 3: the United States mails all over Alaska. I should think
• 2:37:10
  Speaker 3: the dog would be worth more than the reindeer, said
• 2:37:13
  Speaker 3: ted Many Alaskan travelers say he is by far the
• 2:37:19
  Speaker 3: best for traveling, but he cannot feed himself on the tundra,
• 2:37:23
  Speaker 3: nor can he be eaten himself if necessary. The Jarvis
• 2:37:28
  Speaker 3: expedition proved the value of the reindeer, said mister Strong.
• 2:37:33
  Speaker 3: What was that asked Tad. Some years ago, a whale
• 2:37:38
  Speaker 3: fleet was caught in the ice near Point Barrow and
• 2:37:41
  Speaker 3: in danger of starving to death, and word of this
• 2:37:45
  Speaker 3: was sent to the government. The President ordered the revenue
• 2:37:49
  Speaker 3: cutter bear to go as far north as possible and
• 2:37:53
  Speaker 3: send a relief party over the ice by sledge, with provisions.
• 2:37:59
  Speaker 3: When the bear could go no farther, her commander landed
• 2:38:03
  Speaker 3: Lieutenant Jarvis, who was familiar with the region, and a
• 2:38:08
  Speaker 3: relief party. They were to seek the nearest reindeer station
• 2:38:12
  Speaker 3: and drive a reindeer herd to the relief of the
• 2:38:15
  Speaker 3: starving people. The party reached kate g Nome and secured
• 2:38:20
  Speaker 3: some fear and the rescue was made, but under such difficulties.
• 2:38:26
  Speaker 3: That is one of the most heroic stories of the age.
• 2:38:31
  Speaker 3: These men drove four hundred reindeer over two thousand miles
• 2:38:35
  Speaker 3: north of the Arctic Circle, over frozen seas and snow
• 2:38:40
  Speaker 3: capped mountains, and found the starving sailors who ate the
• 2:38:44
  Speaker 3: fresh reindeer meat which lasted until the ice melted in
• 2:38:49
  Speaker 3: the spring, and set them free. I think that was fine,
• 2:38:54
  Speaker 3: said Ted, but it seems a little harder on the
• 2:38:57
  Speaker 3: reindeer doesn't it to tramp all that distance just to
• 2:39:01
  Speaker 3: be eaten? Animals made for man, said Caleton briefly. A
• 2:39:08
  Speaker 3: golden glory filled the sky, running upwards towards the zenith,
• 2:39:13
  Speaker 3: spreading there in varying colors, from palest yellow to orange
• 2:39:17
  Speaker 3: and deepest reddest red, richest red. Glowing streams of light
• 2:39:24
  Speaker 3: streamed heavenward like feathery wings, as Ted and Keleton sailed southward.
• 2:39:30
  Speaker 3: And Ted exclaimed in wonder, what is it the splendor
• 2:39:36
  Speaker 3: of the saghale tree footnote? Way up high, Chief, I
• 2:39:42
  Speaker 3: eat God in footnote, said Caleton solemnly. The Aurora Borealis said,
• 2:39:50
  Speaker 3: mister strong and very fortunate you are to see it. Indeed, Teddy,
• 2:39:55
  Speaker 3: you seem to have brought good luck, for everything has
• 2:39:59
  Speaker 3: gone well this trip. Our faces are turned homeward now,
• 2:40:04
  Speaker 3: but we will have to come again next summer and
• 2:40:08
  Speaker 3: bring Mother and Judith. I'll be glad to get home
• 2:40:12
  Speaker 3: to mother again, said Ted, then, noting Calton's wistful face,
• 2:40:17
  Speaker 3: We'll find you at Sitka and go home with you
• 2:40:21
  Speaker 3: to the island, and he put his arm affectionately over
• 2:40:25
  Speaker 3: the Indian boy's shoulder. Caleton pointed to the sky whence
• 2:40:30
  Speaker 3: the splendor was fading, and a flock of birds was
• 2:40:34
  Speaker 3: skiving southwards from the sky's fades. The splendor of the
• 2:40:39
  Speaker 3: sag holly tree, he said, the summer is gone, the
• 2:40:44
  Speaker 3: birds fly southward. The light goes from me when my
• 2:40:49
  Speaker 3: white brother goes with the birds. Unless he returned with them,
• 2:40:54
  Speaker 3: all is dark for caletin the end and of chapter
• 2:41:00
  Speaker 3: twelve recording by Linjamin Nielsen, Vancouver, BC, and of Calton,
• 2:41:07
  Speaker 3: Our Little Alaski Cousin by Mary F. Nixon Roulet