At sixty and seventy degrees below
zero everything freezes. Even the iron and wood are affected. Strong
oak and hickory will break almost like icicles, and when guns were
brought into the warmer temperature of an igloo to clean, they would
gather moisture, which had to be removed from every portion of the lock
and working parts before again meeting the cold, or they would be
worthless as weapons. They must also be kept free from oil or any kind
of grease, as all lubricants of that sort will harden and prevent the
working of the lock. It is but fair to state in this connection that
our fire-arms, in which all the best American manufacturers were
represented, worked admirably under these trying circumstances, and I
feel justified in saying that it was their superiority in rapid and
accurate delivery, in the hands of good hunters, that carried us
through this ordeal. It is a matter of great difficulty to get near
enough to such wary game as the reindeer, in winter, when the sound of
the hunter's footsteps, though the soles of his shoes are covered with
fur, is carried on the wind and can be distinctly heard more than a
mile away. I have frequently heard the crunching of the sled runners on
the brittle snow--a ringing sound like striking bars of steel--a
distance of over two miles. It was one advantage in travelling against
a head wind, to counterbalance the discomfort, that it carried the
sound of the sleds away from game we might be approaching.
Pages:
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225