The thinking public will place the credit where it so well
belongs, and he will soon find the reward of success in the approval
not only of his countrymen, but of all interested in the extension of
geographical knowledge and scientific research. It is not too much to
say that no man ever entered the field of Arctic labors better fitted
for the task, physically or by education and habits of life and mental
training, than Lieutenant Schwatka. He is endowed by nature with robust
health and a powerful frame, to which fatigue seems a stranger. A
cheerful disposition that finds amusement in the passing trifle, and
powers of concentration that entirely abstract him from his
surroundings, keep him free from "ennui" that is not the least
disagreeable feature of life in this wilderness. And he possesses a
very important adjunct, though to the uninitiated it may seem trifling,
a stomach that can relish and digest fat. The habit of command gives
him a power over our Inuit allies that is not to be disregarded.
"Esquimau Joe" says he never knew them to mind any one so strictly and
readily as they do Lieutenant Schwatka. With all these qualifications
for a leader, and the prestige of success following close upon his
heels, it would not be too much to predict for him a brilliant Arctic
career in the near future.
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