he life so hastily chosen by the adventurous young lad, until
he acquired familiarity with all that appertained thereto, and he was a
man.

Years passed. To say that fortune never came to him would not be true,
because she is always a fickle dame, and cannot change her character for
sailor men. So it came about that he finally stood on the captain's
bridge of different sorts of craft, and gave orders to those beneath
him.

And a typical sea captain was he. Gruff when occasion required,
rollicking as any when it pleased him, he was generous to a fault, and a
man of naturally good impulses. If he drank, he was never tipsy; if he
swore, he always had reason; and thus he excused himself when he thought
of his good old mother's early Bible teaching.

From Montevideo to Canton, from Gibraltar to San Francisco, from Cape of
Good Hope to the Arctic Ocean; thus ran his itinerary year after year.
Crossing Behring Strait from Siberia in the summer of 18--, he landed,
with his little crew, at Cape Prince of Wales, for the purpose of
trading with the natives. The furs of the animals of this region were
found to be exceptionally fine, thick and glossy, and the Eskimos easily
parted with them. For flour, tobacco and woolen cloth they willingly
gave their furs to the sailors, who looked admiringly upon the skins of
the polar bear, sea otter, beaver, silver, black and white fox, as well
as those of many other animals. These furs were sold in San Francisco,
and other trips were made to the Arctic Northwest.

Along the south coast of the Seward Peninsula there are few bays or
natural harbors. Golovin Bay is one of them. Here for many years the
Eskimos have subsisted upon the fine fish and game. The flesh and oils
of the white whale, seal and walrus being principally sought for, the
natives came to this bay from all directions.

After many years of wandering, and when the ambitions of the captain for
a seafaring life had been satisfied, an incident occurred which changed
the current of his life and decided him to settle permanently at Golovin
Bay.

During his visits on the peninsula his attention had been directed to a
bright and intelligent young Eskimo woman, lithe and lively, a good
swimmer, trapper and hunter. Like a typical Indian, she had a clear,
keen eye, steady nerves and common sense. She was a good gunner and
seldom missed her mark. She was fearless on land or sea, loved her free
out-door life, and was a true child of nat