My toughest trip
Date: 2024-11-07T00:00:00+00:00
Keywords: Short stories; Canada; Northern -- Fiction; Shipwrecks -- Fiction; Royal North West Mounted Police (Canada) -- Fiction; Infants -- Fiction; Inuit -- Canada -- Fiction

The Project Gutenberg eBook of My toughest trip

This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this ebook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this eBook.

Title: My toughest trip

Author: Robert William Reading

Release date: November 7, 2024 [eBook #74700]

Language: English

Original publication: Chicago, IL: The Consolidated Magazines Corporation

Credits: Roger Frank and Sue Clark

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MY TOUGHEST TRIP ***

MY TOUGHEST TRIP

by Sergeant Reading

An Arctic adventure of a most unusual sort is graphically set forth by an officer of the Canadian Mounted Police.

For a good many years I was a member of the Arctic Patrols of the old Royal Northwest Mounted Police—now called Royal Canadian Mounted Police—and naturally had my share of the duties assigned that force. Since resigning from the force and taking up my abode in a city I have been greatly amused at fiction writers and movie producers’ ideas of the work of the Mounties; according to those fellows we spent the most of our time hunting desperate gunmen and rescuing beautiful damsels in distress. On the toughest trip I ever made I rescued a female, young but not beautiful—an Eskimo baby, in fact. I will briefly record how it was brought about.

Most of the trouble which the Mounties have to straighten out in the Arctic is occasioned by clashes between the white men, who go in to trade for the furs which milady of civilization deems necessary, and the natives. But a great deal of our work was straightening up inter-tribal sex tangles among the Eskimos.

In one such case, to decide which of two natives really owned a certain native girl, we brought both the men and the woman to our post at Tree River. Perhaps I had better explain that owing to the fact that the Eskimos destroy girl babies during years when food is scarce, there is a great shortage of marriageable girls among these nomads of the North. Consequently competition for wives is keen, often resulting in killings.

Anyway, after thinking and talking over this particular case for some time, we found out that neither of the two men really owned this girl; they had, in fact, stolen her from her rightful husband, belonging to another tribe. The upshot of it was the males were sentenced to do two years’ chores apiece at the post, while I was detailed to return the woman to her lawful husband.

One bright June morning, I loaded up our sailboat with grub for a six-weeks’ journey, and taking the girl, I set out.

For two weeks I sailed, making slow progress owing to contrary winds. Then a storm overtook us. I did my best, but it wasn’t good enough—the storm won and we were washed ashore with the boat.

I am not a writer, so cannot describe an Arctic gale, or the mountainous waves, and all that. But I can state that when the storm abated and the sea calmed down, we were left stranded on an island, neither ourselves, boat nor stores harmed, but fully a quarter of a mile from the water’s edge.

Things looked pretty serious for me; alone, I could not possibly drag that heavy boat down to the water. I sat down by the fire and tried to figure out what to do. Far into the night I sat, while the girl tossed restlessly in her furs; but I did not pay much attention to her. Finally I rolled up in my own blankets and slept.

Awakening at dawn, I walked down to the water’s edge to collect driftwood for a fire—although it was summertime the ice-filled waters chilled the wind which swept shorewards. Slowly I tramped along, picking up a piece of wood here, a piece there; then I ran into a piece of pure luck, although it told a mute tale of tragedy. Rolling and flopping on the beach I spied an upturned native canoe—a kyak. Caught far from land, its owner had no doubt perished.

Eagerly I dropped my load, and lugged the frail craft from the water. It was undamaged. Again picking up the firewood, I hastened back to tell the girl, Nuttinook, of our good fortune. She smiled rather wanly, I thought, but assented to the plan I outlined as we ate breakfast, that I take the boat, which would carry only one, and go for help.

Eagerly I bolted my food, then set about making a snug camp for the girl. That finished, I packed a two-weeks’ supply of food in the kyak and constructed a rough two-bladed paddle. By this time it was almost dark, so I decided to wait until morning before starting. Contentedly I rolled into my blankets; gone were my fears of being marooned and starving to death when our grub had run out. But I had not reckoned with another factor.

Distances in the Arctic are so great that it takes months to make a patrol, arrests if necessary, and then to return natives to their own people. The trouble which had led up to my escorting this girl home had been no exception; eight or nine months had elapsed since the girl had been stolen from her rightful husband, so perhaps what occurred was only natural after all, especially in the Arctic where life is elemental in the extreme.

At daybreak I instinctively awoke, feeling somewhat stiff from sleeping on the damp ground, but refreshed. I soon had a fire going, then stepped over to wake the girl. She did not respond to my gentle shaking, but something moved slightly beneath the furs; then a thin wail trembled out in the raw air.

I stood frozen in my tracks! I have mushed hundreds of weary miles, sometimes with “bad men,” often half starved and frozen in patches. But never have I experienced the cold chill of dread that wail awakened!

Gently I turned back the robes. It was as I feared—the girl had given birth to a child. Perhaps injured internally during the buffeting we had received in the gale, the effort had proved too much for her; she was dead.

But the youngster— That little beggar was far from dead! It was up to me to do something. Never before or since have I felt so helpless, but somehow I must keep that little atom alive until I struck a native camp. That was the one thought that hammered into my benumbed brain.

Building up the fire, I quickly warmed thoroughly two of the softest blankets. As tenderly as possible I placed the baby in the center of them and covered it up. It still kept up a plaintive wailing. Of course it was hungry.

From my stores I got some evaporated milk. It did not take long to mix a cupful. In my medicine kit I had an eyedropper. I perforated its rubber cap, then filled the phial with warm milk. The baby soon had it emptied; then she fell asleep.

Gazing at the sleeping infant, I envied her calm, for my own mind was in a turmoil. Then I remembered that perhaps the first duty of a Mountie is to protect life. I determined to save the baby somehow.

Leaving her sleeping, I composed the corpse of her mother; then, with furs and blankets, I made a sort of nest on the kyak behind the seat. Carefully I carried the infant and stowed her away, then I launched the craft.

The next three days and nights I shall never forget; every two or three hours the youngster became hungry and I had to light a fire and mix warm milk. Years of living in the North with men had made me independent of women, but I would have given a year’s pay to have had a woman to aid me then! I was fearful lest I handle the tiny mite too roughly. I wanted to keep it warm, yet I was afraid of suffocating it.

Fortunately, during those three days and nights the sea remained fairly calm and the craft rode well. In between times of pulling ashore to light a fire to warm milk, I paddled hard. On the evening of the third day I reached the tribe to which I had been taking Nuttinook. As eager natives hurried down to the shore to greet me, I almost hugged them.

Rapidly, with signs and speech, I made them understand. One of them led me into a gloomy snow hut. In one corner I espied a native woman with a babe at her breast. When I crawled out again, she had two babes to feed, but she accepted the extra one cheerfully. Outside, to the wonder of the watching natives, I turned a few handsprings in the snow. I have never enjoyed such a sense of relief at duty done!

Then I had to impart the sad news to the husband of Nuttinook: we had saved his squaw only for her to die in childbirth. A few days later he and some of his fellows escorted me back to the island to fetch the young mother’s body.

Two weeks later I returned safely to Tree River, none the worse for my patrol. But I shall always regard that as my toughest trip because of the unusual responsibility of looking after a newborn babe.

Several years later Ayunio, the husband of Nuttinook, made a trip to the post to tell me his little girl was fine and healthy. He also tried to present me with many fine Arctic fox furs. Unfortunately the regulations would not allow me to accept them.

And this describes but one of the duties of men of the Arctic Patrols of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. A trifle different from most of the stuff written about the Mounties, I know—none the less it is true.

This story appeared in the May 1927 issue of Blue Book magazine.

*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MY TOUGHEST TRIP ***

Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will be renamed.

Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG™ concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you charge for an eBook, except by following the terms of the trademark license, including paying royalties for use of the Project Gutenberg trademark. If you do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the trademark license is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and research. Project Gutenberg eBooks may be modified and printed and given away—you may do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks not protected by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the trademark license, especially commercial redistribution.

START: FULL LICENSE

THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE

PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK

To protect the Project Gutenberg™ mission of promoting the free distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work (or any other work associated in any way with the phrase “Project Gutenberg”), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project Gutenberg™ License available with this file or online at www.gutenberg.org/license.

Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works

1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg™ electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property (trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works in your possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project Gutenberg™ electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.

1.B. “Project Gutenberg” is a registered trademark. It may only be used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg™ electronic works even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project Gutenberg™ electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg™ electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below.

1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation (“the Foundation” or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the United States and you are located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project Gutenberg™ mission of promoting free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg™ works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg™ name associated with the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg™ License when you share it without charge with others.

1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project Gutenberg™ work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any country other than the United States.

1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:

1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg™ License must appear prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg™ work (any work on which the phrase “Project Gutenberg” appears, or with which the phrase “Project Gutenberg” is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, copied or distributed:

This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this eBook.

1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg™ electronic work is derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase “Project Gutenberg” associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg™ trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.

1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg™ electronic work is posted with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked to the Project Gutenberg™ License for all works posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work.

1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg™ License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg™.

1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project Gutenberg™ License.

1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg™ work in a format other than “Plain Vanilla ASCII” or other format used in the official version posted on the official Project Gutenberg™ website (www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original “Plain Vanilla ASCII” or other form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg™ License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.

1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg™ works unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.

1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing access to or distributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works provided that:

- • You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from the use of Project Gutenberg™ works calculated using the method you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark, but he has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in Section 4, “Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.”

- • You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg™ License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg™ works.

- • You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of receipt of the work.

- • You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free distribution of Project Gutenberg™ works.

1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg™ electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the manager of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark. Contact the Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below.

1.F.

1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project Gutenberg™ collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg™ electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain “Defects,” such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by your equipment.

1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the “Right of Replacement or Refund” described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark, and any other party distributing a Project Gutenberg™ electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.

1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further opportunities to fix the problem.

1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you ‘AS-IS’, WITH NO OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.

1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions.

1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone providing copies of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works in accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg™ work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg™ work, and (c) any Defect you cause.

Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg™

Project Gutenberg™ is synonymous with the free distribution of electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from people in all walks of life.

Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg™’s goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg™ collection will remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure and permanent future for Project Gutenberg™ and future generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at www.gutenberg.org.

Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation

The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal Revenue Service. The Foundation’s EIN or federal tax identification number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state’s laws.

The Foundation’s business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up to date contact information can be found at the Foundation’s website and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact

Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation

Project Gutenberg™ depends upon and cannot survive without widespread public support and donations to carry out its mission of increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be freely distributed in machine-readable form accessible by the widest array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations ($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt status with the IRS.

The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate.

While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who approach us with offers to donate.

International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.

Please check the Project Gutenberg web pages for current donation methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate.

Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg™ electronic works

Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg™ concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and distributed Project Gutenberg™ eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support.

Project Gutenberg™ eBooks are often created from several printed editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition.

Most people start at our website which has the main PG search facility: www.gutenberg.org.

This website includes information about Project Gutenberg™, including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.

Table of Contents

- MY TOUGHEST TRIP

- THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE