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334 THE ADVENTURE OF WRANGEL ISLAND

supper, for I couldn’t go to sleep until I had read awhile, then I
went to sleep. The next morning about six o’clock I heard that
same noise again and it sounded more like a boat whistle this time
so I grabbed my field glasses and went out on top of my platform,
and sure enough there was a boat and the master and the people
were walking around on the beach. I had only some tea for
breakfast that morning, for I watched the boat to see if they were
going to come up to my camp. I thought it might be just a whale
ship. I didn’t know what to do, but finally the boat started up
towards my tent and I was sure tickled. I went down to the
beach to meet the boat, and the master which was a native came
to me and asked me where the rest of the people were and I told
him there were no more, that I was the only one left. I didn’t
know what to say to him, I was so tickled. I told him that I was
alone, that Mr. Knight had died and that the others had gone
to Siberia, and asked him if he had not heard from them in Nome.⁵
But he said that Stefansson had sent him after us, so I told him
they were gone, that I was the only one left. The next day they
buried Mr. Knight, for I told them that I had not.

We stayed there about two or three days. They were unloading
the boat. They had brought a lot of supplies for the people that
are up there now. They had brought supplies for two years but
were only supposed to stay one winter.

As soon as I saw some of the boys from Nome on the boat I
asked them how Bennett, my little boy, was and they said he
was fine. I had left him in Nome in a Home where he had been
for some time before I left on this trip.

Very respectfully,

Mrs. Ada Blackjack.

Character Sketch of Ada Blackjack by Inglis Fletcher with an
Introductory Note by Vilhjalmur Stefansson

My first meeting with Ada Blackjack was in Seattle,
January, 1924, when two members of my 1913-1918 ex-

5 In telling me the story Ada said her first question had been, “Why is not
Mr. Galle with you?” She said she used his name, though she really meant
to ask about all three, because it was only her own idea that the others were
coming back while Galle had specifically told her he was coming.