stefansson-wrangel-09-38-004-010

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strongest possess.

THE LAW OF THE STRONG
THE ONLY STATUTE.

Food would be the first consideration. It is not
likely that enough food was brought from Nome in the
first place to last two years. The principal reason for
this is the fact that the expedition is a Stefansson
expedition and Stefanason believes that bringing food to
the Arctic is like bringing coals to Newcastle. Two
members of the party had served apprenticeships under his
personal leadership and would be prepared to provide the
greater part of their food supply with their rifles. But
all seasons are not alike. Sometimes game is plentiful
and at others it is scarce. Not all men possess the
physical and mental qualities necessary to keep on hunt-
ing day after day and to take full advantage of the few
opportunities that occur when game is scarce. Not every
hunter can so conserve his ammunition as to make each
cartridge responsible for the greatest possible amount
of food. In 1914 the survivors of the Karluk, while
marooned on Wrangel Island , wasted a great deal of
valuable ammunition on birds which should have been
reserved for larger game. If they had not been rescued
by the King and Winge all or most of them would undoubt-
edly have starved to death before a ship could have
reached them the following season.