LITTLE AHNIGHITO PEARY.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 609, 11 September 1909, Page 11

LITTLE AHNIGHITO PEARY.

THE SNOW BABY. » , 'i;'-,- The Commander Peary!s' little girl,, who was bora away up in North Greenland during his .expedition-of: 1893-95, is told- by Mrs. Peary; in a book- called '-'The y Snow v.';;} ; ;written, and full of delightful pictures. . ■ ■ Fascinating is tier description of the'won- .. ".derful land where,."in'summer/the sun never .wtsyibut'shineslall'ithe timejiday and'.night';, .the snow) melts/off :• the ground; -blue and . white and'yellow, flowers,spring-up, and: soft-' eyedjii.brqwn-coaiW.ireindeer'. wander, / about,' cropping .the/short'grass; : the .'jce breaks up); bluo .waves ■'•' danceJand: sparkle 1 .in-ithe sun, .and:;?veiywhere-;singing rush '.down the . or ..tall in 'silvery cascades - vbyer ;;. the'Hcliffs; ■ where millions of- noisy .-'seat &'• V:birds' xomej.to / lay.- theirs eggs'; : ;bla'ck -walrus, . larger • : 'mei > niottled seals; schools'of :'narwhal,' ; i ; ivory thorns, longer, than a man is . tail, 1 flash-' ,' ing -like -'spear's- in and out of the water, and occasional, herce shaggy: whito bears aro to - be seen.!' \ - .-■?■■■'.■ .» •. ,o.:i '.- 1 <^;,i- ( Wne n ';n%ter deputes,with its night four jnori^HsV>lo^gjr.fit , . : is:-a.«"loiiely; land, only a few .: . hungry .bears, and poor doers that have to.dig . : H';:with'their:bbofs;for! a'few. monthfulsof grass'• i ;vand t'■ with ; the 1 Eskimos., and. their dogs. , ' ■ ; '.'Here;. in ■ this. wonderful land, :in a. little ' >;■ black.house,,under a great brown mountain, ; ~ was ; found, one. bright September ; day,a J. little snowrwjiito. baby girl, with ~ big, blue eyes .V., : ->It .Was', a ,one-story; house, :witn-:walls a foot thick, and inside' the house the. baby's' :ibbm'Lwas;lined-;with> soft-warm, blankets,'.its , b?d was'coverc-d witli soft :.reindoer ,-skins. ; jvhen : ,;.ithey.'iheafd of;-the.,birfh'of :a. white baby, and ',•)i;^drwsVofi-miles.'te.. 'see her, raiid:.they',were ; . v,vv;deligWed"Vif i .to ' smile at 1 them'. .They/; called-": her r." Ahrpoo'-'-mikra/iiiuTny\ (the' Jnridj;,brought?her presents .of ;, iur : mitten^,:'littla.,,'sealskin boots/ baby :.'.^'.'C ; .-;)iiM'rß,sßndi i seal-skins'-: and vwalriis. tusksl':. ; .- - J >' Baby.; was six weeks old :the' four; months/ j'and, for that Y 'thor.jfeby>Kved':dmt ..up'-. : ih.;the; little room, where; a lamp whs kept burning day ■'0.-and^ she';';:bath4d : , . r h'er,r ; ! her ■mother;'hadio'clpse'every,door'in;.the, room\ ana> even;'? pu^ ;: n v oil"; stoye ri n ',the bed : drawp';dl6sej J . and '^lierß-I-sponge her! : rr'-lflf 5 the' "she golden .-bar of .../'sunlight as otherchildren. roach for a fx^liti-'-V'4rffulitey,:"isays.^er'father;';;'.;Aftof''that,v i i!>very ; day,; .she. .-had; asun.: bath', J and '^he;.,iiised. , ,'to-be ;{'-.taken.for-anioutinc in. an Eslqmo'.'bab'y; .suit", a'-.'l .v'inade -,of ■ furl a. little hooded coat .sad ;a/pair pfjlit'tle.-trousefs'and b'oqts.-intone,;ijhd;rflund tho wrists: and faco /opening'-, fox-tails, were .sown to keop her warm. ? ' ' -The Snow Baby.'was just liko a little ' , human bulb that -had been kept. in tho,, darky ; find,syas,brought"out into ;the sunlight. ' She grew like! a tulip, and v.-as soon too. heavy ;V'for ; : .her 1 ; mother.'jtp "carry,. so !'thoy; got' soinei' : • .', r dogs,', and a little,; Eskimo sledge, 'and; every- • day sho had a sleigh-ride,' "the .dogs'.seeming ' always _to .understand that liiey-must, not ■ bolt with tho.baby, a3 they did with tho .; '- ' A.great;many people caroo to see her, and ;: she'^made. ftiplida with /-'their,, little brown , babies.-; fallen ■ Ah-ni-ghi-t-o began vto talk,. . she spoko ,'Eskimo,; and • would say' 'Ta, koo". ;, , , (lo6k),; : and :''atudo'L l She little Eskimo playmates, and 'a-'; little Eskimo ;.' .nursemaid, , twelve yeurs,. old, : called. . "Miss Bill;"; All tie" .through, .the :.Show : ■}~-B £by\. stayed^z-.there)! playing ' iabout' ? out A, of ; ■ ' doors with, bright - pebbles; ' and .floweTs, and -pnppies,'-'ahfl."when,at : last;'; she- was; nearly a year old, tho big ' ship- called for them' . « again,- and-tHe 'Snow ,Babyj : ; with' her nj'other 7 : land. Miss'"ill, "went, back 'to - "She ■ was .'^en, 1 ' says her.father, gravely,-f'mentally B fd physically at least a year in' advance; of : ; her;; actual age," a. statcnir.ut whicii , ; proves that ,; all fathers ;; are V; alike; ,In .:, 1897,; when, the Snow Baby, was nearly four years ;o!d;; Peary- went "back to.: the; Arctic- . to.;.search ';fo'r 'the h.ugest, known : meteorite,. . which; lie . took .back with him "to America.'\ Ah-ni-ghi-to and her' mother ac.:v- x. Mmpanie.d;him, greatly.'to .tho .delight of the Eskimos. .They-.; were, all'anxious to;see the Snow Baby, who had grown much bigger :. .Eskimo' child, and, once more, ;:they ; brought her-.beautiful presents. Wherever she -. went,. the; child '• made a : sait -,; : ...;of .royal;progress, treated like, a'iittle : '.' 'queen ; ;bj> all;;'the;,Eskimos , they' met. . Qn.; their;way, back /from-(this, expedition,. ;Ah-m-ghi-to;.had, a ..birthday l ,on .board' the ..ship, and everyone... gavo her. lovely things. - .. "The' . engineer: blew four. • loud blasts p with the whistle .to. let all thc senls and walrus, ■ aiidcven' the . polar bears (if there were any .witlijn hearing distance) know, that the Snow .. Baby. H'as .four. old that day." . . ; ~