overland expedition was to be landed from the _Bear_ as soon as
practicable, at some point on the coast of Alaska, in Bering Sea, to be
determined upon by Captain Tuttle. The problem of getting food to the
imperiled people at the earliest time possible was the all-important
consideration, for it was fully understood that the _Bear_ could
not, under the most favorable conditions of ice navigation in that
region, reach their neighborhood before the following July or August.
The utter lack of transportation of any kind in this far-off land
suggested the idea, which was adopted as the only possible plan, of
driving reindeer overland, to be slaughtered on arrival, for food to
last until the arrival of the _Bear_ with supplies the following
summer. The reindeer were to be collected by the overland expedition
from several points in Alaska, notably Cape Prince of Wales and Point
Rodney, and, with such aid as could be procured from natives and others,
driven to Point Barrow.

The overland expedition was formed, and consisted of First Lieut. David
H. Jarvis, Revenue-Cutter Service, commanding; Second Lieut. Ellsworth
P. Bertholf, Revenue-Cutter Service, and Dr. Samuel J. Call, surgeon of
the _Bear_, all volunteers. This overland expedition was landed
from the _Bear_ at Cape Vancouver, in Bering Sea, Alaska, on the
16th of December, 1897, and commenced its toilsome and dreary journey
through an arctic night to Point Barrow, Captain Tuttle returning with
his command to winter at Dutch Harbor, Alaska, and from there to take
advantage of the first opportunity in the early summer of 1898 to get
north.

The overland expedition worked its way to the reindeer stations named,
and succeeded in getting together about 450 deer. They were materially
aided by Mr. W.T. Lopp, agent of the American Missionary Society at Cape