142 BERING STRAIT 



east to Norton Sound, in which are the mouths of the 

 Yukon, one of the mightiest rivers of the world, its 

 volume being as great as, or according to some writers 

 greater than, the Mississippi. In a course of two thou- 

 sand miles it runs northwards to the Arctic Circle at 

 the now abandoned trading post of Fort Yukon, where 

 its waters are reinforced by its tributary, the Rat or 

 Porcupine, coming in from the north-east, and given 

 their seaward direction to the south-west. Up this 

 vast waterway in 1866 went Frederick Whymper and 

 William H. Ball. 



Beginning with a sledge journey of a hundred and 

 seventy miles from Unalachleet, they struck the Yukon 

 on the 10th of November, gliding down a high steep 

 bank on to it. Hardly a patch of clear ice was to be 

 seen, the snow covering the whole extent. Accumula- 

 tions of hummocks had in many places been forced on 

 the surface before the river had become thoroughly 

 frozen, and the water was still open, running swiftly in 

 a few isolated streaks. From bank to bank was not less 

 than a mile, the stream flowing among several islands. 

 As they sledged up the river the dreary expanse of 

 snow made them almost forget they were on a sheet of 

 ice ; and, as it winds considerably, their course was 

 often from bank to bank to cut off corners and bends. 

 Many cliffs abutted on the stream, and islands of 

 sombre green forest studded it in all directions. 



On the 15th they reached Nulato, six hundred miles 

 from the mouth, where they spent the winter. Here 

 they found a curious method of fishing practised all 

 through the season. Early in the winter large piles or 

 stakes had been driven down into the bed of the river, 



