The Discovery of Glacier Bay 



began to gain confidence and to speak freely. They 

 told us that the big bay was called by them Sit-a-da- 

 kay, or Ice Bay; that there were many large ice- 

 mountains in it, but no gold-mines; and that the 

 ice-mountain they knew best was at the head of the 

 bay, where most of the seals were found. 



Notwithstanding the rain, I was anxious to push on 

 and grope our way beneath the clouds as best we 

 could, in case worse weather should come; but Charley 

 was ill at ease, and wanted one of the seal-hunters to 

 go with us, for the place was much changed. I prom- 

 ised to pay well for a guide, and in order to lighten 

 the canoe proposed to leave most of our heavy stores 

 in the hut until our return. After a long consultation 

 one of them consented to go. His wife got ready his 

 blanket and a piece of cedar matting for his bed, and 

 some provisions mostly dried salmon, and seal 

 sausage made of strips of lean meat plaited around a 

 core of fat. She followed us to the beach, and just as 

 we were pushing off said with a pretty smile, "It is 

 my husband that you are taking away. See that you 

 bring him back." 



We got under way about 10 A.M. The wind was in 

 our favor, but a cold rain pelted us, and we could see 

 but little of the dreary, treeless wilderness which we 

 had now fairly entered. The bitter blast, however, 

 gave us good speed; our bedraggled canoe rose and 

 fell on the waves as solemnly as a big ship. Our course 

 was northwestward, up the southwest side of the bay, 

 near the shore of what seemed to be the mainland, 

 smooth marble islands being on our right. About 



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