Travels in Alaska 



My bed was two boulders, and as I lay wedged and 

 bent on their up-bulging sides, beguiling the hard, 

 cold time in gazing into the starry sky and across the 

 sparkling bay, magnificent upright bars of light in 

 bright prismatic colors suddenly appeared, marching 

 swiftly in close succession along the northern horizon 

 from west to east as if in diligent haste, an auroral 

 display very different from any I had ever before be- 

 held. Once long ago in Wisconsin I saw the heavens 

 draped in rich purple auroral clouds fringed and folded 

 in most magnificent forms ; but in this glory of light, 

 so pure, so bright, so enthusiastic in motion, there 

 was nothing in the least cloud-like. The short color- 

 bars, apparently about two degrees in height, though 

 blending, seemed to be as well defined as those of 

 the solar spectrum. 



How long these glad, eager soldiers of light held on 

 their way I cannot tell; for sense of time was charmed 

 out of mind and the blessed night circled away in 

 measureless rejoicing enthusiasm. 



In the early morning after so inspiring a night I 

 launched my canoe feeling able for anything, crossed 

 the mouth of the Hugh Miller fiord, and forced a way 

 three or four miles along the shore of the bay, hoping 

 to reach the Grand Pacific Glacier in front of Mt. 

 Fairweather. But the farther I went, the ice-pack, in- 

 stead of showing inviting little open streaks here and 

 there, became so much harder jammed that on some 

 parts of the shore the bergs, drifting south with the 

 tide, were shoving one another out of the water be- 

 yond high-tide line. Farther progress to northward 



[3H] 



