Travels in Alaska 



as the good ship passed through the Golden Gate and 

 began to heave on the waves of the open ocean. The 

 crowded deck was speedily deserted on account of 

 seasickness. It seemed strange that nearly every one 

 afflicted should be more or less ashamed. 



Next morning a strong wind was blowing, and the 

 sea was gray and white, with long breaking waves, 

 across which the Dakota was racing half-buried in 

 spray. Very few of the passengers were on deck to 

 enjoy the wild scenery. Every wave seemed to be 

 making enthusiastic, eager haste to the shore, with 

 long, irised tresses streaming from its tops, some of 

 its outer fringes borne away in scud to refresh the 

 wind, all the rolling, pitching, flying water exulting 

 in the beauty of rainbow light. Gulls and albatrosses, 

 strong, glad life in the midst of the stormy beauty, 

 skimmed the waves against the wind, seemingly with- 

 out effort, oftentimes flying nearly a mile without a 

 single wing-beat, gracefully swaying from side to side 

 and tracing the curves of the briny water hills with 

 the finest precision, now and then just grazing the 

 highest. 



And yonder, glistening amid the irised spray, is a 

 still more striking revelation of warm life in the so- 

 called howling waste, a half-dozen whales, their 

 broad backs like glaciated bosses of granite heaving 

 aloft in near view, spouting lustily, drawing a long 

 breath, and plunging down home in colossal health 

 and comfort. A merry school of porpoises, a square 

 mile of them, suddenly appear, tossing themselves 

 into the air in abounding strength and hilarity, add- 



