Travels in Alaska 



Wrangell, they sat on boulders and cut each other's 

 hair, carefully washed and perfumed themselves and 

 made a complete change in their clothing, even to 

 white shirts, new boots, new hats, and bright neckties. 

 Meanwhile, I scrambled across the broad, brushy, for- 

 ested moraine, and on my return scarcely recognized 

 my crew in their dress suits. Mr. Young also made 

 some changes in his clothing, while I, having nothing 

 dressy in my bag, adorned my cap with an eagle's 

 feather I found on the moraine, and thus arrayed we 

 set forth to meet the noble Thlinkits. 



We were discovered while we were several miles 

 from the village, and as we entered the mouth of the 

 river we were hailed by a messenger from the chief, 

 sent to find out who we were and the objects of our 

 extraordinary visit. 



"Who are you?" he shouted in a heavy, far-reach- 

 ing voice. "What are your names? What do you 

 want? What have you come for?" 



On receiving replies, he shouted the information to 

 another messenger, who was posted on the river-bank 

 at a distance of a quarter of a mile or so, and he to 

 another and another in succession, and by this living 

 telephone the news was delivered to the chief as he 

 sat by his fireside. A salute was then fired to wel- 

 come us, and a swarm of musket-bullets, flying scarce 

 high enough for comfort, pinged over our heads. 

 As soon as we reached the landing at the village, a dig- 

 nified young man stepped forward and thus addressed 

 us: 



"My chief sent me to meet you, and to ask if you 



[ 168 ] 



