BACK TO DAWSON. 151 



Dawson with us, as our horse had otherwise a 

 very light load. 



On the same afternoon we started on our 

 return journey to Dawson and did not camp 

 till eleven o'clock at night when it was still not 

 quite dark. On the following day we pushed 

 on to within less than twenty miles of our 

 destination, which we reached on the afternoon 

 of August 17th. 



On this little excursion I managed just to 

 reach the threshold of what looked a very 

 likely country for sheep and mountain caribou, 

 as another day's journey would have taken me 

 right in amongst some very fine wild-looking 

 mountains. 



As it turned out, I might have prolonged 

 my trip for another three days as I had 

 stiU to wait that time in Dawson before the 

 final start for the Macmillan River could 

 be made. At the last moment my fi'iend, 

 Mr. J. B. Tyrrell, as well as Mr. Congdon, 

 the then governor of the Yukon territory, were 

 prevented from joining the expedition. Never- 

 theless our party at starting was a pretty large 



