CRUISE OF THE STEAMP]K COKWIN. 61 



we frequently saw portions twenty-five to fifty feet square become detached and fall into the water. 

 Sandbars and slioals abound in many places, and tlie current remained about as usual. Every 

 night I set the Indians at work making a map of that part of the river ahead of us, and it is 

 reraarkalile how exact they are in details. From them I learned that during the winter all the 

 Indians who come down to fish in tiie summer live near the headwaters of the river, and that after 

 snow has fallen they make sledge journeys to the headwaters of the Koyukuk, where they trade 

 with the Yukon Indians, and then go still farther to the northeast until they reach a range ot very 

 high mountains, where the moose ami mountain sheep are found in great numbers. From two 

 distinct sources I learned that the sea could be seen from the mountains on a clear day, but in 

 only one direction, the view being shut out in all others by an intervening chain of mountains. 

 On the other side of the mountains where they hunt there is a river by which the sea can be reached 

 in five days. This is doubtless the Colville River. We chased a flock of geese into a small lake 

 which has an outlet iuto the Kowak this afternoon and killed half a dozen, and as we had had uo 

 fresh meat of any kind for some time they proved a welcome addition to our larder. At 9.30 I 

 selected a suitable place to cam|) and we came 'o, having made 27.4 miles. Temperature, 00°. 



JuJij 26, 1884. — At 5..30 a. m. we started on onr way, the weather being warm and pleasant. 

 The beiich on which we camped is composed of fine sand in which is a great quantity of mica, 

 and our clothing glistened in the sun as if we had been sprinkled with diamond dust. 



Andre put two patches on the boat last i;ight, but she has been so long in the water that she is 

 thoroughly saturated, and the sand which necessarily gets into her by the men alternately paddling 

 and towing her is rotting the skin. The Indians informed me that to-morrow, if we work hard, we 

 shall reach an Indian village where I hope to get a boat and send Audre back with word to Mr. 

 McLenegan to bring forward the launch. The country bordering the river in this locality is a level 

 plain stretching aw.ay to the mountains, which extend to the left in a northeasterly direction as 

 far as the eye can see, and on onr right there were two ranges visible, the farther one being 

 composed of mightier peaks than that nearer at hand, while overall the scene there hung a light 

 filmy mist, the exhalations from the spongy tundra, softening the ruggedness of the mountains 

 and intensifying the cool grays and blues of the far distance. We came to-day to a place where 

 the river is divided into two parts, the left branch wiiuling its sinuous way ronnd the monntaiiH, 

 while the right, confined by steep, crumbling banks, still follows the general trend of the river to 

 the northeast. We chose the right branch to ascend because of its more directness, and toward 

 evening arrived atthe junction of the Kowak with a small river trending to the southward, on 

 which stream I was informed there is a village, where I resolved to go in search of boats next 

 morning. The rain came up just as we had pitched our camp, and we crawled under the boat, 

 all pretty well tired out after the hard day's work. Today we advanced 25.4 miles. Average 

 temperature, 95°. 



July 27, 1884.— At 7.30 a. m. we crawled from underneath our boat and soon after stinted up 

 the Umakalookta River, which we found exceedingly crooked. I observed a few trees on the banks 

 nearly two feet in diameter, but the shores were mostly covered with a dense and almost impene- 

 trable thicket of Arctic willow and rank grass. In some places the rivei- was fifty to seventy-five 

 yards wide, but as we ascended the shores contracted, and when we stopped at 1 p. m. the stream 

 had diminished in width until it was tiien but a roaring mountain torrent of some twenty-five feet 

 in width. We tbund from three to four fathoms of water for fifteen or twenty miles, and then the 

 deiUh gradually decreased to ten or twelve feet. There was very little current and we made about 

 five miles per hour uf) stream. At 1 p. m. we arrived at the village and were welcomed with many 

 manifestations of delight. Some of the Indians had never seen white men, and they crowded 

 aionnd me, examining my clothing, etc., with the greatest curiosity. My watch was a source of 

 never-failing interest to all, and whenever I took it out they eagerly pressed around me to see it 

 opened, when they would express their astonishment by uttering the single word " Kay" in a short 

 suri)rised tone of voice. This ejaculation seems to answer the jiurpose of expressing either joy or 

 grief, admiration or contempt, acquiescence or disapproval. A traveler soon learns to distinguish 

 the nu'aning to be conveyed by the difiereuce in inflections. Our two river Indians having 

 explained the object of our trip, we had a consultation in which the entire village joiued. I 

 was disappointed to learn that no boats suitable for our purpose could be obtained, as the frail 



