American Big Game in its Haunts 



Our hunting grounds now stretched before us as 

 far as the eye could see. We had by this time 

 passed the tree area, and it was only here and there 

 in isolated spots that stunted cottonwoods bordered 

 the salmon streams and scattered patches of alders 

 dotted the mountain sides. In many places the 

 land rolled gradually back from the shore until 

 the mountain bases were reached, while in other 

 parts giant cliffs rose directly from the water's 

 edge, but with the glasses one could generally 

 command a grand view of this great irregular bay, 

 with its long arms cutting into the island in all 

 directions. 



We made our permanent camp in a large bara- 

 bara, a form of house so often seen in western 

 Alaska that it deserves a brief description. It is 

 a small, dome-shaped hut, with a frame gen- 

 erally made of driftwood, and thatched with sods 

 and the rank grass of the country. It has no win- 

 dows, but a large hole in the roof permits light 

 to enter and serves also as an outlet for the smoke 

 from the fire, which is built on a rough hearth in 

 the middle of the barabara. These huts, their 

 doors never locked, offer shelter to anyone, and 

 are frequently found in the most remote places. 

 The one which we now occupied was quite large, 

 with ample space to stow away our various belong' 



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