MOUNT ST. ELIAS, AND PBINCE WILLIAM SOUND. 175 



tuted a pursuit after wild swans, with the professor in 

 a diminutive " dug-out," which we had purchased at 

 Yakatat. These birds were evidently newly fledged, 

 and kept circling about a large lagoon in the forest ; 

 altogether a couple were secured. Besides the three 

 Indians, we had brought two miners from Sitka, one 

 of whom " started out "after bear, without success, 

 though later on he killed three. 



Since the day of our arrival at Yakatat we had not 

 enjoyed any further glimpse of Mount St. Elias, but 

 now the great peak gave signs of casting aside its 

 nebulous envelope, and appearing to gladden our eyes 

 with a sight of its magnificence, and to oppress our 

 hearts with the magnitude of the task we had under- 

 taken. The clouds commenced shifting uneasily, like 

 side-scenes at a theatre preparatory to a change. 

 "When it finally emerged in all its glory, we were dis- 

 appointed to find how far off it still seemed. Seals 

 also delighted us by appearing upon the beach, close 

 to camp ; over fifteen hundred are said to have been 

 killed in three days in Yakatat Bay, and after observ- 

 ing the ease with which the Indians had procured 

 them here, it was not difficult to believe it. 



The following morning the party left camp for our 

 first march in the direction of Mount St. Elias, each 

 one carrying packs of about sixty pounds' weight, 

 leaving the professor in camp to follow us the next 

 day, when the Indians should have returned for sup- 

 plementary loads. We first crossed a small, ice-cold, 

 muddy river ; one of the Indians transporting me on 



