TWO DIANAS IN ALASKA 37 



the rhythm, the balance, and the easy grace is so 

 perfect. 



Some of their great war canoes scale seventy feet 

 or more in length, and are so deep that a man standing 

 in the centre cannot see over the gunwale. All hewn 

 from a single tree, a cedar if possible, and to their 

 aid the Indians summon the Spirit of fire, controlling 

 the havoc he would make in his fierce excavations by 

 water. After a big deep hole is formed in the rough 

 trunk native chisels are called into requisition, and 

 slice off the wood outside and inside. They have no 

 measurements to guide them, no set dimensions, and 

 yet these rough builders invariably turn out a grace- 

 ful craft of correct lines, seaworthy, and lasting. The 

 vessels are nearly always carved, and ornamented with 

 the inevitable bear, beaver, and eagle. Weird con- 

 tortions of all three, picked out in indelible blue and 

 red stain. 



On the morning of the sixth day out from Seattle 

 we made Juneau, which nestles at the foot of a 

 Gibraltar-like rock, and snow covered as the summit 

 was, with the dark green relief of the spruce-trees on 

 its hoary cliffs it would be hard to find a more ex- 

 quisite scene. The whole beauteous panorama lay 

 reflected in the still waters around our ship. We did 

 not go ashore, and left almost at once for Sitka, the 

 one-time capital of Russian Alaska, now the seat of 

 satrapy of the United States. 



Here, at Sitka, we said farewell to the Episco- 

 palians, who were going to remain awhile in the 

 capital, as it was rather early as yet to go into camp 



