72 TWO DIANAS IN ALASKA 



The entire route of the expedition had now to be 

 definitely mapped out, for it was hardly fair to our 

 captain that our plans should be so very much en Vair. 



The season for sheep and moose commencing on 

 September the ist, we had to arrange matters so that 

 we should be in the best possible part of the country 

 at that time. The Sheep Creek district having been 

 the Mecca of so many sportsmen for so long, we 

 decided that our chances of procuring a few really 

 fine specimens of Ovis dalli thereabouts were small. 

 All the plans were very chaotic, owing to the fact that 

 Cecily and I had already formulated a scheme which 

 we fully intended to carry into effect, and Ralph had 

 another, and the Leader yet another, but every one 

 wanted to hunt in the other's vicinity. 



" Will you listen to reason, Ralph?" said the 

 Leader, testily, as Ralph suggested the Mount St. 

 Elias ranges, and pushed his views strenuously. It 

 is nice when a person will listen to reason. It gives 

 the reasoner such a chance to talk. 



The route planned by Cecily and myself, to take 

 effect after the summer hunts along the coast of the 

 Bering Sea, was to the mouth of the Kuskokwim 

 River, where we would quit the Lily, leaving instruc- 

 tions with her skipper to sail his boat back to Cook's 

 Inlet, there to await our arrival, whenever that might 

 be. He was to engage suitable men at the Sushitna 

 settlement and send them, with bidarkas, up the 

 Sushitna to meet us. We, landed at the mouth of 

 the Kuskokwim, would hire Innuits on the spot and 

 have them guide us up that river to the headwaters, 



