82 TWO DIANAS IN ALASKA 



a day or so which would be demanded of him to what 

 he assumed were a couple of unattached hunters on 

 the lookout for a likely billet. Steve and Ned re- 

 mained true, and this, I suspect, because they had 

 not had a chance of bettering themselves. 



We were very cynical these days on the native 

 hunter question. 



We remained in Dutch Harbour almost five days, 

 and it was the 2nd of June ere we quitted the 

 beautiful place. The day previous to sailing Cecily 

 and I had an ideal ramble on the hillsides, and up 

 the slopes of a silvery river. Spring was in all the 

 air, and countless birds sang to us of summer days 

 to come. Deep moss upholstered every solitude, and 

 in the green gardens the golden crown, a sparrow of 

 exalted plumage, crept in and out the grass spears, 

 he was just everywhere, this plaintive minstrel. 



The various thrushes were in full spring song, the 

 tender cadence of the exquisite love-notes cleaving the 

 air in liquid trilling tones. Here, too, we noticed that 

 most beautiful of all small birds, that little ball of 

 fluff one longs to hold awhile in sheer delight in its 

 wondrous charms, the chestnut-backed chickadee. 

 Anything more perfectly sweet does not live in the 

 world of birds. 



On the river we saw the belted kingfisher, his crest 

 in spring splendour, and all else of him iridescent. 

 His flight was not the accurate darting motion of our 

 home birds, but wavering and hesitating. 



I often wondered, during my sojourn in Alaska, 

 whether any one understands the laws of the country 



