204 TWO DIANAS IN ALASKA 



1832, now a dreary native encampment, we steered 

 right into the midst of the Upper Kuskokwim 

 Indians, of whom we had heard from our friend 

 the missionary at the mouth of the river. A large 

 flotilla of bidarkas, and some graceful birch-bark 

 canoes, lay hauled up on the banks above water-line. 

 The chief came down to the edge of the river to 

 receive us, and every other inhabitant of the settle- 

 ment left work, if they ever did any, to come and 

 look at us. 



The headman wore a very superior parka made 

 from Siberian reindeer skin, and some of the belles 

 had on parkas composed of loon skins stitched to- 

 gether, and these garments were in a pitiable condi- 

 tion of moulting, and dropped feathers as the wearers 

 moved. 



We could have run the blockade of this encamp- 

 ment without going ashore if the pilot in the first 

 bidarka had not made the welkin ring with im- 

 possible-to-understand messages announcing our 

 approach. We presented a little tobacco and a pen- 

 knife or two, which seemed to please the people. The 

 chief, oddly enough, spoke a Russian patois, and 

 began a persuasive argument in varying tones, trying 

 first a high key, then, as no answering light of under- 

 standing shone in our eyes, dropped his remarks to 

 a lower register, and finally, as he saw that his 

 rhetorical efforts stood an excellent chance of being 

 entirely wasted, came out with a basso-prof undo 

 sentence which made us jump with surprise. Obvi- 

 ously a reply was expected. Naturally we looked 



