206 TWO DIANAS IN ALASKA 



Slowly and surely the bad attributes of all the amal- 

 gamated tribes were coming to light. 



They did not use baraboras, and thereby differed 

 from the Innuit. Rude, worse-for-wear tents made 

 up their residences for the time being. Steve said 

 that as winter approached the tribe would move to 

 more permanent quarters. In the chief's tent lay a 

 pile of half-dried caribou skins and moose antlers of 

 last season. He offered us our pick for a bottle of the 

 much-demanded " hootchinoo," just as though we 

 went about loaded up with the stuff. " Get thee 

 behind me, Satan !" murmured Ralph, for really the 

 heads were tempting. Such magnificent antlers, 

 with a span of anything up to seventy-two inches ! 

 We admired, and passed on. 



I shall never forget the filth of that settlement. The 

 eagles and the crows descended and ascended steadily, 

 but for these scavengers the health of the community 

 must have suffered considerably. Children rolled 

 about in piles of rotting fish, unwanted skins putre- 

 fied on heaps, fearsome scraps slid beneath our boots 

 nuff sed ! We fled to our canoes thankful to start 

 off again on our journey. This camp being passed, 

 every sign of human occupation in this remote corner 

 of the world faded. 



On these quiet waters, where the trappers ceased 

 from troubling, for the reason that as yet no trapper 

 had found them out, the beavers were unmolested, 

 and could be seen in great numbers all along the 

 banks. One or two daring spirits swam out to us 

 and investigated thoroughly the great trespassers, 



