TWO DIANAS IN ALASKA 299 



quick intuitive soul is so often housed in a deformed, 

 misshapen body. It is as though Nature, one hand 

 behind her back, withholding much, feels pity, and 

 in part repents, bestowing with the other gifts of 

 gold and pearls of price. 



The hunchback was a master of forest lore, he 

 knew the name of every bird, whence it came, and 

 went, and when, and why. The trees, the herbage, 

 the grasses and rushes of the river side were all an 

 interest to the small Aleut. It was sheer delight to 

 track with him, for if we drew blank the hours were 

 spent as profitably as though we had slain the fairest 

 forest monarch of them all. The history of the wild 

 was ours, the habits of the giant deer explained, his 

 best loved trees pointed out, his sleeping places, his 

 road to the river, a mine of knowledge. Now did we 

 guess within an inch or so the span of horn of a 

 rushing moose, tell his length of years by antlers, 

 bell, and coat. 'Twas a liberal education. We loved 

 to hear this scholar of the wilderness unfold the secrets 

 of his realm. 



Pitka was, by far, the best hunter we met in Alaska, 

 and in his methods of attack, natural common sense, 

 highly developed cunning, and powers of endurance 

 came nearer to the standard of an African shikari 

 than any other native of Alaska whom we met, hunted 

 with, or even heard of. The eagle owls talked to 

 Pitka o' nights, giving back answer for answer, 

 screech for screech. When I tried to imitate the hoot 

 of an owl no response came. Ralph said that I 

 paralyzed the birds with astonishment. Charmed I 



