THE TRIP TO THE OGILVIE ROCKIES 7 



July 8. As we were cooking breakfast early the next 

 morning, it commenced to rain and, much to our disgust, 

 continued all day. We could not start with horses that 

 were "green" and too tender to endure the pack with wet 

 backs and, besides, the trail began in a swamp. Hence the 

 day was passed testing our rifles and wandering about with 

 shot-gun and fishing-rods. A few graylings were taken, 

 and this first tramping gave us an impression of the dif- 

 ficulty of taking pack-horses through the thick woods. 

 Osgood had a large supply of traps for small mammals, 

 and it was his object to collect as many of the mammals, 

 birds, and plants as possible. Many people visited us in 

 camp that evening, but none could give the coveted in- 

 formation which might assist us to find a good route into 

 the country we wished to reach. 



July 9. In the morning we were up at five and, after 

 breakfasting, packed the horses and made a start, follow- 

 ing an old road through a swamp, very muddy and soft, 

 to the railroad tracks half a mile above. The horses, 

 unused to packing, were very excitable and did not go 

 well. They were all large and had been used in the 

 winter stage-service between Dawson and Whitehorse 

 until each had become unsound and disqualified ; yet they 

 were still serviceable for pack-horses at least, they were 

 the best we could get. Caribou, an old white horse once 

 used for packing over the White Pass trail, proved to be 

 sagacious, very sure on his feet, the best "rustler" of all, 

 and very quickly became the leader when they were 

 turned loose. Old Mike, a bay, was steady and gentle, 

 fairly sure-footed, but rather slow. Danger, a large bay, 



