THE TRIP TO THE OGILVIE ROCKIES 17 



source of the river, except for the constant fording, con- 

 tinued excellent, so we could proceed more rapidly and 

 with fewer delays for adjusting the packs. 



We were camped on a bar in a beautiful spot among 

 willows and poplars, surrounded by high mountains, on 

 a curve of the creek above the canon through which it 

 rushed with a distant roar. Just before midnight came 

 a thunder shower, followed by silence. Suddenly the 

 olive-backed thrushes began to sing. All thrush songs 

 awaken a deep feeling, a sense of the woods, of the wild, 

 free life, the mysterious depths of the forest and the wild 

 animals therein. The traveller in the wilderness feels 

 their enchantment in proportion to the genuine quality 

 of his love for that wild, lonely life. I fell asleep while 

 the woods were still resounding with vibrant tones. The 

 song was not heard again that year. 



July 14. We started by making a difficult and dan- 

 gerous ford, and then travelled along the bars, following 

 well-beaten moose trails. These were continuous along 

 the banks of the river on both sides, and like all animal 

 trails took every advantage of the ground. It is usually 

 unwise to deviate from them and try to select a better 

 route, since one learns by experience that animals nearly 

 always choose the best and most convenient places for 

 travelling. None of the moose tracks on the bars were 

 fresh, and everywhere were shed horns, showing that 

 moose were there at the period of shedding in December 

 and January. At the time of our visit most of them were 

 in the lower country, nearer the Yukon River, about the 

 lakes and flat lands, though now and then one wandered 



