20 THE WILDERNESS OF THE UPPER YUKON 



along the river. It was midnight when we fell asleep, 

 listening to the murmur and roar of the river. Thus far 

 the thermometer had been registering between thirty 

 and forty degrees for the lowest temperature during the 

 night. 



July 15. The next day, which was beautiful and 

 clear, the travelling was still better; old moose tracks 

 were even more abundant, and so were mosquitoes. 

 Dwarf birch appeared more densely on the mountain 

 slopes, the woods continued about the same, though the 

 spruces were smaller. It was, for the first time, a positive 

 pleasure to lead the horses. The trails were fine, hard 

 moose trails, winding about between the mountains, and 

 the fords were easy. We decided to stop and make 

 camp early in the afternoon in order that each might 

 climb a mountain to make a reconnaissance for sheep. 

 After catching a few graylings I started to climb the 

 ranges on the west side. Mosquitoes had become more 

 abundant and troublesome as we travelled up the creek, 

 but on the higher slopes they increased to a swarm. At 

 this camp it was necessary, as a protection against them, 

 to wear gloves and a netting falling from our hats to the 

 shoulders. This proved perfectly satisfactory, for while 

 wearing the netting one could look through the field- 

 glasses and even sight well over the rifle. At times, in 

 the sun, it was a little hot and occasionally one or two 

 mosquitoes penetrated inside; but on the whole it neu- 

 tralized the mosquito evil with little inconvenience, and 

 in the wind, or cold of the early morning, when the 

 mosquitoes were not active, it could be fastened up 



