7 8 THE WILDERNESS OF THE UPPER YUKON 



so dark that it was necessary to climb to the slope above 

 and zigzag slowly downward. I was unable to see the 

 surface of the ground and advanced slowly, feeling each 

 step, falling several times, continually stopping to rest 

 and rearrange the pack and the head. Gradually I 

 worked down to timber-line where, though it was darker, 

 the footing was smoother, and finally I reached the 

 creek. It had required two and a half hours to make a 

 descent of less than two miles. 



Fording and refording, now resting, now fixing the 

 pack, I kept on in the rain. As daylight returned it 

 became easier to travel and I reached camp at 4 A. M. 

 A fire was soon started; some food and tea taken; then 

 repose, and my pipe; after which strength returned and I 

 slept. 



We had succeeded in the main object of the trip, 

 which was to obtain good specimens of the sheep of that 

 region. None were so dark as the so-called Fannin 

 sheep, but some were good representatives of the white 

 Dall sheep, except the color of the tails, which in all of 

 them was black. Probably half the sheep in this locality 

 faintly displayed the pattern of the Fannin sheep, but all 

 were nearer the color of the other.* It is worth recording 

 that all the sheep seen in the first band of rams had the 

 widely spread type of horns; all in this second band had 

 the narrow type. 



August 3-6. The next three days were spent in 

 camp, except that short trips were made by Rungius and 

 Osgood to bring back the meat and remaining skins, to 



* See appendix for descriptions of the types; also see plate in Chapter XX. 



