86 THE WILDERNESS OF THE UPPER YUKON 



tinge of fall color. Numerous old game trails came to 

 the river. These trails often extend along the banks and 

 are used by Indians both in summer and fall. Several 

 men were aboard, to be put off at a wood camp to cut 

 fuel and assemble it into a raft which the boat on return- 

 ing could tow to Dawson. Late in the afternoon we 

 reached the camp and went ashore to wander about, 

 eating luscious red cranberries and feeling the exhilara- 

 tion of exercise in the warm cheery sunshine. At inter- 

 vals along the river were groves of dry spruces close to 

 the bank. Such groves provide the fuel for steamboats 

 on all the northern rivers which are not navigated often 

 enough by steam to encourage wood-choppers to locate 

 wood camps along the banks to sell wood to passing 

 steamers. Our men at once began to fell trees, and all 

 of us assisted in loading them on the boat. From then 

 on we were delayed from two to four hours each day 

 thus to cut and load wood. 



After starting again some of us noticed an indifference 

 on the part of the captain about continuing, and I must 

 say a word about this Swedish captain, who was respon- 

 sible for most of our troubles during the remainder of the 

 time we were on the steamboat. He proved to be noth- 

 ing but a deep-water sailor, who had somehow drifted 

 into Dawson and become a conspicuous member of the 

 Salvation Army, which for some time had been active 

 there. He was bigoted, lacked every kind of courage 

 and nerve, and, still worse, knew nothing about river 

 navigation, as we soon afterward learned. He was al- 

 ready beginning to doubt the possibility of navigating 



