THE WILDERNESS OF THE UPPER YUKON 



except an occasional hawk floating through the air or sit- 

 ting on a dead tree. 



We pitched camp in a delightful spot in heavy spruce 

 woods, and Selous, as usual, went up the river to prospect 

 for game. I had each day set out traps for small mam- 

 mals, but without success. In front of camp, across the 

 river, were wide bars covered with willows, poplars, and 

 alders, all glowing with a rich fall color. The river, swift 

 and deep, fairly roared as it swirled around a huge .pile of 

 driftwood and beat against the banks. 



September 5. It was snowing when we started; the 

 wind continued, and it was freezing in the afternoon, but 

 the travelling was a little better because of more bars 

 and less driftwood. It was gloomy work; all the hills 

 and ridges covered with thick clouds so we could see 

 nothing of the country ahead. At three in the after- 

 noon, when I came around a curve while Selous was a 

 few hundred yards ahead, I saw a large black bear, 

 feeding high on the slope of a ridge which extended paral- 

 lel with the river. Attracting Selous's attention I has- 

 tened forward and urged him to go after it since he had 

 never before seen a wild bear in the wilderness. Coghlan, 

 Louis, and I tied the canoes to the bank, and watched the 

 stalk, all of which could be plainly seen from where we 

 stood on the bank of the river. On the slopes of the 

 ridge were many clear areas, which had been given a 

 reddish appearance by dwarf birch and huckleberry 

 bushes, then colored by the frost. It was in one of these 

 clear spaces that the bear was feeding. At intervals, 

 between them, strips of dense timber and undergrowth, 



