i 4 o THE WILDERNESS OF THE UPPER YUKON 



in fact, they had told Rungius and Osgood that we would 

 not find sheep. 



Mr. Cameron and the others who had gone up the 

 South Fork had returned a few days before and left a 

 note, informing us that they had found caribou in abun- 

 dance and killed ten good bulls; two bears, a lynx, and 

 three small sheep the only ones seen. Judge Dugas had 

 killed a small moose shortly after starting up the South 

 Fork. Later, we learned that he had also killed a bull 

 caribou farther down on the bank of the MacMillan River. 



We went on down to Russell Creek, where a note from 

 Rungius and Osgood advised us that they had gone 

 down river. We kept on until later when a slough was 

 entered and camp was made in a pouring rain. Selous 

 had remained behind with Louis to call, and I went up 

 to the end of the slough and called until dark without 

 result. I was greatly interested to see a beaver swim- 

 ming near me with a large stick held by one end in 

 its mouth. Reaching its house, the stick was skilfully 

 worked into it under the water. All along we had seen 

 beavers, sometimes swimming, sometimes sitting on logs, 

 and twice I saw them sliding down the bank into the 

 water. 



Just after dark when Selous, who had failed to lure a 

 bull, had returned, Dougherty, one of the men who had 

 been on the Emma Nott and had landed near this place, 

 came into camp and said that he and Horn had their 

 camp half a mile down river. During the time they had 

 been there, a small bull moose and two cows had been 

 killed, but very few had been seen. They could not hunt 



