THE WATSON RIVER COUNTRY 157 



started back with an extra horse to bring Newell, who 

 was to join us the next day. 



Bill Schnabel proved to be a very interesting man of 

 distinct personality. He had been a cowboy in the States 

 and had come to the Yukon during the early days of the 

 stampede, having been a packer over the White Pass 

 trail. He had been one of the first prospectors of the 

 Atlin district, had travelled along the Yukon River above 

 and below Dawson, and was then working an old pros- 

 pect which he had located a few years previously, eight 

 miles from his cabin. 



October 15. The next day, pending Newell's arrival, 

 I went out to investigate the country. I was in a vast 

 forested area at the foot of massive mountains, the south- 

 east slopes of which were bare, the tops and opposite 

 slopes covered with snow. Most of the country had been 

 burnt over and was covered with poplar, pines, and 

 spruces, with willows and dwarf birch growing densely. 

 I tramped all day and saw nothing but a few old moose 

 tracks and bear diggings. Returning at dark I found that 

 Newell had arrived, and the following day we packed 

 the horses and started for the sheep mountains, eight 

 miles distant, between the Watson and Wheaton Rivers. 

 Schnabel's prospect was near there and to it he had cut 

 an excellent trail on which the horses travelled easily, 

 through a rolling, timbered country. That all this area 

 had at one time been covered by a glacier was evident 

 from the numerous large, circular depressions on the sur- 

 face, some of which still contained small lakes. To the 

 east was a high, massive range culminating in Mount 



