THE WATSON RIVER COUNTRY 159 



there, but the undefinable wildness seems lacking as 

 compared with that of the Rockies. 



October 17. The morning was warm and pleasant 

 and Newell, having to return to Whitehorse, left early. 

 Johnson and Foley started up the draw behind camp 

 while I climbed the mountain to the south. It was cov- 

 ered with an inch of snow and fox tracks were abundant, 

 also fresh signs of sheep. It is a high mountain, reach- 

 ing westward along the Wheaton River and the slopes 

 are cut into canons and ravines. From the top I could 

 clearly see Lake Bennett and greatly admired the deep, 

 broad valley of the Wheaton extending in a westerly course 

 between massive domed ranges. The aspect of the tim- 

 bered country below was singularly strange quite differ- 

 ent from any I have seen elsewhere in the northern coun- 

 try. It appeared like a vast forested plain, terraced irreg- 

 ularly in every direction between great circular, hollow 

 bowls, each of which contained a pond, the surfaces of 

 which reflected the rays of the sun in a manner to cause 

 a shining appearance which spangled the whole lower 

 country. It showed the results of a retreated glacier, the 

 surface being diversified by kettle holes, drumlins, eskers, 

 and kames. 



Looking across a canon along the side of the mountain, 

 a transparent whitish spot on a rock caught my eye. 

 My glasses revealed a ewe sheep which was soon joined 

 by another that suddenly jumped up on the same rock. 

 Higher up near a peak, I saw seven ewes and lambs feed- 

 ing upward between pauses to look and watch. Turning 

 the glasses below, I was almost startled to see sixteen 



