"Travels in Alaska 



the north branch, climbed over its wrinkled brow, 

 and gained a good view of the trunk and some of the 

 tributaries, and also of the sublime gray cliffs of its 

 channel. 



Then we sailed up the south branch of the inlet, but 

 failed to reach the glacier there, on account of a thin 

 sheet of new ice. With the tent-poles we broke a lane 

 for the canoe for a little distance; but it was slow 

 work, and we soon saw that we could not reach the 

 glacier before dark. Nevertheless, we gained a fair 

 view of it as it came sweeping down through its gi- 

 gantic gateway of massive Yosemite rocks three or 

 four thousand feet high. Here we lingered until sun- 

 down, gazing and sketching; then turned back, and 

 encamped on a bed of cobblestones between the forks 

 of the fiord. 



We gathered a lot of fossil wood and after supper 

 made a big fire, and as we sat around it the brightness 

 of the sky brought on a long talk with the Indians 

 about the stars; and their eager, childlike attention 

 was refreshing to see as compared with the deathlike 

 apathy of weary town-dwellers, in whom natural curi- 

 osity has been quenched in toil and care and poor 

 shallow comfort. 



After sleeping a few hours, I stole quietly out of the 

 camp, and climbed the mountain that stands between 

 the two glaciers. The ground was frozen, making the 

 climbing difficult in the steepest places ; but the views 

 over the icy bay, sparkling beneath the stars, were 

 enchanting. It seemed then a sad thing that any part 

 of so precious a night had been lost in sleep. The star- 



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