"The Return to Fort Wrangell 



ble, and came near being wrecked on a rock which 

 showed a smooth round back over which the waves 

 were breaking. In the hurried Indian shouts that fol- 

 lowed and while we were close against the rock, Mr. 

 Young shouted, as he leaned over against me, "It's 

 a whale, a whale!" evidently fearing its tail, several 

 specimens of these animals, which were probably still 

 on his mind, having been seen in the forenoon. While 

 we were passing along the east shore of the island we 

 saw a light on the opposite shore, a joyful sight, which 

 Toyatte took for a fire in the Indian village, and 

 steered for it. John stood in the bow, as guide through 

 the bergs. Suddenly, we ran aground on a sand bar. 

 Clearing this, and running back half a mile or so, we 

 again stood for the light, which now shone brightly. 

 I thought it strange that Indians should have so large 

 a fire. A broad white mass dimly visible back of the 

 fire Mr. Young took for the glow of the fire on the 

 clouds. This proved to be the front of a glacier. After 

 we had effected a landing and stumbled up toward 

 the fire over a ledge of slippery, algae-covered rocks, 

 and through the ordinary tangle of shore grass, we 

 were astonished to find white men instead of Indians, 

 the first we had seen for a month. They proved to be 

 a party of seven gold-seekers from Fort Wrangell. 

 It was now about eight o'clock and they were in bed, 

 but a jolly Irishman got up to make coffee for us and 

 find out who we were, where we had come from, where 

 going, and the objects of our travels. We unrolled 

 our chart and asked for information as to the extent 

 and features of the bay. But our benevolent friend 



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