"Travels in Alaska 



be a chief, and later to his wife, an intelligent-looking 

 woman of whom he seemed proud. When we arrived 

 she was out at the foot of the cascade mountain 

 gathering salmon-berries. She came in dripping and 

 loaded. A few of the fine berries saved for the chil- 

 dren she presented, proudly and fondly beginning 

 with the youngest, whose only clothing was a nose- 

 ring and a string of beads. She was lightly appareled 

 in a cotton gown and bit of blanket, thoroughly be- 

 draggled, but after unloading her berries she retired 

 with a dry calico gown around the corner of a rock and 

 soon returned fresh as a daisy and with becoming 

 dignity took her place by the fireside. Soon two other 

 berry-laden women came in, seemingly enjoying the 

 rain like the bushes and trees. They put on little 

 clothing so that they may be the more easily dried, 

 and as for the children, a thin shirt of sheeting is the 

 most they encumber themselves with, and get wet 

 and half dry without seeming to notice it while we 

 shiver with two or three dry coats. They seem to 

 prefer being naked. The men also wear but little in 

 wet weather. When they go out for all day they put 

 on a single blanket, but in choring around camp, get- 

 ting firewood, cooking, or looking after their precious 

 canvas, they seldom wear anything, braving wind 

 and rain in utter nakedness to avoid the bother of 

 drying clothes. It is a rare sight to see the children 

 bringing in big chunks of firewood on their shoulders, 

 balancing in crossing boulders with firmly set bow- 

 legs and bulging back muscles. 



We gave Ka-hood-oo-shough, the old chief, some 

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