CRUISE OF THE STEAMER CORWIN. 61 



we frequently saw portions twenty-five to fifty feet square become detached and fall into the water. 

 Saud-bars and shoals abound in many places, and the current remained about as usual. Every 

 night I set the Indians at work making a map of that part of the river ahead of us, and it is 

 remarkable how exact they are in details. From them I learned that during the winter all the 

 Indians who come down to fish in the summer live near the headwaters of the river, and that after 

 snow has fallen they make sledge journeys to the headwaters of the Koyukuk, where they trade 

 with the Yukon Indians, and then go still farther to the northeast until they reach a range of very 

 high mountains, where the moose and mountain sheep are found in great numbers. From two 

 distinct sources I learned that the sea could be seen from the mountains on a clear day, but in 

 only one direction, the view being shut out in all others by an intervening chain of mountains. 

 On the other side of the mountains where they hunt there is a river by which the sea can be reached 

 in five days. This is doubtless theColville River. We chased a flock of geese into a small lake 

 which has an outlet into- the Kowak this afternoon and killed half a dozen, and as we had had no 

 frfesh meat of any kind for some time they proved a welcome addition to our larder. At 9.30 I 

 selected a suitable place to camp and we came to, having made 27.4 miles. Temperature, 90°. 



July 2(5, 18S4. — At 5.30 a. m. we started on our way, the weather being warm and pleasant, 

 The beach on which we camped is composed of fine sand in which is a great quantity of mica, 

 and our clothing glistened in the sun as if we had been sprinkled with diamond dust. 



Andre put two patches on the boat last night, but she has been so long in the water that she is 

 thoroughly saturated, and the sand which necessarily gets into her by the men alternately paddling 

 and towing her is rotting the skin. The Indians informed me that to-morrow, if we work hard, we 

 shall reach an Indian village where I hope to get a boat and send Andre back with word to Mr. 

 McLenegan to bring forward the launch. The country bordering the river in this locality is a level 

 plain stretching away to the mountains, which extend to the left in a northeasterly direction as 

 far as the eye cau see, and on our right there were two ranges visible, the farther one being 

 composed of mightier peaks than that nearer at hand, while overall the scene there hung a light 

 filmy mist, the exhalations from the spongy tundra, softening the ruggedness of the mountains 

 and intensifying the cool grays and blues of the far distance. We came to-day to a place where 

 the river is divided into two parts, the left branch winding its sinuous way round the mountains, 

 while the right, confined by steep, crumbling banks, still follows the geuural trend of the river to 

 the northeast. We chose the right branch to ascend because of its more directness, and toward 

 evening arrived at the junction of the Kowak with a small river trending to the southward, on 

 which stream I was informed there is a village, where I resolved to go in search of boats next 

 morning. The rain came up just as we had pitched our camp, and we crawled under the boat, 

 all pretty well tired out after the hard day's work. Today we advanced 25.4 miles. Average 

 temperature, 95°. 



Jxily 27, 1884.— At 7.30 a. m. we crawled from underneath our boat aud soou after started up 

 the Umakalookta River, which we found exceedingly crooked. I observed a few trees on the banks 

 nearly two feet in diameter, but the shores were mostly covered with a dense and almost impene- 

 trable thicket of Arctic willow and rank grass. In some places the river was fifty to seventy-five 

 yards wide, but as we ascended the shores contracted, and when we stopped at 1 p. m. the stream 

 had diminished in width untd it was then but a roaring mountain torrent of some twenty-five feet 

 in width. We found from three to four fathoms of water for fifteen or twenty miles, and then the 

 depth gradually decreased to ten or twelve feet. There was very little current and we made about 

 five miles per hour up stream. At 1 p. m. we arrived at the village and were welcomed with many 

 manifestations of delight. Some of the Indians had never seen white men, and they crowded 

 around me, examining my clothing, etc., with the greatest curiosity. My watch was a source of 

 never-failing interest to all, and whenever I took it out they eagerly i)ressed around me to see it 

 opened, when they would express their astonishment by uttering the single word " Kay" in a short 

 surprised tone of voice. This ejaculation seems to answer the purpose of expressing either joy or 

 grief, admiration or contempt, acquiescence or disapproval. A traveler soon learns to distinguish 

 the meaning to be conveyed by the diflt'erence in inflections. Our two river Indians having 

 explained the object of our tri|), we had a consultation in which the entire village joined. I 

 was disappointed to learn that no boats suitable for our purpose could be olitained, as the frail 



