V THE COMMENCEMENT OF THE TRIP 83 



sit down to listen, since all the information required is readily 

 forthcoming. 



In answer to the question, " I suppose it rains more in 

 Alaska than any place you know? " the following information 

 was given : 



. " Wal, I guess that's so. There is a wooden pier right 

 here, at my salmon-cannery, and on it the planks are about 

 15 inches wide, and about an inch space between each plank, 

 and when it rains real hard, the water stands about 4 inches 

 deep on that thar pier. If you don't believe it, come and see 

 the planks." 



" I suppose it is a job to get any dry clothes to put on 

 when it rains every day .^ " 



" Why, certainly ; but then when it rains hard with a wind, 

 you just go right along and hang your coat out in the rain, 

 and it goes through the coat so fast that it dries itself, you see." 



" Mosquitoes ? You bet ! Why, there is a place near us 

 called Mosquito Bay, and one day we ran in there with a 

 small vessel and tried to anchor about 100 yards from the 

 shore, but a cloud of them mosquitoes just came out so thick 

 that we had to give it up ; we could not see the shore and 

 did not know where we were." 



" Big ones, are they } I should say ! Why, not long ago 

 there were two men coming down the Yukon in a small covered 

 boat, and they saw one of them big ones coming towards 

 them from the bank. They got scared and hid themselves 

 in the bottom of the boat, and that mosquito was just mad 

 and started on gnawing at the top of the mast. They heard 

 the sawdust and chips falling down into the boat ; but 

 presently the mosquito quit that and flew back to the shore, 

 and when last they saw it, the brute was killing a native dog 

 on the bank." 



