1 68 BIG GAME SHOOTING IN ALASKA chap. 



five days, where we had hoped to meet her and thus get to 

 Kussiloff. Here she was, however, laid up on the beach, 

 with her propeller damaged and every prospect of our 

 having to wait indefinitely for her at Saldovia. But as 

 we had plenty of time to spare, and waiting for steamers 

 being the usual rule in Alaska, the outlook did not worry us 

 much. 



At Kodiak we parted with Nicolai and his bidarki, not 

 without regret on both sides. He was by far the best 

 hunter I saw in the country, and, unlike the natives in Cook's 

 Inlet, was nearly always contented and cheerful, nor did he 

 assume the airs which the natives of the inlet put on at times 

 when they wish to demonstrate that they are the equals of 

 any white man. 



At daylight on the day after leaving Kodiak we reached 

 Saldovia. Here, after landing all our equipment, we bade 

 good-bye to the Newport and our fellow-passengers. 



Saldovia is a small settlement consisting of some twenty- 

 five native houses, a Russian church, and two stores which are 

 kept respectively by two men named Cleghorn and Herbert. 

 Both the latter are excellent fellows, who are only too ready 

 to help and equip parties of sportsmen wishing to hunt 

 anywhere along the coast near Saldovia. Both Herbert and 

 his partner, John Kilpatrick, are old hunters of some repute, 

 and J. Cleghorn is the only white man I know who has any 

 real knowledge of the Sushitna River country at the head of 

 Cook's Inlet, up which it yet remains for some sportsman to 

 make the first shooting trip. He could not do better in that 

 district than secure the services of Cleghorn. 



Our first job after landing at Saldovia was to try to find 

 some spot in which to live for several days. Every hut, with 

 the exception of two very dirty ones, was occupied. There 



