192 BIG GAME SHOOTING IN ALASKA chap. 



been sent down from the mountains ill with mumps. He 

 reported that Glyn and Little had found a lot of good rams 

 in their country, and had bagged some good heads. Hearing 

 this, Hanbury and I decided to join forces and go to the 

 same ground. He was obliged to leave one of his men 

 behind, as this man was also ill with the mumps. A hospital 

 was started for our three sick men in an old hut near our 

 tents, and early next morning we left them there, well 

 provided with all the small comforts at our command. We 

 set out in our two dories, and a row of some eight miles took 

 us to the other side of the lake, at a spot where Glyn had 

 established a small base camp. Here we found his cache 

 tent, and in it a fine show of eight good sheep-heads which 

 had evidently just been sent down from his camp in the hills. 

 Here also was a small creek in which Glyn had moored his 

 dory. The creek was full of dead and dying salmon, and all 

 around its mouth on each bank were great patches of grass 

 trodden down by bears, and heaps of salmon heads and 

 bones, showing that bears came there freely to fish in the 

 evenings. A long ascent lay before us up through the 

 heavily timbered slopes of the hills which reach to the lake 

 shores. Here the natives had cut a very decent trail, which 

 made the travelling very much better than it would otherwise 

 have been, owing to the jungle of high grass and quantities 

 of fallen trees. The day was very warm, with scarcely a 

 breath of air, and in consequence Hanbury and I regulated 

 our pace in a leisurely manner to that of the men carrying 

 their packs. On reaching the edge of the timber line, we 

 saw Glyn's tents at no great distance, pitched in an open 

 glade which commanded a view of the hills in front. The 

 next thing we observed was that three sheep were lying 

 down on the side of a green hill facing the camp, and less 



