CHAPTER XI 



AWAY TO THE MOOSE-GROUND 



During the night the wind rose with tremendous force, and 

 rushing down in violent gusts from the great Kussiloff glacier 

 on to the lake, it lashed up a perfect inferno of waters. There 

 is nothing like a storm on a big fresh -water lake for its 

 suddenness and violence whilst it lasts ; especially when, as 

 was the case here, the wind comes tearing down three or four 

 great valleys which converge on the lake. The outlook was 

 not promising as Hanbury and I surveyed the waters in the 

 early morning. It was far too rough to think of rowing, but 

 the wind was blowing in the direction in which we wanted to 

 go. We had no proper sails for the dories, but Alaska is 

 essentially a country for new inventions, and we were not 

 long in cutting some small spruce-fir trees and shaping out 

 some masts. Then taking two tarpaulin sheets about 9 feet 

 square we soon fashioned a couple of very serviceable sails. 

 Previous experience in the Bering Sea had shown me that a 

 dory when properly handled could weather a sea equal to the 

 one now running on the lake. Setting a native to handle 

 the sail, I took an oar to use as a rudder, and followed by 

 Hanbury in his dory we set out. The wind was blowing 

 great guns, and although dories are not notorious for their 

 pace we made good time, and covered some ten miles in a 



