ALASKA. 



281 



It stands in latitude 65°, and longitude 158°, ni^on a level slip of land bounded 

 on two sides by the great river and one of its main branches. Notwithstand- 

 ing the high latitude, trees of considerable size grow there, and during the brief 

 summer the grass is luxuriant, and berries abound. The i)ost is a little fortress, 

 surrounded by a picket, which is closed at night to exclude the Indians, .who 

 camp around in large numbers. The house appropriated to the travellers was 

 built of logs, forming one side of the little square. The windows were of seal- 

 gut instead of glass ; and as there is during the winter only two or three hours 

 of daylight, the light was never any of the best. By caulking the floor with 

 moss, and carpeting it with skins, the main room was kept comfortably warm, 

 except near the floor. If one hung a damp garment from the rafters it would 

 steam at the top, while frozen stiff at the bottom. The temperature at the 

 roof was sometimes 65°, wdiile near the floor it was 4°. Water, for daily use 

 was hauled on a sledge from the river. To get at it, they were obliged to 

 break through solid ice four feet thick. Nevertheless, the Indians contrive to 

 catch immense quantities of fish by constructing a weir of wicket-work, and 

 keeping holes open in the ice. 





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ll^H lltVl'> ON THE \IK0N. 



Winter fairly set in soon after the party had taken up their abode at Nulato. 

 On the 2d of November the thermometer indicated the moderate temperature of 

 2° above zero. It suddenly fell to 20° below zero, and kept on steadily falling 

 imtil the 5th of December, when it sunk to 58° below zero, that is, ninety de- 

 grees below the freezing-point of water. This was the coldest day, but there 

 were during December and January eleven days when the thermometer sunk 

 below the freezing-point of mercury. It is to be noted that after a certain 

 point the human system seems to take little additional note of the temperature 

 as indicated by the thermometer. ,. When the mercury froze, 72° below the 

 freezing-point of water, it did not seem very cold, provided there was no wind ; 

 while one day when the thermometer was 44° higher, we find this note : " A 

 north wind blew, and made us feel the cold very decidedly. It is wonderful 

 how searching the wind is in this northern climate ; each little seam, slit, or 



