IN GREEN ALASKA 



or more across, fringed with numerous arms and 

 inlets that reach far in amid the mountains. Across 

 the head of most of these arms are huge glaciers; 

 others hang upon the mountain-sides or cascade 

 down them. It was toward the head of one of these 

 inlets that we were now bound. In the afternoon we 

 reached its end, and saw another palisade of shat- 

 tered ice, about two hundred feet high and four 

 miles long, barring our way. We named this the 

 Columbia Glacier. Its front was quite as imposing 

 as that of the Muir, but it was less active; appar- 

 ently no large blue bergs are born out of its depth, 

 for the reason, doubtless, that its depth is not great. 

 On a wooded island near its front we left two of our 

 geologists to survey and report upon it. At eight 

 o'clock that Sunday evening we were at anchor in 

 Virgin Bay, with low, partly wooded islands on the 

 one hand, and sloping open shores at the foot of tall 

 mountains on the other. Two or three small houses 

 were seen scattered along the shore on the margin of 

 these broad, natural, grassy clearings. Copper ore 

 had been found here and there near the cabins of the 

 prospectors. On two of the islands near us were fox 

 farms. One of the farmers came off in his boat to 

 see us, and talked intelligently about his enterprise. 

 His foxes would swim to an adjoining island a few 

 hundred yards away, so his brother had established 

 a fox farm there. Blue foxes are the species cul- 

 tivated ; their main food in winter is dried fish 



71 



