io6 THE UPPER YUKON 



to be nearly flat, and then, without stopping 

 to rest, commenced the descent. Here my 

 ropes did not help me as well as in going 

 up. The slipping was almost continuous, 

 and in one of these unavoidable slides, 

 I slipped down with a slap-bang thud. It 

 was up to my trousers to keep me from in- 

 jury, as I was in the position of a boy coast- 

 ing down a steep hill seated on a sled, only 

 there was no sled between me and the ice. 

 But the trousers proved themselves to be 

 staunch and tough and I slid safely. When 

 the ice pack was finally crossed we struck the 

 swiftly- running water; in the water were big 

 stones and with the aid of these I was soon 

 able to brace my feet and once more rise to 

 a perpendicular position. 



We found the moraine on this side im- 

 passable, so we were compelled to make a de- 

 tour to the right where we struck a large 

 inclined plane. It now became dark, so I 

 mounted Billie and gave him the freedom of 

 the bridle to pick out the path leading down 

 to the river bottom. He had frequently been 

 on this incline feeding, so he was supposed 

 to know the way. Carefully yet confidently 

 he jogged along in the darkness, and all went 

 well until he suddenly stopped on the edge 



