ii6 THE UPPER YUKON 



two wranglers were to follow us on horse- 

 back, and travel along the plateau leading 

 from the first stream they came to. One was 

 to travel close to the river's bank, and the 

 other was to keep abreast of him on the 

 higher level perhaps a quarter of a mile away. 

 There were many fir trees standing by them- 

 selves whose lower branches were dead, and 

 these when touched with a match would burn 

 and quickly snap almost like fire crackers. 

 The flames would then rapidly shoot to the 

 tops of the trees, making a brilliant fire ac- 

 companied by a dense smoke. There was no 

 danger of a forest fire, as the trees that were 

 fired were always old trees and for the most 

 part dead at the bottom, and they nearly al- 

 ways stood alone. The crackling of the 

 lower branches could be heard from afar, 

 and the scent of the burning wood would soon 

 be caught by the sensitive nostrils of any 

 moose that might be in the vicinity. Each 

 man was to watch out so that the tree that was 

 fired should be on a line as nearly as possible 

 with his companion's tree. Thus they slowly 

 worked their way towards our rendezvous. 

 We soon could see from afar the pillars of 

 smoke ascending to the sky, but it was some 

 time before we saw the fire. 



