i68 THE UPPER YUKON 



"A hundred to one," was the reply. 



"Well, I have here two new clean pillow 

 sacks, and I'm taking them along to hold the 

 fat from the bear you are to kill this very day." 



Of course I laughed at him, and told him 

 he was but "kidding" me. We had looked 

 for bear, watched their tracks, and seen 

 where they had been feeding for many and 

 many a day, yet but two animals of that spe- 

 cies had been seen and neither of them gave 

 me a chance for a shot. Now why so very 

 confident this morning? The only answer 

 was the old, old one — "Just you wait and see." 



Our route for the day led up through a 

 well-timbered section. On the very top of 

 the highest point we passed an Indian grave 

 that had been made years and years ago. 

 Some trinkets were still adhering to the little 

 cabin which covered the dead man's remains : 

 a tin cup now rusted with age, an arrow with 

 a copper point, an iron knife and some other 

 little luxuries to help the dead brave on his 

 journey to the land of "The Great Spirit." 



From this modest burial ground our trail 

 led down, and ever down, until we came to 

 the bottom — a soft and boggy bottom, with 

 tall willow bushes to bother us as we forced 

 our way through. Then a mile and a half 



