224 THE UPPER YUKON 



mule had become panic-stricken, and had 

 tried to jump over Beck's back, causing all 

 the horses to become frightened. This was 

 the only incident in the whole of our home 

 journey where Billie lost his equilibrium. 



The village we had stopped at is quite a fur 

 emporium, the surrounding territory being 

 considered an excellent trapping district. As 

 far as we could learn, the Hudson's Bay Com- 

 pany had never reached out into this far- 

 western portion of the Upper Yukon, although 

 they did have a fort on the head waters of 

 the Yukon River itself. 



An eloquent writer, Agnes Dean Cameron, 

 has graphically pictured the usual starting 

 scenes of the trappers for their winter's work: 



"All through the Canadian north the Yukon 

 rush of ten years ago has left an aftermath of 

 derelicts, human boulder-drifts from the 

 world's four corners, who, failing to find a 

 fortune in gold, now tread the silent places 

 seeking a bare living from the trade in 

 peltries. The Indian hunters belong to many 

 tribes, Crees, Chipewyans, Dog-Ribs, Yellow- 

 Knives, Slavis, Beavers, and Loucheux. They 

 all trap and trade. 



"In the ranks of the trappers one comes 

 across strange workers. On the shores of the 



