270 THE UPPER YUKON 



of his cheek being open. As soon as this was 

 stitched up, he commenced telling the doctor 

 how it all happened and described the fight 

 'by rounds' in such an original manner that he 

 kept the doctor laughing all the time he was 

 working on him, and that was the best part 

 of a day. The doctor had grave doubts as to 

 his recovery during the first week, as he had a 

 bad clout in the ribs, probably from the bear 

 trap, which caused much pain, besides the 

 passing and bringing up of considerable blood 

 — also from the fear of blood poisoning. 

 However, five weeks later he was in here to 

 get some pieces of bone taken out of his jaw. 

 He had already been up to Sandy Lake with 

 a load of grub, etc., but couldn't rest for the 

 pain in his face. He wasn't fit to travel, but 

 having made nothing all summer and gone 

 into debt a bit, he was very keen to make a 

 big catch of furs. 



"On account of his condition he got a part- 

 ner to trap with him for the winter, and a 

 woman from here to stay with his wife at Bear 

 Lake, as he would be most of the time away. 



"They got their last load to Sandy Lake on 

 the seventeenth of November, and started to 

 work next day. On the twenty-second Kibbee 

 was returning from a short five-mile trapping 



