1 88 CAMP FIRES IN THE YUKON 



over the bottom lands of the Dezadeash River and 

 at six o'clock we camped thirty-seven miles ahead 

 near some Indians who had been into the range 

 shooting sheep and goats, whose meat was hanging 

 up being smoked for winter. 



September 24. After an early start in the cold, 

 gray morning, by hard driving we reached the trad- 

 ing post of Shorty Chambers at Champagne Land- 

 ing, where we decided to rest the horses for a couple 

 of hours while we dined with Chambers at his im- 

 maculate cabin, presided over by his very kind and 

 wholesome-looking Indian wife. 



Within the last two years a number of the Yukon 

 traders have gone into the business of raising black, 

 silver and cross foxes, which some have carried 

 on with considerable success, among whom was 

 Chambers. We inspected his large log corral in 

 which were a number of these valuable silver foxes, 

 and took several photographs of the animals which, 

 alive, are worth four thousand to ten thousand dol- 

 lars per pair. The animals are caught in their dens 

 in the early spring when still small and are then sold 

 by the Indian trappers to the men who are engaged 

 in fox raising; many of the fox pups die from a dis- 

 ease closely resembling distemper of the dog, but 

 larger experience will doubtless overcome this draw- 

 back. 



After dinner we said farewells to Chambers and 

 continued eastward, stopping twice to shoot prairie 



