4 o HUNTERS OF THE GREAT NORTH 



eventually turned the horses loose and built a canoe on 

 the head waters of one of the branches of the Peel River, 

 and had drifted and paddled down to Macpherson. They 

 said they had found no gold nor signs of any. 



Everything went well for 150 miles or more down one 

 of the branches of the Mackenzie delta. For a hundred 

 miles the trees were still large; then suddenly we came to 

 trees markedly smaller. After a few miles there were 

 no trees, but only low willow-covered and grass-covered 

 islands among which the Mackenzie winds in its innumer- 

 able sluggish channels. Where the branch we were on 

 came out into the ocean we stopped because the weather 

 was bad and a heavy sea was running with waves break- 

 ing threateningly over the mud-flats. We were towing 

 a boat loaded with freight belonging to the Police. Our 

 only motive power was the sail on the whaleboat. Even 

 in the best weather it is somewhat dangerous to under- 

 take a 60-mile journey as this would be from the river 

 to Herschel Island, towing a big and heavy boat loaded 

 down with freight behind a small whaleboat with only 

 its sail for power. In bad weather it was unthinkable. 

 We remained in camp, accordingly, for two or three days 

 and then we decided that Constable W T alker would stay 

 behind with the Police freight and his two Indians, while 

 Roxy took the rest of us to Herschel Island. Walker 

 favored this plan for the sake of the safety of his freight, 

 for we were to send back more seaworthy boats from 

 Herschel Island to fetch it. The miners and I were eager 

 to proceed, for I had promised Leffingwell to be at Her- 

 schel Island on or before August 10th. The miners had 

 come with us, hoping to overtake whaling ships at Her- 

 schel Island and to secure passage with them for Nome 

 and San Francisco. 



