BEAUTIFUL LITTLE LAKES. 177 



The mountains were all covered with clouds 

 and mist, but Mr. Sheldon determined to ascend 

 the nearest shoulder and try and find a good 

 camping place near timber line, whilst I took 

 a round through the level country at the base 

 of the mountains. Our two men occupied them- 

 selves in making a platform between three 

 spruce trees, and about twelve feet from the 

 ground, on which to stack our stock of pro- 

 visions out of the reach of bears whilst we were 

 away in the mountains. 



I came across some beautiful little lakes in 

 the vicinity of which I thought that I would 

 have been certain to find moose, but the newly- 

 fallen snow showed not a single track of any- 

 thing larger than a hare. 



One hears many tales of moose being seen 



in great numbers round little lakes in the 



untravelled parts of the Yukon country. One 



man assured me that from an eminence he had 



once counted twenty-five moose feeding in and 



around some small lakes near the upper Stewart 



River. 



If these tales are not exaggerated, I think that 



12 



