182 THE UPPER YUKON 



masses of shifting ice. Grass was growing 

 on many portions of the moraine, a few stunted 

 trees on others, and some bunches of willow 

 brush waved in the wind on top of the earthy 

 covering of the ice field. 



It is a wonderful thought and worth pon- 

 dering over to know that a swiftly-running 

 river has its birthplace in the secret recesses of 

 this mysterious glacier. A lonely sight it is, 

 no matter from what angle you view it. 

 Nazarhat is like the other glaciers in this 

 country. It is dying, not slowly like the ma- 

 jority of glaciers in Switzerland, but with a 

 seemingly constantly accelerating melting of 

 the ice and with the breaking off of large 

 sheets of the frozen liquid. I gazed upon this 

 natural wonder until the Chief became rest- 

 less; he wanted to get to work; he never had 

 much time for sight-seeing. I may as well say 

 right here, as in some other portion of my 

 narrative, that in all of my experience with 

 guides and other husky, virile men who have 

 been with me who were not guides, his equal 

 for strength, quickness of decision, and an al- 

 most raving desire for hard work, I have never 

 seen. He was indeed a born leader. His 

 eight years' experience as a member of the 

 famous Northwest Mounted Police had 



