CRUISE OF THE STEAMER CORWIN. 31 



a reconnaissance, and succeeded in finding- a passage, througli wliicli tlie skin boat was first 

 hauled up; then, droi)i)ing a line down to the launch, all of the party, with the exception of four 

 who remained in the launch, clajiped on to it and began to haul away as we dashed at tlie pas- 

 sage with IIU pounds of steam on the boiler. The passage was I'eaclied, the launch 2>lunged 

 her bows deep into the water, and the next moment would have been safely through, when the 

 line broke with a twang, and she began slowly but surely to gtj astern. She struck a rock 

 witli a wheel and it stopped for a moment, and in that moment the strong current swept her 

 broadside on t(.) a huge round bowlder, and I thought she would be certainly lost. She went 

 over on lier l)eani-ends, there was a moment of suspense, and the n(^\t she was swept oyer Ijy 

 the water and went drifting down stream at the rate of ten miles per hour. 



The Indians had abandoned their boat in the mean time and ran down below us to render 

 any jiossible assistance, and we soon got a line wliicli they tlirew us and hauled in alongside 

 the shore to I'epair damages. Fortunately no serious injury was sustained, but we decided not 

 to risk the launch again, especially as the Indians informed me that with each day's clear 

 weather the river would go down very raj^idly, and it would be impossible to get the launcli 

 down later, even if we succeeded in getting her up now. 



We were at this time one day's journey from the higliest point reached l:)y the Stoney 

 expedition in 1884, and after holding a consultation I decided to leave the launch here in charge 

 of Mr. Townsend, who would use her as he thought best in making a collection of specimens 

 of natural history, and jjush ahead with the Indians in the skin boat. Ui) to this time the 

 expedition had been pu.shed ahead so rapidly that Mr. Townsend liad had very little opportu- 

 nity for prosecuting the work of making a collection, and at his suggestion I decided, as Ijefore 

 stated, to leave him here with the launch. This necessitated the detention of Marsh and Lewis 

 also with the launch, as Mr. Townsend would require tlieir assistance in handling her. 



We spent the remainder of the day in selecting such articles of camp outfit and supjilies 

 as were necessary for our trip, and loaded the skin boat prei)aratory to an early start next 

 morning. 



The morning of .July 1".' opfUud clear and l)right, and. aflri- leaving directions witli Mr. 

 Townsend in rega.i'd to dropping the launch down stream in casi! the water began to shoal, we 

 bade good-ljye to the launch and started on our way in the skin boat. 



With the first signs of day on July Iri we start^'d I'rom the launch with the skin l)oat, 

 whi(dx I named the Pioneer, and soon a l)end of the river hid the i-eniainder of the party from 

 our sight. We had, for j)rovisions to last twenty days, two boxes ])emniica.n, one box tea, and 

 thirty pounds of hard lii-eail, and, notwithstanding the fact that we labored incessantly from 

 fourteen to sixteen liours per (hiy, there was never a time on tlie entire trip when we really 

 suffered from liunger. (lame was almndant, and the fish (also jilentiful and easily caught) 

 were delicious. Along the banks of the river berries grinv in the greatest profusion, and our 

 daily bill of fare was as varicul as oni^ could Avish. 



Soon after leaving the launch we entered a long reach of the river, almost choked with huge 

 bowlders of conglomerate I'ock. and the current became so strong that it required the united 

 eft'ortsof the entire party to haul the skin boat through. The di'iith of water nowhere exceeded 

 six feet, and the Lidiaus iid'oi'uied me that the river was falling with each day's fine weather. 

 The valley is not more than eight miles wide here, and tlu; stream is rapidly affected by rains, 

 which swell the mountain streams flowing into it. At the head of these rapids the river is again 

 divided into several channel-ways, and I observed a river flowing in from the south. The 

 Indian name is the Chok-way-chok, having I'eference to the rajud current. The junction < )f tliis 

 stream with the Kowak is called the Pah, and the river itself has been mistakenly calle(l by 

 this name. This is the only river of any size flowing into tlie Kowak from the south, and the 

 Indians inform mo that at one time communication was had with the Ko-you-kuk by means of 

 a short portage connecting its headwaters with a tributary of the latter stream, liut latterly it 

 lias fallen into disuse and .another and easier route pursued. 



Our first day's work ended at 8 p. m., when, worn out by our long tramp, we camped for the 

 night on a level tundra plain. Fortunately the moscjuitoes were not troublesome, and soon we 

 sat around a blazing fire, smoking very comfortably and on terms of perfect equality. 



