CRUISE OF THE STEAMER CoRWIN. 41 



occasional island in the bonds. Tlio snfi darkness IVll like a veil n]i<>n the viver, an<l whon the 

 moon rose it cast qneer shadows along the banks. On, on, at l)rea.k-neck speed, past den.sely 

 wooded steeps and rocky bhiffc's, past mossy banks filled with flowers, and low plains covered 

 by lagoons — on to the launch. 



The dead sprnce stood up grim and white in the semi-daTkness. and in the silence of the 

 night seemed like a company of slironded ghosts gliding swiftly up stream. Once a white owl 

 left Ills perch and swooped down within a foot of our heads, and then with a flap of his wings 

 disa.pp('arcd in the darkness. By 11 o'clock we reached the long reach filled with rocks ju.st 

 al)ov(i the place where we had parted company with the launch. The Indians stood forward 

 with tlieir poles, and Tah-tah-rok and I sat aft with paddles to steer the boat through, for I 

 determined to shoot the rapids rather than lose time in dropping lier down. With a rush and 

 a roar we plunged past liuge bowlders fringed with foam, so close sometimes as to enable us to 

 touch them witli our hands, and then over jagged rocks lying beneath the surface. Some- 

 times the men forward would utter a sharp, short cry, and phmge their poles overboard, and, 

 in spite of the rushing current, bring the boat's head up stream, .so as to avoid a dangerous 

 rock; but with this exception not a word was spoken. 



In ten minutes we cleared the i-api<ls and cann? in sight of the spot where we had left the 

 launch. A piece of white cloth lluttered gently from tlie top of a long pole on flu: })ank. and 

 stopping there I found a cache of i)rovisions and several heavy articles of our ca.mp outfit, with 

 a note from Mr. Townsend, dated the Pith instant, saying that after two days' hard work", dui-ing 

 which everything had to be taken out of the launch and carried through water nearly u]> to 

 their necks to the shore, they had succeeded in floating her over the gravel bed upon which 

 she had grounded, and that they were now encamjied in a comparatively safe spot about ten 

 miles below the cache. We put the things into the boat and ])roceede(l. 



Just below this point the river widt'ns and many gravel lieds ol)struct its course. Here 

 the launch grounded in attempting to go down, l)ut our light boat shot straight down without 

 difficulty, and at 1 1 o'clock we came in sight of the tents of our party and the launch safely tied 

 up alongside the b;ink. We dropped down u]ion them very (pnetly and with a tremendous 

 yell awoke them from theii' sleep and proclaimed our ret\irn. 



I was glad to lind all hands well, and Mr. Townsend assured me that many valuable speci- 

 mens of the natural liistory of tlie country had been collected during my ab.sence. At the 

 camp I found some fresh hear meat, and in a short while we sat down to a most delicious sup- 

 per of bear steak, hot Inscuit, and coffee, which, considering (he fact that we had traveled over 

 one hundred miles withox;t stopping to eat but twice, was found to be most acceptable. 



So ends the voyage of the Pioneer. 



On July 28 the entire party started for the coast. The river was rapidly falling, and I 

 learned from a family of Indians who were encamped Jiear us that if w^e delayed much the 

 steam-lavmch could not begotdown. This seemed to be extremely i)robable, forwehad hardly 

 gotten fairly started when the launch became unmanagealile and ran out on a gravel bed. 

 The current forced her completely over on her beam ends, and if Lewis had not prom])tly 

 hauled the fires and blown off the steam serious consequences might have followed. As it was, 

 we f(_>und it impossilde to hold her head up stream Ijy any ordinary means and so were com- 

 pelled to fill four coal sacks with stones fi-om on shore and ])lant this improvised "bower" 

 some distance up stream with a line attached, by means of whicli we were enabled to get the 

 launch into deep Avater again. By sliortening up on this line and going back on the engine we 

 slowly •■ clubljed" our way through the intricate ])assages and at 5 p. m. found ourselves where 

 we coTild pT'oceeil in the usual manner. 



At 8 o'clock we reached an Indian fishing vilhige and camped. The fishing season was 

 now at its height and we obtained some nuignificent salmon from the natives. From this 

 village^ bearing northwest by compass, is a series of three lakes of which Car-le-ok-shuk is the 

 nearest to the river and separated from it by a range of rugged mountains from three thousand 

 to thirty-five hundred feet high. A small stream runs into the Kowak, by means of which the 

 H. Ex. 153 6 



