CRUISE OF THE STEAMER CORWIN. 61 



very rapid headway. About four miles above our halting place the river again turned to the 

 north and was divided by an island into what appeared to be three channels. Having selected 

 the one on the extreme right and ascended it fully a mile, we found to our chagrin that it was 

 merely a " blind," and were obliged to retrace our course t(j the nuiin river again. The stream 

 on the left is the main channel, the others being luxvigable at high water only. Having riglited 

 ourselves, we continued without further adventure during the day. 



The banks of the stream now became quite ])recipitous, and in several places rocky cliffs 

 from tifty to a hundred feet in height rose from the water's edge. The river also became very 

 much narrower, but steadily retained the depth of three fathoms. A strong headwind ren- 

 dered our progress somewhat slow, and we unfortunately sliip]ied a quantity of water in one 

 of the hatches, which, aside from the physical discomfort it caused us, to a great extent daiu- 

 aged the provisions. 



As we were n(^ longer within the pale of civilization an<l had no means of apjirojiriately 

 observing the "glorious Fourth," we resumed our journey early on that day. The scenery of 

 the mountains, however, was of such a nature as to arouse our enthusiasm, and we i»uslied ra]>- 

 idly ahead, eager to see that which the next turn in the river might reveal. 



A short distance above our camp we passed between two very high rocky cliffs, that on 

 the starboard being marked by a very peculiar pinnacle-shaped rock, towering high above its 

 fellows. Soundings in this jjortion of the river revealed from seven to eight fathoms of water, 

 which depth, however, was not of long continuance. At this point the Noiitak passes through 

 the coast range and for several miles pursues a very tortuous course. Having a strong brt^eze 

 in our favor, we made sail, which afforded us an opportunity to rest our weary arms. 



The mo.st reniarkal)le feature of the coast mountains is the numerous isolated pealcs, men- 

 tion of which has already been made. Late in the afternoon we passed through tiie foothills 

 on the opposite side of tlie range. The banks became lower and somewhat marshy, and all 

 traces of timber were lost. The river now assumed a new and unpleasant feature, namely, a 

 very marked current, which, as we proceeded, became so swift as to render our jirogress slow 

 and laborious. 



Masses of Arctic willows were found on either bank, and every feature of the landscape 

 told us plainly of the difficulties which we must soon encounter. The favoring breeze of tJie 

 past few days showed us that our work might be consideralily lessened by enlarging our sail, 

 so I determined to make one, before proceeding farther, sufliciently large to meet the require- 

 ments. 



In a few lujurs' time we were again I'eady to proceed. We had not gone more than a mile 

 before we gained a point where the current became very strong and all efforts to stem it were 

 of no avail. The river now widened into a stream of twice its ordinary lirca-dtli. dottrd with 

 islands, and covering a vast tract of flats. 



Thus far our tracking line had not been called into requisition, but it was now manifestly 

 impossible to proceed without it. The numerous bars and shoals in the river, together with 

 the strong ciirrent, rendered our labor exceedingly arduous, and we were frequently obliged 

 to jump overboard to avoid being swept over the shoals. After contending with these diffi- 

 culties for a few hours both of us becanu; thoroughly wet and fatigued, the foi-mer condition 

 at this stage of the journey being a new experience, altliough subsecjuc^ntly it became an every- 

 day occurrence. During the morning I shot a fine pair of geese, which was an acceptable 

 ac(piisition to our larder, for a steady diet of slap-jacks and l)acon had caused tln' inner man 

 to clamor for a change. 



On the following day the surrounding country gave us no reason to hope for a better con- 

 dition of afPairs. The banks were very low. and the river presented a perfect maze of chan- 

 nels, none of which were well defined or apparently of a permtineut character. It was impos- 

 sible to struggle against the strong current with the paddles, and the tracking line was con- 

 stantly in use. Most of the channels were sma,ll and insignificant, many of them not having 

 sufficient water to float the bidai'ka. At this time the river was at a very high stage. Later, 

 however, many of these channels become dry and the No.itak is confined to a more definite bed. 



The heavy rain which had commenced with the dawn continued throughout the day; in 



