CRUISE OF THE STEAMER CORWIN. 03 



rapids and the many dangerous rocks in tlie channel ren,h^red the greatest care necessary to 

 avoid the total destruction of the bida-rka. wliicli woidd hring. as an inevitable result, the com- 

 plete failure of the expedition. On the preceding night, after pitching camp and making the 

 usual preparations for rest, we hauled the canoe out on the bank : after retiring the thouglit 

 occurred to me that perhaps the river might rise before the morning and endanger the canoe. 

 In order to "maki- assurance doubly sure/' I lashed tlie craft to a neighboring tree, and 

 very fortunately, too, for in tlie morning it was afloat, and undoubtedly would have been lost 

 had not the precaution been taken to secure it. This narrow escape had the effect of redoubling 



OH I- vigilance. 



Ill the morning the Noatak gained the high-water mark, and about noon coimncuced to 

 recede very slowly. The bidarka was now thoroughly water-soaked, as there had been no 

 opportunity to dry it since leaving the Corwin. In this condition the skin becomes very soft 

 and Iial)le to tear, an accident which, owing to the severity of the work, might occur at any 

 time. Upon examination. I discovered two of the seams over the keelson had given way and 

 in many other places evidences of weakness were visible. After repairing the damage, the 

 canoe was Imuled out to dry. In the mean time I climbed a neighboring tree to obtain a view 

 of the river above, and, happily, noted many decided signs of improvement. Having the 

 assurance of better things, we went into camp hoping that the morrow would bring a ray of 



sunshine. 



The following morning opened fair and warm; the long-continued storm had exhausted 

 itself, and once more the sun shone in a cloudless sky. The canoe having been dried and 

 oiled,' was again in a serviceable condition, and I determined to resuim^ the journey without 

 delay. The river was still very high and we finind it necessary to thread our way upward 

 through the smaller channels to avoid the impassable current in the main river. After con- 

 tinuing in tills way for several miles we finally reached a large stream which appeared to 1». 

 the principal channel, Init after following this foi' some distance found that it again divided 

 into a net work of small streams and thereby ma<le our work more discouraging tlian before. 

 The entire valley has a most remarkable .slope; in many portions, the rise was plainly noticeable 

 in a stretch less than a half mile in length, a feature which accoirnted for the unusually rapid 

 current. This, of course, caused mir progress to be very shnv and lal)orious. We had been in 

 the water waist deep at times during the greater portion of the day, and consequently before 

 nightfall liecame tlu)roughly chilled with the cold. After going into camp for the night our 

 chUled lihjod. again put in circulation, jiroduced a most peculiar burning sensation, which caused 

 no little pain and utterly precluded the idea of sleep. 



We had now gained one of the most desolate sections of country imaginalde; in gazing 

 over the portion already traveled nothing met the eye save an unbroken stretch of flats, unre- 

 lieved by forests or hills. Here and there a patch of Arctic willows, or perhaps a few scattered 

 spruce trees, constituted the only variation to the scene. The sense of utter desolation and 

 loneliness which took possession of the mind was indeed difficult to dispel, and at times seemed 

 almost unendurable. No trace of human habitations could be found, and even the hardy water- 

 fowl seemed to have forsaken the region, leaving nothing to remind us of the great and busy 

 world thousands of miles below. 



While at leisure the day previous I examined tlie river for some distance ahead, and found 

 that by making a short portage we might save a considerable distance and gain time as well. 

 Accordingly, we sliouldered the canoe and carried it across to what seemed to he the main 

 channel of the river. After transporting the outfit in a like manner, we loaded the canoe and 

 resumed the journey. 



The river was now much less divided and luid a greater depth, although the current was 

 yet very rapid. The banks were liigher and of such a nature a,s to render tracking practicable; 

 consequently we made much better progress. The surrounding country also improved greatly 

 in appearance; the banks sloped back into a higher district, which was diversified in places by 

 patches of timber, which thus far ha,d lieen scarce. Spruce and cottouwood trees are scattered 

 along the banks, but as a usual thing do not extend far inland. All the timber shows decided 

 climatic repression, the trees seldom attaining a diameter exceeding twelve inches at the base, 



