CRUISE OF THE STEAMER CURWIN. 65 



lis. I do not, reinemljer ever liuviug- experienued sueli a deluge ;is that wliicli followed for an 

 hour or more; but as our cuuditioii would uot have been improved liy stopping, we continued to 

 f)lod along during the storm, altliongli both were thoroughly .soaked ere it ceased. 



The river displayed no new or unusual features during the day, but continued its winding 

 course through the mountains, a.tt'ording us, in many sections, scenery of tlu; grandest descrip- 

 tion. Here the banks were very bold, and in jilaces liiige i-ocky cliffs, the .sides of which were 

 worn in the most fantastic shapes Iiy the water, towered hundreds of feet above the river. 

 On one of the most inaccessible portions of the cliffs I discovered the nest of a white-headed 

 eagle, the owners of which, fearing that we intended mischief, displayed very decided signs of 

 anger, and would probabaly have resented very tierci'ly any intrusion upon their solitude. 



One of the most noticeable fivitures develojied dui-ing the day was the entire absence of 

 timber of any description: no driftwood could be I'ciund along the banks, and it was very 

 evident that we had passed the timljer limit and would soon reach the table-lands of the interior, 

 if my theory in regaitl to the character of that region proved correct. 



As we progresseil the river became more and more olistructed with rocks, a condition which 

 caused no litte anxiety on account of the canoe. In places of this kind I invariably led it 

 through the rocks myself, and oftentimes became so benumbed with cold as to be incapable of 

 motion. 



The necessity for systematizing our work now l)ecanK' very apparent, and as no dis- 

 tinction was made in the i:)erformance of our duties, we took " watch and watch " on the tracking 

 line. Under ordinary circumstances the man on the tracking line held an enviable position; 

 during the cold and inclement weather the work of dragging the canoo Avas sufficient to keep 

 the blood in circulation, while the unfoi'tunate individual who held the steering paddle suffered 

 greatly from cold, and on more than one occasion I to(.)k advantage of my position to make a 

 forced trade with Nelson. 



One of the most serious piroblems that now confronted us was the su^^plying ourselves with 

 pro]")er foot-gear. The heavy boots which we possessed in starting on the journey had become 

 badly worn, owing to the severity of the work, and being without others to replace them, our 

 situation was indeed serious. The native sealskin boots which we brought from the coast were 

 quite useless, as so soon as they become wet the stitches give way and the skin tears irreparably. 

 (Jur feet also began to feel the effects of the jtnirney along the rocky banlvs, and often became 

 so painful that it was difiicirlt to stand irpon tliem. However, nothing was permitted to inter- 

 fere with our work, and we pressed forward, eager to accomplish something woi'thy of the effort. 



The siirrounding country now became somewhat less rugged, and on the whole was quite 

 jH'epossessing. The mountain range which we had passed two days before now stood out in bold 

 relief, forming a solid wall behind us, and aj^parently shutting off' every means of escape to the 

 coast. During the day we passed several small tributaries of the river, most of which hav 

 their origin in the mountain lakes. Large game, consisting principally of bear and deer, 

 seemed to be quite abundant; beaten paths over which they traveled to and from the river were 

 found everywhere, as commonly as the familiar cow-paths in more civilized climes. 



One morning, about lu o'clocdv, as we rounded a sharp turn in the river, I discovered an 

 immense buck regarding us intently only a few feet distant, and evidently puzzled as to our 

 intentions. Fearing that the slightest move would alai'm, him we I'emained riveted in our posi- 

 tions, silently reganling the flashing eye and (piivering nostril of the animal, imtil with a toss 

 of his head he bounded away toward the mountains. Nature indeed is very beautiful in those 

 wild, desolate regions, and I .shall never foi'get the thrill of jjleasnre experienced as I stood 

 gazing at that wild and untamed creature, which undoubtedly saw for the first time the face 

 of a white man. 



The next morning gave indications of a stoi-my day ; dark masses of lowering clouds hung 

 over the neighboring summits, and we had fully made up our minds to submit to another 

 soaking. About noon the clouds began to break ; to the southward, however, there was a very 

 heavy storm, and the deep roll of thunder was heard during the entii-e day. Storms of this 

 description are of very rare occurrence according to my experience, and, save in the instance 

 jioted, nothing of the kind ever came imder my observation in Northern Alaska, 

 H. Ex. 153 9 



