CRUISE OF THE STEAMER CORWIN". 71 



The exertions of the day previous liad wearied us somewliat; consequently we were not astir 

 till a late hour the following morning. The storm now increased in viohnice; the small hrooks 

 and creeks had swollen into torrents, in Cfjnsequence of which tlie Noiltak rose with alarming 

 rapidity and bid fair to deluge the surrounding country. I now determined to prepai-e for (mr 

 return trip; the canoe had leaked badly during the last few days of its us(% althnugh uo defective 

 seams coiild be found. Finally, Imwever, I removed one of the patclies and substituted a larger 

 one, a measure wliich im^jroved things materially. The discdinfurt dccasioned by sitting in a 

 pool of water cannot be aptly described, but it is not productive of a chi'iMful fi-ame of nund. 



After having overhauled the bidarka, and i)i-('parations lieing made for departure, we 

 awaited more propitious weather to break cami:), although no change took place during the day. 



August ;?, like the days preceding, opened very stormy, with the rain falling heavily: the 

 river had risen several feet during the night and had nearly reached the camp, making it neces- 

 sary to move without delay. Notwithstanding the down-pour, we broke cam]), launched the 

 canoe, and hastily loaded it with our effects in readiness for moving. To start down the river 

 at that time seemed like a hazai'dous undertaking, for the ordinary dangers had now doubled; 

 but at all events we could not remain in our present position. AT>out this time the thought of 

 possible danger to the cache occurred to me, and tlie alarming rapidity witJi which the river 

 continued to rise was not at all reassuring. The cache lay about one hundred and twenty -live 

 miles below our present location; to reach it that day would involve great exertion, and was an 

 undertaldng fraught with danger. After con.sulting Nelson, in whose judgment 1 hail the fullest 

 confidence, it was determined to start at once. 



To describe the incidents of that exciting race would rcc|uire an aliler ])cn than mine; the 

 dangers encountei-ed on the ascending journey were now doubled. Rixdcs which before were 

 plainly visible were now partly hidden by the flood, and every faculty was required to avert 

 constantly impending destruction. In i)laces of this kind the speed at which we traveled left 

 no time for debate; an obstruction was no sooner sighted than we were upon it. Now resting 

 on our paddles while borne swiftly along, the nest m«mient we were straining every muscle to 

 avoid the rocks which suddenly loomed up ahead and towards which we were dashing with 

 locomotive speed. In places where tlie rocks were entirely sul)merged, the canoe seemed to be 

 drawn towai'd them ])y some irresisti1)le force, and before we learned to detect these places we 

 had more than one escape from disaster. My fears in regard to the cache were greatly increased 

 liy finding those of 'the natives in very precarious situations, a fact which proved the flood to 

 be almost unprecedented in extent. Several of those we pas.sed were iu dangerous proximity to 

 the water, and iu all pmliability were sulisequently destroyed. 



The story of this eventful day is <jne of excitement and danger: time a,nd space cannot be 

 devoted to the subject. 



About the middle of the afternoon, having journeyed over seventy miles, our exertions 

 began to tell upon us, and it was determined to halt for a brief rest. 



The rain continued at intervals during the day, and from the appearance of the banks it 

 was evident the river had not reached the high-water mark. After a delay of about thirty 

 minutes, we again launched forth on the swollen stream and resumed the journey; on and on 

 we sped, and our novel race became intensely exciting. The day was now far spent and we 

 almost despaired of reaching the cache in time to save it from its imminent danger; but with 

 the determination to do our best, we plied the paddles with redoubled vigor. 



The sun sank lower and lower as we dashed onward toward the mountains where the 

 cache lay, and finally the dark mass of storm-cloudc which overshadowed them liurst asunder 

 and revealed their outlines in the distance. The long twilight of the Arctic summer fell upon 

 us as we entered the flats through which the Noatak flows before entering the mountains 

 beyond. 



To my dismay, however, the river was found to spread over the entire section; a fact 

 which put us decidedly off our bearings. The main channel, on the banks of which the cache 

 lay, could not be distinguished, an emergeiu\y for which I was not prepared, and, well-nigh 

 overcome with disaiipointnient, we drifted helplessly onward, caring little where the waters 

 might sweep us. In vain did we scan the hanks for a trace of the familiar spot, lait every 



