422 AN EXPLORATION TO MOUNT McKINLEY. 



course northeastward along the front of the range. The character of 

 the country remained unchanged for 100 miles, and we pushed for- 

 ward as rapidly as our surveys and investigations would permit, the 

 long moves of the party often making it difficult for Reaburn and me 

 to reach camp before dark. More than once we were forced to make 

 a lonely Invouac under some spruce tree until the return of daylight 

 enabled us to find camp. These irregularities annoj^ed George, who 

 liked to see each man get a full meal three times a dsij. He regarded 

 it as a kind of bad habit which we had fallen into, and when Reaburn 

 was gone from camp for two nights in succession remarked, "When 

 a man once takes to the spruce vou can't do nothing with him.'' 



On one occasion, after an all-day tramp, I sighted camp from a 

 mountain top 6 miles away, its location marked b}^ a cloud of smoke, 

 our usual method of signaling. Crossing valleys, ridges, and low- 

 lands, from ever}'^ high point I could see the column of smoke. Dark- 

 ness finalh' overtook me 2 miles from camp, but 1 held my course by 

 sighting a star and thus made my way, breaking a passage through 

 the thick maze of alder, stumbling over fallen logs, wading streams, 

 and even plunging- through a river whose opposite bank I could dis- 

 cern only in dim outline. Suddenly from the top of a ridge 1 saw a 

 pillar of fire shoot toward the sky. The boys had heard my pistol 

 shot and were putting fire into spruce trees. Thus guided l\y the 

 cloud of smoke during the day and the pillar of fire l)y night, I finally 

 stumbled into camp, weary, with clothing torn, and face and hands 

 scratched by the underbrush encountered in the darkness. 



About the middle of August we turned to the south again into the 

 mountains and shortly reached the forks of the Cantwell, where two 

 former exploring expeditions had been forced to turn back. (See 

 plate IX.) On the following day we made what proved to be our 

 last difficult crossing. When I saw the waters surging around the 

 shoulders of the big horse on which I led the way I had serious fears 

 for the smaller animals. All crossed in safety, except that Von, who 

 had chosen a wild mount, was tossed off in shallow water, much to his 

 disgust and the amusement of the others. 



On its way to the Tanana the Cantwell cuts a deep canyon through 

 a minor range which lies athwart its course. Finding this canyon 

 apparently impassable for horses we began to fear that we had 

 encountered a check; fortunately, however, a short search was 

 rewarded by the discovery of a pass. The numerous old camps and 

 caches showed us that this route had long been in use by the Indians, 

 but we were the first to essa}" it with horses. 



We came out upon the northern side of the range into the narrow 

 valle}^ of a stream, and from the ridge above I obtained a view over 

 the broad lowland beyond. Far across the expanse of spruce timber 

 and open swamp I could see the bright ri])))oii of water which revealed 



