ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN 



floated with tlie ice for 

 some distance, then at a 

 favorable opportunit\- 

 pushed through the pack, 

 ran into a small inlet, 

 jumped ashore and hauled 

 their boat upon the bank. 

 This could not so easily lie 

 done with our boat how- 

 ever, as it was much larger 

 and heavily laden. Our 

 Indians followed along the 

 beach, ready to help in case 

 of an accident. After drift- 

 ing half a mile we made for 

 a mass of stranded ice, 

 which afforded us some 

 protection, and with the as- 

 sistance of the Indians were 

 soon out of danger. When 

 the tide turned, we were 

 kept busy pushing off the 

 cakes that threatened to 

 crush the boat. At low 

 tide the ice on which we 

 stood would be the toji nf 

 a wall eight feet high, so 

 as the tide receded we had 

 to keep our boat in dee]) 

 water. The ebb tide was 

 about half out when a huge 

 mass of ice drifted free 

 from the bar, and threatened to block the 

 channel from shore to shore. Luckily for us, 

 before reaching our boat the outer end struck 

 a mud flat, and held until the dangerous end 

 had swung past us. 



At eight o'clock we were oif again and kept 

 well ahead of the ice, making camp about mid- 

 night. 



It was with a feeling of pnifounil relief that 

 we landetl a few miles from the mouth of 

 Knik River and realized that the battle with 

 the treacherous ice and tides was over. As 

 one could reach shore by jumping over the ice 

 cakes, there was little danger of loss of life, 

 but an accident to the boat meant a total fail- 

 ure of the trip. 



Little of interest occurred during the next 

 two days. We found the river, as Indian Jim 

 had predicted, difficult to navigate. From the 

 start it was necessary to tow, or " line," the 

 boat up the swift current, and to avoid bars 

 we were obliged to cross and recross the 

 stream many times. Quicksands were numer- 

 ous, and Jim insisted on carrying an oar with 

 which to rescue himself when mired. 



May tenth found our camp i^leasantly situ- 

 ated north of the river on the level floor of 

 the Knik N'alley, at the junction of two small 



LET us HOPE THAI HK 1.-. .-.lll.L KoA.MlNi; THK KNIK MOUNTAINS, 

 FREE AND UNHARMED. 



Streams, and about two miles from the moun- 

 tains. By cutting a few trees and some brush, 

 an excellent view was obtained, and we were 

 able to remain in camp and watch for shee]j 

 without alarming them. The season was fully 

 a month backward, and the mountains were 

 covered with deep snow. It did not seem pos- 

 sil;)le that lambs could be born and live under 

 such conditions, and I was convinced that we 

 were quite early enough for our purposes. 



On the afternoon of the day that we made 

 camp (No. i), two of the Indians shouldered 

 their rifles and started off, to hunt for moose 

 and bear. Hicks called them back and ex- 

 plained that I had come a long distance to 

 capture sheep, and did not want them to do 

 anything which would cause the trip to prove 

 a failure; that rifle-firing would scare the 

 sheep to other feeding grounds, and therefore 

 could not be permitted. The Indians obeyed, 

 but it was ])lain they did it unwillingly. Both 

 had been guides for government expeditions, 

 and after the day's work had always been al- 

 lowed to hunt. It was their nature to kill, and 

 it was hard for them to understand why they 

 were not allowed to shoot on this trip. 



The plan adopted to capture sheep was to 

 locate a band of ewes, and keep a strict watch 



