94 JOURNAL AND PROCEEDINGS 



next da}', however, interesting features began to appear. The 

 stream became verj' swift, and rapid after rapid was reached and 

 run in quick succession, and before noon sure enough the guide's 

 traditional ice fields began to make their appearance and then only 

 did I hear a brief murmur of discontent. 



As we continued down the rtishing river, the ice became con- 

 tinuous and soon abundant, until the solid massive banks on either 

 shore attained heights of not less than forty feet above the river, 

 btit in no place was it found to obstruct the river channel and, 

 therefore, with the exception of making landings difficult in many 

 places, it formed no serious obstacle to canoe navigation. The ex- 

 planation of its occurrence in such large quantities m mid-summer 

 is that the river is exceptional!}^ narrow and swift at this part and 

 causes great floods and ice jams to occur here, the ice met with 

 being the remnant remaining since the spring flood. 



One interesting feature in comiection with the occurrence of 

 these ice banks was that they were associated with swarms of black 

 flies and mosquitoes so that the uninitiated members of otir party 

 found it necessary even when passing beside or walking upon the 

 ice banks to keep close within their mosquito nets. One of my 

 photos shows a member of our part}'- bedecked with his mosquito 

 veil and standing within an icy cavern formed in the great ice wall 

 by a small tributary stream. Though essentially continuous for 

 twenty-five miles or more, these ice walls were in many places cut 

 away altogether or tunneled through by the action of tributary 

 streams of greater or less dimensions, and it was at such places 

 only that landings could be effected. Upon one occasion when a 

 terrific rain and wind storm overtook us upon the river we were 

 glad to avail ourselves of one of these possible landings. I say 

 possible as it was little more, for the mud was very soft and ankle 

 deep from the melted ice, and all we could do was stand in it until 

 the storm abated. * 



Our unhappy condition in the mud bank upon this occasion re- 

 minds me that although we might seem to have been the only 

 geese in that inhospitable region there were others and in no small 



