122 C. W. Hayes — Exiiedition tJirougli the Yukon District. 



the coast Indians in 1848. The trader, Mr Harper, was down 

 the river and we found only a couple of Indians whom he had 

 left in charge. These were dispatched up the Pelly to collect 

 the natives in the vicinity and we soon had about forty of them 

 camped around us. Only a few of them, however, were able- 

 bodied men, and it was extremely difficult to persuade these to 

 go with us ; and when they had promised it was only to back 

 out the next day. After laboring with them for over a week it 

 seemed that the attempt to secure the necessary packers was 

 hopele&s, and Ave were preparing to go down to the mouth of 

 White river and try the ascent by boat, when the tide was turned 

 by the opportune arrival of a prospector, Frank Bowker. He 

 had come up the river from Forty-mile creek, intending to spend 

 the summer prospecting in White River basin. With him were 

 two natives from further down the river, muscular and willing 

 fellows, very different from the wretched specimens from Pelly 

 river. Bowker's arrival, as he came with authority from Mr 

 Harper, who has great influence over the natives, jjut new back- 

 bone into our enterprise. Five packers were soon secured, who 

 promised to go with us to the country of Scolai, beyond the 

 mountains. Dogs were obtained to carry the remainder of the 

 outfit, from twenty-five to forty poun-ds being packed uj)on each 

 in panniers of birch bark or moose skin. 



On July 9 our combined party of four white men, eight In- 

 dians, and eleven dogs left Selkirk. Our course lay toward 

 the soutliAvest, over the great interior plateau which stretches 

 from the Yukon to the St Elias mountains. The headwaters 

 of Selwyn river Avere crossed and several eastern tributaries 

 of White river. 



The country is very scantily peopled, and although we prob- 

 ably saAV most of the natives inhabiting the White River basin 

 they only numbered alogether betAveen fifty and sixty persons. 

 The first party, consisting of six families, Avas camped on the 

 Msling, making a fish trap in anticipation of arriA^al of the 

 salmon, Avhich Avas anxiously looked for. These Indians are 

 closely related to those living on the Pelly. They are similar 

 in appearance and mode of life, and apjaarently speak the same 

 language. They haA^e no permanent dAvellings, but several sub- 

 stantial log caches Avere seen, Avhich- they use for storing their 

 winter's supply of dried fish and moose meat. The country 

 seems to be fairly Avell supplied Avith game, goats on the highest 



