IN GREEN ALASKA 



that swept down the channel was as cold as that of 

 an October morning at home. The event of this 

 day was the sunset at half -past eight o'clock. I had 

 often seen as much color and brilliancy in the sky, 

 but never before such depth and richness of blue 

 and purple upon the mountains and upon the water. 

 Where the sun went down the horizon was low, and 

 but a slender black line of forest separated the sky 

 from the water. All above was crimson and orange 

 and gold, and all below, to the right and left, purple 

 laid upon purple until the whole body of the air be- 

 tween us and the mountains in the distance seemed 

 turned to color. 



As we go north the scenery becomes more and 

 more like that of the fiords on the coast of Nor- 

 way, except that the mountains there are mostly 

 deforested. Deep sea-blue water about us, dark 

 spruce and cedar clad and torrent-furrowed moun- 

 tains rising above us, touched with snow on their 

 summits. Now and then a bald eagle flaps heavily 

 along the mountain-side, or a Une of black oyster- 

 catchers skim swiftly over the surface. We see 

 Mount Palmerston on our left, five thousand feet 

 high, covered with a heavy snow mantle in which 

 his rocky bones have worn many holes. The bril- 

 Uant sun brings out every line and angle. 



At noon we stop in a deep cove with a rapid 

 stream coming into the head of it, to give some of 

 our party an hour on shore. While we are waiting 

 25 



