A FOX CUB DRINKING CONDENSED MILK 



Photograph by R. F. Griggs 

 KODIAK 



Foxes are abundant in this region, and it was not intended to establish a precedent by- 

 feeding this one condensed milk, especially during these days of the high cost of living. 

 Other foxes must continue to ''rustle their own grub." 



soon found ourselves miring in the quick- 

 sands, so that we were glad to hurry back 

 to terra firma. 



The condition of this river is undoubt- 

 edly the most serious obstacle to the ex- 

 ploration of the district. While the bot- 

 tom is too treacherous to travel afoot, 

 especially under a pack, the greater part 

 of it could be easily traversed with snow- 

 shoes or some similar contrivance, which, 

 however, would be a fatal encumbrance 

 in the swift currents of the deeper chan- 

 nels. A boat might be used were it not 

 for the fact that the current is too strong 

 for rowing, the bottom is too uncertain 

 for poling, and there is no place to land. 



MYSTERIOUS SOURCE OF FLOOD 



Conditions at the village greatly in- 

 creased our respect for the magnitude of 

 the flood, but failed to enlighten vis as to 

 its cause. The volume of water had been 

 tremendous, considering the size of the 

 watershed, for although the main streain 

 is less than fortv miles lone" and has a 



steep gradient through much of its course, 

 the water had filled the whole valley, six 

 miles wide, many feet deep. We knew 

 of no general storm which could have 

 caused any such unusual quantity of rain. 



Our first thought was that the spring 

 tides, which had just passed, had over- 

 whelmed the land ; but a little examina- 

 tion showed that the high water had been 

 far above any tide-mark. We then 

 thought of volcanic rains up the valley, 

 for we had no knowledge of the condi- 

 tion of the volcanoes. 



But the examination of the village was 

 reassuring in one respect : Although there 

 could be no doubt but that the flood had 

 culminated only a day or two before our 

 landing, everything indicated that it was 

 a very exceptional event. 



EXPLORING IN A DUST-STORM 



When we awoke the next morning 

 we found that a westerly gale which had 

 started during the night had picked up 

 the fine dust from the mountains until it 



26 



