FROM THE GAME FIELDS. 



CAPTAIN KELLY IN ALASKA. 



Tyonic, Alaska. 



Editor Recreation: I have just returned 

 from the Tanana country, having been off 

 the map all summer traveling through the 

 unexplored region between the Suchitna 

 river and the Copper river. 



Found your letter of August 9th awaiting 

 me at the Knik station, also an official tele- 

 gram of June 30th, announcing my appoint- 

 ment as a Captain in the roth Volunteer In- 

 fantry. Just think of it! Fighting mosqui- 

 toes, wading rivers, climbing glaciers, 

 threading the moist forest lake region 

 (Stanley's African jungles are not in it), 

 when I might have enjoyed the mild excite- 

 ment of drawing a bead on a Spaniard. 



The interior of Alaska is a beautiful coun- 

 try of grand mountains, grassy hills, wooded 

 lakes and prairies. I believe horses and 

 mules can go anywhere since we took them 

 through the swamp region. They do not 

 mind the mosquitoes much. Of course 

 when I get back to New York I shall tell the 

 Camp Fire boys all about it. We are wait- 

 ing here for the steamer which is due to- 

 morrow. Then we are to sail for Seattle. 

 With the exception of mountain sheep 

 (snow white here) we found but little game. 

 Even water fowls are scarce in the interior. 



We went up the Matanuska 100 miles, 

 through a rolling timbered country; then 

 passed through a lake region about 70 miles; 

 then down Gerstle river to within 30 miles of 

 the Tanana, whose broad valley lay before 

 us. Our provisions gave out at that point 

 and we had to turn back. This was on Sep- 

 tember 1 st. We traveled 360 miles, hew- 

 ing our way and building bridges for our 

 animals. We had 10 pack horses and 6 

 mules. 



On Gerstle river we found a small camp 

 of Copper river Indians who thought our 

 mules a new kind of moose. It was on this 

 river that the best indications of gold were 

 observed. 



In one day we passed over 70 lakes and 

 from the rounded hills we could see lakes 

 10 and 20 miles long, toward the Copper 

 river. This was when we were about 80 

 miles West of the Wrangel group of moun- 

 tains. Grass and flowers are found every- 

 where. Since the 1st of May it has not been 

 cold enough to wear an overcoat. I pre- 

 sume, however, the interior is ice bound, 

 now, for I am writing you from Cook's in- 

 let, where it is always mild. 



I inclose a piece of birch bark from the 

 Matanuska river. This stream is about 120 

 miles long and comes from a glacier that 

 juts out of the ice-bound region of Port 

 Wells and Port Valdez. One fork comes 

 from a lake near a stream flowing North- 

 ward into Copper river. The country is 



rolling and flat where the lake region be- 

 gins and extends nearly to the Tanana. The 

 Matanuska empties in Knik inlet near the 

 Knik river. The valleys are lined with 

 stately timber — beech, cottonwood and 

 spruce. On the high mountains farther 

 back, white mountain sheep are found. 

 Moose and caribou run over the swamps 

 and hills. The only game I killed was 2 of 

 these white sheep (Ovis Dalli) and a- lot of 

 grouse and ptarmigan. Luther S. Kelly. 



AN OVERLAND CRUISE. 



DR. E. D. CARTER. 



It is with pleasant recollections that I re- 

 call the principal events of an overland hunt- 

 ing trip made by 2 kindred spirits through 

 the lake regions of Northern Iowa a few 

 years ago. Equipped with a light covered 

 wagon, and with a team of mustangs we 

 made fair progress over the level prairie 

 roads, stopping only now and then as we 

 came to some good looking bit of cover or 

 stubble. Here we would alight, allowing 

 the dogs to work the fields, and thus get a 

 chance to exercise ourselves. After a short 

 tramp of this kind we would invariably re- 

 turn with a few chickens. At noon a short 

 stop for the midday meal, and at night 

 wherever darkness overtook us we would 

 camp and picket our horses. 



We were up early in the morning and af- 

 ter a hasty breakfast were off to the nearest 

 stubble. The dogs always ranged well 

 ahead, and our guns were in readiness as 

 some stately cock or perchance a whole 

 covey would get up with a whir. 



One of the many places where we camped 

 for a day or 2 of duck shooting was called 

 Lost Island lake. It was really nothing 

 more than a large marsh, covering perhaps 

 400 acres, and was a likely looking place for 

 wild fowl. 



The name would indicate there had been 

 an island somewhere, but we failed to dis- 

 cover it, so we gave it up as irreparably lost. 



We camped on a little knoll near the lake. 

 This we regretted later for our close prox- 

 imity to the water made it impossible for us 

 to get any sleep the first night. The noise 

 and confusion made by the myriads of water 

 fowl of all kinds throughout the night, was 

 deafening. 



On the afternoon of our arrival all was 

 quiet on the marsh, but about 5 o'clock in 

 the evening the flight commenced. Ducks 

 and geese came in from all directions, and 

 such a flight it has never been my good fort- 

 une to witness before nor since. They came 

 in immense flocks, as though this were the 

 only open water on the globe. They kept 

 coming as long as it was light enough for 

 us to distinguish their movements. Not a 



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