THE WHITE GOAT IN ALASKA. 



E. W. SHAW. 



We were camped on the Cleveland penin- 

 sula, about 50 miles North of Ketchikan, 

 and were following some rich looking float, 

 discovered the spring before by my com- 

 panion, Sam Gellet. Ketchikan is on Ton- 

 gas narrows and is a little, white hamlet, 

 typical of Alaskan coast, with totem poles, 

 a salmon cannery, Siwash dogs and an oc- 

 casional mail steamer. It was in November, 

 and the first snow of the season, dry and 

 feathery, had effectually stopped all pros- 

 pecting for that winter. Back on the rocky, 

 bold mountains of the peninsula, where 

 dwells the white goat, it lay deep and dan- 

 gerous enough to satisfy the most enthusi- 

 astic lover of mountain climbing or winter 

 shooting. While the ground remained bare, 

 we had agreed to devote our time to pros- 

 pecting; so goat hunting was postponed, 

 although we well knew the risk attending 

 it when the treacherous steeps were covered 

 with ice and snow. 



Having made the tent snug and tight on 

 ouj arrival some weeks before, by backing 

 it well with such moss as one finds only in 

 Alaska, we spent a few days in laying by a 

 stock of venison. At that we would prob- 

 ably have been unsuccessful had it not been 

 for my partner's dogs, Carlo and Bounce. 

 As it was we bagged 2 deer ; Sam killing 

 an old doe in front of Bounce, while I 

 shot a yearling, still hunting. This sounds 

 easy, but was quite the contrary. We had 

 put the dogs out only as a last resort, and 

 after repeated failures in still hunting. 



Before many nights passed, the reason 

 for the scarcity of game became apparent. 

 A band of large black timber wolves were 

 on the rampage in the neighborhood, and 

 many a night they would come down in the 

 moonlight to the salmon stream and howl 

 defiance across at our little white tent under 

 the big cedars. To protect our meat against 

 their ravages, it was strung up by the 

 throat halyards to the mast of our little 

 sloop, which lay in quiet water off the 

 mouth of the stream. 



While prospecting on the morning of the 

 storm, we had separated as usual, in order 

 to cover more ground. A careful search 

 along my side of the gulch failed to reveal 

 the quartz ledge of free gold for which 

 we were looking. The fast falling snow 

 hastened my return to camp, and supper 

 was cooking on the stove when Sam 

 arrived. Over the after dinner pipes my 

 companion told of finding fresh goat signs 

 away back in a basin just below tree line, 

 at the head of the valley visited by us that 

 day. 



By November 1st, goats have selected and 

 are on their winter range, which is usually 

 much lower than their summer habitat, and 

 as they travel but little, one is reasonably 

 sure of finding them near their sign. As 

 Gellet was not enthusiastic that evening 

 over my proposal to go hunting, I was 

 prepared on the following morning to hear 

 a vigorous protest. He pointed out the un- 

 settled condition of the weather; but my 

 determination to go, even though alone, 

 finally won his consent to accompany me, 

 bringing his dogs. I had never seen dogs 

 used in following goats and it was with 

 some interest that I looked forward to the 

 day's hunt. 



An hour's steady tramp after leaving 

 camp, took us to the head of the creek. 

 In a few minutes more we stood in the 

 basin and the chase was on. We thought 

 it better to cover thoroughly all slides ex- 

 tending down into the timber. Then, by 

 working gradually to the summit of the 

 ridge our hunt could, if necessary, be car- 

 ried on to the main range. We hoped to 

 secure game without going up among those 

 glaciers whose talclike greens had been 

 in sight for weeks. 



The precipitous face of the mountain was 

 lined with slides alternated by ridges cov- 

 ered with dense thicket and with spruce 

 timber. Previous to the ascent, the sur- 

 faces of the open slopes were carefully 

 scanned with the hope of seeing, outlined 

 against the snow, that faint yellowish spot 

 indicating Billy's location. 



Failing to sight game, Sam proposed a 

 mode of hunting too simple and seemingly 

 too sure to be interesting. It was, how- 

 ever, arduous labor. He would take one 

 slide and I the next, while the dogs ranged 

 on the timbered hogback between. If 

 they routed the quarry, one of us would 

 in this way be sure of obtaining a shot as 

 it crossed the opening above. The more 

 elevated our . sition grew, the greater dif- 

 ficulty of traveling ; and there were frequent 

 briery tangles eager to tear the hands or 

 catch the clothing. They are not found 

 only on the mountain slopes, but through- 

 out the low country as well, to the great 

 discomfort of hunters and prospectors 

 alike. Many an hour have I spent after 

 reaching camp at night, extracting counties? 

 numbers of these poisonous needles. 



These may be distressing, but that morn- 

 ing I found 2 things absolutely dangerous; 

 the slippery ice, invisible under the snow, 

 and the liability of starting an avalanche. 

 It is surprising to note the ease with which 



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