FROM THE DELAWARE TO ALASKA 



"5 



slowly steamed into Wrangel harbor on 

 the afternoon of the second bright day, 

 I was ready to go ashore at the drop of 

 the "gang," and make friends with any 

 of the aborigines or other inhabitants. 

 I wanted to be cordial. So I had barely 

 stepped on the wharf when I walked 

 up to a genial looking man in sou'- 

 wester and yellow "lammy/' or Mack- 

 inaw coat, and said: "Well, partner, 

 you certainly do make good weather 

 up here." 



"Yes, sir, this is purty fine"— and 

 then, woe is me, I thought I saw a 

 deadly, reminiscent smile begin to work 

 its way through his whiskers — "but we 

 don't always get it this way. Some 

 thinks it rains most always. A lady 

 tourist who came by here last May — " 

 f I contrived to fall over a crate of 

 chickens then, and when I recovered I 

 saw Huston not far away. 



"Come on, Jimmie," I called ; "let's 

 go look at the genealogical registers of 

 some of the aboriginal aristocrats on 

 those totem poles uptown. I think it is 

 going to rain again." 



Some of the Wrangel Indians have 

 fine "specimens" of totem poles. The 

 beauty of such poles is judged largely 

 by their relative hideousness, if you can 

 appreciate at this distance such a highly 

 technical description. The larger, more 

 intricately and hideously carved — the 

 greater intermingling of various ani- 



mals represented — the more "beautiful" 

 the specimen. There are various tribes 

 of Alaska Indians, as is the case with 

 other Indians, and they are divided ink) 

 families, such as the crow, bear, eagle, 

 and whale families ; and as the Indians 

 of one family usually marry into other 

 families than their own, these great 

 totem poles which show in characters 

 the general family history and legends, 

 are usually hideous conglomerations of 

 crows, whales, bears, eagles, etc. One 

 must not think that every Alaska In- 

 dian displays a totem pole in front of 

 his shack, however. The poles are com- 

 paratively few ; for the same reason, I 

 presume, that many American families 

 do not have family trees framed in the 

 library. 



At last, late one night, we saw the 

 lights of Juneau twinkling in the dis- 

 tance. Here we were to make our first 

 actual stop in Alaska ; and from here 

 we were to go over to the camp at Fun- 

 ter Bay. 



Two days in Juneau, getting used to 

 things ; then to this camp, whither we 

 came in the big Columbia River sail- 

 boat of that famous southeast Alaskan, 

 Windy Bill. Few know him by any 

 other name, and Bill has the reputation 

 of knowing every rock, and shallow, 

 and halibut fishing ground along this 

 rough, tortuous coast within two hun- 

 dred miles of Juneau. 



