ALASKAN MUMMIES. 



ered, did not see the stone, slipped, and fell, injuring herself se- 

 verely, and bringing on premature delivery, which caused her 

 death with that of the infant, on the spot. Now the poor old 

 chief had three to bury instead of one. So he ordered the pro- 

 cession to return to the village, bearing the dead with them. 



He then had a cave near his house, which had been used as a 

 place for storage, cleaned out, and after due preparation, tin- 

 bodies were deposited in this cave, and with them many sea-otter 

 skins, implements, weapons, and all the personal effects of the 

 dead. He then distributed presents and food to the people, saying 

 that he intended to make of this cave, a mausoleum for his family ; 

 and that when he himself should die it was his desire to be placed 

 there, with his children. He then told them to eat and drink as 

 much as they desired, but as for himself he should fast and weep 

 for his children. His wishes were carried out, and he was placed 

 in the cave after his death, and since that time the Four Mountain 

 Islands have been abandoned as a place of residence by the 

 natives and only occupied by casual parties of hunters. 



The writer attempted in 1873 to reach this locality, but bad 

 weather prevented anchoring ; as the shores are mostly precipitous, 

 and there are no harbors. In the summer of 1874, however, the 

 captain of a trading vessel sent there to take off a party of 

 hunters, was guided by some of them to the cave, and succeeded 

 in removing all the perfect mummies and such implements and 

 other ethnological material as could be found. Through the lib- 

 erality of the Alaska Com. Co. these remains have been received 

 by the National Museum and a careful and detailed account of 

 them lias been prepared. 



Most of the mummies were wrapped up in skins or matting as 

 previously described, but a few were encased in frames covered 

 with sealskin or fine matting, and still retaining the sinew grum- 

 mets by which they were suspended. These cases were five-sided, 

 the two lateral ends subtriangular ; the back, bottom and sloping 

 top, rectangular, like a binary t..p turned upside down. 



With them were found some wooden dishes, a few small ivory 

 carvings and toys, a number of other implements, but no weapons 

 except a few lance or dart heads of stone. Two or three women's 

 work bags with their accumulated scraps of embroidery, sinew, 

 tools and raw materials were among the collection. 



While space will not suffice here to describe this material in 



