“bush” all summer, every one, on arrival here, spends some 
little time buying drinks, and being bought, and in “yarning” 
over the summer’s experiences. 
The optimism of these prospectors is most absorbing. 
They rarely if ever bring anything out, but they are always in 
hope of coming “on the big strike;” and they are now “going 
out” to work the winter over and raise a “grub stake” for 
necessary funds for prospecting next season,—“going out” 
meaning, in their vernacular, to go to the States or Canada. 
This life takes a strong hold 
on them, apparently, and 
one man, reputed worth a 
round hundred thousand or 
over, in addition to owning 
valuable copper stock, sends 
his family East every sum¬ 
mer, while he again goes 
prospecting up the North, as 
he did before he made his 
“strike.” They are a “bully” 
lot, one and all. 
We are passing time, 
awaiting our canoes, in play¬ 
ing the phonograph at 
store. For company 
a sportsman, Count 
an Austrian,—who has 
in this country since 
2d, who has had a boat 
and contemplates 
morrow to hunt goat and bear ' 
on the way down river.^^*'" an INDIAN GRAVE 
Eight more miners and 
prospectors, as well as one Lieutenant Dalgish came in to¬ 
day, with a pack train from the North. They have brought 
a scow up with them and will also leave some time to-morrow. 
This company report the weather at Dees Lake very bad, 
having come through two feet of snow; though such is really 
exceptional for this time of year. 
[219] 
