The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1879-09-14

pered IN sitting down through the moist
atmosphere. allowing no dazzling bril-.
liancy-no dry. white glare. The town
like the wild landscape, rests beneath
this hushing spell. On the Longest day.
the sun rises about 3 o'clock, but it il
daybresk at midnight. The cock.
crow when they wake. without much
reference TO dawn. for it is never dark
Cock-crowing is the one certain inva.
riable sound peculiar to civilization
but .here are only a few, half q doxeu
or 81. ali told. of full grown roosters in
Wrangei to awaken the town to give
it Christian character. After sunrise q
few smoke columns may be seen rising
languidly to tell the first stir of the
people. Then an Indian or two may
be noticed here and there At the doors
of their big barn like cabins. and q
merchant getting ready for trade; but
scascely sound is heard. only muf.
nei STIR gradually deepening. There
are only two white babies in town a
far as have seen. and % for tho H.
dian babies, they wake and feed. aud
make no crying sign. Later you may
hear the stroke of an axe On firewood
and the crOAking of Q raven.
AsUANER SCENE.
About 8or 0 o'clock tho town is awake
aud on its legs and In its boats. Indians.
mostly women and children. begin "a
gather in scores on the front platforms
of the half dozen stores. sitting care
lcssly in blankets. every other face
blackened hideously, a naked circle
around the eyes. and perhaps q spot
over each cheek bone, and on tho tip OF
tho nose where the smut has been
wea,hered of. Some Of the little child
ren ar. 80 blackeEed and noue arc over.
clad. their light and airy costume COLI
sisting Of . calico shirt reaching only to
the waist. as il even this tlinsy mate.
rial were sorely scsnty, the whole
weighing. when dry. about ~ much as
paper collar. Boys eight and ten
year, old often have an additional gar
ment-A pair of cas'away miner =
overalls. These also arc wide enough
aud ragged enough for extrsvagant
ventilation. The larger girls aud young
women are quito brightly aud extern
sivrly calicoed. and wear jaunty straw
hats. gorseously: :ribboned. which glow
among the blackened and blso keted cd
crones like sc.rlet tanagers in flock Ct
blackbir
ALASKA! WOMEN FIsHING AND HART
HUNTING
Mo,. of the women who load the
store fronts can hardly be called loaf
crs. for they nave berries to sell, bas-
ketfuls of huckleberries. red and black,
and Of the large red salmon berries and
bog raspb,rries. all looking fresi AMI
clean. relieve most strikingly amid
the surrounding squalor. They sit
and wait purchasers until hungry.
when. it they cannot sell them. thev
eat them. and G" to the hillside back of
the town and gather more
Yonder you See o canoe gliding ont
from the shore containing perhaps Q
msn. woman and child or two. all
padding in easy. natural rhythm. They
are goirg to catch . fish. no difficult
matter. and when this is done their
days work is done. Another party
puts out to catch bits Of driftwood, for
it i, easier to procure fuel In this way
than to drag it down from the woods
through the bushes.
SOCIAL TRAITs-ALAsKAN WILD BER-
As the dozy day advances there is
quite fleet Of canoes seen along the
shore. oil fashioned after one pattern.
high and long beak-likc prows and
sterns. and with lines as hne as those
about the breast Of . Wild duck. What
the mustang is to the Mexican vacquero
tho canoe is to tho coast indians. They
skim along the CLASSY. sheltered waters
TO fish and hunt aud trade, or merely
to visit their neighbors; for they have
family pride remarkably developed, and
are extremely socisble. meeting often
to inquire after each others health
to hold I.otlstches, and dances, and to
gossip concerning coming marriages.
deaths. births. or the last murder. and
how many blankets will be demanded
a. blood money. etc. Others seem 10
sail for the pure pleasure of the thing.
their canoe decorated with handfuls Of
tho large purple equilobium. Yonder
you SEQ . whole family. grandparents
and all. making direct course for some
island or promout0ry Eve OF six miles
away. They are going to gather ber-
ries, as the baskets tell. never before
in all my travels. north or south. found
so lavish abundance Of berries a. here.
The woods and meadows are full Of
them, both on the iowlsnd aad far up
the mountsins among the glacisrs-
OF many species. slnon
berries. blackberries, rsspberries. cur
rants aud eooseberries; vito service
berries ia the opener pisces and Gran.
berries in the boss. sufficient for every
bird. b.ast and human being 10 the
Territory aud thousands Of tons to
spare. The hncklsherriss are especially
A species that grows we'll
up on tho mountains is the best, the
largest being nearly sn inch in diam.
Ater. and delicious in favor. These
grow on bushes about foot high. The
berries Of the coWmonest species are
littls .maller and covered with BLUSH
bloom, and grow almost everywhere.
on bushes from there to six or seven
feet high. This is the species on which
the Indians most depend. gathering
them in large quantities and pressing
them into cakes about ao inch in thick.
ness for winter use. The salmon ber-
ries are also preserved in the same way.
after having been beaten into kind