The Red Cloud chief., 1885-09-04

the !" barren ground bear" owing t.
the great number of times it is seen il
the large clearings caused by fire thai
annually sweep away great tracts OF
forest land.
IL was not many years ago that 8
small party of Chilkat Indians had LEFT
their country n the head of Lynn
Channel, and with packs Of trading ma
terial on their backs, averaging about 3
hundred pounds apiece. had crossed tine
kotusk Pass, the easiest Of the three ID
their country. and We're making thei'
way down the eastern decliy.ty OF tf
pass into the country Of the Tahkheesl.
their inland transmOntane neighbrs.
1hey had gotten off Of the seve' or
eight miles of snow and ice on vtich
they are forced TO Chamber in CITING
through the pass, and, hay Tached
a little clump Of dwaricd p1 ytocH
a short rest from their fatii march.
The snow being passed, 7 OF them
hat iaken off their shows n were
hiding them away in the Tense ever
green bushes where they c1lld be found
on their return. Afsw Of them had
collected SOM dry pine and spruce
bOughs. api had built 4 Roaring fire,
before VII Oh they dried heir mocc' slns.
saturated with snow-"ater from the
pas. When the ire was at its height
. a haR dozen armfuls Of green boughs
\uTfrom the live trees were suddenly
brown on the high-reaching flames,
ld these, AS the burned and SIN
tered. sent up great volumes of black
Smoke high in the skies. AMI that from
( the mountain side could evidently be
seen for many miles in the valley
stretched out before them. This was
the signal smoke OF tn. Chilkat traders
to their Tahhhcesh patrons. so that if
any of them were IN the upper part OF
the valley. or within sight OF the ascend
ing smoke, they could give answer n
the same Wv and lei the Chilkat, know
| their presence and exact Whereabouts.
Thy very seldom encountered the
| Iahkhccsh 50 far toward tn" head Of
the river. however. they being further
| down the stream catching salmon. and
they hardly expected AN answer from
| them, and OF course were surprised
and delighted when they saw ar
answering smoke ascend some eight
or ten miles farther ON. Trey
once more threw their bundles on their
backs and irud@el along on their wea"y
way. hopeful that the Tahkhrcsh party
migirt be large. ami that Their burdens
would be lighter and tn .ir riches great
er after meeting them. They had prob
ABLY gotten four or live miles along on
their way. and We're considerably s'rung
out. the strongest leading. when they
We're compelled to cross the mountain
torrent Uf the swift river again. Their
well beaten trail tor it was passed over
twice a year both ways 10y sixty to
eighty Chilkat traders lcadng down
the valley was often forced t. croSs
this large mountain stream al tie head
of the river by high. perpendicular
| bluifs. against whose steep banks tlr.
river would plunge. leaving no way ut
t. cross IL n Chamber high over the
phmrtain spur, which was not very
! pleasant with Il hundred pounds on 4
tired persons back. Like ali such
mountain streams. it often spread it-clf
i'm Il sheet Of white owe vide gravel
bars. At such points a pract cable
ford could be made and the Indians
would wade across even with their
heavy burdens. A. this particular spot,
however. which l was Just mention .ng.
the river, instead of broadening, had
contracted into a rather deep canyon
a11ut one third to one fourth it. usual
width. and the deep river fl rly roarel
through this contracted space; here 1t
would be certain death for any living
thing, however good 4 swimmer. 10
fail INTO It's scethlrg waters. This can
Won was probably thirty or forty feet
across. aud. approach M it As one As
cends the valley. the Indians had from
this side chopped down a huge spruce
tree that reached across and was us ii
as 4 foot log by the travellers on this
trail. Like all trees growing in thick
forests, there We're no limbs for about
twenty feet from the ground. where the
largest one commenced. When tn.
tree hal been filed these large branch
g.. trimmed OF their smaller ones. had
been lest Is gooI supports TO take hold
of in crossing the smaller Part Of thu
log where they grew.
The Chilkats in carrying their heavy
loads DO SD by i've straps passing tt
the front, one over the breast and on,
over TIE toIcllfstu. stiiu III ''I'h- '"
latter strap taut and watching the pail
directly in front of their feet they cal
see but a very short distance in from
of them. The leading Indian. quite
distance in front Of any of the rest
had gotten about Il quarter OF the WA!
across the foot-log. or about hal.-wa,
through the projecting limbs. to which
he was holding. when he heard 4 low
crowl ahead of him. and saw a huge
Alaskan brown bear rise up from be
hind the stump from which the f@oo;-lo;
had been cut. and rs he iurne 70 Ii,
the animal sprang on the log in pur
suit. Gaining the shore. he threv
away his pack as quick "a he could iii
vest himself of it. and started with tn
agility of 4 squirrel to ascend the al
most perpendicular bank OF the blu
near by, using the projecting stone
and dwarfei bushes to assist him =
only a man flying for his life can
!. Looking back. he saw that the brow
bear had charged only halfway acros
the foot-log. and seemed unwilling
, ATTEMPT TO ..worm his way aroun
, the thickly-studded branches to =
over the other half. especially ate
looking at tie fro:hy waters below. tn
$ import of which. in Ease he fell int
4 them. he fully seemed to realize. Her
he crouched. growing and showing n
teeth. and IS the long log bent a littl
4 under his heavy weight he slow
Y backed out to the stump again. bt
would retreat no further. hen m
a next packer came up. his compsnio
d ahead of him shouted to him how ma
Il tiers stood. but the beligerent bear Ia
seen him before he cOmprehendcd ma
y tiers and made another rush scro>s II