The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1885-11-21

of a dog that belonged to the Hospice
which had saved fifteen lives
The monks are very proud and very
choice of their breed of dogs, and say that
those which we saw at the Hospice are the
only full-blooded st. Bernards in existence
that the dogs which are sold in London OF
New York as full-blooded are only mon
grels or half breeds They certainly do not
resemble the noble animals that we saw at
the Hospice. We inquired the price of
one of the dogs, but were told that no
money would tempt them to part with one.
At Martigny, in the valley below, they
make speciality of raising breed of dogs
claimed to be pure st. Bernards, which
they sell to travellers as such, but they bear
little resemblance to those on top of the
mountain. Wewere afterward importuned
to buy one of the puppies, the lowest price
for which was 100f.
THE RETURN TRIP.
1t was nearly noon when we at last
started on our return trip down the noun
tain. The mules were brought around to
the front of the Hospice from the stables
in the rear. The monks gathered about
US, shaking our hands heartily as they bid
US farewell, and expressing the wish that
we would some time in the future s,isit the
Hospice again The path down the noun
tain as far as the Canteen we found diff
cult to travel on account of the ice and
frozen sleet which had gathered during the
night. The mules had to pick their way
slowly and cautiously to avoid slipping and
going over the precipices, which seemed to
line one side the path the whole distance.
At the Canteen we exchanged seats from
the mules backs for those in the Alpine
wagon, and started for Martigny at rat
Ting pace At o'clock we were dining
at the Hotel Clere, and feeling that we had
been more than repaid for the tedious jour
ney up the mountain, by the pleasant and
er-to-be-forgotten visit paid the monks
at the Hospice of the Great st. Bernard.
Interesting Facts About Alaska.
From the NJ 7. Herald.
Some of the results achieved by Lieu
tenant G.. NJ. Stoneys exploring expedition
in Northern Alaska will be found full OF
interest. Upon the completion of the duty
of distributing presents to the Tchoutche
Indians as reward for their services to
the shipwrecked crew of the ill-fated Rod
gers, this officer found himself, in July,
1883, without means of returning south,
and forced to await the appearance of the
revenue cutter Corwin in Hotham inlet,
Kotzebue sound, on her homeward trip.
From the lips of the grateful natives fell
wondrous tales Of mighty river to the
northward and westward-greater than the
Yukon-the mouths of which were readily
recognized at the extremity of Hotham
inlet. The singular unanimity of the de-
scriptions of this stream given by the
natives, although coming from Indians liv-
ing hundreds of miles apart, tended to
strengthen and confirm the opinion already
entertained by Stoney as to its size and i'm
portance. Awaiting himself, therefore, of
such information as seemed to him most
worthy of credence, and accompanied by
one white man, the interpreter, and a
native who claimed to live several hundred
miles up the reported river, he proceeded
in the dingy of the Corwiu, which had
been left behind for his use by the COM
mander of that vessel, to obtain such re-
liable information in regard to the same as
the limited period of time at his disposal
would permit,
ASCENnTNC THE pINEP
Going first to a native trading station,
Lieutenant Stoney proceeded in the direc-
ton of the inland river, thinking it might
be the river described by the natives. Upon
reaching it, however, it was found to be
quite narrow at the mouth and very shall
low, with hardly any current. The state
ment of the guide was to the effect that it
was only small river that emptied into the
ocean about one hundred miles to the
northward and westward and being satisfied
with this, nothing further was attempted
in this direction. Standing along the inlet
to the northward and eastward, close enough
to the shore not to pass any river or outlet
without observing it, second river, some
what smaller than the inland river, was
found, that could be assembled in native
canoe, but with an insufficient depth of
water to admit Of the Qorwin's dingy pass
ing up, The small bay likewise proved
too shallow, although the guide insisted
that he always reached the river in his
canoe through this entrance. Continuing
on to the southwark, another entrance was
reached and assembled without difficulty.
The guide here was of no service, and
Lieutenant Stoney was obliged to guess his
way on, epcounteEing numerous strong cur
rents from the different forks and lagoons,
and being forced to turn back repeatedly.
Lieutenant Stoney writes: "I became much
discouraged. The second day I saw
native with his wife in canoe, who upon
espying us took to the bush, The guide
called to him, and holding up some tobacco,
succeeded in getting the man to come back,
but his wife was afraid to come, having
never seen a white man before. I found
the nan to be very simple. Giving him a
pencil and paper, he drew the course we
should take to reach the river but his chart
was of no use, and only led US further
astray. Becoming more at loss, landed,
and after some difficulty reached the top of
the hill 500 feet high, from which eleva-
ton, as far as the eye could reach, nothing
could be seen except thick growtbs of
spruce, birch and alder trees, with many
lakes and lagoons, and small streams run
ming in every direction Some of the lakes
weFe of considerable size, but | could SEQ
nothing of the reported river, and began
to doubt its existence. | decided, how
ever, to devote another day to it, and s1on
after leaving the last mentioned place met
some natives, one of whom appeared to be
an intelligent fellow, and said he knew the
way t9 the fiFeF. BrocRFlng his seFYices
in exchange for a few pounds of tobacco
and small amount of ammunition, he took
me in an opposite direction to that 1 had
been pursuing, and after two days hard
pulling came to the looked-for stream,
which l found to surpass my expectations.
l sounded across, a width Of three quarters
of mile, and found not less than three