Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1886-09-11

rFDm Lisak schwatkns nAlAlka \
81 ga ona anu nada ne


TFnm Lfsak SchWafkn's Al41ka-
fair wIaa one day made ne
Ghink Is pos BE . take Z hunl N
lad. but 70 ny disgust Is cLed oow1
after 4 had pEacted two Or sAxee
miles. and ny fRht back g camp
win khe gsquil0es ! zhA1 always
remember IS one Of The salient points
81 ny life. Is seemed as L there
Wa an upward rain Of insects nom
tie Rrnns thaS beesme Z deluEe over
uarslly traels-and more than hall
the eround wae marEhv. o. course
not & sign Of any game was seen. az
cepk & few cid tracks; and The tracks
Of an animal are about the only part
Of Is thai could exist here 10 the mos
quito season. which lasts from the
dine the snow Is half Of the ground
until the drss severe frost 3 period
of some three o. four moaihs. Dur
ing ahaf tine every living creature
that can leave the valleys ascends the
mountains. closely following tne
snow line, aRd even there, peace Is
not completely attained, the expos
ufe to the winds being Of far more
benefit than the GOODNESS due . the
altitude, While the mosquitoes ara
left undispused masters Of tbs val
ieys, except for . few struggling ami.
mails on their way from one range 81
mountains to the other.
Had there been any game, and had
obtained 6 fair shot, / honestly
doubt If / could have secured i, ON
| ing 10 these pests; not altogether on
account Of their ravenous attacks
upon my face, and especially the
eyes. bat for the reason thai they
were 50 absolutely dense that il was
impossible 70 see clearly through the
mass in taxing aim. When ! get g
camp / wae thoroughly exhausted
Rith my incessant fight, and com
plefely out of breath, which ] had &
regain IS best l could in q stifins
smoke from dry, resinous pine knots
A traveller who had spent q summeI
on the lower Yukon, where did mol
find the pests so bad on my journey
as on the upper river, was Of the
opinion that { nervous person with
out q mask would soon be killed b
nervous prostraiion, unless he werI
TO take refuge in midstream.
know thai the native dogs are killeC
By the mosquitoes under certain cir
cumstances, and heard report
which ! believe % be well founded
both from Indians and Trustworthy
white persons, that the great brown
bear-erroneously, but commonl.
called the grixziy--of these regions
Is at times forced 10 succgmb 70 thes
insects. The statement seems almos
preposterous, but the explanation ]
comparatively simple. Bruin. hav
ing exhausted all the roots and Der
ries of one mountain, or, fndinl
them scarce, thinks he will cross th
valley 70 another range, or perhap
il is the odor of salmon washed Vi
along the rivers banks that attract
him. Covered with 8 heavy fur Of
his body, his eyes, nose and ears ar
the vulnerable points for mosquitoes
and here of course they congregat
In the greatest HumbeTs. At last
when be reaches q swampy stretch
| they rise in myriads, until his fore
paw Is kept SO busy, as he strives 4
keep his eyes clear Of them. that b
can net walk, whereupon he become
enraged, and, bear-like, raises upoi
bis launches to fight. II is now
mere question Of time until the bear
eyes become 50 swollen from innum
cradle bites as to render him perfect
| ly blind, when he wanders helplessl.
about until he gets mIred in the nut
and starves to death.