Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-08-31
WAY OUT IN ALASKA.
How a Tenderfoot Sought Gold in
 Our Arctic Territory.
Roseate Romance of BoundIess Wealth and Magnificent Scenery and the Stern Reality of Bacon and Beans
 An Hospitable Indian.


 An Hospitable Indian. A writer in the Juneau City Mining Rec ord gives a graphic description of experi- ences While in the recent prospecting tour Tn Alaska: On the morning of July g, he says, we left Douglas City on the favorite and tast-salling canoe Hiak, Captain Jim (both well and favorably known in Alaskan Waters) for prospecting trip in Lynn Canal. As the day was fine and the wind lar the sail through Gastineaux, Stephens passage and Lynn Canal was delightful, as each one is dotted with little islands, rising from the waters edge to a height of a thousand feetor more, whilst the mountains on the mainland are thousands of feet high, With ragged peaks not unlike the teeth of an old-tashloned cross-cut saw, the spaces between the peaks being filled with glaciers and the peaks themselves are covered with perpetual snow. AS I am a chee-chaco in the country Chats what my chums call mel. every thing appeared wild and picturesque, and as burst out in exclamations of admir- atlon every once in a while at the scenery, they would say: 'Oh, shuSksl that Rin't nothing; you had ought to see the scenery on the Yukon.n
 Tho first night we camped on a creek about thirty miles from Juneau, where our native told us there was some quartz. We stayed and examined it, but did not think enough of it to locate it. The next day we arrived at our natives illahee Gas he called lt), situated at Lynn Canal, and distant about forty miles from Juneau. It is beautiful bay, filled with many islands and teeminp with fish, from the mighty whale to the tiny herring, while the woods and mountains are full of game-the small and harmless ground-hog and the large and fierce brown bear.
 The Indian who accompanied us is 6 fine specimen of his race; he stands over six feet in his bare feet, and weighs over two hum dred pounds. He is Mormon in procliv- ltles, for he has a number of wives, who ap- pear well satisfied with him as their lord and master, and could see no sign of the green-eyed monster. He is a bear hunter by occupation, and an enthusiast in that une, and many were the stories and hair breadth escapes he related. I can we'll be- heVe he IS good hunter, as his larder is well stocked with fish, flesh and fowl: his WlVes were brown, fat and greasy: his dogs, of which he had seven, were all in splendid condition, and that is more than can be said of most Indian dogs. He told us the pecuiarities of each, and showed us the many wounds they had received in their encounters with bruin. He also showed us the hole where he buried the bears heads and there must have been twenty skulls in it I inquired of him why he did so, and he told me: Bear all same Indian; by and by he go to the happy roofing ground"
 As host he is a prince, and right royalty he treated us to all kinds of game put up in Indian style. We had smoked porcupine put up ill seal oil, and one of our crowd who pretends to be an epicure said it was de hcIous; there were seals f1ippers cooked in grease, which were not dissimilar to pie's feet; baked ground hog stuffed with mus sels, which gave the hog fishy taste and improved the flavor of the mussels. His pears head cheese was actually immense, and there were many more dishes too numerous to mention. He showed many kinds of roots and herbs good for food and medlclne He also showed his canned hal lbut, hooks and all of his dancing outfit. Ills headgear and mask cost him fifty dol lars; it was wild and uncouth, and was carved out Of yellow cedar. It had a large nose like parrots beak, eyes made of mC1her-ot-pearl, mouth which contained the teeth of the only siwash doctor on NOah's ark, ears made from the hide of the lchthyosaurus, hair made from the sea hons WhislIers. His hunting knife had some unique carving on the handle that represented some Indian myth the bears were afraid of. As prospector, like many more following that vocation, I do not con- sider him success, as we examined many places that he showed us, but could see nothing except white and barren quartz
 He had other places he wanted to show us, and we would have gone with him. but one of the party had an acute attack of in- hammatory rheumatism. The native told us the extent of his territory and said he expected white men prospecting on his do- main to pay him g. 50 per day for his knowl- edge and services. He said the land and ZV3tar halOD oaH to lmmemorial, and he inquired if white men owning similar amount of land would al- low every body on it. His argument brought 1orclbIy to our mlnd the "blOated bond holders" of America and the land question that IS now agitating the British Empire. where Lords, Dukes and Earls are holding hundreds of miles square that their ances- tors acquired by might, while he claims his by right. The only difference see between them and this Indian is that he will be glad to see you hunt or fish on his supposed country, while if you caught trout in their waters or shot pheasant in their woods you would get about five years.
 The next day we travelled against head Wlnd and terrible rain, and after getting drenched to the skin we camped. It would be very pleasant prospecting Tn Alaska were 1t not for the rain, head wind and tides, thick brush and mosquitoes, and lSW OIuer uItlo nCOnVeQlenceS. Then. again, if I was looking through a tourists eyes from the deck of an ocean steamer, how romantic the majestic mountains and rivers, hundreds of miles of pine-clad shores, and every now and then vast glacier! Then in smooth, narrow channels can be seen the mammoth whale, forging his way along nearly as fast as the steamer, and every few feet can be seen the shining silvery sides of a beautiful salmon, dis porting, or trying to escape from some inny monster who is trying to catch him fora meal. I saw seal gobble one in less than two seconds To me the animals on such trip remind one of a great menagerie, without having to pay at the door, while the waters are grand aquarium; and take it altogether, were it not for the stern re- llity of beans and bacon, a prospecting tour n Alaska is like visiting an ever-changing panorama.
 The True Man Hidden.
 Love sees the virtues that are of the soul, hatred only the diSeaSes of tho etyip HAu