Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1889-09-03
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 Uospitable Indian.

Canal. AS the day was fine and the wind
fair 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 feet or more, whilst the mountains
on the mainland are thousands of feet high,
with ragged peaks not unlike the teeth Of
an old-fashioned cross-cut saw, the spaces
between the peaks being filled with glaciers
and the peaks themselves are covered with
perpetual snow. AS | 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-
alton every once in while at the scenery,
they would say: "Oh, shueks that amt
nothing; you had ought to see the scenery
on the Yukon"
The 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 (as he called
| it), situated at Lynn Canal, and distant about
forty miles from Juneau. 1t is beautiful
! bay, filled with many islands and teemng
with fish, from the mighty whale to the tiny
herring, while the woods and mountains are
| full Of game-the small and harmless
BIOuHu-hOS anu Illc &c anu ucItC DTOWu
| bear.
The Indian who accompanied us is a fine
specimen of his race; he stands over six feet
in his bare feet, and weighs over two hun
dred pounds. He is Mormon in prociv-
tiles, 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 bear hunter
by occupation, and an enthusiast in that
line, and many were the stories and hair
breadth escapes he related. l can well be-
hcvc he is a good hunter, as his larder is
well stocked with fish, flesh and fowl; his
wives 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 peculiarties 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 |
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 "a host he is prince, and right royalty
he treated US to all kinds of game put up in
Indian style. We had smoked porcupine
put up in seal oil, and one of our crowd who
pretends to be an epicure said 1t was de-
lcous; there were seals fippers cooked in
grease, which We're not dissimilar to pigs
feet; baked ground hog stuffed with mus
sells, which gave the hog a fishy taste and
improved the flavor of the mussels His
bears head cheese was actually immense,
and there were many more dishes too
numerous to mention lie showed many
kinds of roots and herbs good for food and
medicine. He also showed his canned hal
ibut, hooks and all of his dancing outfit
HIS hcadgear and mask cost him fifty dol
lars; it was wild and uncouth, and was
carved out of yellow cedar. 1t had a large
nose like parrots beak, eyes made of
mother ofpcarl mouth which contained
the teeth of the only siwash doctor on
Noah's ark. ears made from the hide of the
iChthyosaurus, hair made from the sea
lions whiskers. His hunting knife had
some unique carving ON the handle that
represented some Indian myth the bears
were afraid of. AS II prospector, like many
more following that vocation, do not con
slider 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.
tammatory 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, 80 per day for his knoWl- /
edge and services. He said the land aud .
water belonged TO his ancestors from time
immemorial aud he inquired if white mcu /
owning Il similar amount of land would al /
low every body on it. His argument brought .
forclbly to our mind the "bloatcd 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 auces-
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 a head
wind and a terrible rain, and after getting
drenched 10 the skin we campcd. II would
be very pleasant prospecting IN Alaska
were II not for the rain, head wind ana
Il les, thick brush and mosquitoes, and
few other little iuconvenionces Then,
again, II was looking through 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 aud then vast
glacier! Then in smooth, narrow channels
can be seen the mammoth whale, l5r..ug
his way along nearly as fast as the steamer
and every few feet can be seen tAo shining
slIery sides OF a beautiful salmou. uls.
porting, or trying 10 escape from s1mo
iuny monster who is trying 10 ca,vI l.n :
'ora meal | saw seal sobhle ono ,a .c,s
han two Seconds To me the an,ul.s "a
such "trip rcmiud one of a great ncug.- .,le,
without having 10 pay AZ the door, Wu.,,ho
waters arc n grand aquarium; aud ,4llo il
Itogc,her were Il not for the s}era ~ I
'u,y of beans and bacon, u prospecting sour
II Alaska Is like visiting an eyerchaugiug
'luorama
The True Man Hidden.