The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-07-17

firnaing what the character of the yeeeta-
ton already partly indicated that we had
reached the dramatically drv zone that lie,
behind, and sheltered by. the coast ranges.
we We're already under the lea of the st.
Elias Alps, and it was doubtless raining
heavily upon the coast. Fresh snow, how
ever, had fallen upon the mountains at
attitudes over 5000 feet, but the coolness
had caused daily fail in the level of the
r1ver OF four inches.
In the evening one of tie party returned
with a brace OF blue grouse or willow
grouse, and reported having seen q cinna-
mon bear with cub high up the noun
tain. where the slope was bare of brush.
she seemed the reverse of frightened and
had even followed him short distance.
but having used up all his cartridges but
one. firing at grouse, he had thought it ad-
visable to let the animal alone for the pres
ent. l allowed others of the party the fol-
lowing day the chance of killing the bears.
having overstrained a wrist by too liberal
use OF the axe, the bearess, if the word
might be coined. and her cub were found
IN ldentically the same place as on the
previous afternoon. He fired at her at
distance OF over one hundred yards and
wounded her, whereupon she crept into a
small bush. When she emerged NJ. fired
somewhat hastily, and caused both mother
ana cub to make of as fast possible down
hill into the timber, without giving another
chance, and though traced for some con-
siderable distance by drops of blood.
neither OF them could again be sighted.
This mountain named Mount Shanz. On
the .Oth one of the Indians killed large
dark coIored wolf. Accompanied by H.. /
assembled Mount Giave again from this side
to a hight OF 5000 feet. The lower stones
were clothed with birch, maple and other
trees, higher up with patches of willow.
while the ground itself was almost entirely
under snow. We killed grouse, and
found place where bear had recently
made himself kind of shelter under =
tree by paving out a hollow. and had
thrust aside and broken a branch meas
urlng three inches in diameter. High
overhead glimmered the topmost crags of
the mountain through the mist, and on
account of snow commencing to fall
deemed IT advisable to take the bearings of
the line OF descent with a pocket compass.
Presently we came across three broad
deep tracks pioughed up through the snow
by three bears that had recently descended
yaiieywards; deep lanes across the white
ness of the snowfields i'll zigzag. while
snowballs and miniature avalanches that
had become piled up on either side during
their struggles through the Welding ele-
ment, had fallen, rolled and slid away like
foam beneath the bows of ship. These
must have been ponderous as buliocks. for
though it was afternoon We stepped gin
gerly and lightly upon the same snow
and 1t held us up without allowing us to
sink more than a couple of inches, being
without snowshoes. while lower down
where came across their trail again on
the bare earth. still! descending, the impress
sions of their paws had sunk deep even in
to the soil itself. In the remoter distance
southeast could be seen the Chilcat lake.
over the low range of timbered hills below.
but though few days previously it had APP
peared as sheet of pure snow, it now
showed nothing but blue-green water
wrinkled by wind storms sweeping across
it.
Along the base of Mt. Glaye we found
bear paths pitted with deep footholds reg
uar as q chessboard. for bruin or ancient
Ephraim is the chief road-maker of
Alaska. In the evening the vapors
lifting disclosed the semlcircle of
snow-peaks at the head of the valley. the
lower slopes streaked with snow in in
Vulnerable ravines resembling the DESIGN
on zebra skin, fading away into the
westerly-drifting cloud. The vivid green
cottonwoods faced the Klaheena like line
of sentinels, while the valley bottom was
strewn with trees partially buried by the
gravel amongst the glittering channels of
the river, which seen from the mountain
had appeared capable of being stepped
across dryshod, but when one stood by the
margin OF its chief branches the fierce rush
and frigidity of the water made it seem an
uncomfortable stream to have anything to
do with, yet teeming throughout the sum-
mer with countless myriads of salmon,