Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1892-06-02

stream on the head of the Yukon that
has yet been investigated and without
any reference to the muddjness OF the
receiving stream through which they
must have passed to reach tho clear
tributaries We now began encounter
ing an obstacle to pedestrianism that
is common in interior Alaska and adj
joining regions. l refer to a sort OF
coarse bunch grass that affects marshy
places, which, when dry and black
shrivels up into clumps called ''nigger
heads by whites. OF course there are
many variations in these with the
common characteristic of always ap-
pearing worse than the varieties met
before. Next forenoon we climbed =
high ridge 1.sOo feet above our morn
ing's camp. The afternoons journey
mosquitoes. BY sunset we had seen 30
hopeful that something would soon BIO
needed food. One Of. the unarmed
Indian guides came back and begged .
pistol, as he explained this country
was ono famous for savage bears and
an encounter might be expected any
tine plunging through the brush. We
encountered no bears and lost no
Indians. The game excitement was
kept up by Indians ahead reporting
they had shot a caribou, but that It
had escaped. That evening we camped
ON stream that was undoubtedly q
branch Of the Selwyn, river named
in 1883 after the director of the Cam
adian Geological Survey while drifting
by its mouth. Bowker prospected =
''rim-rock" ledge for gold, but only got
= couple of colors; David, prospecting
for grayling, got five. Next morn
ing we assembled the Selwyn .
short distance and then took
up one Of its westerly branches.
In this latter the grayling were so
that the Indians hastily ex-
temporized spears OF forked poles and
caught quite a number of them. From
this stream we assembled q high ridge
and were descending into the valley be-
yond VIII n q shot was heard ahead and
on coming up found that David had
killed fine two ear-old caribou cow.
All around us we're other fresh signs,
some few OF wild goats also, while
piover were numerous on the high bar
rem ridges. That evening, as we went
into camp, we encountered mosquitoes
In the greatest abundance we had yet
seen on the expedition, or that we ever
saw afterwards. It was impossible to
breathe without getting them in the
mouth or nostrils, while wore out the
crown OF my hat completely in beating
1t to keep them away. That day, on
the trail, hornet or wasp stung me
severely: and, in q general sort of way,
! wished was back In the land Of rat
centipedes and tarantulas.
Throughout all this country noticed
the tops OF many Of the ridges were
serrated with projecting pinnacles and
pillars OF rocks that gave the rolling
hills and otherwise almost pastoral
scenery nm extremely picturesque ap-
pearance. Near us a lake had been
by an enormous ice-gorge, not
half of which had yet melted. This icy
lake, with the snow-drifts all around
on the ridges. gave the country a more
general Arctic appearance for July than
| ever saw for the same month on King
Williams Land in the Arctic, where
Sir John Franklin's large party had so
terribly persisted with cold and hunger.
Next morning we awokc to the fact
the dogs had eaten up most of the carl
bou during the night and, though
not lost to use by this theft, yet they
had overgorged themselves until loathe
to move. whining piteously when their
beat them rather than move
along. Next day IN agreeable surprise
was had in reaching the White
river basin by IN unexpected
low pass when the prospects showed
very high hills and ridges.
The next day, July "a, we made some
thirteen miles, little over the daily
average we had been travelling So far.
The forenoon of the 18th gave us
some pretty high climbing and in few
hours we were 1890 feet above the
mornings camp. From this ridge we
could see the valley Of the main White
river from which nscended a number of
scattered smokes, some of which, our
guides told MS, were the camping
places OF other Indians. while others,
rs we could see, were spreading forest
Tres, probably set by accident. We
could also see snow clad mountains to
the far southwest, evidently our first
glimpse of the distant st. Elias Alps,
Or some of its interior bearing spurs.
Bearing south by west, from twenty
Eve to thirty miles away. was an enor-
nous lake of ut least twenty miles in