The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1892-05-06

DaIFTeooD on AM Z
us to another Ahk-klain, which is SIM
ply the largest of series of lakes on
that trail according to the Indian YER
sion. Again, Lake Bennett (which l
named after James Gordon Bennett in
1881 is AhlI-klain to the Chilkats, a
land of Tlinldts that trade in the in
terror by trail that takes them over
this lake and several others, of which
Bennett is among the largest. So sew
eral more or less clearly defined Ahk-
klains have been known for varying
periods as existing hereabouts and
some of them have even
crept into maps but nearly always
as Lake Ahk-lain with several methods
of spelling it), a Pathological error
about equivalent to Lake Lac Quiparle
or Rio Grande river. One of the at
tractive features of its shores was the
large number of wild roses seen in
bloom and that crowded all the open
spaces where timber fires had killed the
trees and allowed the sun to get freely
at the soil. The robins and the roses
were a grateful contrast to the snow
banks and ptarmigan we had SO re-
Gently left behind. But there is no
rose without thorn, and there were
certainly thousand thorns in this case
for each rose if the mosquitoes can be
fguratively spoken Of as such. Two of
the party tried to take a short hunting
and fishing tour up the lake and were
driven back by these numerous pests.
The 18th of June was spent in rig
ging out the folding canvas boats
for lake navigation. MastS
and STAYS were made from
poles and boards and fish-slicker blank
cts were extemporized into sails. Very
good oars were made by Russell from
rough slabs, he being carpenter and
boat builder. We had not struck the
upper end of the long narrow lake as
some may imagine from my previous
descriptions. but on the western shore
some distance from that point. To de-
termine how far it was to this end and
make its survey complete, the doctor
and l started for it in boat the after
noon of the 18th, but after rowing Wig
orously half the afternoon against a
head wind, we were forced to turn
back, the lake still stretching out
southwark around a slight bend as far
as the eye could reach. 1t was quite
evident that the lake. like the river we
had met on the Pacific slope, was far
above its normal level. All of the shore
line timber was half under water,
showing that the lake beach was well
submerged, and it was only at the very
open places we could launch or
land our boats favorably. During
the day we saw heavy
signal smoke far down the lake show
that all the Indians had not left the
country despite the large number of
outward bound fur traders that we had
met on only one trail. In fact l was
surprised to find such a number of
Tlinkits of any clan these are the
Takou clam making their houses on
the British American inland plateau.
knew personally that several of the
clans had trails leading thereto, but
supposed they only used them to make
fur-trading excursions to the inland
tribes. The Takons have legend, SO
nv own Indians told me, that all the
Tiinkits were once Talzons and lived as
friends in one big village on the banks
of the Takon river until a general quar-
rel arose (it may be waste of printers
ink to state there was a woman in the
easel ana many were killed and manned
disconnected parties radiated out from
this Tlinkit Babel and founded the
various clans or sub-tribes of Chilkats,
Sitkas. KootZnahoos. Anzs, Stickeens,
and others of the T'linl1it tongue.
From Ahk-kain a trail, wagon road
or even railway could be run practical
" in any direction that bore the car
dinal point of eastward in its course.
The forenoon of June is we got
away under ''slicker" sail with fair
four-mile breeze. Some six or
seven miles beyond camp there Is
a tumble down Indian shack" Oh the
east bank that may be inhabited oc-
casionally for had found out by this
time that however dilapidated native
building looked, especially about the
roof, it was no positive sign but that
that part may be repaired annually and
at certain seasons it is occupied. A
heavy roaring sound from this bank
showed us that quite large river came
in here. 1t was about fifty yards wioe.
shallow but rapid, while its delta
was clogged with drift timber. Every
where along the shores OF the lake this
drift timber was to be seen. Whenever
we tried to land this driftwood on the
lake shore, at this high stage of
water, barred our way more or less eff
fectually, and we were lucky indeed
where the driftwood was solid, and we
could carry the boats ashore from its
outer margin In nine cases out Of ten,
however, the outer fringe OF logs were
loose in the water, would roll over
when stepped upon, and this combined
with their slippery, Shiny sides made
landing an athletic undertaking not
very agreeable in our stiffened condi-
ton, after several hours in the boat.
About noon our wind died out and
the rest of the day we spent at the
oars. The middle of the afternoon a
wind SGT in stiffiy from the north and
delayed US great deal. This alterna-
ton of forenoon and afternoon winds
in opposite directions we found to be
quite common but with considerable
diversity as TO the time of day when
the change took place. About noon we
saw a large river coming in from the
east. By 4 o'clock we reached Cliff
Point on the eastward, the lirst abrupt
promOntory on the lake that we had