Tensas gazette., 1909-12-10

III was IN the spring OF 1881, Wnlle 1
was employed on botanical and geo.
logical work in Alaska, that | made the
acquaintance of "Jinkywoitmaya," whom
we called "Jinks'' for short. He was
the son of a Russian "claim-jumper"
and an Aleut Indian sQuaw, and ne
lived in the little village of Nutchek,
Hinchinbrook Island, Prince William
Sound.
Jinks had had rather an unhappy
life, for he was, in the estimation OF
his companions, coward ;he had that
innate fear of water, probably inner
ited from his white father, of which
one finds occasional cases in the most
aquatic tribes Jinks could not. be
induced to enter a canoe for any pur-
pose whatever, and on that account he
was the scorn of the island for the
Aleuts sport and hunt on the sea as
II it were their natural element, But
Jinks is no physical coward, and this
is the story of how l found 1t out.
had been in the village just two
days. when we had one of those ter
rific rain-storms that occasionally Wis
1t the Alaskan coast late in the spring.
For three days and nights it rained in
sheets. During my enforced idleness
/ made the acquaintance of Jinks, who
could speak little English, and speed
Fly became fond of me, because l nev-
er snubbed him or spoke his name
with the obnoxious Aleutian adjective
which means "one who is afraid" at
the end of II.
Jinks was then about fifteen years
old, but strong and wiry, and more
than ordinarily bright for an Indian
boy.
1t was on the third day of our ac-
quaintance. l think, that Jinks told
me Of the wonderful view from plat
eau of a mountain on the island. He
said 1t could be reached by about five
hours climbing. That any Aleut
should notice a view as worth seeing
at all. let alone as worth climbing for,
was surprising. This view, l thought,
must be remarkable indeed, and so 1t
happened that when Jinks shyly prof
fered his services as guide. made
ready to go as soon as the rain should
cease
After waiting day for the streams
10 subside and the wet ground to dry,
we started. We carried a knapsack
Of food, a canteen of cold tea. rife,
q sheath-knife apiece. forty feet of
three-eighths rope, a hatchet and
binocular.
Tramping for an hour steadily west,
we came to the foot OF Mount Kenia,
a hill some four thousand feet high,
half way up which was the wonderous
view. Then our difficulties began.
The way lay through dense woods for
4 while, the ground getting sleeper
and sleeper.
n Now and then a stone would start
+ from our feet and go bounding down
the mountain, smashing into trees. re-
bounding, going on again, until finally
stopped by tangle Of underbrush; or,
escaping that, 1t would go on and on
until only the echoes OF its crash
ing descent told that It was still on Its
way. The heavy rain had made the
ground easy to our feet, but occasion
ally the foothold would prove treach-
erous and we would slip down on our
faces. Several times we came to banks
% steep and slippery II seemed as II
we were stalled; but Jinks could climb
Nike a monkey, and would crawl up
ahead somehow, fasten the rope TO
tree and let II down 70 me, that
might haul myself bodily up after him.
We finally reached the end Of our
slimb, at a point about twenty-five
hundred feet above the sea-level.
Here we turned to the right, on
patural road OF rock, travsrsing a sort
q miniature canyon,
At the end Of half an hours walk
We found ourselves at standstill
brought up against blank rock wal
thirty feet In height. Nothing discon
csrted, Jinks tied the rope about hi:
waist kicked of his disreputable foot
wear and began to climb the wall. How
he did 1t l don't know. for / found Il
dficult even with the help of the rope
he let down to me.
Once arrived on top, soon forgot
I'll my tribulations in the wonderful
sight We were on a narrow plateau
perhaps fifty feet wide-a rift in th'
mountain which rose in sheer rocl
walls on each side of US at distance
of quarter of a mile. A thin line o
Fses was ahead Of me. and beyon'
Dem the ocean. Going through tn
0Ses. found myself on the edge o