Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB

after a day's travel in that appetizing climate, would have despised our "Telegraph" stews, flavoured and thickened at the right moment, with salt, pepper, and flour.

It was in Igtigalik that Francis and myself engaged in a great discussion-known afterwards as a cause célebre "beans versus rice." Francis, but recently arrived from China, was persuaded that rice was the staff of life, and that millions of Chinamen lived on little else. On the other hand, I contended that beans were more nourishing and glutenous, and that the miners and travellers of the Pacific coast swore by them as the most portable and satisfying of food. Francis pointed out the short time taken to cook rice; but I showed that beans, when cooked, were more inviting food. Beans fried à la mineur, baked à la Yankee, or boiled à la clod-hopper, were lively food, compared with insipid rice. We advanced our opinions with deep feeling and earnestness on either side, yet I fear left each other, and our listeners, exactly where they were before!

À propos of Indian cleanliness, a brief anecdote may be narrated. The previous winter an Ingelete had applied to Mr. Frederick Smith, a member of our expedition, asking him for medical assistance, stating at the same time that his chest pained him. A powerful blister was prescribed, applied, and left on all night. In the morning it was expected that his breast would be raw; but the only effect it had on his skin was to leave a clean space, the exact impression of the plaster! The man got better immediately.

A little Indian boy, playing with other children, received a gash in the cheek from a knife, and came to us for medical aid. A large piece of sticking-plaster was put over

the wound, and the child was told that he must neither cry, talk, nor eat, as it would interfere with the charm of the application. The little fellow complied perfectly, would not utter a word, and starved himself for a week, so that his cut, being absolutely undisturbed, soon healed up, and our reputation was established. A small stock of simple medicines would be very useful to any future traveller; among them should be included pills, capable of acting powerfully, for natives who had over-gorged themselves. Healing ointments, for outward application, would, with sticking-plaster and lint, be of real service, as a great many of the natives suffer from skin diseases.

During our stay at the village, on October 30th and 31st, and on the 1st November, a thaw set in; the thermometer standing at points between + 32° and + 35° Fahr., and the wind south. Snow also fell. On the 2nd, Dall and Francis returned to Unalachleet, with the hope of recovering our dogs, several more of whom had left our service. Many of them had been borrowed from the Indian village, and very naturally preferred their lazy life there, to hard work with us. I saw no dogs in Russian America equal to the picked teams in Petropaulovski; but they had been selected from the best breeds of the whole peninsula. It was the intention of Colonel Bulkley to import a number from thence for our use, had the expedition continued for another season. Before leaving, Ketchum and myself purchased a small skin boat— which was subsequently used on my Yukon trip, and served for 1200 miles of river travel. We paid five dollars in American silver, and an axe worth two and a half dollars, so that it was not an expensive craft.

On the 3rd we started with four sledges for the upper

village of Ulukuk, a distance of fifteen miles. Our route lay mainly on a "peronose" (as the Russians term a portage), over land thickly covered with soft snow, in which our dogs, sledges, and selves were half buried. On the top of an ordinary sledge load we carried our skin canoe, and had no small work in helping it along, more especially at snow banks. We crossed many small streams, on which the ice was not thoroughly formed, slipping into rather cool water up to our waists. We carefully lifted our sledges over such places to prevent wetting our goods. On some of the tributaries of the river the route was like a well-made road, with but a slight covering of snow, and we occasionally got a few minutes' ride. It was, however, a luxury but rarely attained. In the woods, through which our course partly lay, the dogs invariably ran the sledges against the trees and stumps, and there they would remain, till two or three of us could clear them. Late in the day we arrived at the Ulukuk River, which was still open. Rapids abound in it; and there are warm springs in the neighbourhood, so that this stream is but rarely quite frozen up. The Ingeletes have availed themselves of this chance, by placing one of their principal villages near it. They have large fish-traps in the stream; and the village is very prettily situated on an open space in the woods hard by the river. In the distance is to be seen the range of the Ulukuk Mountains, which are seen from the coast, and will be hereafter mentioned. Ulukuk is the paradise of this part of the country in regard to salmon, salmon-trout, grouse, and deer meat; and a larger number of Ingeletes congregate there than in any other of their villages. There is no fear of your dogs deserting from such a place.

The common native mode of cooking is roasting by the fire; some of them have, however, bought iron pots from the Russians. Salmon cooked on a stick placed near the fire, and occasionally turned till "done brown," is luscious.

On the 4th a terrible snow-storm occurred, with a strong N.E. wind. We were fortunately at that time in an underground house, exhibiting our treasures in magnetic compasses, pencils, note-books, &c., to an admiring crowd, and trading with them for dried fish for our dogs. It would be worth the traveller's while to take with him a small stock of toys and instruments of a simple nature, in place of so much of the conventional rubbish usually brought for Indian trade. Beads and bracelets are all very well, but burningglasses, multiplying-glasses, kaleidoscopes, whistles, and small things in cutlery are novelties to them. Generally speaking, we found that the natives very sensibly preferred useful to ornamental things; and axes, knives, powder, caps, flints, and bullets were by far the best goods for trading. Yet, if they did become violently in love with a novelty, of however trifling a nature, there was no price they would refuse to give; and the traveller who has, above everything, to consider the portability of his goods, may, by selecting those small things which please even grown-up children here, save himself the trouble of transporting more unwieldy and less attractive goods. On several occasions we "astonished the natives" by lighting "Pharaoh's serpents," a novelty at that time even in San Francisco. A few small fireworks (packed in tin or zinc for safe transportation) would be much appreciated by the Indians, when gathered at their spring meetings.

CHAPTER XV.

SLEDGE JOURNEY TO THE YUKON.-Continued.

Cross the Ulukuk River-Walking on snow shoes - Ulukuk Mountains

[blocks in formation]

Patent camp Our

frozen

breath Indian honesty-The use of snow shoes - Warm springs Coltog Old "Stareek"-Travel

First glimpse of the Yukon

-

on the Yukon - Alikoff's "barabba" - Meet a Russian sledge-train Arrival at Nulato.

[ocr errors]

ON the morning of the 5th we turned our skin canoe to good account by using it to cross the Ulukuk River. By making several trips, we transported to the opposite bank our sledges, dogs, and goods. At Ulukuk I essayed my first pair of snow shoes, to the amusement of the natives, who wondered where a man could have been all his life who had not become familiar with their use!

Snow Shoe.

On the 6th we made a start, taking two sledges, an Indian man, and a boy; the latter we named "Tommy.” We "cached" our skin-boat; it was to be brought up for us at a later period. The day was pleasant-temperature +23° Fahr. ;-but the snow was fresh and soft, and all of our party wore snow shoes. After a little use, I became

« ZurückWeiter »