126 Snapshots from the North Pacife.

and boy that could be found was employed at two shillings
an hour! As both ships were to leave at daylight next day,
and it was late before the work was done, I could get no
one to help me in landing my luggage and pitching the
tent. It must be done, and I had to do it, but almost
groaned over my rheumatic elbow.

“The whites are settled in log cabins facing the
main river; the Indians on the steep sides of the
creek that here falls into the river. My object
was te get among ithe latter. It was hard to find a level
spot anywhere near, and to do so I was forced to climb
at’ least 150 feet above the river. The chosen place was
between three log cabins, very smelly on account of ‘the neigh-
bourhood of uncivilized Indians. There I perched beside
the deafening creek. Just above was the burying-ground,
perhaps sixty feet higher, on the edge of the flat which was
formerly the bed of the river, nearly two hundred feet above
its present level. A more picturesque situation it would
be hard to find, but most difficult of approach. To get there
the creek must be crossed by a shaky corduroy bridge, and
then a climb up the steep bank, composed of the glacial
eravel, full of boulders, that has a trick of slipping from under
one’s feet or rolling down when disturbed. The creek had
cleft a passage through basaltic rocks, which stand half a
mile back from the river bank, and left precipices on either
side a thousand feet high. Outside this gorge the mad down-
rush of water had an easy task to sweep a narrow passage
through the gravel to flow into the Stikine.

“That Sunday morning was spent in carrying my belong-
ings from the ship to the spot described, and pitching my
little 10 by 8-foot tent without assistance. In the main
river valley there was a strong wind, but it was calm in the
sheltered creek ; so that, besides the great heat, there were
the mosquitoes to attend to. This was difficult with both
arms employed. I think it did the elbow good, because
the pain was less at the finish than at the start. This looked
like a bad beginning of a Bishop’s Sunday, and certainly not