f to the right the
entrance of a vast bay, with many arms, whose blue waters, far less
turbulent than these of the open sea, led back deep into the heart of a
noble mountain panorama of snow-covered peaks and flattened valleys.

"It's almost like Resurrection Bay, or Valdez Harbor," said Rob. "At any
rate, I'm for going in here. There will be streams coming down out of
the mountains, and we can stop somewhere and make camp."

VII

THE HUT ON THE BEACH

Rob pointed to a valley which made down to the bay some distance ahead.

"There must be a stream somewhere in there," said he. "Besides, it looks
flat, as though there were a beach. We'd better pull over there."

So, weary as they were, they tugged on the oars until finally they drew
opposite this narrow beach. A long roll from the sea came down the bay,
but the surf did not break here so angrily, so that they made a landing
with nothing more serious than a good wetting. They pulled the dory as
far up the beach as they could, and made it fast by the painter to a big
rock.

They now found themselves in a somewhat singular country. The beach, of
rough shingle, rose at an angle of thirty degrees for perhaps a hundred
feet, where it terminated in a long, low ridge which, like a wall,
paralleled the salt water as far as they could see on either hand.
Inside of this wall, which was not very many yards across the top, they
beheld a flat valley lying between the ocean and the foot of the
mountains, perhaps a quarter of a mile across. A part of this valley was
occupied by a long lake or lagoon, into which the water from the
mountains seemed to come, and which found its outlet through a creek,
which made off to the sea, far to the right.

All this country is covered with the heavy moss, or tundra, peculiar to
Alaska, which, when covered with a heavy growth of grass, as was the
case here, affords rather difficult walking. But as the boys left the
edge of the sea-wall Rob uttered an exclamation.

"Here's a path!" he cried. "It must go somewhere. There have been people
here!"

"Look yonder!" said Jesse, pointing ahead. "There is the reason. There's
a house over there!"

The three now stopped and looked ahead anxiously. There was, indeed, a
low hut built of drift-wood and earth--such a dwelling as is used by the
Aleuts in their native condition and is called by them a "barabbara."

"There's no smoke," said Rob. "Maybe it's deserted. We'd better be
careful, though