were near Destruction City, the old
Klondike camp where so many died. Some women wintered here.
Must have been an awful bunch of tenderfeet. We are maybe
ten to fifteen miles above the mouth of the Rat. Shores
sandy and covered with willows. Cooked a pot of beans. We
have a few beans, a little tea, some dried fruit, a little
flour, and some side-meat for grease. Not much more. Fish
are said to be plenty, also plenty of ptarmigan and rabbits
farther up. Pretty tired to-night. Have done maybe twenty
miles.

"_Saturday, July 19th._--Current stiffer. Passed a creek
coming from Black Mountains. Shores began to change in the
afternoon. Tundra coming down to banks. Began to see rocks
on shore--glad to see them after so much mud and willow
flats. At 4 P.M. made Destruction City--probably twenty-five
miles above the mouth of the Rat. Going slower than we
thought, as we hoped to make this yesterday. Caught some big
trout, very fine to eat. They take the fly splendidly. At 5
P.M. we laid aside the paddles and had to begin to track.
The Indians are patient now, and very useful. Tracking is
beastly hard work. You put a collar around your breast and
shoulder. We had to walk in the water. Uncle Dick and the
Indians and I took turns. John steered pretty well. All got
our feet and legs wet a hundred times. Jesse went along
shore most of the way. The canoe rode light, and we made
pretty good time.

"_Sunday, July 20th._--Mosquitoes still with us. Rain lets
up. We have been sleeping pretty wet, but don't mind.
Rerigged our tracking-line. Got some pictures. Started at
10.30 and traveled nearly five hours to foot of a bad rapid
above a deep pool. Camped on a beach. Made a big fire to dry
our clothes. We are wet all the time, all of us. Jesse shot
three rabbits. He hunts while we track the boats. We don't
let him get out of sight very far. I saw one lynx to-day.
Astonishing how little game we have been seeing on this
whole trip in this big wild country. Saw an abandoned
Klondike camp. They say they are scattered through all these
woods here. Sometimes they have found skeletons since. A boy
was lost in here and found dead. Traces of the big Klondike
migration now getting scarce. Saw some iron on the beach,
and ax marks on trees.

"_M