ndress when they
sleep. and use fish to cook their food, when they cannot get driftwood.

A great deal of driftwood floats in around the river mouth which is
carried to the Arctic Ocean by the Great Mackinzie river and is
distribuated all allong the shore and picked up in the summer and used
in the winter. This wood providentialy sent is certainly a blessing to
the Eskimos of this region.

As I passed from hut to hut trading, I chanced to run across some
indians from Candle Creek where I first learned to talk Eskimo. They
were very glad to see me and used me fine making it very pleasant for
us. One night while traveling from one town to another--for it was
nearly all night at that time--two of my men were robbed--that was a
piece of wonderment in these parts and in the life of the oldest indian
it had never happened. As soon as the boys reported I took the Kidd and
we set out to stop the thief--we went less than five miles when we
overtook a rather unusual large Indian which I at once reconized as The
worst Desperado in Alaska--he had killed several white men and about
fifty of his own tribe, I first met him at Candle Creek, I pulled my gun
and ordered him to put up his dukes--he did and I said John Spoon I know
you and I guess you know me, unload that gold and those furs you took
from my men or, I'll let daylight through you--He did a great stunt of
obeying he was scared half to death, I had a notion to kill the other
half. I was a fool to let him off so easy--But I always hate to shoot
even an indian. Well we worked down to the Sea, and a few hours each day
dug at placer mining. after forty eight days we took our gold about
$4,455,00 and set out for the mouth of the Mackinzie river. This was a
terrorable trip The sea had piled up ice-burgs so we had to travel
allong the mountain side--Our hardships had been extreme and as we
neared the Delta of the great River one day I noticed The Galloping
Swede was loosing his mind, or getting crazy with hardships, which is
the most incurable of all diseases, He had been snow blind, had had sore
eyes, was homesick and lonesome, and the added over exposeures had
ruined that bright and cultured mind. Lee Wilda--for this is his name
had been with me a long time. his home was in Minnesota, his father was
dead but he had a mother and a sister. Twice on our way we had to let
our dogs and plunder over ice precipreses, with our lash ropes. Finaly
we reached Coleville river and crossed ove