l and
returned to his work.

Farewells and advice more or less jocular rang across the rail of the
boat between some ten or fifteen of us who had hit the new trail and
those on shore.

"Good-by, boys; see you at Dawson."

"We'll beat you in yet," called Bill. "Don't over-work."

"Let us know if you strike it!" shouted Frank.

"All right; you do the same," I replied.

As the boat swung out into the stream, and the little group on the
bank faded swiftly away, I confess to a little dimness of the eyes. I
thought of the hardships toward which my uncomplaining partner was
headed, and it seemed to me Nature was conspiring to crush him.

The trip down the river was exceedingly interesting. The stream grew
narrower as we approached the coast range, and became at last very
dangerous for a heavy boat such as the _Strathcona_ was. We were
forced to lay by at last, some fifty miles down, on account of the
terrific wind which roared in through the gap, making the steering of
the big boat through the canyon very difficult.

At the point where we lay for the night a small creek came in.
Steel-headed salmon were running, and the creek was literally lined
with bear tracks of great size, as far up as we penetrated. These
bears are said to be a sort of brown fishing bear of enormous bulk,
as large as polar bears, and when the salmon are spawning in the
upper waters of the coast rivers, they become so fat they can hardly
move. Certainly I have never been in a country where bear signs were
so plentiful. The wood was an almost impassable tangle of vines and
undergrowth, and the thought of really finding a bear was appalling.

The Stikeen breaks directly through the coast range at right angles,
like a battering-ram. Immense glaciers were on either side. One
tremendous river of ice came down on our right, presenting a face
wall apparently hundreds of feet in height and some miles in width. I
should have enjoyed exploring this glacier, which is said to be one
of the greatest on the coast.

The next day our captain, a bold and reckless man, carried us through
to Wrangell by _walking_ his boat over the sand bars on its
paddle-wheel. I was exceedingly nervous, because if for any reason we
had become stuck in mid river, it would have been impossible to feed
Ladrone or to take him ashore except by means of another steamer.
However, all things worked together to bring us safely through, and
in the afternoon of the second day we entered a