C Ihe Ladies c cu. V'VVAN - History and Classics, Department of

36 THE LADIES, THE GWICH'IN, AND THE RATA new moon looked down on the ever-troubled waters and one star shoneabove the spruces, but daylight still hung in the air and from the deck we couldsee each face in the crowd lined out on the sandbank. The roar of the rapids hadbecome so friendly that we were hardly conscious of its voice. Slowly the halfbreedshauled up the anchor and as it came in sight they whooped and howledlike wolves and laughed like children, cutting capers on the pile of boxes packedin the bows of the vessel. Last greetings fluttered to and from the shore."So long Bill.""Good-bye Alice."And then, from the whole crowd, "Hip-hip-hooray!"In that strange northern twilight we steamed slowly out from the shore anddown the river that would lead us on our long journey to Aklavik, while thefriendly faces of Fort Smith receded into the land of memory.