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

124 THE LADIES, THE GWICH'IN, AND THE RATour own efforts were helping us to reach our objective, Now. however. in theupper reaches of the river. we seemed to be coming out into open country and wewere filled with an overbrimming sense of freedom. At the same time the burdenof anxiety had somehow been lifted. Exactly how and where it was lifted I do notknow. I only recall this part of the journey as giving us a sense that we had becomealmost light-winged. instead of being heavy-footed.It was a dull and sunless morning when we woke in that stony camp and struggledinto our still-moist coats and breeches. The river was now winding back onitself in one leisurely coil after another and we had an easy day's walking. oftencutting across flat. stony stretches of country or being ferried across to a similarstretch on the opposite shore. The action of melting ice had evidently producedthis form of alternating coils to the course of the current and we were to observelater. when paddling ourselves down the Porcupine. that whenever there wasdeep water underlying high banks on the left shore there would be shallow waterand level stony spits on the right shore. Then. on rounding the next bend. theposition of deeps and shallows would be reversed.All that day the water was much easier for the guides and whenever we did cometo rapids we found them shallow and easily negotiable. Now and then we had toresume our scramble through white poplars and undergrowth. but not for long.Even the mosquitoes had lessened their attacks. but whether this was due to theheight ofland or to the presence of a breeze. we could not tell. So weak had theybecome in their onslaught that after lunch. being careful to remain standing inthe bonfire smoke. we were able to cut our nails and smoke a cigarette incomfort. Emboldened by this success we again took up our station in the bonfiresmoke after tea and combed our neglected hair.As we drew closer to those mountains we could see that some were very rocky.some were black. others reddish; a few had spruce growing halfway up them.others were barren or covered with caribou moss. Once we saw three loons flyingoverhead and we heard their nostalgic. never-to-be-forgotten cry. Like the noteof the bittern it can bring one the strangest perception. that must surely be a prenatalmemory of worlds unfathomable or unattainable by our five senses. Onthat day. we saw tracks of bear and caribou. Truly. we felt. we had attained ourhearts' desire and penetrated into wild country.We had walked from 8 until about 8:30. stopping an hour for lunch and anhour for tea. when we pitched our camp on a spit of sand and stones. There werefine mountains all round us and a beautiful streak of red in the western sky. Near