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

Appendix 1 217Stopped on muddy beaches for lunch + tea saw wolf tracks.Paddled on till we came to La Pierre House 8.30: 2 desertedwooden shanties one tied up with dog chain. We looked in +found food, 3 beds, a stove, old boots, Encyclopaedia,matches, ammunition, Fur coats, axes + tubs hanging outside:all left by the Trader Jackson Bros. for people coming over theportage. We went on round the corner for a camp + saw agrizzly bear at the water's edge come down to drink, so pale inthe evening light. Paddled on very silently Lazarus + I had ashot + missed I handed rifle to Jimmy who shot it once or twice.It staggered up into alders. We paddled on heard it breathingheavily. The 2 guides went ashore + up to top of rise + stalked itfrom above + put in 2 more bullets while we stayed in canoe.Then ashore + cooked bear steak. Lazarus + Jimmy off theirheads with excitement. "By God I've had a sore stomach allday," said Lazarus "but now I'm all right." We dined close tothe reeking corpse on fried bear + pork rice + treacle + so tobed II 0' c on a ridge with alders + willows + a lovely sunset sky + nomosquitoes.SATURDAY 17 JULYAwoke at 4:30 up at 6 + all 4 away at 7 after eating boiled bearfor b' fast cold rice + treacle sitting by the skin + meat Lazarushad hung up for Jackson Bros. in payment for his boots. The 2took us down to Shingle Rock 15 miles, beyond a little patch ofswift water where we landed on a spit of stones had a farewelldinner paid them 210 dollars each (14 per day) primed themwith food + utensils for their 90 mile march aX muskeg back toMacpherson + said good-bye to them. Fine fellows + Lazarusespecially never failed us in any particular Then we wentforward on our own very slowly + lazily on our solitary 100 oddmiles journey down the river to Old Crow. Heavenly day nomosquitoes brilliant sunshine. Wooded country with suddenturns when the river looked like a sheet of glass sloping gentlydownwards. We saw several big Eagles, the black + the whiteheaded,a squirrel, + several parties of Canadian geese with theiryoung their note echoing + re-echoing into the still woodedcountry. Passed some love!;; bits of Delphinium a fine bedstraw, the whiteAsphodel, + the very handsomeyellow-jlowered eatable dock we have seen inquantities on the river bank ever since Fish River. A quite wonderfol dCD" We leftour guides at lJ + paddled till 7 with an hour for tea. Thenfound a camp on a spit with lovely view of mountains + took outour luggage all soaked + mildewed through the canvas bag +stuck it up on willow sticks to air. Cooked Puftalunas + weary tobed at 10.30 with a quite love!;; light over the river goldenreflections. Our camp was on mud + marestails with willowboughs for bedding + above us the white asphodel + all about us a very fineblue mauve garlic. Passed Porcupine R. mid-day.SUNDAY 18 JULYSuch a sleep + did not get up till 8 o'c. Broiling sun nomosquitoes went straight into river + had a good soap fromhead to toe. Washed + dried our clothes + set off at 12.30 afterearly lunch on chocolate beef + doughnuts. Paddled slowly.River wider now perhaps zoo or 300 yards. Still gloriOUS hot dCD" Riverwinds among hilly wooded country on immense scale: hills vast+ all folded into each other: river less + less twisting + lookingdown its long straight reaches with water smooth as glass itseems to be running down down into bottomless gorges wherethere must be cataracts. Yet the water is so still one hardlyseems to be moving only when one looks at the banks onerealises the current alone carries the canoe down at 2 or 3miles an hour. A most exhilarating feeling sliding down downthat green river into vast unknown country the silence of 100miles ahead of us + the same behind. Echoing sound of a swanhonking. Trees on the hills give back echoes. Paddledfor4- hoursthen tea quite exhausted with heat then paddled 6 -8 quite love!;; in evening light,unearth!;; stillness great bends of the river beds of blue lupin sharp turns into thoseunknown gorges which onJy prove long stretches of unbroken water.MONDAY 19 JULYWoke at 6 + saw a Caribou within 10 yards of our mosquito barantlers outlined on river I woke Gwen + he plunged into river.We were lazy + lay in till 8 + got off at 9.45. Another love!;; dCD' riverwidening + reaches being longer. At noon we heard high children'svoices + came on 2 tents +someIndians + a white man French­Canadian "My name is David Low" he said as we stepped ashoreinto his scow with 5 1/2-breed brats round us + his flat facedIndian wife. He came in from Quebec with the Klondike rush+ has never made enough money to go out. We stayed + chattedsitting in his tent. Pushed on + spent 3 hours ashore some 4- miles belowSalmon Cache lunching sketching baking bannock + bathing. Puffy windwe sailed a bit with ground sheet on a stick. Paddled on!;; 61/Zhours. Camped on storry beach in vetch plot golden light on roc/ry mos:9' hillsopposite quite wonderful. Several ducks red-throated divers eagles Clouds rollingup for rain sun not so hot.