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be used and for under exposure a greater proportion where development is prolonged the addition of of is recommended to the of the plate liable to be produced by the but all these measures are very partial in their effect or utility and we do not recommend the x ray to with them no after treatment will fully for errors in exposure we therefore advise that all possible attention should be paid to the latter and that the development be cautious but straightforward as described an over exposed plate will absence of contrast between its darker and lighter parts being termed flat while an plate will rather contrast but will lack detail or depth being termed thin in quality fixing development being completed as described the plate to rid it of all then it in the following fixing bath sod known as parts water parts to which may be added sat of sod parts or ij this bath may be made stronger if desired and then acts more rapidly but has a tendency to soften the and cause the plate should be kept in this fixing bath till all the silver is seen to be removed from the this is seen in the disappearance of the last trace of the whiteness of the original and is best judged by holding the plate in such a position that the light of the lamp is reflected from it with something black behind it in this position the plate should appear uniformly black it is better to leave the plate in the fixing solution for a few minutes after the process is thought to be ended so as to its thorough completion it is a good plan if a number of plates are being put through to have two dishes of solution the second dish for a final of each plate after it appears fixed in the first practical x ray work in very warm weather or in hot it is advisable to add to the above fixing solution of dissolved in hot water and and farther after washing the fixed negative to it for five to ten minutes in a bath of as under parts r p water parts this is to prevent of the which may follow undue softening but we have never found the process necessary in our work in london washing after being fixed the plate must be thoroughly washed for an hour or more in running water if running water be not available but only frequent changes in a large dish then longer time must be allowed up to two hours or more prolonged washing can do little harm and washing must be thorough to preservation of the plate if the be not thoroughly removed it will later on the plate and spoil it for further use preparations are sold under the name of in a bath of which the plate must be after fixing and a brief washing and after which a further washing for a short time only is required we have no experience in the use of these drying may be done in any place free from dust and moisture but heat must not be employed plates may be set on edge and supported at an angle against a support with the side downwards to save it from dust or they may be placed in a suitable rack which them upright with one angle at the lowest point if time presses a plate may after thorough washing and short time of be in a bath of after which it will dry rapidly besides the expense of this there is a danger of unequal drying and of the but in ordinary work there is no necessity for it as plates can be examined quite conveniently while wet and then allowed to dry naturally we are in the habit of examining each plate and making our report upon it after it is but partially washed the washing is then resumed and continued as required of thin plates or of over dense plates is not to be recommended for x ray work by these processes astonishing results may be obtained by professional when employed in improving or plates but this is quite outside the work of a medical and should not be attempted if a plate be not satisfactory then let the exposure be repeated on a fresh plate is of course in no case for though a may gain credit for improving on nature a could only so merit if a plate has not already had a number printed on it during exposure it should for the sake of reference be numbered before being stored this may be done by a written to it or by writing with ink on the margin or other blank part of the to avoid scratching of the each plate may be placed in a soft paper envelope on which is written the number of the plate and any desired particulars the age of the subject being a most important particular to have attached to each plate plates may be stored in in the boxes in which they were originally contained or in the largest sized boxes and a rack divided may be designed to hold the more recent so that they are handy for reference a record book should be kept of all work done and in this may be entered such details of cases notes of process copy of report and remarks as may be thought fit if any of apparatus or exposure be tried a note of this should also be made but when an comes to make all on a standard basis it seems unnecessary to repeat the for every exposure made we use a very simple form of record book in our regular hospital work in which are made under the following date patient s name a e x no of plate i i o o treatment result and remarks prints | 28 |
it should be remembered that the plate or negative is always the most satisfactory and most picture for report or reference some of the detail and definition is inevitably lost in and the ii practical x ray work of sides of the picture is often but of the may be required or the record may be desired in a more and convenient form and for these or similar reasons prints are made ordinary silver out papers make very suitable prints where sunlight is available the paper behind the plate in a frame is exposed to daylight until it becomes of a colour a little darker than is finally desired should not as a rule be done in direct sunlight but rather by diffused light the former to reduce the of the picture whilst in weak light to increase them and all our efforts are usually directed to secure the latter condition in a after being printed the paper is submitted to a suitable process and is then fixed the details of these processes differ somewhat for different classes of paper and with each packet sold are enclosed printed instructions as recommended by the makers for that special paper these should and are usually explicit enough to render superfluous any further remarks here paper is especially suitable for work since it gives strong and can be printed at any time of day or year by exposure to gas or electric light unlike the silver papers no immediate change can be noted on this paper after exposure but like a sensitive plate it requires development to make the impression visible thus there is no direct means of the duration of exposure and this is a difficulty which can only be overcome by experience in working correct duration of exposure will depend upon three intensity of light distance of paper from the light and character of the negative the first can be made standard by always the same light for say a candle power electric lamp or a certain number of gas the distance can also be made standard or at least in fixed the exposure required varying as the square of the distance for small such as quarter plate size a distance of foot is convenient at which distance from a candle power lamp an exposure of about ten seconds should be sufficient larger must be kept farther away or must be kept moving from side to side and up and down during the exposure in order to secure even illumination we recommend at a greater distance from the light since this to increase the which result as already stated is usually desirable the third character of the negative is one constantly varying in different but should vary less as the is more experienced in exposure and development of plates the or may be judged by examining the plate held between the eye and a distant light a sky of white clouds forming a convenient source of diffused light for the purpose a negative of course demands longer exposure in from it only by trial however can a hope to get an intelligent idea of this process and if he cannot afford the time to experiment on it then he had better his to a practised hand various may be used but as with silver prints we advise that the instructions enclosed with the special brand of paper used should be followed though doubtless any will be more or less suitable for all similar papers are not suitable on account of produced in the paper a suitable somewhat similar to that recommended for plates is c i j ten per cent pot to c c j to water c c j this should be made for each of prints or the solution may be made in bulk and the added as required at the time of use after development the prints should be well and then fixed for five or six minutes in the same solution as is used for plates or in a special bath as under of parts i sat parts i j l parts j j water parts j u i practical x ray work to preserve the purity of the exposure should in all cases be sufficient to allow development to be completed and full attained in from thirty to forty seconds care should be taken to handle the papers as little as possible as pressure or caused by careless handling will give rise to black during development these may however generally be removed by gentle application of a of cotton wool in spirit to prevent development of large prints it is as well to the paper in water before development care being taken to remove all air bells it will be seen that this process is specially suitable for the usual needs of a although in itself more difficult to carry out successfully the stronger contrast obtained in the picture is desirable while the shorter time involved and the possibility of making a print by artificial light render the process at times very convenient this process we have admitted a patient completed a negative drying it by spirit after a brief washing and presented him with a finished print all within one hour the print while wet may be pressed by a rubber or with its face against a sheet of glass to which it will in this position it may be safely handled for temporary examination and it may if desired be fastened at its edges and allowed to dry gradually on this as a permanent mount after washing prints should be allowed to dry by laying them face upwards on a clean cloth or paper in a place as free from dust as possible or they may be suspended from a line by means of clean wooden the print at one corner vi interpretation of ordinary and as already mentioned the report on a should always where possible be made | 28 |
from the negative this is examined by light the plate being placed between the eye and the source of light to do this conveniently some form of lantern is advisable a simple desk with central area transparent like a s desk may be employed where daylight is available but daylight is very thus it is better to work with artificial light which will always be available and which being of constant intensity will allow comparison of a lantern then is required with one flat and transparent face on which the negative may be placed while the other sides of the lantern are the inside reflecting the light obtained from a suitable source in the middle of the lantern fig such a lantern the one employed by us serves also for views as described later the transparent face is of glass which the light reaching the negative the other two sides are lined with plates with which reflect the light from an electric lamp supported in the centre of the lantern on the transparent face are a series of frames so fitted as to accommodate any size of plate ordinarily used this is a most convenient piece of apparatus but a much less expensive form can easily be made or adapted thus an ordinary lamp with a sheet of ground glass or for the pane will serve or a tin lantern after the same design and painted white inside may readily be made practical x ray work where is available it certainly forms the best mode of illumination care must be taken not to leave a negative too long in contact with the window of such a especially if the negative be wet or the heat may soften the with disastrous results to examine a negative place it with the side on such a lantern if the frame does not fit closely round the edges of the plate lay of black paper or similar material along these so as to cut off all direct light from the eyes darkening the room will make the illumination of the negative much more efficient of shadow the first point to be remembered in reading such a is that as the name negative fro the plate shows in of shadow the reverse of the relative of the part exposed where dense such as bone is interposed much of the is prevented from reaching the sensitive plate hence little alteration takes place in the corresponding parts of the plate and the final result is a light transparent image of that where on the other hand such as muscle or more air organs are interposed much of the reaches the sensitive plate there is marked alteration and the result is a dense image of that thus clear transparent parts of the negative correspond to dense and dense shadows to more ordinary and parts all of of course appear and must be interpreted as meaning either normal or change to the latter an intimate knowledge of the former is essential even where such knowledge has been acquired by experience it is advisable whenever there is any reason whatever for uncertainty that a of the corresponding part of the patient on the other side be made under exactly similar conditions for comparison the advantage of this will soon be seen in practical work and may be understood from its bearing on several points considered later in the section on in a print everything is again reversed so that dark shadows correspond to and lighter parts to more hence such records are sometimes termed to the inexperienced prints are thus easier to read than plates though to the experienced they are of secondary value right and left side from the itself without any information as to the conditions of exposure it is always and may be impossible to tell which side to the pig ht and left side of the part unless there is some indicating mark on the plate but if we are told on what aspect of the patient the plate was situated during exposure we are able to settle the point in such case hold the plate with its side towards you and imagine your eye to be in the position of the x ray during exposure then the right and left sides of the will correspond to the sides of the patient as he would appear from that position thus if the patient had his back to the and the plate in front of him you must suppose yourself looking at his back and the side of the to your right hand will correspond to the right side of the patient on the contrary if the patient had his face turned towards the and the plate set behind him you must suppose yourself face to face with him and the side of the towards your right hand will correspond to the patient s left on a print this relation is reversed since the plate in is turned with its side towards the paper and practical x ray work away from the source of light to the relations of a print is thus very a little consideration will of course define the relations of any if we know the conditions of its exposure but it is better to the necessity by placing some indication on the plate during or after exposure dimensions the dimensions of shadows as seen in a are not a true index either absolutely or of the dimensions of the objects casting those shadows this point is discussed in other sections of the book as there explained all objects are in a according to their distance from the sensitive plate objects situated nearer to the plate being to a less degree than those at a greater distance from it this might be expressed by saying that a a drawing in perspective the eye being in the position of the x ray by bearing in mind this fact and applying his knowledge | 28 |
of dimensions an observer may calculate from a the relative position of the parts depicted without such knowledge of actual dimensions some idea may be gained of the relative distances of objects from the plate by noting the clearness of the outline of their images an object near to the plate will cast a more clearly defined shadow as compared with that cast by a more distant object but this is a very indefinite indication and would seldom if ever be relied upon for any practical purpose thus it will be seen that a single gives a clear idea of the relative position of objects only in relation to the plane in which the plate was placed during exposure to obtain a conception of the true relative position of objects depicted by it is necessary to take two views which may be combined views we may remind readers that our of or of the relative position of objects in space are obtained by the of two images one of which is perceived by either eye the principle of is to take two views of the same object from positions corresponding to the right and left eye of an observer by suitable ordinary and means the observer is caused to receive impressions of these two views one by either eye so that the impressions may be in his by this means the combined views convey a sense of and distance quite impossible to obtain from a single view in the principle applies in the same way as in ordinary two plates are exposed in exactly the same position but between the two the x ray is moved through a distance equivalent to that between the two eyes of an person which distance may be taken as inches various arrangements are in use to make these possible and convenient probably the simplest plan is to have the patient on a transparent couch as described earlier and to place the plates directly over the part to be while the is moved under the couch as required having the patient in position apply the screen and by its aid set the exactly under the centre of the part to be then for the first exposure move the into a position inches on one side of this central position with the x ray couch described this is conveniently measured by the scale on the rod attached to the box then take the first plate and shake it so that it fits closely into one corner of its lay it in position over the part with one edge parallel to the line in which the has been moved and mark on the skin the position of two adjoining sides of the plate if the part exposed be too small to permit of such marking then the plate may be supported on blocks of the same height as the part on these placed alongside the part the two marks may then be made make an exposure and remove this plate fit the second plate into one corner of its and place it with two edges fitted to the lines marked on the skin or adjoining support now or before setting the plate move the to a position inches in a direct line on the opposite side of its central position that is inches from its position during the first exposure and make the second exposure practical x ray work in certain cases such simplicity of may be impossible and many suggestions have been made to the accurate necessary in addition to the steps described a metal cross wire may be fastened on the skin parallel to the path of the and in such a position that it will be a little by one corner of each plate in turn the image of this on each plate will the after setting of the plates for inspection where large sized plates are used we support them on the upper part of the travelling frame of the table described bringing that close down on the part to be exposed a special support or a changing box may be attached to such a frame fixed above the patient and is frequently employed for work whatever arrangement be adopted the setting of the x ray under the patient renders the process much more simple and exact than with the older setting of the above where the must be set above the patient some form of changing box is necessary which may retain its position under the patient while the plates are changed this usually consists of a frame with top by the rays and strong enough to support the weight of the patient into this the plates fit in succession and along one side there is frequently a strip of metal which each plate a little and thus marks a line by which the plates may afterwards be set in the stand should be made with a arm on which is marked a scale and along which the may be moved through the distance in order to view it is usual for some suitable form of to be used though it is possible to combine two such views into one giving a sense of relief by the vision this requires some practice to accomplish satisfactorily but it is well worth knowing and learning to do for a is not always at hand the two should be set side by side and the observer should set himself so as to have one opposite each eye if he hold up a finger between his eyes and the held near to him one to each side of his line of mid vision and look at the finger the will cross and he will see two views of each by effort he may cause the two central ordinary and to be and the two outside images he will see one view the part in relief for routine work however some form of will | 28 |
be used that known by the name of serves well as in fig this consists of two upright frames to support the views at either end of a short in the middle of which are two plane arranged on a support at the same height as the frames and fixed with their backs forming an angle of with a pair of in position the observer places himself so that the space between his eyes is divided equally by the edge where the meet with his face close to this edge each eye will see the reflection in the mirror before it and the two images thus seen will be into one perception of an image in relief prints are easily viewed in this manner and may be on the supporting frames or pins the arrangement is figured as adapted for plates the permitting illumination as described relative to fig this form for plates is of more general use prints certainly up better than plates so far as the is concerned but prints never the same detail or precision as the plates from which they are made the additional time necessary to make prints is a further to their use in routine work it being possible to view plates and make a from them before they are dry if necessary the central support carrying the is practical x ray work usually made with its base fitting into fastened on the thus the of the with the may be altered as desired the frames or at either end are fitted so that they may be moved nearer or further from the and in the more elaborate instruments there is further arrangement made for the so as to secure more accurate coincidence of the images this is largely superfluous though convenient since it is found that the eyes by effort of accommodation can considerable lack of or coincidence this will be readily understood when it is remembered that as described earlier two such views may be combined by the eyes by any apparatus to obtain the of a part the separate images must be received each by the appropriate eye otherwise the relief will be reversed by trial in most cases it will readily be seen whether the relief be correct but for such purposes as of a foreign body knowledge may not furnish such a guide so it is important to understand how the should be set the must again imagine himself set with his eye in the position of the x ray and in this case it will be his right and left eye alternately the travelling in a line at right angles to his to prevent confusion where the patient is lying down the must always suppose his own head and feet to be in corresponding positions to those of the patient following this we name each by the side right or left of the towards which the was situated during its exposure by thus them with respect to the observer the same rule will apply to all whether placed on the front or back of the patient if the be viewed direct without of they should be placed with the right hand view to the observer s right if they be viewed in the reflecting the positions must be reversed since the reflection is the reverse of the original on the plate with prints the rule is reversed in either case a simple method of securing a view of in an ordinary and ordinary hand has been suggested to us and offers great promise though we have been prevented so far from it practically the plan is to make a of each on a sensitive plate or a paper of size suitable for a hand this could be done while the original was still wet and the could be viewed immediately after developing fixing and washing the use of the hand would of course dispense with all special apparatus or illumination vii of foreign bodies most foreign bodies which find their way into the or organs are more dense than the surrounding thus they may be detected by the dense shadow cast on an x ray screen or a plate all and most varieties of glass glass less than lead glass cast an unmistakable shadow though such as wood leather cloth or paper cannot usually be so to ascertain the exact position of a foreign body and note it for the guidance of a surgeon in its removal various methods may be employed these may be thus i by screen examination a if the part to be examined will permit it may be viewed by the screen in two positions at right angles and a cross marked on the skin in each position in the line of the shadow then where the from these points so marked maybe supposed to the object will be found for this purpose the x ray should be carefully the contracted and the moved till the shadow of the object exactly the centre of the luminous area the marks are made on the skin by a pen with ink or by a skin pencil either being guided by its shadow on the screen b s is a simple apparatus whereby the depth of an object from the screen may be readily and of foreign bodies accurately measured this combined with a cross mark on the skin the position of the object will serve to a foreign body in any part it is described fully below and is the method recommended by us for work unless where very exact may be required as in the for which part a special method is described u a taken in the way are quite for and tend often to serious error b views may be taken and serve well prefer this method as it shows the correct relations of the body in a way easily comprehended for description of the method of making see chapter | 28 |
vi at page c s with cross thread is a classical method and from the of its principle well deserves to be taken as it is as the model for most other exact methods though ingenious and exact it is not practicable for ordinary work being complicated and much apparatus time and expense we include however a description of the method partly because of its value but mainly in relation to the special described for bodies in the for eye work the method is especially serviceable since less complex methods fail in this special situation d s is simple enough of itself but though a nice exercise it is not practical enough for use s let a screen be fixed in position some distance above an x ray while the latter is moved in a plane parallel to the screen and let a small object be interposed so as to cast a shadow on the screen if that object be close against the screen it will be readily understood that the shadow cast will not change position on the screen as the is moved but if the object be some distance below the screen the shadow will be seen to change practical x ray work position as the is moved and as the object from the screen towards the the path traced by its shadow will gradually for the same travel of the a glance at the accompanying fig will explain this more clearly than words if the part examined have bone in it then by noting the relative paths of the shadow of the bone and of the object we may tell directly whether the object is on the side of the bone or to the screen this may be valuable knowledge but in most cases is too indefinite to guide operation and further information is required by the surgeon fig the conditions referred to s takes advantage of the fact illustrated above and by a simple it to exact terms s s screen a small object d distances of a from the screen t t positions of x ray at either end of travel parallel to s s x fixed length of travel of path of shadow of a at distances from screen it consists of a simple piece of apparatus whereby an test object may be temporarily fixed at any distance from a screen so as to be interposed between that and an x ray which the screen from below it is in accompanying figure fixed to the frame of a screen at a see fig in the fixed part the rod b can be moved carrying with it the arm c which is tipped by a pointed mass of lead d the rod b is by the sleeve e somewhat tightly so as to prevent it slipping down by its own weight and may be further fixed by the screw f the rod c can likewise be moved in the sleeve g of foreign bodies along b ie marked a scale of inches or from which the distance of d from the screen may be read or this distance may be measured directly in the screen be placed in a position in contact with the upper surface of the part to he a shadow of the foreign body being seen the x ray must be adjusted so that the shadow the centre of the area illuminated through a contracted the position is marked on the skin as described screen a of limb b c foreign bodies in x travel of x r a a a path of of bone b h of shadow of b o o path of in an earlier method by a cross and the is then brought into use set the arm g and the test object d fairly near the screen and move the slowly in any direction if the foreign body sought be at some distance from the screen the increased range of movement of its shadow as compared with that of the test object will readily be noted if the two objects be more nearly in the same plane the difference will naturally be less the height of d until by repeated trial a practical x ray work position is reached in which its shadow has a travel exactly equal to that of the object sought the two objects will now be at equal distances from the screen if the distance of d from the screen be then ascertained by reading the scale on b or by actual the ii b e d fig surgeon may be told that under the point marked on the skin and at that measured depth from the surface he will find the object sought this is exactly the information the surgeon wants for guidance in operation and the may leave to him its interpretation into relations of foreign bodies with the table described earlier on page fig we have been accustomed to support the screen on the upper frame of the travelling carriage and to the ou one end of the screen with this arrangement however it is only possible to give the a movement relative to the screen whilst in most cases the two shadows to be observed have their connecting also it will be found that the relative paths of the shadows are much more easily judged when the movement is at right angles to their connecting thus it will be to support the screen independent of the carriage and allow movement of the in any direction found most suitable a little practice with this apparatus on a piece of lead in some transparent mass such as a piece of wood or a loaf of bread will its usefulness and precision for any purpose other than a foreign body in the there is indeed no necessity whatever for any more elaborate apparatus s apparatus with an practical x ray work | 28 |
x ray and screen fixed in position relative to an interposed object it is evident that a straight line passing from the point of the to any point of the shadow cast on the screen must pass through the corresponding point of the object as in one plane in fig then as if the be moved into another position while the object remains stationary the same will hold true and another line be obtained which must pass through the same point of the object thus the of those two lines will determine the position of the point in question this applied to foreign bodies in the is the principle of the method first described by with the and sensitive plate set in definite known relation to each other two are made of the part the foreign body and between the two the is moved through a definite measured path parallel to the plate then the relative positions of and plate are and rays from the point of the in its two positions are represented by threads passing to two corresponding points of the shadows formed of the foreign body by the crossing of these threads is indicated the position in space of that point of the object relative to the plane of the plate during exposure to make possible this of the relative positions and to the ascertained position in space into terms which may direct a surgeon several points must be carefully attended to and several more or less complicated arrangements have been devised and two similar arrangements of a simple type for the special tables are also made some with a section and plate changing box below while the is set above the patient others allowing exposure with the below but the principle is the same in all on the plate in figures on the transparent part of the table or in the simplest arrangement on the plate are two cross wires at right angles and under these the plate must be placed so as to have their position on it in exposure of foreign bodies with the patient in position these wires leave on his skin f an must be made permanent either by previously the wires or by later tracing with an pencil the x ray must first be set with the above the crossing of the wires at a of about lo inches or the actual height may vary without affecting the result but when fixed the distance between the and the sensitive plate must be carefully measured and noted this of the may be assisted by use of a line or by the on the upright in i ig c which the latest form of the in that form the scale marked on the upright a convenient and method of measuring and the distance of the from the sensitive plate for this purpose the upright is at its base it is first set up on the plate or and the piece without the t in figure is set to the so that its two ends are in the same plane as the the height may then he read on the scale and noted but the upright should be removed without the position of the b the h k upright practical x ray work so that when its base is set on the as in the figure the position of the is directly the position of the foreign body having been observed by a previous the patient is now placed in position so that the object will lie somewhere near the centre of the area crossed by the wires those may be covered meanwhile by a board until the patient is placed and comfortably settled then the board removed place a coin or other mark such as an indicating number above the fig plate in one of the cross wires and mark the same on the patient s skin so as to prevent after confusion in the record the patient thus set move the x ray through a distance of as provided for on the arm of its this arm as in and must be set parallel to one of the cross wires so that the travel of the will be in the same plane the actual extent within limits of this movement like the height does not affect the final result provided that the distance be measured and noted so that it can be exactly later if the sensitive plate be not in position the may now be of foreign bodies and then the plate placed in position under the the plate being in position make a first then move the to a point other distance as noted on the other side of its central position and make a second exposure this second exposure may he made on the same plate as the first but is made on a fresh plate one plate may serve if the part exposed be very thin and the foreign body very dense or if a plate changing box be not provided and changing of the plate be therefore liable to disturb the setting of the part before removing the patient see that the cross wires are well marked on his skin along with an indication of the which is marked on the plate then develop the plates and when they are dry proceed with the next part of the this may be done with loss of time if drying of the plates be hastened after thorough by a bath of spirit or in pig the latest form of the cross thread now employed to interpret the recorded on the glass surface of the table are marked two a crossing at right angles which correspond to the cross i l on the i e practical x ray work wires on the plates exposed this surface is illuminated from below by a plane mirror the angle of which is the upright already referred to with the addition of a t | 28 |
piece marked by a at on each side of its centre fastened to the piece the positions of the x ray if one plate has been exposed lay that upwards on the glass surface and set it so that the image of the exactly to the lines on the glass if two plates have been exposed these may be on the so that the images of the cross wires with each other and with the lines on the glass but it will usually be to trace each in succession on a sheet of that should be set on each plate while the tracing is made and then it should be placed in position on the a single plate may be traced if illumination of the render its record indefinite with plate or in position arrange the mirror underneath so as to throw a good light upwards now pass a thread as in the figure over the t piece at each point representing the and lead one thread to each of two small attached to with flat which rest on the surface of the plate or to the other end of each thread is attached a small weight which keeps it place the flat so that the threads cross as and place the of each to a corresponding point of each shadow of the foreign object these threads now represent rays passing from the of the in its two positions and were the patient in position each of these would pass through the same point of the foreign body thus the point of crossing of the threads which should just touch each other the position occupied in the exposure by that point of the foreign body which to the points indicated in the shadows the perpendicular distance of the crossing of the threads from the plane surface will indicate the depth of the foreign body from that surface of the part which was in contact with the plate during exposure and by setting up a perpendicular of foreign bodies from each of the cross lines in turn the distance of the point from each may be measured by means of the small scale in fig both and distances may be measured thus to read the distance set the to the point of and read its height on the scale to read the distances set the base of the scale to each of the cross lines in turn opposite to where the threads cross set the by moving it so that its point just touches the then read the distance on the scale marked on the itself a simple scale and a pair of can be made to serve the same end but the arrangement described is doubtless more convenient and exact on the skin of the patient we have a record of the and of the corresponding to those on the plate so that the obtained can be readily translated into depth below a certain point on the surface thus indicating accurately the position of the foreign body sought foreign bodies in the eye this is a most important much depending on the as to whether the foreign body be in the or external to it probably the best x ray method of this information is by using the apparatus figured fig which is mr s of s a is a broad solid piece of wood extending upwards from the back of the chair d to which it is securely bound b is a three sided frame of wood sliding upon the upright a and can be fixed in position by a thumb screw near each free end there is an opening large enough to hold a quarter plate with and into this opening fits a light wooden frame across which are stretched two fine cross wires c is a similar shaped frame of wood wider between its arms than b supporting on each arm a sliding e it can also slide upon upright a to which it may be fixed by a thumb screw practical x ray work d is a heavy chair upon which the upright with the other parts is supported fig mr s of s for foreign bodies in the eye london hospital e is one of two which can slide backwards in a v shaped upon the arms of c it can also be raised or lowered by sliding the whole of c on upright of foreign bodies a there is one on each side for holding the opposite to the right or left eye as may be required to the the is not shown p points to cross wires fitted across a wooden frame there is one such frame for each arm of b h is a point in the side view it is pushed aside on the view looking downwards it is pulled out in position there is one on each side and they are used for and setting the the observer looks through the v and the till he gets the point mark of the in line with the crossing of the wires f on each side of b this does away with the necessity of a screen or other special device for the k the centre line extending from the h through the cross wires f to the of the of the i is a piece of wood that to the patient s head to the side of the support box the patient s head may be placed on either side of the i according to the eye which it is desired to examine j outline of a patient s head in position for examination of the right eye in this case the x ray would be placed in e towards the left side and the cross window frame of that side would be removed a small piece of lead wire is stuck to the lower of the eye to be examined and carefully adjusted so that the upper end | 28 |
of the wire will be exactly opposite the centre of the pupil when the patient is looking straight forward as at a distant object the patient takes his position in the chair d the head resting in box b and to the appropriate side as in the figure b is raised or lowered till the wires are in line with the of the wire which is fixed opposite the centre of the pupil and i is adjusted then c bearing with it the is raised or lowered and the is adjusted in its e till the mark on the of the practical x ray work i with the c o the v p the of the being meanwhile in mid position as indicated by m a plate in is then placed on the outside of the opposite opening and pressed hard against the wires for a mark we usually apply the number at the lower right hand corner thus the plate well as its body i the cross wire frame adjoining the is removed the is pushed forward till m with the patient is directed to look straight forward at a mark on the wall at the same height a his eye and the current is turned on for about one and half minutes making the exposure a fresh plate is then of foreign bodies for the exposed one the mark m is pushed backwards till it with p from and the current is again turned on for one and a half minutes making a second exposure the distance between and p being the plates after development could if desired be placed in a the are however generally if not always made by the use of s which has already been described the ro s thread for eye cases is permanently set as tha fig distance between the point of the and the plate and the length of of the between its two positions are constant for all fig represents the record obtained on one of two plates so exposed from that directly we can measure the position of the foreign body relative to the of the since the wire was set to with that by the cross thread we find the position of the lead wire attached to the and of the foreign practical x ray work body each relative to the cross wire and from those we the depth of the foreign body from the lead wire and from the front of the in making the calculations is generally allowed for the distance between the lead wire and the front of the then further by the the distance of the lead wire from the plane of the plates during exposure is measured and the distance of the foreign body from the same plane from these two distances the position of the foreign body relative to the of the eye is calculated thus we obtain relative to the three of the and from reference to the of an as given in fig we can determine readily whether the foreign body be situated in the or in the surrounding and we can indicate its position with the average of the eye are chapter viii it cannot be too strongly insisted upon that in this as in all methods of it is essential to acquire first an accurate knowledge of normal appearances and of all variations within normal limits this can be attained only by study of taken under various conditions and most so when those conditions are known at first hand by observation of them before and during exposure of each in question screen work demands a similar experience for its in a we discern no positive evidence or indication of disease all we may discern is a departure from the normal and if an observer does not fully understand normal appearances how can he possibly recognise or interpret the it should be superfluous to impress this necessity of practical experience in any branch of medical work but the number of persons who seem to think that they are or should be able to read any simply as it were from first principles us to press this point for the benefit of those who really wish to make the most of the very valuable assistance that may be derived from observations and records in all cases the evidence of should be taken in with other observations or methods of in certain instances of a condition may be made from examination alone in some instances earlier evidence of disease is thus obtained than by any other means but the method is of most general use in helping to practical x ray work define or confirm conditions recognised by other means of the interpretation of in general has been discussed in an earlier chapter we now direct attention to that as applied to different parts of the body to do so most we give brief directions for each part with a note of the points in the to be specially observed where it seems desirable we the appearance of the part in question a few remarks are necessary but we would advise the reader to pay special attention to the appearances comparing them and the accompanying notes with actual in examining these it must be remembered that the are positive like prints and that the appearances in plates or will be reversed inasmuch as faithful of is very difficult we would strongly advise to take every opportunity of studying actual bones and joints examination of these forms the routine work of most x ray and comes to be relied upon more and more by as they understand more of its possible service so definite and useful is the evidence thus obtained of obscure injuries that we can well understand the fear expressed by a surgeon writing recently on the subject that younger may learn to depend upon it to the of other methods of of which it is | 28 |
the part is specially useful affecting give a characteristic appearance somewhat in fig a casts a uniform shadow of less than that cast by bone but greater than that cast by and having a more definite outline than the latter on the normal bone a causes and more or less notable in a casts a shadow of considerably less than that by normal bone if the growth be op central as in fig the shadow will be irregular in corresponding to the structure of bone practical x ray work with the and more the outline of the bone will not be much disturbed which with that of the outline there being while the shadow is of uniform increased unless for definite of or fl fig u a casts a shadow beyond the normal outline of the part affected this shadow is usually of less than that of normal bone but the in the different classes of etc this shadow on the outline of the normal bone while on its other aspect the shadow is irregular and indefinite in outline this want of definition in outline t es between and of which latter the shadow outline is regular and distinct j an or may resemble a in some respects but the shadow of the former is uniformly dense and is definite in outline a will be similar in appearance to an but the shadow will be less dense in character is by altered form of the outline of the bony shadow but no alteration in the nature or of the shadow can be stated is sometimes confused with but the two conditions may be by aid of a in the affected part has its outline obscured by a appearance especially the of which the outline may be quite comparison with the corresponding normal part makes this more evident diseases of joints are made evident by alterations in the of their contents of their or of the adjacent and bone more advanced cases further changes in of the latter confusion in and of joint affections renders discussion always difficult but we have confined ourselves to description of well recognised conditions and do not attempt detailed which is only possible from a full history and examination of the cases concerned is by a general lack of definition of the outline of the the affected joint along with which there is a darkening of the usual clear spaces between this may well be expressed as a general often only by comparison with a corresponding normal joint where much is present the separation of the will also be notable in more cases the may be evident the same changes in a further degree with some and increased of the those latter may various degrees of increased approaching a condition of or in a pro practical x ray work acute case may of of the joint ag represented in fig more or less of the joint along with of the so called of the may be evident directly from their outline or indirectly by the closer of the of the the outline of those is usually very distinctly marked in correspondence fig os with their or and in contrast to the less dense bone adjoining them the fringe of and the irregular of the are very characteristic s disease may closely resemble the foregoing condition in acute cases the greater amount of the more advanced of bone and the absence of may distinguish s disease in more cases however those features may not be evident and we must rely tor upon history of and other points on which has joint the appearance of this as in the same disease affecting bone will vary according to the stage or extent of the disease process in early cases we may be able to discern only a condition of or in the joint but by paying attention to the neighbouring bone or we may be able from the evidence there of disease to decide the nature of the joint affection if the origin be in the adjacent bone the appearances described as of that condition will be evident with possibly a the or the origin of the joint affection from an adjacent may be evident if the disease in the alterations in the adjacent bones will indicate a further stage of the disease process in either case the later stages of the disease will be in a by a general disappearance of outline of by a in of the bone surrounding the joint and by an indefinite shadow the inter clear space of the normal joint fig a case of hip joint disease in a child on the affected side may be noted the absence of shadow in the position of the head of the which on the sound side is represented by a definite centre of of a joint will be by the of the clear inter space that being occupied by a shadow of corresponding to the extent of of the bands or producing the condition loose bodies may or may not be by x rays their detection depending upon their composition thus as with a negative indication cannot be relied upon in opposition to other evidence many loose bodies are however sufficiently to give evidence of their presence by production of shadows more or less dense in situations in or about a joint if on the screen the of such bodies may be l o practical x ray work but their presence is sufficient evidence for the surgeon cannot be exactly as a joint disease but the local of the disease in and about joints render the examination of those serviceable even in the of the general condition particularly in the of joint affection due to from the closely condition due to is an x ray examination useful i i ab join i whatever be the correct or theory of of general or local the characteristic process in the joint regions | 28 |
is a of of those offer to the passage of x rays a resistance varying between that offered by bone and that offered by the less dense of the joint the different vary in according to the base with which the is combined the of and are more dense than the others and since those are present in all in greater or less proportion a distinct evidence of the is obtained on examination the finger joints are for several reasons of convenience the most desirable parts to inspect there the earliest evidence of deposit will be on the sides of the viewed as in fig shadows of somewhat indefinite outline will be seen where the of the joints are inserted into the bone the normal outline of the bone may is be seen those shadows or in further advanced the shadow may as by on the bone later changes are seen in the those becoming more to the rays while their outlines are distorted and more or less some parts of the bone appear more in cases of apparently by change in their composition but this ia a somewhat indefinite appearance and the evidence of deposit is sufficiently characteristic and distinct to rely upon in all in its earlier stages may readily be with but in a practical x ray work tion tbe absence of any deposit ae described above serves to the latter from tbe as seen in pig ho tbe appearance of joints affected by so called is very characteristic there is a general though somewhat indefinite change in tbe whole appearance of tbe bones and joints tbe outlines are indistinct and tbe bone is on the whole more than normal while in parts this to an appearance indicating actual of tbe bones later becomes apparent most characteristic is the out appearance fig of the in the heads of the and bones while in other joints and may have proceeded to the extent of practically tbe joint or about a part will obscure tbe outline and produce a more or less dark shadow among various is however not possible with any degree of certainty by x rays alone and the nature of the must usually be defined by other means will usually be more than blood or blood casts a very dense shadow with irregular and shaded margin while may only be evident by the of parts produced by its presence are difficult to distinguish from normal but the presence of shadows in situations may indicate them special parts as has been stated m an earlier chapter it is necessary to decide for each part a standard position in which it should be placed for exposure unless special circumstances dictate otherwise from consideration of relations and from our experience added to that of other we recommend the positions illustrated and explained for each part considered in this section in every case we strongly advise that the part should be viewed by screen before proceeding to expose a plate over it by this means the set below the patient may be seen to be properly set and to give proper illumination the part may be arranged to give the desired view and the may be adjusted to include just the requisite area then the sensitive plate should be for the screen and exposure made in the sections which follow the different parts of the body are taken in series and considered in relation to there is indicated the position of each part found suitable for exposure to most precisely the requisite information regarding its and condition note is made of any points in each part demanding special attention and where such points require it we have figures of their appearance all modern text books on are illustrated with the various and and several special containing views of normal and conditions are published in this and other countries hence we have not deemed it advisable to attempt here any comprehensive scheme of illustration to teach neither nor are figured only so far as is necessary to illustrate special points referred to in the text and are chosen not for their general excellence or beauty but for their clear illustration of those points along with the chapter on this should furnish a complete practical guide to all classes of work practical x ray work where a part is not specially the long bones of the limbs are we think the only parts ho omitted it ia assumed that the general principles previously will serve as guide teeth require the sensitive to be placed inside the mouth so for this region we use what are known as in which the sensitive is carried on a transparent base such as or similar material get or cut such a sensitive of a size about inches by inch fold over it black paper or place it in a specially made envelope then cover this completely by which may be sealed round it by of position foe place this inside the mouth and have it held against the part of jaw or teeth of which a view is desired set the x ray opposite the same side and part of the face at a distance of about inches from the jaw and make the by this means is avoided the of the opposite jaw which would be inevitable on a plate held outside the mouth on the opposite side to the with a and a medium soft an exposure of one and a half to two minutes ought to be correct under the conditions mentioned this process is specially useful for teeth usually for the guidance of shoulder with the patient lying on his back and the under the table set the so that the space indicated in fig by letter a between the head of the and the process is at a then the to the area included in the circle in the with which circle the head of | 28 |
the should be practically place the plate on front of the shoulder as in figure with the upper end of its long pointing at an angle of about degrees with the middle line of the body of the patient during exposure exert pressure on the plate as fig sketch of position for it rests on the muscle and of the shoulder endeavouring by depression of the former to keep the plate as nearly in a plane as possible the as by circle in fig place as for shoulder but with plate set so that its inner angle reaches a little beyond the and the to its opposite angle lies along the line of the press down on the muscle fig represents a view of a note at the of the with the process a clear with its downwards this to the intervening and projecting which is here very the appearance is quite normal but has been frequently r practical x ray work mistaken by the for a of the outer end of the or a of that bone from the process place the patient on his face with the below set the then la the plate over the behind a very soft lamp will be required and an under exposure as reckoned for other parts or the thin of the will be completely penetrated and no impression of it left on the plate fig elbow where possible the joint at right angles while the upper and lower arm lie in the same plane and turn the hand with palm downwards the patient may either lie on the couch or kneeling at the of it place the arm on the couch and lower himself till the whole upper arm rests on it this position will serve with x ray placed either above or below the couch and for either side of the joint the plate being placed in contact with that of which the most distinct view is desired and the being set accordingly fig represents a view so obtained with the of the end of the perpendicular to the plate to obtain a better view of the lower end of the or possibly of the head of the an fig m at birth ia in its aud at both ends tlie appears about the to twentieth year and to shalt about the twenty note the centre for tl e d process h ch appears in the first year and to thi l about tl e e t year there is also a second separate d oh ap ears about the tenth year and forms the base of the process and tl e ui pi angle of tl e in the two us ally a about the year soon and n te t the the twenty second and twenty fifth year a centre at t o lower a and a strip along the appear about the se th y ar and u te about the twenty fifth year at only the ends of the b ne arc tl e of the in the first year tl le s ot tl e great appears in the third year tha of tl appeals in the fifth year or is continuous the tie jo n together about the th year to form an i h n tes to the shaft about the twentieth year view is also desirable for this fully extend the joint if possible turn the palm of the hand up lay the arm flat on practical x ray work the couch with the width of the elbow parallel to its surface and place the plate in front of or behind the joint according fig b elbow aa the is below or above the couch set the below that the part may be first viewed by screen and accurate setting thus be attained fig position where the joint is fixed in a position an view may be obtained by resting the point of the elbow on the centre of a plate and the above in a the angle of the joint as shown in fig the upper and lower arm should form equal angles with the plate which should be of small size since on a large plate included from the joint will be greatly distorted ann for a good view set the arm with hand fully that is with palm upwards since in that position ce of a for the appears in the year a for the appears in the fifth a for the appears in the or twelfth year a for the appears in the or year the a t which to the shaft in tlie year the r time to form an which to the the sixteenth or year a appears in the head about the fifth or year and the to the shaft about the or year a appears near the tip of the in the tenth year from which a small forms and to the shaft about the twentieth year the and are parallel and each plainly seen but do not omit to view the part also in the other position for possible see fig wrist with injury in this region the part should be carefully in all positions to detect possible or of the or bones and to decide the proper position for a to most clearly the practical x ray work present aa a rule the best view is obtained with the plate placed on the hack of the joint with some pressure applied intimate acquaintance with the and of the is essential to some of the obscure here met witli many oe which are very difficult or impossible to by any other means we are tempted to views of various injuries but the slight relied upon that we fear little would be gained from views those views we have s dot seen elsewhere of this region | 28 |
confirm us in this opinion for in practically all the cases the reader has to depend on the description of the figure to ascertain what is represented from one will obtain much aid in interpretation but in that he can become only through experience of the lower end of the with or without separation of the s is a familiar j injury met with of the shaft of the into the of the lower fragment may obscure the i true nature of the but in a good evidence of this will always be found though a screen view may not reveal it b appeal s about the end of the second year to the about the twentieth year appears in the fourth or fifth year to the about the twentieth year is entirely at birth a appears in the oe in the first year a appears in the in thi first or second tear a appears in the in tlie third year a appears io the in the fifth year a s in the in the fifth year a appears in the in the or seventh year a appears in the in the or eighth year a appears in the in the twelfth year and has of the appears from the third to the fifth year and which to the the twentieth year the four have the at the extremity the first and the s have the at the extremity the have n at the age of or eight years fig on page is an interesting of this part and the caution which cannot be too often repeated not to depend upon a single view of any part practical x ray work hand apart from the of the hand no special the best view is ordinarily obtained with the date on the back of the hand closer to the bones being possible on that aspect injuries to the bones are occasionally difficult to precisely without the assistance of x rays and even call at times for near the joints may thus l a from of fig a of a not previously though of some duration persistent swelling the actual at times the hands may be for evidence of the nature of disease thus as in and oil and as described there the between and may be assisted with the patient on his face the set under and the plate laid over the proper region a view of the may be obtained thus or may be revealed and in seeking the two latter a careful should be made of the whole length of the or made before an opinion of their absence since may give little or no true indication of the region to inspect a side view may also be valuable in any of those conditions but the observer remember the produced by the necessary a disease distance of the plate from the in this position i fig the appearance of a of the exposed by us recently fig represents an evident case of s disease with l but it is in earlier cases with less marked the chief value of x ray examination lies practical x ray work with the patient on his back eat the below as guided by the shadow on the screen that the lies at the centre of the circle made by the the position is in fig which the appearance of a so exposed from which it may he seen that the shadow produced is a somewhat distorted image of the bony in this instance the is useful since it throws the clear of the and allows a to he more readily observed to detect of the the plate x inches should be so placed that the is to it about the of the middle and lower third of the plate s width this is the most useful view for general purposes but may be modified in special cases to procure a view of the to aid the of the method is described later see p for of the brim or many methods have been devised but none of those seem satisfactory the principle of as explained later might be applied with advantage to this problem but we have not so far found opportunity to test this suggestion practically nor have we seen it proposed elsewhere hip let the patient lie on his back with both legs extended unless the nature of the forbid tie the two feet together so as to maintain inward of the this brings the necks thus presenting their greatest length and along with the great brings them closer to the plate in front position if necessary for tie the knees also together and support the feet in a central position by placing some heavy fig of k object against them on either side do not attempt to get a view of both on one plate the of renders the view practical x ray work set the so as to have the circle of the including a view as in fig place the plate as over the front of the joint with its long parallel to the fold of the and put pressure upon it so as to bring the edge which lies on the down nearly to the same plane as the other edge a plate of whole plate size j x inches readily all that is required in a view of a hip joint but for a more view a plate x inches may be used of hip it is important to include in the a clear view of the since the line of its upper border shadow is made an important index in deciding the position of the head and neck of the from fig which represents a normal hip joint it may be seen that the lower border of the neck of the forms a continuous curve with the upper edge of the any of | 28 |
the upper end of the due to or disease will of course disturb the relation so projected in shadow and the jack of of the parts of this curve will indicate the in fig which is from a case of disease of the joint with of bone this may be noted the hip joint being a part of which it is rather difficult to obtain a view with clear this plainly visible index is very useful knee the position of the plate on this joint must be decided according to the information required bearing in mind that the plate should be closely to that aspect of which the most distinct view is desired it is possible to make a with the plate on any aspect of the joint and the most suitable position should be decided from a careful examination by the screen the should be set as a rule opposite the line of the about years fig about hip joint is largely at birth i from the three and about form in the the inferior of the at the and in the crest these unite with the main about the twenty fourth year at birth the head and neck are wholly in the head a centre a i ear in the first year and about the nineteenth year to the neck which from the shaft in the great a centre appeal s in the fourth year and to the shaft about the year in the a centre appears in the year and to the shaft about the year joint so as to send its central ray clear through between the and produce on the a clear separating line in all positions ankle here too we have a choice of position which ought to be decided in a similar way to that for the knee but of the joint the view is obtained in a special position here described practical x ray work place the patient either sitting on of height or kneeling upon hie sound knee on the couch with the knee joint at birth a centre of in the end to the shaft after the twentieth from a single centre which during uie year being complete about the year at birth has a centre in its to the shaft about the second year is formed from a separate centre at birth is s at both ends a centre appears in the head about the fourth year and to the shaft about the twenty fourth year fill position leg to be stretched out in front of him and the heel resting on the level of the couch as in fig place the screen the front of the ankle and from the set under the heel then the position of the foot until on the screen is seen shadow of the with a clear space round op j joint in position fig the three sides of its with the and as seen in fig after setting thus a sensitive plate should be laid as in fig and the exposure made in such a view a of the or either may be readily detected while in addition any foe joint with separation of the and by tearing of the may be observed in a way possible in no other position this part is often made difficult to by the presence of iron in a which we may not wish i o practical x ray work to remove usually the is in the form of an strip the foot piece to the longer part of the the above position is in such a case difficult or impossible without removal of the though in some cases we have managed to the if a view from either side be unsatisfactory the should be loosened from the lower part of the until it is possible to gently push a plate in between the limb and the at birth is at its lower in which a single centre a in the second eh r and to the shaft about the nineteenth year at birth ia also in its a appears in second year and the twenty j ar bones each from one centre the os has in addition an the centre of the os is apparent at birth the centre of the is apparent at birth the centre of the appears about time of birth the centre of the external appears in the first year the e of the appears in the third year the centre of the middle appears in the fourth year the centre of the appears in the fourth or fear the of the ob appears about the tenth year and to the main bone about the sixteenth year the and have each one which be s to from the third to the eighth year ind which to the shaft between the and the twenty first year the four outer have the at the extremity the first and the at the the first may have a in addition and the fifth may have a second in its as in fig then setting the in a suitable position above the limb the exposure may be made in a similar manner an view might be obtained of the foot or of any higher part of the leg without removing the is not much by the aid of unless in the presence of in or the outline of a stomach may be viewed by giving to the patient previously a large dose of a salt of mixed with some food such as bread and milk this powder the walls of the stomach and the outline as a shadow on the screen until decide what dimensions constitute a dilated stomach this absolute is not of much value for where the is so great as to be beyond doubt other symptoms will have already indicated the condition clearly enough or may be by a similar method or | 28 |
the outline is also usually visible but if the other four are not the should not be relied upon fig the mentioned the original only can be relied on for results as appearances on those may be incapable of on prints of the presents great difficulty and results in search for in them are still very uncertain if present towards the higher end of the may be detected in a plate exposed as directed for the the lower parts must be exposed differently in order to clear the shadow as described for the positions mentioned below for the other in the region of the may cause doubt and confusion in a thus along the border of the shadow or in the as well as in the veins or portions of walls may the appearance of to those an may be passed up the and the relation of the suspected shadow noted to that of the views of the part especially with in position assist the and materially a number of interesting of this method are in the british medical journal of june in connection with a most instructive lecture by mr in that he states that the three great features of stone shadows as distinct from the conditions which them are they lie in the line of the their outlines are sharp and their shapes are more or less oval he also to the assistance obtained by filling the with air which makes the space more and the outline of the on the this may be done as he says by merely passing a and the for a joint view of the and lower part of the the patient should be placed on his back and the set below so as to throw its rays upwards in a line about parallel with the of the brim of the so as to clear the bony walls of the thus with the centre of the close to and about an inch beyond the tip of the raise a little that end of the towards the patient s feet as in fig then place a plate x inches over the with its length across its upper edge about the level of the practical x ray work and its lower edge slightly the the upper edge of the plate bo as to its move fig position fur ments with by pressure on it either by manual pressure by weight or by for the alone it is to lay the patient on his face and place the plate under him since by gravity a will then come to lie in se to the plate the same directions as to setting of the and plate to the patient apply here as in the other position and if the patient s own weight be not considered for a band may be passed across his back and fastened to each side of the table so as to exert pressure the form of outline of the shadow obtained will vary with the age and sex of the patient but the endeavour should be to secure as large and as clear a space as possible in the centre representing the of the fig represents the form of shadow usually obtained under average conditions on this part much attention is at the present time by but the limits of in the normal are probably not yet wholly defined indications of being entirely relative considerable experience is required to form a definite opinion on views of this region and wide experience caution in expression of such opinion valuable assistance may however be derived from examination in conditions suspicious of and some other conditions illustrated later to those illustrations are notes descriptive of them but attention must first be directed to normal appearances and to general methods of examination it is important to observe the extent and nature of the movements of the heart and as well as to note the outline and nature of the shadows cast by the contents hence the screen is much employed in examining the and to a practised observer may give more information than a especially concerning the condition of the organs apart from the the appearances on a screen or are similar but are more exactly observed on the permanent record from the thickness of the part there is necessarily a considerable distance between the sensitive plate and some of the parts casting shadows upon it thus the record obtained in a is a considerably distorted view of the parts in question and since the various organs lie at different their relations are somewhat distorted also this is more practical x ray work fully discussed in the chapter on which is a method devised to the mentioned the fact of must always be borne in mind in and it has much influence in causing the uncertainty mentioned at the beginning of this section if a be desired to the heart plainly the plate should be placed in front see fig if it be more particularly desired to view the the plate should be placed behind see fig as to the relative advantages of the erect or prone position of the patient there is much variety of opinion but provided that the are contrasted with the proper normal appearance for the position employed we cannot see that there is much to choose between the views obtained for screen work the patient should certainly be viewed in both positions but for we to the prone position as dictated by reasons of convenience the screen should be placed in succession in front behind to the left side and in what is known as the right position the being set in each case accordingly of the last a special description is given later see fig on p w in or of the especially for examination of conditions too hard a must not l e or of the finer details of structure on which here largely ends | 28 |
may be lost by these finer details can certainly be more observed on a since the effect the eye to detect appearances which it iu y quite to discern on the screen in fig is a of an ordinary which may well be taken a an normal the plate having placed in f and the x n behind this is see to consist of a light ai e corresponding lo vm side s by a dark shadow shadow is c by the v v r n the st a vl the with ihe great to it h the ri border is i oe o a o its g middle it is made up from above downwards by the the superior and under the angle the ht the shadow of which that of the or liver it ib a general and useful to consider that this right border should not under normal conditions be at any point more than inch from the line of the right border of the the left border is in its upper part which is either straight or with a slight and l i from its occasional this part is spoken of as the left and is more viewed with the screen placed behind this is followed by a more marked formed by the left and part of the right sloping slightly this second more or less abruptly a larger which lies and is formed by the left this in turn the shadow of the left and liver see also fig on p i shadow are usually seen certain taint more pronounced on the right side which are plate i practical x ray work probably due to folds of at the of that structure with the other the appearance to the larger vessels and at present the point is not settled but the appearance must be known and noted as normal or it may be mistaken for an indication of change the shadow is more fully discussed in dealing with of conditions of the heart and great vessels p and its more exact observation is described in the following chapter on at each of the shadow with that of the may be seen on deep inspiration a space called the space this is best seen on the screen being by movements during exposure for a and in occasional cases it may extend right across between heart and in examination of the corresponding to on either side the screen is of prime importance the arched shadow forming the lower limit of the is usually spoken of as the shadow though really produced mainly by the liver it is a little higher on the right side than on the left and is seen to move up and down with a like movement with under normal conditions the excursions are equal on the two sides in quiet and measure about i to j inch in forced the left side to slightly greater movement than the right but where is noted in ordinary the condition is thus when one side is affected by there is practically in all cases a perceptible of the excursion on that side and the movement may further be and interrupted or this of excursion of the on the affected side is a very early sign of and we have been able more than once from its presence to affection of a while physical signs still left it in doubt or even seemed to the other points in of are referred to later to note the lesser degrees of difference in movement of the two sides the limits of excursion should be marked on a piece i of glass or paper laid on the screen while that is held steadily in position the degrees of excursion aa measured by the distance the marks on either side can then be compared and drawn i a instruct during deep inspiration the lungs are seen to become more the effect being due to the greater amount of contained air and to the lessened amount of blood in the while being viewed with the screen the patient should be instructed to breathe somewhat deeply in inspiration practical x ray work a may be noted in one or both suggestive of deposit but on deeper inspiration this may clear up proving the to have been due merely to lack of for observation of the the position of screen or sensitive plate is the may here a shadow over part of the clear area but they may be by extending the arms above the head when a view as represented in fig will be obtained the position and movements of the ribs should also be noticed and compared on the two sides movement is suggestive of mischief on that side as also is position the latter point being illustrated and referred to later in all much depends upon comparison of the two sides of the hence care must be exercised to see that the two sides are equally illuminated and that by a just hard enough to the screen further points may be more conveniently from a though most of them are also on a screen illuminated these points are indicated in the notes of reference to the subsequent series of illustrations of various conditions commonly met with before considering the actual illustrations we suggest the relations of the appearances found to the conditions producing them in the following brief table this makes no pretence to be but it is intended to be suggestive and the reader can readily it from his experience especially at i of s i p se i as increase of t i or j a r i i with shadow of this is in the notes to the following plates various conditions it will be readily understood that any of the or presence of in the must alter the appearance of the part affected as viewed by x rays acute | 28 |
without causes no alteration in appearance but the excursion of the will probably be hence the importance of the use of the screen in all is borne out will cast a shadow by contrast with the unaffected parts though not so dense as when is present the absence of any of the heart may assist the latter excursion of the may be affected in contrast with of the which may cast a similar shadow a case of alone no change in breadth of the affected side no change in position of the ribs known as roof tile and no of into the produces changes in appearance not readily missed or mistaken a shadow is cast more or less dense according to the amount of present and also according to the nature of the thus casts a shadow than of the same amount but the comparison is somewhat indefinite with or without the additional presence of air the shadow in intensity from below upwards and its upper margin is ill defined especially if the above be compressed or in which latter case no may be possible with no such condition of the the upper limit of the as seen in the shadow is usually due doubtless to the action of the being less according to the amount of present normal above this line appears very clear by contrast of the heart is usually well seen this being to the opposite side to the in contrast to a case of solid in which would be towards the same side a practical x ray work further sign between the two conditions may be found if the patient s position be altered from to when if such be present the level will be seen to alter this is very marked if any air be present above the probably the most definite evidence of the presence of is obtained by noting the le at the outer end of the where it the chest wall this is not occupied by unless on very deep inspiration hence can never it but will early flow into it and produce a marked change in the appearance between and x ray examination does not make exact easy since the difference in shadow is wholly one of degree will present an appearance strongly with since here the affected side will be unless for the small area towards the middle line occupied by the contracted absence of movements of the chest wall will be marked as also will of the heart to the opposite side the appearances of the two conditions just described the upper level of the dense shadow cast by the is sharply defined and is in contrast with the margin noted in if the patient s position be ed this upper limit is seen to maintain its position distinctly and if the patient be shaken movements like may be evident on the surface of the casts a x with the stage of the the of shadow will with the de of and it is to note that normal is not r by tbe till ome time aft r n e is es points of n affections ha e been already noted in of central where may fail to detect early x ray examination ia we have not had opportunity to examine many such but our observations bear out the suggestion made by another observer that all are really central in their origin from the root of the towards the more superficial parts in which ordinary physical examination may more readily determine their produces appearances directly opposite to just as it produces opposite physical signs the affected are rendered more and more extensive as seen in fig while interposed objects such as the ribs and heart have their shadows very sharply defined the ribs are seen to assume a more or less position and to have little movement even on deep inspiration the on the affected side ia downwards and has its ordinary movement the heart too ia downwards and a more position hung as it were by the vessels attached to its base conditions such as patches are i of detection by owing to em practical x ray work but in x ray examination their detection is made easier by the increased contrast of that condition great opportunity for the who experience with his for evidence of early conditions x ray examination is undoubtedly the most useful method yet known but it cannot be relied upon apart from a knowledge of other conditions present or possible in each case certain other conditions may closely some of the appearances about to be described as evidence of though seldom will the combined appearances ascribed to that be produced by any other condition recent or and with are examples of possible but the history and accompanying signs should enable a careful to steer clear of them such history and signs must however always be taken note of and if any doubt exists a second examination should be made after an interval of some days or weeks before a definite opinion is expressed in an advanced case such as is in fig one s attention might be arrested by the evident change in form of the chest apart from dimensions this is by the change in position of the ribs which assume an appearance of each other hence termed roof tile this is however a late change and usually where present the case will have been already by other means the appearance of or in the and clear is very characteristic and in amount and intensity according to the extent of disease present this is produced by portions of the patches casting the most dense patches less dense and grey and yellow still less dense but quite definite shadows before physical signs are evident patches may be detected by this and almost invariably when a case is referred to us with suspicion of in one n e discover this evidence | 28 |
in the other as well though by physical that may be quite where there is accompanying the physical signs of such condition and causing to fail absolutely in its detection an x ray examination is i useful since the appearances described above are rendered more distinct by contrast with the clearer of as mentioned earlier the appearances should j be checked on the screen by causing the patient to ra spire deeply since a partial and suspicious may be entirely cleared up and possibility of error in if one or both refuse so to clear up strong is furnished of a condition the stage of which must be judged from the presence and extent of accompanying conditions movement of the shadow is probably the valuable and most interesting observation to make to a regarding presence of disease of lungs from the nature of the sign it can only be i practical x ray work observed on the screen and it should be so observed and measured with the screen on the and aspect in turn this movement may be seen to be affected even before the described above is observed and certainly before physical signs indicate a condition to speak of a pre period as a french observer did in discussing the point at the on in is to put an strain on but in many cases the which this sign enabled us to make has seemed to the physician more prophetic than actual in practically all of the cases however in which we expressed a positive opinion the after progress confirmed the in the normal the movement on each side is similar in nature and degree on the side affected with however the movement as described on p is and may be interrupted or in character this may amount almost to of that side of the but it is on the less marked degrees of we depend for early these may be detected by measuring as described in the section above referred to p and this should never be neglected in cases offering the least suggestion or suspicion of if the disease process be checked by treatment this of movement will be seen to become less as proceeds and progress may be so with some degree of accuracy the position and form of the heart is described by some as typical in cases of but variations are too common we think to admit of a type the shadow is doubtless in the majority of cases smaller and more than usual but how much of this change in size is due to is not defined a small sized heart is said to to whilst a large heart a more hopeful this is an interesting point but one requiring considerable before statements can be accepted upon it in the are usually clearly by x rays if air filled they present a clear area surrounded by a dark ring of shadow produced by surrounding if filled with the shadow is dark throughout and detection of the less certain of the has been referred to in the of etc in preceding sections the affected part casts a dense shadow generally uniform in character there will be of the chest wall with roof tile appearance of the ribs and the heart shadow will be seen towards the affected side will its presence by a dark shadow more or less and its for subsequent operation will be greatly and assured by an x ray examination in the casts a dense shadow in contrast to the with from its centre accompanying this main shadow there will probably be other appearances produced by accompanying conditions such as and of the latter may though the nature of the shadow is usually such as to define the difference in such cases the must be viewed and in the right position which is explained in of as described in the following section the heart and great vessels are projected in the shadow seen in all views of the for description of this shadow we refer the reader back to p and for its normal appearance to fig the accompanying fig its form and the producing it the outline is most distinct on deep inspiration due to the stronger contrast of the expanded concerning the heart itself much may be learned directly and indirectly by noting changes in position form and relative dimensions of the shadow of the organ may thus be and practical x ray work possibly ascribed to one or other of its though with some to in such between and as we have seen done at least in print seems to us like making a laughing stock of the subject arch and descending ind right shadow have been discussed relative to their conditions in the preceding sections and can certainly be more accurately estimated in most cases by x ray examination than by for of dimensions we must have recourse to as described m the following chapter if accompanied by will be by marked q in the area of the shadow which a rounded appearance in contrast to the typical form described the extent of this will of course depend upon the of present in the the space will here he and the seen at the left border will be diminished or i fig represents the form of the shadow i in with a moderate amount of produces a characteristic form of the i shadow due doubtless to the of the right practical x ray work side added to that of the the form of the as seen from sketch fig ill that of i and is so described the form of the shadow more towards its upper part as in fig this must be distinguished from the appearance of as described in the following section for this j it is always advisable to view the in the right position hereafter referred to as a general rule the alteration produced by a is regular and | 28 |
distinct than that produced by an can usually be detected in alteration of the shadow as a to one or both sides of its upper part about the level as the left the shadow is usually bounded by a well defined rounded border which may or may not show that the i emphasis put on this latter sign as of is a is borne out by x ray for in many i cases no special is seen no reliance then need be placed on this sign the heart shadow so frequently a more position with downwards that the appearance has come to be quite definitely suggestive of specially in of the ascending arch does this seem to be marked in fig which represents an of the ascending arch the alteration in position of the heart is well marked when the shadow is chiefly to the right side and fairly low down we may of the ascending when the shadow is higher up and on i both sides we may it to the arch as in fig and when lower down to the left side i it to the descending part of the arch this i indication is mainly relative but usually distinct e practical quite recently we secured two interesting i in and from the appearance of fig we an practical x ray work of the arch of the this accepted hy the hospital physician although he assured that the condition had given rise to no j whatever leaving him quite puzzled as to its real at a of a society he expressed i his hearty appreciation of the valuable assistance rendered by in such a case fig i from the same patient we obtained the unique in fig there may be seen distinct shadows of the i and made by an excessive of their walls this was obtained by use of a very soft we have not seen reported any previous instance of being distinctly in a of a living subject the shadow seen in the or position of screen or is a much exaggerated and distorted view of the and the degree of will depend on the situation of the swelling in the hence comparison of size is made very difficult for this reason the as described in the following chapter is of great value in the true of the as recorded by its shadow and for noting its progress more useful still however is the right position of exposure first described by about which serves to from other conditions causing similar forms of shadow the right position a method of the whereby the of the shadow seen in or views are separated up to some extent by placing the x ray to the left of the column behind and about the level of the sixth rays may be passed between the fronts of the and the descending so as to on a screen placed to the right of the mid line in front a narrow clear space bounded by two parallel shadows in this position the shadow of the descending will be on that of the ascending arch lower into that of the heart fig accompanying this this arrangement and explains better than words the result the usual directions given are to place the and screen in a line making angles of with the of the body but this seems to us as will be seen from the the body section of which is traced from s the position required is more nearly in a line making an angle of with the and this will be found in practice to be more nearly the correct angle for a clear view unfortunately a taken in this position is somewhat indistinct and difficult to in printed illustration o practical x ray work bo we prefer to base our on the appearance in the lower part o our sketch fig this is as projected on a screen placed in front of the which is above in section through the eighth to either side are clear corresponding to and there is a narrow clear area bounded on one side by a parallel sided shadow of the column and on the other side by a shadow roughly in form produced by the parts of the arch and lower down by the heart the upper end of this shadow is rounded and has parallel sides for some distance from the top till it into the shadow ending on that of the this normal form is indicated by the heavy line continuous with the outline in the figure it is to the rounded upper end of this shadow band that attention should be paid even a very small swelling anywhere on the arch produces a notable change in this causing the end to become club shaped as by the thinner line surrounding an area in the figure the size of the club head shadow will depend on the size of the a larger size being in broken line which reaches partly across the clear left area and also on the shadow only one form of can fail to reveal itself in this shadow and that a rare one namely one forming on the bottom side of the arch and projecting downwards between the ascending and descending arches from a g dilated this view will also serve to an for the former condition will produce a shadow band of greater width but still with parallel sides as by area of lighter in fig such a condition would nevertheless produce a marked in the region of the shadow and might be very hence the value of this additional position may be understood slight in the shadow band may be produced by other conditions than but in no other condition is the marked due to if the be situated low down on the ascending arch o practical x ray work of the the rounded club head may be situated lower down | 28 |
on the band and tail off towards the top end fig after the appearances of shadows of certain conditions with those of the same conditions viewed in this position and how possible errors from the former view may be avoided by with it the latter the figure is self generally dilated not right fig sketch of shadows as in and right positions of screen a left position of the screen may be adopted with advantage for observing the while or are passed along it to detect or other condition this position is adapted from the foregoing one by the and screen for each other ix in examination of the to determine the presence of or a few other conditions the indication of which depends upon noticeable change in the shadow already described a more exact record is desirable than that obtained by ordinary in earlier chapters it has been pointed out that the shadow cast upon a screen or the image impressed upon a sensitive plate is not a index of the dimensions of the object interposed between the x ray and the screen or plate due to the character of the proceeding from the we obtain a view of the object the degree of depending upon the distance of the object from the and from the screen or plate as seen in pig where a b and c d are of equal length the is greater as the object is nearer to the the for that reason should always be at some distance from the object see also note on on p but as explained in the section on the intensity of and consequently its effects as the square of the distance thus the distance between and object is limited and a distance of compromise is fixed upon as explained in the section referred to where the part exposed is such that the screen or plate can be placed close to the object casting the shadow this of may be practically ignored as in of the bones of a limb and as at s s in fig but io practical x ray work where the screen or plate can only be placed in position at some considerable distance from the object which the then as at s s in fig the demands attention or may lead to difficulty and confusion in interpretation of the of form and of relative position of objects is also produced by the same fact of where different points of the same object or of adjoining objects are not from the point of origin of the rays such is the condition of affairs in the and the shadow is thus a and distorted image of the objects producing it thus a heart correctly i h fig sketch central defined by as lying behind the fifth space when viewed by a set behind the central point of the may have its shadow appear as in the eighth or ninth space description of method is a recent method whereby this element of and is and a record obtained of the true dimensions in one plane of objects exposed the principle is that of using only the central ray or bundle of parallel rays which proceeds from the in a line perpendicular to the desired plane by movement of the this normal incident ray is made to follow the outline of the object exposed so as to cast on the screen a shadow of each point then a tracing of this path of movement of the gives the desired record this will be understood more readily from a description of the actual process several special arrangements of apparatus more or less complicated have been designed for the purpose of this am u i i l z r s i i n w sh fig method but the principle is alike in all and the variations are solely in mechanical design for convenience of working we will therefore confine our description to the we have made of the x ray table already described on p there we described a side link which we here in fig by which the screen supported on the upper frame of the table may be moved practical x ray work with the x ray below thus if the point of of the normal incident ray on the screen be marked the shadow may readily be traced out on the back of the screen are stretched two fine wires joining the middle points of opposite sides and crossing at the centre of the screen close above the are stretched two similar wires crossing opposite the central point of the exactly beneath which the point or rather area of the should be set with all properly the respective shadows on the screen of the two sets of cross wires will but to attain this usually requires special for before use for set the screen in the centre of the space of the top of the frame being fitted between this position relative to the length of the table is fixed while the centre is marked on the scale printed on one of the bars set the box also in the middle of its path and up the screw that the screen to the upper arm of the side link the lower being already fixed to the box then close the to its smallest or nearly so and send a small current through the to the screen note on the screen the relative position of the shadow of the lower cross wires to the more sharply defined shadow of the wires close to the screen and the in its till the points of crossing this sometimes a little trouble but with practice need not take very long and one setting if undisturbed will of course serve for all subsequent work if desired for clearness the lower wires may be carried on | 28 |
a small frame fitting into so that it may be removed after setting is completed with an object now interposed between the and screen and the point of crossing of the wires set opposite any point of the outline of the shadow it will be seen that this point on the screen is the perpendicular on the plane of the screen of the corresponding point of the object this is illustrated in fig and from that it will readily be seen that the distance a b will correctly indicate the of the object from a to b in the plane if a series of points of any object be thus projected and the points of be and joined up a of the object relative to the plane of the screen will be obtained and exact may be made from s fig sketch parallel it it is better to proceed by marking a series of points and then joining those up than to attempt to trace a outline in one process to register those points the usual method adopted is to travel the point of of the central ray as indicated by the crossing of the wires described above or by some other suitable contrivance around the shadow outline and let its path be traced or points marked by some means on a paper fixed parallel to the plane of the screen this usually demands special apparatus but we have achieved the same end by practical x ray work all addition to the usual a method requiring only a table described to the box under the table we have fixed at point a with a point at its lower end this is connected by a rubber to a by which in the hand the is downwards to strike a flat board laid on the floor a rubber band or spring the to its former position if on fig the board be laid a piece of white paper covered by a piece of paper each descent of the is marked by a spot on the white paper and the position of the box is thus this arrangement is in fig suppose a patient on the table ready for examination and the as directed set the crossing of the wires about the centre of the area of which it is desired to trace the outline place the board having papers fastened to it to receive the record so that its centre is opposite the marking point and all is ready for a start set the shadow of the wire crossing to a definite point of the shadow outline in the usual shadow such a point is one of the angles at the of heart and and make a mark by the then move the crossing to a point farther along that side of the shadow set it exactly on the edge of the shadow and make another mark as in proceed from the clearer area towards the edge of the shadow so proceed round the shadow the distance between points marked according to the regularity of the connecting outline so that by joining up the marks a fairly accurate representation will be obtained of the outline traced a few ribs should also be as along with the of the and process to the middle line by this means we have traced outlines of objects and measured them to the sixteenth part of an inch while the heart can be thus more accurately measured than by or in the post condition for certain purposes it may be desirable to secure such a record with the patient in the erect posture and this can also be readily done if the principle of the process be grasped there will be no difficulty in how the same may be applied in an upright position the whole difference is a question of mechanical arrangement so we need not enter upon it here our arrangement here described for the outline of the heart and contents has been on the ground that it is not accurate we admit that it is not accurate to a hair s breadth of but it is in all respects correct when the organs are set in each person then we will withdraw our method and bow to the of the instrument maker but not till then we thoroughly appreciate the necessity for precision in all observations but we fail to see the service of in of a an outline which we know may vary by several due to other causes quite beyond our control thus even if a patient be made thoroughly we cannot control or his or movements practical x ray work full inspiration full complete complete are not points reached under the most favourable circumstances nor can any observer be depended upon to record the of each limit of movement with even the comparative accuracy of the natural process hence it seems to us decidedly foolish to a method which from its simplicity is universally while its accuracy is more than for the relative on which alone a common sense will be based where cost is of no consideration and where part of the purpose of an is to impress the there may be admitted for an elaborate apparatus but where straightforward and work is the sole object then we are convinced from a full experience of it that the method we have described is in all respects the more elaborate designs may be more convenient for use since they are separate and independent from the arrangements for ordinary but that in no wise the question of of results apart from that question the method we have adopted serves well to illustrate the principle of and that is the main purpose of its description here of method by means of this method an exact record may be obtained of the form and movements of the thus the position of the ribs and of the may be at completion of | 28 |
inspiration and in various types of breathing the excursion of the two sides of the from such record may be accurately compared and may be drawn from that and other as described in the preceding chapter p the true form of the shadow is also obtained the normal appearance of which is represented as so traced in fig the general form and the producing it correspond to those described for a normal on p the latter are marked on the figure opposite through such an outline when obtained as described in s preceding the mid line of the body should be drawn and to that should be drawn on either side from the two most distant points of the outline these are termed the right and left distance and together measure the of the heart other lines are suggested to measure the of the organ and to indicate its inclination to the of the body but for practical purposes the two in fig are all we deem desirable and superior right right distance arch and descending left and right left left distance fig sketch of shadow of heart this is in most cases less than the greatest of the heart since the plane of that does not lie parallel to the in which the screen is placed but absolute is not really the aimed at so long as we obtain records relative to one plane and therefore with each other the method fully in normal hearts or hearts with right sided the greatest is always in the same plane with much of the left side the heart may be and the plane altered somewhat but ere that occurs the will be unmistakable though the tracing may record it as absolutely less than it actually is hence the records obtained in all cases may be relied upon to indicate dimensions i practical x ray work as to the position of the patient during examination erect or there is some discussion in the erect posture the heart and there being probably also an actual in volume as compared with the posture thus records in either position must not be compared or confounded with records in the other and note should be made on each record of the position of the patient during its production between the two positions there is no very strong reason for preference the erect posture is somewhat to maintain steadily for if the patient be seated there is some of movement and if he stand he must be by which also may movements hence for of parts and convenience of working the posture is the slightly greater volume of the heart in that position also causes us to favour it and we have made practically all our in that posture against it is quoted a slight in of the lungs making the shadow outline less distinct but this is not a serious affects the form of the outline somewhat inspiration causing a slight similar to the effect of the erect posture the clearer area in that phase renders the outline more defined and more easily marked hence the record may be made while the patient holds successive deep otherwise the middle phase of is usually chosen as a safe average as to the heart itself so little change is produced in the outline by the that there seems no necessity to insist on a special period for marking each point that would indeed in many cases be quite and always difficult because of the longer duration of probably most records are made in that phase and this should be aimed at if any be taken of the point of actual dimensions few tables have yet been published and those few considerable range of in the normal the average of the heart taken in the posture as varying from cm to cm about f to j inches gives the average width as cm for women and cm for men about j and f inches the outline will characteristic changes due to or other condition of its these changes will correspond more or less closely to those already described in of the various conditions we need not them here as this method does not aid in their though giving a more exact record of the form of their shadows as a means of noting the progress of any of the shadow is of great service and as we gain greater experience of its use and records it will probably prove of still greater value as a method of precision it seems to us possible that the method might be applied to determine but we do not know of it having yet been so tried a recent development in x ray practice promises in a more direct though less exact manner to much of the objection quoted in the opening of this chapter as being met by by the use of a current of very high intensity with an x ray suitable for such current it is found possible to produce of the with the set at a considerable distance from the sensitive plate usually inches or thus the and referred to on p is and a fairly exact record of the contents the time of exposure is one second or less with such an arrangement no presently made could bear the current longer this of exposure further to clearness of practical x ray work outline the effect of movement being practically removed in this country and in america much work is presently being done towards making this process more practicable and in a short time we hope to see methods devised such as to our objections stated earlier on p at the meetings of the british medical association at an interesting discussion on this took place and the present position may be well from the report of those meetings in the british medical journal for september an interesting article on the application of this method | 28 |
to the study of and movements appears in the of the ray for october and there are two remarkable from of only one half second chapter x so far in this work we could dare to be for experience has to a large extent built up rules and differences of opinion amongst workers affect usually but questions of detail but when we essay to write of the effects of x rays we are on less sure ground much has been written on the subject and much has been claimed wisely and it is the misfortune of all new methods in to be at first beyond and in the natural of opinion a method may lose even that degree of credit it deserves x ray treatment is threatened with that fate partly because of the reason stated and partly because its nature has tempted many to apply it who are totally to observe or its effects on or processes or from this latter source of danger a number of accidents have done much to rescue it on the other hand we trust a scientific moderation on the part of its will gradually enable x ray application to be confidently established as a valuable part of our there are many conditions which are undoubtedly by x ray treatment some of those conditions receive from such treatment so much more or much more rapid benefit than from any other known treatment that x ray application is adopted by choice certain other conditions are by x rays but results obtained are in no marked degree practical x ray work superior to those obtained from other recognised treatment hence the choice of treatment in such cases is indicated by secondary circumstances other conditions may derive benefit from x rays but under ordinary circumstances are more to other treatment hence in these conditions x rays are only employed where special circumstances render other treatment or into the third class fall many of the long list of conditions too often quoted as having received benefit from application of x rays knowledge of and comparison with the results obtained from other methods of treatment would those conditions from the special ground claimed by the who in common with other is too apt to consider all fish that comes to his net otherwise the general disappointed in the comparative results of a few such undertaken may be excused when he makes a condemnation of the agent employed even though he base his opinion on insufficient evidence apart from such conditions however there is a large and very important field in which x ray treatment so far holds first place the general or special effect of x rays on or or on the system is not yet decided or explained in any satisfactory way despite much valuable work on the subject in a general way they may be said to set up a reaction in the exposed akin to that as this effect on the skin where it is most marked is discussed later p and is remarkable for its of appearance and the action may go on to the destruction of normal as described later under p but may be controlled by of the exposure short of such destruction of large may produce p and of other skin towards and there would seem to be almost a action this is what we find however in ordinary and probably the x rays act merely as a suitable to that process some direct action to the rays since disappear ance of has been noted without any apparent reaction but on this point further observation seems necessary whether x rays have any direct effect on in the is another unsettled question but unless in very superficial affections we can hardly suppose them to have direct destructive action and probably their effect is and due to observations of the during x ray treatment of some affections should prove highly interesting and instructive and might also serve as a useful guide in the of treatment but so far we are not aware of any such observations having been recorded the action of x rays in pain is indefinite but none the less remarkable in some cases astonishing especially is it valuable in irritation such as direct action on the nerve is ascribed to the rays by some but here also the results hardly justify the claim thus the effect is most notable in affections which to the conclusion that the action is due to produced without disturbance of the affected under the of various disease processes further remarks will be found on the action of x rays on the and morbid for which we would refer the reader to subsequent before discussing the conditions in which x rays may be applied we consider some details of the method and of their application it is especially to this aspect of the problem we devote our attention throughout this book since we that in most other respects the x ray must build up his own experience no rule can be laid down to but in all cases the treatment must be indicated by the result desired and regulated according to the effects produced in this latter relation we wish to direct particular attention to an observed fact of which little if any mention has so far been made in text books but which fact it is practical x ray work essentially important to bear in mind when considering the of x ray treatment for any special case the observation is that in treatment of all or malignant or of other conditions which benefit from x ray application much better results are obtained when the process is in a state or stage at times indeed such a process when acute seems to be encouraged rather than checked by x ray exposure and it is probably always better to from x ray treatment of an acute process the effect of any x ray exposure will depend | 28 |
upon four quality of the x ray strength of current employed distance between and part exposed and duration of exposure the influence of is explained below the effect will vary directly as and and as those points having been explained in the chapter on a fairly soft with equivalent spark of about inches should be chosen where effect is desired on the surface as is usually the case to affect or other deeper a harder should be used up to inches it must be remembered when treating skin conditions that the softer the is the more intense will be its action on the superficial where a falls below a inch spark it is safer not to use it for purposes or only for very short since with such a a slightly prolonged exposure might produce effects in the way of an x ray burn as described later th of current is directly under our control to some extent and should be regulated according to the hardness of the employed since that the amount of secondary current actually passing in the circuit it is a good plan to fix on a medium strength for that current and to the current supplied to the so that the secondary is kept at that strength as measured by a in the circuit thus the in hardness of different or of the same from time to time will be to some extent we have no definite assurance that from of different degrees of hardness will even when thus regulated have equal effect the probability is that this is not so hence it is well to work always with a of about the same hardness if comparison of results is to be relied upon more exact observations on the point however the plan mentioned supplies us with a safe standard for regular work always of course controlled by careful observation of effects a convenient distance should be fixed upon for ordinary work and all made at that distance that most commonly fixed upon and observed by us is a distance of inches or from the of the to the area exposed when a special treatment stand and shield is employed this distance is regulated usually by shaped distance pieces placed against the part and these serve the further purpose of directing the rays see p in exceptional cases where a very effect is desired from the exposure the distance may be increased and other varied duration of exposure is of course wholly under our control and is by many spoken of as equivalent to with the other above mentioned remaining constant this is essentially true but it must never be forgotten that those are in practice constantly varying we purposely placed consideration of those other before this so as to impress the point for in of this we must make allowance for the in the others under normal conditions it is our custom approved by experience to use a of about inch equivalent spark gap to set that at a distance of inches from the part to pass through it a current of and to make such an exposure for five minutes twice weekly this we recommend as a standard to be followed and from which if necessary under varying conditions may be reckoned the duration of exposure or rather the must be varied according to the effect desired we may take it that for most purposes it is desired to set up in the a steady reaction sufficient to resist and arrest the process in evidence but not sufficient to affect practical x ray work the normal some valuable work has been done recently and is being continued to enable us to x ray from the effects noted on the general of the patient thus notes a in the of bodies as the sign of effect of x ray in on similar lines and reported in the american journal of medical science for march describe the nature of a general reaction sometimes following x ray exposure in such cases there seem to be certain and if by reason of deficient through the usual channels those are retained in the system serious ill effects may follow as already mentioned observations might prove very useful in the period and of so far however none of those methods have led to practical results and our is largely guided by experience and observation of the effect on superficial where those only are affected this observation is usually a sufficient guide but the and continued effect of each exposure should in all cases be carefully watched after a short interval varying in different individuals from a few hours to two days each application after the first two or three is followed by more or less of the part exposed and possibly of surrounding parts this effect should have disappeared before the next application is made unless for any special reason it is desired to push the treatment where it is seen to persist it is in general better to further application for a few days and to future if along with this persistent or there should at any time appear of the part or surrounding treatment must be stopped for at least a month and a look out kept meanwhile for a possible or x ray burn this unfortunate effect is rarely met with in work carefully by a competent but the scare set up by its occasional occurrence in other hands has served a good turn in operations by and persons in certain cases a effect is desired at one sitting this is practically confined to cases requiring for their effective treatment and will be discussed when such cases are considered in a later part of this chapter see p set up by x rays may be acute or in its and course the acute affection is practically confined to submitted to one exposure prolonged since its possibility by effect may and should be checked by ordinary | 28 |
care in as noted above all single of a series should be kept well within the margin of safety by of the various mentioned and when a effect is desired from a single exposure that should further be checked directly by the and visible effect on a as described later an prolonged screen examination may expose the patient to a similar danger or repeated of any part as mentioned on p to observe proper precautions one must of course know the condition and quality of the apparatus with which he is the importance of this was borne in upon one of the writers by a which him from use of a hired apparatus some time after exposure of a patient for fifteen minutes at a distance of inches from a to which but a moderate current was supplied he was surprised to find a form at the part exposed on subsequently the which had been supplied as of medium hardness he found an explanation in the fact that it had an equivalent spark gap of only inch but the test unfortunately was at the wrong end of the programme after such an excessive exposure nothing may be noticeable for ten days or more then become evident varying from severe but temporary to formation of and persistent and most much is to be said for the opinion that x ray burns are caused by rays in the from the since there is striking between the degrees of such and thus in each is often marked clothing seems to provide efficient practical x ray work protection and there is evidence of personal although states that the of may be neglected in x ray work but discussion of this would lead us beyond our present purpose no specially successful treatment has been suggested for those effects and some severe cases seem to all treatment but ordinary cases recover though slowly if treated on general lines with soothing and is usually seen in x ray workers on parts subjected to frequent though weak precautions advisable for of this have been already discussed on p earliest evidence of the condition is usually seen at the of the finger nails which in screen are the most exposed part of the body here and of the skin appears with some feeling of irritation and gradually the white at the roots of the nails disappear in the absence of precautions all degrees of may be produced by repeated this being proved in a most unfortunate manner on the persons of some early who were then unaware of the danger but with due care further effects than those mentioned above ought to be readily prevented protection of the body generally and of the especially should also be remembered in the section on apparatus at p is described a special stand with shield for protection of the and surrounding parts of the patient during for purposes for further description of x ray we refer the reader to articles by dr hall in the british medical journal for october and that of september as also in the x ray number of the published in conditions suitable for x ray treatment in conditions in which x ray treatment may be as useful and we have carefully compared the results possible from such treatment with those obtained by other methods as known to us from experience of general practice we trust that thus we may avoid the of enthusiasm into which a too rigid is apt to lead in each case our estimate is based on practical experience of our own work and that of others and in no case do we express approval where experience us to doubt is the affection in which the best results have been noted from application of x rays and these results are such as to render this treatment to all others it is true that many cases respond to other measures such as and use of accompanied by general treatment but a large number of cases resist such treatment whereas under the influence of x rays practically every case may be confidently expected to benefit and most to be completely cured as compared with treatment by the lamp the of time and expense render x ray treatment vastly superior with a lamp only very small can be exposed at a time and of one hour s duration are necessary on occasions possibly over a hundred the apparatus too is very expensive to and to operate so that on the whole we must deem the treatment quite though in so saying we nothing from the admirable work of the heroic man by whom it was in the type treatment is more but for the and forms x rays should be used to x rays large may be exposed and treated at each sitting which need last only for five minutes twice weekly and marked benefit and probably cure may be looked for after a few months of such treatment in treating an area of it is well to include a fair margin of surrounding in the exposure in certain cases small spots remain in an area so treated and on pressing a slide over such the typical apple like appearance may be noted such spots of disease may be dealt with by exposure to a lamp which should clear them up after a few this the further exposure of the larger area already healed but the measure is seldom called for practical x ray work fear has been expressed by a few workers that x ray application to has in some cases produced an condition but this condition has been noted as on without application of x rays and in the absence of evidence indicating an increase in the of this secondary condition in cases so treated we cannot think that the fear is justified and are also by x ray treatment and this should always be tried before resort is had to operation in the | 28 |
neck are influenced and the result is of course in of a bone disease may receive marked benefit by x ray exposure but conditions affecting the are probably little affected if at all by such treatment though reports of isolated cases claim benefit from it in results are not so uniformly good therefore the treatment should in such cases be used with caution using this term in the and most sense we may say that where the process is superficial the effect of x ray exposure is very marked and cure follows in most of such cases where the process is deep seated we fear that would dismiss most of the so called by x rays though as will be pointed out shortly we believe that x ray treatment is of service in malignant cases beyond the possibility of operation usually after a comparatively brief treatment ten to twelve x ray of five minutes each for the a smooth is influenced in a similar fashion though results are not quite so uniformly successful et s disease if by of the and may be cured by exposure to x rays but we should hesitate to undertake a treatment unless operation were refused or impossible for deep seated x rays cannot be pronounced a cure and in our opinion operation should never be refused nor delayed for such treatment where however operation may be refused by the patient or where for some reason radical operation is impossible x ray treatment should certainly be applied the distressing symptoms of such cases are relieved by occasional so marked indeed is the apparent benefit that one is often tempted to believe that a cure is being effected the pain the in size may heal up and loss of weight may even be temporarily averted the patient s life is probably prolonged and is certainly made more comfortable while the hope which the relief raises in his mind is good in itself though it should not be encouraged after a time of such apparent benefit the end usually comes suddenly but surely this is better than the long drawn out agony so often observed x ray treatment seems to arrest such a process partially but it looks as if something else were required to complete the cure and for that it seems we must search elsewhere possibly on the other hand the apparent local benefit by way of or of the is accompanied by of which eventually result in death for such treatment of deeply seated a hard should be used and the skin protected by some material such as a piece of leather some workers use so called of heavy material and give long but through some of the materials employed we question if any considerable amount of can reach the patient and a thin of felt or leather is sufficient is an effect of x rays on which we may rely and upon this effect depends its value in certain diseases practical x ray work of the or other hairy parts for removal of superfluous hairs so called the treatment is not recommended since in most cases hair grows again on the area unless indeed has been produced when an ugly will probably result repeated will ultimately induce permanent but the risks of or indicate this method of treatment or ring worm mainly in connection with this obstinate disease have the conditions of been studied thus it is fitting that under this special heading we should describe the process although it is equally for any other condition demanding a effect is here desired with one exposure and to measure the correct duration of that under prevailing conditions of and current a s is simultaneously exposed to the rays the principle of this is described on p and will be dealt with later in this description of the operation only the area affected should be exposed to the action of the rays and the rest of the head must be protected by suitable means the details of which will depend upon the form and extent of the area affected thus the head may be covered by a of sheet lead or other material to the rays in which holes are cut opposite to each part to be exposed a better arrangement is that illustrated in fig and described on p a of appropriate size being fixed in the shield there gives the correct distance for exposure as well the area exposed must be large enough to include a fair margin of apparently healthy but possibly surface where the whole head is affected exposure is best made in three at one sitting this may be done by cutting from a sheet of lead a with a central angle of mould the remainder over of the head and change its position between each exposure so as to expose in turn three the total preliminary preparation being completed as found suitable for the case set the by a fixed with its at a distance of inches or from the head to check the exposure a s must be exposed to the free action of the rays at a point between the of the and the area exposed that is inches or j from either various have been devised to support the under proper conditions at this distance but the best arrangement is the shield already described at one side of the brass ring forming the front opening of the shield will be found a brass which is being held in position by a small spring in a hole in this is placed a and the being inserted bears the so that it is exposed to the full action of the rays during exposure the about f inch in are usually supplied in a with some instructions for use on the front page are two small of paper coloured of the tint of the original and of the tint assumed by | 28 |
a after exposure to x rays corresponding to the dose which the human is capable of without being followed by or permanent directions are given to place the on a support that is with a metal at half distance between and skin since the its original colour if exposed to daylight directions are given that the examination of a during exposure and comparison of it with the standard tint should be quickly done so as to prevent daylight interfering with the action after a few such it will be noted that the colour of the has changed to that of the standard at this point the exposure may be considered complete and the current off under ordinary conditions the exposure from fifteen to twenty minutes one might reasonably say that if note were made of that time and those conditions then by the conditions the time should be a good enough index of the current exposure but as we have already pointed out we cannot rely upon exact of practical x ray work the conditions and no mechanical so far devised can justify making a exposure without some such direct check as we describe it is stated by some workers that the after exposure regain their original colour and can be used again but we prefer to use a fresh for each exposure made about fifteen days after such an exposure usually on the sixteenth day the hairs will fall out from the area exposed and with them the during this interval it is customary to apply daily to the part and the surrounding parts some to prevent spread of the process meanwhile for this purpose uses and of in of spirit after the head should be washed daily and any weak hairs left should be pulled out by the thirty fifth day all hair should be out remains for two months and the head should return to its normal condition in about four months this is doubtless a radical cure for and much in advance of older methods so often tedious and there is a slight danger of and burn followed by permanent but this should not happen if proper care be taken on the other hand if the exposure be too short then all the hair may not come out and the process cannot be repeated till after twenty one days from the first exposure but this also should be of rare occurrence it is possible that this treatment good as it undoubtedly is may be replaced soon by another method probably more rapid more safe and less expensive this method is by or with of or of copper but until the process is made more certain in operation we may consider x ray application the best radical cure for in a similar way to that described for x rays may be used for and similar affections results quoted are very good but of the treatment of either by this method we have little personal experience and are relieved by application of x rays in a rapid and effective manner difficult to explain but none the less definite and valuable and disappear under x ray treatment in a remarkable manner whilst contracted following operation burns or wounds benefit from such exposure is stated in reports from the islands to respond in a promising manner to x ray in a case we had the opportunity of treating for a time we noted distinct improvement of individual the were however advanced and and the patient was very irregular in his attendance at hospital so we had little chance of making observations in such an condition certainly a thorough trial should be given to this form of treatment and should not be exposed if in the acute form but cases derive marked benefit from careful x ray treatment where the hands are affected by either condition such treatment is especially useful and the effect is very in of the or accompanied by much irritation though it may not be evident till after seven or eight days those and similar points are set out in a most instructive manner in a paper by h e which is quoted in the british medical journal for september in all recent works on x ray treatment is discussed and at least one text book is published which solely with this subject hence we do not consider it necessary nor advisable to enter further into detail of suitable cases and port wine is another condition so that any safe treatment promising benefit should certainly have a trial we have had one case recently under x ray treatment with encouraging result and a few cases are reported by practical x ray work other workers where marked benefit has been obtained here a fairly severe reaction must be produced requiring long intervals between the and special care to observe the effect of each previous reaction before another ordinary treatment may respond to x ray which remark may also apply to and favourable reports are published of similar benefit in certain conditions other treatment such as and g marked temporary improvement under treatment by x rays but we have hitherto been disappointed with whenever the treatment is this seems to be the general experience but the relief of symptoms obtained is often valuable in the treatment of disease it is still more to the true position of x rays are conflicting and many of them whilst the effect of contemporary treatment is frequently not thus in most conditions a definite opinion must be withheld the least questionable results in some cases especially of the form the benefit received from x ray treatment is certainly most remarkable where other treatment had failed one such case of apparent cure is reported in the for june forms also receive benefit from the treatment the and long bones being all exposed to the rays other reports state that the treatment is not uniformly favourable but even the admitted | 28 |
changing the face of the whole country in general appearance he was said to be under sized but though i knew him well i never noticed anything either short or tall in his stature his head made the rest of his body all but invisible magnificent brow high and broad and finely finished called to mind well known portraits of napoleon every feature of his edward henry countenance manifested power especially his wonderful eyes deep and frank yet piercing inspiring confidence though likely at first sight to keep people at a distance when big business plans were growing in his head he looked severe with scarce a trace of the that like hidden or the deep buried fires of ice clad was ever glowing in his heart comparatively few have gained anything like adequate knowledge of the extent and warmth of his sympathies but none who came nigh him could fail to feel his kindness especially in his home a delightful peaceful atmosphere edward henry the finest domestic weather imaginable his warm heart it was that him to his friends but in every way he was a man to admire in apparent repose brooding his work plans or in grand enthusiastic action them forward rejoicing and all the country like climate when silent in company or at long intervals giving out something striking saying the commonest things in ways and making them seem uncommon in the new light flashed upon them when severe and rigid as fate or merry in friendly conversation eye striking eye thought edward henry against thought making wit fly i first heard of him in the year when my friend dr wrote that i was invited to join a scientific expedition to which mr was unwilling to accept the hospitality of a person of whom i knew little without seeing how something like compensation might be rendered i requested particulars of the novel plan and was informed that mr was a wealthy railroad man who had been advised by his to rest from that he had decided to go to and when he considered that the edward henry trip would be long and would require a good sea going steamer he thought it a pity to lose the opportunity to render a public service he had therefore planned an expedition to be devoted to the interests of science instead of a health and pleasure voyage for himself and family accordingly as many scientific as could be had been invited about twenty five artists etc with the necessary for the preparation and care of specimens making a rare company assembled for work in a magnificent wilderness and under most favorable edward henry while i still hesitated a third letter was received saying the time had come to decide and explaining further that the expedition would not only go through the alexander stopping wherever we wished to work but that bay prince william sound and probably cook s would be so i at last decided to go leaving proud compensation to any chance opportunity that might i soon saw that mr was uncommon he was taking a trip for rest and at the same time managing his exploring guests as if we were a grateful soothing essential part of his rest cure though scientific edward henry are not easily managed and in large mixed lots are rather and especially when compressed on a ship nevertheless he kept us all in smooth working order put us ashore wherever we liked in all sorts of places the mouths of streams etc to suit the convenience of the different parties into which we naturally separated dropping each with suitable provisions taking us aboard again at given times looking after everything to the details work enough to bring nervous to ordinary mortals instead of rest all the family were edward henry aboard together with mr and mrs and their daughter mrs her husband in making everything move the boys were very yoimg only about two or three years of age one of the telling sights that comes to mind as i write is mr keeping trot step with little while helping him to drag a toy along the deck with a cotton string the girls were so bright and eager to study the wonderful regions passed through that we were all proud to become their teachers we soon learned that mr was not only a wonderful man edward henry of men but that he was fearless in his way could him or one the vigor of his progress toward his aims no matter what going ashore through heavy sailing bears etc as we approached the head of one of the prince william it seemed to be completely blocked by the front of a large and an out reaching the local pilot turning to our captain said here take your ship i am not going to be responsible for her if she is to be run into every channel and marsh the captain down and in is edward henry a few minutes stopped after creeping forward to within half a mile or so of the front of the ice wall then mr asked me if i was satisfied with what i had seen and was ready to turn back to which i judging from the of this and there must be a corresponding or to the southward and although the ship has probably gone as far as it is safe to go i wish you would have a boat lowered and let me take a look around that into the hidden half of the landscape we can perhaps nm the ship there he said and immediately edward henry ordered the captain to go ahead and try to pass between the ice wall and the passage was narrow and threatening but gradually opened into a magnificent icy about twelve miles long stretching away to the southward the water continuing deep as the sounding line showed mr quietly ordered the | 28 |
captain to go right ahead up the middle of the new full speed sir inquired the captain yes full speed ahead the sail up this majestic in the evening varied coming to view sweeping from high snowy fountains edward henry and their thundering wave raising was i think the most exciting experience of the whole trip near the head of the i noticed a small where could be procured and requested to be put ashore there to study the new wilderness while the ship which had lost one of her blades was being repaired on a smooth beach near mr the and several others joined me and we landed a little before midnight secured the boat hoisted blankets and provisions up a flat by rope and tackle and in a magnificent edward henry slope garden on the margin of a forest of mountain during the five days absence of the steamer the and the largest of the at the head of it were pretty thoroughly and and named for their the and after this wonderful voyage i had occasional glimpses of mr when he came west but a good many years passed before i felt that i was at all acquainted with him he had been but little heard of especially in the west until the marvellous of the union and southern pacific edward henry and their branch compelled attention and made him known to the world in general as the greatest road and manager of the age but it was after dark years of anxiety and sorrow that i became intimately acquainted with him and discovered the greatness of his sympathies i saw him in the spring of in san just before he started back home and only a few weeks later when i was on my way to europe and asia i visited him at the hotel new york where he wm recovering from a dangerous operation after cheery greetings he said he was edward henry getting well and would soon be up and at work you must have suffered terribly i said oh never mind that you know there is always more or less pain connected with but i made the time across the continent that ever was made i made it in less than three days from san to new york and i didn t the first day either troubles seldom come singly now we are getting out of them all strikes on the roads scarlet fever in the family etc and this evening for the first time since these troubles commenced we are going to dine together in my room join us and you will edward henry see all the family but a prior engagement prevented and i had to sail the next morning for liverpool noticing i looked tired he ordered a glass of milk for me and bade me remember there is such a thing as an electric cable that he was president of two companies and when i got to china and if i should happen to need anything to let him know and when i replied that i was deep in his debt he said h you can t keep accounts of that kind pass them along anywhere whenever you get the chance just as i was leaving st edward henry for the and the i received a long letter from him stating that it had occurred to him after i left that a letter to his agents in and china might be of use to me no heart could escape the influence of this sort of kindness from one with so many great cares that he should have thought of me at all under such crushing circumstances was an unmistakable token of affection and brought more clearly to view his noble hearted loyalty and depth of character on which all sound friendship is founded he spent most of the summer of at his bay lodge on edward henry lake in southern on his arrival in san when he you re going to the lodge with us are you i said yes i shall be very glad to pay my respects to mrs and the family and stay a few days but i cannot afford to spend the there why he inquired because i am busy what are you doing writing a book well you come up to the lodge and i will show you how to write books the trouble with you is you are too slow in your edward henry you plan and brood too much begin begin begin put forth what you wish to say in the first words that come to mind just as you talk until all that s to go into the book is got down then correct add strike out and change as much as you like hammer away at it until it suits you come on and get something begun so i went to the famous lodge intending to stay a few days or a week but when i spoke of leaving mr said i must stay and work and directed his private secretary to follow me and put down everything i said so i was fairly compelled to make a beginning in edward henry to a which proved rather awkward at first but in a couple of months a sort of foundation for more than one volume was laid the lodge was beautifully at the head of bay beside its famous crystal springs the magnificent lake in front of it bordered with meadows and bounded in the distance by dark and hills a fine place for and rest air water and scenery the weather was mostly cool and bright just right for soothing exercise walks in the woods and on the lake which most of the time edward henry was mirror like reflecting the sky and the meadows and forest clad mountain shores on our return from boat excursions a beautiful picture was before us about an hour | 28 |
before especially toward autumn when the colors were the shining lake with leaping and flocks of the stream from the great springs like a river with broad brown and yellow meadows on either hand and the dark changing to blue in the rising higher and higher with mt highest of all pointing serenely through the edward henry midst of the sunset purple and gold but even here mr did not enjoy complete rest for he called his about him and through them and a telegraph wire kept in touch with all his work and affairs in general nevertheless we hoped for lasting benefits from the mountain air and water nor were we altogether disappointed when at length we left the lodge i accompanied him to at the stations along the road he was hailed by enthusiastic crowds assembled to pay then respects the good he had done edward henry and was doing in developing the country and laying broad and deep the foundations of prosperity a like enthusiasm marked his reception in and on the return trip a large body of on their way to stopped his train by taking possession of the track climbed over the railing of his car and literally took him by force and carried hun away through the crowd on their shoulders with cheers and as straight from the heart as any i ever heard the popular tide had turned sweeping away hatred and most of the old hard railroad and suspicion he was at last coming into edward henry his own after as hard a fair play battle as man ever won in the last years of his life even the southern pacific which had been almost disliked and regarded as a public enemy became popular imder his rule of never turning down any complaint whatever he demanded that every case be taken up by the proper and tried even if it should to nothing more than a answer to a question by an agent at some remote desert station it was also recognized that no expense was being spared to improve the road not only as a of goods but to make it safer for passengers edward henry every convenience every precaution against accidents was put in use at whatever cost the serene strength of his mind was manifested by being always equal to whatever might happen or to whatever he wished to do none i ever knew faced the storm and stress of the world s affairs more calmly and resolutely nor have i ever known another with such power of performance he was quiet and reserved in manner and to those who judged him only from newspaper reports or from meeting him in formal business matters he often seemed but never so to those who were permitted to edward henry see beneath the surface his habit of silence was often remarked no wonder he had little to say in society when he was carrying the affairs of a continent in his head with a quick sense of plain right and wrong and having no words to waste he spoke with straight ahead frankness the same qualities seem inherent in all the family good sense perfectly natural are phrases repeated he said he was lucky but his kind of luck was simply cause and effect always and full of power heart and mind worked together in turning out thorough and sincere work edward henry and that he was far from being a man of one idea is plain from the wide range of public questions to which he turned his attention education public preservation of public etc the light that always follows good work never ceased to shine on all his ways and showed him capable of being great in anything he liked flashing of insight quick decision heroic strength and of purpose without shadow of turning enabled him to make good as he was so fond of saying in all his obstacles doing things judged impossible were j edward henry the tasks he liked best such for example as the flood filling in a way across the great salt lake the above and rushing all the vast resources at his command with incredible swiftness to the help of san after the great earthquake and fire with his of roads he heaped benefits of every sort on all alike never before have the dry bones of railroad methods been so shaken into orderly life his roads are his monuments together with the life to which they gave rise but however substantial they are less enduring than the love of his friends edward henry no enterprise calculated to advance humanity failed to interest him and few have been in touch with so many lives he with his thousands of paid good wages and studied their welfare but of course insisted on that strict discipline upon which safety and success in dangerous complicated work depends making them feel his eyes promptly out and encouraging the hopeful and strong how else could so many wheels be kept on the tracks and rolled to their destination on time but however on none did he throw anything like so heavy a edward henry burden as the one he himself carried it seemed too great for any being on his inspection especially in the west along his new roads his coming was hailed with joy by all classes and it was this steady development of general good will toward him that cheered his last years few fully realize the heroism with which in these last years while struggling with illness he continued to throw himself into his work gaining new power as he went on his way himself by others and increasing the safety comfort and general well being of millions of edward henry his fellow citizens as well as their wealth for money he never cared except as a tool like a or ship before i came to know him i thought like many | 28 |
s stature his head made the rest of his body all but invisible his magnificent brow high and broad and finely finished called to mind well known portraits of napoleon every feature of his j i j j edward henry countenance manifested power especially his wonderful eyes deep and frank yet piercing inspiring confidence though likely at first sight to keep people at a distance when big business plans were growing in his head he looked severe with scarce a trace of the that like hidden or the deep buried fires of ice clad was ever glowing in his heart comparatively few have gained anything like adequate knowledge of the extent and warmth of his sympathies but none who came nigh him could fail to feel his kindness especially in his home a delightful peaceful atmosphere edward henry the finest domestic weather imaginable his heart it was that him to his friends but in every way he was a man to admire in apparent repose brooding his work plans or in grand enthusiastic action them forward rejoicing and all the country uke when silent in company or at long intervals giving out something striking saying the commonest things in ways and making them seem uncommon in the new light flashed upon them when severe and rigid as fate or merry in friendly conversation eye striking eye thought edward henry against thought making wit fly i first heard of him in the year when my friend dr wrote that i was invited to join a scientific expedition to which mr was unwilling to accept the hospitality of a person of whom i knew httle without seeing how something like compensation might be rendered i requested particulars of the novel plan and was informed that mr was a wealthy railroad man who had been advised by his to rest from that he had decided to go to and when he considered that the edward henry trip would be long and would require a good sea going steamer he thought it a pity to lose the opportunity to render a public service he had therefore planned an expedition to be devoted to the interests of science instead of a health and pleasure voyage for himself and family accordingly as many scientific as could be had been invited about twenty five artists etc with the necessary for the preparation and care of specimens making a rare company assembled for work in a magnificent wilderness and under most favorable edward henry while i still hesitated a third letter was received saying the time had come to decide and explaining further that the expedition would not only go through the alexander stopping wherever we wished to work but that bay prince william sound and probably cook s would be so i at last decided to go leaving proud compensation to any chance opportunity that might i soon saw that mr was uncommon he was taking a trip for rest and at the same time managing his exploring guests as if we were a grateful soothing essential part of his rest cure though scientific edward henry are not easily managed and in large mixed lots are rather and especially when compressed on a ship nevertheless he kept us all in smooth working order put us ashore wherever we liked in all sorts of places the mouths of streams etc to suit the convenience of the parties into which we naturally separated dropping each with suitable provisions taking us aboard again at given times looking after everything to the details work enough to bring nervous to ordinary mortals instead of rest all the family were edward henry aboard together with mr and mrs and their daughter mrs her husband in making everything move the boys were very young only about two or three years of age one of the telling sights that comes to mind as i write is mr keeping trot step with uttle while helping him to drag a toy along the deck with a cotton string the girls were so bright and eager to study the wonderful regions passed through that we were all proud to become their teachers we soon learned that mr was not only a wonderful man n edward henry of men but that he was fearless nothing in his way could him or one the vigor of his progress toward his aims no matter what going ashore through heavy pursuing bears etc as we approached the head of one of the prince william sound it seemed to be completely blocked by the front of a large and an the local pilot turning to our captain said here take your ship i am not going to be responsible for her if she is to be run into every channel and marsh the captain down and in edward henry a few minutes stopped after creeping forward to within half a mile or so of the front of the ice wall then mr asked me if i was satisfied with what i had seen and was ready to turn back to which i judging from the of this and there must be a corresponding or to the southward and although the ship has probably gone as far as it is safe to go i wish you would have a boat lowered and let me take a look around that into the hidden half of the landscape we can perhaps run the ship there he said and immediately i edward henry ordered the captain to go ahead and try to pass between the ice wall and the passage was narrow and threatening but gradually opened into a magnificent icy about twelve miles long stretching away to the southward the water continuing deep as the sounding line showed mr quietly ordered the captain to go right ahead up the middle of the new full speed sir inquired the captain yes full speed ahead the sail up this majestic in | 28 |
the evening sunshine varied coming to view sweeping from high snowy fountains i edward henry and their wave raising was i think the most exciting experience of the whole trip near the head of the i noticed a small where could be procured and requested to be put ashore there to study the new wilderness while the ship which had lost one of her blades was being repaired on a smooth beach near mr the and several others joined me and we landed a uttle before midnight secured the boat hoisted blankets and provisions up a flat by rope and tackle and in a magnificent edward henry slope garden on the margin of a forest of mountain during the five days absence of the steamer the and the largest of the at the head of it were pretty thoroughly and and named for their the and after this wonderful voyage i had occasional glimpses of mr when he came west but a good many years passed before i felt that i was at all acquainted with him he had been but little heard of especially in the west until the marvellous of the union and southern pacific rail edward henry roads and their branch and compelled attention and made him known to the world in general as the greatest road and manager of the age but it was after dark years of anxiety and sorrow that i became intimately acquainted with him and discovered the greatness of his sympathies i saw him in the spring of in san just before he started back home and only a few weeks later when i was on my way to europe and asia i visited him at the hotel new york where he was recovering from a dangerous operation after cheery greetings he said he was edward henry getting well and would soon be up and at work you must have suffered terribly i said oh never mind that you know there is always more or less pain connected with but i made the time across the continent that ever was made i made it in less than three days from san to new york and i didn t hurry the first day either troubles seldom come singly now we are getting out of them all strikes on the roads scarlet fever in the family etc and this evening for the first time since these troubles commenced we are going to dine together in my room join us and you will edward henry see all the family but a prior engagement prevented and i had to sail the next morning for liverpool noticing i looked tired he ordered a glass of milk for me and bade me remember there is such a thing as an electric cable that he was president of two companies and when i got around to china and if i should happen to need anything to let him know and when i that i was already deep in his debt he said oh you can t keep accounts of that kind pass them along anywhere whenever you get the chance just as i was leaving st edward henry for the and the i received a long letter from him stating that it had occurred to him after i left that a letter to his agents in and china might be of use to me no heart could escape the influence of this sort of kindness from one with so many great cares that he should have thought of me at all under such crushing circumstances was an unmistakable token of affection and brought more clearly to view his noble hearted loyalty and depth of character on which all sound friendship is he spent most of the summer of at his bay lodge on edward henry lake in southern on his arrival in san when he inquired you re going to the lodge with us are you not i said yes i shall be very glad to pay respects to mrs and the family and stay a few days but i cannot to spend the there why he inquired because i ain busy what are you doing writing a book well you come up to the lodge and i wm show you how to write books the trouble with you is you are too slow in your edward henry you plan and brood too begin begin begin put forth what you wish to say in the first words that come to mind just as you talk until all that s to go into the book is got down then correct add strike out and change as much as you like hammer away at it until it suits you come on and get something begun so i went to the famous lodge intending to stay a few days or a week but when i spoke of leaving mr said i must stay and work and directed his private secretary to follow me and put down everything i said so i was fairly compelled to make a beginning in edward henry to a which proved rather awkward at first but in a couple of months a sort of foundation for more than one volume was laid the lodge was beautifully at the head of bay beside its famous crystal springs the magnificent lake in front of it bordered with meadows and bounded in the distance by dark mountains and hills a fine place for and rest air water and scenery the weather was mostly cool and bright just right for soothing exercise walks in the woods and on the lake which most of the time edward henry was mirror like reflecting the sky and the meadows and shores on our return from boat excursions a beautiful picture was before us about an hour before especially toward autumn when the colors were the shining lake with leaping and flocks of the stream from the great springs like a | 28 |
river with broad brown and yellow meadows on either hand and the dark mountains changing to blue in the background rising higher and higher with mt highest of all pointing serenely through the edward henry midst of the sunset purple and gold but even here mr did not enjoy complete rest for he called his about him and through them and a telegraph wire kept in touch with au his work and world affairs in general nevertheless we hoped for lasting benefits from the mountain air and water nor were we altogether disappointed when at length we left the lodge i accompanied him to at the stations along the road he was hailed by enthusiastic crowds assembled to pay their respects the good he had done edward henry and was doing in developing the country and laying broad and deep the foundations of prosperity a like enthusiasm marked his reception in and on the return trip a large body of on their way to stopped his train by taking possession of the track climbed over the railing of his car and literally took him by force and carried him away through the crowd on their shoulders with cheers and as straight from the heart as any i ever heard the popular tide had turned sweeping away hatred and most of the old hard railroad and suspicion he was at last coming into edward henry his own after as hard a fair play battle as man ever won in the last years of his life even the southern pacific which had been almost universally disliked and regarded as a public enemy became popular under his rule of never turning down any complaint whatever he demanded that every case be taken up by the proper officers and tried even if it should amount to nothing more than a answer to a question by an agent at some remote desert station it was also recognized that no expense was being spared to improve the road not only as a of goods but to make it safer for passengers i edward henry every convenience every precaution against accidents was put in use at whatever cost the serene strength of his mind was manifested by being always equal to whatever might happen or to whatever he wished to do none i ever knew faced the storm and stress of the world s affairs more and resolutely nor have i ever known another with such power of performance he was quiet and reserved in manner and to those who judged him only from newspaper reports or from meeting him in formal business matters he often seemed but never so to those who were permitted to edward henry see beneath the surface his habit of silence was often remarked no wonder he had little to say in society when he was carrying the affairs of a continent in his head with a quick sense of plain right and wrong and having no words to he spoke with straight ahead frankness the same seem inherent in all the family good sense perfectly natural are phrases repeated he said he was lucky but his kind of luck was simply cause and effect always and full of power heart and mind worked together in turning out thorough and sincere work edward henry and that he was far from being a man of one idea is plain from the wide range of questions to which he turned his attention education public preservation of public etc the light that always follows good work never ceased to shine on all his ways and showed him capable of being great in anything he flashing of insight quick decision heroic strength and of purpose without shadow of turning enabled him to make good as he was so fond of saying in all his obstacles doing things judged impossible were edward henry the tasks he liked best such for example as the flood filling in a way across the great salt lake the above and rushing all the vast resources at his command with incredible swiftness to the help of san after the great earthquake and fire with his of roads he heaped benefits of every sort on all alike never before have the dry bones of railroad methods been so shaken into orderly effective life his roads are his monuments together with the life to which they gave rise but however substantial they are less enduring than the love of his friends edward henry no enterprise calculated to advance humanity failed to interest him and few have been in touch with so many lives he with his thousands of paid good wages and studied their welfare but of course insisted on that strict discipline upon which safety and success in dangerous complicated work depend making them feel his eyes promptly out and encouraging the hopeful and strong how else could so many wheels be kept on the tracks and rolled to their destination on time but however on none did he throw anything like so heavy a s edward henry burden as the one he himself carried it seemed too great for any human being on his inspection especially in the west along his new roads his coming was hailed with joy by all classes and it was this steady development of general good will toward him that cheered his last years few fully realize the heroism with which in these last years while struggling with iu ness he continued to throw himself into his work gaining new power as he went on his way himself by others and increasing the safety comfort and general well being of millions of edward henry his fellow citizens as well as their wealth for money he never cared except as a tool like a or ship before i came to know him i thought like many others that money making might be one of the springs of his action one evening when the expedition was at | 28 |
waking or sleeping i have no rest in dreams i read sheets of writing or follow lines of or struggle with the difficulties of some extraordinary rock form there is a note of pathos the echo of an hope in the record of his later visit to it was seventeen years after our parting on ridge that i stood beside his s grave under v preface a pine tree on the hill above sleepy hollow he had gone to higher and as i fancied was again waving his hand in friendly recognition and now john has followed his friend of other days to the higher his earthly remains lie among trees planted by his own hand to the pine tree of sleepy hollow answers a guardian in the sunny valley in john went to for the first time its living aroused his unbounded interest for they enabled him to his theories of action again and again he returned to this continental of the greatest of the tide water his name upon this book of travels all but finished before his departure john expended the last months of his life it was begun soon after his return from africa in his eager of the ill fated campaign to save his beloved valley from commercial destruction seriously interrupted his labors illness also interposed some as he worked with characteristic care and through the great mass of notes that had accumulated under his hands for more than thirty years the events recorded in this volume end in the middle of the trip of s notes on the remainder of the journey have not been found and it is idle to how he would have concluded the volume if he had lived to complete it but no one will read the fascinating description of the northern i vi preface lights without feeling a poetical in the fact that his last work ends with a of the one of those phenomena which elsewhere he described as the most glorious of all the of god s bear on every page impressive evidence of the pains he took in his literary work and the lofty standard he set himself in his scientific studies the of a fact or of an experience was a thing in connection with john he was in pursuing the meaning of a fact and his extraordinary physical endurance usually enabled him to trail it to its last hiding place often when telling the tale of his adventures in his eyes would with youthful enthusiasm and he would live over again the red blooded years that yielded him of revealed glory for a number of months just prior to his death he had the friendly assistance of mrs her familiarity with the manuscript and with mr s expressed and intentions of and arrangement made her the logical person to prepare it in final form for publication it was a task to which she brought devotion as well as ability the labor involved was the greater in order that the finished work might exhibit the last touches of s master hand and yet contain nothing that did not flow from his pen all readers of this book will feel grateful for her labor of love i add these lines to the work of my de vii preface parted friend with pensive knowing that he would have any discharge of over his grave his daughters mrs thomas and mrs have honored me with the request to the manuscript for publication and later to consider with them what may be made from among their father s writings they also wish me to express their grateful to company with whom john has always maintained close and friendly relations william bad may contents part i the trip of i sound and british ii alexander and the home i found in iii island and iv the river v a in the vi the trail vii peak viii op the ix a voyage to northward x the discovery op bat xi the country op the xii the return to fort xiii indians part ii the trip of xiv sum bay xv from river to bay xvi bay contents part iii the trip of xvii in camp at bat xviii my trip on the xix index op words in the illustrations on summit or mt prince william sound hanging valley and reach british indian and old chief and pole island in the showing ice cliffs and from a photograph owned by mr vegetation at high tide line harbor j ruins of buried forest east side of from a photograph owned by mr floating except as otherwise indicated the illustrations are from photographs by w the colored half tone which appears on the cover is from a painting of the by thomas hill owned by mr travels in part i the trip of i travels in chapter i sound and british after eleven years of study and in the of and the mountain of the great basin studying in particular their forests and wild life above all their ancient and the influence they exerted in the rocks over which they passed with tremendous pressure making new scenery and beauty which so mysteriously influence every human being and to some extent all life i was anxious to gain some knowledge of the regions to the northward about sound and with this grand object in view i left san in may on the steamer without any definite plan as with the exception of a few of the peaks and their forests all the wild north was new to me to the a sea voyage is a grand inspiring change for forests and plains with their flowers and fruits we have new scenery new life of every sort water hills and in eternal visible motion for rock waves types of it was curious to note how suddenly the eager countenances of the passengers were darkened as soon travels in as | 28 |
pure is one of the most wonderful countries in the world no excursion that i know of may be made into any other american wilderness where so an abundance of noble scenery is so brought to view as on the trip through the alexander to fort and gazing from the deck of the steamer one is borne smoothly over calm blue waters through the midst of countless forest clad islands the ordinary of a sea voyage are not felt for nearly all the whole long way is on inland waters that are about as as rivers and lakes so numerous are the islands that they seem to have been sown long between the largest of them open in every direction day after day in the fine weather we enjoyed we seemed to float in true each succeeding view seeming more and more beautiful the one we chanced to have before us the most beautiful of all never before this had i been in scenery so hopelessly beyond description to sketch picturesque bits definitely bounded is comparatively easy a lake in the woods a travels in meadow or a in its or even a grand master view of mountains beheld from some commanding outlook after climbing from height to height above the forests these may be attempted and more or less telling pictures made of them but in these coast there is such indefinite on leading such a multitude of features without apparent their lines delicately into one another in endless succession while the whole is so fine so tender so ethereal that all seems hopelessly tracing shining ways through and sound past forests and islands and mountains and far it seems as if surely we must at length reach the very paradise of the poets the abode of the blessed some idea of the wealth of this scenery may be gained from the fact that the coast line of is about twenty six thousand miles long more than twice as long as all the rest of the united states the islands of the alexander with the straits channels sounds passages and form an intricate web of land and water sixty or seventy miles wide the lofty icy chain of coast mountains from sound to cook and with infinite variety the general pattern is harmonious throughout its whole extent of nearly a thousand miles here you glide into a narrow channel hemmed in by mountain walls down to the water s edge where there is no distant view and your attention is concentrated on the objects close about you the crowded of the and the home i found in rising higher and higher on the steep green slopes of paler green where winter have cleared away the trees allowing and to spring up of appearing and disappearing among the bushes and trees short steep with streams hidden beneath and seen only where they on the brown of the shore and retreating hollows with lingering snow banks marking the fountains of ancient the steamer is often so near the shore that you may distinctly see the clustered on the tops of the trees and the and bushes at their feet but new scenes are brought to view with rapidity some cape the eye is called away into far reaching bounded on either hand by in charming array one dipping gracefully beyond another and growing fainter and more ethereal in the distance the tranquil channel stretching river like between may be stirred here and there by the silvery of salmon or by flocks of white floating like among the sun while mellow tempered sunshine is streaming over all sky land and water in pale misty blue then while you are gazing into the depths of this leafy ocean lane the little steamer seeming hardly larger than a duck turning into some passage not visible until the moment of entering it into a wide expanse a sound filled with islands sprinkled and clustered in forms and such as nature alone can in travels in vent some of them so small the trees growing on them seem like single from the neighboring woods and set in the water to keep them fresh while here and there at wide intervals you may notice bare rocks just above the water mere grand sentences of islands the variety we find both as to the and the of the islands is due chiefly to differences in the structure and composition of their rocks and the unequal different portions of the coast were subjected to this influence must have been especially heavy toward the end of the period when the main ice sheet began to break up into separate moreover the of the larger islands nourished local some of them of considerable size which their and sides forming in some cases wide with or valleys leading down from them into the channels and sounds these causes have produced much of the bewildering variety of which nature is so fond but none the less will the observer see the harmony the general of the islands in the direction of the flow of the main ice mantle from the mountains of coast range more or less varied by subordinate and mountains all the islands great and small as well as the and of the are seen to have a rounded over rubbed appearance produced by the over sweeping ice flood during the period of greatest abundance i the home i found in the channels straits passages sounds etc are subordinate to the same conditions in their forms and extent as those which determined the forms and distribution of the land masses their being the parts of the pre margin of the continent to varying depths below and into which of course the ocean waters flowed as the ice was melted out of them had the general been much less these ocean ways over which we are sailing would have been valleys and and lakes and the islands hills | 28 |
offered me a room and a place at his table here i found a real home with freedom to go on all sorts of excursions as opportunity offered a little doctor of divinity two years old ruled the household with love sermons and kept it warm mr introduced me to and and some of the most influential of the indians i visited the mission school and the home for indian girls kept by mrs and made short excursions to the forests and streams and studied the rate of growth of the different species of trees and their age counting the annual rings on in the large made by the military when the fort was occupied causing wondering speculation among the folk as was reported by mr what can the fellow be up to they inquired he seems to spend most of his time among and weeds i saw him the other day on his knees looking at a stump as if he expected to find gold in it he seems to have no serious object whatever one night when a heavy was blowing i caused a lot of wondering excitement among the as well as the superstitious indians being anxious to see how the trees behave in storms and hear the songs they sing i stole quietly v travels in away through the gray blast to the hill back of the town without being observed night was falling when i set out and it was pitch dark when i reached the top the glad rejoicing storm in glorious voice was singing through the woods noble compensation for mere body discomfort but i wanted a fire a big one to see as well as hear how the storm and trees were after long patient groping i found a little dry in a hollow trunk and carefully stored it beside my and an inch or two of candle in an inside pocket that the rain had not yet reached then wiping some dead twigs and them into thin stored them with the i then made a little bark hut about a foot high and carefully leaning over it and it as much as possible from the driving rain i wiped and stored a lot of dead twigs lighted the candle and set it in the hut carefully added of and and at length got a little blaze by the light of which i gradually added larger then twigs all set on end the inner flame making the little hut higher and wider soon i had light enough to enable me to select the best dead branches and large sections of bark which were set on end gradually increasing the height and corresponding light of the hut fire a considerable area was thus well lighted from which i gathered abundance of wood and kept adding to the fire until it had a strong hot heart and sent up a pillar of flame thirty or forty feet high a wide circle in spite of the rain and casting a red glare into the flying clouds of the home i found in all the thousands of camp fires i have elsewhere built none was just like this one rejoicing in triumphant strength and beauty in the heart of the gale it was wonderful the rain and clouds mingled together and the trees glowing against the jet background the colors of the trunks with sparkling streams pouring down the of the bark and the gray bearded old bowing low and in passionate worship my fire was in all its glory about midnight and having made a bark shed to shelter me from the rain and partially dry my clothing i had nothing to do but look and listen and join the trees in their hymns and prayers neither the great white heart of the fire nor the quivering enthusiastic flames shooting aloft like could be seen from the village on account of the trees in front of it and its being back a little way over the brow of the hill but the light in the clouds made a great show a sign in the stormy heavens unlike anything ever before seen or heard of in some indians happening to see it about midnight in great alarm aroused the of customs and begged him to go to the and get them to pray away the frightful omen and inquired anxiously whether white men had ever seen anything like that sky fire which instead of being by the rain was burning brighter and brighter the said he had heard of such strange fires and this one he thought might perhaps be what the white man called a or an travels in when mr young was called from his bed to pray he too astonished and at a loss for any sort of explanation confessed that he had never seen anything like it in the sky or anywhere else in such cold wet weather but that it was probably some sort of spontaneous that the white man called st s fire or will of the these explanations though not clear perhaps served to veil their own astonishment and in some measure to the superstitious fears of the natives but from what i heard the few who happened to see the strange light wondered about as wildly as the indians i have enjoyed thousands of camp fires in all sorts of weather and places warm hearted short friendly little beauties glowing in the dark on open spots in high gardens and lilies about them gazing like enchanted children and large fires in silver fir forests with of flame towering like the trees about them and sending up multitudes of sparks to the sky and still greater fires on the mountains in winter changing camp climate to summer and making the frosty snow look like beds of white flowers and mingling their of swift flying sparks with falling snow when the clouds were in bloom but this camp fire | 28 |
my first in i shall always remember for its triumphant storm grandeur and the wondrous beauty of the painted trees which it brought to light chapter iii t island and island is about fourteen miles long separated from the by a narrow channel or and in the direction of the flow of the ancient ice sheet like all its neighbors it is down to the water s edge with trees that never seem to have suffered from thirst or fire or the axe of the in all their long century lives beneath soft shady clouds with abundance of rain they flourish in wonderful strength and beauty to a good old age while the many warm days half cloudy half clear and the little groups of pure sun days enable them to their and send of seeds flying every autumn to the of the forests and feed the multitude of animals the village was a rough place no hamlet in the of nor any village i ever saw approached it in picturesque devil may care abandon it was a lawless of wooden huts and houses built in crooked lines around the shore of the island for a mile or so in the general form of the letter s without the slightest to the points of the compass or to building laws of any kind and logs like precious monuments adorned its two streets each stump and log on account of the moist travels in climate moss grown and with grass and bushes but muddy on the sides below the limit of the the ground in general was an on a foundation of jagged rocks full of concealed these picturesque rock and stump however were not so very much in the way for there were no or carriages there there was not a horse on the island the domestic animals were represented by chickens a lonely cow a few sheep and of a breed well calculated to and the mud of the streets most of the permanent of were engaged in trade some little trade was carried on in fish and but most of the business of the place was derived from the gold mines some two hundred and fifty or three hundred miles inland by way of the river and lake two stern wheel plied on the river between and telegraph creek at the head of a hundred and fifty miles from carrying freight and passengers and connecting with pack trains for the mines these mines on of the river were discovered in the year about eighteen hundred and were said to have passed through that season of about half of them being nearly a third of this whole number set out from here in the month of february on the river which usually remains safely frozen until toward the end of april the main body of the however went up on the in may and island june on account of the severe they were all compelled to leave the mines the end of september perhaps about two thirds of them passed the winter in and victoria and the towns of sound the rest remained here in away the long winter as best they could indians mostly of the tribe occupied the two ends of the town the of whom there were about forty or fifty the middle portion but there was no line of the dwellings of the indians being mostly as large and built of logs and as those of the some of them were adorned with tall poles the fort was a with a dozen block and frame buildings upon rising ground just back of the business part of the town it was built by our government shortly after the purchase of and was abandoned in by the military in and finally abandoned and sold to private parties in in the fort and about it there were a few good clean homes which shone all the more brightly in their sombre surroundings the ground occupied by the fort by being carefully and drained was dry though formerly a portion of the general swamp showing how easily the whole town could have been improved but in spite of disorder and shaded with clouds washed and wiped by rain and sea winds it was triumphantly through all the seasons and though the houses seemed to rest uneasily among the rocks and at all angles as if they had travels in been tossed and twisted by earthquake and showing but little more relation to one another than may be observed among was a tranquil place i never heard a noisy in the streets or a clap of thunder and the waves seldom spoke much above a whisper along the beach in summer the rain comes straight down and the clouds are usually united filling the sky not racing along in threatening ranks suggesting energy of an destructive kind but forming a bland mild bath the days are calm pearl gray and brooding in tone to rest and peace the islands seem to and float on the water and in the woods scarce a leaf the very brightest of days are not what would call bright the tempered sunshine through the moist atmosphere makes no dazzling glare and the town like the landscape rests beneath a indian spell on the longest days the sun rises about three o clock but it is daybreak at midnight the when they woke without reference to the dawn for it is never quite dark there were only a few full grown in half a dozen or so to awaken the town and give it a civilized character after sunrise a few languid smoke columns might be seen telling the first stir of the people soon an indian or two might be noticed here and there at the doors of their and a merchant getting ready for trade but scarcely a sound was heard only island a dull muffled stir gradually deepening there were only two white | 28 |
babies in the town so far as i saw and as for indian babies they woke and ate and made no crying sound later you might hear the of and the strokes of an axe on about eight or nine o clock the town was awake indians mostly women and children began to gather on the front of the half dozen stores sitting carelessly on their blankets every other face blackened a naked circle around the eyes and perhaps a spot on the cheek bone and the nose where the has been rubbed off some of the little children were also blackened and none were over clad their light and airy costume consisting of a shirt reaching only to the waist boys eight or ten years old sometimes had an additional garment a pair of s wide enough and ragged enough for extravagant the larger girls and young women were arrayed in and wore straw hats and glowed among the blackened and old like scarlet in a flock of the women seated on the steps and platform of the shops could hardly be called for they had to sell of large yellow salmon and that looked wondrous fresh and clean amid the surrounding after patiently waiting for until hungry they ate what they could not sell and went away to gather more yonder you see a gliding out from the shore travels in containing perhaps a man a woman and a child or two all together in natural easy they are going to catch a fish no difficult matter and when this is done their day s work is done another party puts out to capture bits of for it is easier to procure fuel in this way than to drag it down from the outskirts of the woods through rocks and bushes as the day advances a fleet of may be seen along the shore all fashioned alike high and long like and with lines as fine as those of the breast of a duck what the is to the the is to these coast indians they along the shores to fish and hunt and trade or merely to visit their neighbors for they are and have family pride remarkably well developed meeting often to inquire after each other s health attend and dances and gossip concerning coming marriages deaths etc others seem to sail for the pure pleasure of the thing their decorated with of the tall purple yonder goes a whole family and all making a direct course for some favorite stream and camp ground they are going to gather as the baskets tell never before in all my travels north or south had i found so lavish an abundance of as here the woods and meadows are full of them both on the and mountains of many species salmon with service on dry open places and in the sufficient for every bird n will sim angel island beast and human being in the territory and thousands of tons to spare the are especially abundant a species that grows well up on the mountains is the best and largest a half inch and more in and delicious in flavor these grow on bushes three or four inches to a foot high the of the commonest species are smaller and grow almost everywhere on the low grounds on bushes from three to six or seven feet high this is the species on which the indians depend most for food gathering them in large quantities beating them into a pressing the into cakes about an inch thick and drying them over a slow fire to their winter stores salmon and service are preserved in the same way a little excursion to one of the best adjacent to under the direction of the of customs to which i was invited i greatly enjoyed there were nine indians in the party mostly women and children going to gather as soon as we had arrived at the chosen on the bank of a stream all ran into the bushes and began eating before anything in the way of camp making was done laughing and chattering in natural animal enjoyment the went up the stream to examine a meadow at its head with reference to the quantity of hay it might yield for his cow fishing by the way all the indians except the two eldest boys who joined the remained among the the had rather poor luck owing they travels in said to the sunny brightness of the day a complaint seldom heard in this climate they got good exercise however jumping from to in the stream running along slippery logs and through the bushes that fringe the bank casting here and there into pools at the foot of the tempting little and of flies so well known to fishing but perhaps still better known to indian boys at the lake basin the after he had surveyed his hay meadow went around it to the of the lake with his brown pair of attendants to try their luck while i in the delightful which called to mind the cool and of and canada here i found many of my old the heath etc on the margin of the meadow darling was in its glory purple in full flower reached over my head and some of the and were almost as tall here too on the edge of the woods i found the wild apple tree the first i had seen in the indians gather the fruit small and sour as it is to flavor their fat salmon i never saw a richer and meadow growth anywhere the principal forest trees are and with a few pines p on the margin of the meadow some of them nearly a hundred feet high draped with gray the bark also gray with scale we met all the at the lake excepting only a small girl and the camp keeper in their | 28 |
engaged in here whatever the future may show in the way of the development of mines forests and this rainy weather however is of good quality the best of the kind i ever experienced mild island in temperature mostly gentle in its fall filling the fountains of the rivers and keeping the whole land fresh and fruitful while anything more delightful than the shining weather in the midst of the rain the great round sun days of july and august may hardly be found anywhere north or south an summer day is a day without night in the far north at point the sun does not set for weeks and even here in it is only a few degrees below the horizon at its lowest point and the colors of the sunset with those of the sunrise leaving no gap of darkness between midnight is only a low noon the middle point of the the thin clouds that are almost always present are then colored yellow and red making a striking advertisement of the sun s progress beneath the horizon the day opens slowly the low arc of light around to the with gradual increase of height and span and intensity of tone and when at length the sun appears it is without much of that stirring impressive pomp of flashing awakening triumphant energy suggestive of the bible a bridegroom coming out of his chamber and rejoicing like a strong man to run a race the red clouds with yellow edges in the islands with white of mist about them cast ill defined shadows on the glistening waters and the whole down bending becomes pearl gray for three or four hours after sunrise there is nothing especially impressive in the landscape the sun though seemingly may travels in almost be looked in the face and the islands and mountains with their wealth of woods and snow and varied beauty of architecture seem comparatively sleepy and as the day advances toward high noon the streaming through the damp atmosphere lights the water and the sky to glowing silver brightly play the about the edges of the islands and on the shaped streaks between them ruffled by gentle passing currents the warm air and makes itself felt as a life giving ocean embracing all the landscape the imagination and bringing to mind the life and motion about us the tides the rivers the flood of light streaming through the sky the abundance of fishes feeding in the lower ocean the misty flocks of insects in the air wild sheep and on a thousand grassy and far back on many a rushing stream indians floating and along the shores leaves and drinking the and on the mountains making valleys and for new rivers and lakes and fertile beds of soil through the afternoon all the way down to the sunset the day grows in beauty the light seems to and become yet more generously fruitful without losing its soft mellow brightness everything seems to settle into conscious repose the winds breathe gently or are wholly at rest the few clouds visible are and luminous and out fine on the edges here and there the i island air on easy wing are brought into striking relief and every stroke of the of indian hunters in their is told by a quick glancing flash bird in the grove are scarce heard as they the brooding stillness and the sky land and water meet and in one inseparable scene of enchantment then comes the sunset with its purple and gold not a narrow arch on the horizon but filling all the sky the level cloud bars usually present are fired on the edges and the spaces of clear sky between them are yellow or pale while the orderly flocks of small clouds often seen higher up are mostly touched with crimson like the out leaning of groves in the beginning of an eastern indian summer soft mellow purple the sky to the and fills the air fairly and the islands and making all the water look like wine after the sun goes down the glowing gold but because it on a curve nearly in the same plane with the horizon the glowing portion of the display lasts much longer than in more southern while the upper colors with gradually intensity of tone sweep around to the north gradually increase to the eastward and unite with those of the morning the most colored of all the i have yet seen in was one i enjoyed on the voyage from to when we were in the midst of one of the most thickly parts of the alexander the day had been but late in the afternoon the clouds melted away from travels in the west all save a few that settled down in narrow level bars near the horizon the evening was calm and the sunset colors came on gradually increasing in extent and richness of tone by slow degrees as if requiring more time than usual to at a height of about thirty degrees there was a heavy cloud bank deeply on its lower edge and the projecting parts of its face below this were three of purple edged with gold while a vividly defined spreading fan of flame streamed upward across the purple bars and faded in a feather edge of dull red but beautiful and impressive as was this painting on the sky the most novel and exciting effect was in the body of the atmosphere itself which laden with moisture became one mass of color a fine purple haze in which the islands with softened outlines seemed to float while a dense red ring lay around the base of each of them as a fitting border the peaks too in the distance and the snow fields and and rolls of mist that lay in the hollows were flushed with a deep rosy of loveliness everything near and far even the ship was | 28 |
comprehended in the glorious picture and the general color effect the mission we had aboard seemed then to be truly divine as they gazed in the celestial glory so also seemed our bluff storm fighting old captain and his sailors and all about one third of the summer days i spent in the region were cloudy with very little or no rain one third decidedly rainy and one third island clear according to a record kept here of a hundred and forty seven days beginning may of that year there were sixty five on which rain fell forty three cloudy with no rain and thirty nine clear in june rain fell on eighteen days in july eight days in august fifteen days in september twenty days but on some of these days there was only a few minutes rain light showers scarce enough to count while as a general thing the rain fell so gently and the temperature was so mild very few of them could be called stormy or dismal even the most of them all usually had a flush of late or early color to cheer them or some white illumination about the noon hours i never before saw so much rain fall with so little noise none of the summer winds make roaring storms and thunder is seldom heard i heard none at all this wet misty weather seems perfectly there is no in the houses as far as i have seen or any tendency toward in hidden from the sun and neither among the people nor the plants do we find anything or in september clear days were rare more than three of them were either decidedly cloudy or rainy and the rains of this month were with one wild exception only heavy and the clouds between showers drooped and crawled in a ragged unsettled way without betraying hints of violence such as one often sees in the gestures of mountain storm clouds july was the brightest month of the summer with fourteen days of sunshine six of them in travels in succession with a temperature at a m of about o at m the average a m temperature for june was the average a m temperature for july was at m the average temperature was the average a m temperature for august was m the average a m temperature for september was and m the highest temperature observed here during the summer was seventy six degrees the most remarkable characteristic of this summer weather even the brightest of it is the velvet softness of the atmosphere on the mountains of throughout the greater part of the year the presence of an atmosphere is hardly recognized and the thin white light of the morning comes to the peaks and as a pure spiritual essence the most impressive of all the of god the of air is always substantial so much so that it would seem as if one might test its quality by rubbing it between the thumb and finger i never before saw summer days so white and so full of subdued lustre the winter storms up to the end of december when i left were mostly rain at a temperature of thirty five or forty degrees with strong winds which sometimes roughly lash the shores and carry far into the woods the long nights are then gloomy enough and the value pf snug homes with yellow fires may be finely appreciated snow falls frequently but never to any great depth or island to lie long it is said that only once since the settle ment of fort has the ground been covered to a depth of four feet the seldom falls more than five or six degrees below the point unless the wind blows steadily from the back from the coast however beyond the mountains the winter months are very cold on the river at less than a thousand feet above the level of the sea a temperature of from thirty to forty degrees below is not uncommon chapter iv the river the most interesting of the short excursions we made from fort was the one up the river to the head of steam from mt st the coast range extends in a broad lofty chain beyond the southern boundary of the territory by each of which carries a lively river though most of them are comparatively short as their highest sources lie in the icy of the range within forty or fifty miles of the coast a few however of these foaming roaring streams the and perhaps others head beyond the range with some of the branches of the and the largest side branches of the main trunk of all these mountain streams are still occupied by which descend in ranks their lying back a little distance in the shadows of the walls or pushing forward among the cotton woods that line the banks of the rivers or even stretching all the way across the main compelling the rivers to find a channel beneath them the was perhaps the best known of the rivers that cross the coast range because it was the best way to the river gold mines it is about three hundred and fifty miles long and the river is for small a hundred and fifty miles to and sometimes to telegraph creek fifteen miles farther it first a course through grassy plains darkened here and there with groves of and pine then southward and receiving numerous from the north it enters the coast range and sweeps across it through a magnificent three thousand to five thousand feet deep and more than a hundred miles long the majestic cliffs and mountains forming the display endless variety of form and and are wonderfully adorned and with and while throughout almost its whole extent the floor is a landscape garden like the most striking features are the hanging over the cliffs descending the side and pushing forward | 28 |
to the river greatly the wild beauty of all the others gliding along the swift flowing river the views change with bewildering rapidity wonderful too are the changes dependent on the seasons and the weather in spring when the snow is melting fast you enjoy the countless rejoicing the gentle breathing of warm winds the colors of the young leaves and flowers when the bees are busy and of fragrance are drifting hither and thither from miles of wild roses and the of and willow on the lower slopes following the melting of the winter snow banks the swelling in white and purple piles above the highest peaks gray rain clouds travels in the brows and of the walls and the breaking forth of the sun after the rain the shining of the leaves and streams and crystal architecture of the the rising of fresh fragrance the song of the happy birds and the serene of the morning and evening sky in summer you find the groves and gardens in full dress melting rapidly under sunshine and rain in all their glory the river rejoicing in its strength young birds trying their wings bears enjoying salmon and all the life of the full like the streams in autumn comes rest as if the year s work were done the rich sunshine streaming over the cliffs calls forth the last of the and the groves and and meadows bloom again as their leaves change to red and yellow the rocks also and the seem to bloom like the plants in the mellow golden light and so goes the song change succeeding change in sublime harmony through all the wonderful seasons and weather my first trip up the river was made in the spring with the missionary party soon after our arrival at we left in the afternoon and for the night above the river and started up the river early next morning when the heights above the big and the smooth and and arches of solid snow along the tops of the walls were glowing in the early beams we arrived before noon at the old i the river ing post called buck s in front of the and remained long enough to allow the few passengers who wished a nearer view to cross the river to the the streaming through the ice along its wall produced a wonderful glory of color and the broad sparkling crystal and the distant snowy fountains were wonderfully attractive and made me pray for opportunity to explore them of the many a hundred or more that adorn the walls of the great river this is the largest it draws its sources from snowy mountains within fifteen or twenty miles of the coast through a comparatively narrow about two miles in width in a magnificent and in a broad fan five or six miles in width separated from the river by its broad fringed with and around the beautifully drawn curve of the the river flows having evidently been by the out of its direct course on the opposite side of the another somewhat smaller which now four or five miles from the river was once united front to front with the greater though at first both were of the main which once filled the whole grand after the main trunk was melted out its side branches drawing their sources from a height of three or four to five or six thousand feet were cut off and of course became separate occupying and branch along the tops and sides of i travels in the walls the indians have a tradition that the river used to run through a under the united fronts of the two large mentioned above which entered the main from either side and that on one occasion an indian anxious to get rid of his wife had her sent adrift in a down through the ice expecting that she would trouble him no more but to his surprise she floated through under the ice in safety all the evidence connected with the present appearance of these two that they were united and formed a dam across the river after the smaller had been melted off and had to a greater or lesser height above the valley floor the big is hardly out of sight ere you come upon another that a majestic crystal flood through the while almost every hollow and contains a smaller one the size of course varying with the extent of the area drained some are like mere snow banks others with the blue ice apparent depend in massive curves and and into the river like forms that through the lower regions and are so striking and beautiful that they are admired even by the passing with gold dust in their eyes thirty five miles above the big is the dirt the second in size its outlet is a fine stream in on the opposite side of the river there is a group of five one of them descending to within a hundred feet of the river the river near on the flank of the main coast range just below a narrow called the first make their appearance where great quantities of material have been swept through the flood choked and of course and deposited on the first open below here too occurs a marked change in climate and consequently in forests and general appearance of the face of the country on account of destructive fires the woods are younger and are composed of smaller trees about a foot to eighteen inches in and seventy five feet high mostly two pines which hold their seeds for several years after they are ripe the woods here are without a trace of those deep of leaves and trunks which make so damp and a mass in the coast forests whole mountain sides are covered with gray moss and where the forest has been utterly destroyed the river bank are also smaller and | 28 |
the and pines mingle freely with the coast and the is common on the lower slopes and is very effective its round leafy pale green head with the dark narrow of the and giving a striking character to the forest the pine or black pine as the variety of p is called here is green in marked contrast with the dark draped which grows above the pine at a height of about two thousand feet in groves and where it has escaped fire and snow there is another handsome here travels in very slender and graceful in habit drooping at the top like a mountain i saw fine specimens a hundred and twenty five feet high on deep bottom land a few miles below the tops of some of them were almost covered with dense clusters of yellow and brown we reached the old s bay trading post at about one o clock and the captain informed me that he would stop here until the next morning when he would make an early start for at a distance of about seven or eight miles to the of the landing there is an group of mountains crowning a spur from the main chain of the coast range whose highest point rises about eight thousand feet above the level of the sea j and as is only a thousand feet above the sea the height to be overcome in climbing this peak is about seven thousand feet though the time was short i determined to climb it because of the advantageous position it occupied for general views of the peaks and of the east side of the great range although it was now twenty minutes past three and the days were getting short i thought that by rapid climbing i could reach the summit before sunset in time to get a general view and a few pencil sketches and make my way back to the steamer in the night mr young one of the asked permission to accompany me saying that he was a good and and would not delay me or cause any trouble i strongly advised him not to go so the river explaining that it involved a walk coming and going of fourteen or sixteen miles and a climb through brush and of seven thousand feet a fair day s work for a to be done in less than half a day and part of a night but he insisted that he was a strong could do a s day s work in half a day and would not hinder me in any way well i have warned you i said and will not assume responsibility for any trouble that may arise he proved to be a stout and we made rapid progress across a flat and up the mountain slopes open in some places and in others with dwarf resting a minute here and there to refresh ourselves with which grew in abundance in open spots about half an hour before sunset when we were near a cluster of crumbling that formed the summit i had ceased to feel anxiety about the strength and skill of my companion and pushed rapidly on in passing around the shoulder of the highest where the rock was rapidly and the danger of slipping was great i shouted in a warning voice be very careful here this is dangerous mr young was perhaps a dozen or two yards behind me but out of sight i afterwards reproached myself for not stopping and him a hand and showing him the slight footsteps i had made by kicking out little blocks of the crumbling surface instead of simply warning him to be careful travels in only a few seconds after giving this warning i was startled by a scream for help and hurrying back found the missionary face downward his arms outstretched clutching little crumbling on the brink of a that down a thousand feet or more to a small i managed to get below him touched one of his feet and tried to encourage him by saying i am below you you are in no danger you can t slip past me and i will soon get you out of this he then told me that both of his arms were it was almost impossible to find available on the treacherous rock and i was at my wits end to know how to get him rolled or dragged to a place where i could get about him find out how much he was hurt and a way back down the mountain after narrowly the cliff and making i managed to roll and lift him a few yards to a place where the slope was less steep and there i attempted to set his arms i found however that this was impossible in such a place i therefore tied his arms to his sides with my and to prevent as much as possible from movement i then left him telling him to lie still that i would be back in a few minutes and that he was now safe from slipping i hastily examined the ground and saw no way of getting him down except by the steep after to an point that commands a view of it from top to bottom to make sure that it was not interrupted by sheer i concluded that with i the river great care and the digging of slight he could be slid down to the where i could lay him on his back and perhaps be able to set his arms accordingly i cheered him up telling him i had found a way but that it would require lots of time and patience digging a footstep in the sand or crumbling rock five or six feet beneath him i reached up took hold of him by one of his feet and gently slid him down on his back placed his heels in the step then descended | 28 |
another five or six feet dug heel and slid him down to them thus the whole distance was made by a succession of narrow steps at very short intervals and the was reached perhaps about midnight here i took off one of my boots tied a handkerchief around his wrist for a good hold placed my heel in his arm pit and succeeded in getting one of his arms into place but my utmost strength was insufficient to reduce the of the other i therefore bound it closely to his side and asked him if in his exhausted and trembling condition he was still able to walk yes he bravely replied so with a arm around him and many stops for rest i marched him slowly down in the on the comparatively smooth surface of the little to the a distance of perhaps a mile crossed the bathed his head at one of the outlet streams and after many rests reached a dry place and made a brush fire i then went ahead looking for an open way through the bushes to where larger wood could be had made a s l travels in good lasting fire of silver fir roots and a leafy bed beside it i now told him i would run down the mountain hasten back with help from the boat and carry him down in comfort but he would not hear of my leaving him no no he said i can walk down don t leave me i reminded him of the of the way his nerve shaken condition and assured him i would not be gone long but he insisted on trying saying on no account whatever must i leave him i therefore concluded to try to get him to the ship by short walks from one fire and resting place to another while he was resting i went ahead looking for the best way through the brush and rocks then returning got him on his feet and made him lean on my shoulder while i him to prevent his falling this slow staggering struggle from fire to fire lasted until long after sunrise when at last we reached the ship and stood at the foot of the narrow single plank without side rails that reached from the bank to the deck at a considerable angle i briefly explained to mr young s companions who stood looking down at us that he had been hurt in an accident and requested one of them to assist me in getting him aboard but strange to say instead of coming down to help they made haste to reproach him for having gone on a wild goose chase with these foolish adventures are well enough for mr they said but you mr young have a work to do you have a family you have a church and e keen river you have no right to risk your life on treacherous peaks and the captain lane son of joseph lane had been swearing in angry impatience for being compelled to make so late a start and thus encounter a dangerous wind in a narrow and was threatening to put the ashore to seek their lost companion while he went on down the river about his business but when he heard my call for help he hastened forward and the away from the end of the shouting in angry oh blank this is no time for preaching don t you see the man is hurt he ran down to our help and while i my trembling companion from behind the captain kindly led him up the plank into the saloon and made him drink a large glass of brandy then with a man holding down his shoulders we succeeded in getting the bone into its notwithstanding the and of the muscles and mr young was then put to bed and he slept all the way back to in his mission lectures in the east mr young told this story i made no record of it in my and never intended to write a word about it but after a miserable of the story had appeared in a respectable magazine i thought it but fair to my brave companion that it should be told just as it happened chapter v a in the shortly after our return to the planned a grand mission excursion up the coast of the to the country which i gladly joined together with mr his wife and a friend from the river steamer was and we had her all to ourselves ship and officers at our command to sail and stop where and when we would and of course everybody felt important and hopeful the main object of the was to ascertain the spiritual wants of the warlike tribe with a view to the establishment of a church and school in their principal village the merchant and his party were bent on business and scenery while my mind was on the mountains and forests this was toward the end of july in the very brightest and best of summer weather when the icy mountains towering in the sky were displayed in all their glory and the islands at their feet seemed to float and on the shining mirror waters after we had passed through the the mountains of the came in full view arrayed in snow and ice some of the largest and most river like of the flowing through wide high walled valleys like their sources far back and concealed others in plain s a in the r sight from their highest fountains to the level of the sea cares of every kind were quickly forgotten and though the engines soon began to and sigh with solemnity suggesting coming trouble we were too happy to mind them every face glowed with natural love of wild beauty the islands were seen in long perspective their forests dark green in the with varying tones of blue growing more | 28 |
beauty a few dwarf often planted on their rich together with and solomon s seal the of the trees are about a hundred and fifty feet high with a of about four or five feet their branches mingling together and making a perfect shade as the twilight began to fall i sat down on the of a not a bush or tree was moving every leaf seemed hushed in brooding repose one bird a embroidered the silence with cheery notes making the solitude familiar and sweet while the solemn of the stream through the woods seemed like the very voice of god and entering one s heart as to a home prepared for it go where we will all the world over we seem to have been there before the stream was at short intervals with i travels in picturesque moss logs and the trees on its banks leaning over from side to side made high arches the log bridge i crossed was i think the most beautiful of the kind i ever saw the massive log is to a depth of six inches or more with of three or four species their different tones of yellow finely into each other while their delicate branches and foliage lie in exquisite order outward and down the sides in rich clasping sheets and together until the required thickness is attained the and cases give a tinge and the whole bridge is enriched with and a row of small trees and bushes with colored leaves every one of which seems to have been from the woods for this special use so perfectly do they in size shape and color with the cover the width of the span and the luxuriant back to the beach i found four or five indian deck hands getting water with whom i returned aboard the steamer thanking the lord for so noble an addition to my life as was this one big mountain forest and day next morning most of the company seemed conscience stricken and ready to do anything in the way of compensation for our broken excursion that would not cost too much it was not found difficult therefore to convince the captain and disappointed passengers that instead of creeping back to direct we should make an a and a in the branch excursion to the largest of the three low descending we had passed the indian pilot well acquainted with this part of the coast declared himself willing to guide us the water in these channels is generally deep and safe and though at wide intervals rocks rise abruptly here and there lacking only a few feet in height to enable them to take rank as islands the flat drew but little more water than a duck so that even the most timid raised no objection on this score the heads of our engines were the main source of anxiety provided they could be kept on all might yet be well but in this matter there was evidently some distrust the engineer having informed some of the passengers that in consequence of using salt water in his the might fly off at any moment to the however it was at length decided we should venture arriving opposite the mouth of its we straight inland between beautiful wooded shores and the grand came in sight in its granite valley glowing in the early sunshine and extending a noble invitation to come and see after we passed between the two mountain rocks that guard the gate of the the view that was unfolded fixed every eye in wondering admiration no words can convey anything like an adequate conception of its sublime grandeur the noble simplicity and of the of the walls their magnificent proportions their gardens and forest the placid between them the great white and blue travels in ice wall and the snow laden mountains beyond still more impotent are words in telling the peculiar awe one experiences in entering these of the icy north notwithstanding it is only the natural effect a of of the presence of god standing in the of this glorious temple and regarding it only as a picture its outlines may be easily traced the water of a pale green color a smooth mirror sheet sweeping back five or six miles like one of the lower reaches of a great river bounded at the head by a barrier wall of white ice four or five hundred feet high a few snowy mountain tops appear beyond it and on either hand rise a series of majestic pale gray granite rocks from three to four thousand feet high some of them and striped with bushes and grass on narrow shelves especially about half way up others severely sheer and bare and built together into walls like those of extending far beyond the ice barrier one immense brow appearing beyond another with their buried in the this is a valley in process of formation the and of the walls nearly completed and well planted but no groves as yet or gardens or meadows on the raw and unfinished bottom it is as if the in entering the should find the walls nearly in their present condition trees and flowers in the warm and along the sunny portions of the covered brows but the bottom of the valley still covered with water and beds of gravel and mud and the grand that a in the formed it slowly receding but still filling the upper half of the valley sailing directly up to the edge of the low water washed scarce noticeable in a general view we seemed to be separated from the only by a bed of gravel a hundred y or so in width but on so grand a scale are all the main features of the valley we afterwards found the distance to be a mile or more the captain ordered the indian deck hands to get out the take as many | 28 |
region into memory in particular a second view of the mountains made me raise my first estimate of their height some of them must be seven or eight thousand feet at the least also the seemed larger and more numerous i counted nearly a hundred large and small between a point ten or fifteen miles to the north of cape and the mouth of the river we made no more however until we had passed through the and dropped anchor for the night in a small bay this was about sunset and i eagerly seized the opportunity to go ashore in the and see what i could learn it is here only a step from the marine to vegetation of almost tropical parting the and bushes and the crooked stems of the i made my way into the woods and lingered in the twilight doing nothing in particular only measuring a few of the trees listening to learn what birds and animals might be about and gazing along the dusky in the mean time another excursion was being invented one of small size and price we might have reached fort this evening instead of here but the owners of the would then i travels in receive only ten dollars fare from each person while they had incurred considerable expense in fitting up the boat for this special trip and had treated us well no under the circumstances it would never do to return to so soon it was decided therefore that the company should have the benefit of another day s hire in visiting the old deserted village fourteen miles to the south of we shall have a good time one of the most influential of the party said to me in a semi tone as if dimly my disappointment in not going on to we shall probably find stone and other chief is going to guide us and the other indians aboard will dig for us and there are interesting old buildings and poles to be seen it seemed strange however that so important a mission to the most influential of the tribes should end in a deserted village but divinity nevertheless the day was divine and there was plenty of natural religion in the that were being in sunshine and sermons in the on the beach where we landed the site of the old village is on an strip of ground about two hundred yards long and fifty wide sloping gently to the water with a strip of gravel and tail grass in front dark woods back of it and charming views over the water among the islands a delightful place the tide was low when we arrived and i noticed that the exposed on the beach a in the granite that had been dropped by the melting ice toward the close of the period were piled in parallel rows at right angles to the shore line out of the way of the that had belonged to the village most of the party sauntered along the shore for the ruins were overgrown with tall elder bushes and vines through which it was difficult to force a way in company with the most eager of the and two indians i pushed back among the dwellings they were deserted some sixty or seventy years before and some of them were at least a hundred years old so said our guide and his word was by the venerable aspect of the ruins though the damp climate is destructive many of the house were still in a good state of preservation particularly those from the yellow or as it is called here the magnitude of the ruins and the excellence of the manifest in them was astonishing as belonging to indians for example the first dwelling we visited was about forty feet square with walls built of two feet wide and six inches thick the of yellow was two feet in forty feet long and as round and true as if it had been turned in a and though lying in the damp weeds it was still perfectly sound the marks of the stone were still visible though over with scale in most places the pillars that had supported the were still standing in some of the ruins they were all as far as travels in i observed carved into life size figures of men women and children fishes birds and various other animals such as the wolf or bear each of the wall had evidently been out of a whole log and must have required sturdy deliberation as well as skill their was admirable with the same tools not one in a thousand of our skilled could do as good work compared with it the work of civilized is feeble and the completeness of form finish and proportion of these suggested skill of a wild and positive kind like that which guides the in round holes and the bee in making its the carved pole monuments are the most striking of the objects displayed here the simplest of them consisted of a smooth round post fifteen or twenty feet high and about eighteen inches in with the figure of some animal on top a bear eagle or about life size or larger these were the of the families that occupied the houses in front of which they stood others supported the figure of a man or woman life size or larger usually in a sitting posture said to resemble the dead whose ashes were contained in a closed in the pole the largest were thirty or forty feet high carved from top to bottom into human and animal figures one above another with their limbs doubled and folded some of the most imposing were said to some event of an historical character but a telling display of family ol d chief and pole i l a in the pride seemed to have been the prevailing motive all | 28 |
the figures were more or less rude and some were grotesque but there was never any or obscurity in the expression on the contrary every feature showed grave force and decision while the childish audacity displayed in the designs combined with manly strength in their execution was truly wonderful the colored and gave them a venerable air while the larger vegetation often found on such as were most decayed produced a picturesque effect here for example is a bear five or six feet long on top of his clad pillar with comfortably folded a of grass growing in each ear and bushes along his back and yonder is an old chief poised on a taller pillar apparently gazing out over the landscape in mood a of bushes leaning back with a air from the top of his hat and about his massive lips but no or that may appear however combined with the that nature has added may possibly provoke mirth the whole work is serious in aspect and brave and true in execution similar monuments are made by other tribes the of a pole is made a grand affair and is often talked of for a year or two beforehand a feast to which many are invited is held and the joyous occasion is spent in eating dancing and the distribution of gifts some of the larger specimens cost a thousand dollars or more from one i travels in to two hundred blankets worth three dollars apiece are paid to the genius who them while the presents and feast usually cost twice as much so that only the wealthy families can afford them i talked with an old indian who pointed out one of the he had made in the village for which he told me he had received forty blankets a gun a and other articles all together worth about mr swan who has contributed much information concerning the british and tribes describes a pole that cost they are always planted firmly in the ground and stand fast showing the sturdy of their while i was busy with my pencil i heard going on at the north end of the village followed by a heavy as if a tree had fallen it appeared that after digging about the old hearth in the first dwelling visited without finding anything of consequence the doctor called the steamer deck hands to one of the most interesting of the and directed them to cut it down saw off the principal figure a woman measuring three feet three inches across the shoulders and convey it aboard the steamer with a view to taking it on east to some museum or other this came near causing trouble and would have cost us dear had the not chanced to belong to the family the representative of which is a member of the newly organized church looked very seriously into the face of the reverend doctor and pushed home the question a in the a how would you like to have an indian go to a and break down and carry away a monument belonging to your family however the religious relations of the parties and a few trifling presents in apologies served to hush and mend the matter some time in the afternoon the steam whistle called us together to finish our memorable trip there was no trace of decay in the sky a glorious sunset gilded the water and cleared away the shadows of our meditations among the ruins we landed at the wharf at dusk pushed our way through a group of inquisitive indians across the two crooked streets and up to our homes in the fort we had been away only three days but they were so full of novel scenes and impressions the time seemed long and our broken excursion far from being a failure as it seemed to some was one of the most memorable of my life chapter vi the trail i made a second trip up the in august and from the head of pushed inland for general views over dry grassy hills and plains on the trail soon after leaving telegraph creek i met a who assured me that i was going into the most wonderful region in the world that the scenery up the river was full of the very wildest of nature surpassing all other either natural or artificial on paper or in nature and give yourself no care about provisions for wild food grows in prodigious abundance everywhere a man was lost four days up there but he on vegetables and and got back to camp in good condition a mess of wild and for example will actually do you good and here s my advice go slow and take the pleasures and as you go at the of the first north fork of the i found a band of or stick indians catching their winter supply of salmon in willow traps set where the fish are struggling in swift on their way to the grounds a large supply had already been secured and of course the indians were well fed and merry they were in lai ge made of poles set on end in the ground with the c as star trail many binding cross pieces on which tons of salmon were being dried the heads were strung on separate poles and the packed in willow baskets all being well smoked from fires in the middle of the floor the largest of the near the bank of the river was about forty feet square beds made of and pine boughs were spread all around the walls on which some of the indians lay asleep some were ropes others sitting and lounging and while a little baby was swinging in a all seemed to be light hearted and jolly with work enough and wit enough to maintain health and comfort in the winter they are said to dwell in substantial huts | 28 |
in the woods where game especially is abundant they are pale copper colored have small feet and hands are not at all in lips or cheeks like some of the coast tribes nor so short or heavy in general one of the most striking of the features of this region are immense gravel displayed in sections on the walls of the river about two miles above the north fork there is a bluff of three hundred and fifty feet high and above this a bed of gravel four hundred feet thick while beneath the there is another bed at least fifty feet thick from ward s seventeen miles beyond telegraph and about fourteen hundred feet above the trail a gravel ridge to a pine covered twenty one hundred feet above the sea thence for three miles the trail leads through i travels in a forest of short closely planted trees to the second north fork of the where a still greater deposit of gravel is displayed a section at least six hundred feet thick resting on a red formation nine hundred feet above the river there is a with and willow groves and meadows at s one and a half miles from the river the ground is with dwarf and the blessed y and with small pines and the fifty to sixty feet high from s to fourteen miles no water was visible though the nearly level ground is looking at camp two miles from the river i saw two fine dogs a and a their owner told me that he paid only twenty dollars for the team and was offered one hundred dollars for one of them a short time afterwards the he said caught salmon on the and could be sent back for miles to fetch horses the fine jet black curly helped to carry the dishes from the table to the kitchen went for water when ordered took the and set it down at the stream side but could not be taught to dip it full but their principal work was camp supplies on up the river in winter these two were said to be able to haul a load of a thousand pounds when the ice was in fairly good condition they were fed on dried fish and boiled together the c as star trail the timber is mostly willow or on the low ground with here and there pine and about fifty feet high none seen much exceeded a foot in thousand acre patches have been destroyed by fire some of the green trees had been burned off at the root the raised roots packed in dry moss being readily attacked from beneath a range of mountains about five thousand to six thousand feet high nearly north and south for sixty miles is to the summit only a few cliff faces and one of the highest points patched with snow are no part of this range as far as i could see is deeply though the general of the country must have been enormous as the show at the top of a smooth pass about four thousand feet above the sea beautiful lake comes suddenly in sight shining like a broad tranquil river between hills and mountains it is about twenty seven miles long one to two miles wide and its waters to the flow into the ocean by a very long romantic way the of which in from great slave lake to the ocean must have been a glorious task for the heroic alexander whose name it bears creek a fine rushing stream about forty miles long and forty or fifty feet wide enters the lake from the west drawing its sources from grassy mountain creek about the same size and and with their many travels in branches head together in the same general range of mountains or on like on the divide between the and and all these streams had proved rich in gold the wing and boxes on the lower five or ten miles of their courses showed wonderful industry and the quantity of and perhaps gravel displayed was enormous some of the beds were not unlike those of the so called dead rivers of several ancient drift filled channels on creek blue at bed rock were exposed and had been worked a considerable portion of the gold though mostly coarse had no doubt come from considerable distances as included in some of the show the deepest beds though known to be rich had not yet been worked to any great depth on account of expense that yield less than five dollars a day to the man were considered worthless only three of the claims on creek eighteen miles from the mouth of creek were then said to pay one of the from this creek weighed forty pounds while wandering about the banks of these streams looking at the plants and mines and i was so fortunate as to meet an interesting french an old de who after a few minutes conversation invited me to accompany him to his gold mine on the head of creek near the summit of a smooth grassy mountain ridge which he assured me commanded extensive views of the region at the heads of the tar trail and though with flour and bacon he strode lightly along the rough as if his load was only a natural balanced part of his body our way at first lay along creek now on gravel benches now on bed rock now close down on the edge of the stream above the mines the stream is clear and flows with a rapid current its banks are with moss and grass and well mixed with flowers po etc small of meadow occur here and there and of slender fir and with moss clad roots grow close to the water s edge the creek is about forty five miles long and the richest of its gold bearing beds so far discovered were | 28 |
on the lower four miles of the creek the higher four or five dollars a day were considered very poor on account of the high price of provisions and of the season after crossing many smaller streams with their of trees and meadows and bright wild gardens we arrived at the le cabin about the middle of the afternoon before entering it he threw down his burden and made haste to show me his favorite flower a blue not a specimen of which he found within a few rods of the cabin and proudly handed it to me with the finest respect and telling its many charms and associations showed in every look and touch and gesture that the tender little plant of the mountain wilderness was truly his best loved darling travels in after luncheon we set out for the highest point on the dividing ridge about a mile above the cabin and sauntered and gazed until admiring the vast expanse of open rolling like dotted with groves and lakes the fountain heads of countless cool glad streams le s simple love of nature preserved through a hard wilderness life was delightful to see the grand with their lakes and streams plants and animals all were dear to him in particular he was fond of the birds that near his cabin watched the young and in stormy weather helped their parents to feed and shelter them some species were so confiding they learned to perch on his shoulders and take from his hand a little before sunset snow began to fly driven by a cold wind and by the time we reached the cabin though we had not far to go everything looked wintry at half past nine we ate supper while a good fire cheerily in the and a wintry wind blew hard the little log cabin was only ten feet long eight wide and just high enough under the roof peak to allow one to stand upright the was not wide enough for two so le spread the blankets on the floor and we gladly lay down after our long happy walk our heads under the our feet against the opposite wall and though comfortably tired it was long ere we fell asleep for le finding me a good listener told many stories of his adventurous life with indians bears and wolves snow and hunger the trail and of his many in the woods hidden like the nests and of wild animals stories that have a singular interest to everybody for they awaken inherited memories of the when we were all wild he had nine children he told me the youngest eight years of age and several of his daughters were married his home was in victoria next morning was cloudy and windy snowy and cold dreary december weather in august and i y gladly ran out to see what i might learn a gray ragged edged cloud the top of the divide its snowy drawn out by the wind the flowers though most of them were buried or partly so were to some extent the bent over shining like eyes through the snow and the too with their twisted shut i could recognize under any disguise and two species of dwarf willow with their seeds already ripe one with comparatively small leaves were growing in mere cracks and of rock where the dry snow could not lie and were flying briskly in the cold wind and on the edge of a grove i saw a from which a bear had stripped large sections of bark for food about nine o clock the clouds lifted and i enjoyed another wide view from the summit of the ridge of the vast grassy fountain region with smooth rolling features a few patches of forest broke the monotony of color and the many lakes one of them about five miles long were glowing like windows only the highest were with snow while in travels in the clouds showed beautiful bits of yellow green sky the limit of tree growth is about five thousand feet throughout all this region from to the grow in in the woods and on dry where the trees seem to have been destroyed by fire and over all the broad above the timber line a kind of bunch grass in particular is often four or five feet high and close enough to be for hay i never anywhere saw finer or more wild pasture here the feed and grow fat the intense winter cold often forty to sixty degrees below winter and summer seem to be the only seasons here what may fairly be called summer lasts only two or three months winter nine or ten for of pure well defined spring or autumn there is scarcely a trace were it not for the long severe this would be a capital stock country and the of the old west from my outlook on the ridge i saw thousands of square miles of this like region drained by of the and rivers le told me that the or were very abundant on this high ground a flock of fifty or more was seen a short time before at the head of creek fine hardy able animals like their near relatives the of the the indians he said hunted them with dogs mostly in the fall and winter on my return trip i met several bands of these indians on the march going north to hunt some of the men and women were the tar trail carrying on top of their heavy loads of dried salmon while the grown dogs had saddle bags filled with odds and ends on their backs small unable to carry more than five or six pounds were thus made useful i overtook another band going south heavy laden with and skins to trade an old woman with short dress and was carrying a big load of and skins on top of which | 28 |
was perched a little girl about three years old a brown one of le s friends was getting ready for winter the entrance to his was a little to one side of the cabin door a well worn trail led to it through the grass and another to that of his companion fifty feet away he was a most amusing pet always on hand at meal times for bread and bits of bacon came when called answering in a shrill whistle moving like a with quick nervous impulses his short flat tail his fur clothing was neat and clean fairly shining in the wintry light the snowy weather that morning must have called winter to mind for as soon as he got his breakfast he ran to a of dry grass it into and carried it to his nest coming and going with admirable industry and confidence none watching him as we did could fail to with him and i fancy that in practical weather wisdom no government with all his advantages this little every hair and nerve a weather instrument i greatly enjoyed this little inland side trip the s travels in wide views the along the branches of the great river busy as and young men dreaming and hoping to strike it rich and rush home to marry their girls faithfully waiting others hoping to clear off weary farm and the lives of the anxious home folk but most i suppose just struggling blindly for gold enough to make them rich to spend their lives in honor and ease i enjoyed getting acquainted with the trees especially the beautiful and silver fir the flower gardens and great grassy pastures the cheery able and above all the friendship and kindness of mr le whom i shall never forget bidding i sauntered back to the head of on the happy and rich without a of gold dust care chapter vii peak on the trail to the landing at the foot of lake i met a nearly as red and rusty in color as his eastern relative the except in color he but little from the in voice language gestures temperament he is the same fiery little king of the woods another darker and probably younger specimen met near the house and showed off in fine style on a tree within a few feet of us what does the little rascal mean said my companion a man i had fallen in with on the trail what is he making such a fuss about i cannot frighten him never mind i replied just wait until i whistle old hundred and you will see him fly in disgust and so he did just as his brethren do strange that no or i yet have found ever seemed to have anything like enough of scotch religion to enjoy this grand old tune the along the gold trail were the worst i had ever seen rough with dirt floors dirt roofs and rough meals the meals are all alike a a of something like bacon some gray stuff called bread and a cup of muddy coffee like that which the call travels in or the bread was terrible and sinful how the lord s good wheat could be made into stuff so mysteriously bad is past finding out the very de il it would seem in wicked anger and ingenuity had been the baker on our walk from lake to telegraph creek we had one of these rough at three o clock in the afternoon of the first day then walked on five miles to ward s where we were solemnly assured that we could not have a single bite of either supper or breakfast but as a great favor we might sleep on his best gray we replied that as we had at the lake supper would not be greatly missed and as for breakfast we would start early and walk eight miles to the next road house we set out at half past four glad to escape into the fresh air and reached the breakfast place at eight o clock the landlord was still and when at length he came to the door he savagely at us as if our request for breakfast was preposterous and criminal beyond anything ever heard of in all a good many in those days were returning from the mines dead broke and he probably regarded us as belonging to that class anyhow we got nothing and had to tramp on as we approached the next house three miles ahead we saw the tavern keeper keenly surveying us and as we afterwards learned taking me for a certain judge whom for some cause he wished to avoid he hurriedly locked his door and fled half a mile farther on we discovered him in a thicket a little way off the peak trail explained our wants marched him back to his house and at length obtained a little sour bread sour milk and old salmon our only lonely meal between the lake and telegraph creek we arrived at telegraph creek the end of my mile walk about noon after luncheon i went on down the river to in a fine owned and by a stout indian woman who charged her passengers a dollar for the fifteen mile trip her crew was four indian in the she also plied the with stout telling strokes and a keen eyed old man probably her husband sat high in the stern and all seemed as we shot down through the narrow on the rushing roaring river all the more vigorously the faster the speed of the stream to hold good way the danced lightly amid gray and spray as if alive and enjoying the adventure some of the passengers were pretty thoroughly in hands the frail would surely have been wrecked or upset most of the season goods for the gold were carried from to telegraph creek in the not being | 28 |
able to overcome the except during high water even then they had usually to line two of the that is take a line ashore make it fast to a tree on the bank and pull up on the the freight carried about three or four tons for which fifteen dollars per ton was charged slow progress was made by along travels in the bank out of the part of the current in the a tow line was taken ashore only one of the crew remaining aboard to steer the trip took a day unless a wind was blowing which often happened next morning i set out from to climb peak for the general view of the great coast range that i failed to obtain on my first ascent on account of the accident that mr young when we were within a minute or two of the top it is hard to fail in reaching a mountain top that one starts for let the cause be what it may this time i had no companion to care for but the sky was threatening i was assured by the local weather that the day would be rainy or snowy because the peaks in sight were muffled in clouds that seemed to be getting ready for work i determined to go ahead however for storms of any kind are well worth while and if driven back i could wait and try again with in my pocket and a light rubber coat that a kind hebrew passenger on the steamer me i was ready for anything that might offer my hopes for the grand view rising and falling as the clouds rose and fell anxiously i watched them as they their skirts across the and fountain peaks as if thoughtfully looking for the places where they could do the most good from there is first a terrace two hundred feet above the river covered mostly with bushes yellow on the open spaces together with carpets of dwarf bunch grass and a few of the i peak etc then comes a stretch a mile wide extending to the covered with fir and now mostly killed by fire and the ground strewn with trunks from this black forest the mountain rises in rather steep slopes covered with a luxuriant growth of bushes grass flowers and a few trees chiefly and fir the gradually into a beautiful the most beautiful i think i have ever seen the flat thickly and by snow pressure forming a smooth handsome which bears and as if this repressed condition were its very best it extends up to an elevation of about fifty five hundred feet only a few trees more than a foot in and more than fifty feet high are found higher than four thousand feet above the sea a few and occur on moist places gradually like the is the most generally distributed of the bushes growing nearly everywhere its stems an inch or two thick form a troublesome to the the blue with leaves red and at this time of the year is perhaps the most telling of the plants it grows up to five thousand feet or more are common with and a few the appears at about four thousand feet and extends to the summit in stature but maintaining the size of its handsome bells until they seem to be lying loose and detached on the ground as if like snow flowers they had fallen from the sky and though i travels in frail and delicate looking none of its companions is more enduring or rings out the praises of nature in tones more to mortals not forgetting even who also is here and her companion the loveliest and most widely distributed of the shrubs then come and two species of one of them from about six inches to a foot high with delicious the other a most and contented looking dwarf few of the bushes being more than two inches high counting to the leaf yet each bearing from ten to twenty or more large perhaps more than half the bulk of the whole plant is fruit the largest and finest of all the or i ever tasted spreading fine for the and and many others of nature s mountain people i noticed three species of dwarf one with narrow leaves growing at the very summit of the mountain in cracks of the rocks as well as on patches of soil another with large smooth leaves now turning yellow the third species grows between the others as to elevation its leaves then orange colored are strikingly and another a species of covered with handsome heads of beautiful dwarf with flocks of purple flowers pricked into their bright grass green cushion like of moss like foliage and a fine forget me not reach to the summit i may also mention a large a fine a six feet high a large blue i peak growing up to three to four thousand feet and at the summit a dwarf species with dusky hairy and a few and small rock leaving scarce a foot of ground bare though the mountain looks bald and brown in the distance like those of the desert of the great basin in and charmed with these plant people i had almost forgotten to watch the sky until i reached the top of the highest peak when one of the greatest and most sublime of all the mountain views i have ever enjoyed came full in sight more than three hundred miles of closely packed peaks of the great coast range in the manner imaginable their naked tops and dividing dark in color their sides and the and valleys between them loaded with and snow from this i counted upwards of two hundred while dark luminous clouds with fringed edges hovered and crawled over them now slowly descending casting transparent shadows on the ice and show now rising high above them lingering like | 28 |
loving angels guarding the crystal gifts they had bestowed although the range as seen from this mountain top seems regular in its as if the main were simple and continuous it is on the contrary far from simple in front of the highest ranks of peaks are others of the same form with their own and lower peaks before these and yet lower ones with their and valleys and rise beyond as far as the eye can r travels in reach and clusters of higher peaks here and there closely crowded together clusters too of needles and innumerable like trees in groves everywhere the peaks seem comparatively slender and closely packed as if nature had here been trying to see how many noble well dressed mountains could be crowded into one grand range the black rocks too steep for snow to lie upon were brought into sharp relief by white clouds and snow and and these again were and made plain by the rocks the so displayed are of every form some crawling through and valley like monster glittering others like broad pouring over cliffs into shadowy others with their main trunks winding through narrow display long white finger like descending from the of others lie back in fountain walled in all around save at the lower edge over which they pour in blue snow too lay in folds and patches of every form on blunt rounded in curves lines and narrow ornamental among the summit peaks and in broad wings on smooth slopes and on many a and lower ridge there lay heavy over curling and smooth white where wind driven pressed and and packed into every form and in every possible place and condition i never before had seen so richly a range or so many awe inspiring inaccessible mountains crowded together if a line were peak drawn east and west from the peak on which i stood and extended both ways to the horizon cutting the whole round landscape in two equal parts then all of the south half would be bounded by these icy peaks which would seem to curve around half the horizon and about twenty degrees more though extending in a general straight or but curved line the deepest and and highest of all this wilderness of peaks lie to the they are probably from about nine to twelve thousand feet high springing to this elevation from near the sea level the peak on which these observations were made is somewhere about seven thousand feet high and from here i estimated the height of the range the highest peak of all or that seemed so to me lies to the westward at an estimated distance of about one hundred and fifty or two hundred miles only its solid white summit was visible possibly it may be the peak of st now look northward around the other half of the horizon and instead of countless peaks crowding into the sky you see a low brown region heaving and swelling in gentle curves apparently scarcely more waved than a rolling the so called of several forks of the upper are visible but even where best seen in the and middle ground of the picture they are like mere sunken making scarce perceptible marks on the landscape while the tops of the highest mountain show only small patches of snow and no peak on which i stood is the highest travels in point of a spur that puts out from the main range in a direction it seems to have been a rounded broad backed ridge which has been into its present irregular form by short some of which a mile or two long are still at work as i lingered gazing on the vast show luminous shadowy clouds seemed to increase in glory of color and motion now the highest peaks with infinite tenderness of touch now hovering above them like over their nests when night was drawing near i ran down the slopes thanking god for the gift of this great day the setting sun fired the clouds all the world seemed new born every thing even the commonest was seen in new light and was looked at with new interest as if never seen before the plant people seemed glad as if rejoicing with me the little ones as well as the trees while every feature of the peak and its seemed to know what i had been about and the depth of my joy as jf they could read faces chapter viii of the next day i planned an excursion to the so called dirt the most interesting to indians and steamer men of all the from its mysterious floods i left the steamer for the an hour or two before sunset the captain kindly me his and two of his indian deck hands who seemed much puzzled to know what the rare service required of them might mean and on leaving bade a merry adieu to their companions we on the west side of the river opposite the front of the in a spacious valley surrounded by snowy mountains thirteen small were in sight and four it was a fine serene evening and the highest peaks were wearing of cloud stuff i had my supper before leaving the steamer so i had only to make a spread my blanket and lie down the indians had their own and lay beside their own fire the dirt is noted among the river men as being subject to violent flood once or twice a year usually in the late summer the of this stream is three or four miles wide where it fronts the river and the many rough channels with which it is and the trees and huge that its surface manifest the power of the floods that swept them to their places but travels in under ordinary conditions the its water into the river through only four or five of the channels our | 28 |
camp was made on the south or lower side of the below all the streams so that i would not have to ford any of them on my way to the the indians chose a sand pit to sleep in i chose a level spot back of a drift log i had but little to say to my companions as they could speak no english nor i much or in a few minutes after landing they retired to their pit and were soon asleep and i lingered by the fire until after ten o clock for the night sky was clear and the great white mountains in the seemed nearer than by day and to be looking down like of the valley while the and the torrents escaping from beneath the big roared in a broad low sounding as if close at hand though as it proved next day the nearest was three miles away after myself in my blankets i still gazed into the sky and made out to sleep only about two hours then without waking the noisy i arose ate a piece of bread and set out in my shirt sleeves determined to make the most of the time at my disposal the captain was to pick us up about noon at a about a mile from here but if in the mean time the steamer should run and he should need his a signal would be given following a dry channel for about a mile i came suddenly upon the main outlet of the which the in the imperfect light seemed as large as the river about one hundred and fifty feet wide and perhaps three or four feet deep a little farther up it was only about fifty feet wide and rushing on with impetuous roaring force in its rocky channel sweeping forward sand gravel and the and sounds of the largest of these rolling stones being readily heard in the midst of the roaring it was too swift and rough to ford and no bridge tree could be found for the great floods had cleared everything out of their way i was therefore compelled to keep on up the right bank however difficult the way where a strip of bare lined the margin the walking was easy but where the current swept close along the ragged edge of the forest progress was difficult and slow on account of snow and of and willow with fallen trees and devil s club making a all but impenetrable the mile of this difficult growth through which i struggled inch by inch will not soon be forgotten at length arriving within a few hundred yards of the full of i found that both the and its stream were pressing hard against a cliff steep leaving no margin and compelling me to scramble along its face before i could get on to the but by sunrise all these cliff and torrent troubles were overcome and i gladly found myself free on the magnificent the out front of the is travels in about two miles wide two hundred feet high and its surface for a mile or so above the front is strewn with giving it a strangely dirty dusky look hence its name the dirt this portion being all that is seen in passing up the river a mile or two beyond the covered part i was surprised to find plants growing on the ice fresh and green some of them in full flower these curious gardens the first i had seen were evidently planted by snow from the high walls they were well watered of course by the melting surface of the ice and fairly well nourished by still attached to the roots and in some places formed beds of considerable thickness trees and bushes also were growing among the flowers admiring these novel floating gardens i struck out for the middle of the pure white where the ice seemed and then held straight on for about eight miles where i reluctantly turned back to meet the steamer greatly that i had not brought a week s supply of to allow me to explore the to its head and then trust to some passing to take me down to buck station from which i could explore the big altogether i saw about fifteen or sixteen miles of the main trunk the grade is almost regular and the walls on either hand are about from two to three thousand feet high like those of valley i found no difficulty of an extraordinary kind many a had to be crossed but most of them were narrow and easily jumped while the few wide the keen ones that lay in my way were crossed on bridges or avoided by passing around them the structure of the was strikingly revealed on its melting sur y face it is made up of thin or inclined sheets or set on edge and together they represent i think the successive from heavy storms on the one of the on the right side about three miles above the front has been entirely melted off from the trunk and has two or three miles forming an independent across the mouth of this abandoned part of its channel the main flows forming a dam which gives rise to a lake on the head of the detached there are some five or six small the of which with that of the snowy mountain slopes above them into the lake whose outlet is through a channel or channels beneath the now these sub channels are occasionally blocked and the water rises until it flows alongside of the but as the dam is a moving one a grand outburst is sometimes made which the large lake produces a flood of amazing power sweeping down immense quantities of material and raising the river all the way down to its mouth so that several may occasionally be made by the after the season | 28 |
of low water has laid them up for th e year the occurrence of these floods are of course well known to the indians and men though they know nothing of their cause they simply remark the dirt has broken out again v i travels in i greatly enjoyed my walk up this majestic charmed by the pale blue fine light in the and wells and the innumerable pools in of ice and the of surface streams large and small gliding with wonderful grace of motion in their channels calling forth devout admiration at almost every step and filling the mind with a sense of nature s endless beauty and power looking ahead from the middle of the you see the broad white flood though apparently rigid as iron sweeping in graceful curves between its high mountain like walls small hanging in the hollows on either side and snow in every form above them and the great down plunging granite and of the walls in bold massive forests in side to within fifty feet of the overgrown with and willow innumerable keeping up a solemn harmony of water sounds with those of the and and as far as the eye can reach at short intervals silently descending from their high white fountains to swell the grand central ice river in the angle formed by the main and the lake that gives rise to the river floods there is a massive granite dome with trees and just beyond this rock is a mountain perhaps ten thousand feet high laden with ice and snow which seemed pure white in the morning light last evening as seen from camp it was adorned with a the cloud and both the and the peak were flushed in the a mile or two above this mountain on the opposite side of the there is a rock like the and in general all the wall rocks as far as i saw them are more or less in form and color and with but wonderful as this noble ice river is in size and depth and in power displayed far more wonderful was the vastly greater three or four thousand feet or perhaps a mile in depth whose size and general history is inscribed on the sides of the walls and over the tops of the rocks in characters which have not yet been greatly by the weather comparing its present size with that when it was in its prime is like comparing a small to the same stream when it is a roaring torrent the return trip to the camp past the cliff and through the weary was made in a few hours the indians had gone off picking but were on the watch for me and hailed me as i approached the captain had called for me and after waiting three hours departed for without leaving any food to make sure i suppose of a quick return of his indians and this was no serious matter however for the swift current swept us down to buck station some thirty five miles distant by eight o clock here i remained to study the big but the indians set out for soon after supper though i invited them to stay till morning i travels in the weather that morning august was dark and rainy and i tried to persuade myself that i ought to rest a day before setting out on new ice work but just across the river the big was staring me in the face pouring its majestic flood through a broad mountain and in the spacious river valley to a width of four or five miles while dim in the gray distance loomed its high mountain fountains so grand an invitation displayed in characters so telling was of course irresistible and and weather care vanished mr the keeper of the station me across the river and i spent the day in getting general views and planning the work that had been long in mind i first traced the broad complicated to its southern extremity climbed up the west side along the three or four miles making my way now on the now on the covered bank and now compelled to climb up through the timber and brush in order to pass some rocky until i reached a point commanding a good general view of the lower end of the heavy rain then began to fall and i my steps stopping to admire the blue ice into which glad rejoicing streams from the mountain side were hurrying as if going home while the seemed to open wide its crystal to welcome them the following morning rain was still falling but time and work was too precious to mind it kind mr put me across the river in a the with a lot of his indian wife had baked for me and some dried salmon a little sugar and tea a blanket and a piece of light for shelter from rain during the night all rolled into one bundle when shall i expect you back inquired when i bade him good bye oh any time i replied i shall see as much as possible of the and i know not how long it will hold me well but when will i come to look for you if anything happens where are you going to try to go years ago russian officers from went up the from here and none ever returned it s a mighty dangerous all full of damn deep holes and cracks you ve no idea what deceiving traps are scattered over it yes i have i said i have seen before though none so big as this one do not look for me until i make my appearance on the river bank never mind me i am used to caring for myself and so my bundle i off through the and my general plan was to trace the to its extreme north end pitch | 28 |
my little tent leave the blanket and most of the and from this main camp go and come as hunger required or allowed after examining a cross section of the broad by masses marking in the of the of perhaps i travels in several centuries in which the successive were formed and together in closer or wider order i traced the to its extremity and ascended the for several miles along the left margin then crossed it at the grand and down the right side to the river and along the to the point of beginning on the older portions of this i discovered several in process of formation and was pleased to find that they in the most striking way with the theory i had already been led to make from observations on the old which form so curious a feature of the drift covering and and some of the larger of the in the i found a pit eight or ten feet deep with raw shifting sides abruptly in the rough material and at the bottom on sliding down by the aid of a tree that was being i discovered after digging down a foot or two that the bottom was resting on a block of solid blue ice which had been buried in the a century or more judging by the age of the tree that had grown above it probably more than another century will be required to complete the formation of this kettle by the slow melting of the buried ice block the material of course was falling in as the ice melted and the sides maintained an angle as steep as the material would lie all sorts of theories have been advanced for the formation of these so abundant in the drift over a great part of the united states and i was glad i the to be able to set the question at rest at least as far as i was concerned the and the mountains about it are on so grand a scale and so generally inaccessible in the ordinary sense it seemed to matter but little what course i pursued everything was full of interest even the weather though about as as possible for wide views and through the brush kept one as wet as if all the way was beneath a i pushed on with many a rest and halt to admire the bold and ice front looking all the and more striking in the gray mist with all the rest of the shut out until i came to a lake about two hundred yards wide and two miles long with scores of small floating in it some close against the the light playing on their angles and in their blue in tones this proved to be the largest of the series of narrow that lie in shallow between the and the a miniature ocean its ice cliffs played upon by whispering rippling and its small drifting in its currents or with the wind or here and there along its rocky shore hundreds of small and good sized streams were falling into the lake from the singing in low tones some of them pouring in sheer falls over blue cliffs from narrow ice valleys some from channels in the solid front of the others out of arched at the base all i travels in these water streams were riding on the parent their voices joined in one grand telling the wonders of their near and far off fountains the lake itself is resting in a basin of ice and the though seemingly cut off from the and probably more than a century old is in great part resting on buried ice left behind as the and melting slowly on account of the protection afforded by the which keeps shifting and falling on the inner face long after it is overgrown with bushes and even good sized trees these changes going on with deliberation until in of time the whole settles down upon its foundation the outlet of the lake is a large stream almost a river in size one of the main streams of the i attempted to ford it where it begins to break in in passing over the but found it too deep and rough on the bottom then tried to ford at its head where it is wider and smoothly out of the lake myself against the current with a pole but found it too deep and when the icy water reached my shoulders i cautiously struggled back to the i next followed it down through the rocky to a place where in breaking across the dam it was only about thirty five feet wide here i found a tree which i for a bridge it reached across about ten feet of the top holding in the bank brush but the force of the torrent acting on the branches i the and the slender end of the trunk bent it like a bow and made it very unsteady and after it by going out about a third of the way over it seemed likely to be carried away when bent deeper into the current by my weight fortunately i discovered another larger tree well situated a little farther down which i and though a few feet in the middle was it seemed perfectly safe as it was now getting late i started back to the where i had left my bundle and in trying to hold a direct course found the still more difficult than it was along the bank of the torrent for over an hour i had to creep and struggle close to the rocky ground like a fly in a spider web without being able to obtain a single glimpse of any guiding feature of the landscape finding a little willow taller than the surrounding i climbed it caught sight of the front took a compass bearing and sunk again into the dripping blinding | 28 |
of brush and at length emerged on the seven hours after leaving it all this time as wet as though i had been swimming thus a trying day s work but everything was fresh and i found new and old plant friends and lessons on nature s landscape that made everything bright and light it was now near dark and i made haste to make up my little tent the ground was desperately rocky made out however to level down a strip large enough to lie on and by means of slim stems bent over it and tied together soon had a home travels in while thus busily engaged i was startled by a thundering roar across the lake running to the top of the i discovered that the tremendous noise was only the of a about fifty or sixty feet in rocking and in the waves it had raised as if enjoying its freedom after its long grinding work as part of the after this fine last lesson i managed to make a small fire out of wet twigs got a cup of tea stripped off my dripping clothing wrapped myself in a blanket and lay brooding on the gains of the day and plans for the morrow glad rich and almost comfortable it was hard when i awoke but i made up my mind to disregard the weather put on my dripping clothing glad to know it was fresh and clean ate and a piece of dried salmon without attempting to make a tea fire filled a bag with it over my shoulder and with my indispensable ice axe plunged once more into the dripping i found my bridge holding bravely in place against the swollen torrent crossed it and beat my way around pools and logs and through two hours of back to the on the north side of the outlet a wet weary battle but not without enjoyment the smell of the washed ground and vegetation made every breath a pleasure and i found the first i had seen on this side of the continent one of my worth any amount of hardship and i saw one of my on the margin of a grassy pool the of the rain on the various leaves was pleasant to hear more especially marked were no the the flat low toned and of large drops from the trees on the broad leaves of like the of drops on and palm leaves while the were beautiful so fresh so bright so cheerily green and all so low and calm and silent however heavy and wild the wind and the rain blowing and pouring above them surely never a of dust has touched leaf or crown of all these blessed and how bright were the red of the cups beside them and the fruit of the dwarf and the wet nature s precious how beautiful they were with pale bloom and a crystal drop on each red and yellow salmon with clusters of smaller drops and the glittering like the arches of bent and around the edges of the pools every drop a mirror with all the landscape in it a that and a that and twice as s a that in this glorious day recalling however different george s sweet day so cool so calm so bright in the gardens and forests of this wonderful one might spend a whole joyful life when i at last reached the end of the great and the front of the mountain that forms the north side of the basin i tried to make my way along its side but finding the climbing tedious and difficult took to the and well though a good deal of step cutting was required on its ragged margin when night was drawing nigh i the ml travels in steep in search of an accessible bench however narrow where a bed and a fire might be gathered for a camp about dark great was my delight to find a little shelf with a few small mountain growing in joints projecting below it enabled me to build a platform for a fireplace and a bed and by industrious creeping from one to another cutting bushes and small trees and sliding them down to within reach of my rock shelf i made out to collect wood enough to last through the night in an hour or two i had a cheery fire and spent the night in turning from side to side steaming and drying after being wet two days and a night fortunately this night it did not rain but it was very cold pushing on next day i climbed to the top of the by ice steps and along its side to the grand two miles wide where the whole majestic flood of the like a mighty river down a steep in its channel after gazing a long time on the glorious show i discovered a place beneath the edge of the where it flows over a hard resisting granite into which i crawled and enjoyed the novel and instructive view of a pouring over my head showing not only its grinding action but how it breaks off large masses a most telling lesson in many i had already learned in the of the high of i then crossed to the south side noting the forms of the huge blocks into which the was broken in the keen passing over the brow of the and how they were the weather was now clear opening views according to my own heart far into the high snowy fountains i saw what seemed the farthest mountains perhaps thirty miles from the front everywhere winter bound but thick however steep for a distance of at least fifteen miles from the front the trees and clinging to the rock by root holds among joints the greatest discovery was in methods of displayed beneath the after a few more days of | 28 |
study i returned to the river bank opposite s landing promptly at sight of the signal i made the kind frenchman came across for me in his at his house i enjoyed a rest while writing out notes then examined the smaller the one i had been exploring until a passing bound for fort took me aboard chapter ix a voyage to northward i arrived at in a with a party of in october while the icy regions to the northward still burned in my mind i had met several who had been as far as at the head of canal who told wonderful stories about the great they had seen there all the high mountains up there they said seemed to be made of ice and if are what you are after that s the place for you and to get there all you have to do is to hire a good and indians who know the way but it now seemed too late to set out on so long a voyage the days were growing short and winter was drawing nigh when all the land would be buried in snow on the other hand though this wilderness was new to me i was familiar with storms and enjoyed them the main channels extending along the coast remain open all winter and their shores being well i knew that it would be easy to keep warm in camp while abundance of food could be carried i determined therefore to go ahead as far north as possible to see and learn what i could especially with reference to future work when i made known my plans to mr young he offered to go with me and being acquainted with the indians procured a good and crew and with a large stock of pro a voyage to northward visions and blankets we left october eager to welcome weather of every sort as long as food lasted i was anxious to make an early start but it was half past two in the afternoon before i could get my indians together a grand old nobleman who was made captain not only because he owned the but for his skill in and the son of a chief john a who acted as and mr young my companion was an adventurous and it was the opportunities the trip might afford to meet the indians of the different tribes on our route with reference to future missionary work that induced him to join us when at last all were aboard and we were about to cast loose from the wharf s mother a woman of great natural dignity and force of character came down the steps alongside the oppressed with anxious fears for the safety of her son standing silent for a few moments she held the missionary with her dark eyes and with great solemnity of speech and gesture accused him of using undue influence in gaining her son s consent to go on a dangerous voyage among tribes and like an ancient foretold a long train of bad luck from storms and enemies and finished by saying if my son comes not back on you will be his blood and you shall pay i say it mr young tried in vain to calm her fears promising heaven s care as well as his own for her precious us travels in son assuring her that he would faithfully share every danger that he encountered and if need be die in his we shall see whether or not you die she said and turned away also encountered domestic difficulties when he stepped into the i noticed a cloud of anxiety on his grand old face as if his doom now drawing near was already beginning to him when he took leave of his wife she refused to shake hands with him wept bitterly and said that his enemies the chiefs would be sure to kill him in case he reached their village but it was not on this trip that the old hero was to meet his fate and when we were fairly free in the wilderness and a gentle breeze pressed us joyfully over the shining waters these gloomy vanished we first pursued a course through strait between and prince of wales islands then turning northward sailed up the strait through the midst of innumerable picturesque across prince s sound up strait thence through icy strait and around the then bay thence returning through icy strait we sailed up the beautiful canal to the and the lower village of the tribe and returned to along the coast of the visiting the icy sum bay and the on our route thus we made a journey more than eight hundred miles long and though hardships and perhaps dan a voyage to northward were encountered the great made compensation beyond our most extravagant hopes neither rain nor snow stopped us but when the wind was too wild and the old captain stayed on guard in the camp and john and went into the woods deer hunting while i examined the adjacent rocks and woods most of our camp grounds were in sheltered where good was abundant and where the precious could be safely drawn up beyond reach of the waves after supper we sat long around the fire listening to the indian s stories about the wild animals their hunting adventures wars traditions religion and customs every indian party we met we and visited every village we came to our first camp was made at a place called the island of the standing stone on the shore of a shallow bay the weather was fine the mountains of the were excepting one which had a of dull slate color but its icy summit covered with fresh snow above the cloud flushed like its neighbors in the all the large islands in sight were while many small rock in front of our camp were or | 28 |
nearly so some of them were distinctly even below the tide line the effects of wave washing and general being scarce as yet some of the larger had a few trees others only grass one looked in the distance like a ship flying before the wind under press of sail next morning the mountains were arrayed in fresh i j travels in see ut had fallen during the night down to within r i level we made a grand fire an early breakfast pushed merrily on all day a beautiful shores embroidered bushes i noticed some trees t had been deeply for wood and wife precious to nights before we in wind nook of deer bay shut in from every wind bv bearded trees and fringed with rose bushes rub etc some of e tn s depending from the branches were six feet in k tl n rods or so from our camp f l of indians sheltered m a bi bark hut a stout middle aged man with his l and daughter and his son s wife after our w t and fire made the head of the and presented us with a fine salmon i pair ot ducks and a mess of potatoes we a return visit with gifts of rice and tobacco mr young spoke briefly on mission affairs and inquired their tribe would be likely to welcome a or missionary but they seemed to an opinion on so important a v words from the head of the family was the only not much to say to you t w y do to boston men as we have done to you give a little of whatever we have treat everybody well and never quarrel this is all we have to say n l a voyage to northward our neighbors set out for fort next morning and we pushed gladly on toward we passed an island that had lost all its trees in a storm but a hopeful crop of young ones was springing up to take their places i found no trace of fire in these woods the ground was covered with leaves branches and fallen trunks perhaps a dozen generations deep slowly forming a grand mass of ruins kept fresh and beautiful all that is repulsive about death was here hidden beneath abound ing life some rocks along the shore were completely covered with crimson bushes one species still in fruit might well be called the winter in a short walk i found eight feet high leaning on bushes and tall and with leaves six inches wide growing on yellow green moss producing a beautiful effect our indians seemed to be enjoying a quick and merry reaction from the domestic in which the voyage was begun old and young behaved this afternoon like a lot of boys on a lark when we came to a pond off from the main channel by a dam john went ashore to seek a shot at ducks creeping up behind the dam he killed a fifty or sixty feet from the shore and attempted to wave it within reach by throwing stones back of it and went to his help enjoying the sport especially enjoying their own in throwing in front of it and thus driving the duck farther out to the business john then tried to throw a rope across it but failed after ii l travels in snow that had fallen during the night down to within a hundred feet of the sea level we made a grand fire and after an early breakfast pushed merrily on all day along beautiful shores embroidered with autumn colored bushes i noticed some trees that had been deeply for wood and precious to on stormy nights before we in a beautiful nook of deer bay shut in from every wind by gray bearded trees and fringed with rose bushes etc some of the depending from the branches were six feet in length a dozen rods or so from our camp we discovered a family of indians sheltered in a bark hut a stout middle aged man with his wife son and daughter and his son s wife after our tent was set and fire made the head of the family paid us a visit and presented us with a fine salmon a pair of ducks and a mess of potatoes we paid a return visit with gifts of rice and tobacco etc mr young spoke briefly on mission affairs and inquired whether their tribe would be likely to welcome a teacher or missionary but they seemed unwilling to offer an opinion on so important a subject the following words from the head of the family was the only reply we have not much to say to you fellows we always do to boston men as we have done to you give a little of whatever we have treat everybody well and never quarrel this is all we have to say u a voyage to northward our neighbors set out for fort next morning and we pushed gladly on toward we passed an island that had lost all its trees in a storm but a hopeful crop of young ones was springing up to take their places i found no trace of fire in these woods the ground was covered with leaves branches and fallen trunks perhaps a dozen generations deep slowly forming a grand mass of ruins kept fresh and beautiful all that is repulsive about death was here hidden beneath life some rocks along the shore were completely covered with crimson bushes one species still in fruit might well be called the winter in a short walk i found eight feet high leaning on bushes and tall and with leaves six inches wide growing on yellow green moss producing a beautiful effect our indians seemed to be enjoying a quick and merry reaction from the domestic in which the voyage was begun old | 28 |
anxious to procure schools and churches that their people should not miss the advantages of knowledge which with their natural they were not slow to recognize we are all children they said groping in the dark give us this light and we will do as you bid us the chief of the first village we came to was a venerable looking man perhaps seventy years old with massive head and strongly marked features a bold roman nose deep tranquil eyes shaggy eyebrows a strong face set in a of long gray hair he seemed delighted at the prospect of receiving a teacher for his people this is just what i want he said i am ready to bid him welcome this said chief of the larger north village is a good word you bring us we will be glad to come out of our darkness into your light you boston men must be of the great father you know all about god and ships and guns and the growing of things to eat we will sit quiet and listen to the words of any teacher you send us while mr young was preaching some of the congregation smoked talked to each other and answered the shouts of their companions outside greatly to the disgust of and who regarded the as a little girl fright i i travels in at the strange exercises began to cry and was turned out of doors she cried in a strange low wild tone quite unlike the crying of the children of civilization the following morning we crossed prince sound to the west coast of island our frail shell of a was tossed like a on the coming in from the ocean still i suppose the danger was not so great as it seemed in a good handled you may safely sail from victoria to a thousand mile voyage frequently made by indians in their trading operations before the coming of the our indians however dreaded this crossing so late in the season they spoke of it repeatedly before we reached it as the one great danger of our voyage john said to me just as we left the shore you and mr young will be scared to death on this broad water a never mind us john we merrily replied perhaps some of you brave indian sailors may be the first to show fear said he had not slept well a single night thinking of it and after we rounded cape and entered the comparatively smooth strait they all rejoiced laughing and like children we arrived at the first of the villages on island shortly after noon and were welcomed by everybody men women and children made haste to the beach to meet us the children star a voyage to northward ing as if they had never before seen a boston man the chief a remarkably good looking and intelligent fellow stepped forward shook hands with us boston fashion and invited us to his house some of the curious children crowded in after us and stood around the fire staring like half frightened wild animals two old women drove them out of the house making hideous gestures but taking good care not to hurt them the merry throng poured through the round door laughing and enjoying the harsh gestures and threats of the women as all a joke indicating mild parental government in general indeed in all my travels i never saw a child old or young receive a blow or even a harsh word when our cook began to prepare luncheon our host said through his that he was sorry we could not eat indian food as he was anxious to entertain us we thanked him of course and expressed our sense of his kindness his brother in the mean time brought a dozen which he and and served in a clean dish these we ate raw as reminding me of field when i was a boy in scotland then a box was brought from some corner and opened it seemed to be full of or butter a sharp stick was thrust into it and a lump of something five or six inches long three or four wide and an inch thick was dug up which proved to be a section of the back fat of a deer preserved in fish oil and with boiled and other roots after off the like oil it was cut into small pieces and passed round it seemed white and wholesome but i was unable to i travels in taste it even for manner s sake this disgust how ever was not noticed as the rest of the company did full justice to the precious and their lips over it as a great delicacy a lot of potatoes about the size of boiled and and added to a of salmon made a that all seemed to relish an old cross looking wrinkled presided at the steaming pot and as she the potatoes with her fingers she at short intervals quickly thrust one of the best into the mouth of a little wild eyed girl that crouched beside her a spark of natural love which charmed her withered face and made all the big gloomy house shine in honor of our visit our host put on a genuine white shirt his wife also dressed in her best and put a pair of dainty trousers on her two year old boy who seemed to be the pet and favorite of the large family and indeed of the whole village toward evening messengers were sent through the village to call everybody to a meeting mr young delivered the usual missionary sermon and i also was called on to say something then the chief arose and made an eloquent reply thanking us for our good words and for the hopes we had inspired of obtaining a teacher for their children in particular he said he wanted to hear all we could | 28 |
there was nothing to eat but when i reached my home and got warm and had a good meal then my body felt good for a long time my heart has been hungry and cold but to night your words have warmed my heart and given it a good meal and now my heart feels good the most striking characteristic of these people is their serene dignity in circumstances that to us would be novel and embarrassing even the little children behave with natural dignity come to the white men when called and restrain their wonder at the strange prayers hymn singing etc this evening an old woman fell asleep in the meeting and began to and though both old and young were shaken with suppressed mirth they evidently took great pains to conceal it it seems wonderful to me that these savages can make one feel at home in their families in good breeding intelligence and skill in whatever they try to do with tools they seem to me to rank above most of our white i have never yet seen a child even to the extent of an angry word scolding so common a curse in civilization is not known here at all on the contrary the young are fondly indulged without being spoiled crying is very rarely heard in the house of this chief a pet s was a great favorite with old and young it was therefore delightfully confiding and playful and human cats were and the confidence with a voyage to northward which these cautious thoughtful animals met strangers showed that they were kindly treated there were some ten or a dozen houses all told in the village the count made by the chief for mr young showed some seven hundred and twenty five persons in the tribe chapter x the discovery of bay from here on october we set sail for guide s ice mountains the handle of our heaviest axe was cracked and as declared that there was no to be had in the big bay we would have to load the with a store for cooking at an island out in the strait a few miles from the village we were therefore anxious to buy or trade for a good sound axe in exchange for our broken one good are rare in rocky soon or late an unlucky stroke on a stone concealed in moss spoils the edge finally one in almost perfect condition was offered by a young for our broken handled one and a half dollar to boot but when the broken axe and money were given he promptly demanded an additional twenty five cents worth of tobacco the tobacco was given him then he required a half dollar s worth more of tobacco which was also given but when he still demanded something more s patience gave way and we sailed in the same condition as to as when we arrived this was the only contemptible commercial affair we encountered among these indians we reached the wooded island about one o clock made coffee took on a store of wood and set sail direct for the icy country finding it very hard indeed the discovery of bay to believe the part of s description of the icy bay so heavily and uniformly are all the shores wherever we had been in this view we were joined by john and none of them on all their travels having ever seen a country we held a course until long after dark when we reached a small that sets in near the mouth of bay on the west side here we made a cold camp on a desolate snow covered beach in stormy and darkness at daybreak i looked eagerly in every direction to learn what kind of place we were in but gloomy rain clouds covered the mountains and i could see nothing that would give me a clue while s hitherto a faithful guide here failed us altogether nevertheless we made haste to be off and fortunately for just as we were leaving the shore a faint smoke was seen across the toward which who now seemed lost gladly our sudden appearance so early that gray morning had evidently alarmed our neighbors for as soon as we were within distance an indian with his face blackened fired a shot over our heads and in a blunt voice roared who are you our shouted friends and the fort missionary then men women and children out of the hut and awaited our approach on the beach one of the hunters having brought his gun with him sternly him asking with superb i travels in indignation whether he was not ashamed to meet a missionary with a gun in his hands friendly relations however were speedily established and as a cold rain was falling they invited us to enter their hut it seemed very small and was full of boxes and bundles nevertheless twenty one persons managed to find shelter in it about a smoky fire our hosts proved to be seal hunters laying in their winter stores of meat and skins the packed hut was well but its heavy smells were not the same to our noses as those we were accustomed to in the of the woods the circle of black eyes peering at us through a fog of and smoke made a novel picture we were glad however to get within reach of information and of course asked many questions concerning the ice mountains and the strange bay to most of which our inquisitive friends replied with as to our object in coming to such a place especially so late in the year they had heard of mr young and his work at fort but could not understand what a missionary could be doing in such a place as this was he going to preach to the and they asked or to the ice mountains and could they take his | 28 |
word then john explained that only the friend of the missionary was seeking that mr young had already preached many good words in the villages we had visited their own among the others that our he were good and every indian was our friend then we gave them a little rice sugar tea and tobacco after which they i the discovery of bay began to gain confidence and to speak freely they told us that the big bay was called by them sit a or ice bay that there were many large in it but no gold mines and that the ice mountain they knew best was at the head of the bay where most of the were found notwithstanding the rain i was anxious to push on and our way beneath the clouds as best we could in case worse weather should come but was ill at ease and wanted one of the seal hunters to go with us for the place was much changed i promised to pay well for a guide and in order to the proposed to leave most of our heavy stores in the hut until our return after a long consultation one of them consented to go his wife got ready his blanket and a piece of for his bed and some provisions mostly dried salmon and seal made of of lean meat around a core of fat she followed us to the beach and just as we were pushing off said with a pretty smile it is my husband that you are taking away see that you bring him back we got under way about a m the wind was in our favor but a cold rain us and we could see but little of the dreary wilderness which we had now fairly entered the bitter blast however gave us good speed our rose and fell on the waves as solemnly as a big ship our course was up the side of the bay near the shore of what seemed to be the smooth marble islands being on our right about travels in noon we discovered the first of the great the one i afterward named for james the noted scotch its lofty blue cliffs through the skirts of the clouds gave a tremendous impression of savage power while the roar of the and the general roar of the storm an hour and a half beyond the we ran into a slight harbor where the shore is low dragged the beyond the reach of drifting and much against my desire to push ahead the guide that the big ice mountain at the head of the bay could not be reached before dark that the landing there was dangerous even in daylight and that this was the only safe harbor on the way to it while camp was being made i strolled along the shore to examine the rocks and the timber that here all the rocks are even below the sea level nor have the waves as yet worn off the surface polish much less the heavy and and lines of the next day being sunday the minister wished to stay in camp and so on account of the weather did the indians i therefore set out on an excursion and spent the day alone on the mountain slopes above the camp and northward to see what i might learn pushing on through rain and mud and snow crossing many brown choked torrents jumping and in snow up to my shoulders was of the most trying kind after crouching cramped and in the i the discovery of bay in wet or damp clothing night and day my limbs had been asleep this day they were awakened and in the hour of trial proved that they had not lost the cunning learned on many a mountain peak of the high i reached a height of fifteen hundred feet on the ridge that bounds the second of the great all the landscape was smothered in clouds and i began to fear that as far as wide views were concerned i had climbed in vain but at length the clouds lifted a little and beneath their gray i saw the filled expanse of the bay and the feet of the mountains that stand about it and the imposing fronts of five huge the nearest being immediately beneath me this was my first general view of bay a solitude of ice and snow and rocks dim dreary mysterious i held the ground i had so clearly won for an hour or two myself from the blast as best i could while with fingers i what i could see of the landscape and wrote a few lines in my then the snow again crossing the shifting slopes and torrents i reached camp about dark wet and weary and glad while i was getting some coffee and mr young told me that the indians were discouraged and had been talking about turning back fearing that i would be lost the broken or in some other mysterious way the expedition would come to grief if i persisted in going farther they had been asking him what possible motive i could have in climbing mountains when storms were blowing and when he ins travels in replied that i was only seeking knowledge said must be a witch to seek knowledge in such a place as this and in such miserable weather after supper crouching about a dull fire of wood they became still more and talked in tones that accorded well with the wind and waters and growling torrents about us telling sad old stories of crushed drowned indians and hunters frozen in even brave old the forlorn appearance of the region said that his heart was not strong and that he feared his on the safety of which our lives depended might be entering a house jail of ice from which there might be no escape while the guide | 28 |
said that if i was so fond of danger and meant to go close up to the noses of the ice mountains he would not consent to go any farther for we should all be lost as many of his tribe had been by the sudden rising of from the bottom they seemed to be losing heart with every howl of the wind and fearing that they might fail me now that i was in the midst of so grand a congregation of i made haste to them telling them that for ten years i had wandered alone among mountains and storms and good luck always followed me that with me therefore they need fear nothing the storm would soon cease and the sun would shine to show us the way we should go for god cares for us and guides us as long as we are and brave therefore all childish fear must be put away this little speech did good with some show of enthusiasm the discovery of bay said he liked to travel with good luck people and dignified old declared that now his heart was strong again and he would venture on with me as far as i liked for my was my talk was very good the old warrior even became a little sentimental and said that even if the was broken he would not greatly care because on the way to the other world he would have good companions next morning it was still and but the south wind swept us bravely forward and swept the from our course in about an hour we reached the second of the big which i afterwards named for miller we rowed up its and landed to make a slight examination of its grand wall the producing portion we found to be about a mile and a half wide and broken into an imposing array of jagged and and flat towers and of many shades of blue from pale tones in the and hollows to the most startling almost shrieking blue on the plain spaces from which had just been discharged back from the front for a few miles the rises in a series of wide steps as if this portion of the had sunk in successive sections as it reached deep water and the sea had found its way beneath it beyond this it extends in a gently rising like expanse and branches along the slopes and of the range from here a run of two hours brought us to the head of the bay and to the mouth of the travels in at the head of which lie the grounds and the great now called the pacific and another called the the is about five miles long and two miles wide at the mouth here our guide had a store of dry wood which we took aboard then setting sail we were driven wildly up the as if the storm wind were saying go then if you will into my icy chamber but you shall stay in until i am ready to let you out all this time rain was falling on the bay and snow on the mountains but soon after we landed the sky began to open the camp was made on a rocky bench near the front of the pacific and the was carried beyond the reach of the and the were now crowded in a dense pack against the front as if the storm wind had determined to make the take back her crystal offspring and keep them at home while camp affairs were being attended to i set out to climb a mountain for comprehensive views and before i had reached a height of a thousand feet the rain ceased and the clouds began to rise from the lower slowly lifting their white skirts and lingering in majestic wing shaped masses about the mountains that rise out of the broad icy sea the highest of all the white mountains and the greatest of all the i had yet seen climbing higher for a still broader outlook i made notes and improving the precious time while sunshine streamed through the luminous of the clouds and fell on the green waters of the the glittering the e discovery of bay crystal of the vast the intensely white far spreading fields of ice and the and spiritual heights of the range which were now hidden now partly revealed the whole making a picture of icy pure and sublime looking southward a broad ice sheet was seen extending in a gently plain from the pacific in the to the horizon dotted and here and there with mountains which were as white as the snow covered ice in which they were half or more than half several of the great of the bay flow from this one grand fountain it is an instructive example of a general covering the hills and of a country that is not yet ready to be brought to the light of day not only covering but creating a landscape with the features it is destined to have when in the of time the ice sheet shall be lifted by the sun and the land become warm and fruitful the view to the westward is bounded and almost filled by the glorious mountains the highest among them springing aloft in sublime beauty to a height of nearly sixteen thousand feet while from base to summit every peak and spire and dividing ridge of all the mighty host was white as if painted it would seem that snow could never be made to lie on the slopes and unless on when wet and then frozen but this snow could not have been wet it must have been fixed by being driven and set in small like the storm dust of travels in which when in this condition is fixed not only on sheer cliffs but in massive along the base of this | 28 |
majestic range sweeps the pacific fed by innumerable and into the head of its by two mouths only partly separated by the brow of an island rock about one thousand feet high each nearly a mile wide dancing down the mountain to camp my mind glowing like the i found the indians seated around a good fire entirely happy now that the farthest point of the journey was safely reached and the long dark storm was cleared away how peacefully bright that night were the stars in the frosty sky and how impressive was the thunder of the rolling swelling through the solemn stillness i was too happy to sleep about daylight next morning we crossed the and landed on the south side of the rock that the wall of the great the faces of dotted the open spaces between the and i could not prevent john and and from shooting at them fortunately few if any were hurt leaving the indians in charge of the i managed to climb to the top of the wall by a good deal of step cutting between the ice and dividing rock and gained a good general view of the at one favorable place i descended about fifty feet below the side of the where its action was clearly shown pushing back i iso the discovery of bay from here i found the surface and sunken in steps like the miller as if it were being by the action of tide waters for a distance of fifteen or twenty miles the river like is nearly level and when it the ocean water will follow it and thus form a long extension of the with features essentially the same as those now extending into the continent farther south where many great once poured into the sea though scarce a of them now exists thus the domain of the sea has been and is being extended in these ice lands and the scenery of their shores enriched the brow of the dividing rock is about a thousand feet high and is hard beset by the a short time ago it was at least two thousand feet below the surface of the over sweeping ice and under present conditions it will soon take its place as a polished island in the middle of the like a thousand others in the magnificent emerging from its icy it gives a most telling illustration of the birth of a marked feature of a v landscape in this instance it is not the mountain but the that is in labor and the mountain itself is being brought forth the enters the on the south side a short distance below the pacific displaying a broad and far reaching expanse over which many lofty peaks are seen but the front wall thrust into the is not nearly so interesting as that of the pacific and i did not observe any discharged from it travels in in the evening after witnessing the of the majestic peaks and and their in the down pouring it seemed inconceivable that nature could have anything finer to show us nevertheless compared with what was to come the next morning all that was as nothing the calm dawn gave no promise of anything uncommon its most impressive features were the frosty clearness of the sky and a deep brooding stillness made all the more striking by the thunder of the the sunrise we did not see at all for we were beneath the shadows of the cliffs but in the midst of our studies while the indians were getting ready to sail we were startled by the sudden appearance of a red light burning with a strange splendor on the peak of the mountains instead of vanishing as suddenly as it had appeared it spread and spread until the whole range down to the level of the was filled with the celestial fire in color it was at first a vivid crimson with a thick appearance as fine as the yet rich and deep not in the least like a garment or mere external flush or bloom through which one might expect to see the rocks or snow but every mountain apparently was glowing from the heart like metal fresh from a furnace beneath the frosty shadows of the we stood hushed and awe stricken gazing at the holy vision and had we seen the heavens opened and god made manifest our attention could not have been more strained when the highest peak began to burn it did is l the discovery of bay not seem to be in sunshine however glorious but rather as if it had been thrust into the body of the sun itself then the fire slowly descended with a sharp line of separating it from the cold shaded region beneath peak after peak with their and and caught the heavenly glow until all the mighty host stood hushed and thoughtful as if awaiting the coming of the lord the white light of morning seen when i was alone amid the peaks of the had always seemed to me the most telling of all the of god but here the mountains themselves were made divine and declared his glory in terms still more impressive how long we gazed i never knew the glorious vision passed away in a gradual fading change through a thousand tones of color to pale yellow and white and then the work of the ice world went on again in beauty the green waters of the were filled with sun the fleet of set forth on their voyages with the breeze and on the innumerable and of these and on those of the shattered crystal walls of the common white light and rainbow light began to burn while the mountains shone in their frosty and loomed again in the thin in serene majesty we turned and sailed away joining the while in still seemed to be sounding over all | 28 |
the white landscape and our burning hearts were ready for any fate feeling that whatever the future might travels in have in store the treasures we had gained this glorious morning would our lives forever when we arrived at the mouth of the and rounded the massive granite that stands guard at the entrance on the north side another large now named the was discovered at the head of one of the northern branches of the bay pushing ahead into this new we found that it was not only packed with but that the spaces between the were with new ice compelling us to turn back while we were yet several miles from the wall but though we were not then allowed to set foot on this magnificent we obtained a fine view of it and i made the indians cease while i its principal features thence after a few miles we discovered still another large now named the but the into which this flows was like the last utterly inaccessible on account of ice and we had to be content with a general view and sketch of it gained as we rowed slowly past at a distance of three or four miles the mountains back of it and on each side of its are in a singularly rich and striking style of architecture in which subordinate peaks and appear in wonderful profusion and an imposing mountain with a wide smooth b se stands out in the main current of the a mile or two back from the ice wall we now turned southward down the eastern shore of the bay and in an hour or two discovered a is l the discovery of bay of the second class at the head of a that winter had not yet closed here we landed and climbed across a mile or so of rough beds and back upon the wildly broken receding front of the which though it to the level of the sea no longer sends off many large masses detached from the wasting front by irregular melting were partly buried beneath mud sand gravel and of the thus protected these remain for many years some of them for a century or more as shown by the age of trees growing above them though there are no trees here as yet at length melting a pit with sloping sides is formed by the falling in of the material into the space at first occupied by the buried ice in this way are formed the curious in drift covered regions called or sinks on these we may also find many interesting lessons on the formation of and beds which in all countries exert a marked influence on scenery health and three or four miles farther down the bay we came to another up which we sailed in quest of more discovering one in each of the two branches into which the neither of these quite reaches tide water notwithstanding the apparent of their fountains they are in the first stage of the waste from melting and being greater now than the supply of new v ice from their snowy fountains we reached the one in travels in the north branch climbed over its wrinkled brow and gained a good view of the trunk and some of the and also of the sublime gray cliffs of its channel then we sailed up the south branch of the but failed to reach the there on account of a thin sheet of new ice with the tent poles we broke a lane for the for a little distance but it was slow work and we soon saw that we could not reach the before dark nevertheless we gained a fair view of it as it came sweeping down through its gigantic of massive rocks three or four thousand feet high here we lingered until gazing and then turned back and on a bed of between the forks of the we gathered a lot of wood and after supper made a big fire and as we sat around it the brightness of the sky brought on a long talk with the indians about the stars and their eager attention was refreshing to see as compared with the of weary town in whom natural curiosity has been in toil and care and poor shallow comfort after sleeping a few hours i stole quietly out of the camp and climbed the mountain that stands between the two the ground was frozen making the climbing difficult in the places but the views over the icy bay sparkling beneath the stars were it seemed then a sad thing that any part of so precious a night had been lost in sleep the star the discovery of bay light was so full that i distinctly saw not only the filled bay but most of the lower portions of the lying pale and spirit like amid the mountains the nearest in particular was so distinct that it seemed to be glowing with light that came from within itself not even in dark nights have i ever found any difficulty in seeing large but on this mountain top amid so much ice in the heart of so clear and frosty a night everything was more or less luminous and i seemed to be poised in a vast hollow between two skies of almost equal brightness this scramble made me glad and strong and i rejoiced that my studies called me before the glorious night succeeding so glorious a morning had been pent i got back to camp in time for an early breakfast and by daylight we had everything packed and were again under way the was frozen nearly to its mouth and though the ice was so thin it gave us but little trouble in breaking a way for the yet it showed us that the season for in these waters was well nigh over we were in danger of being imprisoned | 28 |
coming so far to see him and complained that port indians sent out on a missionary tour by mr after making a board for him and it over his door now wanted to take it away mr young promised to make him a new one should this threat be executed and remarked that since he had offered to do his bidding he hoped he would make no more to this the chief replied with fresh complaints concerning the threatened loss of his precious board saying that he thought the port indians were very mean in seeking to take it away but that now he would tell them to take it as soon as they liked for he was going to get a better one at but no effort of the missionary could bring him to notice or discuss the business the luck board nailed over the door was about two feet long and had the following inscription the lord will bless those who do his will when you rise in the morning and when you retire at night give him thanks this chief promised to pray like a white man every morning and to bury the dead as the do i often wondered he said where the dead went to now i am glad to know and at last acknowledged the saying he was sorry to have been caught making the bad stuff the behavior of all even the country of the little ones around the fire was very good there was no laughter when the strange singing commenced they only gazed like curious intelligent animals a little daughter of the chief with the glow of the on her eyes made an interesting picture head held another in the group with eyes seeming to half understand the strange words about god might have passed for one of s angels the chiefs house was about forty feet square of the ordinary fort kind but better built and than usual the side room doors were neatly though all the lumber had been into shape with a small narrow indian we had our tent pitched on a grassy spot near the beach being afraid of which greatly offended and old who said if this is the way you are to do up at we will be ashamed of you we promised them to eat indian food and in every way behave like good we set out direct for in the morning against a brisk head wind by keeping close and working hard we made about ten miles by two or three o clock when the tide having turned against us we could make scarce any and therefore landed in a sheltered a few miles up the west side of canal here i discovered a fine growth of yellow but none of the trees were very large the only seventy five to one hundred feet high the flat drooping like hang giving the trees a thin open airy look nearly every travels in tree that i saw in a long walk was more or less marked by the knives and of the indians who use the bark for for covering house roofs and making temporary huts for this last purpose sections five or six feet long and two or three wide are pressed flat and secured from or by binding them with thin of wood at the end these they carry about with them in their and in a few minutes they can be put together against slim poles and made into a hut every that i have seen along the coast is made of the light tough handsome yellow wood of this tree it is a tree of rapid growth and usually chooses ground that is rather and whether its of roots makes the or not i am unable as yet to say three on the opposite side of the canal were in sight descending nearly to sea level and many smaller ones that melt a little below timber line while i was these a in sight coming on at a flying rate of speed before the wind the owners eager for news paid us a visit they proved to be a man his wife and four children on their way home from the man was sitting in the stern and holding a sleeping child in his arms another lay asleep at his feet he told us that jack had gone up to the main village the day before he left intending to hold a grand feast and and that up there was flowing like water the news was rather to mr young and myself for we feared the the country of the effect of the poison on s old enemies at p m we set out again on the turn of the tide though the crew did not relish this night work they liked to stay in camp when wind and tide were against us but did n t care to make up lost time after dark however wind and tide might flow and blow john and rowed and and assisted now and then by me the wind and almost died away so that we made about fifteen miles in six hours when the tide turned and snow began to fall we ran into a bay nearly opposite s bay where three or four families of were who shouted when they heard us landing and demanded our names our men ran to the huts for news before making camp the indians proved to be hunters who said there were plenty of wild sheep on the mountains back a few miles from the head of the bay this interview was held at three o clock in the morning a rather early hour but indians never resent any such disturbance provided there is anything worth while to be said or done by four o clock we had our tents set a fire made and some coffee while the snow was falling fast was out | 28 |
of humor with this night business he wanted to land an hour or two before we did and then when the snow began to fall and we all wanted to find a ground as soon as possible he out into the middle of the canal saying grimly that the tide was good he turned however at our orders but read us a lecture at the first opportunity telling us to start early if we travels in were in a hurry but not to travel in the night like thieves after a few hours sleep we set off again with the wind still against us and the sea rough we were all tired after making only about twelve miles and in a rocky nook where we found a family of in their bark hut beside their they presented us with potatoes and salmon and a big of salmon and of some sort probably fish oil which the crew consumed with wonderful relish a fine breeze was blowing next morning from the south which would take us to in a few hours but the day was sunday and the good wind was refused sunday it seemed to me could be kept as well by sitting in the and letting the lord s wind us quietly on our way the day was rainy and the clouds hung low the trees here are remarkably well developed tall and straight i observed three or four which had been struck by lightning the first i noticed in some of the species on windy rocks become very picturesque almost as much so as old oaks the foliage becoming dense and the in heavy shaped masses monday was a fine clear day but the wind was dead ahead making hard dull work with and oars we passed a long stretch of beautiful marble cliffs with small merry and toward noon came in sight of the front of the famous or a broad white flood i j the country of the reaching out two or three miles into the canal with wonderful effect i wanted to camp beside it but the head wind tired us out before we got within six or eight miles of it we on the west side of a small rocky island in a narrow when i was looking among the rocks and bushes for a smooth spot for a bed i found a human skeleton my indians seemed not in the least shocked or surprised explaining that it was only the remains of a slave indians never bury or burn the bodies of slaves but just cast them away anywhere kind nature was covering the poor bones with moss and leaves and i helped in the pitiful work the wind was fair and joyful in the morning and away we glided to the famous in an hour or so we were directly in front of it and beheld it in all its crystal glory descending from its white mountain fountains and spreading out in an immense fan three or four miles wide against its tree fringed but large as it is it long ago ceased to discharge the are the most influential of all the tribes whenever on our journey i spoke of the interesting characteristics of other tribes we had visited my crew would invariably say oh yes these are pretty good indians but wait till you have seen the we were now only five or six miles distant from their lower village and my crew requested time to prepare themselves to meet their great rivals going ashore on the with their boxes that had not been opened since we left fort travels in they sat on and cut each other s hair carefully washed and themselves and made a complete change in their clothing even to white shirts new boots new hats and bright meanwhile i scrambled across the broad and on my return scarcely recognized my crew in their dress suits mr young also made some changes in his clothing while i having nothing in my bag adorned my cap with an eagle s feather i found on the and thus arrayed we set forth to meet the noble we were discovered while we were several miles from the village and as we entered the mouth of the river we were hailed by a messenger from the chief sent to find out who we were and the objects of our extraordinary visit who are you he shouted in a heavy far reaching voice what are your names what do you want what have you come for on receiving replies he shouted the information to another messenger who was posted on the river bank at a distance of a quarter of a mile or so and he to another and another in succession and by this living the news was delivered to the chief as he sat by his fireside a salute was then fired to welcome us and a swarm of bullets flying scarce high enough for comfort over our heads as soon as we reached the landing at the village a dignified young man stepped forward and thus addressed us my chief sent me to meet you and to ask if you e country of the would do him the honor to lodge in his house during your stay in our village we replied of course that we would consider it a great honor to be entertained by so distinguished a chief the messenger then ordered a number of slaves who stood behind him to draw our out of the water carry our provisions and into the chiefs house and then carry the back from the river where it would be beyond the reach of floating ice while we waited a lot of boys and girls were playing on a meadow near the landing running races shooting arrows and in the icy river without showing any knowledge of our presence beyond quick stolen glances after all was | 28 |
made secure he conducted us to the house where we found seats of honor prepared for us the old chief sat by the fireside clad in a shirt and blanket looking down and though we shook hands as we passed him he did not look up after we were seated he still gazed into the fire without taking the slightest notice of us for about ten or fifteen minutes the various members of the chiefs family also men women and children went about their usual employment and play as if entirely unconscious that strangers were in the house it being considered to look at visitors or speak to them before time had been allowed them to collect their thoughts and prepare any message they might have to deliver at length after the politeness period had passed i travels in the chief slowly raised his head and glanced at his visitors looked down again and at last said through our i am troubled it is customary when strangers visit us to offer them food in case they might be hungry and i was about to do so when i remembered that the food of you honorable white chiefs is so much better than mine that i am ashamed to offer it we of course replied that we would consider it a great honor to enjoy the hospitality of so distinguished a chief as he was hearing this he looked up saying i feel relieved or in john the s words he feels good now he says he feels good he then ordered one of his family to see that the visitors were fed the young man who was to act as steward took up his position in a corner of the house commanding a view of all that was going on and ordered the slaves to make haste to prepare a good meal one to bring a lot of the best potatoes from the cellar and wash them well another to go out and pick a of fresh another to a salmon while others made a suitable fire pouring oil on the wet wood to make it blaze speedily the feast was prepared and passed around the first course was potatoes the second fish oil and salmon next and rose then the steward shouted the important news in a loud voice like a herald addressing an army that s all and left his post then followed all sorts of questions from the old the country of the chief he wanted to know what professor had been trying to do a year or two ago on a mountain top back of the village with many strange things looking at the sun when it grew dark in the and we had to try to explain he asked us if we could tell him what made the water rise and fall twice a day and we tried to explain that the sun and moon attracted the sea by showing how a attracted iron j v mr young as usual explained the object of his visit and requested that the people might be called together in the evening to hear his message accordingly all were told to wash put on their best clothing and come at a certain hour there was an audience of about two hundred and fifty to whom mr young preached led in prayer while and john joined in the singing of several hymns at the conclusion of the religious exercises the chief made a short address of thanks and finished with a request for the message of the other chief i again tried in vain to avoid a speech by telling the to explain that i was only to see the country the and mountains and forests etc but these subjects strange to say seemed to be about as interesting as the gospel and i had to deliver a sort of lecture on the fine country god had given them and the brotherhood of man along the same general lines i had followed at other villages some five similar meetings were held here two of them in the and we began to feel quite at home in the big block house with our hospitable and warlike friends travels in at the last meeting an old white haired of grave and venerable aspect with a high wrinkled forehead big strong roman nose and light colored skin slowly and with great dignity arose and spoke for the first time i am an old man he said but i am glad to listen to those strange things you tell and they may well be true for what is more wonderful than the flight of birds in the air i remember the first white man i ever saw since that long long ago time i have seen many but never until now have i truly known and felt a white man s heart all the white men i have heretofore met wanted to get something from us they wanted and they wished to pay for them as small a price as possible they all seemed to be seeking their own good not our good i might say that through all my long life i have never until now heard a white man speak it has always seemed to me while trying to speak to and those seeking gold mines that it was like speaking to a person across a broad stream that was running fast over stones and making so loud a noise that scarce a single word could be heard but now for the first time the indian and the white man are on the same side of the river eye to eye heart to heart i have always loved my people i have taught them and to them as well as i could hereafter i will keep silent and listen to the good words of the who know god and the places we go to when we die so | 28 |
much better than i do at the close of the exercises after the last sermon i the country of the had been preached and the last speech of the indian chief and had been made a number of the sub chiefs were talking together mr young anxious to know what impression he had made on the tribe with reference to mission work requested john to listen and tell him what was being said they are talking about mr s speech he reported they say he knows how to talk and beats the preacher far also with a smile said mr young hi your friend leads you far in speaking later when the sending of a missionary and teacher was being considered the chief said they wanted me and as an promised that if i would come to them they would always do as i directed follow my give me as many wives as i liked build a church and school and pick all the stones out of the paths and make them smooth for my feet they were about to set out on an expedition to the to collect blankets as or blood money for the death of a woman from drinking furnished by one of the tribe in case of their refusal to pay there would be fighting and one of the chiefs begged that we would pray them good luck so that no one would be killed this he asked as a favor after begging that we would grant permission to go on this expedition promising that they would avoid if possible he spoke in a very natural and easy tone and manner always serene and so much of a polished that travels in all polish was hidden the younger chief stood while speaking the elder sat on the floor none of the congregation had a word to say though they gave and the house was packed at every meeting two a day some climbed on the roof to listen around the smoke opening i tried in vain to avoid but as usual i had to say something at every meeting i made five speeches here all of which seemed to be gladly heard particularly what i said on the different kinds of white men and their motives and their own kindness and good manners in making strangers feel at home in their houses the chief had a slave a young and good looking girl who waited on him cooked his food lighted his pipe for him etc her seemed by no means in the morning just before we left on the return trip john overheard him telling her that after the teacher came from he was going to dress her well and send her to school and use her in every way as if she were his own daughter slaves are still owned by the richest of the formerly many of them were sacrificed on great occasions such as the opening of a new house or the of a pole ordered john to take a pair of white blankets out of his trunk and wrap them about the chiefs shoulders as he sat by the fire this gift was presented without ceremony or saying a single word the chief scarcely noticed the blankets only taking a corner in his hand as if the quality of the wool had been an i l the country of the enemy and of the but now having joined the church he wished to forget the past and bury all the hard and be universally friendly and peaceful it was evident however that he the proud and warlike and doubted the acceptance of his friendly advances and as we approached their village became more and more thoughtful my wife said that my old enemies would be sure to kill me well never mind i am an old man and may as well die as not he was troubled with and while he suffered he put his hand over his heart and said i hope the will shoot me here before venturing up the river to the principal village some ten miles up the river we sent and one of the young as messengers to announce our arrival and inquire whether we would be welcome to visit them informing the chief that both and were mr young s friends and mine that we were all one meat and any harm done them would also be done to us while our messengers were away i climbed a dome crowned mountain about fifty five hundred feet high and gained noble telling views to the northward of the main and the multitude of mighty peaks from which they draw their sources at a height of three thousand feet i found a mountain considerably in company with and the common hem i s travels in lock the about twenty feet high sixteen inches in a few grew considerably higher say at about four thousand feet and two leaf pine were common the messengers returned next day bringing back word that we would all be heartily welcomed excepting that the guns were loaded and ready to be fired to welcome us but that having insulted a chief not long ago in must not come they also informed us in their message that they were very busy with other visitors jack and his friends but that if we could get up to the village through the running ice on the river they would all be glad to see us they had been drinking and s father one of the principal chiefs said plainly that he had just up out of a ten days sleep we were anxious to make this visit but taking the difficulties and circumstances into account the danger of being frozen in at so late a time while would not be able to walk back on account of a shot in his foot the danger also from the awakening of old on account of s presence | 28 |
etc we reluctantly concluded to start back on the home journey at once this was on friday and a fair wind was blowing but our crew who loved dearly to rest and eat in these big hospitable houses all said that monday would be for the starting day i insisted however on starting saturday morning and succeeded in getting away from our friends at ten o clock just as we were leaving the chief who had i the country of the entertained us so handsomely requested a written document to show that he had not killed us so in case we were lost on the way home he could not be held in any way for our death chapter xii the return to fort the day of our start for was bright and the the north wind strong we passed around the east side of the larger island which lies near the south extremity of the point of land between the and the channels and thence held a direct course down the east shore of the canal at sunset we in a small bay at the head of a beautiful harbor three or four miles south of s bay and the next day being sunday we remained in camp as usual though the wind was fair and it is not a sin to go home the indians spent most of the day in washing mending eating and singing hymns with mr young who also gave them a bible lesson while i wrote notes and made a and all the crew got good this is one of the most delightful little we have thus far enjoyed with tall trees whose branches almost meet and with views of mountains across the broad river like canal seeing smoke back in the dense woods we went ashore to seek it and discovered a in full blast the indians said that an old man a friend of theirs was about to die and they were making for his funeral our indians were already out of flesh which they regard as a necessity and in enormous i the return to fort quantities the bacon was nearly gone and they eagerly inquired for flesh at every camp we passed here we found of and a heap of wild mutton lying on the confused hut floor our cook boiled the in a big pot with a lot of potatoes we obtained at the same hut and although the potatoes were protected by their skins the awfully wild penetrating flavor found a way through the skins and them to the very heart bread and beans and dried fruit we had in abundance and none of these rank ever came nigh any meal of mine the indians eat the of wild roses entire like and i was laughed at for eating only the outside of this fruit and the seeds when we were approaching the village of the tribe venerable seemed to be unusually pensive as if weighed down by some melancholy thought this was so unusual that i waited attentively to find out the cause of his trouble when at last he broke silence it was to say mr young mr young he usually repeated the name i hope you will not stop at the village why asked mr young because they area bad lot and preaching to them can do no good said mr young have you forgotten what christ said to his when he charged them to go forth and preach the gospel to everybody and that we should love our enemies and do good to those who use us badly v travels in well replied if you preach to them you must not call on me to pray because i cannot pray for but the bible says we should pray for all men however bad they may be oh yes i know that mr young i know it very well but are not men good or bad they are dogs it was now nearly dark and quite so ere we found a harbor not far from the fine which into the narrow channel that island from the two of the followed us to our camp after eight o clock and inquired into our object in visiting them that they might carry the news to their chief one of the chiefs houses is opposite our camp a mile or two distant and we concluded to call on him next morning i wanted to examine the in the morning but tried to be satisfied with a general view and sketch as we sailed around its wide fan shaped front it is one of the most beautiful of all the coast that are in the first stage of we called on the chief at daylight when he was yet in bed but he arose put on a shirt drew a blanket around his legs and comfortably seated himself beside a small fire that gave light enough to show his features and those of his children and the three women that one by one came out of the shadows all listened attentively to mr young s message of the chief was a serious sharp man sensible looking and with good the return to fort manners he was very sorry he said that his people had been drinking in his absence and had used us so ill he would like to hear us talk and would call his people together if we would return to the village this offer we had to decline we gave him good words and tobacco and bade him good bye the scenery all through the channel is magnificent something like valley in its lofty wall cliffs especially on the side which are so steep few trees can find footing the lower island side walls are mostly the trees are heavily draped with giving the woods a remarkably gray ancient look i noticed a good many two pines in spots the water was smooth | 28 |
left for another year we struggled across to the west side of the and i climbed a mountain next morning hoping to gain a view of the great fruitful at the head of e return to fort the or at least of their snowy fountains but in this also i failed for at a distance of about sixteen miles from the mouth of the a change to the northward in its general cut off all its upper course from sight returning to camp baffled and weary i ordered all hands to pack up and get out of the ice as soon as possible and how gladly was that order obeyed s grand countenance glowed like a sun filled as he joyfully and remarked that the big sum ice mountain had hidden his face from me and refused to let me pay him a visit all the crew worked hard a way down the west side of the and early in the afternoon we reached comparatively open water near the mouth of the bay resting a few minutes among the drifting taking last lingering looks at the wonderful place i might never see again and feeling sad over my weary failure to explore it i was cheered by a friend i little expected to meet here suddenly i heard the familiar of an s wings and looking up saw my little coming straight from the shore in a second or two he was with me and flew three times around my head with a happy salute as if saying cheer up old friend you see i am here and all s well he then flew back to the shore alighted on the of a and began to nod and bow as though he were on one of his favorite rocks in the middle of a sunny mountain mr young regretted not meeting the indians here but mission work also had to be left until next season i travels in our happy crew hoisted sail to a fair wind shouted good bye sum and soon after dark reached a harbor a few miles north of point we made an early start the next day a fine calm morning glided smoothly down the coast admiring the magnificent mountains arrayed in their winter robes and early in the afternoon reached a lovely harbor on an island five or six miles north of cape predicted a heavy winter storm though only a mild rain was falling as yet everybody was tired and hungry and as the voyage was the end i consented to stop here while the shelter tents were being set up and our blankets under cover john went out to hunt and killed a deer within two hundred yards of the camp when we were at the camp fire in sum bay one of the replying to mr young s complaint that they were out of meat asked why he and his men did not shoot plenty of ducks for the minister because the duck s friend would not let us said when we want to shoot mr always shakes the just as we were passing the south of port bay we heard a shout and a few minutes later saw four indians in a rapidly after us in about an hour they overtook us they were an indian his son and two women with a load of fish oil and dried salmon to sell and trade at fort they within a dozen yards of us with their sheets of bark and poles they speedily made a hut spread boughs in it for a carpet the return to fort the and stored their goods under cover toward evening the old man came smiling with a gift for a large fresh salmon which was promptly boiled and eaten by our captain and crew as if it were only a light refreshment like a between meals a few minutes after the big salmon had vanished our generous neighbor came to with a second gift of dried salmon which after being a few minutes followed the fresh one as though it were a mere then from the same generous hands came a third gift a large milk of and boiled together and strange to say this wonderful mess went smoothly down to rest on the broad and deep salmon foundation thus refreshed and appetite sharpened my sturdy crew made haste to begin on the buck beans bread etc and boiling and managed to get comfortably full on but little more than half of it by making a good deal of sport of my pity for the deer and refusing to eat any of it and me the ice and the deer and duck s sunday was a wild driving windy day with but little rain but big promise of more i took a walk back in the woods the timber here is very fine about as large as any i have seen in much better than farther north the and the common one hundred and fifty and two hundred feet high are slender and handsome the makes good even when green the very poor back a little way from the sea there was travels in a good deal of yellow the best i had yet seen the largest specimen that i saw and measured on the trip was five feet three inches in and about one hundred and forty feet high in the evening mr young gave the indians a lesson calling in our indian neighbors he told them the story of christ coming to save the world the indians wanted to know why the jews had killed him the lesson was listened to with very marked attention s generous friend caught a devil fish about three feet in to add to his stores of food it would be very good he said when boiled in and oil soup each arm of this savage animal with its double row of button like closed | 28 |
upon any object brought within reach with a grip nothing could escape the indians tell me that devil fish live mostly on and the shells of which they easily with their strong like that was a wild stormy rainy night how the rain soaked us in our tents just feel that said the minister in the night as he took my hand and plunged it into a pool about three inches deep in which he was lying never mind i said it is only water everything is wet now it will soon be morning and we will dry at the fire our indian neighbors were if possible still their hut had been blown down several times during the night our tent badly and we were lying in a but around the big camp fire we were soon warm and half dry we had expected to reach i the return to fort by this time said the storm might last several days longer we were out of tea and coffee much to mr young s distress on my return from a walk i brought in a good big bunch of and boiled it in the the result of this experiment was a bright clear colored liquor which i did not taste but my suffering companion drank the whole and praised it the rain was so heavy we decided not to attempt to leave camp until the storm somewhat as we were assured by that we would not be able to round cape a sheer the nose as he called it past which the wind sweeps with great violence in these storms with what grateful enthusiasm the trees welcomed the life giving rain strong towering and tossed their arms bowing waving in every leap quivering and rejoicing together in the gray roaring storm john and put on their gun coats and went hunting for another deer but returned later in the afternoon with clean hands having fortunately failed to shed any more blood the wind still held in the south and grimly trying to comfort us told us that we might be held here a week or more which we should not have minded much for we had abundance of provisions mr young and i shifted our tent and tried to dry blankets the wind considerably and at a m we started but met a rough sea and so stiff a wind we barely succeeded in the cape by all hands pulling their best thence we struggled down the coast travels in creeping close to the shore and taking advantage of the shelter of protecting rocks making slow hard won progress until about the middle of the afternoon when the sky opened and the blessed sun shone out over the beautiful waters and forests with rich light and the high laden mountains adorned with fresh snow slowly came to view in all their grandeur the gray clouds crawling and lingering and until every of them vanished the sunlight made the upper snow fields pale yellow like that seen on the mountains the first day of our return trip shortly after the sky cleared the wind and changed around to the north so that we ventured to our sail and then the weary indians had rest it was interesting to note how speedily the heavy swell that had been rolling for the last two or three days was subdued by the comparatively light breeze from the opposite direction in a few minutes the sound was smooth and no trace of the storm was left save the fresh snow and the of the water all the water of the sound as far as i noticed was pale coffee color like that of the streams in woods how much of this color was due to the of the streams many times increased in size and number by the rain and how much to the beating of the waves along the shore stirring up vegetable matter in shallow i cannot determine the effect however was very marked about four o clock we saw smoke on the shore and ran in for news we found a company of in the return to fort who were on their way to fort some six men and about the same number of women the men were sitting in a bark hut handsomely and with fresh boughs the women were out at the side of a stream washing their many bits of a little girl six or seven years old was sitting on the beach building a of white pebbles scarcely caring to stop her work to gaze at us found a friend among the men and wished to beside them for the night assuring us that this was the only safe harbor to be found within a good many miles but we resolved to push on a little farther and make use of the smooth weather after being so long much to and his companion s disgust we rowed about a couple of miles and ran into a where wood and water were close at hand how beautiful and it was moss for with red noble standing guard about us and spreading kindly protecting arms a few with vines bushes and grow beneath the trees we retired at eight o clock and just then who had been attentively studying the sky rain and another for the morrow the sky was a little cloudy next morning but the air was still and the water smooth we all hoped that the old weather prophet had the sky signs but before reaching point the rain began to fall and the dreaded wind to i travels in blow which soon increased to a stiff breeze next thing to a gale that lashed the sound into ragged white caps cape is part of the of an ancient that once extended six or eight miles out from the base of the mountains three large that once were still descend nearly to the sea level though their | 28 |
fronts are back in narrow eight or ten miles from the sound a similar point out into the sound five or six miles to the south while the missing portion is and forms a all the cape is save a narrow strip about a mile long composed of large against which the waves beat with loud roaring a bar of foam a mile or so farther out showed where the waves were breaking on a part of the and i supposed that we would be compelled to pass around it in deep water but toy usually so cautious determined to cross it and after giving particular directions with an encouraging shout every oar and was strained to shoot through a narrow gap just at the most critical point a big wave heaved us aloft and dropped us between two huge rounded where had the been a foot or two closer to either of them it must have been smashed though i had offered no objection to our experienced pilot s plan it looked dangerous and i took the precaution to my shoes so they could be quickly shaken off for swimming but after crossing the bar we were not yet out of danger for we had to struggle hard to keep from being driven ashore while the waves were beat the return to fort ing us on at length we discovered a little into which we gladly escaped a pure white to the form of a cross stood amid of and the black rocks of the wave beaten shore in sign of safety and welcome a good fire soon warmed and dried us into common comfort our narrow escape was the burden of conversation as we sat around the fire captain told us of two similar adventures while he was a strong young man in both of them his was smashed and he swam ashore out of the with a gun in his teeth he says that if we had struck the rocks he and mr young would have been drowned all the rest of us probably would have been saved then turning to me he asked me if i could have made a fire in such a case without matches and found a way to without or food we started about daybreak from our blessed white cross harbor and after a bluff cape opposite the mouth of a fleet of came in sight and of course i was eager to trace them to their source naturally enough was greatly excited about the safety of his and begged that we should not venture to force a way through the the loss of the and our lives now that we were so near the end of our long voyage oh never fear i replied you know we are always lucky the weather is good i only want to see the thunder for a few minutes and should the be packed close travels in i promise to turn back and wait until next summer thus assured he pushed rapidly on until we entered the where we had to go cautiously slow the were close packed almost throughout the whole extent of the but we managed to reach a point about two miles from the head commanding a good view of the down lower end of the and blue jagged ice wall this was one of the most imposing of the first class i had as yet seen and with its magnificent formed a fine triumphant close for our season s ice work i made a few notes and sketches and turned back in time to escape from the of before dark then was stationed in the bow to guide through the open portion of the mouth of the and across strait it was not until several hours after dark that we were finally free from ice we occasionally encountered on the which in the seemed to extend in every direction our danger lay in breaking the on small hard to see and in getting too near the larger ones that might split or roll over oh when will we escape from this ice moaned much enduring old we ran in several places in crossing the but finally succeeded in groping our way over muddy before the tide fell and on the shore of a small island where we discovered a spot dry enough to sleep on after tumbling about in a of bushes and logs the return to fort we left our last camp november at daybreak the weather was calm and bright island came into view beneath a lovely rosy sky all the forest down to the water s edge silvery gray with a of snow john and seemed to be seriously distressed to find themselves at the end of their journey while a portion of the stock of provisions remained what is to be done about it they asked more than half in earnest the fine strong and deliberation of indians was well illustrated on this trip it was fresh every morning they all behaved well however exerted themselves under tedious hardships without for days or weeks at a time never seemed in the least were prompt to act in every good as servants fellow and even friends we landed on an island in sight of and built a big smoky signal fire for friends in town then set sail our flag and about noon completed our long journey of seven or eight hundred miles as we approached the town a large of friendly indians came flying out to meet us cheering and in boston fashion the friends of mr young had intended to come out in a body to welcome him back but had not had time to complete their arrangements before we landed mr young was eager for news i told him there could be no news of importance about a town we only had real news drawn from the wilderness the mail steamer had | 28 |
his church and no longer had any right to fight calmly replied mr young mr young i am not going to fight you see i have no gun in my hand but i cannot go inside of the fort to a place of safety like women and children while my young men are exposed to the bullets of their enemies i must stay with them and share their dangers but i will not fight but you mr young you must go away you are a minister and you are an important man it would not do for you to be exposed to bullets go to your home in the fort pretty soon hi much shooting at the first fire fell shot through the breast thus died for his people the noblest old roman of them all on this first excursion i saw under all circumstances in rain and snow landing at night in dark storms making fires building exposed to all kinds of discomfort but never under any circumstances did i ever see him do anything or make a single gesture that was not dignified or hear him say a word that might not be uttered anywhere he often the fact that he had no son to take his name at his death and expressed himself as very grateful when i told him that his name would not be forgotten that i had named one of the for him part ii the trip of chapter xiv um bay i arrived early on the morning of the eighth of august on the steamer to continue my of the to the northward which were closed by winter the previous november the noise of our cannon and whistle was barely sufficient to awaken the sleepy town the morning shout of one good was the only evidence of life and health in all the place everything seemed kindly and familiar the water islands the indians with their and baskets and blankets and the jet and flying about the streets and trees and the bland hushed atmosphere brooding tenderly over all how delightful it is and how it makes one s bound to get back into this wilderness how truly wild it is and how one s heart to the welcome it gives its waters and mountains shining and glowing like enthusiastic human faces gliding along the shores of its of channels we may travel thousands of miles without seeing any mark of man save at long intervals some little indian village or the faint smoke of a camp fire even these are confined to the shore back a few yards from the beach the forests are as as the sky while the mountains wrapped in travels in their snow and ice and clouds seem never before to have been even looked at for those who really care to get into hearty contact with the coast region travel by is by far the better way the larger from one to three tons rise lightly over any waves likely to be met on the inland channels go well under sail and are easily in calm weather or against moderate winds while snug where they may ride at anchor or be pulled up on a smooth beach are to be found almost everywhere with plenty of provisions packed in boxes and blankets and warm clothing in rubber or canvas bags you may be truly independent and enter into with nature to be carried with the winds and currents accept the noble invitations offered all along your way to enter the mountain the homes of the and and almost every night beneath hospitable trees i left fort the th of august accompanied by mr young in a about twenty five feet long and five wide carrying two small square sails and by two indians captain and hunter joe and a half breed named smart the day was calm and bright clouds hung about the lowest of the mountain brows while far above the clouds the peaks were seen stretching away to the northward with their ice and snow shining in as calm a light as that which was falling on the waters our indians welcomed the work that lay before them dipping their sum bay oars in exact time with hearty good will as we glided past island after island across the of the into channel by noon we came in sight of a fleet of from bay the indian name of this icy is or thunder bay from the sound made by the in falling and rising from the front of the as we floated happily on over the shining waters the beautiful islands in ever changing pictures were an source of enjoyment but chiefly our attention was turned upon the mountains bold granite with their feet in the channel or some broad shouldered peak of surpassing grandeur would fix the eye or some one of the larger with far reaching clasping entire groups of peaks and its great crystal river pouring down through the forest between gray and in these grand picture lessons the day was spent and we spread our blankets beneath a on moss two feet deep next morning we sailed around an bank of and sand ten miles long the of a grand old on which last november we met a perilous adventure it is just opposite three large which formerly united to form the vanished trunk of the to which the belonged a few centuries ago it must have been the feature of this part of the coast and so well preserved are the monuments of its greatness the noble i travels in old ice river may be seen again in imagination about as vividly as if present in the flesh with snow clouds crawling about its fountains sunshine sparkling on its broad flood and its ten mile ice wall planted in the deep waters of the channel and sending off its with loud thunder about | 28 |
noon we rounded cape swiftly before a fine breeze to the delight of our indians who had now only to steer and chat here we overtook two indians and their families on their way home from fort they had exchanged five sea worth about a hundred dollars apiece and a considerable number of fur seal land and other and skins some worth for a new valued at eighty dollars some flour tobacco blankets and a few barrels of for the manufacture of the blankets were not to wear but to keep as money for the almighty dollar of these tribes is a s bay blanket the wind died away soon after we met and as the two glided slowly side by side the made minute inquiries as to who we were and what we were doing so far north mr young s object in meeting the indians as a missionary they could in part understand but mine in searching for rocks and seemed past comprehension and they asked our indians whether gold mines might not be the main object they remembered however that i had visited their bay ice mountains a year ago and seemed to think there might be after all some mysterious interest about them of which they were i j sum bay ignorant toward the middle of the afternoon they engaged our crew in a race we pushed a little way ahead for a time but though possessing a considerable advantage as it would seem in our long oars they at length overtook us and kept up until after dark when we together in the rain on the bank of a salmon stream among dripping grass and bushes some twenty five miles beyond cape these cold northern waters are at times about as brilliantly as those of the warm south and so they were this evening in the rain and darkness with the temperature of the water at degrees the air fifty one every stroke of the oar made a vivid of white light and the left shining tracks as we the mouth of the well known where we intended making our camp we noticed and flashes of silvery light caused by the startled movement of the salmon that were on their way to their grounds these became more and more numerous and exciting and our indians shouted joyfully hi salmon hi while the water about the and beneath the was by thousands of into silver fire after landing two of our men to commence camp work mr young and i went up the stream with to the foot of a rapid to see him catch a few salmon for supper the stream was so filled with them there seemed to be more fish than water in it and we appeared to be sailing in boiling an travels in silver light relieved in the jet darkness in the midst of the general glow and the specially vivid flashes made by the frightened fish darting ahead and to right and left of the our attention was suddenly fixed by a long steady like blaze that seemed to be made by some frightful monster that was pursuing us but when the object reached the it proved to be only our little dog after getting the into a side at the foot of the caught half a dozen salmon in a few minutes by means of a large hook fastened to the end of a pole they were so abundant that he simply for them in a random way or aimed at them by the light they themselves furnished that food to last a month or two may thus be procured in less than an hour is a striking illustration of the of these waters our neighbors were asleep in the morning at sunrise lying in a row wet and limp like dead salmon a little boy about six years old with no other covering than a remnant of a shirt was lying peacefully on his back like o wind and rain and fire he is up now looking happy and fresh with no clothes to dry and no need of washing while this weather lasts the two babies are firmly on boards leaving only their heads and hands free their mothers are nursing them holding the boards on end while they sit on the ground with their breasts level with the little prisoners mouths j i b sa sum bay this morning we found out how beautiful a nook we had got into besides the charming of its lines the colors about it brightened by the rain made a fine study viewed from the shore there was first a margin of dark brown then a bar of brown next a dark bar on the rugged rocks marking the highest tides then a bar of granite with in the and above this a thick fringe of bushes colored red and yellow and green a wall of and draped and with gray and yellow and the and the little river while the camp fire smoke like a cloud lay motionless in their branches down on the beach ducks and in flocks of hundreds were getting their bald were seen perched on dead along the edge of the woods heavy looking and gazing like and were blowing and plunging outside as for the salmon as seen this morning urging their way up the swift current of thousands of them side by side with their backs out of the water in shallow places now that the tide was low nothing that i could write might possibly give anything like a fair conception of the extravagance of their numbers there was more salmon apparently bulk for bulk than water in the stream the struggling multitudes crowding one against another could not get out of our way when we into the midst of them one of our men amused himself by seizing them above i travels in the tail and swinging | 28 |
them over his head thousands could thus be taken by hand at low tide while they were making their way over the among the stones whatever may be said of other resources of the territory it is hardly possible to the importance of the not to mention etc there are probably not less than a thousand salmon streams in as large or larger than this one about forty feet wide crowded with salmon several times a year the first run commenced that year in july while the king salmon one of the five species recognized by the indians was in the river about the middle of the november before from this wonderful salmon camp we sailed joyfully up the coast to explore icy sum bay beginning my studies where i left off the previous november we started about six o clock and pulled merrily on through fog and rain the beautiful wooded shore on our right passing here and there the largest of which though not over two hundred feet long seemed many times larger as they loomed gray and indistinct through the fog for the first five hours the sailing was open and easy nor was there anything very exciting to be seen or heard save now and then the thunder of a falling rolling and echoing from cliff to cliff and the sustained roar of about eleven o clock we reached a point where the was packed with ice all the way across and we sum bay ran ashore to fit a block of wood on the of our to prevent its being battered or broken while captain who had had considerable experience among ice was at work on the hunter joe and smart prepared a warm lunch the sheltered hollow where we landed seems to be a favorite ground for the sum the pole frames of tents tied with bark stood on level spots strewn with seal bones bits of salmon and bark we found the work of pushing through the ice rather tiresome an opening of twenty or thirty yards would be found here and there then a close pack that had to be opened by pushing the smaller aside with poles i enjoyed the labor however for the fine lessons i got and in an hour or two we found lanes of water through which we with but little interruption and had leisure to study the wonderful variety of forms the presented as we glided past them the largest we saw did not greatly exceed two hundred feet in length or twenty five or thirty feet in height above the water such would draw from one hundred and fifty to two hundred feet of water all those that have floated long undisturbed have a projecting base at the water line caused by the more rapid melting of the portion when a portion of the breaks off another base line is formed and the old one sharply cut may be seen rising at all angles giving it a marked character many of the oldest are i i j travels in beautifully by the melting out of narrow strictly parallel throughout the mass revealing the structure of the ice acquired perhaps centuries ago on the mountain snow fountains a suddenly going to pieces is a grand sight especially when the water is calm and no motion is visible save perchance the slow drift of the tide current the prolonged roar of its fall comes with startling effect and heavy are raised that haste away in every direction to tell what has taken place and of thousands of its neighbors rock and in sympathy repeating the news over and over again we were too near several large ones that fell apart as we passed them and our had narrow escapes the seal hunters says are frequently lost in these sudden accidents in the afternoon while we were admiring the scenery which as we approached the head of the became more and more sublime one of our indians called attention to a flock of wild on a mountain overhead and soon afterwards we saw two other flocks at a height of about fifteen hundred feet relieved against the mountains as white spots they are abundant here and throughout the in general feeding on the grassy slopes above the timber line their long hair is shed at this time of year and they were snowy white none of nature s cattle are better fed or better protected from the cold told us that before the introduction of guns they used to hunt them with chasing them with their wolf dogs and thus bringing them sum bay to bay among the rocks where they were easily approached and killed the upper half of the is about from a mile to a mile and a half wide and shut in by sublime cliffs nobly and adorned with and of trees bushes and patches of flowers but amid so crowded a display of novel beauty it was not easy to the attention long enough on any portion of it without giving more days and years than our lives could afford i was determined to see at least the grand fountain of all this ice as we passed after hoping as each was rounded we should obtain a view of it it still remained hidden ice mountain hi hide know how to hide extremely well said as he rested for a moment after a huge granite shoulder of the wall whence we expected to gain a view of the extreme head of the the however were less closely packed and we made good progress and at half past eight o clock fourteen and a half hours after setting out the great came in sight at the head of a branch of the that comes in from the the front of this fertile fast flowing is about three quarters of a mile wide and probably eight or nine hundred feet deep about one | 28 |
hundred and fifty feet of its depth rising above the water as a grand blue barrier wall it is much wider a few miles farther back the front being between sheer granite walls from thirty five hundred to i l travels in four thousand feet high it shows from where it broke on our sight sweeping boldly forward and downward in its majestic channel swaying from side to side in graceful lines around stern rocks while i stood in the making a sketch of it several came off with tremendous dashing and thunder raising a cloud of ice dust and spray to a height of a hundred feet or more the ice mountain is well disposed toward you said he is firing his big guns to welcome you after my sketch and entering a few notes i directed the crew to pull around a lofty rock on the west side of the channel where as i knew from the of the a large once came in and what was my delight to discover that the was still there and still pouring its ice into a branch of the even the indians shared my joy and shouted with me i expected only one first class here and found two they are only about two miles apart how glorious a mansion that precious pair dwell in after sunset we made haste to seek a camp ground i would fain have shared these upper chambers with the two but there was no landing place in sight and we had to make our way back a few miles in the twilight to the mouth of a side where we had seen timber on the way up there seemed to be a good landing as we approached the shore but coming nearer we found that the granite fell directly into deep water without leading any level margin though the slope a short distance back was not very steep i sum bay after narrowly the various and steps that the granite we concluded to attempt a landing rather than our way farther down the through the ice and what a time we had climbing on hands and knees up the slippery polished rocks to a shelf some two hundred feet above the water and dragging provisions and blankets after us but it proved to be a glorious place the very best camp ground of all the trip a perfect garden ripe nodding from a fringe of bushes around its edges displayed in the light of our big fire close alongside there was a lofty mountain with ice and from the blue edge of that ice cap there were sixteen silvery in a row falling about four thousand feet each one of the sixteen large enough to be heard at least two miles how beautiful was the on the nearest and and of our garden how hearty the wave greeting on the rocks below brought to us from the two and how glorious a song the sixteen sang the songs made us sleep all the and we were so happy as to find in the morning that the waves had spared our we set off in high spirits down the and across to the right side to explore a remarkably deep and narrow branch of the main that i had noted on the way up and that from the magnitude of the characters on the two colossal rocks that guard the entrance promised a rich reward for our pains after we had sailed about three miles up this side travels in we came to what seemed to be its head for trees and rocks swept in a curve around from one side to the other without showing any opening although the walls of the were seen extending back one majestic brow beyond the other when we were tracing this curve however in a leisurely way in search of a good landing we were startled by captain shouting strong water strong water and found our was being swept sideways by a powerful current the roar of which we had mistaken for a we barely escaped being carried over a rocky bar on the boiling flood which as we afterwards learned would have been only a happy on our way after we had made a landing a little distance back from the brow of the bar we climbed the highest rock near the shore to seek a view of the channel beyond the tide to find out whether or no we could safely venture in up over rolling rock waves we scrambled for an hour or two which resulted in a fair view of the deep blue waters of the stretching on and on along the feet of the most majestic rocks we had yet seen this determined our plan of shooting the and exploring it to its farthest recesses this novel interruption of the channel is a bar of exceedingly hard resisting granite over which the great that once occupied it swept without degrading it to the general level and over which tide waters now rush in and out with the violence of a mountain torrent sum bay returning to the we pushed off and in a few moments were racing over the bar with lightning speed through waves and and sheets of foam our little shell of a boat tossing lightly as a then across a belt of back flowing water we found ourselves on a smooth mirror reach between granite walls of the very wildest and most exciting description surpassing in some ways those of the far valley as we drifted silent and awe stricken beneath the shadows of the mighty cliffs which in their tremendous height and seemed to at the top the indians gazing intently as if they too were impressed with the strange awe inspiring grandeur that shut them in one of them at length broke the silence by saying this must be a good place for i hear them calling | 28 |
stationed in the bow with a pole to push aside the smaller fragments and look out for the most promising through which he guided us shouting friday about ten times a minute we reached this landing place after ten o clock guided in the darkness by the roar of a torrent the ground was all and it was hard to find a place among them however small to lie on the indians the well out from the shore and passed the night in it to guard against waves and drifting waves after assisting me to set my tent in some sort of way among the stones well back beyond the reach of the tide i asked them as they were returning to the if they were not going to eat something they answered promptly we will sleep now if your ice friend will let us a travels in we will eat to morrow but we can find some bread for you if you want it no i said go to rest i too will sleep now and eat to morrow nothing was attempted in the way of light or fire that night was simply lying down the seemed to make a fair bed after finding the best place to take their pressure during the night i was awakened by the beating of the spent ends of waves against the side of my tent though i had fancied myself well beyond their reach these special waves are not raised by wind or tide but by the fall of large from the of the or sometimes by the or breaking of large that may have long floated in perfect the highest waves travel half a dozen miles or farther before they are much spent producing a singularly impressive uproar in the far recesses of the mountains on calm dark nights when all beside is still far and near they tell the news that a is born repeating their story again and again compelling attention and reminding us of earthquake waves that roll on for thousands of miles taking their story from continent to continent when the indians came ashore in the morning and saw the condition of my tent they laughed heartily and said your friend meaning the big sent you a good word last night and his servant knocked at your tent and said a are you sleeping well i had too long to be in very good order for hard work but while the indians were cooking i made i sum bay out to push my way up the before breakfast to seek the that once came into the knowing from the size and of the stream that it that it must be quite large and not far off i came in sight of it after a hard scramble of two hours through and across steep of rocks and snow the front reaches across the from wall to wall covered with rocky and looked dark and forbidding in the shadow cast by the cliffs while from a low hollow its stream breaks forth a river in size with a roar that all the beyond in a blaze of sunshine i saw many pure and white as new fallen snow drawing their sources from clusters of peaks and sweeping down waving slopes to unite their crystal currents with the trunk in the central this fine reaches to within two hundred and fifty feet of the level of the sea and would even yet reach the and send off but for the waste it suffers in flowing slowly through the trunk the of which is very slight returning i reached camp and breakfast at ten o clock then had everything packed into the and set off leisurely across the to the mouth of another wide and low whose lofty outer cliffs facing the are telling gladly i should have it all traced its streams of water and streams of ice and entered its highest chambers the homes and fountains of the snow but i had to wait i only stopped an hour or travels in two and climbed to the top of a rock through the common whence i had a good general view the front of the main is not far distant from the and sends off small into a lake the walls of its are remarkably jagged and high cut in a red rock probably slate on the way back to the i gathered ripe salmon an inch and a half in ripe too in great abundance and several interesting plants i had not before met in the territory about noon when the tide was in our favor we set out on the return trip to the gold mine camp the sun shone free and warm no wind stirred the water spaces between the were as smooth as glass reflecting the sky and the beauty of the as the sunlight streamed through their innumerable angles in rainbow colors soon a light breeze sprang up and dancing lily on the water mingled their glory of light with that burning on the angles of the ice on days like this true sun days some of the show a tinge though most are white from the of their now and then a new born one is met that is pure blue crystal throughout broken from the fountain or recently exposed to the air by turning over but in all of them old and new there are and of beauty in which the purest tones of light pulse and lovely and as anything on earth or in the sky sum bay as we were passing the indian village i presented a little tobacco to the as an expression of regard while they gave us a few smoked salmon after putting many questions concerning my of their bay and declaring their in the ice business about nine o clock we arrived at the gold camp where we found mr young ready to go on | 28 |
with us the next morning and thus ended two of the brightest and best of all my days chapter xv from river to bay i never saw looking better than it did when we bade farewell to sum on august and pushed on northward up the coast toward the morning was clear calm bright not a cloud in all the purple sky nor wind however gentle to shake the slender of the or dew laden grass around the shores over the mountains and over the broad white of the the poured rosy as ever fell on fields of wheat the forests and the waters and into a perfect blaze of colored light every living thing seemed joyful and nature s work was going on in glowing enthusiasm not less in the deep repose that over every feature of the landscape suggesting the coming of the icy land and showing the advance that has already been made from winter to summer the care laden commercial lives we lead close our eyes to the operations of god as a workman though openly carried on that all who will look may see the rocks here and the make a vivid showing of the old winter time of the period and mark the bounds of the de that once filled the bay and covered the surrounding mountains already that sea of ice is replaced by water in which multitudes of fishes are fed while the hundred from river to bay lingering about the bay and the streams that pour from them are busy night and day bringing in sand and mud and stones at the rate of tons every minute to fill it up then as the seasons grow warmer there will be fields here for the plough our indians by the sunshine were as the and and pulled heartily at their oars evidently glad to get out of the ice with a whole boat now for they said as we glided over the shining water good bye ice mountains good bye sum soon a light breeze came and they the sail and laid away their oars and began as usual in such free times to put their goods in order and provisions guns ropes clothing etc joe has an old suggestive of s bay times which he wished to discharge and so stepping in front of the sail he fired at a that was flying past before i could prevent him and it fell slowly with wings alongside the with blood dripping from its bill i asked him why he had killed the bird and followed the question by a severe for his stupid cruelty to which he could offer no other excuse than that he had learned from the to be careless about taking life captain the deed as likely to bring bad luck before the came most of the held with that animals have souls and that it was wrong and unlucky to even speak of the fishes or any of the animals that supplied them i s travels in with food a case their superstitious in this connection occurred at fort while i was there the year before one of the of the had a little son five or six years old to whom he was very much attached always taking him with him in his short and leading him by the hand while going about town last summer the boy was taken sick and gradually grew weak and thin whereupon his father became alarmed and feared as is usual in such obscure cases that the boy had been he first applied in his trouble to dr one of the who gave medicine without the immediate cure that the fond father demanded he was to some extent a in the powers of both as to material and spiritual affairs but in so serious an it was natural that he should go back to the faith of his fathers accordingly he sent for one of the or medicine men of his tribe and submitted the case to him who after going through the customary declared that he had discovered the cause of the difficulty your boy he said has lost his soul and this is the way it happened he was playing among the stones down on the beach when he saw a in the water and made fun of it pointing his finger at it and saying oh you crooked legs oh you crooked legs you can t walk straight you go which made the so angry that he reached out his long seized the lad s soul pulled it out of him and made off with it into deep water and con from river to bay the medicine man unless his stolen soul is restored to him and put back in its place he will die your boy is really dead already it is only his lonely empty body that is living now and though it may continue to live in this way for a ye r or two the boy will never be of any account not strong nor wise nor brave the father then inquired whether anything could be done about it was the soul still in possession of the and if so could it be recovered and re in his forlorn son yes the doctor rather thought it might be charmed back and re united but the job would be a difficult one and would probably cost about fifteen blankets after we were fairly out of the bay into passage the wind died away and the indians had to take to their oars again which ended our talk on we sped over the silvery level close the dark forests extending far and near planted like a field of wheat might seem monotonous in general views but the observer looking closely will find no lack of interesting variety however far he may go the steep slopes on which they grow allow almost every individual tree with | 28 |
when we were baffled in our attempt to ascend the river the day was nearly done and we began to seek a camp ground after sailing two or three miles along the left side of the we were so fortunate as to find a small nook described by the two indians where was abundant and where we could drag our up the bank beyond reach of the waves here we were safe with a fine outlook across the travels in to the great and near enough to see the birth of the and the wonderful commotion they make and hear their wild roaring rejoicing the sunset sky seemed to have been painted for this one mountain mansion fitting it like a ceiling after the was in shadow the level continued to pour through the miles of with beauty reflecting and the purple light like cut crystal then all save the tips of the highest became dead white these too were speedily the glowing points vanishing like stars sinking beneath the horizon and after the shadows had crept higher the and the between them the divine still lingered on their highest fountain peaks as they stood in glorious array now the last of the twilight purple has vanished the stars begin to shine and all trace of the day is gone looking across the the water seems perfectly black and the two great are seen stretching dim and ghostly into the shadowy mountains now darkly against the sky next morning it was hard everything looked dismal and on the way down the a growling head wind battered the rain in our faces but we held on and by a m got out of the into passage a breeze sprung up in our favor that swept us bravely on across the passage and around the end of island by dark we in a hollow on a bluff among bearded the rain bitterly cold and driven by a stormy wind us well while we i from river to bay in the trying to make a fire and supper when daylight came we found our camp ground a very savage place how we reached it and established ourselves in the thick darkness it would be difficult to tell we crept along the shore a few miles against strong head winds then hoisted sail and straight across canal to the which we followed without great difficulty the wind having toward evening near the entrance to icy strait we met a who had seen us last year and who seemed glad to see us he gave us two salmon and we made him happy with tobacco and then pushed on and near jack s deserted village though the wind was still ahead next morning we made about twenty miles before and on the west end of farewell island we against a hidden rock and sprung a small that was easily stopped with the salmon were ripe while climbing a bluff for a view of our course i discovered one of my and saw many well deer though the island is cut off from the and other islands by at least five or six miles of icy water we got under way early next day a gray cloudy morning with rain and wind fair and head winds were about balanced throughout the day tides run fast here like great rivers we rowed and around point against both wind and tide creeping close to the feet of the huge bold travels in rocks of the north wall of cross sound which here were very steep and awe inspiring as the heavy from the open sea coming in past cape dashed white against them tossing our frail up and down lightly as a feather the point reached by vegetation shows that the surf up to a height of about seventy five or a hundred feet we were and began to fear that we might be upset should the ocean waves rise still higher but little seemed to enjoy the storm and gazed at the foam cliffs like a dreamy comfortable admiring a sunset we reached the mouth of bay about two or three o clock in the afternoon when we had a view of the open ocean before we entered the bay many large from bay were seen drifting out to sea past cape we reached the head of the now called bay at five o clock and near an immense with a front about three miles wide stretching across from wall to wall no are discharged from it as it is separated from the water of the at high tide by a low smooth mass of material with torrents and small shallow from the front with here and there a and patches of yellow and garden spots bright with and creeping on the higher ground but only the were sufficiently abundant to make conspicuous masses of color to relieve the dull gray of the mud and gravel the front of the like all those which do not i from river to bay charge is rounded like a brow in general views but and nevertheless with and in which the light and in glorious beauty the granite walls of the though very high are not deeply only a few deep side with trees bushes grassy and spots interrupt their massive simplicity leaving but few of the cliffs absolutely sheer and bare like those of sum or one of the side is on the left side of the the other on the right the of the former leading over by a narrow to the bay next to the eastward and by a short over into a lake into which a branch from the great still another branch from the main turns to the right counting all three of these separate fronts the width of this great bay must be about seven or eight miles while camp was being made hunter joe climbed the eastern wall in search of wild | 28 |
i struck out for the west shore to strike it five or six miles above the front wall cautiously taking compass bearings at short intervals to enable me to find my way back should the weather again with mist or rain or snow the structure lines of the itself were however my main guide all went well i came to a deeply section about two miles in width where i had to in long tedious and make narrow tracing the edges of wide and until i could find a bridge connecting their sides making the direct distance ten times over the walking was good of its kind however and by dint of patient and axe work on dangerous places i gained the opposite shore in about three hours the width of the at this point being about seven miles occasionally while making my way the clouds lifted a little revealing a few bald rough mountains sunk to the throat in the icy sea which them on all side sweeping on forever and forever as we count time them away giving them the f h l travels in shape they are destined to take when in the of time they shall be parts of new ere i lost sight of the east side mountains those on the west came in sight so that holding my course was easy and though making haste i halted for a moment to gaze down into the beautiful pure blue and to drink at the lovely blue wells the most beautiful of all nature s water or at the and streams over the ice land never ceasing to admire their lovely color and music as they glided and in their blue crystal channels and and the of the or mills where streams poured into blue walled of unknown depth some of them as regularly circular as if bored with interesting too were the over blue cliffs where streams fell into or slid almost noiselessly down slopes so smooth and their motion was concealed the round or oval wells however from one to ten feet wide and from one to twenty or thirty feet deep were perhaps the most beautiful of all the water so pure as to be almost invisible my views did not probably exceed fifteen miles the rain and mist making distances seem greater on reaching the farther shore and tracing it a few miles to northward i found a large portion of the current sweeping out westward in a bold and beautiful curve around the shoulder of a mountain as if going direct to the open sea leaving the main trunk it breaks into a magnificent uproar of and and up heaving wave from river to bay shaped masses a crystal greater and than a score of tracing its channel three or four miles i found that it fell into a lake which it fills with the front of this branch of the is about three miles wide i first took the lake to be the head of an arm of the sea but going down to its shore and it i found it fresh and by my perhaps less than a hundred feet above sea level it is probably separated from the sea only by a dam i had not time to go around its shores as it was now near five o clock and i was about fifteen miles from camp and i had to make haste to the before dark which would come on about eight o clock i therefore made haste up to the main and my course by compass and the structure lines of the ice set off from the land out on to the grand crystal again all was so silent and so owing to the low dragging mist the beauty close about me was all the more keenly felt though tinged with a dim sense of danger as if coming events were casting shadows i was soon out of sight of land and the evening dusk that on cloudy days the real night gloom came stealing on and only ice was in sight and the only sounds save the low of the mills and the rattle of falling stones at long intervals were the low terribly earnest of the wind or distant coming through the gloom after two hours of hard work i came to a of of appalling depth and width which could not be passed apparently either up or s i travels in down i traced them with firm nerve developed by the danger making wide cautiously on dizzy edges after cutting taking wide at a grand leap at once frightful and inspiring many a mile was thus mostly up and down the making but little real running much of the time as the danger of having to pass the night on the ice became more and more imminent this i could do though with the weather and my rain soaked condition it would be trying at best in treading the of this section i had frequently to cross bridges that were only knife edges for twenty or thirty feet cutting off the sharp tops and leaving them flat so that little could follow me these i had to cutting off the top as i and gradually ahead like a boy riding a rail fence all this time the little dog followed me bravely never hesitating on the brink of any that i had jumped but now that it was becoming dark and the became more troublesome he followed close at my heels instead of far and wide where the ice was at all smooth as he had in the no land was now in sight the mist fell lower and darker and snow began to fly i could not see far enough up and down the to judge how best to work out of the bewildering and how hard i tried while there was yet hope of reaching camp that night a hope | 28 |
which was fast growing dim like the sky after dark on such ground to keep from i could only jump up and down until morning on a piece of flat i from river to bay ice between the dance to the music of the winds and waters and as i was already tired and hungry i would be in bad condition for such ice work many times i was put to my but with a firm nerve all the more as the dangers i worked out of that terrible and with blood fairly up and i ran over common danger without fatigue our very hardest trial was in getting across the very last of the bridges after examining the first of the two i followed its edge half a mile or so up and down and discovered that its spot was about eight feet wide which was the limit of what i was able to jump moreover the side i was on that is the west side was about a foot higher than the other and i feared that in case i should be stopped by a still wider ahead that i would hardly be able to take back that jump from its lower side the ice beyond however as far as i could see it looked smooth therefore after carefully making a for my foot on the rounded brink i jumped but found that i had nothing to spare and more than ever dreaded having to my way little jumped this however without apparently taking a second look at it and we ran ahead joyfully over smooth level ice hoping we were now leaving all danger behind us but hardly had we gone a hundred or two yards when to our dismay we found ourselves on the very of all the we had yet encountered it was about forty feet wide i ran anxiously travels in up the side of it to northward eagerly hoping that i could get around its head but my worst fears were realized when at a distance of about a mile or less it ran into the that i had just jumped i then ran down the edge for a mile or more below the point where i had first met it and found that its lower end also united with the i had jumped showing that we were on an island two or three hundred yards wide and about two miles long and the only way of escape from this island was by turning back and jumping again that which i dreaded or venturing ahead across the giant by the very worst of the bridges i had ever seen it was so badly and melted down that it formed a knife edge and extended across from side to side in a low drooping curve like that made by a loose rope attached at each end at the same height but the worst difficulty was that the ends of the down were attached to the sides at a depth of about eight or ten feet below the surface of the getting down to the end of the bridge and then after crossing it getting up the other side seemed hardly possible however i decided to dare the dangers of the fearful rather than to attempt to my steps accordingly i dug a low in the rounded edge for my knees to rest in and leaning over began to cut a narrow on the steep smooth side when i was doing this came up behind me pushed his head over my shoulder looked into the and along the narrow then turned and looked in my face muttering i from river to bay and as if trying to say surely you are not going down there i said yes this is the only way he then began to cry and ran wildly along the rim of the searching for a better way then returning baffled of course he came behind me and lay down and cried louder and louder after getting down one step i cautiously stooped and cut another and another in succession until i reached the point where the was attached to the wall there cautiously i down the end of the bridge until i had formed a small level platform about a foot wide then bending forward got of the end of the myself with my knees then cut off the top of the myself forward an inch or two at a time leaving it about four inches wide for arrived at the farther end of the which was about seventy five feet long i another little platform on its end cautiously rose to my feet and with infinite pains cut narrow steps and finger holds in the wall and finally got safely across all this dreadful time poor little was crying as if his heart was broken and when i called to him in as a voice as i could muster he only cried the louder as if trying to say that he never never could get down there the only time that the brave little fellow appeared to know what danger was after going away as if i was leaving him he still howled and cried without venturing to try to follow me returning to the edge of the i told him that i must go that he could come if he only tried travels in and finally in despair he hushed his cries slid his little feet slowly down into my footsteps out on the big walked slowly and cautiously along the as if holding his breath while the snow was falling and the wind was moaning and threatening to blow him off when he arrived at the foot of the slope below me i was kneeling on the brink ready to assist him in case he should be unable to reach the top he looked up along the row of steps i had made as if | 28 |
fixing them in his mind then with a nervous spring he up and passed me out on to the level ice and ran and cried and and rolled about fairly hysterical in the sudden from the depth of despair to triumphant joy i tried to catch him and pet him and tell him how good and brave he was but he would not be caught he ran round and round like autumn leaves in an lay down and rolled head over heels i told him we still had far to go and that we must now stop all nonsense and get off the ice before dark i knew by the ice lines that every step was now taking me nearer the shore and soon it came in sight the four or five miles back from the front covered with trees loomed faintly but surely through the mist and light fall of snow not more than two miles away the ice now proved good all the way across and we reached the just at dusk then with trembling limbs now that the danger was over we staggered and stumbled down the edge of the and got over the dangerous rocks by the while yet a faint light s from river to bay we were safe and then too came limp weariness such as no ordinary work ever produces however hard it may be wearily we stumbled down through the woods over logs and brush and roots devil s clubs us at every faint tumble at last we got out on the smooth mud slope with only a mile of slow but sure dragging of weary limbs to camp the indians had been firing guns to guide me and had a fine supper and fire ready though fearing they would be compelled to seek us in the morning a care not often applied to me and i were too tired to eat much and strange to say too tired to sleep both of us springing up in the night again and again fancied we were still on that dreadful ice bridge in the shadow of death nevertheless we arose next morning in of life never before had rocks and ice and trees seemed so beautiful and wonderful even the cold biting that was blowing seemed full of loving kindness wonderful compensation for all that we had endured and we sailed down the bay through the gray driving rain rejoicing chapter xvi bay while and i were away a one of the head men of the tribe paid mr young a visit and presented him with meat and and much interesting information he naturally expected a return visit and when we called at his house a mile or two down the he said his wives were out in the rain gathering fresh to complete a feast prepared for us we remained however only a few minutes for i was not aware of this arrangement or of mr young s promise until after leaving the house anxiety to get around cape was the cause of my haste fearing the storm might increase on account of this ignorance no apologies were offered him and the was that the good became very angry we succeeded however in the evening of the same day in explaining our haste and by sincere apologies and presents made peace after a hard struggle we got around stormy and into the next to the northward bay a cold rain was falling darkening but not altogether hiding its extraordinary beauty made up of lovely reaches and side and islands beautiful every one and but how it rained and how cold it was and how weary we were i bay pulling most of the time against the wind the branches of this bay are so deep and so numerous that with the rain and low clouds concealing the mountain we could hardly make out the main while groping and gazing among the islands through the misty rain and clouds we discovered of smoke at the foot of a rock in front of a mountain where a choir of were their rain songs gladly we made for this camp which proved to belong to a rare old sub chief so tall and wide and dignified in he looked grand even in the weather and every inch a chief in spite of his bare legs and the old shirt and ragged blanket in which he was dressed he was given to much hard holding on and looking you gravely in the face while most emphatically speaking in not a word of which we understood until john came to our help he turned from one to the other of us declaring as john interpreted that our presence did him good like food and fire that he would welcome white men especially teachers and that he and all his people compared to ourselves were only children when mr young informed him that a missionary was about to be sent to his people he said he would call them all together four times and explain that a teacher and preacher were coming and that they therefore must put away all foolishness and prepare their hearts to receive them and their words he then introduced his three children one a naked lad five or six years old who as he fondly assured us would soon i travels in be a chief and later to his wife an intelligent looking woman of whom he seemed proud when we arrived she was out at the foot of the mountain gathering salmon she came in dripping and loaded a few of the fine saved for the children she presented proudly and fondly beginning with the youngest whose only clothing was a and a string of beads she was lightly in a cotton gown and bit of blanket thoroughly but after her she retired with a dry gown around the corner of a rock and soon returned fresh as a and | 28 |
with becoming dignity took her place by the fireside soon two other laden women came in seemingly enjoying the rain like the bushes and trees they put on little clothing so that they may be the more easily dried and as for the children a thin shirt of is the most they themselves with and get wet and half dry without seeming to notice it while we shiver with two or three dry coats they seem to prefer being naked the men also wear but little in wet weather when they go out for all day they put on a single blanket but in around camp getting cooking or looking after their precious canvas they seldom wear anything wind and rain in utter to avoid the bother of drying clothes it is a rare sight to see the children bringing in big of on their shoulders in crossing with firmly set and back muscles we gave hood oo the old chief some i bay tobacco and rice and coffee and pitched our tent near his hut among tall grass soon after our arrival the bay sub chief came in from the opposite direction from ours telling us that he came through a cut off passage not on our as stated above we took pains to him and soothe his hurt feelings our words and gifts he said had warmed his sore heart and made him glad and comfortable the view down the bay among the islands was i thought the finest of this kind of scenery that i had yet observed the weather continued cold and rainy nevertheless mr young and i and our crew together with one of the an old man who acted as guide left camp to explore one of the upper arms of the bay where we were told there was a large we managed to push the several miles up the stream that the to a point where the swift current was divided among rocks and the banks were with and i left the and pushed up the right bank past a magnificent some twelve hundred feet high and over the shoulder of a mountain until i secured a good view of the lower part of the it is probably a of the bay or on our return to camp thoroughly and cold the old chief came to visit us apparently as wet and cold as ourselves i have been thinking of you all day he said and pitying you knowing how miserable you were and as soon as i saw your coming back i was travels in ashamed to think that i had been sitting warm and dry at my fire while you were out in the storm therefore i made haste to strip off my dry clothing and put on these wet rags to share your misery and show how much i love you i had another long talk with hood oo the next day i am not able he said to tell you how much good your words have done me your words are good and they are strong words some of my people are foolish and when they make their salmon traps they do not take care to tie the poles firmly together and when the big rain floods come the traps break and are washed away because the people who made them are foolish people but your words are strong words and when storms come to try them they will stand the storms there was much hand shaking as we took our leave and assurances of eternal friendship the grand old man stood on the shore watching us and waving farewell until we were out of sight we now for the and arrived at the front on the east side the evening of the third and on the end of the where there was a small stream captain was inclined to keep at a safe distance from the tremendous threatening cliffs of the wall after a good deal of urging he ventured within half a mile of them on the east side of the where with mr young i went ashore to seek a camp ground on the leaving the indians in the in a few minutes bay after we landed a huge sprung aloft with awful commotion and the frightened indians fled down the their with admirable energy in the tossing waves until a safe harbor was reached around the south end of the i found a good place for a camp in a slight hollow where a few afforded but all efforts to get out of his harbor failed nobody knew he said how far the angry ice mountain could throw waves to break his therefore i had my and some provisions carried to my stump camp where i could watch the as they were discharged and get night views of the brow of the and its sheer jagged face all the way across from side to side of the channel one night the water was luminous and the from the water into silver fire a glorious sight in the darkness i also went back up the east side of the five or six miles and ascended a mountain between its first two eastern which though covered with grass near the top was exceedingly steep and difficult a ridge near the top i discovered was formed of ice a remnant of the when it stood at this elevation which had been preserved by material and later by a of dwarf bushes and grass next morning at daybreak i pushed eagerly back over the comparatively smooth eastern margin of the to see as much as possible of the upper fountain region about five miles back from the front i climbed a mountain twenty five hundred feet high u i travels in from the summit of which the day being clear the vast and its principal branches were displayed in one magnificent view instead of a stream of ice winding | 28 |
down a mountain walled valley like the largest of the the looks like a broad with and with surrounded by mountains from which flow its many there are seven main from ten to twenty miles long and from two to six miles wide where they enter the trunk each of them fed by many secondary so that the whole number of branches great and small pouring from the mountain fountains perhaps number upward of two hundred not counting the smallest the area drained by this one grand can hardly be less than seven or eight hundred miles and probably contains as much ice as all the eleven hundred combined its length from the wall back to the head of its farthest fountain seemed to be about forty or fifty miles and the width just below the of the main about miles though apparently motionless as the mountains it flows on forever the speed varying in every part with the seasons but mostly with the depth of the current and the and of the different portions of the basin the flow of the central portion near the front as determined by professor is at the rate of from two and a half to five inches an hour or from five to ten feet a day a strip of the main trunk about bay a mile in width extending along the eastern margin about fourteen miles to a lake filled with has so little motion and is so little interrupted by a hundred might ride abreast over it without very much difficulty but far the greater portion of the vast expanse looking smooth in the distance is torn and into a bewildering of and blades separated by yawning and so that the crossing it from shore to shore must always have a hard time in hollow spots here and there in the heart of the icy wilderness are small fed by swift glancing streams that flow without in blue shining channels making delightful melody singing and ringing in silvery tones of peculiar sweetness radiant like flowers fine growing in dazzling beauty along their banks few however will be likely to enjoy them fortunately to most the thundering ice wall while comfortably accessible is also the most strikingly interesting portion of the the mountains about the great were also seen from this in exceedingly grand and telling views ranged and in glorious array along the valleys of the main to the i saw far into their shadowy depths one noble peak in its snowy robes appearing beyond another in fine perspective one of the most remarkable of them fashioned like a superb crown with delicately sides stands in the middle of the second main counting from left to right to the s travels in westward the magnificent range is displayed in all its glory lifting its peaks and into the blue sky mt though not the highest is the noblest and most majestic in port and architecture of all the sky dwelling company la at the south end of the range is also a magnificent mountain and and wears its robes of snow and in noble style as seen from here is an immense tower severely plain and massive it makes a fine and terrible and lonely impression though the of all being nearly sixteen thousand feet high presents no well marked features its ponderous have ground it away into long curling until from this point of view it a huge twisted shell the lower about the like this one the first that i climbed are richly adorned and with flowers though they make but a faint show in general views lines and of bright green appear on the lower slopes as one approaches them from the and a fainter green tinge may be noticed on the subordinate at a height of two thousand or three thousand feet the lower are mostly bushes and the a lavish profusion of plants chiefly and with a few and of these is at once the commonest and the most beautiful and influential in some places its delicate stems make more than a foot thick over several acres while the bay bloom is so abundant that a single handful plucked at random contains hundreds of its pale pink bells the very thought of this garden is a joyful though the storm beaten ground it is growing on is nearly half a mile high the centuries ago flowed over it as a river flows over a but out of all the cold darkness and crushing and grinding comes this warm beauty and life to teach us that what we in our ignorance and fear call destruction is creation finer and finer when night was approaching i scrambled down out of my blessed garden to the and returned to my lonely camp and getting some coffee and bread again went up the to the east end of the great ice wall it is about three miles long but the length of the jagged producing portion that stretches across the from side to side like a huge green and blue barrier is only about two miles and rises above the water to a height of from two hundred and fifty to three hundred feet made by captain show that seven hundred and twenty feet of the wall is below the surface and a third portion is buried beneath the deposited at the foot of it therefore were the water and rocky cleared away a sheer precipice of ice would be presented nearly two miles long and more than a thousand feet high seen from a distance as you come up the it seems comparatively regular in form but it is far otherwise bold jagged forward into the travels in with deep angles and hollows with plain while the top is with innumerable and and sharp blades leaning and or cutting straight into the sky the number of given off somewhat with the weather and the tides the average being about | 28 |
one every five or six minutes counting only those that roar loud enough to make themselves heard at a distance of two or three miles the very largest however may under favorable conditions be heard ten miles or even farther when a large mass sinks from the upper portion of the wall there is first a keen prolonged thundering roar which slowly into a low muttering growl followed by numerous smaller grating sounds from the agitated that dance in the waves about the as if in welcome and these again are followed by the and roar of the waves that are raised and hurled up the beach against the but the largest and most beautiful of the instead of thus falling from the upper portion of the wall rise from the portion with a still commotion springing with tremendous voice and gestures nearly to the top of the wall tons of water streaming like hair down their sides plunging and rising again and again before they finally settle in perfect free at last after having formed part of the slow crawling for centuries and as we contemplate their history as they sail calmly away down the to the sea how wonderful i bay it seems that ice formed from pressed snow on the far off mountains two or three hundred years ago should still be pure and lovely in color after all its travel and toil in the rough mountain grinding and the features of when sunshine is through the midst of the multitude of that fill the and through the of radiant spray ever rising from the tremendous dashing and of the falling and the effect is glorious glorious too are the shows they make in the night when the moon and stars are shining the thunder seems far louder than by day and the projecting seem higher as they stand forward in the pale light relieved by gloomy hollows while the new born are dimly seen crowned with faint in the up dashing spray but it is in the darkest nights when storms are blowing and the waves are that the most impressive are made then the long range of ice is plainly seen stretching through the gloom in weird splendor luminous wave foam dashing against every bluff and drifting and ever and anon amid all this wild splendor some huge new born the living water into yet brighter foam and the streaming torrents pouring from its sides are worn as robes of light while they roar in awful accord with the winds and waves deep calling unto deep to from to over all the wonderful bay i travels in after spending a few days here we struck across to the main village on the south side of icy strait thence by a long cut off with one short to strait and thence down through peril strait sailing all night hoping to catch the mail steamer at we arrived at the head of the strait about daybreak the tide was falling and rushing down with the swift current as if descending a majestic was a memorable experience we reached the same night and there i paid and discharged my crew making allowance for a couple of days or so for the journey back home to fort while i the steamer for and thus ended my for this season part iii the trip of go chapter xvii in camp at bay i left san for bay on the steamer city of june at a m this being my third trip to and fourth to including northern and western as far as and and the coast of the bar at the golden gate was smooth the weather cool and pleasant the in sheltered approach the shore closely their and tops appearing here and there in along the coast up to the wind swept hills beaten with are of course bare of trees along the and washington coast the trees get nearer the sea for and pine endure the winds better than the we took the inside passage between the shore and race rocks a long range of on which many a good ship has been wrecked the from the deep pacific driven by the gale made a glorious display of foam on the bald rocks sending spray over the tops of some of them a hundred feet high or more in sublime jagged edged and flame shaped sheets the gestures of these purple tinged waves as they dashed and broke were sublime and serene of graceful beauty of motion and form with tremendous power a truly glorious show i noticed travels in small villages on the green slopes between the mountains and the shore long branch made quite a display of new houses along the beach north of the mouth of the i had pleasant company on the and sat at the chief engineer s table who was a good and merry an old san lawyer rather stiff and dignified knew my father in law dr three ladies opposed to the of the ship were absent from table the greater part of the way my best was an old sea captain who was having a new bark built at port an interesting old salt every sentence of his conversation with sea bluff and hearty as a keen eyed courageous self and so he refused to believe even in after you see your bark i said and find everything being done to your mind you had better go on to and see the oh i seen many already but are you sure that you know what a is i asked veil a is a big mountain all covered up vith ice then a river said i must be a big mountain all covered with water i explained what a was and succeeded in exciting his interest i told him he must reform for a man who neither believed in god nor must be very bad indeed the worst | 28 |
of all i l in camp at bay at port i met mr who had agreed to go with me as far as the we sailed from here on the steamer queen we touched again at victoria and i took a short walk into the adjacent woods and gardens and found the vegetation in its glory especially the large wild rose for which the region is famous and the and english of the gardens june we sailed from victoria on the queen at a m the weather all the way to fort was cloudy and rainy but the scenery is delightful even in the weather the wealth of forests islands and the heights the many slopes and slips the pearl gray tones of the sky the of the woods their purple flower edges and mist the endless of water and land and clouds none of these greatly interest the i noticed one of the small that frequent these channels and mentioned the fact then called attention to a charming group of islands but they turned their eyes from the islands saying yes yes they are very fine but where did you see the whale the timber is larger and apparently better every way as you go north from victoria that is on the islands perhaps on account of fires from less rain to the southward all the islands have been by the ice sheet and are but little changed as yet save a few of th highest which have been i j travels in by local all have the form of greatest strength with reference to the of an ice sheet excepting those mentioned above which have been more or less by local every channel also has the form of greatest strength with reference to islands as we have seen are still being born in bay and elsewhere to the northward i found many pleasant people aboard but strangely ignorant on the subject of earth and landscape making professor of the boston of is aboard also mr and mr of the survey who are now on their way to mt st hoping to reach the summit and a of peter the first governor of we arrived at in the rain at p m there was a grand rush on shore to buy and see poles the shops were and high prices paid for shabby stuff expressly for trade silver out of dollars and half dollars by indian are the most popular articles then baskets yellow toy etc most people who travel look only at what they are directed to look at great is the power of the maker however ignorant i inquired for my old friends and shakes who were both absent june we left early this morning and passed through the at high tide in camp at bay i noticed a few near cape from the water ten miles from is colored with derived mostly from the river and le all the waters of the channels north of are green or from we had a good view of the all the way to but not of their high cloud veiled fountains the on the bar at the mouth of sum bay looked just as they did when i first saw them ten years ago before reaching the queen proceeded up the that the passengers might see the fine at its head and ventured to within half a mile of the front which is about three quarters of a mile wide fell but seldom perhaps one in half an hour the makes a rapid descent near the front the therefore will not be much extended beyond its present limit by the of the the grand rocks on either side of its channel show ice action in telling style the about two miles below the is a good example of a in the first stage of the river enters the head of the a little to the east of the coming from beyond the main coast range all the are delighted at seeing a grand in the flesh the scenery is very fine here and in the channel at on island there is a large mill of all run by one small water wheel which however is acted on by water at enormous pressure the forests i travels in around the mill are being rapidly away wind is here said to be very violent at times blowing away people and houses and sweeping far up the mountain side winter snow is seldom more than a foot or two deep june we arrived at island at five in the afternoon and went sight seeing through the mill six hundred tons of low grade are crushed per day on the opposite the island mills is quite a village well supplied with stores churches etc a dance house in which indians are supposed to show native dances of all sorts is perhaps the best of all the places of amusement a mr who prints a paper here gave us some information on mt st mt and the cook and prince william sound region he told that he would never reach the summit of st that it was inaccessible he saw no that discharged into the sea at cook but many in prince william sound june leaving at noon we had a good view of the at the mouth of the channel between island and the and of eagle a few miles north of the on the east side of canal then the came in sight finely curved striped with and in front by its magnificent and besides these many others of every size and pattern on the mountains in camp at bay bounding canal most of them comparatively small their the mountains on either hand and at the head of the canal are at any time of the year the sky to day is mostly clear with just clouds enough hovering about the mountains to show them to best advantage as they | 28 |
stretch onward in sustained grandeur like two separate and distinct each mountain with its and clouds and fine glowing bright in smooth light only a few of them exceed five thousand feet in height but as one naturally associates great height with ice and snow laden mountains and with so pronounced they seem much higher there are now two at the head of canal the indians furnish some of the salmon at ten cents each everybody sits up to see the midnight sky at this time of the year there is no night here though the sun drops a degree or two below the horizon one may read at twelve o clock san time june early this morning we arrived in bay we passed through crowds of at the mouth of the bay though owing to wind and tide there were but few at the front of a fine bright day the last of a group of a week or two as shown by the of the sand along the shore and on the rare weather most of the passengers went ashore and climbed the on the east side to get a view of the from a point a little higher than the top of the front wall j travels in a few ventured on a mile or two farther the day was delightful and our one hundred and eighty passengers were happy gazing at the beautiful blue of the and the shattered crystal wall awed by the thunder and commotion of the falling and rising which ever and anon sent spray flying several hundred feet into the air and raised that set all the fleet of in motion and roared up the beach telling the story of the birth of every far and near the number discharged much influenced in part no doubt by the tides and weather and seasons sometimes one every five minutes for half a day at a time on the average though intervals of twenty or thirty minutes may occur without any considerable fall then three or four immense will take place in as many minutes the sound they make is like heavy thunder with a prolonged roar after deep sounds a perpetual easily heard three or four miles away the roar in our tent and the shaking of the ground one or two miles distant from points of discharge seems near i had to look after camp supplies and left the ship late this morning going with a crowd to the then taking advantage of the fine weather i pushed off alone into the silent icy to the east to island about five hundred feet above the ice i discovered a small lake on the larger of the two islands and many battered and ground fragments of wood large and small they seem to have come from trees that grew on the island perhaps centuries ago i mean to use this island as a station in setting in camp at bay out to measure the flow the top of mt is in sight at a distance of perhaps thirty miles the ice all smooth on the eastern border wildly broken in the central portion i reached the ship at p m i had intended getting back at noon and sending letters and bidding friends good bye but could not resist this the ship moved off as soon as i was seen on the bluff and and i waved our hats in farewell to the many of handkerchiefs of acquaintances we had made on the trip our goods blankets provisions tent etc lay in a rocky hollow within a mile of the great wall of the and the discharge of the rising and falling kept up an almost continuous thundering and echoing while a few flew about on easy wing or stood like of foam on the shore these were our neighbors after my twelve mile walk i ate a and planned the camp i found that one of my boxes had been left on the steamer but still we have more than enough of everything we obtained two of dry wood at which captain kindly had his men up the to our camp ground we piled the wood as a wind break then laid a floor of lumber brought from for a square tent nine feet by nine we set the tent stored our provisions in it and made our beds this work was done by p m good daylight lasting to this time we slept well in our cotton house dreaming of home nests in the wilderness of ice travels in june a rainy day for a few hours i kept count of the number of discharged then sauntered along the beach to the end of the crystal wall a portion of the way is dangerous the bluff being by an of the which as it sends down and fragments of ice while the strip of sandy shore at high tide is only a few rods wide leaving but little room to escape from the falling material and the the view of the ice cliffs and was very telling a magnificent picture of nature s power and industry and love of beauty about a hundred or a hundred and fifty feet from the shore a large stream issues from an arched like channel in the wall of the the blue of the ice hall being of an exquisite tone with the strange smoky brown colored stream the front wall of the is about two and a half or three miles wide only the central portion about two miles wide the two wings advanced over the washed and have little or no motion melting and receding as fast or perhaps faster than it advances they have been advanced at least a mile over the old re formed as is shown by the recent now being laid down which are continuous with the of the in the old banks trunks and | 28 |
branches of trees showing but little sign of decay occur at a height of about a hundred feet above tide in camp at bay water i have not yet compared this wood with that of the opposite shore that the was once withdrawn considerably back of its present limit seems plain immense torrents of water had filled in the with material and for centuries favorable conditions allowed forests to grow upon it at length the advanced probably three or four miles and burying the trees which had grown undisturbed for centuries then came a great which produced the flood that deposited the trees also the trees which grew around the shores above reach of floods were shed off perhaps by the of the soil that was resting on the buried margin of the left on its retreat and protected by a covering of material from melting as fast as the exposed surface of the what appear to be of the margin of the when it stood at a much higher level still exist on the left side and probably all along its banks on both sides just below its present june we fixed a mark on the left wing to measure the motion if any it rained all day but i had a grand tramp over mud ice and rock to the east wall of the brown slate close in places away from the presenting edges to ice action which has given rise to a singularly beautiful and striking surface polished and and all the next day it rained the mountains were travels in smothered in dull colored mist and fog the great through the gloomy gray fog with wonderful effect the thunder of and through the atmosphere it is bad weather for exploring but delightful nevertheless making all the strange mysterious region yet stranger and more mysterious june a light rain we were visited by two parties of indians a man from each came ashore leaving the women in the to guard against the waves i tried my and made out to say that i wanted to hire two of them in a few days to go a little way back on the and around the bay they are seal hunters and promised to come again with who hi boston knew well how to speak english i saw three huge born spray rose about two hundred feet lovely reflections showed of the pale blue tones of the ice wall and mountains in the calm water are common making the along the shore look like the sheer wall of the from which they were discharged i am watching the ice wall life and behavior etc yesterday and to day a solitary small was feeding about camp a on the shore ducks and a few of each and a bald eagle are all the birds i have noticed thus far the is thundering in camp at bay june clearing clouds and sunshine in less than a minute i saw three large born first there is usually a preliminary thundering of comparatively small masses as the large mass begins to fall then the grand crash and boom and roaring three or four heavy main throbbing and are heard as the main mass falls in several pieces and also secondary and as the mass or masses plunge and rise again and again ere they come to rest seldom if ever do the towers and into which the front of the is broken fall forward headlong from their like falling trees at the or above or below it they mostly sink or nearly so as if by the melting action of the water of the occasionally maintaining their upright position after sinking far below the level of the water and rising again a hundred feet or more into the air with water streaming like hair down their sides from their crowns then forward and fall flat with yet another thundering report raising spray in magnificent and sheets occasionally to the very top of the front wall by the sun the spray and crystal masses are beautiful some of the pour in fragments from in the wall like white and looking even dusty with minute ice followed by a rushing succession of thunder tones into a huge blunt solemn roar most of these crumbling are from the excessively shattered central travels in part of the ice wall the solid deep blue masses from the ends of the wall forming the large rise from the bottom of the many lesser reports are heard at a distance of a mile or more from the fall of into or from the opening of new the are very irregular from three to twenty two an hour on one rising tide six hours there were sixty discharged large enough to thunder and be heard at distances of from three quarters to one and a half miles and on one succeeding falling tide six hours sixty nine were discharged july j we were awakened at four o clock this morning by the whistle of the steamer george w elder i went out on the and waved my hand in salute and was answered by a from the whistle soon a party came ashore and asked if i was professor the leader professor harry of introduced himself and his companion mr also of and six or eight young students who had come well provided with instruments to study the they landed seven or eight tons of freight and pitched camp be side ours i am delighted to have companions so congenial we have now a village as i set out to climb the second mountain three thousand feet high on the east side of the i met many returning from a walk on the smooth east margin of the and had to answer many questions i had a hard climb but wonderful in camp at bay views were developed and i the from this high point and most of its | 28 |
of the range la and mt is the most beautiful of all the giants that stand guard about bay when the sun is shining on it from the east or south its magnificent and colors are brought out in most telling display in the late afternoon its features become less distinct the atmosphere seems pale and though around to the north and of innumerable white peaks are displayed the highest fountain heads of the crowded together in bewildering array most exciting and inviting to the altogether i have had a delightful day a truly glorious of the fourth july i sailed three or four miles down the east coast of the with the party s cook who is supposed to be an experienced and and landed at a bank it was here that i in a point at that time less than half a mile from the front of the now one and a half miles i found my indian s old camp made just ten years ago and professor s of five years ago their bough beds and fireplace were still marked and but little decayed i found thirty three species of plants in flower not counting a garden on the shore only a few feet above high tide watered by a fine stream travels in with fruit half grown tall and are the principal species there are many in this garden are breeding near here i saw young in the water to day on my way back to camp i discovered a group of in a washed out valley of the and went ashore to observe them they are in the dry course of a flood channel about eighty feet above mean tide and four or five hundred yards back from the shore where they have been and battered by rolling against them and over them making them look like gigantic the largest is about three feet in and probably three hundred years old i mean to return and examine them at leisure a smaller stump still firmly rooted is standing of an old crumbling trunk showing that at least two generations of trees flourished here undisturbed by the advance or retreat of the or by its stream floods they are and the wood is mostly in a good state of preservation how these trees were broken off without being is dark to me at present perhaps most of their companions were and carried away july another fine day scarce a cloud in the sky the in the bay are in the distance to look like the wall of a great i am writing letters in anticipation of the next steamer the queen in camp at bay she arrived about p m with two hundred and thirty what a show they made with their ribbons and all seemed happy and enthusiastic though it was curious to see how promptly all of them ceased gazing when the dinner bell rang and how many turned from the great thundering crystal world of ice to look curiously at the indians that came alongside to sell and how our little camp and kitchen arrangements excited so many to and waste their precious time into our poor hut july a fine clear day i went up the to observe and found that a marked point near the middle of the current had flowed about a hundred feet in eight days on the one mile from the front there was no i found a devouring a tom that was alive on a shallow at the mouth of the creek it had probably been wounded by a seal or eagle july i have been getting acquainted with the main features of the and its fountain mountains with reference to an of its main and the upper part of its like trunk a trip i have long had in mind i have been building a and must now get fully ready to start without reference to the weather yesterday evening i saw a large blue just as it was detached sliding down from the front two of professor s party rowed out to it as it sailed past the camp it to be two hundred and forty feet in length and one hundred feet high chapter xviii my trip on the i started off the morning of july n on my memorable trip to obtain general views of the main upper part of the and its seven principal feeling sure that i would learn something and at the same time get rid of a severe cough that followed an attack of the and had troubled me for three months i intended to camp on the every night and did so and my throat grew better every day until it was well for no could stand such a trip my was about three feet long and made as light as possible a sack of a little tea and sugar and a sleeping bag were firmly lashed on it so that nothing could drop off however much it might be and in crossing two indians carried the baggage over the rocky to the clear at the side of one of the eastern islands mr accompanied me to this first camp and assisted in dragging the empty over the we arrived at the middle island about nine o clock here i sent back my indian and mr assisted me the first day in the loaded to my second camp at the foot of mountain returning the next morning my trip on the july i skirted the mountain to eastward a few miles and was delighted to discover a group of trees high up on its ragged rocky side the first trees i had seen on the shores of bay or on those of any of its i left my on the ice and climbed the mountain to see what i might learn i found that all were mountain y and were evidently the remnant of an old forest | 28 |
standing on the only ground that was stable all the rest of the forest below it having been off with the soil from the slate bed rock the lowest of the trees stood at an elevation of about two thousand feet above the sea the highest at about three thousand feet or a little higher nothing could be more striking than the contrast between the raw crumbling portions of the mountain looking like a that was being worked and the part with its rich shaggy beds of and in full bloom and its cushions of flower these garden patches are full of gay colors of and and are with happy birds and bees and climbing to an elevation of twenty five hundred feet which is about fifteen hundred feet above the level of the at this point i saw and heard a few and three that were as tame as fowls the sod is off on the edges keeping it ragged the trees are from the a few are standing at an elevation of nearly three thousand feet at twenty travels in five hundred feet fine mountain ash and acres of the most luxuriant are in bloom a lake with lies at the end of divide a spacious level valley beyond it eight or ten miles long with mountains on its west side perhaps to the into canal the divide of the is about opposite the third of the eastern another dotted lake into which the of the flows lies a few miles to the westward and is one and a half miles long lake is next the remarkable to the when the ice period was in its prime much of the that now flows northward into howling valley flowed southward into bay as a of the all the rock show this and so do the lake is crowded with because they have no outlet and melt slowly i heard none discharged i had a hard time crossing the divide on which i half a mile back from the lake i a little wood and made a fire on for tea i slept fairly well on the i heard the roar of four on a shaggy green mountain on the west side of howling valley and saw three wild fifteen hundred feet up in the steep grassy pastures july i rose at four o clock this cloudy and dismal morning and looked for my but saw only x my trip on the one i thought there must be wolves where there were and in a few minutes heard their low dismal far reaching howling one of them sounded very near and came nearer until it seemed to be less than a quarter of a mile away on the edge of the they had evidently seen me and one or more had come down to observe me but i was unable to catch sight of any of them about half an hour later while i was eating breakfast they began howling again so near i began to fear they had a mind to attack me and i made haste to the shelter of a big square where though i had no gun i might be able to defend myself from a front attack with my after waiting half an hour or so to see what these wild dogs meant to do i ventured to proceed on my journey to the foot of snow dome where i for the night there are six on the side of divide arm counting to the gray next after granite going next is dirt which is dead i saw on the edge of the main a mile back from here which seem to have been left by the of a pool in a sunken hollow a rim of back twenty rods on the marks the edge of the shore where the lie scattered and it is now half past ten o clock and getting dusk as i sit by my little wood fire writing these notes a strange bird is calling and complaining a stream is rushing into a well on the edge of which i am back a few yards from the base of the mountain for i l s travels in fear of falling stones a few small ones are rattling down the steep slope i must go to bed july i climbed the dome to plan a way the and take bearings etc in case of storms the main divide is about fifteen hundred feet the second divide about fifteen hundred also is about one and one half miles the flow of water on the diminished last night though there was no frost it is now already increasing stones begin to roll into the and into new positions sliding against each other half turning over or falling on mud with small pebbles slip and roll slowly from ice again and again how often and by how many ways are finished and finally brought to anything like permanent form and place in beds for farms and fields forests and gardens into and out again into shifted and and by melting from etc rain frost and dew help in the work they are swept in caught and ground in pot hole mills of washed pebbles like those on are formed by snow deposited in then out and projected on the ice as shallow raised there is one such at this camp a is on a rock twenty yards distant as if on show it has red over the eye a white line not conspicuous over the red belly white white over the upper parts on ground of brown and black wings mostly white as seen when flying but my trip on the the the same as the rest of the body only about three inches of the folded show white the breast seems to have golden colors white under the wings it allowed me to approach within twenty feet it walked down a sixty degree | 28 |
slope of the rock took flight with a few then sailed with wings perfectly motionless four hundred yards down a gentle grade and vanished over the brow of a cliff ten days ago told me that he found a nest with nine eggs on the way down to my i saw four more they utter harsh notes when alarmed crack crack with the r rolled and prolonged i also saw fresh and old goat tracks and some bones that suggest wolves there is a pass through the mountains at the head of the third fine mountains stand at the head on each side the one on the side is the higher and finer every way it has three to the third the third has altogether ten five on each side the mountain on the left side of white is about six thousand feet high the of seem scarce to run anywhere only a little material is carried to lake most of it seems to be at rest as a on the main field which here has little motion the curves of these last as seen from this mountain top are very beautiful it has been a glorious day all pure sunshine an hour or more before sunset the distant mountains a vast host seemed more softly ethereal than ever pale travels in blue fine all angles and melted off in the soft evening light even the snow and the grinding became tender and fine in this celestial light i got back to camp at not tired after my supper i could have climbed the mountain again and got back before sunrise but dragging the me i have been out on the examining a like mass about a third of a mile from camp it is perhaps a mile long a hundred yards wide and is thickly strewn with wood i think that it has been brought down the mountain by a heavy snow loaded on the ice then carried away from the shore in the direction of the flow of the this explains detached masses this one seems to have been derived from a big or on the side of this snow dome mountain to the return journey i was tempted to down what appeared to be a snow filled which was very steep all went well until i reached a spot which proved to be ice on which i lost control of myself and rolled into a gravel at the foot without a scratch just as i got up and was getting myself i heard a loud fierce scream uttered in an tone of voice which startled me as if an enemy having seen me fall was in my death then suddenly two came from the sky and alighted on the of a rock within a few feet of me evidently hoping that i had been and that they were i my trip on the going to have a feast but as they stared at me studying my condition impatiently waiting for bone picking time i saw what they were up to and shouted not yet not yet july at a m i left camp to cross the main six came to the camp as soon as i left what wonderful eyes they must have nothing that moves in all this icy wilderness escapes the eyes of these brave birds this is one of the loveliest mornings i ever saw in not a cloud or faintest hint of one in all the wide sky there is a haze in the east white in the west mild and mellow as a indian summer but finer more ethereal god s holy light making all divine in an hour or so i came to the of the first of the seven grand of the main and had a glorious view of it as it comes sweeping down in wild from its magnificent pure white mountain basin to join the main crystal sea its many fountain peaks clustered and crowded all pouring forth their tribute to swell its grand current i crossed its front a little below its where its shattered current about two or three miles wide is and many and glide and ringing in pure blue channels giving delightful animation to the icy solitude most of the ice surf ace crossed to day has been very and the and finding a way over has been at times i had to lift travels in the bodily and to cross many narrow nerve trying ice bridges of them and cautiously the ahead of me with tremendous on either side i had made perhaps not more than six or eight miles in a straight line by six o clock this evening when i reached ice so and tedious i concluded to camp and not try to take the any farther i intend to leave it here in the middle of the basin and carry my sleeping bag and provisions the rest of the way across to the west side i am and comfortable here resting in the midst of glorious icy scenery though very tired i made out to get a cup of tea by means of a few and from the bottom board of my and made a fire in a little can a small the smallest i ever made or saw yet it answered well enough as far as tea was concerned i crept into my sack before eight o clock as the wind was cold and my feet wet one of my shoes is about worn out i may have to put on a wooden sole this day has been throughout with lovely sunshine a purple evening and morning the of mountains beheld from the midst of this world of ice is the vast plain in such soft tender light the fountain mountains so clearly cut holding themselves aloft with their loads of ice in supreme strength and beauty of architecture i found a skull and most of the other bones | 28 |
seeking homes mountain is cut across into a series of parallel by ice it is still in three places by flows a half to three quarters of a mile wide finely arched at the top of the i have been though my eyes are much and i can scarce see all the lines i make appear double i fear i shall not be able to make the few more sketches i want to morrow but must try the day has been the pale yellow toward five o clock the air white with a yellow tinge my trip on the gives an indian effect now the blue evening shadows are creeping out over the icy plain some ten miles long with sunny yellow between them fall now and again with dull blunt and the gravel pebbles rattle july iq nearly blind the light is intolerable and i fear i may be long for work i have been lying on my back all day with a snow bound over my eyes every object i try to look at seems double even the distant mountain are doubled the upper an exact copy of the lower though somewhat faint this is the first time in that i have had too much sunshine about four o clock this afternoon when i was waiting for the evening shadows to enable me to get nearer the main camp where i could be more easily found in case my eyes should become still more and i should be unable to travel thin clouds cast a grateful shade over all the glowing landscape i gladly took advantage of these kindly clouds to make an effort to cross the few miles of the that lay between me and the shore of the i made a pair of but am afraid to wear them fortunately the ice here is but little broken therefore i pulled my cap well down and set off about five o clock i got on pretty well and on the in sight of the main camp which from here in a straight line is only five or six miles away i went ashore on granite island and a little wood with which i made tea on the ice j travels in july i kept wet on my eyes last night as long as i could and feel better this morning but all the mountains still seem to have double giving a curiously unreal aspect to the landscape i packed everything on the and moved three miles farther down the where i want to make twice to day i was visited on the ice by a attracted by the red of the sleeping bag i have gained some light on the formation of along the the material is mostly and by successive and along the of the where the supply is abundant beyond anything i ever saw elsewhere the lowering of the surface of a when its walls are not too steep leaves a part of the margin dead and buried and protected from the wasting sunshine beneath the thus a valley is formed clear ice on one side or nearly so buried ice on the other as melting goes on the or valley grows deeper and wider since both sides are being melted the land side slower the dead protected ice in melting first sheds off the large as they are not able to lie on slopes where smaller ones can then the next larger ones are rolled off and pebbles and sand in succession meanwhile this material is subjected to torrent action as if it were cast into a when floods come it is carried forward and according to the force of the current sand mud or larger material this fresh of ice and melting goes on again my trip on the until enough material has been to form a veil in front then follows another washing and away and where the current is allowed to spread in melting protected margin are formed perhaps these mark successive heights of the surface from terrace to terrace the of stone is rolled and some meeting only feeble streams have only the fine carried away and deposited in smooth beds others from streams the fine beds while many of the large no doubt roll back upon the to go on their travels again it has been cloudy mostly to day though sunny in the afternoon and my eyes are getting better the steamer queen is expected in a day or two so i must try to get down to the tomorrow and make signal to have some of the party me over i must hear from home write letters get rest and more to eat near the front of the the ice was perfectly free apparently of anything like a and in walking almost carelessly down it i stopped opposite the large granite island thinking that i would there be partly sheltered from the wind i had not gone a dozen steps toward the island when i suddenly dropped into a concealed water filled which on the surface showed not the slightest sign of its existence this like many others was being used as the channel of a stream and at some narrow point the small masses of ice into t j travels in which the surface were and extended back farther and farther till they completely covered and concealed the water into this i suddenly plunged after crossing thousands of really dangerous but never before had i encountered a danger so completely concealed down i plunged over head and ears but of course up again and after a hard struggle succeeded in dragging myself out over the farther side then i pulled my over close to cliff made haste to strip off my clothing threw it in a heap and crept into my sleeping bag to shiver away the night as best i could july dressing this rainy morning was a miserable job but might have been worse | 28 |
after wringing my getting it on was far from pleasant my eyes are better and i feel no bad effect from my icy bath the last trace of my three months cough is gone no could survive such experiences i have had a fine telling day examining the ruins of the old forest of that no great time ago grew in a shallow mud filled basin near the corner of the the trees were protected by a spur of the mountain that puts out here and when the advanced they were simply with fine sand and by the hundred three to fifteen feet high rooted in a stream of fine blue mud on still have their bark on a of bark leaves and old j my trip on the trunks is still in place some of the are on rocky of soil about one hundred and twenty five feet above the sea the valley has been washed out by the stream now occupying it one of the s streams a mile long or more and an eighth of a mile wide i got supper early and was just going to bed when i was startled by seeing a man coming across the professor who had seen me from the main camp and who came with mr and the cook in their boat to me over i had not intended making for them until to morrow but was glad to go i had been seen also by mr case and one of his companions who were on the western mountain side above the forest shooting i had a good rest and sleep and leisure to find out how rich i was in new facts and pictures and how tired and hungry i was chapter xix a few days later i set out with professor s party to visit some of the other large that flow into the bay to observe what changes have taken place in them since october when i first visited and them we found the upper half of the bay closely choked with through which it was exceedingly difficult to force a way after slowly struggling a few miles up the east side we dragged the whale boat and over rough rocks into a fine garden and comfortably for the night the next day was spent in cautiously picking a way across to the west side of the bay and as the strangely scanty stock of provisions was already about done and the ice jam to the northward seemed impenetrable the party decided to return to the main camp by a comparatively open way to the southward while with the and a handful of i pushed on northward after a hard anxious struggle i reached the mouth of the miller about and tried to find a camp spot on its steep bound shore but no where it seemed possible to drag the above high tide mark was discovered after examining a mile or more of this dreary forbidding barrier and as night was closing down i decided to try to my way across the mouth of the in the j to an open sandy spot on which i had in october a distance of about three or four miles with the utmost caution i picked my way through the sparkling and after an hour or two of this nerve trying work when i was perhaps less than across and the loss of the frail which would include the loss of myself i came to a pack of very large which loomed offering no visible and pushing to right and left i at last discovered a opening about four feet wide and perhaps two hundred feet long formed apparently by the of a huge i hesitated to enter this passage fearing that the slightest change in the tide current might close it but ventured nevertheless judging that the dangers ahead might not be greater than those i had already passed when i had got about a third of the way in i suddenly discovered that the smooth walled ice lane was growing and with desperate haste backed out just as the bow of the cleared the sheer walls they came together with a growling terror stricken i turned back and in an anxious hour or two gladly reached the rock bound shore that had at first me determined to stay on guard all night in the or find some place where with the strength that comes in a fight for life i could drag it up the wall beyond ice danger this at last was happily done about midnight and with no thought of sleep i went to bed rejoicing i i travels in my bed was two and as i lay and bent on their up sides the hard cold time in gazing into the sky and across the sparkling bay magnificent upright bars of light in bright colors suddenly appeared marching swiftly in close succession along the northern horizon from west to east as if in haste an display very different from any i had ever before beheld once long ago in i saw the heavens draped in rich purple clouds fringed and folded in most magnificent forms but in this glory of light so pure so bright so enthusiastic in motion there was nothing in the least cloud like the short apparently about two degrees in height though seemed to be as well defined as those of the how long these glad eager soldiers of light held on their way i cannot tell for sense of time was charmed out of mind and the blessed night away in rejoicing enthusiasm in the early morning after so inspiring a night i launched my feeling able for anything crossed the mouth of the miller and forced a way three or four miles along the shore of the bay hoping to reach the grand pacific in front of mt but the farther i went the ice pack instead of | 28 |
showing inviting little open streaks here and there became so much harder that on some parts of the shore the drifting south with the tide were one another out of the water beyond high tide line farther progress to northward i was thus rigidly stopped and now i had to fight for a way back to my cabin hoping that by good tide luck i might reach it before dark but at i was less than half way home and though very hungry was glad to land on a little rock island with a smooth beach for the and a thicket of bushes for fire and bed and a little sleep but shortly after while these arrangements were being made lo and behold another the heavens and though it proved to be one of the ordinary almost kind thrusting long quivering toward the from a dark base after last night s wonderful display one s expectations might well be extravagant and i lay wide awake watching on the third night i reached my cabin and food professor and his party came in to talk over the results of our excursions and just as the last one of the visitors opened the door after bidding good night he shouted come look here here s something fine i ran out in excitement and sure enough here was another as novel and wonderful as the marching rainbow colored columns a glowing silver bow the in a magnificent arch right under the or a little to the south of it the ends resting on the top of the and though and steadfast its intense solid white splendor noble proportions and of finish excited boundless admiration in form and proportion it was like a rainbow a bridge of travels in one span five miles wide and so brilliant so fine and solid and in every part i fancy that if all the stars were together into one and and run through some celestial rolling mill all would be required to make this one glowing white colossal bridge after my last visitor went to bed i lay down on the in front of the cabin and gazed and watched hour after hour the wonderful arch stood perfectly motionless sharply defined and substantial looking as if it were a permanent addition to the furniture of the sky at length while it yet the in serene splendor a band of pale gray quivering came suddenly all in a row over the eastern mountain top glided in nervous haste up and down the under side of the bow and over the western mountain wall they were about one and a half times the apparent of the bow in length maintained a posture all the way across and slipped swiftly along as if they were suspended like a curtain on rings had these lively marched across the on the top of the bow instead of shuffling along the under side of it one might have fancied they were a happy band of spirit people on a journey making use of the splendid bow for a bridge there must have been hundreds of miles of them for the time required for each to cross from one end of the bridge to the other seemed only a minute or less while nearly an hour elapsed from their first appearance until the last of the rushing throng vanished behind the western mountain leaving the bridge as bright and solid and steadfast as before they arrived but later half an hour or so it began to fade or cracks crossed it through which a few stars were seen and gradually it became thin and until it looked like the way and at last vanished leaving no visible monument of any sort to mark its place i now returned to my cabin the fire warmed myself and prepared to go to bed though too rich and happy to go to sleep but just as i was about to retire i thought i had better take another look at the sky to make sure that the glorious show was over and contrary to all reasonable expectations i found that the pale foundation for another bow was being laid right overhead like the first then losing all thought of sleep i ran back to my cabin carried out blankets and lay down on the to keep watch until daybreak that none of the sky wonders of the glorious night within reach of my eyes might be lost i had seen the first bow when it stood complete in full splendor and its gradual fading decay now i was to see the building of a new one from the beginning perhaps in less than half an hour the silvery material was gathered and into a glowing arc like the first and in the same part of the sky then in due time over the eastern mountain wall came another throng of restless electric the infinitely fine garments of each lightly touching those of their neighbors as they swept swiftly along the under i travels in side of the bridge and down over the western mountain like the merry band that had gone the same way before them all keeping step and time to music too fine for mortal ears while the gay throng was gliding swiftly along i watched the bridge for any change they might make upon it but not the slightest could i detect they left no visible track and after all had passed the glowing arc stood firm and apparently but at last faded slowly away like its glorious excepting only the vast purple mentioned above said to have been visible over nearly all the continent these two silver bows in supreme serene beauty surpassed everything i ever beheld the end index index mr island coast scenery length of coast line climate alexander trip through ei extent i apple wild atmosphere indians see indians bear black bear brown lake waves s bay see also | 28 |
school in mrs mrs love and her family rural and its images mr s school charles r alexander the peace pay dreams lee mr hunt s school in ac music a fox hunt those best remember william need not be remind how his face and figure suggested his with tiie race the massive and bold outline of his the clear kind blue eye the light hair in crisp and numerous curls upon a broad forehead the high the large note and ample chin a to the portrait ef his hei t rather six feet his broad and general of development were equally f his origin the ever hanging expression of his eye and lip at one moment with deep thought and in the t radiant with a rich quiet humour that might be seen coming up om ihe depths of his heart and provoking a laugh before a word was said were traits which whatever might be supposed to be in the merely national cast of his features and birth his jacob was from his mother was a german jacob with his brother had settled in in some years before the war of the jacob had six children three sons and three daughters of whom william was the youngest he had gathered some little property in and supported his family there chiefly by keeping a tavern the of which together with some small rents from a few lots in the village enabled him in an humble way to maintain a comfortable household william was bom on the th of november in the year in less than two years after this date jacob died leaving a small to be divided between his wife and children his will which is on record in prince george s county to his wife one half lot of ground in no on which the room is built and on which i am now building a new house after her death this lot was to be and to descend to my eldest son jacob provided he pay out of the value of said house and half lot to each of my other children one equal part share and share alike to wit to my daughters elizabeth and and my son and william to each and every of which i ve and one equal part of the value of the above premises the will besides this property the brick store in at twenty five pounds sterling per to and co and my tavern in which i now reside with the back buildings stables and lot also the counting house before the tavern door and the smith shop we have also a reference to two lots of ground in near and some personal estate this is a summary of all the worldly goods which jacob in ihe year left to be divided between his wife and six children the mother of the family died before william attained his eighth year how much of the property we have remained in the at that period we have no means ut knowing the whole value of these and lots we may the name of or is familiar to the annals of the reader with the history of the will remember the unhappy fate of adam the of and his two sons john and at in chap ij conjecture to no great sum not more than three or four thousand dollars divided it afforded but small provision for each of the children it is probable that william was bom in the little hotel of tiie til mentioned in the will and as this building is directed to be out we may suppose that the moved after the death of jacob to the new house on lot no i have in vain endeavoured to ascertain in the village from its present inhabitants the truth of these conjectures or to identify either of the houses referred to there are but few of the left humble labour with its lowly roof and board may find a happy fireside but it has few what is accessible to us of the history of that fireside in whose rays the of william found a cheerful and healthy light we owe chiefly almost wholly to a pleasant and playful which the subject of it then attorney general of the states wrote at the request of his children in to amuse them with recollections which it is easy to discern still more delighted himself this little fragment of runs over the first ten years of the author s childhood it is a homely warm hearted remembrance of a simple time with a lively pencil by one who never lost sight in the of a brilliant fame of his obligations to those who watched his first steps and protected his earliest infancy i shall extract from these reminiscences what i find useful to my present purpose without venturing to submit the whole to the eye of the public they dwell upon incidents which however grateful in the telling to that affectionate circle to whom the was addressed and who could find in it a thousand memories of family would i am fearful be considered sometimes too trivial to excite the interest of those who are strangers to the genial spirit and household of the writer even for the which i may submit i must on this score the too rigid criticism or fastidious comment of my reader asking him to remember that a father to his children assembled their own hearth on topics which derive their agreeable from their love to him may claim a dramatic privilege from the ia b ha e his judged by its to the scene the time the place and the persons with this endeavour to the judgment of the reader indeed to his good nature towards what it is proposed to disclose of the | 29 |
i would remark bj way of comment on the greater portion of these that mr s character waa to the latest period of his life singularly impressed by the vivacity of his imagination he was greatly sensitive to the influence which this of the ideal had in his career and has endeavoured in the to trace the source of some of his life to the impressions made upon his imagination in childhood every one has felt these influences in greater or less degree and most persons may be able to find in their own history some particular complexion of mind or form of habit and opinion to such causes in mr the effect of such influences was visible in a very striking degree to his friends this may perhaps appear also to the reader in the course of this biography has been for many years past a quiet i may even say without meaning un a drowsy and little village well known by its position on the of a great thorough re to the national metropolis from which it is but a miles distant it is somewhat famous in our annals not only as a ground where many a personal combat has decided what the world has chosen to call a point of honour but also as the field where higher questions were put to mortal when the british army in disputed with an american host for the possession of the capital for many years past from a date before the commencement of the present century this village has been not only in its growth but even falling gradually away under the touch of time during a great portion of this period it was by the daily of some half dozen or more mail through to and from the capital of the united states twice a day the silence which over its streets was broken by the blowing of ihe of stable boys hurrying with fresh of horses to the doors of rival stage houses and by the rattle of rapidly arriving and departing but even these transient glories have vanished the road which touches only on the border of the has now die tide old stage and the village are no longer broken to the war thb village had a different for tone it was then a little devoted to the tobacco trade of which it at that day quite an important it was inhabited by some wealthy who had planted themselves there in with houses and whose mode of living both in the character of their dwellings and in the matter of personal display communicated a certain show of to the town whilst it was yet in its flourishing era william was one of the children most to its a lively shrewd and beautiful boy npon whom many eyes were turned in kindly regard though with little foresight perhaps of that rising fortune to which he was destined these days he shall now speak for himself his reminiscences begin at some three or four years of age when he was first sent to school it does not often il that our strongest recollection of goes back to the that hi authority whose are stamped npon the memory childhood who does not remember the awe and reverence with which his young imagination invested the beneath he was first to bow to the child who yet looks upon all beyond the roof tree the image of the is the of all power and all sage the trace he leaves of his form and ce his gait his voice his his and down sitting and is not a thing of memory merely it is an of something into our an of his identity with our own which we perceive as we perceive ourselves some half century back our present in the naturally begins with this image the was across the street at the farther comer of the opposite square the was crown an englishman a middle sized man stoop shouldered spare rather thin faced and of a dark complexion he wore a suit of blue cloth coat waist x mother and aunt coat and small clothes with black horn buttons an old fashioned and hat the pinch in far projected and sharp a pair of silver shoe and was a very respectable looking gentleman this picture may remind us of s with the so fer projecting that the candle a hole through it the school was transferred about a mile into the country on what was then the road firom to mr crown s house being on one side of the road and the school house on the other both of them log houses the dwelling house or a house built on the same site is now standing and the foundation of the old is still visible the land and house belonged to my uncle whose eldest daughter mr crown had married and whose dwelling a single brick house waa not more than a quarter of a mile off and is also still standing we pass now from the and his concerns to an incident connected with this dwelling of and to a pleasant family picture the minute recollection of this incident will illustrate that of imagination to which we have referred my mother had come over from one summer evening on a visit to my aunt and after school i went down to join her my aunt dwells upon my memory in strong colours she was a tall and rather large framed woman with a fair complexion nd a round face that must have been handsome in her youth she was a native of and had a cast of character that made her worthy of the land of william tell a kinder being never lived she was full of all the and of life always ready to suggest excuses for the weaknesses and of others yet without any or weakness | 29 |
of her own that i could discover she was religious a great reader of religious books and had a large old bible bound either in wood or hard black leather with silver or brass often have i seen her read that book with streaming eyes and a voice half choked with her feelings on the evening that i am speaking of there was one of the most violent i have ever witnessed my aunt got down her bible and began to read aloud as the storm increased she read louder and louder my mother was exceedingly frightened she chap l a was one of the most tender and affectionate of beings but she had the timidity of her sex in an extreme degree and indeed this storm was enough to the heart one flash of lightning struck a tree m the yard and off a large which it drove towards us my mother shrieked aloud flew behind the door and took me with her my aunt remained firm in her seat and noticed the peal in no other way than by the increased energy of her this was the first i remember i never got over my mother s terror until i became a man even then and even yet i am rendered much more uneasy by a than i believe i should have been if my mother had on that occasion displayed the firmness of my aunt i could not have been more than five or six years old when this happened the incident and its effect on me show the necessity of commanding our fears before our children another incident on our way home from the to the road passed by an old field on the outer margin of which a negro man had been buried who it was reported had been whipped to death by his master besides the boys who went to this school from there were several from the neighbourhood and amongst others one whom i remember only as this boy had one evening been detained at school after all the rest of us had gone home and had to pass the old field after daylight was gone the next morning full well do i remember how he my flesh creep and my hair rise by telling us that in passing the field the night before he heard a whip poor will which upon the of the negro cry out whip him well whip him well whip him well and that he could hear a voice answering from below oh pray i it was the first tune that a superstitious emotion entered my mind and i now recall how dreadfully sublime it was my heart and yet there was a sort of terrible pleasure in it which i cannot define it made my blood creep with horror to believe it yet i would not have had it false that terrible field was never afterwards passed at twilight without a race in which i as being youngest was always behind and consequently most exposed to the danger and terrified i do not yet hear a whip poor will without some of these mis of my old inhabitants these are trifles in the review of though not without some small interest in connection with the person who has them worth thej call to memory some characteristics which his personal friends will not m to recognise we have some pleasant descriptions of several merchants of of the old time of mr the tall spare old gentleman in blue and and cocked hat remarkable for his politeness and of mr dick the silent thoughtful man of business in a beautiful mansion a long white house with wings which stood on the summit of the eastern which the town mr a stirring busy successful merchant rosy from good living who in the old fashion of had his bowl of every day a thorough john bull proud rough absolute and kind we have shorter notices of mr mr and doctor messrs and with good capital at command mr was one of the of the village a handsome man graceful lively well informed and somewhat of the most noticeable for his beautiful bay horse bright silver spurs bridle bit and whip all of glittering silver very taking to the eye of and the other children of the village in the range of the inhabitants he has other equally pleasant memories at the lower end of the town towards the house nearest the eastern branch was occupied by old mr martin whom we used to call martin why i know not the eastern branch is subject to heavy which have flowed up to mr martin s house and sometimes the whole village one of the most surprising and interesting spectacles to me in those days was this old man up to his waist during a and the it was a whale in miniature and not less interesting to me at that date the old man himself was an odd fish he used to get and amuse himself with singing the s nest and attempting to dance a to the tune of it he was fond of me and me a good deal i remember him with kindness i became myself a by an occasion i will presently mention and the old man was delighted to see me dance to i the dancing master s nest bj was whom i can just remember the son of mj undo was in love with her and i have a of having heard him take leave of her when he was going to sea to seek his he was accompanied by my eldest brother they never nor were ever heard of i not forget colonel as he called himself in colonel as he called himself in the french master whom i remember as a | 29 |
most el ant and graceful person to teach the new which he into he used to mark for a large z on the floor of the dancing room with chalk and that letter gave the figure of the dance the house in which the d was kept stood some several hundred yards from where i lived but whilst i was yet in i used to steal away from home to see dance his my eldest sister a not then fully grown was one of his scholars and very nearly as good a as her teacher it is not in childhood to admire any thing as i did the without learning immediately to dance it and of course being a mere child i soon became a subject of admiration myself as a i remember that at the wedding of the eldest daughter of that john martin whom i have mentioned my sister put a cocked hat on my head and took me out to exhibit me and herself in the french the management of the hat putting it on and off being an essential part of the dance the old mr crown was present and being much dissatisfied with tiie admiration on the french dance solely because it was french he took out a lady to show how much superior the old english was that was danced in the and like the french by a and lady only in each other in the centre of the figure there was a moment when the and his partner were back to back the time and step being very slow this relation was continued until the parties arrived at ihe ends of the figure and fitted about mr crown considered it tiie of politeness to this by setting in full run to gain the upper end and ghost story present bis ce the old gentleman s dress his sharp cock his long blue coat his red waistcoat very long and his very short breeches gave him an air so grotesque whilst this run to the extreme end of the room as to produce an explosion of laughter such as says on a somewhat different was the plain and jolly mirth of our ancestors here follows a ghost story there was another incident to which this wedding gave rise a dance was given on a subsequent night to the wedding party at our house when the company had danced themselves weary proposed to close the evening by raising a ghost the objected to it as a light and trifling with solemn subjects but assured them with equal gravity that he had the power of raising any ghost they would call for and that he could give them proof of it that if any one would go up stairs and consent to be locked up in the room farthest removed from the company below the stair door should also be locked so that no possible communication could be held between the person above and those below after this the company might fix on a ghost whom he the would cause to appear to the person up stairs the graver part of the company still discouraged the experiment but the curiosity of the younger and more numerous prevailed and nothing was wanting but a up stairs to enable the frenchman to give proof of his skill m the black art after some hesitation amongst all a mr of agreed to be he was accordingly taken up stairs the door of the room into which he was introduced was locked and after that the door of the stair below which opened from the stairs upon the dancing room then asked for a of live coals some salt and a case knife whilst these things were getting he proposed that the women should in a whispering consultation agree upon the ghost to be raised and report it secretly to him this was done and the ghost agreed upon was to be that of john francis a little who had died some few years before in his latter days a ludicrous person whose few remaining locks were snowy white with a nose as red as s and eyes of and who was accustomed to sing with a shake of the head and tremulous voice chap l a ghost story what did we come here for what did we come here we came here to and to make the glasses rattle and that what we came here for the habit of drinking was so npon him that he had not been able to walk for some years before his death except with the help of another and then with but a tottering step the of his name was answered by a half suppressed around the room the difficulty of the frenchman s task was supposed to be not a little increased by attempting to make john francis s ghost walk alone he however nothing began his which consisted of salt and on the coals muttering over them a charm in some sort of and knocking solemnly on the stair door with the butt of his case knife these strokes on the door were as regular as the of a bell each series with a double knock then came a pause another series of closed by another double stroke and so on to the end of the ceremony the process was long and solemn and there was something in the business itself and in the sympathy with the imagined terrors of the witness above which soon hushed the whole assembly into a ner stillness akin to that of young children listening to a ghost story at midnight in about half an hour the ceremony was closed in a shower of blows and the agitated cries of the frenchman was heard to ml on the floor above the frenchman rushed up stairs at the head of several of the company and there | 29 |
our was found on the floor in a he was brought to with the aid of cold water and on said he had seen a man enter the room with a coal of fire on his nose and on his forehead written in fire the name of john francis it was agreed on all hands to be very strange and many shook their heads significantly at that he knew more than he ought and that it was not very clear he was fit company for christian people no one was disposed to renew the dance and the party broke up the frenchman with his characteristic politeness flew to the door to help the ladies down the steps when he saw standing outside of the door close at hand a phantom arrayed in white and arms stretched wide as if to receive him he shrieked leaped from the steps and disappeared vol i the wire this was plot and next comes that wonder of childhood the wire with his and other accomplishments about the same period when was in our we had another exhibition still better fitted to gratify my love of the picturesque and awaken whatever of fancy belonged to me this was mr a on the the exhibition was in s dancing room we got there at early candle light the room was brilliantly lighted a large wire fastened at each end of the room near the ceiling hung in a curve the middle of it within twelve or fifteen inches of the floor i remember the pouring in of the company till the room was filled as the phrase is with all the beauty and fashion of the place still better do i remember after a note of preparation from another room which and commanded silence the of a tall man attired in a dress of a military air with a drum hung over his shoulder by a scarlet it was such a picture as i had never seen the company with dignity he placed himself upon ihe wire then giving a hand to his attendant he was drawn to one side of the room and being let go swung at ease beating the drum like a professional he performed all the usual exploits swords c and to crown the whole danced what i had never seen before a in superior style his shoes in the rapidity of his steps producing upon me a most brilliant effect my own came again into play and i became a celebrated before i was six years of age meaning by such as spread through about of our little village the image of arose before me as something of another age or another sphere when about forty years after i had seen him swinging in such splendour on the wire i met in washington a well dressed gentleman like person somewhat who was made known to me as the of my childish admiration converted into a plain citizen and an extensive dealer in city lots we have now some pictures of the war before i left to reside in it no more which happened in my seventh year another event occurred which rests vividly chap l lee s upon my this was the passage of lee s the village i this occurred when lee was detached the north to support general in the south i remember the long line of in the street the large beautiful horses and men in uniform and a particular individual who was pointed out to me as a relation to my family his hair was loose long black and and flowed over his broad shoulders sweeping down to bis saddle general lee whom i knew well in times has repeatedly mentioned this individual to me as an officer a perhaps of great merit which the fact that the cavalry i saw was of lee s it extended along the et until the head of the column had turned the comer at the lower the southern extremity of the village before the rear came in view a spectacle weu calculated to fill the imagination and stamp itself deeply on the memory of a boy of my age it must have been at the same time that a body of of the continental army was in perhaps also a part of lee s there was among them a doctor whose name it strikes me i have heard mentioned as a surgeon in lee s corps the only thing in the way of rebuke i recollect to have ever received from my dear mother was occasioned by an incident connected with these troops the continual of in with the drum and had made me a from a period so early that i have no recollection of its commencement my ear was naturally good and i was a singer for the amusement of company from the time that i could speak and perhaps sooner the accuracy of my ear and my kept me on the tables and on the floors and singing the common of the time with such and dexterity that it attracted the attention of others an old gentleman whose name i cannot now recall drew out of his bosom one day a pair of small which he had had made for me and painted blue and gave them to me as a present i had no drum but with these sticks i pursued my exercise with such effect that i could soon beat time as accurately as any in the army this was the state of my when the troops marched through pushing and peering about them i found one day at the baker s in a room where the soldiers were mr school drinking and where there were and in plenty the baker was a i ny hearted an and upon e l a and and the put into my hands i set to beating | 29 |
with the accompaniment of the too it was my first exhibition i performed with so much animation and success that the soldiers were astounded the drum head was soon covered with as many pieces of silver coin and as filled both my hands it was on occasion of my carrying these home in triumph that my honoured and beloved mother gave me a rebuke against taking money presents which fashioned my character in that particular for life in was sent to eight miles from to school a classical kept by mr i was placed at boarding with the family of mr a they occupied a small house of logs at the eastern end of bridge street friend was a well set square built honest faced and honest hearted his wife one of the best of creation a deep sadness upon me when i was left by the person who accompanied me to when i could no longer see a face that i knew nor an object that was not strange i remember the sense of total desertion and that seized upon my heart unlike any thing i felt in after years i sobbed as if my heart would break for hours together and was utterly notwithstanding the maternal tenderness with which good mrs tried to comfort me almost half a century has rolled over the incident yet full well do i recollect with what gentle and touching sympathy she urged every topic that was calculated to console a child of my years me in some measure by her caresses she took down her bible and read to me the story of joseph and his brethren it is probable i had read it before as such things are usually read without understanding it but she made me comprehend it and in the of joseph and his father i forgot my own his separation from his family had brought him to great honour and possibly mine i thought might be equally fortunate i claim some sense of gratitude i never forget an act of kindness and never received one that my heart has not impelled me to wish for some occasion to return it so far as my experience goes i am persuaded too that doing an act of kindness and still more repeated to the same individual chap i mrs love and her family are as apt to the heart of the benefactor to the object as that of the to the person who does him the service it was so in this instance i went to see mrs after i became a man and a warmer meeting has seldom taken place between mother and son i passed one winter in and remember seeing a long line of cross the river on the ice i conjecture that it was the winter of and that these were attached to the troops already mentioned which were going to the south i remember also to have seen a gentleman mr peter i think going out for backs then called white backs which i have seen in those days the and which when they rose as they sometimes did for half a mile or a mile together produced a sound like thunder i mention this being struck with the different state of this game now on the this school of mr left no pleasant impression on the mind of the pupil he remained there less than one year changed his boarding house and getting from under the eye of good mrs and her household fell into with others not so kind esq a gentleman once distinguished in the house of but long since dead was a fellow student at school the recollections now carry us to another quarter from i was transferred to a classical school in charles county about forty miles from this school was kept by one in the house of church i was with a widow lady by the name of love and my residence in her family forms one of the few sunny spots in the of my childhood mrs love was a small thin old lady a good deal bent by age yet brisk and active the family was composed of her and three maiden daughters of whom the eldest i suppose was on forty and the youngest perhaps twenty eight she had a son married and settled in the neighbourhood the eldest daughter was named a round plump and jolly old maid who was the of the family and used to take a great deal of snuff the second was sally she presided over the which was always neat and sweet and abundantly supplied with the richest cream and rural life sally was somewhere rosy and brisk with a countenance marked by health and good and with one of the kindest hearts that beat in the bosom of her kind sex she was fond of me me on milk and cream to my heart s content admired my songs and sang herself from her i first heard castle her clear and loud voice could make the neighbourhood with its notes of touching from her too i first heard the name of and she gave me in her manner skeleton of the story the youngest was pale and delicate with more softness of manners than the others she was the and of the household of very sweet disposition with a weak and slender but kindly voice she did not sing herself but was very fond of hearing us who did there were two boys of us near the same age johnson was rather older and larger than me he was a good rather grave boy with better common sense than i had but he did not sing was rather homely and had no mirth and in him i on the contrary was lively and and they used to say pretty withal said smart things sometimes and sang two or three songs | 29 |
of humour very well one was dick of panting in which the verse about my father s black sow was a jest that never grew stale nor to raise a hearty laugh another was a description of a race at new market between two horses called and belonged to some duke perhaps the duke of the verse ran as i when saw the duke his master he laid back bis ears and did run much faster besides my singing i danced to the astonishment of the natives and altogether had the reputation of a genius thus admired and with milk and cream castle and c what more could a child of my age want to make him happy i the very used to be pleased to contribute to my amusement old carried me to the where she permitted me with a clean broad prepared for the purpose to whip the rich from the milk and her son george after a hard day s work in the field came home at night and played the horse for me by going on all in the green yard with me mounted i mr s school upon his back he going the of an fox hunt sounding the horn and leaping over imaginary fences gates c all of which was life and joy to me to crown all i had a sweetheart one of the prettiest that ever was bom the only thing i ever thanked love for was giving me the occasion of becoming acquainted with this beautiful girl she took me with her once on a visit to her aunt mr thomas lived on the banks of the just above s and opposite to s in those days there was a from s to s the house was of brick situated on a high airy bank giving a beautiful view of the which is there four miles wide was the only child of her parents about my own age rather younger and as beautiful as it is possible for a child to be we fell most exceedingly in love with each other she was accustomed to make long visits to her aunt love and no two lovers however romantic were ever more happy than we on my part it was a serious passion no lover was ever more in the absence of his mistress nor more at meeting her i do not know whether it is held that the affections keep pace with the intellect in their development but i do know that there is nothing in the sentiment of happy love which i did not experience for that girl in the course of the two years when i resided at mrs love s when i left there we were firmly engaged to be married at the following i felt proud and happy not in the least doubting the fulfilment of the engagement at the time appointed as for school mr was a most excellent man a sincere and pious christian and i presume a good teacher for i was too young to judge and in fact much too young for a latin school li the two years johnson games and myself got as far advanced as s though we could not have been well for when i changed to another school i was put back to mr was very good tempered i do not remember to have received from him a harsh word or any kind of punishment but once his school was crowded i can recall none of the scholars who attained much distinction except one who was with us but a short time alexander who afterwards became celebrated as an orator in virginia and still more painfully celebrated for his i alexander end according to my recollection of him he came to mr s he waa between eighteen and twenty years old he had just taken a prize for eloquence at the school in in he was manly and dignified rather grave and thoughtful though sometimes a little i remember his me with in i recall too that perpetually tremulous and dancing eye ball by which in common with others of his family he was so strikingly marked i never saw him after he left mr s but he was still at the bar after i grew up and went to commence the practice in the upper part of virginia i suppose he came to the bar several years after chief justice and judge washington who must themselves have begun to practise after the war qualified just before the revolution or perhaps at the point of its commencement henry about fifteen years earlier yet all these gentlemen were still at the bar when mr began his career he appeared with them frequently in the same causes and it is high praise but no less just than high to say that even among them he was a distinguished man he stood in the first rank of genius in logic he did not the club of nor did he in exhibit the magnificence of henry but his quiver was filled with polished arrows of the finest point and were launched with skill and grace some of the most beautiful touches of eloquence i have ever heard were echoes from which reached us in the mountains his arguments were much for their learning and strength as well as beauty i have heard it said that mr the president of the court of appeals spoke of argument in the case of and reported by mr washington as the most perfect model of discussion he had ever heard poor fellow he left a will which i have seen and in which was a request that no stone might be placed over his grave for the reason that if a stone were placed over every grave there would be no earth left for leaving this we go back to mrs love s i return | 29 |
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