Page:The frozen North; an account of Arctic exploration for use in schools (IA frozennorthaccou00hort).pdf/112

 This journey brought them to the mouth of a river called the Dayay, where they camped. Schwatka now explained his plan to his Indian guides. He told them that when he should reach the Yukon, he intended to build a raft and float down the great river to its mouth. The Indians were astonished at this bold project. They ridiculed the idea, saying that no raft could make such a journey. There were lakes to pass through, they said, and miles of raging rapids, which would twist and tear any raft to pieces. But Schwatka paid no attention to their opinions. He kept steadily on his way, and the journey continued pleasant and easy through the Dayay river.

On June 10, the course lay over the spurs of the mountains, and travel became difficult. The trail was up and down hill, over huge trunks of fallen trees, and through boggy swamps. Each man carried one hundred pounds of luggage on his back, and when he sank into a bog up to his knees, it was far from easy to get out.

The snow line reached, the ascent of the pass over the Coast range was begun. Behind one another, in single file, the men scrambled up precipices and through valleys. Sometimes they crawled along on their hands and knees, often using their teeth to grasp a dwarf bush. In many places a single misstep would have resulted in death, but they persevered and at length succeeded in crossing the mountains without accident.

Most of the Indians left Schwatka at this place and returned to their homes. Those who were to accompany him down the Yukon river to the coast camped with the white men, late in the evening, by a small lake called by Schwatka, Crater lake. It is the source of the great Yukon river.

At Lake Lindeman the raft was built, and the stores