



Produced by Donald Cummings, Bryan Ness and the Online
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by The Internet Archive)










WITH SACK AND STOCK IN ALASKA

PRINTED BY SPOTTISWOODE AND CO., NEW-STREET SQUARE LONDON




                           WITH SACK AND STOCK
                                IN ALASKA

                                   BY

                      GEORGE BROKE, A.C., F.R.G.S.

                                 LONDON
                        LONGMANS, GREEN, AND CO.
                    AND NEW YORK: 15 EAST 16th STREET
                                  1891

                          _All rights reserved_




                                Dedicated

                            TO THE MEMORY OF

                                  A⸺ M⸺

                        KILLED ON THE DÜSSISTOCK

                             AUGUST 16, 1890




PREFACE


The publishing of these simple notes is due to the wishes of one who is
now no more. But for this they would probably have never seen the light,
and I feel therefore that less apology is needed for their crudeness and
‘diariness’ than would otherwise have been the case.

                                                                    G. B.




CONTENTS


                                                                      PAGE

                                CHAPTER I

                             LONDON TO SITKA

    The summons—Across the Atlantic in the ‘Polynesian’—A deceitful
    car-conductor—The C.P.R.—At Victoria—On the ‘Ancon’—Fort
    Wrangel—Juneau—Sitka                                                 1

                               CHAPTER II

                            SITKA TO YAKUTAT

    The town—Ascent of Sha-klokh—Expedition to Edgcumbe—Dick’s
    dismissal—Enlisting recruits—Ascent of Verstovia—Arrival of
    W.—On board the ‘Alpha’—Miserable weather—Run ashore at Yakutat     20

                               CHAPTER III

                           OPENING APPROACHES

    Getting canoes and men—A false start—Icy Bay—Torrents of
    rain—On march—The Yahkhtze-tah-heen—A wet camp—More wading—Our
    forces—Camp on the glacier—Across the ice—The Chaix Hills           37

                               CHAPTER IV

                      AN ATTACK AND A COUNTERMARCH

    A long lie—Men return to the beach—We make a
    cache—Shifting camp—The Libbey Glacier—The south-east
    face of St. Elias—Right-about-turn—Lake Castani—The Guyot
    Glacier—Reappearance of the men—Wild-geese for supper               61

                                CHAPTER V

                     FURTHER ADVANCE AND MY RETREAT

    Across the Tyndall Glacier—Ptarmigan—Another bear—The Daisy and
    Coal Glaciers—A catastrophe—The others go on—Alone with Billy
    and Jimmy—More geese—The blue bear—Marmot hunting                   81

                               CHAPTER VI

                            BACK TO THE SHORE

    Ptarmigan with a revolver—Back to Camp G—The others
    return—Their narrative—The men turn up again—We start down—A
    wasp’s nest—Mosquitoes—Wading extraordinary—We leave Icy Bay—A
    luxurious breakfast                                                 99

                               CHAPTER VII

                             LIFE AT YAKUTAT

    Curio-hunting—Small plover—W. goes down on the ‘Active’—Siwash
    dogs—A great potlatch—Cricket under difficulties—No signs of
    the ‘Alpha’—I determine to go down in a canoe—The white men
    accompany me                                                       122

                              CHAPTER VIII

                            YAKUTAT TO SITKA

    Farewells—A drunken skipper—Cape Fairweather—Loss of our
    frying-pan—Mount Fairweather and its glaciers—Murphy’s
    Cove—Stuck at Cape Spencer—Salmon and sour-dough bread—We reach
    Cape Edwardes—The ‘Pinta’—Safe back—Height of St. Elias            137

                                 _MAPS_

    COAST OF PART OF SOUTH-EASTERN ALASKA, SHOWING THE ST. ELIAS
    ALPS                                                    _To face p._ 1

    THE SOUTHERN <DW72>s OF MOUNT ST. ELIAS                            〃 61





[Illustration: COAST OF part of SOUTH-EASTERN ALASKA showing the ST.
ELIAS ALPS.

_Longmans, Green & Co., London & New York. F.S. Weller._]




WITH SACK AND STOCK IN ALASKA




CHAPTER I

LONDON TO SITKA


On the twenty-fifth of April, 1888, I was playing golf on our little
links at home, and had driven off for the Stile Hole, situated on the
lawn-tennis ground, when I observed the butler emerge from the house
with an orange envelope in his hand, and come towards me across the
lawn. Having with due deliberation played a neat approach shot over the
railings on to the green, I climbed over after it, putted out the hole,
and then went to meet him. The telegram proved to be from my friend
Harold T., with whom at Saas in the previous summer I had discussed
Seton-Karr’s book on Alaska, and we had both come to the conclusion that
we should much like to go there. Finding that I should have the summer
of ’88 at my disposal, I had written to him at the end of March to ask
about his plans and now got this telegram in reply. It was sent from
Victoria, B.C., and was an urgent appeal to join him and his brother at
once, as they meant to make an attempt on Mount St. Elias that summer,
and must start northward by the end of May. I retired to the smoking-room
to consider the situation, and finally came to the conclusion that such a
hurried departure might be managed.

I crossed over to Brussels, where I was then posted, packed up all my
goods and chattels, left masses of P.P.C. cards, and returned again
three days later. The afternoon of May 11 found me on board the Allan
liner ‘Polynesian’ at Liverpool. I was fortunate in making some very
charming acquaintances among the few saloon passengers on board, and