We left the steamer in a little boat and were rowed to the shore, landing on the sandy beach. High on the sand lay an Indian canoe, a dug-out. Near by a party of Indians wrapped in their scarlet2 blankets squatted3 on the sand. They had come to meet the steamer and sell their toys, baskets and slippers4.
A little black eyed boy had a half dozen young seagulls, in a basket, great awkward squabs. Their coats were a dirty fuzzy down like that of a gosling, sprinkled over with black dots. Their big hungry mouths and frowsy coats gave no hint of the beautiful birds they would be when they grew up.
When I paused to look at the birds their owner regarded me with interest as he sat with the basket hugged to his breast. Then the[92] young merchant held one up for my inspection6, with the remark, “hees nice bird.”
“Yes,” said I, “hees very nice.” I had no thought of buying a seagull. What would I do with it? Then I remembered a little invalid7 boy whom I thought might be pleased with a pet seagull.
“How much you give?” inquired my little Indian boy.
“How much will you take?”
“Two bits.”
So, I paid down my two bits and picked up my baby seagull. Then my little merchant spoke8 up, “Him want basket?”
“Yes,” I said, “I think that I want a basket.”
The basket was paid for and my enterprising little Indian tucked the baby gull5 in with a wisp of sea weed and handed him to me with the remark, “Him all right now.”
How that gull did squawk when he found himself all alone in a big basket. What cared he that I had purchased for him the prettiest basket on the beach? He wanted his brothers. When we arrived on the deck of the steamer I hurried my gull down to the steward9 and gained admission for him to the cook’s department,[93] where he was cared for the remainder of the voyage.
is something of a novelty to be seated at the base of a glacier in July. From the Chilkoot to the source of the Yukon river is only thirty-five miles, but the intervening mountain chain is several thousand feet high and bears numerous glaciers10 on its seaward side. Forty miles west of Lynn canal and separated from it by a low range of mountains is Glacier bay, and at the head of one of its inlets is the far-famed Muir glacier. It is one of the many fields of ice which stellates from a center fifteen miles back of the Muir front and covers the valley of the mountains between the Pacific and the headwaters of the Yukon river. Nine glaciers now discharge icebergs12 into the bay. All of these glaciers have receded13 from one to four miles in the past twenty years. Kate Field says, “In Switzerland a glacier is a vast bed of dirty air-holed ice that has fastened itself like a cold porous14 plaster to the Alps. In Alaska a glacier is a wonderful torrent15 that seems to have been frozen when about to plunge16 into the sea.” There they lay, almost free from debris17, clear and gleaming in the cold sunshine of Alaska. The most beautiful of them all is the[94] Muir glacier. It is named in honor of John Muir, who visited Alaska in company with Mr. Young, the Presbyterian missionary18, in 1879, and discovered it. This glacier extends straight across the fiord, presenting at tide water a perpendicular19 wall two hundred to four hundred feet above and seven hundred and fifty feet below the surface, making a solid wall of ice a thousand feet high and three miles wide.
I cannot do better than to give Prof. Muir’s own description of this wonderful mer de glace: “The front and brow of the glacier were dashed and sculptured into a maze20 of yawning chasms21, ravines, cañons, crevasses23, and a bewildering chaos24 of architectural forms, beautiful beyond description, and so bewildering in their beauty as to almost make the spectator believe he is reveling in a dream. There were great clusters of glistening25 spires26, gables, obelisks27, monoliths, and castles, standing28 out boldly against the sky, with bastion and mural surmounted29 by fretted30 cornice and every interstice and chasm22 reflecting a sheen of scintillating31 light and deep blue shadow, making a combination of color, dazzling, startling and enchanting32.”
This is nature’s iceberg11 factory. The “calving” of a berg is a wonderful sight and one never to be forgotten. Avalanches33 and great blocks of crumbling34 ice are continually falling with a crash and roar into the sea, while spray dashes high and great waves roll along the wall of the glacier, washing the blocks of floating ice upon the sandy beach on either side of the great ice-wall. The great buttresses35 on either side as they rise from the sea are solid white, veined and streaked36 with mud and rocks, but farther in near the middle of the wall the color changes to turquoise37 and sapphire38 blues39, blended with the changeable greens of the sea.
The upper strata40 of a glacier moves faster than the lower and is constantly being pushed forward, producing a perpendicular and at times projecting front. A piece of the projecting front breaks off and falls with a heavy splash into the water, then up it comes almost white. Now a piece breaks from the lower and older strata and comes up a dazzling green. Again a deafening41 roar as of artillery42 and a huge piece of ice splits off from top to bottom of the sea wall and goes plunging43 and raving44 like a great lion to the bottom of the sea, then up it comes slowly, a berg of dazzling rainbow hues45. Such a one, as big as all the business houses in a village, floated toward the beach and the outgoing[96] tide left it stranded46 there. We ate a piece of it, ice thousands of years old, and drank water from a cup or pocket in its side.
The beach is strewn with rock, pebbles47 and bowlders carved by the icy hand of the glacier. Along the beach near the glacier, just above high tide, in the rocks and sand grow lagoon48 grass, laurel and beautiful clarkias. These brilliant purple flowers are named for Prof. Clarke, who first studied and classified them. They are sweet scented49 and belong to the evening primrose50 family.
The Tlingit Indians believe that mountains were once living creatures and that the glaciers are their children. These parents hold them in their arms, dip their feet into the sea, then cover them with snow in the winter and scatter51 rocks and sand over them in summer. These Indians dread52 the cold and always speak the name Sith, the ice god, in a whisper. They have no fear of a hades such as ours. To them hell is a place of everlasting53 cold. The chill of the ice god’s breath is death. He freezes rivers into glaciers and when angry heaves down the bergs and crushes canoes. When summer comes the ice spirit sleeps, but the Indians speak in whispers and never touch the icebergs with their canoe paddles for fear of awaking him.
Once upon a time glaciers plowed54 over Illinois. Manitoba and Hudson Bay were then great snow and ice fields, down from which swept the glaciers over the United States south to the Ohio river. Great rocks and bowlders were carried along and deposited here and there on the broad prairies. Many of these rocks and bowlders may still be seen in central Illinois, still bearing the marks of the glacial slide.
An odd old character in our neighborhood used to tell us children that those big flattened55 bowlders were left there for the good people to stand on when the world should be burned up. “Would they get hot?” we asked. “Oh, how could they when they had lain years in the heart of a glacier?” To all of our questions as to how he knew he always turned a deaf ear.
Our sailors rowed out and with ropes captured an iceberg which they said would weigh five tons and with rope and tackle hauled it aboard and put it down in the hold. Then they captured a second one not quite so large and after it was safely stored away we weighed anchor and steamed out of the beautiful bay, afloat with icebergs, many of them being larger above water than our ship. But one disappointment met me, not a polar bear was in sight.
A nunatak is an area of fertile land surrounded by ice. One of the finest on the Alaskan coast is Blossom island. It is quite a large tract56 of rich land covered with forest and brilliant flowers.
When Mr. Young (before mentioned) was missionary to the Hoonah Indians they appealed to him to pray to God to keep the glaciers from cutting down the trees on the bays putting into Cross sound. They said their medicine man had advised them to offer as a sacrifice two of their slaves to the ice god, but this they had done without any effect. They were greatly disappointed when Mr. Young told them that he could do nothing to prevent the glaciers destroying their forests.
is something of a novelty to be seated at the base of a glacier in July. From the Chilkoot to the source of the Yukon river is only thirty-five miles, but the intervening mountain chain is several thousand feet high and bears numerous glaciers on its seaward side. Forty miles west of Lynn canal and separated from it by a low range of mountains is Glacier bay, and at the head of one of its inlets is the far-famed Muir glacier. It is one of the many fields of ice which stellates from a center fifteen miles back of the Muir front and covers the valley of the mountains between the Pacific and the headwaters of the Yukon river. Nine glaciers now discharge icebergs into the bay. All of these glaciers have receded from one to four miles in the past twenty years. Kate Field says, “In Switzerland a glacier is a vast bed of dirty air-holed ice that has fastened itself like a cold porous plaster to the Alps. In Alaska a glacier is a wonderful torrent that seems to have been frozen when about to plunge into the sea.” There they lay, almost free from debris, clear and gleaming in the cold sunshine of Alaska. The most beautiful of them all is the[94] Muir glacier. It is named in honor of John Muir, who visited Alaska in company with Mr. Young, the Presbyterian missionary, in 1879, and discovered it. This glacier extends straight across the fiord, presenting at tide water a perpendicular wall two hundred to four hundred feet above and seven hundred and fifty feet below the surface, making a solid wall of ice a thousand feet high and three miles wide.
I cannot do better than to give Prof. Muir’s own description of this wonderful mer de glace: “The front and brow of the glacier were dashed and sculptured into a maze of yawning chasms, ravines, cañons, crevasses, and a bewildering chaos of architectural forms, beautiful beyond description, and so bewildering in their beauty as to almost make the spectator believe he is reveling in a dream. There were great clusters of glistening spires, gables, obelisks, monoliths, and castles, standing out boldly against the sky, with bastion and mural surmounted by fretted cornice and every interstice and chasm reflecting a sheen of scintillating light and deep blue shadow, making a combination of color, dazzling, startling and enchanting.”
This is nature’s iceberg factory. The “calving” of a berg is a wonderful sight and one never to be forgotten. Avalanches and great blocks of crumbling ice are continually falling with a crash and roar into the sea, while spray dashes high and great waves roll along the wall of the glacier, washing the blocks of floating ice upon the sandy beach on either side of the great ice-wall. The great buttresses on either side as they rise from the sea are solid white, veined and streaked with mud and rocks, but farther in near the middle of the wall the color changes to turquoise and sapphire blues, blended with the changeable greens of the sea.
The upper strata of a glacier moves faster than the lower and is constantly being pushed forward, producing a perpendicular and at times projecting front. A piece of the projecting front breaks off and falls with a heavy splash into the water, then up it comes almost white. Now a piece breaks from the lower and older strata and comes up a dazzling green. Again a deafening roar as of artillery and a huge piece of ice splits off from top to bottom of the sea wall and goes plunging and raving like a great lion to the bottom of the sea, then up it comes slowly, a berg of dazzling rainbow hues. Such a one, as big as all the business houses in a village, floated toward the beach and the outgoing tide left it stranded there. We ate a piece of it, ice thousands of years old, and drank water from a cup or pocket in its side.
The beach is strewn with rock, pebbles and bowlders carved by the icy hand of the glacier. Along the beach near the glacier, just above high tide, in the rocks and sand grow lagoon grass, laurel and beautiful clarkias. These brilliant purple flowers are named for Prof. Clarke, who first studied and classified them. They are sweet scented and belong to the evening primrose family.
The Tlingit Indians believe that mountains were once living creatures and that the glaciers are their children. These parents hold them in their arms, dip their feet into the sea, then cover them with snow in the winter and scatter rocks and sand over them in summer. These Indians dread the cold and always speak the name Sith, the ice god, in a whisper. They have no fear of a hades such as ours. To them hell is a place of everlasting cold. The chill of the ice god’s breath is death. He freezes rivers into glaciers and when angry heaves down the bergs and crushes canoes. When summer comes the ice spirit sleeps, but the Indians speak in whispers and never touch the icebergs with their canoe paddles for fear of awaking him.
Once upon a time glaciers plowed over Illinois. Manitoba and Hudson Bay were then great snow and ice fields, down from which swept the glaciers over the United States south to the Ohio river. Great rocks and bowlders were carried along and deposited here and there on the broad prairies. Many of these rocks and bowlders may still be seen in central Illinois, still bearing the marks of the glacial slide.
An odd old character in our neighborhood used to tell us children that those big flattened bowlders were left there for the good people to stand on when the world should be burned up. “Would they get hot?” we asked. “Oh, how could they when they had lain years in the heart of a glacier?” To all of our questions as to how he knew he always turned a deaf ear.
Our sailors rowed out and with ropes captured an iceberg which they said would weigh five tons and with rope and tackle hauled it aboard and put it down in the hold. Then they captured a second one not quite so large and after it was safely stored away we weighed anchor and steamed out of the beautiful bay, afloat with icebergs, many of them being larger above water than our ship. But one disappointment met me, not a polar bear was in sight.
A nunatak is an area of fertile land surrounded by ice. One of the finest on the Alaskan coast is Blossom island. It is quite a large tract of rich land covered with forest and brilliant flowers.
When Mr. Young (before mentioned) was missionary to the Hoonah Indians they appealed to him to pray to God to keep the glaciers from cutting down the trees on the bays putting into Cross sound. They said their medicine man had advised them to offer as a sacrifice two of their slaves to the ice god, but this they had done without any effect. They were greatly disappointed when Mr. Young told them that he could do nothing to prevent the glaciers destroying their forests.
These Indians, the Kootznahoos, claim to have come from over the seas. They deny any relation with the Tlingits. They were the first Indians to distill57 hoochinoo, which carries more fight and warwhoop to the drop than any other liquor known. It is made from a mash58 of yeast59 and molasses, thickened with a little flour. They were great fighters and murdered the traders as soon as the Russians left. In 1869 Commander Mead60 shelled the village and took Kitchnatti prisoner. He was taken to Mare61 Island, California, and confined for a year. The tribe now numbers only five hundred souls. They are a peaceable people and follow fishing for a livelihood62. Many of them are employed in the fish factory on the island. Kitchnatti is still the recognized chief, and is very proud of his position. He meets all the steamers coming in and is delighted to meet the officers of the vessels63, all of whom are kind to him. He is quite vain in his dress, wearing a silk hat, long coat, black pantaloons and slippers. He also sports a cane64, which is a sheathed65 sword. He claims descent from ancestry66 as old as “yonder granite67 mountain” which stands across the strait. His state dress consists of a crown made of goat horns and a tunic68 made of red felt trimmed with fur. Over his door he has posted his escutcheon, which some one has translated for him into English. It reads, “By the governor’s permission and the company’s commission I am made the Grand Tyhee of this entire illabee.”
On a green slope stands a Greek church, established by the Russian government. The priest lives in a tiny cottage next door.
At the wharf69 a dozen little Indian boys, dressed in sweaters and overalls70, displayed much energy and skill in helping71 to unload the freight which was landed at this point. The first officer gave them fifty cents apiece when the work was completed and away they went to spend it, American boy like, at the candy store.
One of the most interesting things that I saw in the village was a little papoose taking his bath in a big dishpan on the front veranda72. He did not like it at all and kicked and screamed but his mother without a word proceeded with the bathing.
Just off Killisnoo the steamer anchored several hours to give the passengers an opportunity to try deep-sea fishing. Some fine halibut were brought aboard. Then we weighed anchor and steamed toward the old town of Sitka. This ancient capital of the Romanoffs is the seat of the territorial73 government of Alaska. A strong effort is being made by the mining interest of Juneau to move it to that point.
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1
glacier
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| n.冰川，冰河 | |
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scarlet
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| n.深红色，绯红色，红衣；adj.绯红色的 | |
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squatted
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| v.像动物一样蹲下( squat的过去式和过去分词 )；非法擅自占用（土地或房屋）；为获得其所有权；而占用某片公共用地。 | |
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slippers
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| n. 拖鞋 | |
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gull
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| n.鸥；受骗的人；v.欺诈 | |
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6
inspection
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| n.检查，审查，检阅 | |
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invalid
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| n.病人，伤残人；adj.有病的，伤残的；无效的 | |
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8
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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9
steward
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| n.乘务员，服务员；看管人；膳食管理员 | |
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10
glaciers
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| 冰河，冰川( glacier的名词复数 ) | |
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11
iceberg
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| n.冰山，流冰，冷冰冰的人 | |
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12
icebergs
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| n.冰山，流冰( iceberg的名词复数 ) | |
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13
receded
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| v.逐渐远离( recede的过去式和过去分词 )；向后倾斜；自原处后退或避开别人的注视；尤指问题 | |
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14
porous
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| adj.可渗透的，多孔的 | |
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15
torrent
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| n.激流，洪流；爆发，(话语等的)连发 | |
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16
plunge
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| v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲 | |
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17
debris
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| n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片 | |
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18
missionary
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| adj.教会的，传教(士)的；n.传教士 | |
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19
perpendicular
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| adj.垂直的，直立的；n.垂直线，垂直的位置 | |
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maze
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| n.迷宫，八阵图，混乱，迷惑 | |
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chasms
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| 裂缝( chasm的名词复数 )； 裂口； 分歧； 差别 | |
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chasm
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| n.深坑，断层，裂口，大分岐，利害冲突 | |
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crevasses
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| n.破口，崩溃处，裂缝( crevasse的名词复数 ) | |
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24
chaos
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| n.混乱，无秩序 | |
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glistening
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| adj.闪耀的，反光的v.湿物闪耀，闪亮( glisten的现在分词 ) | |
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spires
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| n.（教堂的） 塔尖，尖顶( spire的名词复数 ) | |
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obelisks
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| n.方尖石塔，短剑号，疑问记号( obelisk的名词复数 ) | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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surmounted
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| 战胜( surmount的过去式和过去分词 )； 克服（困难）； 居于…之上； 在…顶上 | |
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fretted
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| 焦躁的，附有弦马的，腐蚀的 | |
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scintillating
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| adj．才气横溢的,闪闪发光的; 闪烁的 | |
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enchanting
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| a.讨人喜欢的 | |
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avalanches
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| n.雪崩( avalanche的名词复数 ) | |
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crumbling
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| adj.摇摇欲坠的 | |
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buttresses
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| n.扶壁，扶垛( buttress的名词复数 )v.用扶壁支撑，加固( buttress的第三人称单数 ) | |
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streaked
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| adj.有条斑纹的，不安的v.快速移动( streak的过去式和过去分词 )；使布满条纹 | |
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37
turquoise
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| n.绿宝石；adj.蓝绿色的 | |
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38
sapphire
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| n.青玉，蓝宝石；adj.天蓝色的 | |
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39
blues
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| n.抑郁，沮丧；布鲁斯音乐 | |
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40
strata
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| n.地层（复数）；社会阶层 | |
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41
deafening
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| adj. 振耳欲聋的, 极喧闹的 动词deafen的现在分词形式 | |
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42
artillery
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| n.(军)火炮，大炮；炮兵(部队) | |
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43
plunging
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| adj.跳进的，突进的v.颠簸( plunge的现在分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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44
raving
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| adj.说胡话的；疯狂的，怒吼的；非常漂亮的；令人醉心[痴心]的v.胡言乱语(rave的现在分词)n.胡话；疯话adv.胡言乱语地；疯狂地 | |
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45
hues
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| 色彩( hue的名词复数 )； 色调； 信仰； 观点 | |
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stranded
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| a.搁浅的，进退两难的 | |
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pebbles
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| [复数]鹅卵石； 沙砾； 卵石，小圆石( pebble的名词复数 ) | |
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lagoon
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| n.泻湖，咸水湖 | |
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49
scented
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| adj.有香味的；洒香水的；有气味的v.嗅到(scent的过去分词) | |
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50
primrose
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| n.樱草，最佳部分， | |
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51
scatter
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| vt.撒，驱散，散开；散布/播；vi.分散，消散 | |
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52
dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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53
everlasting
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| adj.永恒的，持久的，无止境的 | |
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54
plowed
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| v.耕( plow的过去式和过去分词 )；犁耕；费力穿过 | |
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55
flattened
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| [医]（水）平扁的，弄平的 | |
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tract
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| n.传单，小册子，大片(土地或森林) | |
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distill
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| vt.蒸馏，用蒸馏法提取，吸取，提炼 | |
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mash
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| n.麦芽浆，糊状物，土豆泥；v.把…捣成糊状，挑逗，调情 | |
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59
yeast
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| n.酵母；酵母片；泡沫；v.发酵；起泡沫 | |
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60
mead
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| n.蜂蜜酒 | |
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61
mare
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| n.母马，母驴 | |
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62
livelihood
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| n.生计，谋生之道 | |
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63
vessels
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| n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人 | |
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64
cane
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| n.手杖，细长的茎，藤条；v.以杖击，以藤编制的 | |
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65
sheathed
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| adj.雕塑像下半身包在鞘中的；覆盖的；铠装的；装鞘了的v.将（刀、剑等）插入鞘( sheathe的过去式和过去分词 )；包，覆盖 | |
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66
ancestry
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| n.祖先，家世 | |
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67
granite
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| adj.花岗岩，花岗石 | |
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68
tunic
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| n.束腰外衣 | |
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69
wharf
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| n.码头，停泊处 | |
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70
overalls
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| n.（复）工装裤；长罩衣 | |
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71
helping
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| n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的 | |
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veranda
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| n.走廊；阳台 | |
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territorial
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| adj.领土的，领地的 | |
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