certainly was a route to be adopted for future exploration.

While eating and making these plans, we saw two white specks moving on the grass slopes below, which as they approached, we soon made out to be wild goats. Six others joined the first two, and came up to have a look at us, and then grazed without showing the slightest alarm. The long white wool hanging thick above the knee gave them the appearance of wearing knickerbockers. As we had no rifle they were perfectly safe, and "Jeff," who was death on all kinds of small game, sat on his tail and looked at them with much complacency. They had never seen man or dog before, and "Jeff " had never seen that kind of beast except in the midst of civilization, and being a civilized dog he felt that barking at, or hunting goats would be the lowest depth of depravity.

Other thoughts passed through our minds, for we saw in them a future store of good food when we should come camping into this valley.

There was now no time to make further explorations, so taking a last look at the goats we called the pass by their Shushwap Indian name, Asulkan, and picking up our light swags ascended to the col, and then trudged down the gently sloping glacier for a couple of miles at a swinging pace. When the few crevasses were past and the moraine

x.]

A FRIENDLY BEAR.

129

reached, we threw off the rope which, except as a matter of principle, we might have done very well without. Following our former track in every detail, we were soon in the forest-then came the swollen river which had to be crossed on the fallen tree. We put up a brace of snipe in the swamp near it, and observed some little sandpipers on the gravel spits; then once more we were in the forest, and following the course of the river reached Glacier House at 8 P.M. after a delightful and most profitable day of twelve hours.

We spoke to Mr. Bell Smith of the beauty of the valley we had been in. He too had done a good day's work, and told us that while sitting at his easel in a secluded part of the forest, a bear came and looked at him, and grunting approval of his occupation, went on his way in peace.

One future route had now been explored, so our next move was a reconnaissance of the Loop valley and a route to the foot of Mount Bonney.

After an early breakfast, taking our axes, a prismatic compass, and small detective camera, we started down the railway track to the westward to where, on immense trestle-bridges, the line forms a double loop like the letter S.

On reaching the first high trestle-bridge, beneath which the turbid glacier torrent from the snows of Mount Bonney, finds its way to the Illecellewaet, we

K

paused to consider which side of the stream we had better try. The whole valley was clad in trackless forest, and so far as we could learn, no human being had as yet penetrated to its head. As the forest looked much the same on either hand, but as the mountain side beneath Ross peak looked the most precipitous, we decided on the more gently sloping right bank.

Divesting ourselves of our coats, which we placed on a conspicuous fallen tree until our return, we entered the forest, fully prepared for a hot and hard struggle. It is difficult to give anything like an adequate idea of what such forests as these are like. Besides the noble pines in the prime of life, dressed with lichens, the young trees growing up, the thickets of blueberry bushes, rhododendrons and the devil's club with its long broad leaves and coral red fruit, but most terrible thorns; there is the network of fallen trees, some rotting on the ground, others piled on top of these at every possible angle, with stumps of broken branches sticking out like spikes. Again, overhead are trees recently fallen, jammed against others, some only needing a push to bring them down. Getting through such a tangle is all hand and knee work. Sometimes a fallen log leads in the right direction, and you can walk along it, if the rotten bark does not give way and deposit you in a bed of devil's club. A few hours of this kind of

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THE ROUTE TO MOUNT BONNEY.

131

work is a desperate trial to one's temper, you make so little progress for all the labour expended.

On this day, three hours of it brought us just to the bend of the valley, and we saw plainly enough that this was the route that must be followed if we would reach Mount Bonney. Now we had no packs -what would it be when we had! But there, in full view, was the grand glacier heading the end of the valley: it could be reached with fine weather, patience,

and perseverance.

with all three.

We hoped we might be blessed

CHAPTER X.

"In the calm darkness of the moonless nights,
In the lone glare of day, the snows descend
Upon that mountain; none beholds them therc,
Nor when the flakes burn in the sinking sun,

Or the star-beams dart through them. Winds contend
Silently there, and heap the snow,

And what were thou and earth and stars and sea

If to the human mind's imaginings

Silence and solitude were vacancy?"

SHELLEY.

Start for camp in Loop valley.-The Glaciers of Mount Bonney.— Ascend the Lily glacier.

ON August 6th we started with our small tent, blankets, rifle, instruments, &c., for the Loop valley, determined if necessary to spend the week in Mount Bonney's conquest. We had an early breakfast, and Mr. Perley kindly offered to help us so far as he could. A small truck fitted to run on the railway, provided with a lever break, was ready to hand. the rails, packed our goods on it,

packs with Mr. Perley and two

We lifted it on to and sitting on the

men, who volun

teered to shove the truck up the hill again after we