numerous sea-gulls in view, occasionally a school of porpoises, and now and then a whale. Every day we pass numerous islands, large and small, all covered with spruce-trees and having a very charming appearance.

CHAPTER XI
THE MUIR GLACIER.

Glacier Bay, July 10, 1892.

WE arrived here at nine this morning, and have the great Muir Glacier before us. It is about two miles wide, two or three hundred feet high, and several hundred miles long. Every quarter of an hour or so we hear a loud crack, followed by a noise like the discharge of a gun, then a rumbling like thunder, and a big piece of ice, as large as a house, and, sometimes, as a church, falls into the water, causing the great steamer to rock. Word was passed for us to get into boats for an excursion onto the glacier. We were cautioned to be prudent and not to wander too far, and were told the story of a young Methodist clergyman, who went out of sight of his companions and was never after seen or heard of. It fell to my lot to escort a lady who, accompanied by her maid, wished to go on the glacier. A glacier may be said to be a river of ice, formed on the mountains and forced downwards, travelling the same as water, only slower. This one moves at the rate of about forty feet a day, much faster than they do in the Alps. Those at Chamouny, for instance, make only a foot or two a day. Our party landed, and for some distance had the use of a plank walk. From various parts of this we had fine views of the front of the glacier, large pieces of which were frequently falling into the water, making a great noise. We then, after much rough walking over stones and ice, passed up to the main body of the glacier. The ice is forced up into hillocks and ranges, wet, slippery, and difficult to travel on. Mrs. B. tripped along lightly and safely, but not so her maid, whose shoes were treacherous, and twice she came to grief, but no harm was done. I had on arctic overshoes with corrugated soles, which served me well, for I did not slip once. For an hour or two we wandered about, admiring the ice, the views, the numerous small streams of clear water formed by melted ice, and then returned to our quarters on board. At 7 p.m. the stately vessel steamed around near the front of the glacier, when, as if to give us a parting salute, an immense mass of ice, as big as a church, fell into the water with a great noise. The passengers cheered, and we went on our course, passing numerous ice islands. The day was perfect, as the preceding ones had been.

CHAPTER XII
SITKA.

Sitka, July 11, 1892.

AT six o’clock this morning we arrived here. The weather was warm, tempered by a cool breeze. Not a cloud was in the sky. This is a small harbor, with many islands in sight. From the deck of the steamer we could see the town, and on top of a hill a large wooden edifice, where the Russian governor-general formerly resided. It is vacant now, and in a dilapidated condition. We went ashore, and saw many Indians sitting on the walks or by the side of the roads. They were dressed nicely, and were better looking than any I ever saw before. They had the usual supply of baskets and curios for sale.

We went in and out of several stores, and bought some curios, and then visited the Russian church, where there were some fine paintings of saints and other religious subjects. Back about a rod from the water, with boats in front of them, were a hundred or more houses occupied by Indians. Accompanied by a resident doctor, we went into some of these houses, and saw how the Indians lived. Owing to the large number of dogs and quantities of bad-smelling fish, we were very glad to get away from that neighborhood.

One of our friends had chartered the only wagon in the town, and took us for a trip of a mile or two along the shore, among the sweet-smelling spruce-trees, to a small stream of water, over which we passed, and then rested in the woods. On our return, we went to the Presbyterian Mission, which is a large and important one. It consists of a group of buildings: a church, a school-house, and two large edifices erected at the expense of Mrs. Elliott F. Shepard, in which the young Indians are to be taught carpentry and other mechanical industries. We attended a school in session, and heard the reverend gentleman in charge examine the Indian girls and boys in arithmetic, reading, and writing. They appeared as bright and intelligent as any white children, and as capable of being educated. It was reported to us that there were two hundred pupils in the school, and fourteen missionaries in charge.

Mrs. Richard H. L. Townsend, of New York, saw among the pupils a sweet-faced and bright girl ten years of age, and after talking to her awhile, adopted her to educate, agreeing to pay the mission for her support and education for a number of years. This lady, when in Japan in 1889, adopted in a similar way a little native girl there, and another native girl in China. These two children in their respective countries are getting along nicely with their education, and write to Mrs. T. sweet letters every month.