THE YUKON TERRITORY.	75
which, with their owners, were to accompany us to Nuklukahyet.
The rain poured down on us and made everything wet and uncomfortable. I realized, for the first time, the size and power of the logs and fragments of ice which, seen from the banks, seemed so small and insignificant. Kurilla, whose Indian name was Uazookuk, had had much experience in this sort of navigation, and proved himself active, energetic, and efficient.
The boat had been hurriedly loaded, and the goods were not arranged to the best advantage. It always takes a day to get the party and boat into good working order. After pulling about six miles we felt the necessity for taking some breakfast, and, the Russians setting the example, we hauled close into the bank and boiled the chyniks. It is, of course, impossible to take or make soft bread on such a journey, as it would very soon mould. The traditional " damper " is a humbug. It is invariably heavy, and a fruitful cause of heartburn, indigestion, and consequent ill humor. Hence, in the absence of biscuit, a substitute being necessary, the Russians are accustomed to bake a large quantity of bread which, after slicing, they dry in the oven, so that, without browning, it becomes as hard as a rock. This hardness, however, immediately disappears when the sukaree, as the Russians call it, is immersed in hot tea ; and in this respect it is preferable to biscuit, which takes a long time to soak. It is, however, more liable to break up than biscuit, when carried in a bag, and not unfrequently retains dust and grit from the mud walls of the peechka, unless very carefully dried. We had both biscuit and sukaree; some of the latter having been made of white flour, it proved execrable, the Russian sukaree being always made of groats or Graham flour.
Just above the ravine and little brook where we took our tea was a rounded rock, boldly jutting out into the river. Around this a constant stream of ice-cakes, logs, and driftwood was pouring. The Russians first reached this point, and after one or two trials turned back and camped, hoping that the ice would cease running before the next morning. Kurilla saw this move with great disgust. "The Russians retreat: Unookuk will not retreat," said he, and struck boldly out into the stream of ice and drift-wood. For ten minutes all had their hands full, staving off logs