under such uncomfortable conditions and continued suffering from snow
blindness expose us to. I had with me a white man who lived at the head
of the inlet with a Tagish Indian woman. This man had a good deal of
influence with the Tagish tribe, of whom the greater number were then
in the neighborhood where he resided, trying to get some odd jobs of
work, and I sent him to the head of the inlet to try and induce the
Tagish Indians to undertake the transportation, offering them $5 per
hundred pounds. In the meantime Capt. Moore and the Indian "Jim" had
rejoined me. I had their assistance for a day or two, and "Jim's"
presence aided indirectly in inducing the Indians to come to my relief.

"The Tagish are little more than slaves to the more powerful coast
tribes, and are in constant dread of offending them in any way. One of
the privileges which the coast tribes claim is the exclusive right to
all work on the coast or in its vicinity, and the Tagish are afraid to
dispute this claim. When my white man asked the Tagish to come over and
pack they objected on the grounds mentioned. After considerable ridicule
of their cowardice, and explanation of the fact that they had the
exclusive right to all work in their own country, the country on the
side of the north side of the coast range being admitted by the coast
Indians to belong to the Tagish tribe just as the coast tribes had the
privilege of doing all the work on the coast side of the mountains, and
that one of their number was already working with me unmolested, and
likely to continue so, nine of them came over, and in fear and trembling
began to pack down to the lake. After they were at work for a few days
some of the Chilkoots came out and also started to work. Soon I had
quite a number at work and was getting my stuff down quite fast. But
this good fortune was not to continue. Owing to the prevailing wet, cold
weather on the mountains, and the difficulty of getting through the soft
wet snow, the Indians soon began to quit work for a day or two at a