Wilderness, A Journal of Quiet Adventure in Alaska

to tell all sorts of yarns about explosions and rumblings, but he wouldn't believe a bit of it. He migh

iding by about two miles out in the bay, a dazzle of lights like a fairy citadel, the STEAMER! At my cry Rockwell sat up in bed and gazed too. Olson

bout him. I let him have a bite of breakfast, but not much. The dory had to be unbound-for we tie them to the ground-and turned right-side up, and loaded and launched,-but all that only after half an hour's cranking of the en

derstands pretty well the strange madness that possesses me, and is not at all unsympathetic. I explained to him one day the difference b

to have a look toward Seward where our mail comes from than for anything else. But Seward was hidden in falling snow. All the bay was shrouded in mist and snow. But our own cove was be

Januar

nderfully fair and calm, but the next day, it being the day he should have returned, a heavy snowstorm set in. And to-day with less snow there was more wind,-not so much that he could no

ROCKWELL'

an gnaw from the tree trunks. Billy at this season is a fury. One has really to go armed with a clout. Yesterday he burst in the door of Olson's shed and then inside managed to shut the door on himself. When I investigated the strange banging that I'd been hearing for some time, I found him. He had even piled things against the door. While no actua

Januar

e trees. On the ground it lies deep and heavy. To-morrow maybe we shall take to snowshoes. Rockwell and I each took a trip along the beach to look for Olson. As I stood there peering into the haze toward Seward a head arose from

y, Janua

at the height of to-day's storm I found myself continually going to the little window to look for a boat. Rain and snow, rain and snow! Ah, if only we had our ma

and can do the job before she finishes her cup of oats. I have to, for at the fini

Januar

s are black where rain has cleared the trees. It is so beautiful here at times that it seems hard to bear. And now at this moment the rain falls as if it had fallen for all time and never would cease. Oh Olson, Olson! Is it anything to you in your old age to be so madly w

held-while he burst the door to pieces. I caught him at the finish of it; I become a maniac at such a time. I pursued the beast with a club in a mad chase through the heavy snow,

both of us. He has made himself a lance and a sword and to-morrow I expect to confer some sort of knighthood upon him. Apropos of the book of King Arthur, Rockwell said to-day, "I don't think the pictures in the book are half nice enough. I think of a wonderful picture when you read the story and then when I see the one in the book I'm disappointed." And these

TSC

anuary th

terribly depressing to have your heart set upon that mail that doesn't come. I begin to think that some other cause than the weather holds Olson away. It is possible that the steamer we saw goin

hing over his arms. He was all that time as motionless as stone and as silent. Now he is Sir Lancelot of the Lake and

ver successively rains, snows, and hails. All the animals are still alive. I don't love them, they're rather a nuisance. Nothing could be less amusing than a blue fox,-small

, January

ge in temperature at Seward sixteen degrees. From now on it must average close to zero to give us sixteen for the month. Here it's not as cold as New York. Rockwell bathed to-night standing within six feet of the open door. I ha

January

ery man, woman, and child of its inhabitants, I disproved to-night. We walked down the beach and there were the lights of the great city brighter it seemed than ever. Either there has b

journeyed around the point to-day and saw the sun again. To-night in the brilliant moonlight I snowshoed around the cove. There never was so beautiful a land as this! Now at midnight the moon is overhead. Our clearing seems as bright as

CT

January

l. We journey many times down the beach over our snowshoe trail. That's our out-of-doors diversion,-to look up the bay tow

otprints are as large as a good-sized dog's. They seem to have a great time frisking about as they travel. On one little slope they have made a slide. No footprints are there at all,-only the smoo

I can't trust him with the foxes; he'd leave the door open as likely as not. (It was res

tant i cald to em et vas suppertam to Com bake and get som sepper and He sat down and luckt at me bot finly mosed of op in the Hill. i take the other fox and put em in the other Corall and left the 2-tow Coralls open and put feed in the seam es nothing ad a

time out-of-doors. Being Sir Lancelot still delights him and there's not a stump in the vicinity that has not been scarred by his attacks wi

anuary twe

eps by except for what sweeps in. Over my work table it descends in a fine, wet spray so that I've had to cover that place

rriers must secure your isolation in order that you may experience the full significance of it. The romance of an adventure hangs upon slender threads. A banana peeling on a mountain top tames the wilderness. Much of the glory of

ys ago after a very cold night we awoke to thunder and lightning-and snow! In two hours the sun was out. That afternoon I stripped and danced awhile in the snow-a little while. Then, after

his pretend-world it's all he can wish for. Another filthy mess of fox-food has been prepared and a new sack of salt fish put to soak in the lake. I do hate

January tw

cold, our cabin would be light without windows. These are so far the coldest days of winter. Although it blows straight from the north, whence only fair weather comes, the day is dark with drifting snow cloud high. The water of the bay is hidden in driving vapor. We cut

t for conditions here. We're running low now in cereals and milk but we had planned to visit Seward this month to

dark I go into a trance for a while with Rockwell subdued into absolute silence. I lie down or sit with closed eyes until I "see" a composition,-then I make a quick note of it or maybe give an hour's time to perfecting the arrangement on a small scale. Then when that's done I'm care free. Rockwell and I play cards for half an hour, I get supper, he g

RA AND HI

ided you proceed to draw the thing according to some definite, consistent idea. Don't conceal your ignorance with a slur, be definite and precise even there. Well, by golly, this lion gave me my chance to be unsophisticated; such a silly, smirking beast as I drew! At last it became somewhat

January tw

the wind has been exceptionally violent and the air full of flying snow. Both of Olson's water barre

anuary tw

of it, taking advantage of this glorious day. It was much milder than for days it has been and it still holds so to-night. There's no wind and t

anuary twe

llustrate! The translator of it says that Zarathustra is such a being as Nietzsche would have liked himself to be,-in other words his ideal man. It seems to me that the ideal of a man is the real man. You are that which in your soul you choose to be; your most beautiful and cheri

e ideal to an historical one? Of necessity the great selfish figures of all time have gone down to oblivion. It's the will of human society that only the benefactors of mankind shall be cher

ZEN

January t

id ice, my paste was frozen, and that's all. My potatoes and milk I had stood near the stove. At twelve o'clock the clock stopped-starting again from the warmth of breakfast cooking. I put the water pail at night behind the stove close to it, and yet it was solid in the morning. We burn an unbelievable amount of wood, at least a cord a week in one stove. So I figure we earn a dollar a day cutting wood. We felled another tree to-day and cut most of it up. Still we manage to gain steadily with our wood pile a

rned covered with ice and the fish were frozen solid before I reached the cabin. I

s out now without his horse, lance, and sword and he addresses me always as "My lord." Surely Lancelot himself was no gentler knight. A

January

uld not enter the frozen tree and when it at last did it wouldn't lift the great mass that rested on it. Only after an hour's continuous pounding with the heavy sledge-hammer did I drive the wedge in clear to the head, and then the great tree fell. The fall of one of these monsters-for to us they seem gigantic-is thrilling. This one went straight wh

ry savages. I asked him if he were cold. "No, my lord," he murmured and slept on. Very fine barley soup to-day. Wate

, Februa

ust completed my second drawing for the day. One a day has been the rate for a month-but yesterday the spirit didn't work. But the news! A great, old tramp steamer entered yesterday. That must carry mai

HE

February

his in the coldest weather. We scour our pots with snow before washing them, throw the dish water right out of the door, and generally are in and out all day.... It is surely nonsense to think that changes of temperature give men colds. Neither of us has had a trace of a cold this winter, we haven'

e the wind has blown, and for the rest been calm. Altogether it has been too uncertain for us to expe

d their living. I said they didn't earn

ghing, "some sort of a jok

nd the heroes, having proved by their might that might does not make right-or that it does?

Februa

o'clock while a light snow fell the lightning played merrily and thunder crashed. It is like this: snow for half an hour, then rain-silence and calm for a few minutes. Suddenly huge hailstones pelt the roof,

Februar

ful, soft, new snow so at least to have a look toward Seward. There lay the bay calm and beautiful-and spotless. The scale of

m we still cut to be well ahead for days that may be worse. It is beautifully mild now. On February first Rockwell brought in some budding twigs. The alders all seem to be in bud

ST

y, Febru

ens. He plays seal and swims in the deep snow. We built a snow house together. It is now about seven feet in diameter inside and as

hand $19.10 worth. For one hundred and fifty days it has cost us sixty-four cents a day for two, or thirty-two cents each,-a little over ten cents a meal. This

February

day with snow baths at sunrise. Ha! That's the real morning bath! And to-day again. We step out-of-doors and plunge full length into the deep snow, scour our bodies with it, and rush back into the sheltering house and the red-hot stove. To Rockwell belongs all credit, or blame, for this madness. He will do it-and I'm ashamed not to follow. Th

, Februa

breath of wind had touched it. The small trees, loaded, bent double making shapes like frozen fountains. Some little trees with their branches starting far from the ground formed with their drooping limbs domed chambers about their stems. Coming down it was great sport. We could slide down even in our sticky snow

Februa

gainst the big window to a third the window's height. By day the light seems curtained, by night doubly bright from reflected lamplight. Heavy drifts are everywhere. Last night fine snow filtered in upon our faces as we slept but not enough to be uncomfortable