Fifteen miles west of Masset the ocean indents the land for about thirteen miles from eight miles to one-eighth of a mile in width forming what is known as Virago Sound and Naden Harbor, the latter being the most accessible and safest anchoring ground for vessels on the north shore of the island. Into this harbor flows the Naden River, the second largest stream of the Queen Charlotte group. From Massett Inlet touching at the abandoned village of Yan situated at its entrance, we proceeded to those waters and advanced ten miles up the Naden River three miles by canoe and thence on foot through a thick forest of spruce and cedar with a dense undergrowth of intertwined salal, salmon, whortleberry and other bushes. Bear tracks and traps were numerous, but no game was started except grouse, which were very tame and plentiful. Night overtook us several miles from camp, wet to the skin and without blankets! But further progress in the darkness being impossible, we built a roaring fire at the base of a great spruce tree, and lay down until daylight. The following night occupying one of the three habitable houses in the old village of Kung, situated at the entrance of the harbor, we found Chinese pottery, and in the burying ground the largest carved figures of men we had seen, about seven feet in height.
Around North Island into Cloak and all its other bays, visiting the deserted villages of Kioosta Yakh and Henslung.
Thirty-five miles further, stopping en route to examine the old village of Yatz and the Yalan River, brought us to the extreme northern land of the Queen Charlotte Islands, North Island. Here Capt. Marchand lay with his ships trading with the natives nearly one hundred years ago. The Hydahs were then at least ten times their present numbers, swarming in the waters and on the shores around the villages of Kioosta, Yakh and Tadense, where now only carved poles, houses in ruins, and numerous graves attest their former greatness. Two Indian dogs were the sole occupants of the fishing and hunting village of Tadense, at the time of our arrival. They had been left behind by sea otter hunters, with an abundant supply of whale blubber—but were so lonesome that they followed us for a long distance along the shore, evidently for the purpose of being taken into our canoe.
A beautiful clear, still day, favored the circumnavigation of North island, and the careful examination of its coast line. A thick forest of spruce of small growth covers its entire area, down to its rocky shores, which are generally low, though rising to bold perpendicular bluffs from 50 to 200 feet in height at North Point and around Cloak Bay, the highest elevation on the island not exceeding 400 feet above the sea. There are four small bays on its north-eastern side, from one to two miles in depth, open to easterly winds, with fine sandy beaches at their heads where the remains of former habitations were visible. Cloak Bay, a much larger indentation on the south-western shore, is exposed to westerly storms. The safest anchorage these waters afford is found in a little cove on the south shore of the island between Cloak Bay and the village of Henslung.
Parry Passage, which separates North Island from Graham is about a mile and a half in width, though the ship channel—very rapid except at flood tide—is narrowed by reefs, and Lucy Island, to less than two thousand feet. Camping at the deserted village of Yakh, near Kioosta, we found large beds of strawberry vines of most luxuriant growth, and carvings of male figures complete.
THE WEST COAST.
Rounding Cape Knox for nineteen days, thirteen of which were stormy, we fought our way along about 275 miles of shoreline, traversing to their head every inlet, harbor, sound, port and bay, fourteen in all, from three to ten miles in depth, nearly all hitherto unknown, except to a few of the oldest Indians.
A rocky, ragged uninviting shore, from which project far out to sea many rocky points with outlying reefs, white with breakers, except during the calmest weather; precipitous mountains from one to four thousand feet in height, clothed with forests of spruce and cedar down to the sea; beautiful land-locked harbors, with short stretches of fine sandy beach at their heads; long winding inlets, down whose mountain walled sides roaring cataracts are plunging; numerous small streams in which salmon and salmon trout were seen by the hundreds; scores of islands, islets and cozy coves, where seal and wild geese abound, describes the general physical features of the west coast of Graham Island.
A SUBMERGED FOREST.
Tledoo is the name of a summer rendezvous of the sea-otter hunters of Massett, situated about fifteen miles south of Cape Knox. We had landed at Klik-a-doo, a short distance above, the only place visible where the sea appeared not to be breaking, and in examining the coast on foot several miles southward, discovered the tall pole which marks the site of the three cabins of Tledoo. At first view, the sea seemed to be breaking along the entire front, but a more careful examination disclosed a narrow entrance between the rocks through which we were able to enter a perfectly sheltered little canoe harbor with a fine sandy beach at the landing place.