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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Klondike Nuggets, by E. S. Ellis
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Klondike Nuggets
+       and How Two Boys Secured Them
+
+Author: E. S. Ellis
+
+Illustrator: Orson Lowell
+
+Release Date: June 1, 2007 [EBook #21652]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK KLONDIKE NUGGETS ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by David Edwards and the Online Distributed
+Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was
+produced from images generously made available by The
+Internet Archive/American Libraries.)
+
+
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: THE HEAD AND SHOULDERS OF A MAN INTENTLY STUDYING
+THEM]
+
+
+
+KLONDIKE NUGGETS
+
+AND
+
+HOW TWO BOYS SECURED THEM
+
+
+
+By
+
+E. S. ELLIS
+
+AUTHOR OF "Deerfoot Series," "Boy-Pioneer Series," etc.
+
+
+
+24 ILLUSTRATIONS AFTER
+ORSON LOWELL
+
+
+
+DOUBLEDAY & McCLURE CO.
+NEW YORK
+1898
+
+Copyright, 1898, by
+Doubleday & McClure Co.
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+
+                                                               Page
+
+THE GOLD-HUNTERS                                                  3
+
+AT JUNEAU                                                        13
+
+UP THE LYNN CANAL                                                37
+
+THE AVALANCHE                                                    47
+
+THROUGH CHILKOOT PASS                                            58
+
+A SIGNIFICANT DISCOVERY                                          71
+
+THE PLOTTERS                                                     80
+
+ON LAKE BENNET                                                   90
+
+INTO BRITISH TERRITORY                                          100
+
+AT WHITE HORSE RAPIDS                                           111
+
+ON THE YUKON                                                    120
+
+AT DAWSON CITY                                                  131
+
+ON THE EDGE OF THE GOLD-FIELDS                                  141
+
+PROSPECTING                                                     151
+
+A FIND                                                          159
+
+THE CLAIM                                                       169
+
+A GOLDEN HARVEST                                                180
+
+A STARTLING DISCOVERY                                           191
+
+THE TRAIL INTO THE MOUNTAINS                                    200
+
+A SOUND FROM OUT THE STILLNESS                                  209
+
+A TURNING OF THE TABLES                                         218
+
+A LION IN THE PATH                                              227
+
+A GENERAL SETTLEMENT OF ACCOUNTS                                236
+
+CONCLUSION                                                      246
+
+
+
+
+LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
+
+
+                                                               Page
+
+THE HEAD AND SHOULDERS OF A MAN INTENTLY STUDYING
+THEM                                                  Frontispiece.
+
+JEFF                                                              9
+
+"ROSWELL, DO YOU KNOW THAT STRANGE MAN HAS BEEN
+FOLLOWING US FOR THE PAST HOUR?"                                 33
+
+CATCHING THE EYE OF THE AMAZED BOYS, TIM WINKED                  43
+
+THE TENT-POLES WERE SHOVED DOWN INTO THE SNOW                    53
+
+ALL JOINED IN PUSHING AND PULLING ONE SLED                       65
+
+SUDDENLY HARDMAN MADE A SIGN                                     75
+
+"YOU'RE A PRETTY FELLOW TO STAND GUARD," SAID FRANK              85
+
+"OH, LOOK THERE! ISN'T IT DREADFUL?"                             97
+
+"WE'RE AT THE FUT OF THE LAKE," SHOUTED TIM                     105
+
+THE CURRENT WAS NOT ONLY VERY SWIFT, BUT THE CHANNEL
+WAS FILLED WITH ROCKS                                           113
+
+TIM AND JEFF LIT THEIR PIPES; HARDMAN SAT APART                 127
+
+AND THE THREE CHEERS WERE GIVEN WITH A WILL                     137
+
+"I DON'T SEE THE USE OF YOUR HARPING ON THAT AFFAIR,"
+SAID HARDMAN                                                    147
+
+"IT'S GOLD!" HE EXCLAIMED                                       161
+
+THE BOYS STOOD ATTENTIVELY WATCHING THE OPERATION               175
+
+"I HAVE JUST THOUGHT WHAT TIM'S BUSINESS IS AT DAWSON,"
+SAID FRANK                                                      189
+
+"WE HAVE BEEN ROBBED! ALL THE GOLD IS GONE,"                    195
+
+THE TELL-TALE FOOTPRINTS                                        203
+
+WATCHING AT THE TURN IN THE TRAIL                               215
+
+"HANDS UP, YOUNKER!"                                            223
+
+"WE HAVE MADE A MESS OF IT," WAS THE DISGUSTED
+COMMENT OF FRANK                                                231
+
+TIM AND HIS PRISONERS                                           241
+
+"SAY, TIM, YOU HAIN'T ANY IDEA OF GOING TO COLLEGE,
+HAVE YOU?"                                                      251
+
+
+
+
+KLONDIKE NUGGETS AND HOW TWO BOYS SECURED THEM
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+THE GOLD-HUNTERS.
+
+
+Jeff Graham was an Argonaut who crossed the plains in 1849, while he
+was yet in his teens, and settling in California, made it his permanent
+home. When he left Independence, Mo., with the train, his parents and
+one sister were his companions, but all of them were buried on the
+prairie, and their loss robbed him of the desire ever to return to the
+East. Hostile Indians, storm, cold, heat, privation, and suffering were
+the causes of their taking off, as they have been of hundreds who
+undertook the long journey to the Pacific coast in quest of gold.
+
+Jeff spent several years in the diggings, and after varying fortune,
+made a strike, which yielded him sufficient to make him comfortable for
+the rest of his days. He never married, and the income from his
+investments was all and, indeed, more than he needed to secure him
+against want.
+
+He was now past threescore, grizzled, somewhat stoop-shouldered, but
+robust, rugged, strong, and, in his way, happy. His dress varied
+slightly with the changes of the seasons, consisting of an old slouch
+hat, a red shirt, coarse trousers tucked in the tops of his heavy
+boots, and a black neckerchief with dangling ends. He had never been
+addicted to drink, and his only indulgence was his brierwood pipe,
+which was his almost inseparable companion. His trousers were secured
+at the waist by a strong leathern belt, and when he wore a coat in cold
+weather he generally had a revolver at his hip, but the weapon had not
+been discharged in years.
+
+There were two members of that overland train whom Jeff never forgot.
+They were young children, Roswell and Edith Palmer, who lost both of
+their parents within five years after reaching the coast. Jeff proved
+the friend in need, and no father could have been kinder to the
+orphans, who were ten and twelve years younger than he.
+
+Roswell Palmer was now married, with a son named for himself, while his
+sister, Mrs. Mansley, had been a widow a long time, and she, too, had
+an only son, Frank, who was a few months older than his cousin. The
+boys had received a good common-school education, but their parents
+were too poor to send them to college. Jeff would have offered to help
+but for his prejudice against all colleges. The small wages which the
+lads received as clerks in a leading dry-goods house were needed by
+their parents, and the youths, active, lusty, and ambitious, had
+settled down to the career of merchants, with the hoped-for reward a
+long, long way in the future.
+
+One evening late in March, 1897, Jeff opened the door of Mr. Palmer's
+modest home, near the northern suburb of San Francisco, and with his
+pipe between his lips, sat down in the chair to which he was always
+welcome. In truth, the chair was considered his, and no one would have
+thought of occupying it when he was present. As he slowly puffed his
+pipe he swayed gently backward and forward, his slouch hat on the floor
+beside him, and his long, straggling hair dangling about his shoulders,
+while his heavy beard came almost to his eyes.
+
+It was so late that the wife had long since cleared away the dishes
+from the table, and sat at one side of the room sewing by the lamp. The
+husband was reading a paper, but laid it aside when Jeff entered,
+always glad to talk with their quaint visitor, to whom he and his
+family were bound by warm ties of gratitude.
+
+Jeff smoked a minute or two in silence, after greeting his friends, and
+the humping of his massive shoulders showed that he was laughing,
+though he gave forth no sound.
+
+"What pleases you, Jeff?" asked Mr. Palmer, smiling in sympathy, while
+the wife looked at their caller in mild surprise.
+
+"I've heerd it said that a burned child dreads the fire, but I don't
+b'lieve it. After he's burnt he goes back agin and gits burnt over. Why
+is it, after them explorers that are trying to find the North Pole no
+sooner git home and thawed out than they're crazy to go back agin! Look
+at Peary. You'd think he had enough, but he's at it once more, and will
+keep at it after he finds the pole--that is, if he ever does find it.
+Nansen, too, he'll be like a fish out of water till he's climbing the
+icebergs agin."
+
+And once more the huge shoulders bobbed up and down. His friends knew
+this was meant to serve as an introduction to something else that was
+on Jeff's mind, and they smilingly waited for it to come.
+
+"It's over forty years since I roughed it in the diggings, starving,
+fighting Injins, and getting tough," continued the old minor musingly.
+"After I struck it purty fair I quit; but I never told you how many
+times the longing has come over me so strong that it was all I could do
+to stick at home and not make a fool of myself."
+
+"But that was in your younger days," replied his friend; "you have had
+nothing of the kind for a good while."
+
+Jeff took his pipe from the network of beard that enclosed his lips,
+and turned his bright, gray eyes upon the husband and wife who were
+looking curiously at him. They knew by the movement of the beard at the
+corners of the invisible mouth that he was smiling.
+
+"There's the joke. It's come over me so strong inside the last week,
+that I've made up my mind to start out on a hunt for gold. What do you
+think of that, eh?"
+
+And restoring his pipe to his lips, he leaned back and rocked his chair
+with more vigor than before, while he looked fixedly into the faces of
+his friends.
+
+[Illustration: JEFF.]
+
+"Jeff, you can't be in earnest; you are past threescore--"
+
+"Sixty-four last month," he interrupted; "let's git it right."
+
+"And you are in no need of money; besides it is a hard matter to find
+any place in California where it is worth your while--"
+
+"But it ain't Californy," he broke in again; "it's the Klondike
+country. No use of talking," he added with warmth, "there's richer
+deposits in Alaska and that part of the world than was ever found
+hereabouts. I've got a friend, Tim McCabe, at Juneau; he's been through
+the Klondike country, and writes me there's no mistake about it; he
+wants me to join him. I'm going to do it, and your boy Roswell and his
+cousin Frank are to go with me. Oh, it's all settled," said Jeff
+airily; "the only question is how soon you can git him ready. A day
+oughter be enough."
+
+The husband and wife looked at each other in astonishment. They had not
+dreamed of anything like this; but if the truth were told, Mr. Palmer
+had been so wrought up by the wonderful stories that were continually
+coming from Alaska and British Columbia, that he was seriously thinking
+of joining the northward-bound procession.
+
+Startling as was the announcement of Jeff Graham, a discussion of the
+scheme brought out more than one fact to recommend it. The youths were
+in perfect health, strong and athletic. Jeff volunteered to provide all
+the funds needed, and his early experience in mining and his love for
+the boys made him an invaluable guide and companion despite his years.
+He had turned over in his mind every phase of the question, and met
+each objection the affectionate mother brought forward, alarmed as she
+was at the thought of having her boy go so many miles from under her
+care.
+
+"It will be necessary to talk with Roswell about it," said the father,
+after the conversation had lasted a considerable while.
+
+"No, it won't; I've talked with him, and he's as crazy as me to go."
+
+"But what will Frank's mother say?"
+
+"She's said what she's got to say; had a talk with her last night, and
+it's all fixed. I've sent word to Tim that I'll be at Juneau by next
+steamer, and have two of the likeliest younkers with me on the coast;
+then we'll head for the Upper Yukon, and bime-by hire a ship to bring
+back all the gold we'll scoop in."
+
+"It seems to me that we have nothing to do in the premises, Jeff."
+
+"Nothing 'cept to git the youngster ready."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+AT JUNEAU.
+
+
+Now it is a serious undertaking for any one to make a journey to the
+gold regions at the headwaters of the Yukon, as every one will admit
+who has been there. All know of the starvation which threatened the
+people of Dawson City during the winter of 1897-98, when the whole
+country was stirred with sympathy, and our Government made use of
+reindeer to take food to the suffering miners.
+
+No dangers of that kind confronted Roswell Palmer and Frank Mansley,
+but their parents could not contemplate the undertaking without
+anxiety. The mothers held more than one consultation, and there was a
+time when both were inclined to object to the boys going at all. The
+dread of that desolate, icy region in the far Northwest grew upon them,
+until it is safe to say that if the departure had been postponed for
+only a few days Mrs. Mansley and Mrs. Palmer would never have given
+their consent. But Mr. Palmer laughed at their fears, and assured them
+there was no cause for alarm. He spoke so cheeringly that they caught
+his hopefulness, but neither noticed the lump he swallowed, nor with
+what difficulty he kept back the tears when the hour for parting came.
+He was fully as anxious as they, but he knew how to dissemble, and
+would not have confessed his real emotions for the world.
+
+After all, it was Jeff Graham who deserved the credit for the
+willingness of the parents to see their sons venture upon the long and
+dangerous journey. To him the trip was much the same as a visit to Los
+Angeles or the Yosemite Valley. His self-confidence never faltered. He
+was sure it would be only a pleasant outing, with the certainty of a
+big reward at the end of it. The sly fellow dwelt on the pale
+complexion and debilitated appearance of the lads. He even said that a
+cough which he heard Frank try to suppress (in swallowing some fruit, a
+bit of it went the "wrong way"--it was nothing more) indicated the
+insidious approach of consumption. Jeff was the only one who was able
+to see any paleness in the countenance of the young athletes, or
+suspect them of being otherwise than fine specimens of youthful health
+and vigor; but since he was as solemn as a judge when making his
+declaration, the father and mother of the one and the mother of the
+other could not feel quite certain there were not grounds for his
+fears.
+
+And so it being settled that the boys were to go to the Klondike gold
+fields under the care of the grim old Argonaut, it only remained to
+complete the preparations in the short time at their disposal.
+
+Had the mothers been free to carry out their wishes, their sons would
+have been loaded down with baggage upon leaving San Francisco. There
+are so many things which seem indispensable, when an affectionate
+mother is considering the comfort of her only son, that she is sure to
+overwhelm him. At first the mothers insisted upon each being furnished
+with a large trunk, which would have to be crowded to bursting to
+contain what was needed, but Jeff put his foot down.
+
+"Nothin' of the kind. Didn't I tell you that we'll git all that's
+needed at Juneau or Dyea or some point on the road? You've forgot
+that."
+
+"But, Jeff, there are some articles which they _must_ take with them."
+
+The old miner lit his pipe, sat down in the rocking-chair at the Palmer
+home, where the mothers had met while the boys and Mr. Palmer were
+down-town making a few forgotten purchases. The old fellow chuckled a
+little and then became serious.
+
+"In the fust place, not a trunk!" and he shook his head decisively.
+
+"Do you expect them to take what they want in their pockets?"
+
+"Umph! it would be the sensiblest thing they could do, but we can't be
+bothered with any trunks, that would be sure to be lost in the first
+shuffle. Each of us will have a good, big, strong carpet-bag, and
+nothing more. You can cram them as full as you choose, but what you
+can't git in has got to be left at home."
+
+There could be no mistake as to Jeff's earnestness, and neither mother
+attempted to gainsay his words.
+
+"Now," said he, "jest lay out on the floor what you have in your mind
+that the youngsters need, and I'll tell you what they _do_ need."
+
+"You mustn't forget," observed Mrs. Palmer, as she started to comply,
+"that the boys are now down-town buying some things which they
+positively cannot get along without."
+
+"As, for instance, what?"
+
+"Well, tooth-brushes, soap, combs, courtplaster, handkerchiefs,
+buttons, thread, quinine, and pain-killer."
+
+"Is that all?" asked Jeff so quizzically that both ladies laughed.
+
+"You have forgotten," added Mrs. Mansley, "the shirts, underclothing,
+socks, and shoes."
+
+"They are here," replied Mrs. Palmer, stepping briskly into the next
+room and returning with her arms full.
+
+"I've got to lay down the law," observed Jeff, just as Mr. Palmer and
+the two boys came in, glowing with excitement. "Here are the young men,
+and they look as if they had bought out half the town. Dump everything
+on the floor, and let's sort 'em out."
+
+When the pile was complete the miner gravely remarked:
+
+"Nothing less than a freight-car will answer for all that stuff, and I
+don't b'lieve we can charter one through to Dawson. In the first place,
+I s'pose the tooth-brushes will have to go, though I never found any
+use for such things, and I can crack a bull hickory-nut with my teeth.
+The same may be obsarved of the soap and combs, while a roll of court
+plaster don't take up much room. We'll be likely to need thread,
+buttons, and some patches for our clothes, though I've got a supply in
+my carpetbag. The quinine and pain-killer they may take if you can find
+a corner to squeeze 'em in. As to the underclothing, extra shirts, it
+depends whether there is room for 'em; but the boys mustn't think of
+taking their dress suits along, 'cause _I'm_ not going to. There ain't
+any room for violins, pianos, or music-boxes, and the only clothing and
+shoes that can go with this party is what we wear on our bodies and
+feet."
+
+"Suppose the shoes wear out?" asked Mrs. Mansley in dismay.
+
+"Then we'll go barefoot. Now, see here, we shan't be away more than
+three months. A pair of well-made shoes will last longer than that, and
+the same is true about our clothes, though we have the means of mending
+them, if modesty calls for it, which ain't likely to be the case in the
+diggings. Caps, coats, vests, trousers, and shoes are to sarve from the
+day we start till we come back. If one of the boys casts a shoe and
+loses it, we'll find some way of getting him another. What's this?"
+suddenly asked Jeff, picking up a small volume from the floor and
+opening it.
+
+He looked at the fly-leaf, on which was written: "To my dear boy
+Roswell, from his affectionate mother. Read a portion every day, and be
+guided in your thoughts, words, and deeds by its blessed precepts. Then
+it shall always be well with thee."
+
+There were two of the small Bibles, the other being similarly inscribed
+with the name of Frank Mansley. The boys and their parents were
+standing around the seated miner, and no one spoke. He looked at each
+precious volume in turn, and then reverently laid them among the pile
+of indispensables.
+
+"That's the mother of it," he said, as if speaking with himself; "it's
+a good many years since my poor old mother done the same thing for me
+when I started for Californy, and I've got the book among my things
+yet, though I don't read it as often as I should. _Them_ go if we have
+to leave everything else behind."
+
+When the task was completed, every one acknowledged the excellent
+judgment displayed by Jeff Graham. The three were arrayed in strong,
+thick, warm clothing, and, in addition, each carried a heavy overcoat
+on his arm. In the valises were crowded underclothing, shirts,
+handkerchiefs, and the articles that have been already specified. It
+was wonderful how skilfully the mothers did the packing. When it looked
+as if every inch of space was filled, they found a crevice into which
+another bottle of standard medicine, an extra bit of soap, more thread
+and needles and conveniences of which no other person would think were
+forced without adding to the difficulty of locking the valises.
+
+Nothing remaining to be done, on the following day the boys kissed
+their tearful mothers good-by, and warmly shook hands with Mr. Palmer,
+who brokenly murmured, "God bless you! be good boys!" as he saw them
+off on the steamer bound for Seattle, and thence to Juneau, where they
+safely arrived one day early in April, 1897.
+
+In making such a voyage, many people are necessarily thrown together in
+more or less close companionship, with the result of forming numerous
+acquaintances and sometimes lasting friendships. Following the advice
+of Jeff, the cousins had little to say about their plans, though they
+became interested in more than one passenger, and often speculated
+between themselves as to the likelihood of certain ones meeting success
+or failure in the gold regions.
+
+There were three sturdy lumbermen all the way from Maine. A curious
+fact about them was that, although they were not related at all, the
+name of each was Brown. They were light-hearted and the life of the
+large party. One Brown had a good tenor voice, and often sang popular
+ballads with taste and great acceptability. Another played the violin
+with considerable skill, and sometimes indulged in jig tunes, to which
+his friends, and occasionally others, danced an accompaniment.
+
+"They'll succeed," was the verdict of Roswell, "for they are strong,
+healthy, and will toil like beavers."
+
+"And what of the two men smoking their pipes just beyond the fiddler?"
+asked Frank.
+
+"I had a talk with them the other day; one has been a miner in
+Australia, and the other spent two years in the diamond mines of
+Kimberley, South Africa. Meeting for the first time in San Francisco,
+they formed a partnership; they, too, are rugged and must understand
+their business."
+
+"No doubt of it. Do you remember that stoop-shouldered old man whose
+room is next to ours?"
+
+"The one who has such dreadful coughing spells in the night?"
+
+"Yes; he is far gone with consumption, and yet he won't believe there's
+anything the matter with him. He is worse than when he came on board:
+but he says it is only a slight cold which will soon pass off, and he
+is just as hopeful as you or I of taking a lot of nuggets home with
+him."
+
+"He never will see the other side of Chilkoot Pass."
+
+"I doubt whether he will ever see this side."
+
+Thus the boys speculated, sometimes amused and sometimes saddened by
+what they saw. There was a big San Francisco policeman, who said he had
+cracked heads so long that he thought he knew how to crack some golden
+nuggets; a correspondent of a prominent New York newspaper, whose
+situation was enviable, since his salary and expenses were guaranteed,
+and he was free to gather gold when the opportunity offered; a voluble
+insurance agent, who made a nuisance of himself by his solicitations,
+in season and out; a massive football-player, who had no companion, and
+did not wish any, since he was sure he could buck the line, make a
+touchdown, and kick a goal; a gray-haired head of a family, who, having
+lost his all, had set out to gather another fortune along the Klondike.
+He walked briskly, threw back his shoulders, and tried hard to appear
+young and vigorous, but the chances were strongly against him. There
+were a number of bright clerks; a clergyman, pleasant and genial with
+all; gamblers, with pallid faces and hair and mustaches dyed an intense
+black, who expected to win the gold for which others dug; young and
+middle-aged men, some with their brave wives, serene and calmly
+prepared to bear their full share of privation and toil; and
+adventurers, ready to go anywhere for the sake of adventure itself. In
+truth, it was a motley assemblage, which to the boys was like a
+continually shifting panorama of hope, ambition, honesty, dishonor,
+pluck, and human enterprise and daring, that was ever present
+throughout the thousand miles of salt water that stretches from Seattle
+to Juneau.
+
+Juneau, the metropolis of Alaska, was founded in 1880, and named in
+honor of Joseph Juneau, the discoverer of gold on Douglas Island, two
+miles distant. There is located the Treadwell quartz-mill, the largest
+in the world. The city nestles at the base of a precipitous mountain,
+thirty-three hundred feet high, has several thousand inhabitants, with
+its wooden houses regularly laid out, good wharves, water works,
+electric lights, banks, hotels, newspapers, schools, and churches.
+
+"Here's where we get our outfit," said Jeff, as they hurried over the
+plank to the landing. "But where can Tim be?"
+
+He paused abruptly as soon as he was clear of the crowd, and looked
+around for the one who was the cause of his coming to this
+out-of-the-way corner of the world. He was still gazing when a man,
+dressed much the same as himself, but short, stockily built, and with
+the reddest hair and whiskers the boys had ever seen, his round face
+aglow with pleasure stepped hastily forward from the group of
+spectators and extended his hand.
+
+"Ah, Jiff, it does me good to see your handsome silf; and how have ye
+been, and how do ye expect to continue to be?"
+
+Tim McCabe was an Irishman who, when overtaken by misfortune in San
+Francisco, found Jeff Graham the good Samaritan, and he could never
+show sufficient gratitude therefor. It was only one of the many kindly
+deeds the old miner was always performing, but he did not meet in every
+case with such honest thankfulness.
+
+Jeff clasped his hand warmly, and then looked at the smiling boys, to
+whom he introduced his friend, and who shook their hands. He eyed them
+closely, and, with the quizzical expression natural to many of his
+people, said:
+
+"And these are the laddies ye wrote me about? Ye said they were likely
+broths of boys; but, Jiff, ye didn't do them justice--they desarved
+more."
+
+"Tim is always full of blarney," explained Jeff, who, it was evident,
+was fond of the merry Irishman; "so you mustn't mind him and his ways."
+
+Roswell and Frank were attracted by Jeff's friend. He was one of those
+persons who, despite their homeliness of face and feature, win us by
+their genial nature and honest, outspoken ways. No one ever saw a finer
+set of big, white teeth, nor a broader smile, which scarcely ever was
+absent from the Irishman's countenance. He shook hands with each lad in
+turn, giving a warm pressure and expressing his pleasure at meeting
+them. "I'm glad to greet ye, me friends," he said, as the whole party
+moved out of the way of the hurrying, bustling swarm who were rushing
+back and forth, each intent on his own business; "not only on your own
+account, but on account of me friend Jiff."
+
+"I do not quite understand you," said Roswell with a smile.
+
+"Well, you see, I've met Jiff before, and formed a rather fair opinion
+of him; but whin a gintleman like mesilf is engaged on some important
+business, them as are to be favored with me confidence must have their
+credentials."
+
+"And you accept our presence with him as proof that he is what he
+should be?"
+
+Tim gravely inclined his head.
+
+"Do ye think I would admit Jiff as a partner if it was otherwise? Not
+I."
+
+"But," interposed Frank, "how is it with _us_? You never saw us
+before."
+
+"One look at them faces is enough," was the prompt reply; "ye carry a
+certificate wid ye that no one can dispoot."
+
+"And I should like to know," said Jeff, with assumed indignation, "what
+credential _you_ have to present to us, young man."
+
+"Mine is the same as the young gintlemen," answered Tim, removing his
+thick fur cap and displaying his whole wealth of fiery red hair;
+"obsarve me countenance."
+
+His face became grave for the first time, while all the rest laughed.
+
+"I'm satisfied and hungry," said Jeff; "take us where we can get
+something to eat."
+
+"I knew by that token that I had forgot something, and it's me
+breakfast and dinner. In honor of yer coming, I've engaged the best
+quarters at the leading hotel. Come wid me."
+
+It was but a short distance up the street to a frame hotel, which was
+kept by a corpulent German who had been in the country for a couple of
+years. The men registered, during which Tim remarked to the landlord,
+who seemed never to be without his long-stemmed meerschaum pipe between
+his lips:
+
+"This gintleman isn't the burglar that ye would think from his looks.
+He belongs to a good family, or ye wouldn't obsarve him in my company.
+The young gintlemen are two princes that are travelling _in cog_. In
+consideration of all of them having delicate appetites like mesilf, not
+forgetting the honor of their company, ye will be glad to make a
+reduction in your exorbitant rates, Baron Fritz, I am sure."
+
+The phlegmatic German smiled, and in a guttural voice announced that
+his terms were three dollars a day, including rooms and meals, which,
+when all the circumstances are considered, was not extravagant. The
+party carried their luggage to their rooms, where they prepared
+themselves for the meal, which was satisfactory in every respect and
+better than they expected.
+
+It came out during the conversation that Tim McCabe had not a dollar to
+his name, and he spoke the truth when he said that he had not eaten a
+mouthful that day. It would have gone hard for him but for the arrival
+of Jeff Graham, though there is such a lively demand for labor in
+Juneau that he must have soon found means to provide himself with food.
+
+As for Jeff, he was glad in his heart that his old friend was in such
+sore straits, inasmuch as it gave him the pleasure of providing for
+him. Tim had taken out some five hundred dollars, but a companion whom
+he fully trusted robbed him of it, and the small amount left barely
+kept the Irishman afloat until the arrival of the old miner.
+
+Jeff Graham showed prudence in bringing a plentiful supply of funds
+with him, and since he expected to take back a hundredfold more than he
+brought, he could well afford to do so. Stowed away in his safe inside
+pocket was fully two thousand dollars, and inasmuch as gold is the
+"coin of the realm" in California, as well as in Alaska, the funds were
+in shining eagles and half eagles--rather bulky of themselves, but not
+uncomfortably so.
+
+The experience of McCabe and Jeff prevented any mistake in providing
+their outfit. They had good, warm flannels, thick woollen garments,
+strong shoes, and rubber boots. Those who press their mining operations
+during the long and severe winter generally use the water boot of seal
+and walrus, which costs from two dollars to five dollars a pair, with
+trousers made from Siberian fawn-skins and the skin of the marmot and
+ground squirrel, with the outer garment of marmot-skin. Blankets and
+robes, of course, are indispensable. The best are of wolf-skin, and
+Jeff paid one hundred dollars apiece for those furnished to himself and
+each of his companions.
+
+The matter of provisions was of the first importance. A man needs a
+goodly supply of nourishing food to sustain him through the trying
+journey from Juneau to Dawson City, the following being considered
+necessary for an able-bodied person: Twenty pounds of flour, twelve of
+bacon, twelve of beans, four of butter, five of vegetables, five of
+sugar, three of coffee, five of corn-meal, one pound of tea, four cans
+of condensed milk, one and one half pounds of salt, with a little
+pepper and mustard.
+
+Because of the weight and bulk, Jeff omitted from this list the tea,
+the condensed milk and butter, and while the supply in other respects
+was the same, respectively, for himself and McCabe, that of the boys
+was cut down about one third; for besides the food, the party were
+compelled to take with them a frying-pan, a water-kettle, a Yukon
+stove, a bean-pot, a drinking-cup, knives and forks, and a large and
+small frying-pan.
+
+Since they would find a good raft necessary, axes, hatchets,
+hunting-knives, nails, one hundred and fifty feet of rope, and two
+Juneau sleds were purchased. To these were added snow-shoes, a strong
+duck-tent, fishing-tackle, snow-glasses to protect themselves against
+snow-blindness, rubber blankets, mosquito-netting, tobacco, and a few
+minor articles.
+
+The start from Juneau to the gold fields should not be made before the
+beginning of April. Our friends had struck that date, but the headlong
+rush did not begin until some time later. One of the principal routes
+is from Seattle to St. Michael, on the western coast of Alaska, and
+then up that mighty river whose mouth is near, for nearly two thousand
+more miles to Dawson City. The river is open during the
+summer--sometimes barely four months--and our friends took the shorter
+route to Juneau on the southern coast, from which it is about a
+thousand miles to Dawson. While this route is much shorter, it is a
+hundred times more difficult and dangerous than by the Yukon.
+
+From Juneau there are four different routes to the headwaters of the
+Yukon, all crossing by separate paths the range of mountains along the
+coast. They are the Dyea or Chilkoot Pass, the Chilkat, Moore's or
+White Pass, and Takon. At this writing the Chilkoot is the favorite,
+because it is better known than the others, but the facilities for
+passing through this entrance or doorway to the new El Dorado are
+certain to be greatly increased at an early day.
+
+It was learned on inquiry that another day would have to be spent in
+the town before the little steamer would leave for Dyea. While Tim and
+Jeff stayed at the hotel, talking over old times and laying plans for
+the future, the boys strolled through the streets, which were knee-deep
+with mud.
+
+The curio shops on Front and Seward streets were interesting, and from
+the upper end of the latter street they saw a path leading to the Auk
+village, whose people claim to own the flats at the mouth of Gold
+Creek. On the high ground across the stream is a cemetery containing a
+number of curious totemic carvings, hung with offerings to departed
+spirits. It would cost a white man his life to disturb any of them.
+
+It was early in the afternoon that the cousins were strolling aimlessly
+about and had turned to retrace their steps to the hotel, when Frank
+touched the arm of his companion and said, in a low voice:
+
+"Roswell, do you know that a strange man has been following us for the
+past hour?"
+
+[Illustration: "ROSWELL, DO YOU KNOW THAT STRANGE MAN HAS BEEN
+FOLLOWING US FOR THE PAST HOUR?"]
+
+"No; where is he?"
+
+"On the other side of the street and a little way behind us. Don't look
+around just now. I don't fancy his appearance."
+
+A minute later, Roswell managed to gain a good view.
+
+"I don't like his looks as well as he seems to like ours. Shall we wait
+for him and ask him his business?"
+
+"No need of that, for he is walking so fast, he will soon be up with
+us. Here he comes, as if in a great hurry."
+
+A few minutes later the boys were overtaken by the suspicious stranger.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+UP THE LYNN CANAL.
+
+
+Roswell and Frank were standing in front of one of the curio stores,
+studying the interesting exhibits, among which was a pan of Klondike
+gold, but they kept watch of the stranger, who slouched up to them and
+halted at the side of Frank.
+
+"I say, pards," he said in the gruff, wheedling tones of the
+professional tramp, "can't you do something for a chap that's down on
+his luck?"
+
+As the lads turned to face him they saw an unclean, tousled man, very
+tall, with stooping shoulders, protruding black eyes, spiky hair, and a
+generally repellent appearance.
+
+"What's the trouble?" asked Frank, looking into the face that had not
+been shaven for several days.
+
+"Had the worst sort of luck; got back from Klondike two days ago with
+thirty thousand dollars, and robbed of every cent. I'm dead broke."
+
+"You seem to have had enough to buy whiskey," remarked Roswell, who
+had had a whiff of his breath, and placed no faith in his story. The
+man looked angrily at them, but restrained himself, in hopes of
+receiving help.
+
+"There's where you're mistaken, my friends; I haven't had anything to
+eat for two days, and when a stranger offered me a swallow of whiskey
+to keep up my strength, I took it, as a medicine. If it hadn't been for
+that, I'd have flunked right in the street--sure as you live. What are
+you doing, if I may ask, in Juneau?"
+
+"We are listening to you just now, but we are on our way to the gold
+fields," replied Roswell.
+
+"Not alone?"
+
+"We are going with two men, one of whom has been there before."
+
+"That's more sensible. Let me give you a little advice--"
+
+"We really do not feel the need of it," interposed Roswell, who liked
+the man less each minute. "You must excuse us, as we wish to join them
+at the hotel. Good-day."
+
+"See here," said the fellow angrily, as he laid his hand on the arm of
+Frank; "ain't you going to stake me a bit?"
+
+The lad shook off his grasp.
+
+"Even if we wished to do so, we could not, for our friend at the hotel
+has all the funds that belong to our party. Perhaps if you go there,
+and he believes the story, Mr. Graham may do something for you, but Tim
+McCabe has not the means with which to help anybody."
+
+At mention of the Irishman's name the fellow showed some agitation.
+Then, seeing that he was about to lose the expected aid, he uttered a
+savage expression and exclaimed:
+
+"I don't believe a word you say."
+
+"It is no concern of ours whether you believe it or not," replied
+Roswell, as he and Frank started down the street toward their hotel.
+The fellow was amazed at the defiance of the lads, and stood staring at
+them and muttering angrily to himself. Could he have carried out his
+promptings, he would have robbed both, but was restrained by several
+reasons.
+
+In the first place, Juneau, despite the influx of miners, is a
+law-abiding city, and the man's arrest and punishment would have
+followed speedily. Moreover, it would not have been an altogether "sure
+thing" for him to attack the youths. They were exceptionally tall,
+active and strong, and would have given him trouble without appeal to
+the firearms which they carried.
+
+They looked round and smiled, but he did not follow them. When they
+reached the hotel they related the incident.
+
+"Would ye oblige me with a description of the spalpeen?" said Tim
+McCabe, after they had finished. Roswell did as requested.
+
+"Be the powers, it's him!" exclaimed Tim. "I 'spected it when ye told
+the yarn which I've heerd he has been telling round town."
+
+"Whom do you mean?" asked Frank.
+
+"Hardman, Ike Hardman himsilf."
+
+"Who is he?"
+
+"Didn't I tell ye he was the one that robbed me of my money? Sure I
+did, what is the matter wid ye?"
+
+"You told us about being robbed," said Jeff, "but didn't mention the
+name of the man who did it."
+
+"I want to inthrodooce mesilf to him!" exclaimed Tim, flushed with
+indignation; "axscoose me for a bit."
+
+He strode to the door with the intention of hunting up and chastising
+the rogue, but, with his hand on the knob, checked himself. For a
+moment he debated with himself, and then, as his broad face lit up with
+his natural good humor, he came back to his chair, paraphrasing Uncle
+Toby:
+
+"The world's big enough for the likes of him and me, though he does
+crowd a bit. Let him git all the good out of the theft he can, say I."
+
+Dyea is at the head of navigation, and is the timber line, being a
+hundred miles to the northwest of Juneau. It is at the upper fork of
+what is termed Lynn Canal, the most extensive fiord on the coast. It
+is, in truth, a continuation of Chatham Strait, the north and south
+passage being several hundred miles in extent, the whole forming the
+trough of a glacier which disappeared ages ago.
+
+On the day following the incident described our friends boarded the
+little, untidy steam launch bound for Dyea. There were fifty passengers
+beside themselves, double the number it was intended to carry, the
+destination of all being the gold fields. The weather was keen and
+biting, and the accommodations on the boat poor. They pushed here and
+there, surveying with natural interest the bleak scenery along shore,
+the mountains white with snow, and foretelling the more terrible
+regions that lay beyond. Hundreds of miles remained to be traversed
+before they could expect to gather the yellow particles, but neither of
+the sturdy lads felt any abatement of courage.
+
+"Well, look at that!" suddenly exclaimed Roswell, catching the arm of
+his companion as they were making their way toward the front of the
+boat.
+
+Frank turned in the direction indicated, and his astonishment was as
+great as his companion's. Tim McCabe and the shabby scamp, Ike Hardman,
+were sitting near each other on a bench, and smoking their pipes like
+two affectionate brothers. No one would have suspected there had ever
+been a ripple between them.
+
+Catching the eye of the amazed boys, Tim winked and threw up his chin
+as an invitation for them to approach. Frank shook his head, and he and
+Roswell went back to where Jeff was smoking his pipe. They had hardly
+time to tell their story when the Irishman joined them.
+
+[Illustration: CATCHING THE EYE OF THE AMAZED BOYS, TIM WINKED.]
+
+"I obsarved by the exprission on your faces that ye were a bit
+surprised," he said, addressing the youths.
+
+"Is that fellow the Hardman you told us about?" asked Roswell.
+
+"The same at your sarvice."
+
+"And the man who robbed you of your money?"
+
+Tim flung one of his muscular legs over the other, and with a twinkle
+of the eyes said:
+
+"Hardman has made it all right; the matter is fixed atween oursilves."
+
+"Then he give you back your money?" was the inquiring remark of Jeff.
+
+"Not precisely that, though he said he would do the same if he only had
+it with him, but he run up agin a game at Juneau and was cleaned out.
+Whin he told me that I was a bit sorry for him. He further obsarved
+that it was his intintion if he won to stake me agin and add something
+extra for interest on what he borrowed of me. That spakes well for
+Hardman, so we shook hands over it," was the hearty conclusion of Tim.
+
+The boys were too astonished to speak. Jeff Graham's shoulders shook,
+and he looked sideways at his friend with a quizzical expression,
+unable to do justice to his feelings. As for Tim, his red face was the
+picture of bland innocence, but he was not through. Astounding as were
+the statements he had just made, he had a still more astounding one to
+submit.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+THE AVALANCHE.
+
+
+It was late in the day that the little steamer arrived at Dyea, which
+was found to be a village with one log store, a number of movable
+tents, and without any wharf, the beach being so flat that at high
+water the tide reaches a half mile or more inland. To guard against
+losing any of their supplies, Tim McCabe told his friends that it would
+be necessary to unload them themselves.
+
+"From this p'int," said he, "we must hoe our own row; under hiven we
+must depind on oursilves. Hardman, lind a hand there, and step lively."
+
+To the astonishment of the youths, the man took hold and wrought with
+right good will. Jeff looked at Tim queerly as he pointed out the
+different articles, he himself, as may be said, overlooking the job;
+but the conclusion was that the Irishman had promised him a small
+amount for his help. When, however, the task was finished Tim came to
+the group, and while Hardman, with shamefaced expression, remained in
+the background, he said with that simplicity which any one would find
+hard to resist:
+
+"You see poor Hardman is in bad luck; he hain't any outfit, and wants
+to go to the gold fields, but will have to git some one to stake him.
+Obsarving the same, I made bowld to remark that it would give me frind
+Jiff the highest plisure to do it for him, not forgetting to obsarve
+that I knew his company would be agreeable to the byes, and he will be
+of great hilp to the same."
+
+"Well, I'm blessed!" exclaimed the old miner, removing his hat and
+mopping his forehead with his big red handkerchief. Then he turned half
+way round and looked steadily at the fellow, who was standing with his
+head down.
+
+"Poor dog! let him come along, but if he makes any trouble, I'll hold
+you responsible, Tim."
+
+"And I'll be happy to take charge of the same 'sponsibility, and if he
+don't toe the mark, it's mesilf that will make him. Do you hear that,
+Ike?" he roared, turning fiercely toward the fellow, who started, and
+meekly replied that he heard, though it was impossible for anything to
+reach him except the last thunderous demand.
+
+"It isn't for us to say anything," remarked Roswell aside to his chum,
+"but that means trouble for us all."
+
+"It surely does; we must be on our guard against him."
+
+The outfits were piled on a sandspit about a mile below the trading
+posts of Healy and Wilson. In the foreground were the ranch and store
+owned by them, and beyond towered the coast mountains, their tops
+gleaming in the sunshine with enormous masses of snow, while hundreds
+of miles still beyond stretched the immense Yukon country, toward which
+the eyes of the civilized world are turned at the present time.
+
+One of the strange facts connected with Alaska and the adjoining region
+is that in May the sun rises at 3 o'clock and sets at 9, while in June
+it rises at 1.30 and sets at 10.30. Thus the summer day is twenty hours
+long, and it has a diffuse twilight. The change from winter to summer
+is rapid, winter setting in in September, and in the Klondike region
+zero weather lasts from November to May, though at times the weather
+moderates early in March, but does not become settled until May. The
+Yukon generally freezes shut in the latter part of October, and breaks
+up about the middle of May, when the western route to the gold fields
+by the river becomes practicable.
+
+The hour was so late when our friends had finished carrying their
+outfit beyond reach of the high tide, which rises twenty feet at Dyea,
+that they lodged and took their meals at the ranch trading post. By
+arrangement, an early breakfast was eaten the next morning, and the
+goods were loaded upon the two Yukon sleds with which they were
+provided. These were seven feet long, sixteen inches wide, and were
+shod with steel. Other gold-seekers were stopping, like themselves, at
+the ranch, but they lagged so much that when the men and boys headed
+northward they were alone.
+
+Jeff Graham and Ike Hardman passed the rope attached to one of the
+sleds over their shoulders, the elder in advance, and led off. Tim took
+the lead, with the boys behind him, with the second sled, following the
+trail left by their friends. The deep snow was packed so hard that no
+use was made of the snow-shoes which Jeff had provided.
+
+From Dyea the trail led for five miles over the ice, when they reached
+the mouth of the cañon. This is two miles long with an average width of
+fifty feet. The sleds were dragged over the strong ice, but later in
+the season, when it breaks up, travellers are obliged to follow the
+trail to the east of the cañon.
+
+The party were so unaccustomed to this kind of labor that they found it
+exhausting. Curiously enough, Jeff bore the fatigue better than any.
+His iron muscles were the last to yield, and he was the first to resume
+the journey. He chaffed the others, and offered to let them mount his
+sled while he pulled them.
+
+Beyond the cañon is a strip of woods three miles in length, which bears
+the name of Pleasant Camp, though it has not the first claim to the
+name. It does not contain the ruins of even a cabin or shanty--nothing,
+in fact, but trees, through which the wintry winds sough and howl
+dismally. There the party halted, ate lunch, rested for an hour, and
+then set out with the determination to make the next camping ground
+before night.
+
+The ascent now became gradual, and before the day was spent they
+arrived at Sheep Camp, on the edge of the timber. This is the last spot
+where wood for fuel can be obtained until the other side of Chilkoot
+Pass is reached. The tent was pitched on top of the snow, the poles and
+pins being shoved down into it. Jeff took it upon himself to cut what
+fuel was needed, gathering at the same time a liberal quantity of
+hemlock brush, upon which to spread their blankets for beds.
+
+Since it was necessary to use the stove, and it must rest on the snow,
+a simple arrangement provided against trouble from the melting of the
+latter. Three poles, eight feet in length, were laid parallel on the
+snow and the stove placed upon them. Although a hole was soon dissolved
+beneath, the length of the supports kept the stove upright.
+
+[Illustration: THE TENT POLES WERE SHOVED DOWN INTO THE SNOW.]
+
+The experience which Jeff and Tim had had made them both excellent
+cooks, which was a fortunate thing for the boys, since they would have
+made sorry work in preparing a meal; but the art of the Irishman
+deserved the many compliments it received. With the aid of baking
+powder he prepared a goodly number of light, flaky biscuit, and by
+exposing some of the butter to the warmth of the stove, it was
+gradually changed from its stone-like hardness to a consistency that
+permitted it to be cut with a knife and spread upon the hot bread. The
+coffee was amber, clear, and fragrant, and with the condensed milk and
+sugar would have reflected credit upon the _chef_ of any establishment.
+In addition, there were fried bacon and canned corn.
+
+Until this time the boys had never believed they could eat bacon, but
+nothing could have had a more delicious flavor to them. It was not
+alone because of their vigorous appetites, but partly on account of the
+bitterly cold weather. There is a good deal of animal heat evolved in
+the digestion of fat bacon, and it is therefore among the favorite
+articles of food in the Arctic regions.
+
+Probably there isn't a boy in the country who would not revolt at the
+thought of eating a tallow candle, and yet if he was exposed to the
+rigors of Greenland and the far north, he would soon look upon it as
+one of the greatest delicacies of the table.
+
+The hemlock branches were now spread on top of the snow at the side of
+the tent, a large square of canvas was placed over them, upon which the
+blankets and robes were put, the whole forming a springy, comfortable
+bed.
+
+Roswell and Frank were sure that in all their lives they were never so
+tired. Leaving the three men to talk and smoke, they stretched out on
+their blankets, wrapping themselves in them, and almost immediately
+sank into deep, dreamless slumber.
+
+The sleep had lasted perhaps a couple of hours, when, without any
+apparent cause, Frank Mansley awoke in the full possession of his
+senses. Lying motionless, he listened to the soft breathing of his
+cousin beside him, while the regular respiration of the men left no
+doubt of their condition. Everything around was in blank, impenetrable
+darkness and all profoundly still.
+
+"It's strange that I should awake like this," he thought, slightly
+shifting his position. "I'm tired, and was so drowsy that I felt as if
+I could sleep a week, but I was never wider awake than I am this
+minute--"
+
+Amid the all-pervading silence he was sensible of a low, solemn murmur,
+like that of the distant ocean. At first it seemed to be the "voice of
+silence" itself, but it steadily increased in volume until its roar
+became overpowering. Startled and frightened, he lay still, wondering
+what it could mean, or whether his senses were deceiving him. Then he
+suddenly remembered the vast masses of ice and snow which towered above
+them all through the day. He recalled the stories he had read of the
+glaciers and avalanches, and how Tim McCabe had referred to them as
+sometimes overtaking travellers in this part of the world.
+
+He knew what it meant, and, leaping from his couch, he shouted:
+
+"Wake up! Quick! An avalanche is upon us!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+THROUGH CHILKOOT PASS.
+
+
+As Frank Mansley's words rang through the tent they were followed by
+the awful roar of the descending avalanche, and all awoke on the
+instant. But no one could do anything to save himself. They could only
+cower and pray to Heaven to protect them.
+
+Something struck the side of the tent, like the plunge of a mountain
+torrent, yet it was not that, nor was it the snow. Tim McCabe knew its
+nature, and catching his breath, he called:
+
+"It's the wind of the avalanche! That won't hurt ye!"
+
+The wonder was that it did not blow the canvas like a feather from its
+path; but the tent held its position, and the appalling rush and roar
+ceased with more suddenness than it had begun. The throbbing air became
+still.
+
+Jeff Graham, who had not spoken, struck a match, and holding it above
+his head, peered around the interior of the tent, which he observed had
+sagged a good deal from the impact of the avalanche's breath, though
+the stakes held their places in the snow. He saw Frank Mansley standing
+pale with affright, while Roswell, sitting on the edge of his couch,
+was equally startled. Ike Hardman had covered his face with his
+blanket, like a child, who thus seeks to escape an impending danger.
+Incredible as it may seem, Tim McCabe was filling his pipe in the
+gloom, preparatory to a smoke.
+
+"Be aisy," was his comment, as he struck a match and held it above the
+bowl; "we're as safe as if in 'Frisco, and a little safer, for it's
+whin ye are there ye are liable to have an airthquake tumble the
+buildings about yer hid."
+
+"Wasn't that an avalanche?" asked the amazed Frank.
+
+"It was that, but it didn't hit us. If we had put up the tint a little
+beyant and further to the right, we'd've been mashed flat."
+
+He spoke the truth. The enormous mass of snow, weighing thousands of
+tons, had toppled over and slid down the mountain-side with a roar like
+Niagara, but stopped short, just before reaching the tent. Some of the
+feathery particles sailed forward and struck the canvas, the greatest
+effect being produced by the wind, but the monster was palsied before
+he could reach forward and seize his victims.
+
+When the situation became clear, every one uttered expressions of
+gratitude, but the boys were not relieved of all fear. What had taken
+place might occur again.
+
+"Not a bit of it," was Tim's reassuring reply. "I've obsarved the
+things before, and we shan't be bothered agin to-night. Take me advice
+and go to sleep, which the same is what I shall do mesilf as soon as I
+finishes me smoke."
+
+The shock, however, had been too great for all to compose their nerves
+at once. Jeff was the first to succumb, having faith in the assurance
+of his friend, and Ike Hardman soon followed him in the land of dreams.
+Frank and Roswell lay for a long time talking in low tones, but finally
+drowsiness overcame them, and with the pungent odor of Tim's pipe in
+their nostrils they sank into slumber, which was not broken until Jeff
+called to them that breakfast was waiting.
+
+The melted snow furnished what water they needed to drink and in which
+to lave their faces and hands. Then, before eating, they hurried
+outside the tent to survey the snowy mountain that had come so near
+swallowing them up. They were filled with amazement when they looked
+upon the vast pile, amid which were observed many chunks and masses of
+ice, several that must have weighed hundreds of pounds, lying on the
+snow within a few yards of the tent. Had one of these been precipitated
+against the shelter, it would have crushed the inmates, like the charge
+from the most enormous of our seacoast guns. It was a providential
+escape, indeed, for our friends, and it was no wonder that they
+continued to discuss it and to express their gratitude to Heaven, that
+had mercifully shielded them while they slept.
+
+Standing at Sheep Camp, they saw the summit towering thirty-five
+hundred feet in front, though Chilkoot Pass, which they were to follow,
+is five hundred feet lower. The task of climbing to the summit of this
+pass is of the most trying nature conceivable, and many gold-seekers
+have turned back in despair. Terrific weather is often encountered, and
+men have been held in camp for weeks, during which the crest of the
+mountains was hidden by clouds and tempests, and the whirling snow and
+sleet were so blinding that they hardly ventured to peep out from their
+tent. The weather was such as has baffled the most intrepid of
+explorers for centuries in their search for the North Pole.
+
+Our friends were unusually fortunate in being favored with good
+weather, there being hardly any wind stirring, while, more wonderful
+than all, the sun shone from an unclouded sky, in a section where the
+clear days average less than seventy degrees in the course of the
+entire year.
+
+No one who has ever climbed Chilkoot Pass will forget it. Some, alas!
+who have made the attempt never succeeded in reaching the other side,
+but perished in the frightful region; while many more have become
+disheartened by the perils and difficulties and turned back when on the
+threshold of the modern El Dorado. At the foot of the pass our friends
+met two men, bending low with the packs strapped to their shoulders,
+and plodding wearily southward. Tim called to them to know what the
+trouble was, and received a glum answer, accompanied by an oath that
+they had had enough of such a country, and if they ever lived to reach
+New York, they would shoot any man who pronounced the word "Klondike"
+in their presence.
+
+It is a curious fact regarding this famous pass that the snow with
+which it is choked is what makes it possible for travel. The snow
+sometimes lies to the depth of fifty or sixty feet, and from February,
+through May, and often June, its smooth surface allows one to walk over
+it without trouble. Should it be fine and yielding, the snow-shoes come
+into play, but when the crust is hard, no better support could be
+asked. The trouble lies in the steep incline, which becomes more
+decided the higher one climbs.
+
+Underneath this enormous mass rush violent torrents of water, which,
+hollowing out passages for themselves, leave the snow white arches far
+above, over which one walks upon a natural bridge. Later in the season,
+when the effects of the warm weather are felt, these arches begin to
+tumble in, and the incautious traveller who misses his footing and
+drops into one of the huge crevices is lost.
+
+As has been said, the steepness increases as one approaches the top,
+the last five hundred feet being like the roof of a house. Bending
+forward under their loads, our friends often found their noses within a
+few inches of the snow, while masses of rock protruding in many places
+added to the difficulties of travel. The combined strength of the party
+was required to get a single sled to the top. While one was left
+behind, they joined in pushing and pulling the other, with frequent
+pauses for rest, until, after hours of the hardest work conceivable,
+they succeeded in reaching the summit. Then, resting again, they began
+their descent for the other sled. It was fortunate that the crust of
+the snow removed the need of using the long snow-shoes, whose make
+suggests the bats used in playing tennis, for the men were the only
+ones who knew how to handle the awkward contrivances, which would have
+proved a sore perplexity for Roswell and Frank.
+
+Under some circumstances it becomes a question which is the harder, to
+descend or ascend a steep hill. Despite the utmost care, the whole five
+stumbled several times. Roswell felt the chills run through him, and he
+held his breath in dismay when he saw himself sliding toward the edge
+of a ravine, over which if he fell he would have been dashed to death
+on the instant. While desperately trying to check himself, he shouted
+for help, but it looked equally fatal for any one to venture near him,
+since the slope was so abrupt that he could not check himself.
+
+Jeff Graham was carrying the coil of rope which he had loosened from
+the first sled, and, seeing the peril of his young friend, he flung the
+end toward him with the skill of a Mexican or cowboy in throwing the
+_rita_, or lasso. The youth was slipping downward on his face, with his
+terrified countenance turned appealingly to his friends, while he
+tried, by jamming his toes and clutching at the surface, to check
+himself, and Frank was on the point of going to his help when the end
+of the rope struck his shoulder and he seized it with both hands. The
+next minute he was drawn back to safety.
+
+"I'm surprised wid ye," remarked Tim McCabe, when the panting youth
+stood among them again. "I thought ye were too tired to indulge in any
+such foolin'. Whin ye want to slide down hill, make use of the slid
+instead of your stummick."
+
+"I don't think I'll want to do any more sliding down hill in this part
+of the world," replied the frightened, but grateful youth.
+
+Once more they bent to their work, and pulling themselves together,
+succeeded at last in reaching the summit with the second sled, the
+whole party utterly used up. Even Jeff Graham sat down on one of the
+loads, panting and too tired to speak. When he found voice, he said:
+
+[Illustration: ALL JOINED IN PUSHING AND PULLING ONE SLED.]
+
+"What fools we are! And yet if I went back to 'Frisco, I'd start agin
+for the Klondike the next day; so I reckon we'll keep on."
+
+No one responded, for they were so wearied that talking itself was
+labor.
+
+Looking to the southwest, they could see the blue shimmer of the
+Pacific, where the Gulf of Alaska rolls its white surges against the
+dismal shores. Far in the distance a faint line against the sky showed
+where a steamer was probably ploughing its way to St. Michael's, with
+hundreds of gold-seekers on board, the van of the army that is pushing
+toward the Klondike from the West, the South, and the East, until it
+would seem that even that immense region must overflow with the
+innumerable multitudes, drawn thither by the most resistless magnet
+that can make men brave peril, suffering, and death.
+
+Turning in the opposite direction, they saw the mountain slope melting
+away in the great valley of the Yukon, with the trail leading through a
+narrow, rocky gap, and with naked granite rocks rising steeply to the
+partly snow-clad mountains. The party had been fortunate in completing
+the ascent in less than a day, when it often requires twice as long.
+The first half mile of the descent was steep, when the slope becomes
+more gradual. The glare of the snow compelled all to use their glasses,
+and seven miles from the summit they reached the edge of timber, where
+camp was made.
+
+Freed from all fear of descending avalanches, with plenty of food and
+wood for fuel, the exhausted gold-hunters lay down on their blankets,
+resting upon more hemlock boughs, and enjoyed the most refreshing sleep
+since leaving the steamer at Juneau. It was not until considerably
+after daylight that Jeff awoke and started a new fire, with which to
+prepare their breakfast, and when that was ready the boys were roused
+from slumber.
+
+They were now within three miles of Lake Lindeman, a body of water five
+miles in length, and the journey was speedily made. It was on the shore
+of this lake that the party expected to build a raft or boat with which
+to make the long, rough voyage to the Yukon, but, to their pleased
+surprise, they found an old Indian, with a broad scow, anxious to
+transport them and their luggage to the foot of the lake. He had
+already secured three men and their outfits, but was able to carry the
+new arrivals, and Jeff was not long in making a bargain with him.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+A SIGNIFICANT DISCOVERY.
+
+
+Game is so scarce in the valley of the Upper Yukon and in the Klondike
+country that many gold-seekers take no firearms at all with them. Years
+ago the Indians showed occasional hostility toward the missions and
+trading-posts, but nothing now is to be feared from them. They are
+often hired to help carry loads through the passes, and with that
+aptitude for imitating the white man, they have speedily learned to
+charge high prices for their labor.
+
+Before leaving Juneau, Jeff Graham presented each of his little party
+with an excellent revolver, quoting the remark which a cowboy once made
+to a tenderfoot:
+
+"You may not want the weapon often, but when you do you'll want it
+mighty bad."
+
+Jeff took with him his own pistol which he had carried for years,
+besides which he was provided with a fine Winchester rifle. He knew he
+was not likely to find any use for it in shooting game, but he grimly
+observed that if a pistol should prove handy, the larger weapon was apt
+to prove much more so.
+
+The Indian who engaged to take them to the foot of Lake Lindeman was
+old, but wiry and tough, and understood his business. He could speak a
+few words of English, which were enough for his purposes. He raised a
+small soiled sail of canvas on the scow, and with the help of a long
+pole kept the heavily laden craft moving. Although the lake was open
+thus early in the season, the shores were lined with ice, much of it
+extending into the water for a number of rods. Huge cakes sometimes
+bumped against the scow, but they caused no damage, and did not
+interfere with its progress.
+
+The three men who had first engaged the boat looked as if they had come
+a long distance. Our friends had no recollection of having seen them on
+the steamer from Seattle or on the steam launch that connects Juneau
+with Dyea at the head of Lynn Canal. Where they came from, therefore,
+was a mystery, the probability being that they had been loitering about
+Dyea for a long time, waiting for the season to advance sufficiently to
+allow them to start for the Yukon. They seemed reserved to the point of
+sullenness, keeping by themselves and showing so much antipathy to any
+approach that they were let alone.
+
+But just before the foot of the lake, nearly six miles distant, was
+reached, Frank Mansley made an interesting discovery. The most
+ill-favored of the trio was an acquaintance of Ike Hardman. No one else
+noticed the significant fact, and it was partly through accident that
+the truth came to the lad.
+
+The two men acted as if strangers, not exchanging a word on the
+passage, and seemingly feeling no interest in each other. All of
+Frank's friends were near the bow of the boat, looking to where they
+were soon to touch shore. Two of the strangers were standing just back
+of and near them, while Hardman was in the middle of the boat,
+apparently watching the old Indian as he plied his paddle with untiring
+vigor.
+
+The third stranger was at the stern, seated on the gunwale, smoking a
+clay pipe and seemingly taking no note of anything about him. When Ike
+Hardman sauntered among the piles of luggage to the rear, Frank was
+impelled by an impulse for which he could not account to watch him. He
+had no well-defined suspicion, and least of all did he suspect what
+proved to be the truth.
+
+Hardman halted a few paces from the man sitting on the edge of the
+boat, and, so far as appearances went, did not pay any attention to
+him. A quick, furtive glance to the front put the lad on his guard, and
+he, too, turned his face toward land, but his position was such that he
+could look sideways at the two, while not seeming to do so.
+
+Suddenly Hardman, with his back partly toward the youth, made a sign
+with his hands, the meaning of which Frank could not catch, because the
+signal was not fully seen, but the fellow sitting down nodded his head,
+and taking his pipe from between his lips, said something in so guarded
+a voice that only the ears for which the words were intended could
+understand them.
+
+This brief interchange ought to have been enough, but Hardman did not
+appear to think so. He stepped somewhat closer, and he, too, spoke,
+still gesticulating with one of his hands. The man addressed was
+impatient. He nodded again in a jerky fashion, and made answer with
+less caution, as a consequence of which the eavesdropper caught the
+words, "Yes, yes, to-night; I understand."
+
+[Illustration: SUDDENLY HARDMAN MADE A SIGN.]
+
+Hardman was satisfied, and came back to the front of the boat, which
+was now approaching the shore. His friend smoked a few minutes until
+the scow bumped against the projection of ice, and, the old Indian
+leaping lightly out, carried the heavy stone anchor as far as the rope
+would permit. This held the boat in place, and the unloading began. The
+Indian offered to help for an extravagant price, but his offer was
+refused, and the respective parties busied themselves with their own
+work.
+
+The discovery made by Frank Mansley caused him considerable uneasiness.
+The dislike which he felt toward Hardman the first time he saw him had
+never abated, and it was the same with his cousin. Young as they were,
+they felt that a great mistake was made when Hardman was allowed to
+join the party, and they wondered that Jeff permitted it, but, as has
+been shown, they were too discreet to object.
+
+That Hardman, on his part, detested the youths was apparent, though he
+tried to conceal the feeling when he feared it might attract the
+attention of others. He had little to say to them or they to him. Frank
+decided to tell his chum of the discovery he had made, and they would
+consult as to whether they should take Jeff and Tim into their
+confidence.
+
+Meanwhile, the trio gathered their loads upon their backs and started
+northward without so much as calling good-by to those whom they left
+behind, and who were not sorry to part company with them.
+
+The gold-hunters had had a little lift on their journey, but it was not
+worth considering, in view of what remained before them. A mile advance
+with sleds and their packs took them to the head of Lake Bennet, where
+it may be said the navigation of the Yukon really begins. The lake is
+about twenty-eight miles long, contains a number of islands, and in
+going to the foot one passes from Alaska into British Columbia. Along
+its shores were scores of miners, busily engaged in building boats with
+which to make the rest of the journey. Sad to say, owing to their
+impatience and lack of skill, some of the boats were so flimsy and
+ill-constructed that they were certain to go to pieces in the fierce
+rapids below, and add their owners to the long list of victims whose
+bodies strew the pathway from Chilkoot to the Upper Yukon.
+
+Here, too, it became necessary for our friends to build a craft, and
+since it was comparatively early in the day, Jeff and Tim, each with an
+axe over his shoulder, went into the wood, already partly cut down,
+Hardman accompanying them, in order to bear his turn. The boys remained
+behind to guard the property, though their neighbors were so occupied
+with their own affairs that they gave them little heed. Frank took the
+opportunity to tell his companion what he had observed on the boat
+while crossing the lake.
+
+"Hardman has joined our company for some evil purpose," said Roswell,
+"and the other man is his partner in the plot."
+
+"But they are gone, and we may not see them again."
+
+"One of them, at least, has an understanding with Hardman, and will
+keep him within hailing distance."
+
+"We will say nothing to Jeff or Tim until to-morrow; I fear that we
+shall learn something to-night."
+
+The boy was right in his supposition.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+THE PLOTTERS.
+
+
+All day long the two axes swung vigorously. Both Jeff and Tim were
+expert woodmen, and they felled pine after pine. Hardman pleaded that
+he was unaccustomed to such work; but Jeff grimly told him he could
+never have a better chance to learn to cut down trees, and compelled
+him to take his turn. The work was continued until dark, which, it will
+be remembered, comes much later in the far North than in our latitude.
+
+The distance between the scene of their work and the point where the
+outfits and goods were piled was so slight that there was really no
+need of the boys remaining on guard. Feeling that they were favored too
+much, they sauntered to the wood and asked the privilege of taking a
+hand in felling the trees. It was granted; but they made such sorry
+work, finding it almost impossible to sink the blade twice in the same
+spot, that they yielded the implements to those who understood the
+business so much better.
+
+The snow was deep, and the camp was much the same as the one made
+before entering Chilkoot Pass. All were tired, and lay down after the
+evening meal, glad of the opportunity for a few hours' sleep.
+
+In accordance with their agreement, the boys said nothing to either of
+their friends about what Frank had observed on the boat. It was
+understood between them that they were to feign sleep, but to keep
+watch of Hardman during the night as long as they could remain awake.
+Ordinarily it is a difficult if not impossible task for one to fight
+off the insidious approach of slumber, but Frank Mansley had wrought
+himself into such a state of anxiety that he was sure he could command
+his senses until well toward morning.
+
+He and Roswell lay under the same blanket, with their backs to each
+other, while the others were by themselves, the interior of the tent
+barely permitting the arrangement. Had any one stealthily entered
+fifteen minutes after they had lain down, he would have declared that
+all were asleep, though such was not the fact.
+
+Despite his nervousness, Frank was beginning to feel drowsy when he was
+startled and set on edge by a sound that penetrated the profound
+silence. It resembled the whistle of a bird from the timber, soft,
+clear, and tremulous. Almost in the same instant he heard one of the
+men rise stealthily from his couch. It was easy to determine, from the
+direction of the slight rustle, that it was Hardman.
+
+Frank thrust his elbow into the back of his comrade as a warning for
+him to be alert; but there was no response. Roswell had been asleep for
+an hour. It was too dark to perceive anything within the tent, though
+all was clear outside; but the lad's senses were in that tense
+condition that he heard the man lift the flap of the tent and move
+softly over the snow on the outside. With the same silence, Frank flung
+back the blanket that enveloped him and stepped out on the packed snow
+of the interior. Pausing but a moment, he crept through the opening. In
+that cold region men sleep in their clothing, so he had nothing to fear
+from exposure.
+
+The night was brilliantly clear, the sky studded with stars, and not a
+breath of air stirring. He remained a brief while in a crouching
+posture, while he peered in different directions. Before him stretched
+the lake, its shores crusted with snow and ice, with the cold water
+shining in the star-gleam. Still stooping low and looking intently
+about him, he saw something move between the tent and the water. A
+second glance revealed Hardman, who was standing alone and looking
+about him, as if he expected the approach of some person. Impatient at
+the delay, he repeated the signal that had aroused the attention of
+Frank a few minutes before.
+
+The tremulous note had scarcely pierced the air when a shadowy form
+emerged from the wood and walked the short distance that took him to
+the waiting Hardman. The two were so far off that it was impossible to
+identify him; but the lad was as certain it was the man who had
+exchanged the words and signs with Hardman as if the noonday sun were
+shining.
+
+Frank Mansley would have given anything he had to be able to steal near
+enough to overhear what passed between them, but that was clearly
+impossible. To move from his place by the tent was certain to bring
+instant detection. Now and then he could catch the faint murmur of
+their voices, but not once was he able to distinguish a syllable that
+was uttered.
+
+The interview lasted but a short time. Whatever understanding was
+reached between the plotters must have been simple, else it would not
+have been effected so soon. Suddenly the stranger moved off over the
+snow in the direction of the wood and disappeared among the trees. At
+the same moment Hardman moved silently toward the tent. Frank was on
+the alert, and when the man entered he was lying on his couch, his
+blanket over him, and his chilled body against the warm form of his
+comrade, who recoiled slightly with a shiver, though he did not awake.
+
+The fear of Frank Mansley had been that the two men were plotting some
+scheme for the robbery of Jeff, though it would seem that they would
+prefer to wait until he had made a strike in the gold district. What
+the youth had seen convinced him that the latter plan would be
+followed, or at least attempted, and he had hardly reached that
+conclusion when he fell asleep.
+
+"You're a pretty fellow to stand guard," he remarked to his cousin the
+next morning, after the men had gone to the wood again.
+
+[Illustration: "YOU'RE A PRETTY FELLOW TO STAND GUARD," SAID FRANK.]
+
+"I didn't try to stand guard," replied Roswell with a laugh; "I was
+lying down all the time."
+
+"Why didn't you keep awake?"
+
+"Because I fell asleep, and you would have done the same if you hadn't
+kept awake."
+
+"Probably I should--most people do; but what do you think of it,
+Roswell?"
+
+"First tell me something to think of."
+
+His cousin told all that he had seen the night before.
+
+"There can't be any doubt that Hardman and one, if not all three of
+those fellows, are plotting mischief. It might have been one of the
+others who signalled to and met him. I think we ought to tell Jeff."
+
+"We'll do so before night. It isn't likely Hardman suspects anything,
+and you will have no trouble in finding the chance."
+
+"You think it best that I should tell Jeff?"
+
+"By all means, since you will tell what you saw. Such things are best
+first-hand; but neither of us will say anything to Tim."
+
+"Why not?"
+
+"Jeff is the leader of this expedition. Tim is so soft-hearted that
+likely enough he would try to convince Hardman of his wrongdoing, and
+so put him on his guard. Let Jeff tell him if he chooses."
+
+"I hope he will drive Hardman out of our party; my impression of him is
+that he would not only rob but kill for the sake of gold."
+
+Roswell looked grave. The same thought had been in his mind, but he
+disliked to give expression to it. He hoped his cousin was wrong, but
+could not feel certain that he was.
+
+"Frank, make an excuse for calling Jeff here; he ought to know of this
+at once."
+
+Looking toward the timber, they saw that their friend had just given up
+his axe to Hardman, who was swinging it a short distance from where Tim
+McCabe was lustily doing the same. Frank called to him, and when the
+old miner looked around, he beckoned for him to approach. Jeff slouched
+forward, wondering why the boys had summoned him from his work. He was
+quickly told. He listened, silent, but deeply interested, until the
+story was finished. Then, without any excitement, he said, "Don't let
+Tim know anything of this, younkers;" and, with a strange gleam in his
+keen gray eyes, the old man added, "I've got a Winchester and a
+revolver, and I keep 'em both loaded, and I've plenty of ammunition. I
+think I'll have use for 'em purty soon."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+ON LAKE BENNET.
+
+
+The men wrought steadily in felling trees, and by the close of the
+second day had enough timber for their raft. It would have been much
+preferable could they have constructed a good, stout boat; but it was
+not feasible, though Jeff and Tim would have built it had they
+possessed the necessary planking and boards. They had provided
+themselves with oakum, pitch, and other material; but the labor of
+sawing out the right kind of stuff would have taken weeks. The Irishman
+had learned from his late experience; as a result of which a
+double-decker, as it may be termed, was planned. This consisted first
+of a substantial framework of buoyant pine logs, securely nailed
+together, while upon that was reared another some two feet in height.
+This upper framework was intended to bear their outfits, over which
+were fastened rubber cloths. The Alaskan lakes are often swept by
+terrific tempests, the waves sometimes dashing entirely over the rafts
+and boats, and wetting everything that is not well protected. The upper
+deck serves also partially to protect the men.
+
+The boys spent a portion of the days in fishing. There was a notable
+moderation in the weather, the snow and ice rapidly melting. Sitting or
+standing on the bank, they cast out their lines, baited with bits of
+meat, and met with pleasing success. Plump, luscious white-fish,
+grayling, and lake trout were landed in such numbers that little or no
+other solid food was eaten during their halt at the head of Lake
+Bennet.
+
+Work was pushed so vigorously that on the third day the goods were
+carefully piled on the upper deck, secured in place, and with their
+long poles they pushed out from the shore on the voyage of twenty-eight
+miles to the foot of the sheet of water. They were provided with a
+sturdy mast reared near the middle of the craft, but they did not erect
+a sail, for the reason that the strong wind which was blowing was
+almost directly from the north, and would have checked their progress.
+
+The unwieldy structure was pushed along the eastern side, where the
+poles were serviceable at all times. Each took his turn at the work,
+the boys with the others, and the progress, if slow, was sure.
+
+The first twelve miles of Lake Bennet are quite shallow, with a width
+barely exceeding a half mile. Fifteen miles down occurs the junction
+with the southwest arm, and the point had hardly come into sight when
+Tim said:
+
+"Now look out for trouble, for here's where we'll catch it sure."
+
+All understood what he meant, for a wind was blowing down the arm with
+such fierceness that it looked as if everything would be swept off the
+raft. The prospect was so threatening that they ran inshore while yet
+at a safe distance, and waited for the gale to subside.
+
+"Is it likely to last long?" asked Roswell, when they had secured
+shelter.
+
+"That depinds how far off the end of the same may be," was the
+unsatisfactory reply. "I've knowed men to be held here for days, but I
+have hopes that we may get off in the coorse of two or three weeks."
+
+The boys as well as Jeff could not believe that Tim was in earnest, for
+his lightest words were often spoken with the gravest expression of
+face; but their former experience taught them to be prepared for almost
+any whim in the weather. They recalled those dismal days and nights
+earlier on their journey, when they were storm-stayed, and they were
+depressed at the thought that something of the nature might again
+overtake them. When the boys proposed to put up the tent, the Irishman
+said:
+
+"It is early in the day; bide awhile before going to that trouble."
+
+This remark convinced them that he was more hopeful of a release than
+would be implied from his words; so they wrapped their heavy coats
+closer and hoped for the best. The men lit their pipes, while the boys
+huddled close together and had little to say. Unexpectedly there came
+such a lull in the gale early in the afternoon that the voyage, to the
+delight of all, was resumed.
+
+Ike Hardman was in more genial spirits than at any time since he joined
+the company. He showed an eagerness to help, declining to yield the
+pole when Jeff offered to relieve him, and ventured now and then upon
+some jest with Roswell and Frank. Their distrust, however, was not
+lessened, and they were too honest to affect a liking that it was
+impossible to feel. They had little to say to him, and noticing the
+fact, he finally let them alone. Whatever misgiving Jeff may have felt
+was skilfully concealed, and the fellow could have felt no suspicion
+that his secret was suspected by any member of the company.
+
+The wind blew so strongly that there was some misgiving; but observing
+that it came from the right quarter, the sail was hoisted, and as the
+canvas bellied outward, the raft caught the impulse and began moving
+through the water at a rate that sent the ripples flying over the
+square ends of the logs at the front. All sat down on the upper
+framework, with the exception of Jeff, who stood, pole in hand, at the
+bow, ready to guide the structure should it sheer in the wrong
+direction.
+
+The conformation of the shore and a slight change of wind carried the
+raft farther out on the lake. Observing that it was getting slightly
+askew, Jeff pushed the long pole downward until his hand almost touched
+the surface of the water. While holding it there the other end bobbed
+up, having failed to touch ground.
+
+"No use," he said, facing his friends, who were watching him, "the
+bottom may be half a mile below."
+
+"That looks as if we're over our hids," said Tim; "by which token, if
+this steamer blows up we've got to swim for our lives, and I never
+larned to swim a stroke."
+
+The boys looked at him wonderingly.
+
+"How is it you did not learn?" asked Roswell.
+
+"I've tried hundreds of times. I kept in the water till me toes begun
+to have webs between 'em, but at the first stroke me hid went down and
+me heels up. I can swim in that style," he added gravely, "but find the
+same slightly inconvanient owing to the necissity of braithing now and
+thin. I tried fur a long time to braithe through me toes, but niver
+made much of a succiss of it."
+
+"And I learned to swim in one day," remarked Frank; "strange that you
+should have so much trouble."
+
+"Undoubtedly that's because yer hid is so light, while me own brains
+weigh me down; it's aisy to understand that."
+
+"If we should have any mishap, Tim," said Frank, "you must remember to
+hold fast to a piece of wood to help you float--a small bit is enough."
+
+"I have a bitter plan than that."
+
+"What is it?"
+
+"Niver have anything to do wid the water."
+
+"That would be certain safety if you could carry it out; but you can't
+help it all times--such, for instance, as the present."
+
+"And I'm thinking we shall have plinty of the same before we raich
+Dawson."
+
+"After we get to the foot of this lake, what comes next, Tim?"
+
+"Caribou Crossing, which we pass through to Lake Tagish, which isn't
+quite as big as is this one. I'm thinking," he added thoughtfully,
+watching the rising anger of the waves, "that bime-by, whin we come
+near land, we'll be going that fast that we'll skim over the snow like
+a sled to the nixt lake."
+
+Roswell pointed to the shore on their right, indicating a stake which
+rose upright from the ground and stood close to the water.
+
+"What is the meaning of that?" he asked.
+
+"That," replied Tim, "marks the grave of some poor chap that died on
+his way to the Klondike. Do ye obsarve that cairn of stones a bit
+beyont?"
+
+Each saw it.
+
+"That marks anither grave; and ye may call to mind that we obsarved
+more of the same along Lake Lindeman."
+
+Such was the fact, though this was the first reference to them.
+
+"And we shall hardly be out of sight of some of the same all the way to
+the Klondike; and I'm thinking," was his truthful remark, "that
+hundreds more will lay their bones down in these parts and niver see
+their loved ones again."
+
+It was a sad thought. In a few years improved routes, railway-tracks,
+and houses for food and lodging will rob the Klondike region of its
+terrors, but until then death must exact a heavy toll from the
+gold-seekers crowding northward, without regard to season or the
+simplest laws of prudence.
+
+Roswell was standing on the upper deck, near a corner, when he
+exclaimed excitedly:
+
+"Oh, look there! Isn't it dreadful?"
+
+[Illustration: "OH, LOOK THERE! ISN'T IT DREADFUL?"]
+
+He was pointing out on the lake, and, following the direction of his
+hand, all saw the answer to his question.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+
+INTO BRITISH TERRITORY.
+
+
+All hurried to the side of Roswell, who was pointing to a place a short
+distance from the raft.
+
+It was the body of a man that they saw, floating face upward. His
+clothing was good, and the white features, partly hidden by a black
+beard, must have been pleasing in life. The feet and hands, dangling at
+the sides, were so low in the water that only when stirred by the waves
+did they show, but the face rose and fell, sometimes above, and never
+more than a few inches below, so that it was in view all the time.
+
+The group silently viewed the scene. The body drifted nearer and nearer
+and faintly touched the edge of the raft, as the wind carried it past.
+Then it continued dipping, and gradually floated away in the gathering
+gloom.
+
+"We ought to give it burial," said Frank to Jeff, who shook his head.
+
+"What's the use? We might tow it ashore, dig up a foot of the frozen
+earth, and set a wooden cross or heap of stones to mark the grave, but
+the lake is as good a burial-place as it could have."
+
+"I wonder who he could have been," said Roswell thoughtfully. "Some
+man, no doubt, who has come from his home in the States, thousands of
+miles away, and started to search for gold. He may have left wife and
+children behind, who will look longingly for his coming, but will never
+see his face again."
+
+"The world is full of such sad things," observed Tim McCabe, impressed,
+like all, with the melancholy incident, and then he expressed the
+thought that was in the mind of each: "There be five of us: will we all
+see home again?"
+
+There was no reply. Hardman had not spoken, and, as if the occasion was
+too oppressive, he sauntered to another part of the raft, while the
+rest gradually separated, each grave and saddened by what he had
+witnessed.
+
+It is well for us to turn aside from the hurly-burly of life and
+reflect upon the solemn fact of the inevitable end that awaits us all.
+
+But the long afternoon was drawing to a close, and the question to be
+considered was whether the raft should be allowed to drift or land, or
+they should continue forward, despite a certain degree of danger during
+the darkness. All were eager to improve the time, and Jeff, as the head
+of the expedition, said they would keep at it at least for a while
+longer.
+
+"As far as I can tell," he said, "there's no danger of running into
+anything that'll wreck us, and we must use our sail while we can.
+Besides," he added, after testing it, "the water is so deep that we
+can't reach bottom, and there isn't much chance to help ourselves."
+
+The wind which swept over the raft had risen almost to a gale, and
+brought with it a few scurrying flakes of snow. There was a perceptible
+fall in the temperature, and the chilly, penetrating air caused all to
+shiver, despite their thick clothing.
+
+Finally night closed in, and the raft was still drifting, the wind
+carrying it four or five miles an hour. The night was so short that the
+hope was general that the straightforward progress would continue until
+sunrise, though Tim, who was better acquainted with the region,
+expressed the belief that a storm of several days' duration had set in.
+
+Since there was nothing to do, the men and boys disposed of themselves
+as comfortably as possible on the lee side of the raft, beyond reach of
+the waves, though the spray now and then dashed against their rubber
+blankets which each had wrapped about his shoulders and body. After a
+time Jeff took his station at the bow, though an almost imperceptible
+change of wind caused the structure to drift partly sideways.
+
+Roswell and Frank, who were seated back to back and in an easy
+attitude, had sunk into a doze, when both were startled by a bump which
+swung them partly over. They straightened up and looked around in the
+gloom, wondering what it meant.
+
+"We've struck shore," called Jeff, who was the only one on watch. "The
+voyage is over for the time."
+
+There was hurrying to and fro, as all perceived that he had spoken the
+truth. The corner of the raft had impinged against some ice that was
+piled on the beach. The gloom was too deep for any one to see more than
+a few rods, so that Tim, who had traversed the sheet of water before,
+was unable to guess where they were.
+
+"Provided we've come over a straight coorse," said the Irishman, "we
+can't be far from the fut of the lake."
+
+"We'll know in the morning, which can't be far off," replied Jeff;
+"we'll make ourselves as comfortable as we can until then."
+
+Despite the wind, they managed to light several matches and examine
+their watches. To their surprise, the night was nearly gone, and it was
+decided not to attempt to put up their tent until daylight.
+Accordingly, they huddled together and spent the remaining hour of
+gloom in anything but comfort.
+
+At the earliest streakings of light all were astir. Springing from the
+ground, Tim McCabe hurriedly walked a short way to the northward. The
+others had risen to their feet and were watching him. As the gray light
+rapidly overspread the scene, they saw the lake, still tossing with
+whitecaps, stretching to the south and west, with the shore faintly
+visible. On the east, north, south, and west towered the snow-capped
+mountains, with Mount Lotne and other peaks piercing the very clouds.
+The sun was still hidden, with the air damp, cold, and penetrating.
+
+Tim McCabe was seen to stand motionless for some minutes, when he
+slowly turned about on his heels and attentively studied the landmarks.
+Then he suddenly flung his cap high in air, and, catching it as it came
+down, began dancing a jig with furious vigor. He acted as if he had
+bidden good-by to his senses.
+
+"Whoop! hurrah!" he shouted, as he replaced his cap and hurried to his
+friends. "We're at the fut of the lake!"
+
+[Illustration: "WE'RE AT THE FUT OF THE LAKE," SHOUTED TIM.]
+
+Such was the fact. A steamer guided by pilot and compass could not have
+come more directly to the termination of the sheet of water. Tim had
+cause for rejoicing, and all congratulated themselves upon their good
+fortune.
+
+"There's only one bad thing about the same," he added more seriously.
+
+"What's that?" asked Jeff.
+
+"We're no longer in the United States."
+
+"That's the fact," said Hardman, "we're in British Columbia."
+
+After all, this was a small matter. Inasmuch as the signs indicated a
+severe storm, it was decided to stay where they were until its chief
+fury was spent. The snow was shovelled aside to allow them to reach the
+frozen earth, into which the stakes were securely driven, and the tent
+set up, with the stove in position.
+
+Beyond Chilkoot Pass plenty of timber is to be found, consisting of
+pine, spruce, cottonwood, and birch. Thus far not the first sign of
+game had been seen. The whole country, after leaving Dyea, is
+mountainous.
+
+Most of the goods were left on the raft, where they were protected by
+the rubber sheathing and the secure manner in which they were packed
+and bound.
+
+Three dreary days of waiting followed, and the hours became so
+monotonous at times, especially after the hard, active toil that had
+preceded them, that in some respects it was the most trying period of
+the memorable journey of our friends from Dyea to Dawson City. The men
+found consolation in their pipes, which frequently made the air within
+the tent intolerable to the youngsters. Like most smokers, however, the
+men never suspected the annoyance they caused, and the boys were too
+considerate to hint anything of the kind. When their young limbs
+yearned for exercise, they bolted out of doors, in the face of the
+driving sleet and fine snow which cut the face like bird-shot. Locking
+arms, they wrestled and rolled and tumbled in the snow, washed each
+other's faces, flung the snow about--for it was too dry to admit of
+being wrought into balls--and when tired out, they came back panting
+and with red cheeks, showing that their lungs had been filled with the
+life-giving ozone.
+
+It was necessary now and then to cut fuel from the adjacent wood, and
+this was done by Tim and Jeff. The boys asked to be allowed to try
+their hand, but they were too unskilful in wielding an axe, and their
+request was denied. Now and then the howling gale drove the smoke back
+into the tent, where it was almost as bad as the odor from the pipes.
+
+The four slept at intervals through the day and most of the long night;
+but now and then the men laid aside their pipes, the stove "drew," and
+the atmosphere within was agreeable. The only books in the company were
+the two pocket Bibles furnished by the mothers of Roswell and Frank.
+Neither boy forgot his promise to read the volume whenever suitable
+opportunity presented. Seeing Frank reclining on his blanket, with his
+little Bible in hand, Jeff asked him to read it aloud, and the boy
+gladly complied. It was a striking sight, as the men inclined their
+heads and reverently listened to the impressive words from the Book of
+Life. There was no jesting or badinage, for that chord which the
+Creator has placed in every human heart was touched, and responded with
+sweet music. Many an hour was thus passed--let us hope with profit to
+every one of the little party.
+
+Finally the longed-for lull in the storm came, and the voyage was
+renewed. The trip through Caribou Crossing was made without mishap, the
+distance being about four miles, when they entered Marsh Lake, often
+known as Mud Lake, though no apparent cause exists for the title. No
+difficulty was experienced in making their way for the twenty-four
+miles of its length, at the end of which they debouched into Lynx
+River, where twenty-seven more miles were passed without incident or
+trouble worth recording.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X.
+
+AT WHITE HORSE RAPIDS.
+
+
+"We're doing well," observed Tim McCabe, when the raft with its load
+and party of gold-seekers reached the end of Lynx River, "but be the
+same token, we're drawing nigh the worst part of the voyage, and we'll
+be lucky if we git through the same without mishap."
+
+"What have we ahead?" asked Jeff.
+
+"Miles Cañon; it's a little more than half a mile long, and if this
+raft isn't as strong as it should be it'll be torn to pieces."
+
+Fortunately Jeff had given attention from the first to the stability of
+the structure, upon which everything depended. He was continually
+examining it from stem to stern, and where there was a suspicion of the
+necessity, he drove nails and strengthened the craft in every way
+possible.
+
+The sail was used whenever possible; but since they were really among
+the network of lakes which form the headwaters of the Yukon, the
+current carried them steadily toward their destination, and there were
+hours when they scarcely lifted their hands except to keep the raft in
+proper position by means of the poles. The weather grew steadily
+milder, for summer was approaching. The snow and ice rapidly melted,
+and now and then, when the sun shone, the thick clothing felt
+uncomfortable during the middle of the day. Our friends were in advance
+of the great multitude that were pushing toward the Klondike from the
+south, from Canada and to St. Michael's, whence they would start on the
+two-thousand-mile climb of the Yukon, as soon as it shook off its icy
+bounds.
+
+It was impossible that the party should not view with solicitude their
+entrance into Miles Cañon, though Tim assured his friends that much
+more dangerous rapids would remain to be passed. The cañon is
+five-eighths of a mile long, with an angry and swift current. Although
+the raft was tossed about like a cockleshell, it went through without
+injury, and none of the goods were displaced or harmed.
+
+Following this came the severest kind of work. For three miles it
+seemed as if the river could be no worse, and the raft must be wrenched
+asunder. The current was not only very swift, but the channel was
+filled with rocks. Each man grasped one of the strong poles with which
+the craft was provided, and wrought with might and main to steer clear
+of the treacherous masses of stone which thrust up their heads
+everywhere. There were many narrow escapes, and despite the utmost they
+could do, the raft struck repeatedly. Sometimes it was a bump and sheer
+to one side so suddenly that the party were almost knocked off their
+feet. Once, owing to unintentional contrary work the raft banged
+against the head of a rock and stood still. While the men were
+desperately plying their poles the current slewed the craft around, and
+the voyage was resumed.
+
+[Illustration: THE CURRENT WAS NOT ONLY VERY SWIFT, BUT THE CHANNEL
+WAS FILLED WITH ROCKS.]
+
+"Look out!" shouted Jeff; "there's another rock right ahead!"
+
+Unfortunately it was just below the surface, and there were so many
+ripples and eddies in the current that neither Tim nor Hardman was sure
+of its exact location, but taking their cue from the leader, they
+pushed with all their strength to clear the obstruction.
+
+They failed, and the flinty head swept directly under the logs and
+gouged its course for the entire length of the craft. All felt the jar,
+and those who could look beneath the upper deck saw the lower timbers
+rise from the impact, which was so severe that when the raft at last
+swung free it was barely moving, but, like a wounded horse, it shook
+itself clear, and the next moment was plunging forward as impetuously
+as ever. The fears of the party were intensified by sight of wreckage
+along the banks, proving that more than one of their predecessors had
+come to grief in trying to make the passage.
+
+While all were on edge with the danger, however, they found themselves
+at the end of the perilous passage and floating in comparatively smooth
+water again. Men and boys drew sighs of relief, the former mopping
+their perspiring brows and looking their mutual congratulations.
+
+"The fun is only just begun," said Tim McCabe; "we had matters purty
+lively fur a time, but they'll soon be a good deal livelier."
+
+"What is next due?" asked Frank.
+
+"I belave," said Tim, "that some folks spake of death as riding on a
+pale horse, don't they?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"That must be the raison they call the nixt plisure thramp White Horse
+Cañon, or White Horse Rapids."
+
+"Where are they?"
+
+"But a little way ahid; many men have been drowned in thrying to sail
+through the same; and him as doesn't know how to swim in a whirlpool
+hasn't ony business to thry it."
+
+"What, then, do you mean to do?"
+
+"Thry it," was the imperturbable response.
+
+Such talk was not calculated to cheer the listeners, but knowing the
+Irishman as they did, they received his statement with less seriousness
+than they should have done, for he had by no means overrated the peril
+in their front. Jeff made another examination of the raft while he had
+the opportunity, and strengthened it in every possible way. He was
+pleased that it stood the test so well, though it had been severely
+wrenched, and when it crawled over the sunken rock it had narrowly
+missed being torn asunder. The fastenings of the goods were examined
+and everything prepared, so far as it could be done, for the crucial
+trial at hand.
+
+The party were seated in various positions about the raft, looking
+anxiously ahead, when Tim pointed a little way in advance, with the
+question:
+
+"Do ye all obsarve that?"
+
+He indicated a high bank of sand on the right which had been cut out by
+the erosion of the violent current. Near by some philanthropist had put
+up a sign, "Keep a Good Look Out."
+
+"You have larned what other people think of the same," he added;
+"there's been more than twinty men drowned in there."
+
+"Because they could not swim?" asked Frank.
+
+"'Cause the best swimmer in the world can't swim in there; you and
+mesilf, boys, will soon be on the same futting, for the raison that we
+won't have any futting at all."
+
+"How long is the cañon?"
+
+"Not quite half a mile. Miles Cañon, that we've just passed through, is
+like a duck-pond alongside the rapids in front of us."
+
+"Can a boat go through?"
+
+"The thing has been done, but only about one in fifty that starts into
+them rapids ever raiches the outlet, excipt in bits the size of yer
+hand."
+
+Frank and Roswell looked at each other in consternation. Was it
+possible that Jeff would allow the criminal recklessness Tim
+contemplated? Where the chances were so overwhelmingly against success,
+it was throwing away their lives to trust themselves to the fearful
+rapids that had already caused so many deaths.
+
+"If you want to try," said Roswell, excitedly, "you may do so, but
+neither Frank nor I will. Put us ashore!"
+
+He addressed himself to Jeff, who was seated on the edge of the upper
+deck, calmly smoking his pipe. He did not look around nor seem to hear
+the appeal.
+
+"Never mind," interposed Frank; "if they are willing, we are not the
+ones to back out. I know of no law that prevents a man making a fool of
+himself."
+
+"Very well," replied his cousin, more composedly, "I am ready."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI.
+
+ON THE YUKON.
+
+
+Jeff Graham looked inquiringly at Tim McCabe, who nodded his head by
+way of reply. At the same time he said something to Hardman, and all
+three rose to their feet. Then the poles were plied with an effect that
+speedily drove the raft against the bank, where Tim sprang ashore and
+secured it. Brave and reckless as was the fellow, he had no intention
+of trying to take the boat through the exceedingly dangerous White
+Horse Rapids, but he could not refuse the chance for a little amusement
+at the expense of his young friends.
+
+In truth, no one should ever attempt to take a boat through White Horse
+Rapids. The best course, perhaps, is to let it drift down the rapids,
+guided by a rope one hundred and fifty feet in length. If it passes
+through without material injury, the craft is still at command below.
+Another plan is to portage. At this writing there are roller-ways on
+the western side, over which the boats can be rolled with a windlass to
+help pull them to the top of the hill. In lining a craft, it must be
+done on the right-hand side. Three miles farther down comes the Box
+Cañon, one hundred yards in length and fifty feet wide, with a chute of
+terrific velocity. Repeated attempts have been made by reckless miners
+to take a boat through, but it is much the same as trying to shoot the
+rapids below Niagara, and the place has well earned its title of "The
+Miners' Grave." Still, the feat has been performed in safety.
+
+Progress was so effectually barred at White Horse that our friends gave
+up their raft as of no further use. It was certain to be shattered, and
+where there was so much timber it was comparatively easy to build
+another, with which to make the remaining two hundred and twenty miles,
+particularly as there was no need of constructing a double-decker, for
+the rough voyaging was at an end.
+
+The goods were, therefore, packed upon the Yukon sleds, and then the
+raft set adrift. It was never seen again, though an occasional stray
+log afterward observed bobbing in the current below the rapids may have
+formed a part of the structure that had served the travellers so well.
+There was enough snow for the sleds, but the work was exhausting, and
+was not completed until late in the afternoon, when the tent was set up
+and camp made.
+
+By the close of the following day the raft was finished. It contained
+enough pine lumber to float a much heavier load than formed its burden,
+but, as we have stated, it lacked the double deck, since the necessity
+for one no longer existed.
+
+The raft was no more than fairly completed when a storm that had been
+threatening broke upon the party. Since it was expected, and there was
+no saying how long it would last, the tent was set up and secured in
+place. Considerable fuel had been gathered, and every preparation was
+made for a prolonged stay, though it need not be said that each one
+hoped it would prove otherwise. In a country where for four-fifths of
+the days the sun does not show itself, such weather must be expected,
+and, on the whole, our friends counted themselves fortunate that they
+had been able to make such good progress.
+
+The tent was hardly in position, and all within, huddling around the
+stove, in which Tim had just started a fire, when they were startled by
+a hail:
+
+"Halloa, the house!"
+
+The four hurried outside, where a striking sight met them. Eight men,
+each with a heavy pack strapped over his shoulders, and bending over
+with his load, thickly clad, but with their faces, so far as they could
+be seen through the wrappings, wet and red, had halted in front of the
+tent, which they scrutinized with wonder.
+
+"Are you going to begin digging here?" called one of the men, whose
+eyes, nose, and mouth were all that was visible behind his muffler.
+
+"Not while the storm lasts," replied Tim. "If we had room, we'd ask ye
+to come inside and enj'y yoursilves till the weather clears. At any
+rate, we'll be glad to give ye something warm to ate and drink."
+
+"Oh, that's it!" exclaimed another of the men. "You're afraid of the
+storm, are you?"
+
+"We're not much afraid, but we ain't in love with the same. Won't ye
+come in--that is, one or two at a time?"
+
+"Thanks for your invitation, but we haven't the time to spare. We're
+afeared they'll get all the gold in the Klondike country if we don't
+hurry. You're foolish to loiter along the road like this."
+
+"We're willing to lose a bit of the goold for sake of the comfort. If
+ye are bound to go on, we wish ye good luck."
+
+"The same to yourselves," the plucky and hopeful miners called as they
+plodded forward.
+
+For two dreary days the party was storm-stayed in camp.
+
+"Here," said Jeff Graham, when making ready to resume their voyage, "we
+leave our Yukon sleds."
+
+"Shall we not need them on our return?" asked Roswell.
+
+"We should if we returned by this route, but I wouldn't work my way
+against these streams and through the passes again for all the gold in
+the Klondike country. We shall take the steamer down the Yukon to St.
+Michael's, and so on to Seattle."
+
+"That is a long voyage," suggested Hardman.
+
+"Yes, four thousand miles; but it will be easy enough for us when we
+are on a steamer."
+
+"The Yukon is closed for eight months or more each year."
+
+"We don't intend to go down it when it's closed, for I didn't bring
+skates along, and I don't know how to skate, anyway."
+
+"You do not expect to stay long in the Klondike country?" was the
+inquiring remark of Hardman, who showed little interest in the
+intentions of their leader.
+
+"That depends; we shall come back in two months, or six, or a year,
+according as to how rich we strike it."
+
+"S'pose you don't strike it at all."
+
+Jeff shrugged his shoulders.
+
+"We'll make a good try for it. If we slip up altogether, these folks I
+have brought with me won't be any worse off than before; but I don't
+intend to slip up--that ain't what I came into this part of the world
+for."
+
+"No, I reckon few people come for that," was the comment of Hardman,
+who seemed to be in a cheerful mood again.
+
+Nothing could have offered a stronger contrast to their previous rough
+experience than that which now came to them. Fourteen miles down the
+river brought them to Lake Labarge, where they had nothing to do but to
+sit down and float with the current, using the poles occasionally to
+keep the raft in the best position. Thirty-one miles brought them to
+Lewis River, down which they passed to the Hootalinqua; then to the Big
+Salmon, and forty-five miles farther to the Little Salmon, the current
+running five miles an hour, and much swifter in the narrow cañon-like
+passages. Then beyond the Little Salmon the craft and its hopeful
+passengers floated smoothly with the current for a distance of one
+hundred and twenty miles, when the boys were startled to see four giant
+buttes of stone towering above the water, which rushed violently among
+them.
+
+"What place is that?" asked Frank, who with his cousin surveyed the
+immense towers with deep interest.
+
+"Five-Finger Rapids," was the reply.
+
+"They look dangerous."
+
+"So they be, unless ye happens to know which two to pass between; now,
+which would ye selict as a guess?"
+
+Roswell and Frank studied them awhile, and the latter answered:
+
+"It doesn't seem to me that it makes much difference which one you
+take."
+
+"Ah, but it makes a mighty difference. We should have big trouble if we
+neglicted to folly the right side of the river."
+
+[Illustration: TIM AND JEFF LIT THEIR PIPES; HARDMAN SAT APART.]
+
+Jeff and Hardman were already working the raft in that direction, and
+Tim now gave his aid. It looked perilous, but, knowing the right
+course, the craft made the passage without any mishap. All settled down
+to enjoy the smooth sailing that was before them once more. Tim and
+Jeff lit their pipes, Hardman sat apart, while the boys were together
+near the front of the raft. The weather was clearer than it had been
+for several days, and much more moderate. May was well advanced, and
+the short, hot summer was at hand. If all went well, they would reach
+the gold country at the right season, and as they neared the goal the
+spirits of all rose, and a longing to get forward manifested itself in
+many ways. They waited until night had fairly come before they went
+ashore and encamped, and they were off again at daybreak, despite the
+uncannily early hour at which it comes in that part of the world.
+
+Six miles down the Lewis River took them to the Rink Rapids, through
+which they passed without difficulty. Just beyond are the ruins of Fort
+Selkirk, where the Pelly and Lewis rivers unite. Tim McCabe studied the
+mouth of the Pelly, as it poured into the Lewis, and soon as the point
+was fairly passed, he turned to his friends, his round face aglow.
+
+"I offer me congratulations," he said, doffing his cap and bowing low.
+
+"On what?" asked Frank Mansley.
+
+"The stream over which ye are now floating takes the name of the Yukon,
+and doesn't give up the same till it tumbles into the Pacific siveral
+miles to the west of us."
+
+"Several miles!" repeated Frank; "it must be three thousand."
+
+"Something like that, I belave. The worst part of our journey is behind
+us."
+
+"How far are we from Juneau?"
+
+"To be exact, which I loikes to be, it is five hundred and tin miles."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII.
+
+AT DAWSON CITY.
+
+
+Naturally the route over which the little party of gold-seekers were
+journeying steadily improved. The Yukon, like many other great rivers
+of the world, comes into being a lusty, vigorous infant, the junction
+of the Lewis and Pelly making it a stream of considerable proportions
+from the moment it takes its name.
+
+Other gold-hunters were seen from time to time, and there were pleasant
+exchanges and greetings with most of them. It was the custom of Jeff
+Graham to keep going so long as daylight lasted, when the raft was
+worked into shore and an encampment made. For a time the old miner kept
+his Winchester within immediate reach, hoping to gain sight of some
+deer or wild game, but as day after day and night after night passed
+without the first glimpse of anything of the kind, he gave up in
+disgust.
+
+"It's the most villainous country on the face of the earth," he said,
+as he lit his pipe at the evening fire. "If it wasn't for the gold that
+we know is here, no decent man would stay over night in it. Frank, tell
+me something about the confounded country."
+
+"Me!" replied the boy, with a laugh. "I don't know half as much as you
+and Tim."
+
+"Yes, you do. Tim don't know anything more than the best way to travel
+through the mountains and across the lakes."
+
+The Irishman took his pipe from between his lips to offer protest
+against this slur, but changed his mind, and resumed smoking, though
+his eyes twinkled.
+
+"A man that takes a lot of gold out of the ground and then lets a thief
+steal it isn't fit to go alone."
+
+"Which is why I've provided mesilf with a chap that knows it all," said
+Tim, not the least offended, though Hardman scowled, for the remark was
+a pointed reflection upon him; but he held his peace.
+
+"What about the Injins here?" pursued Jeff, addressing the boys;
+"they're different from ours in Californy."
+
+Frank had no wish to air his knowledge, but he replied:
+
+"I have read that the natives belong to the red and yellow races--that
+is, the Indian and Mongolian. There are two stocks of Indians--the
+Thlinkets and the Tenneh. There are only a few Thlinkets, and they live
+along the coast. That old Indian who ferried us over Lake Lindeman is a
+Tenneh, as are the natives of the interior. You may not think they are
+much like our Indians, but they belong to the Chippewayan family, the
+same as the Apaches, who have caused so much trouble in Mexico and
+Arizona."
+
+"That has been my 'pinion," said Tim, who now heard the fact for the
+first time; "and the raison why the Alaska redskins ain't as bad as the
+Apaches is 'cause the weather is so cold it freezes up all the diviltry
+in them."
+
+"Roswell," continued Jeff, who was proud to show off the learning of
+his young friends, "why do they call the Eskimos that name?"
+
+"The name, which means those who eat raw flesh, was given to them by
+the Indians. They call themselves Aleuts, or Innuits. The Innuits are
+the same as the Eskimos of Greenland and the Arctic regions, while the
+Aleuts belong to Alaska, the long, narrow peninsula which extends
+southwesterly from the mainland and the Aleutian Islands, that look
+like a continuation of the peninsula. As for the climate, temperature,
+and size of Alaska, you and Tim know as much as we do," said Roswell,
+who disliked as much as his cousin to seem to display his knowledge.
+
+"Why not be modest," gravely asked Tim, "and say that ye knows almost
+as much as Mr. McCabe, leaving Mr. Graham out of the quistion, be the
+token that he knows nothing at all, and I'm afeard will niver larn?"
+
+"As you please," replied Roswell; "you and Jeff may settle that between
+you."
+
+"And ther's nothing to sittle, as me mither used to obsarve whin she
+looked into the impty coffee-pot; Jiff won't pretind that he knows
+anything of this country so long as he is in the prisence of mesilf."
+
+"Very true," gravely replied the old miner; "but if I do scoop in any
+gold, I think I'll know 'nough to shoot any man that tries to steal
+it."
+
+As he spoke he darted a glance at Hardman, who was sitting a little
+back from the fire, also smoking, but glum and silent. The boys
+wondered why Jeff should make these pointed references, when he had
+never hinted anything of the kind before, but the old miner had a
+purpose in mind. While not seeming to pay any special attention to
+Hardman, he had studied him closely for the past few days, and felt
+little doubt that he was planning mischief. The words, therefore, that
+Jeff uttered were meant as a warning to the rogue of what he might
+expect if he attempted any crooked work.
+
+No further reference was made to the unpleasant subject, although Jeff
+and Tim chaffed each other for a long time, even after the boys had
+wrapped themselves in their blankets and lain down to sleep. No watch
+was set, as would have been the case had they been journeying through a
+wild part of their own country, for there was nothing to be feared from
+wild animals or Indians. The only being whom Jeff and the boys
+distrusted was a member of their own company, and they did not believe
+he would do anything wrong until after the party had secured something
+worth the risk on his part.
+
+Deprived of many of the comforts of home and a mother's care, it did
+not take the boys long, under the tutelage of the older ones, to attend
+to their own wants. Roswell and Frank soon learned how to sew on a
+button and do the mending which their garments occasionally required.
+They washed their clothing and kept themselves in better form than do
+many men when placed in a similar situation.
+
+With the weather growing more summery and hardly a bit of ice in the
+river, the raft glided down the Upper Yukon. Ninety-eight miles from
+the head of the Yukon, the craft passed the mouth of the Milk River,
+and in this case the party saw the appropriateness of the name, for its
+water has a perceptible whitish color.
+
+A goodly distance remained to be passed, for it was ten miles to
+Stewart River, and twenty-five more to Fort Ogilvie, where they spent
+the night. They were now nearing their journey's end, and all showed a
+peculiar agitation, such as is natural when we feel ourselves close
+upon the solution of a problem that has baffled us for a long time.
+
+One form of this emotion was the impatience to get forward faster than
+before. There was nothing of the feeling when leaving Seattle or Juneau
+or Dyea, nor did they experience it to any degree while toiling through
+the hundreds of miles from lake to lake and down the upper waters of
+the streams which help to form the Yukon.
+
+Roswell and Frank were grateful for one blessed fact--they were
+stronger and in more rugged health than ever in their lives. When
+making their way through the passes and helping to drag the sleds, they
+felt more than once like giving up and turning back, though neither
+would have confessed it; but now they were hopeful, buoyant, and eager.
+They had sent the last letter which they expected to write home for a
+long time upon leaving Dyea, where they bade good-by to civilization.
+
+The afternoon was young when the raft drifted into a portion of the
+Yukon which expanded into a width of two miles, where it was joined by
+another large stream. On the eastern shore loomed a straggling town of
+considerable proportions.
+
+"Tim," said Frank, suspecting the truth, "what place is that?"
+
+"Frinds," replied Tim, vainly trying to conceal his agitation, "that
+town is Dawson City, and the river flowing into ours is the Klondike.
+Ye have raiched the goold counthry, which, being the same, I
+rispictfully asks ye all to jine mesilf in letting out a hurrah which
+will make the town trimble and the payple open their eyes so wide that
+they won't git them shet agin for a wake to come. Are ye riddy?
+Altogither!"
+
+[Illustration: AND THE THREE CHEERS WERE GIVEN WITH A WILL.]
+
+And the cheers were given with a will.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII.
+
+ON THE EDGE OF THE GOLD-FIELDS.
+
+
+The little party of gold-seekers had every cause to congratulate
+themselves, for after a journey of nearly two thousand miles from
+Seattle, through wild passes, dangerous rapids and cañons, over
+precipitous mountains, amid storm and tempests, with their lives many a
+time in peril, half frozen and exhausted by the most wearisome toil,
+they had arrived at Dawson City, in the midst of the wonderful gold
+district of the Northwest, all without mishap and in better condition
+than when they left home.
+
+The boys, in roughing it, had breathed the invigorating ozone and
+gained in rugged health and strength. Youth and buoyant spirits were on
+their side, and their muscles, which would have become flabby in the
+unwholesome atmosphere of a store, were hardened, and their endurance
+and capacity for trying work immeasurably increased. There are
+thousands of men to-day enjoying life, without an ache or pain, who owe
+their splendid condition to the campaigning they underwent in the war
+for the Union. If that terrific struggle swept multitudes into their
+graves, it brought the balm of strength and health to many more, who
+otherwise would not have lived out half their days.
+
+The trying experience of Jeff Graham in his youth and early manhood did
+this service for him. It was not strange, therefore, that he with his
+iron muscles bore the strain better than any of his companions. He
+seemed to be tireless, and his sturdy strength often put others to
+shame. He had never sapped his constitution by dissipation; and it may
+be said that the severe hardships of that journey from Dyea through
+Chilkoot Pass and the wild regions about the Upper Yukon confirmed that
+which already existed within his splendid make-up. As for Roswell
+Palmer and Frank Mansley, their excellent home training, not denying
+credit to the grim old miner for his wise counsel, had held them free
+from the bad habits which too often make boys effeminate and weak and
+old before their time. Gifted by nature with the best of constitutions,
+they had strengthened rather than undermined them. Neither had known an
+hour's illness throughout the long, laborious journey, and they were in
+the best condition possible for the great task that now confronted
+them.
+
+As for Tim McCabe and Ike Hardman, their weakness lay in yielding to
+the temptation to drink. No such temptation appeared on the road, and
+their enforced temperance had the best effect. Tim was less disposed to
+drink than the other, but, sad to say, he indulged at times. Hardman's
+ideal was to obtain the means for doing nothing and minister to his
+base appetites.
+
+It was in 1887 that Dr. George M. Dawson, the leader of an exploring
+expedition sent by the Canadian Government into the Yukon district,
+made a report confirming the presence of gold in vast quantities
+throughout that section. The principal mining camp established there
+was named in his honor. It faces on one of the banks of the Yukon
+River, along which it extends for about a mile. It has a sawmill,
+stores, and churches of the Baptist, Presbyterian, Methodist, and Roman
+Catholic denominations. Being the headquarters of the Canadian
+Northwest mounted police, it is one of the best-governed towns on the
+American continent. At the time of our friends' arrival its population
+was about four thousand, but the rush will swell it in an incredibly
+short while to ten, twenty, and possibly fifty times that number, for
+beyond question it is the centre of the most marvellous gold district
+that the world has ever known.
+
+Copper, silver, and coal are found in large quantities, but no one
+gives them a thought when so much of the vastly more attractive yellow
+metal is within reach. It is singular that while the existence of gold
+was incontestably known for many years, little or no excitement was
+produced until 1896 and 1897, when the whole civilized world was turned
+almost topsy-turvy by the bewildering reports. During the first three
+months of the latter year more than four million dollars were taken
+from a space of forty square miles, where a few placer claims were
+worked. What harvest will be during the next few years no man dare
+attempt to guess. How suggestive the fact that on one stream so much of
+the metal has been found that it was given the name "Too Much Gold
+Creek!"
+
+Inasmuch as our friends are now on the ground, a few more facts are
+proper, in order to understand the task that confronted them. Dawson
+City, it will be remembered, is in British territory, and all the great
+discoveries of gold have been made to the east of that town. Doubtless
+gold will be gathered in Alaska itself, but the probabilities are that
+the richest deposits are upon Canadian soil.
+
+The mining claims begin within two and a half miles of Dawson City, on
+the Klondike, and follow both sides of that stream into the interior,
+taking in its tributaries like Hunker's Creek, Gold Bottom, Last
+Chance, Bear Creek, Bould's Bonanza, and El Dorado. Of these the
+richest are El Dorado, Gold Bottom, Hunker, and the oddly named Too
+Much Gold Creek. The last is the farthest from Dawson City, and the
+least known; but there can be no question that numerous other streams,
+at present unvisited, are equally rich, and will be speedily developed.
+
+Just now placer mining is the only method employed. According to the
+mining laws of the Northwest, the words "mine," "placer mine," and
+"diggings" mean the same thing, and refer to any natural stratum or bed
+of earth, gravel, or cement mined for gold or other precious mineral.
+There is very little quartz mining, or crushing of rocks, as is
+practised in many sections of California. This requires expensive
+machinery, and little necessity for it seems to exist in the Klondike.
+In placer mining the pay dirt is washed by the simplest methods, such
+as were practised in California during the pioneer days.
+
+Everything was hurry and bustle at Dawson City on that day, late in
+May, when our friends arrived. It was a noticeable fact that the date
+of their arrival was exactly two months after the boys kissed their
+parents good-by in San Francisco.
+
+Tim McCabe had gathered much practical knowledge during his experience
+in this region, while Jeff had not forgotten what he passed through "in
+the days of '49," to which wisdom he had added, as opportunity
+presented, while on the way to the Klondike. When the party had eaten
+together at the principal hotel and the men had lit their pipes in a
+group by themselves, a surprise came. The old miner smoked a minute or
+two in silence, and then turned to Hardman, who was sitting a little
+apart, moody and reserved.
+
+"Ike," said he, "I've stood by you all the way from Juneau, hain't I?"
+
+The fellow looked wonderingly at him, as did the others, none
+suspecting what was coming.
+
+"In course," was the gruff reply of Hardman; "we all stood by one
+another, fur if we hadn't we wouldn't stood at all."
+
+"You've got to Dawson City without it costing you a penny, haven't
+you?"
+
+"There hain't been much chance to spend money since we left Dyea,"
+replied Hardman with a grin.
+
+Jeff was nettled by this dodging of the issue; but he kept his temper.
+
+"And if there had been you hadn't a dollar to spend onless you kept
+back some of that which you stole from Tim."
+
+"I don't see the use of your harping on that affair," said Hardman
+angrily. "I've owned up, and am going to make it all right with Tim.
+It's none of your business, anyway, and I don't want to hear any more
+of it."
+
+[Illustration: "I DON'T SEE THE USE OF YOUR HARPING ON THAT AFFAIR,"
+SAID HARDMAN.]
+
+"Well, what I'm getting at is this: if it hadn't been for me you'd
+never got to this place. You're here, and now you must look out for
+yourself; I won't have you an hour longer in the party; we part; get
+away as soon as you can!"
+
+Hardman looked savagely at the old miner, as if suspecting he had not
+heard aright. But a moment's reflection convinced him there was no
+mistake. With a muttered imprecation he rose to his feet and left. But
+it was by no means the last of him.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV.
+
+PROSPECTING.
+
+
+After the departure of Hardman, Jeff explained to Tim why he had driven
+him from their company. He told what Frank had seen when crossing Lake
+Lindeman, and how the fellow afterward, when he thought all were asleep
+within the tent, went out to meet his confederate.
+
+"I didn't want to turn him loose on the road," added Jeff, "though I
+had half a mind to tell him to hunt up his friends and join them. But
+he now has the same chance as the rest of us, and must look out for
+himself."
+
+"Begorra, but ye are right, Jiff," was the hearty response of the
+Irishman. "I'm beginning to suspict that he didn't intind to give back
+that money he borrered--that is, if he should iver lay hands on the
+same."
+
+Jeff looked pityingly at his friend; but reading in the expression of
+his face that he was jesting, he made no response. Instead, he spoke
+impressively:
+
+"You never would have lost that money if you hadn't been in liquor."
+
+"That's the fact, Jiff; but how did ye find it out?"
+
+"My own common sense told me. You've been looking 'round the last hour
+for a chance to indulge agin."
+
+"I'll admit," was the frank response, "that a dim idea of the kind has
+been flickerin' through me brain; but I cast the timptation indignantly
+behind me. Do you know why?"
+
+"No."
+
+"Nobody offered to pay for the drinks, and I haven't a cint to pay for
+any mesilf."
+
+"And you won't get a cent from me; you must earn it by taking out gold.
+If you succeed it'll be yours, and you can do as you please with it."
+
+Tim removed his cap and scratched his head.
+
+"I've gone a good many wakes without it, and I feel so much better that
+I'm thinking of keeping up the good work."
+
+"I hope you will, and prove yourself a man of sense. But we have no
+time to waste; we oughter be on our way now."
+
+The sentiment suited all, and was followed without delay. Amid the
+crush and hustle it was impossible to hire a horse, mule, donkey, or
+boat. Everything had been engaged long before, and there were hundreds
+of disappointed applicants who, like our friends, were obliged to make
+the tramp eastward on foot, carrying their utensils with them, and
+leaving behind all that was not necessary in the work of placer mining.
+
+During the brief stay at Dawson City the four attentively studied such
+maps as they could secure, and gathered all information from the many
+who were qualified and willing to give it. As a consequence, when they
+started up the Klondike, they had a well-defined idea of their
+destination.
+
+The first stream which flows into the river from the southward is the
+Bonanza, some twenty-five miles long. This itself has numerous small
+tributaries emptying into it; but hearing that all claims had been
+located, and not believing it possible that any valuable ones had been
+overlooked, they pushed on to Twelve Mile Creek, also flowing from the
+south. There the same facts confronted them, and camping on the road
+when necessary, our friends finally reached Too Much Gold Creek,
+thirty-five miles from Dawson.
+
+Gold-hunters were all around them, and frequently the men and boys
+tramped for miles in the company of men whom they had never seen
+before; but such a life levels social distinctions, and they were soon
+upon as friendly terms as if they had come from Seattle in company.
+
+At the mouth of Too Much Gold Creek they encountered two grizzly
+miners, each mounted on a mule that was so covered with additional
+luggage that little besides his head, ears, and forefeet was visible.
+They intended to cross the Klondike and prospect on the other side.
+Jeff asked whether there was no gold along the creek which they had
+just descended.
+
+"It's full of it," was the reply of the elder; "but we're too late; all
+the claims have been taken up."
+
+"Did you go to the headwaters?"
+
+"No; we didn't want to waste the time, when all the claims are gone;
+there are other places as good as that, and we'll strike one; so
+good-by, friends."
+
+Laughing and in high spirits, the two miners struck their boot heels
+against the ribs of their mules and were off. It may be worth recording
+that both of them struck it rich within the following week, and a month
+later started for home rich men.
+
+"It ain't likely," said Jeff, "that there are many claims left along
+this river; but there must be some. Anyhow, we'll try it; I'm sure
+there are places among those mountains that nobody has visited."
+
+To the east and south towered a spur of the Rocky Mountains. It would
+take hundreds of men a long time thoroughly to explore their recesses,
+and it was the intention of the leader to push in among them. The
+region resembled that to which he had been accustomed in California,
+and he would feel more at home there.
+
+So the wearisome tramp was resumed and continued, with occasional
+rests, until late at night. Other parties were continually encountered,
+and all had the same story to tell of there not being a foot of
+desirable land that was not pre-empted. Some of these people were
+returning, but most of them pressed on, hopeful of striking some spot
+that was awaiting them.
+
+Encamping under the shelter of a rock, the journey was resumed early
+the next morning, and, some twenty miles from the Klondike, a turn was
+made eastward among the mountains, which stretch far beyond the
+farthest range of vision. They were following a small stream that
+showed no signs of having been visited, and by noon had reached a point
+where they seemed as much alone as if in the depths of Africa.
+
+"I guess we may as well try it here," said Jeff, and he began to unload
+his pack, in which he was promptly imitated by his companions. They
+quickly finished, and sat down for a long rest.
+
+It had been a steady climb almost from the first. But for their
+previous severe training the boys would have succumbed, but they stood
+it well. The stream which flowed in front of them was little more than
+a brook, that seemed to be made by the melting snows above. It was
+clear and cold, and they drank deeply from it. Rocks and bowlders were
+above, below, in front, and at the rear.
+
+When their utensils and equipage were laid in a pile, Jeff went off in
+one direction, Tim in another, while the boys plunged deeper into the
+mountains, all engaged in prospecting as best they could. Inasmuch as
+the boys had never had any experience in that sort of work, their only
+chance of success was through accident.
+
+They followed up the stream, as nearly as they could judge, for about
+an eighth of a mile, still among the huge rocks, when they sat down to
+rest.
+
+"We may as well go back," cried Roswell, "for Jeff and Tim are the only
+ones who know when they have come upon signs of gold; we may have
+passed a half-dozen places where it can be taken out by the bushel--"
+
+Frank touched his cousin's arm and indicated by a nod of his head a
+pile of rocks a few rods away and a short distance above them. Looking
+thither, they saw the head and shoulders of a man intently studying
+them. When he found he was observed he lowered his head and
+disappeared.
+
+"Do you know him?" asked Frank, in an undertone.
+
+"No; I never saw him before."
+
+"Yes, you have. He crossed Lake Lindeman with us. He's the one that
+signalled to Hardman and afterward met him at night outside of our
+tent."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV.
+
+A FIND.
+
+
+It was an unpleasant discovery to the boys that after parting company
+with the ill-favored man who was known to be a friend and comrade of
+the rogue Ike Hardman, and after travelling hundreds of miles to this
+lonely spot, they should meet the fellow again. Doubtless he was
+engaged on the same errand as themselves, and the presumption was that
+sooner or later he would be joined by Hardman.
+
+"I don't know that there is any danger," said Roswell; "but it would be
+more comfortable to know they were not going to be our neighbors."
+
+"Let's follow up the man and question him," said Frank, starting to
+climb the rocks behind which the other's face had vanished. It took
+only a few minutes to reach the spot; but when they did so, and looked
+around, nothing was seen of him.
+
+"He evidently doesn't wish to make our acquaintance," said Frank.
+
+"I hope he will continue to feel that way; we must tell Jeff and Tim
+about this. Let's hurry back to camp."
+
+They now started to descend the stream, which they had followed from
+the point where they left their luggage. By using the brook as their
+guide, they were in no danger of losing their way.
+
+About half the distance was passed when they came to a point where the
+walking looked better on the other side. The stream was so narrow that
+Frank, who was in the lead, easily leaped across. Roswell started to
+follow, but tripped and fell on his hands and knees, one foot splashing
+in the water, which was only a few inches in depth and as clear as
+crystal.
+
+"Are you hurt?" asked Frank, pausing and looking around at him.
+
+"Not a bit. I don't know what made me so awkward."
+
+"Halloa! what's that?"
+
+At first Frank thought it was a small fish holding itself stationary in
+the brook; but that could not be, and he stooped down to see more
+clearly. With an exclamation, he dashed his hand into the water and
+drew out a rough, irregular nugget nearly two inches in diameter each
+way. It was bright yellow in color, and so heavy that there could be no
+doubt of its nature.
+
+"It's gold!" he exclaimed in a half-frightened undertone, as he passed
+it to Roswell, who was as much excited as he. He "hefted" it and held
+it up to the light.
+
+[Illustration: "IT'S GOLD!" HE EXCLAIMED.]
+
+"No mistake, it is. I wonder what it is worth."
+
+"Several hundred dollars at least. I'll bet there are lots more about
+here."
+
+They straightway began a vigorous search up and down stream, confident
+of finding other similar nuggets, but none was discovered, and finally
+they reached the place where their baggage had been left, and where Tim
+and Jeff were awaiting them.
+
+"Look!" called the delighted Frank, holding up the nugget. "See what we
+found!"
+
+"Begorra, but I shouldn't wonder if that's worth something," remarked
+Tim, catching the contagion. Jeff merely smiled and reached out his
+hand without any appearance of excitement.
+
+"Let me have a look at it."
+
+He never used glasses, nor did he bring any acid with which to test
+such yellow metals as they might find, for he needed neither. He had
+been trained too well in his early manhood.
+
+The instant he noted its great weight he was convinced of the truth.
+But, without speaking for a minute or two, he turned the nugget over,
+held it up to the light, and then put it between his big, sound teeth
+as if it were a hickory-nut which he wished to crack. He looked at the
+abrasion made by his teeth, tossed the nugget several feet in the air,
+and, catching it in his palm as it descended, said:
+
+"That's pure gold. Haven't you any more?"
+
+"No," replied Frank; "we searched, but couldn't find any."
+
+Jeff moved his hand up and down and closed one eye, as if that would
+help him to estimate the weight more exactly.
+
+"I should say that it is worth from six to eight hundred dollars; you
+younkers have made purty good wages for to-day. I hope," he added
+quizzically, "you'll be able to keep it up."
+
+"And how have you made out?" asked Roswell.
+
+"Tim says he didn't come onto anything that looks like pay dirt; but I
+struck a spot that gives me hope. We'll locate here for a while."
+
+Of course it was impossible for the party to bring any material with
+them from which to construct a dwelling. The regulation miner's cabin
+is twelve by fourteen feet, with walls six or seven feet high, and
+gables two feet higher. It consists of a single room, with the roof
+heavily earthed and the worst sort of ventilation, owing to the small
+windows and the necessity of keeping warm in a climate that sometimes
+drops to fifty or sixty degrees below zero. The miners keep close
+within the cabins during the terrible winter weather, or, if it
+permits, they sink a shaft to bed-rock and then tunnel in different
+directions. The ground never thaws below a depth of two feet, so there
+is no need of shoring to prevent its caving. The pay dirt is brought up
+by means of a small windlass and thrown into a heap, where it remains
+until spring, when it is washed out.
+
+Since the season was well advanced, the men and boys prepared
+themselves to wash the pay dirt whenever found. But, first of all, it
+was necessary to establish a home for themselves while they remained in
+the region. They had a single axe and a few utensils besides the
+shovels, pans, and articles required in their work. While Tim was
+prospecting, he gave more attention to searching for a site for a home
+than for gold, and was fortunate enough to find a place among the
+rocks, which was fitted up quite comfortably. The stone furnished three
+and a part of four walls necessary, and they cut branches, which were
+spread over the top and covered with dirt for the roof. Owing to the
+moderate weather and the trouble from smoke, the fire was kindled on
+the outside when required for cooking purposes. The Yukon stove,
+because of its weight, was left at Dawson City, whither one of them
+expected to go when it became necessary to replenish their stores.
+Although the nights were still cold, the weather was comparatively
+comfortable. Before long it would become oppressive during the middle
+of the day.
+
+As Jeff figured it out, they had enough food, tobacco, and supplies to
+last for a couple of weeks, or possibly longer. If they struck a claim
+which they wished to stake out, it would be necessary for one of them
+to go to Dawson City to register it, the process being quite simple.
+
+The prospector is forbidden to exceed five hundred feet up and down a
+stream, following the course of the valley, but the width may run from
+base to base of the mountains. Thus a miner's claim is one of the few
+things that is often broader than it is long. Should the stream have no
+other claims located upon it, the one thus made is known as "the
+discovery claim," and the stakes used are marked 0. This claim is the
+starting-point, the next one up and the next down the stream being
+marked No. 1, and there can be only two such on any stream.
+
+Next, four stakes must be driven in place, each being marked with the
+owner's initials and the letters "M. L.," meaning "mining location,"
+after which it must be bounded with cross or end lines, and within the
+ensuing sixty days the claim has to be filed with the government's
+recorder at Dawson City. Should a claim be staked before the discovery
+of gold, the prospector has sixty days in which to find the metal. If
+he fails to do so in the time mentioned, his claim lapses, since it is
+absolutely essential that he shall find gold in order to hold it
+permanently.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI.
+
+THE CLAIM.
+
+
+Not the least interesting feature of the stay of our friends in the
+gold region was their dwelling during those memorable days. The rocks
+came so nearly together that an irregular open space was left, which
+averaged a width of twenty feet with a depth slightly less. Thus three
+sides and the floor were composed of solid stone. When the roof, as
+described, was put in place, the dwelling had the appearance of a
+cavern fully open at the front. There the canvas composing the tent was
+stretched, and so arranged that the dwelling, as it may be called, was
+completed. It was inclosed on all sides, with the door composed of the
+flaps of the tent, which could be lowered at night, so that the inmates
+were effectually protected against the weather, though had there been
+any prowling wild animals or intruding white men near, they would have
+had little difficulty in forcing an entrance. It has been explained how
+all trouble from the smoke of a fire was avoided.
+
+One of the peculiarities of this primitive house was its interior
+arrangement. There were so many projecting points on the walls that
+they were utilized as pegs upon which to hang the extra garments. A
+ledge a couple of feet above the floor served as a couch, upon which
+the boys spread their blankets, while the men laid theirs on the floor
+itself. The mining and cooking utensils were neatly arranged against
+the rear wall, where were piled the small canvas bags intended to
+contain the gold dust and nuggets that were to be gathered.
+
+Jeff expressed the truth when he said:
+
+"This will sarve us well while the weather is moderate; but if we
+should be here when the thermometer goes down to fifty or sixty degrees
+below zero, we'd turn into icicles before we could say Jack Robinson."
+
+Hardly pausing to place their house in order, the party set out to
+investigate the find which Jeff hoped he had made.
+
+Going up the stream for a short distance, they turned off into a narrow
+valley, which never would have attracted the attention of the boys.
+
+The old miner stood for some minutes attentively studying his
+surroundings, and then, instead of beginning to dig, as his companions
+expected him to do, he said with an expression of disgust:
+
+"Boys, I've made a mistake; there's no gold here."
+
+"How can you tell until you search?" asked the astonished Roswell.
+
+"It ain't what I thought it was; you don't find the stuff in places
+like this. There's no use of wasting time; come on."
+
+Wondering at his action, the three, smiling but silent, trailed after
+him. Climbing over some intervening bowlders, they shortly emerged into
+a place altogether different from any they had yet seen. It was a
+valley two or three hundred feet in width, with the sides gently
+sloping. There was no snow on the ground, and here and there a few
+green blades of grass could be seen sprouting from the fertile soil.
+Through the middle of this valley meandered a stream eight or ten feet
+in width, but shallow, and so clear that the bottom could be plainly
+seen while yet some distance away. The valley itself soon curved out of
+sight above, and it was impossible, therefore, to guess its extent in
+that direction. Below it terminated, not far from where they stood, the
+rocks coming together so as to form a small cañon, through which the
+creek rushed with a velocity that reminded them of the dangerous ones
+they had passed on their way from Chilkoot Pass.
+
+"Wait here a bit," said Jeff, as he started toward the stream. The
+others obeyed, watching his actions with interest.
+
+He strode to the creek, along which he walked a few rods, his head bent
+as he carefully scrutinized all that passed under his eye. Suddenly he
+stopped and stared as if he had found that for which he was looking.
+Then stooping down, he leaned as far out as he could, gathered a
+handful of the gravelly soil, and put it in the washer which he had
+taken with him. This was repeated several times. Then he dipped the pan
+so as nearly to fill it with water, after which he whirled it round
+several times with a speed that caused some of the water to fly out.
+That part of his work completed, he set down the pan which served as a
+washer, and walked rapidly back toward his friends.
+
+"Another disappointment," remarked Frank; "it isn't as easy to find
+gold as we thought."
+
+"I don't know about that," said Tim McCabe. "Jiff looks to me as if he
+has hit on something worth while. How is it, Jiff?" he called as the
+old miner drew near.
+
+"That's our claim," he replied; "we'll stake it out, and then I'm going
+to Dawson to file it."
+
+"Are you sure there is gold here?" asked Roswell, in some excitement.
+
+"Yes, I hit it this time. We mustn't lose any days in staking it out,
+or somebody else will get ahead of us."
+
+The assurance of Jeff imparted confidence to the rest. The stakes were
+cut and driven, according to the rule already stated, and then Jeff
+breathed more freely.
+
+"We've got sixty days to find the stuff," he said, "and nobody daren't
+say a word to us. All the same, I'm going to Dawson to file the claim
+and make things dead sure."
+
+"When will you go?"
+
+"Now, right off. I want to bring back some things with me, and I'll be
+gone two or three days, but I won't lose no time."
+
+Jeff was one of those men who do not require long to make up their
+minds, and whom, having reached a decision, nothing can turn aside from
+its execution. Ten minutes later he was hurrying toward Dawson City,
+forty miles or more distant.
+
+Inasmuch as Tim McCabe had practical knowledge of placer mining, the
+three decided to improve the time while Jeff was absent in taking out
+some of the gold which he assured them was there.
+
+As has been explained, this form of mining is of the crudest and
+cheapest nature. In winter, after sinking a shaft to bed-rock, tunnels
+are run in different directions, and the frozen dirt piled up until
+warm weather permits its washing out. The distance to bed-rock varies
+from four to twenty feet. The gold is found in dust, grains, and
+nuggets, the last varying from the size of a hickory-nut or larger to
+small grains of pure gold.
+
+It quite often occurs that the bed-rock is seamy, with many small
+depressions. It is supposed that when the _débris_ containing the
+original gold swept over this bed-rock, the great weight of the metal
+caused it to fall and lodge in the crevices, where it has lain for
+ages. Certain it is that the richest finds have been made in such
+places.
+
+Having fixed upon the spot where the work should begin, Tim McCabe and
+the boys set to work to clear off the coarse gravel and stone from a
+patch of ground. At the end of several hours they had completed enough
+to begin operations. Tim dropped a few handfuls of the finer gravel or
+sand into his pan, which was a broad, shallow dish of sheet iron. Then
+water was dipped into the pan until it was full, when he whirled it
+swiftly about and up and down. This allowed the gold, on account of its
+greater specific gravity, to fall to the bottom, while the sand itself
+was floated off by the agitation. Tim had learned the knack of dipping
+the pan sideways, so as gradually to get rid of the worthless stuff,
+while the heavy yellow particles remained below.
+
+The boys stood attentively watching the operation, which was carried on
+with such skill that by and by nothing was left in the bottom but the
+yellow and black particles. The latter were pulverized magnetic iron
+ore, which almost always accompanies the gold. Frank's and Roswell's
+eyes sparkled as they saw so much of the yellow particles, even though
+it looked almost as fine as the black sand.
+
+[Illustration: THE BOYS STOOD ATTENTIVELY WATCHING THE OPERATION.]
+
+"How will you separate them?" asked Frank.
+
+"Now ye'll obsarve the use that that cask is to be put to," replied
+Tim, "if ye'll oblige me by filling the same with water."
+
+This was done, when Tim flung about a pound of mercury into the cask,
+after which he dumped into it the black and yellow sand. As soon as the
+gold came in contact with the mercury it formed an amalgam.
+
+"This will do to start things," said Tim. "When we have enough to make
+it pay, we'll squaze it through a buckskin bag."
+
+"What is the result?"
+
+"Nearly all the mercury will ooze through the bag, and we can use the
+same agin in the cask. The impure goold will be placed on a shovel and
+held over a hot fire till the mercury has gone off in vapor, and only
+the pure goold is lift, or rather there's just a wee bit of the mercury
+still hanging 'bout the goold; but we'll make a big improvement whin
+Jiff comes back. The filing of this claim ain't the only thing that
+takes him to Dawson City."
+
+"What do you think of the deposit here?"
+
+"I b'lave it's one of the richest finds in the Kloondike counthry, and
+if it turns out as it promises, we shall go home and live like
+gintlemen the rist of our lives."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII.
+
+A GOLDEN HARVEST.
+
+
+Tim McCabe and the boys wrought steadily through the rest of the day
+and the following two days. Inasmuch as the summer sun in the Klondike
+region does not thaw the soil to a greater depth than two feet, it was
+necessary to pile wood upon the earth and set it afire. As this
+gradually dissolved the frozen ground, the refuse dirt was cleared
+away, so as to reach paying earth or gravel. The results for a time
+were disappointing. The gold-hunters secured a good deal of yellow
+grains or dust, and ordinarily would have been satisfied, but naturally
+they were greedy for more.
+
+There came times of discouragement, when the boys began to doubt the
+truth of the wonderful stories that had reached them from the Klondike
+region, or they thought that if perchance the reports were true, they
+themselves and their friends had not hit upon a productive spot. Tim,
+when appealed to, had little to say, but it was of a hopeful nature. It
+would have been unnatural had he not been absorbed in the work in hand.
+
+That there was gold was undeniable, for the evidence was continually
+before them, but the question was whether it was to be found in paying
+quantities upon their claim. At the close of the second day all they
+had gathered was not worth ten dollars.
+
+But the harvest rewarded them on the third day. Tim was working hard
+and silently, when he suddenly leaped to his feet, flung down his pick,
+and hurling his cap in the air, began dancing a jig and singing an
+Irish ditty. The boys looked at him in amazement, wondering whether he
+had bidden good-by to his senses.
+
+"Do ye obsarve that beauty?" he asked, stopping short and holding up a
+yellow nugget as large as the one the boys had taken from the brook
+several days before. Roswell and Frank hurried up to him and examined
+the prize. There could be no doubt that it was virgin gold and worth
+several hundred dollars.
+
+Twenty minutes later it was Roswell's turn to hurrah, for he came upon
+one almost as large. And he did hurrah, too, and his friends joined in
+with a vigor that could not be criticised. Congratulating one another,
+the three paused but a few minutes to inspect the finds, when they were
+digging harder than ever.
+
+"I think it is my turn," remarked Frank; "you fellows are becoming so
+proud, that if I don't find--by George, _I have found it_!"
+
+Incredible as it seemed, it was true, and Frank's prize was larger than
+any of the others. Instantly they were at work again, glowing with hope
+and delight. No more nuggets were taken out that day, but the gravel
+revealed greater richness than at any time before.
+
+Jeff Graham put in an appearance while they were eating supper, and, to
+the surprise of all, he was riding a tough little burro, which he had
+bought at Dawson for five hundred dollars. His eyes sparkled when he
+learned what had been done during his absence, but he quietly remarked,
+"I knowed it," and having turned his animal loose, after unloading him,
+he asked for the particulars.
+
+Although it was quite cold, the four remained seated on the bowlders
+outside of their primitive dwelling, the men smoking their pipes and
+discussing the wonderful success they had had, and the still greater
+that was fairly within their grasp.
+
+"We're not so much alone as I thought," remarked Jeff, "for there are
+fifty miners to the east and north, and some of them ain't far from
+where we've staked out our claim, and more are coming."
+
+"They can't interfere with us?" was the inquiring remark of Roswell.
+
+"Not much. As a rule, folks don't file their claims till they've struck
+onto a spot where the yaller stuff shows; but I've done both, 'cause I
+was sartin that we'd hit it rich. If anybody tried to jump our claim,
+the first thing I'd do would be to shoot him; then I'd turn him over to
+the mounted police that are looking after things all through this
+country."
+
+"Ye mane that ye'd turn over what was lift of his remains," suggested
+Tim gravely.
+
+"It would amount to that. Things are in better shape here than they was
+in the old times in Californy, where a man had to fight for what he
+had, and then he wasn't always able to keep it."
+
+"What do you intend to do with the burro?" asked Frank.
+
+"Let him run loose till we need him. He brought a purty good load of
+such things as we want, and I'm hoping he'll have another kind of load
+to take back," was the significant reply of the old miner.
+
+This was the nearest Jeff came to particulars. His natural reserve as
+to what he had done and concerning his plans for the future prevented
+any further enlightenment. The fact that they had neighbors at no great
+distance was both pleasing and displeasing. Despite the assurance of
+their leader, there was some misgiving that when the richness of the
+find became known an attempt would be made to rob them. Gold will
+incite many men to commit any crime, and with the vast recesses of the
+Rocky Mountain spur behind them, the criminals might be ready to take
+desperate chances.
+
+It was hardly light the next morning when the party were at it again.
+The pan or hand method of washing the gold is so slow and laborious
+that with the help and superintendence of Jeff a "rocker" was set up.
+This was a box about three feet long and two wide, made in two parts.
+The upper part was shallow, with a strong sheet-iron bottom perforated
+with quarter-inch holes. In the middle of the other part of the box was
+an inclined shelf, which sloped downward for six or eight inches at the
+lower end. Over this was placed a piece of heavy woollen blanket, the
+whole being mounted upon two rockers, like those of an ordinary child's
+cradle. These were rested on two strong blocks of wood to permit of
+their being rocked readily.
+
+This device was placed beside the running stream. As the pay dirt was
+shovelled into the upper shallow box, one of the party rocked it with
+one hand while with the other he ladled water. The fine particles with
+the gold fell through the holes upon the blanket, which held the gold,
+while the sand and other matter glided over it to the bottom of the
+box, which was so inclined that what passed through was washed down and
+finally out of the box. Thin slats were fixed across the bottom of the
+box, with mercury behind them, to catch such particles of gold as
+escaped the blanket.
+
+The stuff dug up by our friends was so nuggety that many lumps remained
+in the upper box, where they were detained by their weight, while the
+lighter stuff passed through, and the smaller lumps were held by a
+deeper slat at the further end of the bottom of the box. When the
+blanket became surcharged with wealth it was removed and rinsed in a
+barrel of water, the particles amalgamating with the mercury in the
+bottom of the barrel.
+
+Sluicing requires plenty of running water with considerable fall, and
+is two or three times as rapid as the method just described, but since
+it was not adopted by our friends, a description need not be given.
+
+At the end of a week Jeff, with the help of his companions, made a
+careful estimate of the nuggets and sand which they had gathered and
+stowed away in the cavern where they slept and took their meals. As
+nearly as they could figure it out the gold which they had collected
+was worth not quite one hundred thousand dollars--very fair wages, it
+will be conceded, for six days' work by two men and two boys. On Sunday
+they conscientiously abstained from labor, though it can hardly be said
+that their thoughts were elsewhere.
+
+Since one hundred thousand dollars in gold weighs in the neighborhood
+of four hundred pounds, it will be seen that the party had already
+accumulated a good load to be distributed among themselves. It may have
+been that the expectation of this result caused Jeff to bring the burro
+back, for with his help it would not be hard to carry double the
+amount, especially as everything else would be left behind.
+
+To the surprise of his friends, Jeff announced that it was necessary
+for him to make another visit to Dawson City. It was important business
+that called him thither, but he gave no hint of its nature. He hoped to
+be back within two or three days, and he departed on foot, leaving the
+animal to recuperate, and, as he grimly added, "make himself strong
+enough to carry a good load to town."
+
+Jeff left early in the morning. The afternoon was about half gone, when
+Tim with an expression of anxious concern announced that he had just
+remembered something which required him to go to Dawson without an
+hour's delay.
+
+"It's queer that I didn't think of the same while Jiff was here," he
+said, "so that he might have enj'yed the plisure of me society, but it
+won't be hard for me to find him after I git there. Ye byes wont be
+scared of being lift to yersilves fur a few days?" he asked with so
+much earnestness that they hastened to assure him he need have no
+misgivings on that point.
+
+"We shall keep hard at it while you are away, but since Jeff is also
+absent we shall be lonely."
+
+"Luk fur me very soon. I'll advise Jiff to make ye an extra allowance
+for yer wurruk while him and me is doing nothing."
+
+Two hours after the departure of McCabe, Frank, who was working the
+rocker while his chum was shovelling in the dirt, suddenly stopped,
+with expanding eyes.
+
+"I have just thought what Tim's business is at Dawson."
+
+[Illustration: "I HAVE JUST THOUGHT WHAT TIM'S BUSINESS IS AT DAWSON,"
+SAID FRANK.]
+
+"What is it?"
+
+"It is his longing for drink. He has gone on a spree, taking one of his
+nuggets with him to pay the cost. Jeff will be sure to run across him,
+and then there will be music."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII.
+
+A STARTLING DISCOVERY.
+
+
+The weather was mild, for the short, oppressive Northwest summer was
+rapidly approaching. During the middle of the day the sun was hot, and
+the boys perspired freely. By and by would come the billions of
+mosquitoes to render life unbearable. Those pests often kill bears and
+wolves by blinding them, and the man who does not wear some protection
+is driven frantic, unable to eat, sleep, or live, except in smothering
+smoke. Jeff had said that he meant to complete the work, if possible,
+and start down the Yukon before that time of torment arrived.
+
+For two days the boys wrought incessantly. They had learned how to wash
+and purify the gold in the crude way taught them by the old miner, and
+the rich reward for their labor continued. Jeff had brought back on his
+previous visit to Dawson City an abundant supply of strong canvas bags,
+in which the gold was placed, with the tops securely tied. These were
+regularly deposited in the cavern where the party made their home,
+until a row of them lined one side of the place. It was a striking
+proof of the wonderful richness of their find, that one of these bags
+was filled wholly with nuggets, which must have been worth fifteen or
+twenty thousand dollars.
+
+Early on the afternoon of the third day another thought struck Frank
+Mansley, and he ceased shovelling gravel into the rocker for his
+companion.
+
+"What is it now?" asked Roswell with a smile.
+
+"Don't you remember that on the first day we arrived here, while we
+were prospecting up the little stream, we saw that friend of Ike
+Hardman?"
+
+"Yes, of course."
+
+"Well, we never told Jeff about it."
+
+"I declare!" exclaimed Roswell. "How came we to forget it?"
+
+"This gold drove it out of our minds. I never thought of it until this
+minute. I tell you, Roswell, I believe something has gone wrong."
+
+And Frank sat down, removed his cap, and wiped his moist forehead with
+his handkerchief.
+
+"What could have gone wrong?" asked the other lad, who, despite his
+jauntiness, shared in a degree the anxiety of his friend.
+
+"All the gold we have gathered is in the cavern. I believe Hardman and
+those fellows are in the neighborhood and mean to steal it."
+
+"It's a pity we didn't think of this before," said Roswell, laying down
+his shovel. "Let's go back to the cavern and keep watch till Jeff comes
+back."
+
+Inspired by their new dread, they hastily gathered up what gold had
+been washed out, stowed it into another canvas bag, and then Frank
+slung it half filled over his shoulder and started for the cavern,
+something more than an eighth of a mile away.
+
+They walked fast and in silence, for the thought in the mind of both
+was the same. From the first the most imprudent carelessness had been
+shown, and they could not understand how Jeff ever allowed the valuable
+store to remain unguarded. It is true, as has already been stated, that
+the section, despite the rush of lawless characters that have flocked
+thither, is one of the best governed in the world, and no officers
+could be more watchful and effective than the mounted police of the
+Northwest; but the course of our friends had much the appearance of a
+man leaving his pocketbook in the middle of the street and expecting to
+find it again the next day.
+
+A bitter reflection of the boys was that this never would have been the
+case had they told Jeff of the presence of the suspicious individual in
+the neighborhood. If anything went amiss, they felt that the blame must
+rest with them If matters were found right, they would not leave the
+cavern until one or both of their friends returned.
+
+When half the distance was passed, Roswell, who was in the load, broke
+into a lope, with Frank instantly doing the same. A minute later they
+had to slacken their pace because of the need to climb some bowlders
+and make their way through an avenue between massive rocks, but the
+instant it was possible they were trotting again.
+
+It had been the custom for the gold-seekers to take a lunch with them
+to the diggings. This saved time, and their real meal was eaten in the
+evening after their return home.
+
+The moment Roswell caught sight of the round, irregular opening which
+served as the door of their dwelling, he anxiously scanned it and the
+pile of wood and embers on the outside, where the fire was kindled for
+cooking purposes. The fact that he saw nothing amiss gave him hope, but
+did not remove the singular distrust that had brought both in such
+haste from the diggings.
+
+He ran faster, while Frank, discommoded by the heavy, bouncing bag over
+his shoulder, stumbled, and his hat fell off. With an impatient
+exclamation he caught it up, recovered himself, and was off again.
+
+As he looked ahead he saw Roswell duck his head and plunge through the
+opening.
+
+"Is everything right?" shouted Frank, whose dread intensified with each
+passing second.
+
+Before he could reach the door out came his cousin, as if fired by a
+catapult. His eyes were staring and his face as white as death.
+
+"Right!" he gasped; "we have been robbed! All the gold is gone!"
+
+[Illustration: "WE HAVE BEEN ROBBED! ALL THE GOLD IS GONE."]
+
+And overcome by the shock the poor fellow collapsed and sank to the
+ground as weak as a kitten. Frank let the bag fall and straightened up.
+
+"No; it cannot be," he said in a husky voice.
+
+"Look for yourself," replied Roswell, swallowing a lump in his throat
+and turning his eyes pitifully toward his comrade.
+
+A strange fear held Frank motionless for several seconds. Despite the
+startling declaration of his cousin, a faint hope thrilled him that he
+was mistaken, and yet he dared not peer into the interior through dread
+of finding he was not.
+
+Reflecting, however, upon the childish part he was playing, he pulled
+himself together, and with the deliberation of Jeff Graham himself bent
+his head and passed through the door.
+
+Enough sunlight penetrated the cavern to reveal the whole interior in
+the faint illumination. When they left that morning the row of canvas
+bags was neatly arranged along the farther wall, where they stood like
+so many corpulent little brownies.
+
+Every one had vanished.
+
+Frank Mansley stared for a moment in silence. Then he stepped forward
+and called in a strong, firm voice:
+
+"Come, Roswell, quick!"
+
+The other roused himself and hastily advanced.
+
+"Take your revolver," said Frank, as he shoved his own into his
+hip-pocket, and begun strapping Jeff's cartridge belt around his waist.
+As Roswell obeyed, his cousin took the Winchester from where it leaned
+in one corner.
+
+"Now for those thieves, and we don't come back till we find them."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX.
+
+THE TRAIL INTO THE MOUNTAINS.
+
+
+On the outside of the cavern the boys halted. After the shock both were
+comparatively calm. Their faces were pale, and they compressed their
+lips with resolution. Some time during the preceding few hours thieves
+had entered their home and carried away one hundred thousand dollars in
+gold dust and nuggets, and the youths were determined to regain the
+property, no matter what danger had to be confronted.
+
+But the common sense of the boys told them the surest way to defeat
+their resolve was to rush off blindly, with not one chance in a
+thousand of taking the right course.
+
+"Roswell, that gold weighs so much that no one and no two men could
+carry it off, unless they made several journeys."
+
+"Or there were more of them; they would hardly dare return after one
+visit."
+
+"Why not? Hardman (for I know he is at the bottom of the business) and
+the other rogue have been watching us for several days. They knew that
+when we left here in the morning we would not come back till night, and
+they had all the time they needed and much more."
+
+"But if there were only two, they would have to keep doubling their
+journey, and I don't believe they would do that. Perhaps they used the
+donkey."
+
+"Let's find out."
+
+The burro was accustomed to graze over an area several acres in extent
+and enclosed by walls of rocks. Since the first-mentioned brook ran
+alongside, the indolent creature could be counted upon to remain where
+the pasture was succulent and abundant. The place was not far off, and
+the boys hurried thither.
+
+A few minutes later the suggestive fact became apparent--the donkey was
+gone.
+
+"And he helped take the gold!" was the exclamation of Frank. "They
+loaded part of it on his back and carried the rest. I don't believe
+they are far off."
+
+It was certain the thieves had not gone in the direction of the
+diggings, and it was improbable that they would attempt to reach Dawson
+City, at least, for an indefinite time, for they must have known that
+Jeff Graham and Tim McCabe had gone thither, and that there they were
+likely to be seen and recognized. At any rate, it would be hard for
+them to get away through the town for a considerable period, during
+which the grim old miner would make things warm for them.
+
+The conclusion of the boys, therefore, after briefly debating the
+problem, was that the men had turned into the mountains. These
+stretched away for many miles, and contained hundreds of places where
+they would be safe from pursuit by a regiment of men.
+
+"But if they took the burro," said Roswell, "as it seems certain they
+did, they must have followed some kind of a path along which we can
+pursue them."
+
+"Provided we can find it."
+
+They were too much stirred to remain idle. Frank led the way to the
+corner of the enclosure which was bisected by the brook. There the
+moistened ground was so spongy that it would disclose any footprint.
+The marks made by the hoofs of the burro were everywhere, and while
+examining what seemed to be the freshest, Roswell uttered an
+exclamation.
+
+"What is it?" asked his cousin, hurrying to his side.
+
+"Do you see that?" asked the other in turn, pointing to the ground.
+
+There were the distinct impressions of a pair of heavy shoes. The burro
+had been loaded at the brook, or his new masters had allowed him to
+drink before starting into the mountains.
+
+[Illustration: THE TELL-TALE FOOTPRINTS.]
+
+The boys took several minutes to study the impressions, which appeared
+in a number of places. The inspection brought an interesting truth to
+light. One set of imprints was large, and the right shoe or boot had a
+broken patch on the sole, which showed when the ground was more
+yielding than usual. The others were noticeably smaller, and the toes
+pointed almost straight forward, like those of an American Indian. A
+minute examination of the soil failed to bring any other peculiarity to
+light. The conclusion, therefore, was that only two men were concerned
+in the robbery.
+
+The problem now assumed a phase which demanded brain work, and the
+youths met it with a skill that did them credit. The question was:
+
+"If the burro was loaded with the gold at this point, or if he was
+brought hither, which amounts to the same thing, where did he and the
+thieves leave the enclosure?"
+
+Neither of the boys had ever felt enough interest in the animal to make
+an inspection of his pasturage ground, and therefore knew nothing about
+it, but scrutinizing the boundaries, they fixed upon two gaps or
+openings on the farther side, both leading deeper into the mountains,
+one of which they believed had been used.
+
+"Let's try the nearest," said Roswell, leading the way across the
+comparatively level space.
+
+There the ground was higher, fairly dry and gravelly. A close scrutiny
+failed to reveal any signs of disturbance, and forced them to conclude
+that some other outlet had been taken. They made haste to the second.
+
+This was drier and more gravelly than the other. While the soil seemed
+to have been disturbed, they could not make sure whether or not it was
+by the hoofs of an animal, but Frank caught sight of something on a
+projecting point of a rock, just in front. Stepping forward, he plucked
+it off, and held it up in the light. It consisted of a dozen dark,
+coarse hairs.
+
+"That's where the burro scraped against the rock," he said. "We are on
+their path."
+
+In their eagerness they would have kept beside each other had not the
+passage been so narrow. Often they came to places where one would have
+declared it impossible for a mule or donkey to make his way, but there
+could be no question that the property of Jeff Graham had done it.
+Frequently he slipped, and must have come near falling, but he managed
+to keep forward with his precious load.
+
+Less than two hundred yards distant the pursuers came to a depression
+of the soil where it was damp, and the footprints of the donkey and the
+two men were as distinct as if made in putty. There could be no
+question that the boys were on the trail of the despoilers.
+
+As they advanced, Frank, who was in advance; frequently turned his head
+and spoke in guarded tones over his shoulder to his cousin.
+
+"They are pushing into the mountains," said he, "but there's no saying
+how far they are ahead of us."
+
+"No; if they made the start early in the morning, it would give them a
+big advantage."
+
+"I believe that is what they did, knowing there was no danger of our
+returning until night."
+
+"That knowledge may have made them slow. Anyhow, they are not
+travelling as fast as we, and we must overtake them before long."
+
+A few minutes later Frank asked:
+
+"Do you believe they have thought of being followed?"
+
+"They must know there is danger of it. They will fight to keep that
+gold, and if they get the first sight of us will shoot."
+
+"They may have revolvers, but I don't believe either has a rifle. We
+will keep a lookout that we don't run into them before we know it and
+give them the advantage."
+
+This dread handicapped the boys to some extent. The trail was not
+distinctly marked, often winding and precipitous, and compelling them
+to halt and examine the ground and consult as to their course.
+
+While thus engaged, they awoke to the fact that they had gone astray
+and were not following the trail at all.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX.
+
+A SOUND FROM OUT THE STILLNESS.
+
+
+The error occurred in this way: The trail that the boys had been
+assiduously following was so faintly marked that the wonder was they
+did not go astray sooner. In many places, there was little choice as to
+the route, because it was so broken and crossed that one was as
+distinct as the other. Nevertheless, Frank pressed on with scarcely any
+hesitation, until he again reached a depression where the soft ground
+failed to show the slightest impression of shoe or hoof.
+
+"My gracious!" he exclaimed, stopping short and looking at his
+companion; "how far can we have gone wrong?"
+
+"We can find out only by returning," replied Roswell, wheeling about
+and leading the way back.
+
+They walked more hurriedly than before, as a person naturally does who
+feels that time is precious, and he has wasted a good deal of it.
+
+The search might have been continued for a long time but for a
+surprising and unexpected aid that came to them. They had halted at one
+of the broken places, in doubt whither to turn, and searching for some
+sign to guide them, when Roswell called out:
+
+"That beats anything I ever saw!"
+
+As he spoke, he stooped and picked up something from the ground.
+Inspecting it for a moment, he held it up for Frank to see. It was a
+large nugget of pure gold.
+
+"These mountains must be full of the metal," said Frank, "when we find
+it lying loose like that."
+
+"Not so fast," remarked his companion, who had taken the nugget again,
+and was turning it over and examining it minutely. "Do you remember
+that?"
+
+On one of the faces of the gold something had been scratched with the
+point of a knife. While the work was inartistic, it was easy to make
+out the letters "F. M."
+
+"I think I remember that," said Frank; "it is one of the nuggets I
+found yesterday, and marked it with my initials. Those folks must have
+dropped it."
+
+There could be no doubt of it. What amazing carelessness for a couple
+of men to drop a chunk of gold worth several hundred dollars and not
+miss it!
+
+It must have been that the mouth of the canvas bag containing the
+nuggets had become opened in some way to the extent of allowing a
+single one to fall out.
+
+"I wonder how many more have been lost," mused Frank, as he put the
+specimen in his pocket.
+
+At any rate, it served to show the right course to follow, and the boys
+pressed on, looking more for nuggets than for their enemies. The mishap
+must have been discovered by the men in time to prevent its repetition,
+for nothing of the kind again met the eyes of the youths, who once more
+gave their attention to hunting for the lawless men that had despoiled
+them of so much property.
+
+The trail steadily ascended, so broken and rough that it was a source
+of constant wonderment how the burro was able to keep his feet. He must
+have had some experience in mountain climbing before, in order to play
+the chamois so well.
+
+The boys fancied they could feel the change of temperature on account
+of the increased elevation. They knew they were a good many feet above
+the starting-point, though at no time were they able to obtain a
+satisfactory view of the country they were leaving behind. They seemed
+to be continually passing in and out among the rocks and bowlders,
+which circumscribed their field of vision. Considerable pine and
+hemlock grew on all sides, but as yet they encountered no snow. There
+was plenty of it farther up and beyond, and it would not take them long
+to reach the region where eternal winter reigned.
+
+A short way along the new course, and they paused before another break;
+but although the ground was dry and hard, it was easy to follow the
+course of the burro, whose hoofs told the story; and though nothing
+served to indicate that the men were still with him, the fact of the
+three being in company might be set down as self-evident.
+
+It would not be dark until nearly 10 o'clock, so the pursuers still had
+a goodly number of hours before them.
+
+A peculiar fact annoyed the boys more than would be supposed. The trail
+was continually winding in and out, its turns so numerous that rarely
+or never were they able to see more than a few rods in advance. In
+places the winding was incessant. The uncertainty as to how far they
+were behind the donkey and the men made the lads fear that at each turn
+as they approached it, they would come upon the party, who, perhaps,
+might be expecting them, and would thus take them unprepared. The dread
+of something like this often checked the boys and seriously retarded
+their progress.
+
+"We may as well understand one thing," said Frank, as they halted
+again; "you have heard Jeff tell about getting the drop on a man,
+Roswell?"
+
+"Yes; everybody knows what that means."
+
+"Well, neither Mr. Hardman, nor his friend, nor both of them will ever
+get the drop on us."
+
+The flashing eyes and determined expression left no doubt of the lad's
+earnestness.
+
+"Is that because you carry a Winchester and they have only their
+revolvers?"
+
+"It would make no difference if both of them had rifles."
+
+Roswell was thoughtful.
+
+"It is very well, Frank, to be brave, but there's nothing gained by
+butting your head against a stone wall. Suppose, now, that, in passing
+the next bend in this path, you should see Hardman waiting for you with
+his gun aimed, and he should call out to you to surrender, what would
+you do?"
+
+"Let fly at him as quickly as I could raise my gun to a level."
+
+"And he would shoot before you could do that."
+
+"I'll take the chances," was the rash response.
+
+"I hope you will not have to take any chances like that--"
+
+They were talking as usual in low tones, and no one more than a few
+feet away could have caught the murmur of their voices, but while
+Roswell was uttering his words, and before he could complete his
+sentence, the two heard a sound, so faint that neither could guess its
+nature.
+
+As nearly as they were able to judge, it was as if some person, in
+walking, had struck his foot against an obstruction. It came from a
+point in front, and apparently just beyond the first bend in the trail,
+over which they were making their way.
+
+[Illustration: WATCHING AT THE TURN IN THE TRAIL.]
+
+"We are nearer to them than we suspected," whispered Roswell.
+
+"And they don't know it, or they wouldn't have betrayed themselves in
+that manner."
+
+"It isn't safe to take that for granted."
+
+Roswell, after the last change in their course, was at the front. Frank
+now quietly moved beyond him, Winchester in hand, and ready for
+whatever might come. Confident they were close upon the men they
+sought, he was glad of the misstep that had warned them of the fact.
+
+There certainly could be no excuse now for Hardman and his companion
+securing the advantage over the boys, when one of them held his
+Winchester half raised to his shoulder and ready to fire.
+
+Within a couple of paces of the turn in the trail the two were almost
+lifted off their feet by a sound that burst from the stillness,
+startling enough to frighten the strongest man. It was the braying of
+the burro, not fifty feet distant.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI.
+
+A TURNING OF THE TABLES.
+
+
+The boys were in no doubt as to the author of this startling break in
+the mountain stillness. It was their own burro that had given out the
+unearthly roar, and they were confident of being close upon the trail
+of the two men who were making off with the gold. But a moment later,
+round the corner in front of them, the donkey's head came into view,
+his long ears flapping, as if training themselves for the fight with
+mosquitoes that would soon come. The animal was walking slowly, but the
+astonishing fact immediately appeared that he was not only without any
+load on his back, but was unaccompanied by either Hardman or his
+confederate.
+
+Suspecting, however, they were close behind him, the boys held their
+places, the foremost still on the alert for the criminals. The burro
+came forward until within a rod, when he seemed to become aware for the
+first time of the presence of the youths in his path. He halted,
+twiddled his rabbit-like ears, looked at the two, and then opened his
+mouth. The flexible lips fluttered and vibrated with a second
+tremendous bray, which rolled back and forth among the mountains, the
+wheezing addendum more penetrating than the first part of the outburst.
+
+As the animal showed a disposition to continue his advance, the boys
+stepped aside and he came slowly forward, as if in doubt whether he was
+doing a prudent thing; but he kept on, and, passing both, continued
+down the trail, evidently anxious to return to his pasturage.
+
+"What does it mean?" asked Roswell.
+
+"I have no idea, unless--"
+
+"What?"
+
+"They can't make any further use of the burro, and have allowed him to
+go home."
+
+"But they can't carry away all the gold."
+
+"Then they are burying it. Let's hurry on, or we shall be too late."
+
+Lowering his Winchester, Frank led the way up the trail, slackening his
+pace as he reached the bend, and partly raising his weapon again.
+
+Rocks and bowlders were all around, but the trail still showed, and the
+donkey could have travelled indefinitely forward, so far as the boys
+could see. Nowhere was anything detected of the two men.
+
+"They may have turned the burro loose a half mile off," said Frank,
+chagrined and disappointed beyond expression.
+
+His companion warned him to be careful, as he began pushing forward at
+a reckless rate, as if fearful that the men would get away after all.
+
+Just beyond the point where the burro had appeared the path forked,
+each course being equally distinct. The boys scrutinized the ground,
+but could not decide from what direction the animal had come. Had they
+possessed the patience, they might have settled the question by
+kneeling down and making their scrutiny more minute; but Frank could
+not wait.
+
+"I'll take the right," he said, "while you follow the left. If you
+discover either of them, shoot and shout for me."
+
+It may be doubted whether this was wise counsel, and Roswell did not
+feel himself bound by it, but he acted at once upon the suggestion. His
+weapon was in his grasp as he hurried over the path, and the cousins
+were quickly lost to each other.
+
+The inspiring incentive to both boys was the dread that they were too
+late to recover the gold that had been stolen. Since its weight was too
+great for a couple of men to carry, the natural presumption was that
+they had buried or would bury it in some secure place, and return when
+it was safe to take it away.
+
+Because of this, Roswell Palmer sharply scrutinized every part of his
+field of vision as it opened before him. There were numerous breaks in
+the path which permitted him to look over a space of several rods, and
+again he could not see six feet from him.
+
+Reaching an earthy part of the trail, he leaned over and studied it.
+There was no sign of a hoof or footprint.
+
+"The burro did not come this far," was his conclusion; "I am wasting
+time by wandering from Frank."
+
+He was in doubt whether to turn or to advance farther. He had paused
+among the bowlders, where little was visible, and, convinced of his
+mistake, he shoved his weapon back in his pocket, so as to give him the
+freer use of his hands, and turned back over the trail along which he
+had just come.
+
+He had not taken a dozen steps when he was checked by the most
+startling summons that could come to him. It was a gruff "Hands up,
+younker!"
+
+[Illustration: "HANDS UP, YOUNKER!"]
+
+It will be recalled that Roswell was less headstrong than his cousin,
+as he now demonstrated by his prompt obedience to the command, which
+came from an immense rock at the side of the path, partly behind him.
+
+Having elevated his hands, the youth turned to look at his master. One
+glance at the countenance was sufficient. He was the individual whom
+Frank had seen secretly talking with Hardman on the boat that carried
+them from the head to the foot of Lake Lindeman, and whom both had seen
+on the day of their arrival in this neighborhood.
+
+Roswell Palmer now displayed a quickness of wit that would have done
+credit to an older head. His revolver he had placed in a pocket on the
+side of him that was turned away from the man, and it will be
+remembered that the lad had placed it there before receiving the
+peremptory summons to surrender. In the hope that his captor was not
+aware that he carried any firearms, Roswell kept that part of his body
+farthest from him.
+
+The man was standing at the side of the rock with a similar weapon in
+his grasp, and showed that he was elated over the clever manner in
+which he had gotten the best of the youth. His own weapon was not
+pointed at him, but held so that it could be raised and used on the
+instant.
+
+"What do you mean by treating me thus when I am walking peaceably
+through the mountains, offering harm to no one?" asked Roswell with an
+injured air.
+
+"What are you doing here anyway?" demanded the other, whose unpleasant
+face indicated that he did not fully grasp the situation.
+
+"My friend and I set out to look for some men that have stolen our
+gold. Have you seen them?"
+
+This sounded as if the boy had no suspicion of the fellow before him,
+and taking his cue therefrom, he said:
+
+"No; I don't know anything about it. Did they jump your claim?"
+
+"We had the gold among the rocks where we live, but when we came home
+to-day, we found that some persons had been there and taken it all."
+
+Something seemed to strike the man as very amusing. He broke into
+laughter.
+
+"You can put down your hands, my son, if you're getting tired."
+
+"You won't shoot?" asked Roswell in pretended alarm.
+
+"Not much," replied the other, with a laugh; "I haven't a charge in my
+weapon nor a single cartridge with me; but all the same, I'll keep an
+eye on you."
+
+"Not doubting your word, I have to inform you that my pistol is loaded,
+and I now shall take charge of you."
+
+As he spoke, Roswell produced his weapon, and the other was at his
+mercy.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII.
+
+A LION IN THE PATH.
+
+
+To put it mildly, the man was astonished. Not dreaming the boy was
+armed, he had been foolish enough to announce that he had brought him
+to terms by the display of a useless weapon. He stared in amazement at
+Roswell, and then elevated both hands. The boy laughed.
+
+"You needn't do that; I am not afraid of you. If you will lead me to
+the spot where you and Hardman hid our gold, I will set you free."
+
+"I don't know anything about your gold," whimpered the fellow, who now
+proved himself a coward. "I was only joking with you."
+
+"You and he took it. I shall hold you a prisoner until my friend comes
+up, and then turn you over to the mounted police."
+
+"All right; if it is a square deal, follow me."
+
+He turned and darted behind the rock. The youth made after him, but
+when he came in sight of the fugitive again he was fifty feet distant,
+and running like a deer. Perhaps Roswell might have winged him, but he
+did not try to do so. He felt a natural repugnance to doing a thing of
+that nature, and the fact was self-evident that it would do no good.
+The man would sturdily insist that he knew nothing of the missing gold,
+and there could be no actual proof that he did. Had he been held a
+prisoner he might have been forced to terms, but it was too late now to
+think of that, and the youth stood motionless and saw him disappear
+among the rocks.
+
+"I wonder how Frank has made out," was his thought. "He can't have done
+worse than I."
+
+Meanwhile, young Mansley had no idle time on his hands. He had hurried
+up the fork of the trail, after parting with his companion, until he
+had passed about the same distance. The two paths, although diverging,
+did not do so to the extent the boys thought, and thus it came about
+that they were considerably nearer each other than they supposed.
+
+It need not be said that Frank was on the alert. Suspecting he was in
+the vicinity of the men for whom they were searching, he paid no
+attention to the ground, but glanced keenly to the right and left, and
+even behind him. He was thus engaged when something moved beside a
+craggy mass of rocks a little way ahead and slightly to the right of
+the path he was following. A second look showed the object to be a man,
+and though his back was toward the lad, his dress and general
+appearance left little doubt that he was Hardman.
+
+His attitude was that of listening. His shoulders were thrown slightly
+forward, and he gave a quick flirt of his head, which brought his
+profile for the moment into view. This removed all doubt as to his
+identity. It was Ike Hardman.
+
+Frank's first thought was that he was standing near the spot where the
+gold had been secreted, and was looking around to make sure no one saw
+him, but it may have been he heard something of the movements of his
+confederate that had escaped Roswell Palmer.
+
+Afraid of being detected, Frank crouched behind the nearest bowlder,
+but was a second too late. Hardman had observed him, and was off like
+a flash. To Frank's amazement, when he looked for him he was gone.
+
+Determined not to lose him, the youth ran forward as fast as the nature
+of the ground would permit. Reaching the spot where he had first
+discovered the man, he glanced at the surroundings, but could see
+nothing to indicate that the gold had been hidden anywhere near, though
+the probabilities pointed to such being the fact, for it must have been
+in that vicinity that the burro was turned free.
+
+But the boy felt the necessity of bringing the man himself to terms,
+and with scarcely a halt he hurried over the bowlders and around the
+rocks in what he believed to be the right direction, though he had no
+certain knowledge that such was the fact.
+
+He was still clambering forward, panting, impatient, and angry, when a
+figure suddenly came to view a little way in advance. Frank abruptly
+stopped and brought his gun to a level, but before he could aim he
+perceived to his amazement that it was his cousin Roswell standing
+motionless and looking with wonderment around him. A moment later the
+two came together and hastily exchanged experiences.
+
+"We have made a mess of it," was the disgusted comment of Frank, "for
+we had them both and let them get away."
+
+[Illustration: "WE HAVE MADE A MESS OF IT," WAS THE DISGUSTED COMMENT
+OF FRANK.]
+
+"All the same we must be near the spot where the gold was hidden, and I
+believe we can find it by searching."
+
+"We may, but the chances are a hundred to one against it. How strange
+that those two men carried no firearms!"
+
+It has been shown that the Klondike country is not one of dangerous
+weapons, because it is well governed, and the necessity, therefore,
+does not exist for men to go about armed. Many of them unquestionably
+carry pistols, but larger weapons are few, and the majority have
+neither, for they only serve as incumbrances. Strange, therefore, as it
+may seem, Hardman and his companion had but a single revolver between
+them, and the man who carried that spoke the truth when he said all its
+chambers were empty and he was without the means of loading it.
+
+The great oversight of the two was that when they entered the cavern
+and took away the gold, they left the Winchester and revolvers. This
+may have been due to their eagerness to carry off every ounce of gold,
+but the commonest prudence would have suggested that they "spike" the
+weapons, so as to prevent their being used against them.
+
+A brief consultation caused the boys to decide to return to the cavern
+and await the return of their friends. Then the whole party could take
+up the search, though it seemed almost hopeless.
+
+Disheartened, they started down the trail, Frank in advance and both
+silent, for their thoughts were too depressing for expression. Suddenly
+the leader stopped and raised his hand for his companion to do the
+same. The cause was apparent, for at that moment, in rounding a bend in
+the path, they saw Ike Hardman in front, moving stealthily in the same
+direction with themselves, but the rogue was watchful and caught sight
+of them at the same moment. As before, he was off like an arrow, the
+winding trail allowing him to pass from sight in the twinkling of an
+eye, as may be said.
+
+Before they could take up the pursuit a great commotion broke out below
+them, and wondering what it could mean, the boys stopped to listen. It
+immediately became apparent that the fugitive had come in collision
+with some one approaching from the other direction over the trail, and
+that same person was gifted with a vigorous voice of which he was
+making free use.
+
+"Ah, but ye are the spalpeen I've been looking fur! This is the way ye
+sittle up fur the money ye tuk from me! Mister Hardman, do your bist,
+for that's what I'm going to do. Do ye hear me?"
+
+"It's Tim!" exclaimed Roswell; "let's hurry to his help!"
+
+But Frank caught his arm.
+
+"It's the other fellow who needs help, and Tim will take it as unkind
+for us to interfere, but we can look on."
+
+And they hurried forward.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIII.
+
+A GENERAL SETTLEMENT OF ACCOUNTS.
+
+
+Quick as were the boys in hurrying to the point where they heard the
+indignant Tim, they did not reach it until the affray was over. Wholly
+subdued, Ike Hardman begged for mercy at the hands of his conqueror,
+and promised to do anything desired if he received consideration.
+
+It is a well-known fact that the wrath of a good-natured person is more
+to be feared than his who is of less equable temperament. The boys had
+never seen Tim McCabe in so dangerous a mood. He and Jeff Graham had
+returned to the cavern shortly after the departure of the cousins in
+pursuit of the thieves, and it did not take them long to understand
+what had occurred. They set out over the same trail, along which they
+readily discovered the footprints of all the parties. Tim, in his angry
+impatience, outsped his more stolid companion, and by good fortune came
+upon Hardman while in headlong flight down the mountain path.
+
+The latter tried for a time to make it appear that he knew nothing of
+the abstraction of the gold from the cavern, but Tim would have none of
+it, and gave him the choice of conducting them to the place where it
+was concealed or of undergoing "capital punishment." Like the poltroon
+that he was, Hardman insisted that his companion, Victor Herzog, was
+the real wrongdoer, but he offered to do what was demanded, only
+imploring that he should not be harmed for his evil acts.
+
+Tim extended his hand and took the Winchester from Frank Mansley. He
+knew it was loaded, and he said to his prisoner:
+
+"Lead on, and if ye think it will pay ye to try to git away or play any
+of yer tricks, why try it, that's all!"
+
+The threat was sufficient to banish all hope from Hardman, who led them
+along the trail a short way, then turned on to the pile of rocks beside
+which Frank had seen him standing a short time before.
+
+"There it is!" he said, with an apprehensive glance at his captor.
+
+"Where?" thundered Tim; "I don't see it!"
+
+No digging had been done by the criminals, but a bowlder had been
+rolled aside, the canvas bags dropped into the opening, and the stone
+replaced, as he quickly demonstrated.
+
+"Count 'em, Roswell," said Tim.
+
+Both boys leaned over, and moving the heavy sacks about so as not to
+miss one, announced that all were there.
+
+"And now I s'pose I may go," whined Hardman.
+
+"Not a bit of it. I won't make a target of ye fer this gun, but ye
+shall remain me prisoner till I turn ye over to the police."
+
+Thereupon Hardman begged so piteously that the boys interceded and
+asked that he be allowed to go, but Tim sternly bade them hold their
+peace. The bowlder having been replaced, while he glanced around to fix
+the locality in his memory, he ordered the captive to precede him down
+the trail, reminding him at the same time that the first attempt on his
+part to escape would be followed by the instant discharge of the gun.
+
+Thus, as the long afternoon drew to a close the strange procession
+wound its way down the mountain, the prisoner in front, his captors
+directly behind, with Frank and Roswell bringing up the rear. The boys
+talked in whispers, but said nothing to their friend, who was in such a
+stern mood that they shrank from speaking to him.
+
+They speculated as to the fate of Herzog, the other criminal, who
+seemed to have effected his escape, but recalled that Jeff Graham was
+likely to be met somewhere along the path, and it might be that this
+had occurred with disastrous results to the evil fellow, for it will be
+remembered that the old miner was one of the few who always carried
+their revolvers with them.
+
+The expectation of the boys was not disappointed. When about half way
+down the trail they came upon Jeff, who had his man secure, thanks to
+the good fortune which gave him an advantage of which he instantly
+availed himself.
+
+Roswell and Frank thought that when Jeff learned that all the stolen
+gold had been recovered he would be willing to release the prisoners,
+but such intention was as far from him as from Tim McCabe. While he had
+no desire for revenge, he felt it would be wrong to set the evil-doers
+free, and he knew that they would receive the punishment they had well
+earned as soon as placed within the power of the law.
+
+It was beginning to grow dark when the party reached their cabin. Just
+before reaching it they crossed the pasturage ground of the burro, who
+was seen quietly browsing, as if he had not taken any part and felt no
+interest in the proceedings of the afternoon.
+
+Halting in front of the opening, Jeff said to Tim:
+
+"You have the gun and know it's a repeater."
+
+The Irishman nodded his head.
+
+"Keep guard over these fellows till I come back; it won't be long."
+
+"I'll do the same--on that ye may depind."
+
+[Illustration: TIM AND HIS PRISONERS.]
+
+The massive figure swung off in the gloom. He gave no intimation of
+whither he was going, and no one could guess, except that he promised
+shortly to return.
+
+A few minutes after his departure, both Hardman and Herzog renewed
+their pleadings for mercy--for at least they suspected the cause of the
+old miner's departure--but Tim checked them so promptly that they held
+their peace.
+
+At his suggestion, the boys started a fire and began preparing supper.
+They had hardly completed the task when Jeff Graham reappeared and he
+brought two companions with him. Though they were on foot, they were
+members of the mounted police, whose horses were but a short distance
+away. In the discharge of their duties, they were on a tour among the
+diggings to learn whether there was any call for their services. Jeff
+had seen them during the afternoon, and knew where to look for them.
+
+There was no nonsense about those sturdy fellows. They made their
+living by compelling obedience to the laws of their country, and were
+always prepared to do their duty. At the suggestion of Jeff, they
+questioned the men, who admitted their guilt, supplementing the
+confession with another appeal for clemency. Without deigning a reply,
+the officers slipped handcuffs upon them, and declining the invitation
+to remain to supper, departed with their prisoners, whom they delivered
+to the authorities at Dawson City on the following day. Since they had
+admitted their guilt, our friends were not required to appear as
+witnesses, and the case may be closed by the statement that Hardman and
+Herzog received the full punishment which they deserved.
+
+When the evening meal was finished, the men and boys remained outside
+in the cool, clear air, the former smoking their pipes, and all
+discussing the stirring events of the day. The boys confessed their
+neglect in failing to make known the presence of Herzog in the
+neighborhood, because the fact was driven from their minds by their
+excitement over the discovery of gold.
+
+"Had we done as we ought," said Frank, "it isn't likely this would have
+happened."
+
+"You are right," replied Jeff, "for we should have been more watchful."
+
+"And wasn't it oursilves that was careless, anyway, in laying so much
+wilth where any one could git at the same?" asked Tim.
+
+"Yes," admitted the old miner, "but things are different here from what
+they was in the early days in Californy, and you can see that these two
+men are the only ones that would steal our stuff."
+
+"At prisint they saam to be the only ones, but we can't be sure that
+ithers wouldn't have tried to do the same."
+
+"Well, boys," was the surprising announcement of Jeff Graham,
+"to-morrow we leave this place for good and take the next steamer down
+the Yukon for home; our hunt for gold is done!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIV.
+
+CONCLUSION.
+
+
+There was little sleep that night in the cavern home of the
+gold-seekers. The fact that the whole crop of the precious stuff was
+the better part of a mile away in the mountains, even though apparently
+safe, caused every one to feel uneasy. In addition was the announcement
+of Jeff Graham, the leader, that their work in the Klondike region was
+ended. In keeping with his habit of making known only that which was
+necessary, he gave no explanation, and his friends were left to
+speculate and surmise among themselves. All, however, suspected the
+truth.
+
+At early dawn Tim McCabe and the boys started up the trail, leading the
+burro. The old miner remained behind, saying that he expected company
+and his help was not needed in recovering the pilfered gold. The
+anxiety of the men and boys did not lessen until they reached the
+well-remembered spot and found the canvas bags intact. They were
+carefully loaded upon the strong back of the animal, secured in place,
+and the homeward journey begun. Frank and Roswell walked at the rear,
+to make sure none of the gold was lost. In due time they reached their
+primitive home, with all their wealth in hand.
+
+To their surprise, Jeff was absent. The recent experience of the three
+confirmed them in their resolution not to leave the nuggets and dust
+unguarded for a single hour. While some were at work in the diggings,
+one at least would be at the cavern on the watch against dishonest
+visitors. It was agreed that Tim and Roswell should go to the little
+valley to resume work, while Frank with the Winchester and smaller
+weapon acted as sentinel.
+
+As the two were on the point of setting out, Jeff Graham appeared with
+two well-dressed gentlemen, both in middle life. They were talking
+earnestly, and halted just beyond earshot to complete what they had to
+say. Then, without waiting to be introduced to Jeff's friends, they
+bade him good-day, and hurried down the path to where their horses were
+waiting, and lost no time in returning to Dawson City.
+
+"Get ready to foller," was the curt command of Jeff; and within the
+following hour the whole party, including the donkey, were on the road.
+They were compelled to spend one of the short nights in camp, but
+reached Dawson City without the slightest molestation from any one or
+the loss of a dollar's worth of gold. As Jeff had announced his
+intention, they brought away only their auriferous harvest and such
+clothing as was on their bodies. At the hotel he held another long
+interview with the two gentlemen who had called on him at the diggings;
+and the first steamer down the Yukon, which was now fairly open, bore
+among its hundreds of passengers Jeff Graham, Tim McCabe, Roswell
+Palmer, and Frank Mansley. The combined gold of the fortunate
+passengers on that trip must have amounted to nearly a million dollars.
+
+Some weeks later Jeff and Tim were seated alone in one of the rooms at
+the Palace Hotel, San Francisco. They had met by appointment to close
+up the business which had taken them into the Klondike region.
+
+"You know, Tim," said the old miner, "that this whole thing was my
+own."
+
+Tim nodded his head.
+
+"I was aware of the same before ye mentioned it. Ye paid all our
+ixpenses like a gintleman, and we're entitled to fair wages for hilping
+and no more."
+
+The generous disavowal of all claim to a share in the rich find touched
+Jeff, who hastened to say:
+
+"Some folks might think that way, but I don't. It was a speculation on
+my part. It didn't cost much to get us to the Klondike, and so that
+don't count. I have delivered to the mint all the gold we brought back,
+and have been paid one hundred and twenty thousand dollars for it. You
+know what was done by the two men that visited us at the diggings?"
+
+"The byes and mesilf had the idea that they bought out your claim."
+
+"That's it. I was anxious to get out of the country before the summer
+fairly set in and the mosquitoes ate us up alive. From the way the dirt
+panned out, we should have been millionaires in a few weeks, but we had
+enough. There ain't many men as know when they have enough," was the
+philosophical observation of Jeff. "I do, so I sold my claim for a
+hundred and eighty thousand dollars. As I figure out, that makes the
+total three hundred thousand dollars, which, divided among us four,
+gives each seventy-five thousand dollars. How does that strike you,
+Tim?"
+
+"It almost knocks me off my chair, if you mean it."
+
+"The boys being under age, I have turned over their shares to their
+parents; and do you know," added Jeff, with an expression of disgust,
+"they both fixed things so as to go to college? You wouldn't believe
+it, but it's the fact. Howsumever, it's their business, and I ain't
+saying anything. Say, Tim, you hain't any idea of going to college?"
+asked Jeff, looking across at his friend with a startled expression.
+
+[Illustration: "SAY, TIM, YOU HAIN'T ANY IDEA OF GOING TO COLLEGE,
+HAVE YOU?"]
+
+"I won't unless ye will go wid me. How does that strike ye?"
+
+Jeff's shoulders bobbed up and down with silent laughter, and
+immediately he became serious again.
+
+"As soon as you sign this paper, Tim, I shall give you a certified
+check for seventy-five thousand dollars on the Bank of Californy. Are
+you ready to sign?"
+
+"I'll sign me own death warrant for that trifle," replied Tim, his rosy
+face aglow, as he caught up the pen.
+
+"Read it first."
+
+His friend read:
+
+"I, Timothy McCabe, hereby pledge my sacred honor not to taste a drop
+of malt or spirituous liquor, even on the advice of a physician who may
+declare it necessary to save my life, from the date of the signing of
+this pledge until the Fourth of July, one thousand nine hundred and
+seven."
+
+As Tim gathered the meaning of the words on the paper, his eyes
+expanded; he puckered his lips and emitted a low whistle.
+
+"Do ye mind," he said, looking across the table with his old quizzical
+expression, "the remark that the governor of North Carliny made to the
+governor of South Carliny?"
+
+Jeff gravely inclined his head.
+
+"I've heerd of it."
+
+"What do ye s'pose he would have said if the time between drinks was
+ten years?"
+
+"I've never thought, and don't care."
+
+"He would have died long before the time was up."
+
+"When you left the boys in the diggings you came to Dawson City to
+spend the worth of that nugget for whiskey. I happened to meet you in
+time and made you go back with me. You'd been off on sprees a half
+dozen other times, if I hadn't kept an eye on you. Drink is the enemy
+that will down you if you don't stop at once. If you'll stay sober for
+ten years, I'll take the chances after that. Are you going to sign?"
+
+Tim's eyes were fixed on the paper which he held in his hand. He mused
+loud enough for the listening Jeff to catch every word:
+
+"To sign that means no more headaches and bad health, but a clear brain
+and a strong body; no more hours of gloom, no weakness of the limbs and
+pricks of the conscience; no more breaking the heart of me good old
+mother in Ireland, but the bringing of sunshine and joy to her in her
+last days; it means the signing away of me slavery, and the clasping to
+me heart of the swate boon of liberty; it means the making of mesilf
+into a man!"
+
+With a firm hand he wrote his name at the bottom of the paper, and
+flinging down the pen, said:
+
+"With God's help, that pledge shall be kept."
+
+"Amen," reverently responded Jeff; "there's your check for seventy-five
+thousand dollars."
+
+
+THE END.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Klondike Nuggets, by E. S. Ellis
+
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+<title>
+The Project Gutenberg eBook of Klondike Nuggets, by E. S. Ellis
+</title>
+<style type="text/css">
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+<pre>
+
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Klondike Nuggets, by E. S. Ellis
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Klondike Nuggets
+       and How Two Boys Secured Them
+
+Author: E. S. Ellis
+
+Illustrator: Orson Lowell
+
+Release Date: June 1, 2007 [EBook #21652]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK KLONDIKE NUGGETS ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by David Edwards and the Online Distributed
+Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was
+produced from images generously made available by The
+Internet Archive/American Libraries.)
+
+
+
+
+
+
+</pre>
+
+
+<a name="frontis">&nbsp;</a>
+<p class="img">
+<img src="images/frontis.jpg" alt="THE HEAD AND SHOULDERS OF A MAN INTENTLY STUDYING
+THEM" width="337" height="486"></p>
+<p class="caption">THE HEAD AND SHOULDERS OF A MAN INTENTLY STUDYING
+THEM</p>
+<br>
+
+<h1>
+KLONDIKE NUGGETS
+</h1>
+
+<h1>
+AND
+</h1>
+
+<h1>
+HOW TWO BOYS SECURED THEM
+</h1>
+
+
+<h3>
+By
+</h3>
+
+<h2>
+E. S. ELLIS
+</h2>
+
+<h4>
+AUTHOR OF &#34;Deerfoot Series,&#34; &#34;Boy-Pioneer Series,&#34; etc.
+</h4>
+
+
+<h4>
+24 ILLUSTRATIONS AFTER<br>
+ORSON LOWELL
+</h4>
+
+
+
+<h4>
+DOUBLEDAY &#38; McCLURE CO.<br>
+NEW YORK<br>
+1898
+</h4>
+
+<h4>
+Copyright, 1898, by<br>
+<span class="sc">Doubleday &#38; McClure Co.</span>
+</h4>
+
+
+<hr class="med">
+
+<p class="ctr">
+CONTENTS
+</p>
+
+
+<p class="page">
+Page
+</p>
+<p>
+&nbsp;
+</p>
+<p>
+&nbsp;
+</p>
+<ul class="toc">
+<li> <span class="sc">The Gold-Hunters</span><span class="right"><a
+href="#3">3</a></span></li>
+
+<li><span class="sc">At Juneau</span><span class="right"><a href="#13">13</a></span>
+</li>
+
+<li><span class="sc">Up the Lynn Canal</span><span class="right"><a
+href="#37">37</a></span></li>
+
+<li><span class="sc">The Avalanche</span><span class="right"><a href="#47">47</a></span>
+</li>
+
+<li><span class="sc">Through Chilkoot Pass</span><span class="right"><a
+href="#58">58</a></span></li>
+
+<li><span class="sc">A Significant Discovery</span><span class="right"><a
+href="#71">71</a></span></li>
+
+<li><span class="sc">The Plotters</span><span class="right"><a href="#80">80</a></span>
+</li>
+
+<li><span class="sc">On Lake Bennet</span><span class="right"><a
+href="#90">90</a></span></li>
+
+<li><span class="sc">Into British Territory</span><span class="right"><a
+href="#100">100</a></span></li>
+
+<li><span class="sc">At White Horse Rapids</span><span class="right"><a
+href="#111">111</a></span></li>
+
+<li><span class="sc">On the Yukon</span><span class="right"><a
+href="#120">120</a></span></li>
+
+<li><span class="sc">At Dawson City</span><span class="right"><a
+href="#131">131</a></span></li>
+
+<li><span class="sc">On the Edge of the Gold-Fields</span><span class="right"><a
+href="#141">141</a></span></li>
+
+<li><span class="sc">Prospecting</span><span class="right"><a href="#151">151</a></span>
+</li>
+
+<li><span class="sc">A Find</span><span class="right"><a href="#159">159</a></span></li>
+
+<li><span class="sc">The Claim</span><span class="right"><a href="#169">169</a></span>
+</li>
+
+<li><span class="sc">A Golden Harvest</span><span class="right"><a
+href="#180">180</a></span></li>
+
+<li><span class="sc">A Startling Discovery</span><span class="right"><a
+href="#191">191</a></span></li>
+
+<li><span class="sc">The Trail into the Mountains</span><span class="right"><a
+href="#200">200</a></span></li>
+
+<li><span class="sc">A Sound from out the Stillness</span><span class="right"><a
+href="#209">209</a></span></li>
+
+<li><span class="sc">A Turning of the Tables</span><span class="right"><a
+href="#218">218</a></span></li>
+
+<li><span class="sc">A Lion in the Path</span><span class="right"><a
+href="#227">227</a></span></li>
+
+<li><span class="sc">A General Settlement of Accounts</span><span class="right"><a
+href="#236">236</a></span></li>
+
+<li><span class="sc">Conclusion</span><span class="right"><a href="#246">246</a></span>
+</li>
+</ul>
+
+<p>
+&nbsp;
+</p>
+
+
+<p class="ctr">
+LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&nbsp;
+</p>
+<ul class="toc">
+
+<li><span class="sc">The head and shoulders of a man intently studying
+them</span><span class="right"><a href="#frontis">Frontispiece.</a></span></li>
+
+<li><span class="sc">Jeff</span><span class="right"><a href="#9">9</a></span></li>
+
+<li><span class="sc">&#34;Roswell, do you know that strange man has been<br>following
+us for the past hour?&#34;</span><span class="right"><a
+href="#33">33</a></span></li>
+
+<li><span class="sc">Catching the eye of the amazed boys, Tim winked</span><span
+class="right"><a href="#43">43</a></span></li>
+
+<li><span class="sc">The tent-poles were shoved down into the snow</span><span
+class="right"><a href="#53">53</a></span></li>
+
+<li><span class="sc">All joined in pushing and pulling one sled</span><span
+class="right"><a href="#65">65</a></span></li>
+
+<li><span class="sc">Suddenly Hardman made a sign</span><span class="right"><a
+href="#75">75</a></span></li>
+
+<li><span class="sc">&#34;You're a pretty fellow to stand guard,&#34; said
+Frank</span><span class="right"><a href="#85">85</a></span></li>
+
+<li><span class="sc">&#34;Oh, look there! isn't it dreadful?&#34;</span><span
+class="right"><a href="#97">97</a></span></li>
+
+<li><span class="sc">&#34;We're at the fut of the lake,&#34; shouted Tim</span><span
+class="right"><a href="#105">105</a></span></li>
+
+<li><span class="sc">The current was not only very swift, but the channel<br>was filled
+with rocks</span><span class="right"><a href="#113">113</a></span></li>
+
+<li><span class="sc">Tim and Jeff lit their pipes; Hardman sat apart</span><span
+class="right"><a href="#127">127</a></span></li>
+
+<li><span class="sc">And the three cheers were given with a will</span><span
+class="right"><a href="#137">137</a></span></li>
+
+<li><span class="sc">&#34;I don't see the use of your harping on that affair,&#34;
+said Hardman</span><span class="right"><a href="#147">147</a></span></li>
+
+<li><span class="sc">&#34;It's gold!&#34; he exclaimed</span><span class="right"><a
+href="#161">161</a></span></li>
+
+<li><span class="sc">The boys stood attentively watching the operation</span><span
+class="right"><a href="#175">175</a></span></li>
+
+<li><span class="sc">&#34;I have just thought what Tim's business is at Dawson,&#34;
+said Frank</span><span class="right"><a href="#189">189</a></span></li>
+
+<li><span class="sc">&#34;We have been robbed! All the gold is gone,&#34;</span><span
+class="right"><a href="#195">195</a></span></li>
+
+<li><span class="sc">The tell-tale footprints</span><span class="right"><a
+href="#203">203</a></span></li>
+
+<li><span class="sc">Watching at the turn in the trail</span><span class="right"><a
+href="#215">215</a></span></li>
+
+<li><span class="sc">&#34;Hands up, younker!&#34;</span><span class="right"><a
+href="#223">223</a></span></li>
+
+<li><span class="sc">&#34;We have made a mess of it,&#34; was the disgusted comment
+of Frank</span><span class="right"><a href="#231">231</a></span></li>
+
+<li><span class="sc">Tim and his prisoners</span><span class="right"><a
+href="#241">241</a></span></li>
+
+<li><span class="sc">&#34;Say, Tim, you hain't any idea of going to college, have
+you?&#34;</span><span class="right"><a href="#251">251</a></span></li>
+</ul>
+
+<hr class="long">
+
+<h3>
+KLONDIKE NUGGETS AND HOW TWO BOYS SECURED THEM
+</h3>
+
+
+
+<a name="3">&nbsp;</a>
+<p class="chapter">
+CHAPTER I.
+</p>
+
+<p class="head">
+THE GOLD-HUNTERS.
+</p>
+
+
+<p>
+Jeff Graham was an Argonaut who crossed the plains in 1849, while he
+was yet in his teens, and settling in California, made it his permanent
+home. When he left Independence, Mo., with the train, his parents and
+one sister were his companions, but all of them were buried on the
+prairie, and their loss robbed him of the desire ever to return to the
+East. Hostile Indians, storm, cold, heat, privation, and suffering were
+the causes of their taking off, as they have been of hundreds who
+undertook the long journey to the Pacific coast in quest of gold.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jeff spent several years in the diggings, and after varying fortune,
+made a strike, which yielded him sufficient to make him comfortable for
+the rest of his days. He never married, and the income from his
+investments was all and, indeed, more than he needed to secure him
+against want.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He was now past threescore, grizzled, somewhat stoop-shouldered, but
+robust, rugged, strong, and, in his way, happy. His dress varied
+slightly with the changes of the seasons, consisting of an old slouch
+hat, a red shirt, coarse trousers tucked in the tops of his heavy
+boots, and a black neckerchief with dangling ends. He had never been
+addicted to drink, and his only indulgence was his brierwood pipe,
+which was his almost inseparable companion. His trousers were secured
+at the waist by a strong leathern belt, and when he wore a coat in cold
+weather he generally had a revolver at his hip, but the weapon had not
+been discharged in years.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+There were two members of that overland train whom Jeff never forgot.
+They were young children, Roswell and Edith Palmer, who lost both of
+their parents within five years after reaching the coast. Jeff proved
+the friend in need, and no father could have been kinder to the
+orphans, who were ten and twelve years younger than he.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Roswell Palmer was now married, with a son named for himself, while his
+sister, Mrs. Mansley, had been a widow a long time, and she, too, had
+an only son, Frank, who was a few months older than his cousin. The
+boys had received a good common-school education, but their parents
+were too poor to send them to college. Jeff would have offered to help
+but for his prejudice against all colleges. The small wages which the
+lads received as clerks in a leading dry-goods house were needed by
+their parents, and the youths, active, lusty, and ambitious, had
+settled down to the career of merchants, with the hoped-for reward a
+long, long way in the future.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+One evening late in March, 1897, Jeff opened the door of Mr. Palmer's
+modest home, near the northern suburb of San Francisco, and with his
+pipe between his lips, sat down in the chair to which he was always
+welcome. In truth, the chair was considered his, and no one would have
+thought of occupying it when he was present. As he slowly puffed his
+pipe he swayed gently backward and forward, his slouch hat on the floor
+beside him, and his long, straggling hair dangling about his shoulders,
+while his heavy beard came almost to his eyes.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It was so late that the wife had long since cleared away the dishes
+from the table, and sat at one side of the room sewing by the lamp. The
+husband was reading a paper, but laid it aside when Jeff entered,
+always glad to talk with their quaint visitor, to whom he and his
+family were bound by warm ties of gratitude.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jeff smoked a minute or two in silence, after greeting his friends, and
+the humping of his massive shoulders showed that he was laughing,
+though he gave forth no sound.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;What pleases you, Jeff?&#34; asked Mr. Palmer, smiling in sympathy, while
+the wife looked at their caller in mild surprise.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;I've heerd it said that a burned child dreads the fire, but I don't
+b'lieve it. After he's burnt he goes back agin and gits burnt over. Why
+is it, after them explorers that are trying to find the North Pole no
+sooner git home and thawed out than they're crazy to go back agin! Look
+at Peary. You'd think he had enough, but he's at it once more, and will
+keep at it after he finds the pole&#8212;that is, if he ever does find it.
+Nansen, too, he'll be like a fish out of water till he's climbing the
+icebergs agin.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+And once more the huge shoulders bobbed up and down. His friends knew
+this was meant to serve as an introduction to something else that was
+on Jeff's mind, and they smilingly waited for it to come.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;It's over forty years since I roughed it in the diggings, starving,
+fighting Injins, and getting tough,&#34; continued the old minor musingly.
+&#34;After I struck it purty fair I quit; but I never told you how many
+times the longing has come over me so strong that it was all I could do
+to stick at home and not make a fool of myself.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;But that was in your younger days,&#34; replied his friend; &#34;you have had
+nothing of the kind for a good while.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jeff took his pipe from the network of beard that enclosed his lips,
+and turned his bright, gray eyes upon the husband and wife who were
+looking curiously at him. They knew by the movement of the beard at the
+corners of the invisible mouth that he was smiling.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;There's the joke. It's come over me so strong inside the last week,
+that I've made up my mind to start out on a hunt for gold. What do you
+think of that, eh?&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+And restoring his pipe to his lips, he leaned back and rocked his chair
+with more vigor than before, while he looked fixedly into the faces of
+his friends.
+</p>
+
+<a name="9">&nbsp;</a>
+<p class="img"><img src="images/001.jpg" alt="JEFF." width="364" height="526">
+</p>
+<p class="caption">JEFF.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Jeff, you can't be in earnest; you are past threescore&#8212;&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Sixty-four last month,&#34; he interrupted; &#34;let's git it right.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;And you are in no need of money; besides it is a hard matter to find
+any place in California where it is worth your while&#8212;&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;But it ain't Californy,&#34; he broke in again; &#34;it's the Klondike
+country. No use of talking,&#34; he added with warmth, &#34;there's richer
+deposits in Alaska and that part of the world than was ever found
+hereabouts. I've got a friend, Tim McCabe, at Juneau; he's been through
+the Klondike country, and writes me there's no mistake about it; he
+wants me to join him. I'm going to do it, and your boy Roswell and his
+cousin Frank are to go with me. Oh, it's all settled,&#34; said Jeff
+airily; &#34;the only question is how soon you can git him ready. A day
+oughter be enough.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The husband and wife looked at each other in astonishment. They had not
+dreamed of anything like this; but if the truth were told, Mr. Palmer
+had been so wrought up by the wonderful stories that were continually
+coming from Alaska and British Columbia, that he was seriously thinking
+of joining the northward-bound procession.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Startling as was the announcement of Jeff Graham, a discussion of the
+scheme brought out more than one fact to recommend it. The youths were
+in perfect health, strong and athletic. Jeff volunteered to provide all
+the funds needed, and his early experience in mining and his love for
+the boys made him an invaluable guide and companion despite his years.
+He had turned over in his mind every phase of the question, and met
+each objection the affectionate mother brought forward, alarmed as she
+was at the thought of having her boy go so many miles from under her
+care.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;It will be necessary to talk with Roswell about it,&#34; said the father,
+after the conversation had lasted a considerable while.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;No, it won't; I've talked with him, and he's as crazy as me to go.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;But what will Frank's mother say?&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;She's said what she's got to say; had a talk with her last night, and
+it's all fixed. I've sent word to Tim that I'll be at Juneau by next
+steamer, and have two of the likeliest younkers with me on the coast;
+then we'll head for the Upper Yukon, and bime-by hire a ship to bring
+back all the gold we'll scoop in.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;It seems to me that we have nothing to do in the premises, Jeff.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Nothing 'cept to git the youngster ready.&#34;
+</p>
+
+
+
+
+<a name="13">&nbsp;</a>
+<p class="chapter">
+CHAPTER II.
+</p>
+
+<p class="head">
+
+AT JUNEAU.
+</p>
+
+
+<p>
+Now it is a serious undertaking for any one to make a journey to the
+gold regions at the headwaters of the Yukon, as every one will admit
+who has been there. All know of the starvation which threatened the
+people of Dawson City during the winter of 1897-98, when the whole
+country was stirred with sympathy, and our Government made use of
+reindeer to take food to the suffering miners.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+No dangers of that kind confronted Roswell Palmer and Frank Mansley,
+but their parents could not contemplate the undertaking without
+anxiety. The mothers held more than one consultation, and there was a
+time when both were inclined to object to the boys going at all. The
+dread of that desolate, icy region in the far Northwest grew upon them,
+until it is safe to say that if the departure had been postponed for
+only a few days Mrs. Mansley and Mrs. Palmer would never have given
+their consent. But Mr. Palmer laughed at their fears, and assured them
+there was no cause for alarm. He spoke so cheeringly that they caught
+his hopefulness, but neither noticed the lump he swallowed, nor with
+what difficulty he kept back the tears when the hour for parting came.
+He was fully as anxious as they, but he knew how to dissemble, and
+would not have confessed his real emotions for the world.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+After all, it was Jeff Graham who deserved the credit for the
+willingness of the parents to see their sons venture upon the long and
+dangerous journey. To him the trip was much the same as a visit to Los
+Angeles or the Yosemite Valley. His self-confidence never faltered. He
+was sure it would be only a pleasant outing, with the certainty of a
+big reward at the end of it. The sly fellow dwelt on the pale
+complexion and debilitated appearance of the lads. He even said that a
+cough which he heard Frank try to suppress (in swallowing some fruit, a
+bit of it went the &#34;wrong way&#34;&#8212;it was nothing more) indicated the
+insidious approach of consumption. Jeff was the only one who was able
+to see any paleness in the countenance of the young athletes, or
+suspect them of being otherwise than fine specimens of youthful health
+and vigor; but since he was as solemn as a judge when making his
+declaration, the father and mother of the one and the mother of the
+other could not feel quite certain there were not grounds for his
+fears.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+And so it being settled that the boys were to go to the Klondike gold
+fields under the care of the grim old Argonaut, it only remained to
+complete the preparations in the short time at their disposal.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Had the mothers been free to carry out their wishes, their sons would
+have been loaded down with baggage upon leaving San Francisco. There
+are so many things which seem indispensable, when an affectionate
+mother is considering the comfort of her only son, that she is sure to
+overwhelm him. At first the mothers insisted upon each being furnished
+with a large trunk, which would have to be crowded to bursting to
+contain what was needed, but Jeff put his foot down.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Nothin' of the kind. Didn't I tell you that we'll git all that's
+needed at Juneau or Dyea or some point on the road? You've forgot
+that.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;But, Jeff, there are some articles which they <i>must</i> take with
+them.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The old miner lit his pipe, sat down in the rocking-chair at the Palmer
+home, where the mothers had met while the boys and Mr. Palmer were
+down-town making a few forgotten purchases. The old fellow chuckled a
+little and then became serious.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;In the fust place, not a trunk!&#34; and he shook his head decisively.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Do you expect them to take what they want in their pockets?&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Umph! it would be the sensiblest thing they could do, but we can't be
+bothered with any trunks, that would be sure to be lost in the first
+shuffle. Each of us will have a good, big, strong carpet-bag, and
+nothing more. You can cram them as full as you choose, but what you
+can't git in has got to be left at home.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+There could be no mistake as to Jeff's earnestness, and neither mother
+attempted to gainsay his words.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Now,&#34; said he, &#34;jest lay out on the floor what you have in your mind
+that the youngsters need, and I'll tell you what they <i>do</i> need.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;You mustn't forget,&#34; observed Mrs. Palmer, as she started to comply,
+&#34;that the boys are now down-town buying some things which they
+positively cannot get along without.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;As, for instance, what?&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Well, tooth-brushes, soap, combs, courtplaster, handkerchiefs,
+buttons, thread, quinine, and pain-killer.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Is that all?&#34; asked Jeff so quizzically that both ladies laughed.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;You have forgotten,&#34; added Mrs. Mansley, &#34;the shirts, underclothing,
+socks, and shoes.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;They are here,&#34; replied Mrs. Palmer, stepping briskly into the next
+room and returning with her arms full.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;I've got to lay down the law,&#34; observed Jeff, just as Mr. Palmer and
+the two boys came in, glowing with excitement. &#34;Here are the young men,
+and they look as if they had bought out half the town. Dump everything
+on the floor, and let's sort 'em out.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+When the pile was complete the miner gravely remarked:
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Nothing less than a freight-car will answer for all that stuff, and I
+don't b'lieve we can charter one through to Dawson. In the first place,
+I s'pose the tooth-brushes will have to go, though I never found any
+use for such things, and I can crack a bull hickory-nut with my teeth.
+The same may be obsarved of the soap and combs, while a roll of court
+plaster don't take up much room. We'll be likely to need thread,
+buttons, and some patches for our clothes, though I've got a supply in
+my carpetbag. The quinine and pain-killer they may take if you can find
+a corner to squeeze 'em in. As to the underclothing, extra shirts, it
+depends whether there is room for 'em; but the boys mustn't think of
+taking their dress suits along, 'cause <i>I'm</i> not going to. There
+ain't any room for violins, pianos, or music-boxes, and the only
+clothing and shoes that can go with this party is what we wear on our
+bodies and feet.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Suppose the shoes wear out?&#34; asked Mrs. Mansley in dismay.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Then we'll go barefoot. Now, see here, we shan't be away more than
+three months. A pair of well-made shoes will last longer than that, and
+the same is true about our clothes, though we have the means of mending
+them, if modesty calls for it, which ain't likely to be the case in the
+diggings. Caps, coats, vests, trousers, and shoes are to sarve from the
+day we start till we come back. If one of the boys casts a shoe and
+loses it, we'll find some way of getting him another. What's this?&#34;
+suddenly asked Jeff, picking up a small volume from the floor and
+opening it.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He looked at the fly-leaf, on which was written: &#34;To my dear boy
+Roswell, from his affectionate mother. Read a portion every day, and be
+guided in your thoughts, words, and deeds by its blessed precepts. Then
+it shall always be well with thee.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+There were two of the small Bibles, the other being similarly inscribed
+with the name of Frank Mansley. The boys and their parents were
+standing around the seated miner, and no one spoke. He looked at each
+precious volume in turn, and then reverently laid them among the pile
+of indispensables.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;That's the mother of it,&#34; he said, as if speaking with himself; &#34;it's
+a good many years since my poor old mother done the same thing for me
+when I started for Californy, and I've got the book among my things
+yet, though I don't read it as often as I should. <i>Them</i> go if we
+have to leave everything else behind.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+When the task was completed, every one acknowledged the excellent
+judgment displayed by Jeff Graham. The three were arrayed in strong,
+thick, warm clothing, and, in addition, each carried a heavy overcoat
+on his arm. In the valises were crowded underclothing, shirts,
+handkerchiefs, and the articles that have been already specified. It
+was wonderful how skilfully the mothers did the packing. When it looked
+as if every inch of space was filled, they found a crevice into which
+another bottle of standard medicine, an extra bit of soap, more thread
+and needles and conveniences of which no other person would think were
+forced without adding to the difficulty of locking the valises.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Nothing remaining to be done, on the following day the boys kissed
+their tearful mothers good-by, and warmly shook hands with Mr. Palmer,
+who brokenly murmured, &#34;God bless you! be good boys!&#34; as he saw them
+off on the steamer bound for Seattle, and thence to Juneau, where they
+safely arrived one day early in April, 1897.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+In making such a voyage, many people are necessarily thrown together in
+more or less close companionship, with the result of forming numerous
+acquaintances and sometimes lasting friendships. Following the advice
+of Jeff, the cousins had little to say about their plans, though they
+became interested in more than one passenger, and often speculated
+between themselves as to the likelihood of certain ones meeting success
+or failure in the gold regions.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+There were three sturdy lumbermen all the way from Maine. A curious
+fact about them was that, although they were not related at all, the
+name of each was Brown. They were light-hearted and the life of the
+large party. One Brown had a good tenor voice, and often sang popular
+ballads with taste and great acceptability. Another played the violin
+with considerable skill, and sometimes indulged in jig tunes, to which
+his friends, and occasionally others, danced an accompaniment.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;They'll succeed,&#34; was the verdict of Roswell, &#34;for they are strong,
+healthy, and will toil like beavers.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;And what of the two men smoking their pipes just beyond the fiddler?&#34;
+asked Frank.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;I had a talk with them the other day; one has been a miner in
+Australia, and the other spent two years in the diamond mines of
+Kimberley, South Africa. Meeting for the first time in San Francisco,
+they formed a partnership; they, too, are rugged and must understand
+their business.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;No doubt of it. Do you remember that stoop-shouldered old man whose
+room is next to ours?&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;The one who has such dreadful coughing spells in the night?&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Yes; he is far gone with consumption, and yet he won't believe there's
+anything the matter with him. He is worse than when he came on board:
+but he says it is only a slight cold which will soon pass off, and he
+is just as hopeful as you or I of taking a lot of nuggets home with
+him.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;He never will see the other side of Chilkoot Pass.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;I doubt whether he will ever see this side.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Thus the boys speculated, sometimes amused and sometimes saddened by
+what they saw. There was a big San Francisco policeman, who said he had
+cracked heads so long that he thought he knew how to crack some golden
+nuggets; a correspondent of a prominent New York newspaper, whose
+situation was enviable, since his salary and expenses were guaranteed,
+and he was free to gather gold when the opportunity offered; a voluble
+insurance agent, who made a nuisance of himself by his solicitations,
+in season and out; a massive football-player, who had no companion, and
+did not wish any, since he was sure he could buck the line, make a
+touchdown, and kick a goal; a gray-haired head of a family, who, having
+lost his all, had set out to gather another fortune along the Klondike.
+He walked briskly, threw back his shoulders, and tried hard to appear
+young and vigorous, but the chances were strongly against him. There
+were a number of bright clerks; a clergyman, pleasant and genial with
+all; gamblers, with pallid faces and hair and mustaches dyed an intense
+black, who expected to win the gold for which others dug; young and
+middle-aged men, some with their brave wives, serene and calmly
+prepared to bear their full share of privation and toil; and
+adventurers, ready to go anywhere for the sake of adventure itself. In
+truth, it was a motley assemblage, which to the boys was like a
+continually shifting panorama of hope, ambition, honesty, dishonor,
+pluck, and human enterprise and daring, that was ever present
+throughout the thousand miles of salt water that stretches from Seattle
+to Juneau.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Juneau, the metropolis of Alaska, was founded in 1880, and named in
+honor of Joseph Juneau, the discoverer of gold on Douglas Island, two
+miles distant. There is located the Treadwell quartz-mill, the largest
+in the world. The city nestles at the base of a precipitous mountain,
+thirty-three hundred feet high, has several thousand inhabitants, with
+its wooden houses regularly laid out, good wharves, water works,
+electric lights, banks, hotels, newspapers, schools, and churches.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Here's where we get our outfit,&#34; said Jeff, as they hurried over the
+plank to the landing. &#34;But where can Tim be?&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He paused abruptly as soon as he was clear of the crowd, and looked
+around for the one who was the cause of his coming to this
+out-of-the-way corner of the world. He was still gazing when a man,
+dressed much the same as himself, but short, stockily built, and with
+the reddest hair and whiskers the boys had ever seen, his round face
+aglow with pleasure stepped hastily forward from the group of
+spectators and extended his hand.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Ah, Jiff, it does me good to see your handsome silf; and how have ye
+been, and how do ye expect to continue to be?&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Tim McCabe was an Irishman who, when overtaken by misfortune in San
+Francisco, found Jeff Graham the good Samaritan, and he could never
+show sufficient gratitude therefor. It was only one of the many kindly
+deeds the old miner was always performing, but he did not meet in every
+case with such honest thankfulness.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jeff clasped his hand warmly, and then looked at the smiling boys, to
+whom he introduced his friend, and who shook their hands. He eyed them
+closely, and, with the quizzical expression natural to many of his
+people, said:
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;And these are the laddies ye wrote me about? Ye said they were likely
+broths of boys; but, Jiff, ye didn't do them justice&#8212;they desarved
+more.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Tim is always full of blarney,&#34; explained Jeff, who, it was evident,
+was fond of the merry Irishman; &#34;so you mustn't mind him and his ways.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Roswell and Frank were attracted by Jeff's friend. He was one of those
+persons who, despite their homeliness of face and feature, win us by
+their genial nature and honest, outspoken ways. No one ever saw a finer
+set of big, white teeth, nor a broader smile, which scarcely ever was
+absent from the Irishman's countenance. He shook hands with each lad in
+turn, giving a warm pressure and expressing his pleasure at meeting
+them. &#34;I'm glad to greet ye, me friends,&#34; he said, as the whole party
+moved out of the way of the hurrying, bustling swarm who were rushing
+back and forth, each intent on his own business; &#34;not only on your own
+account, but on account of me friend Jiff.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;I do not quite understand you,&#34; said Roswell with a smile.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Well, you see, I've met Jiff before, and formed a rather fair opinion
+of him; but whin a gintleman like mesilf is engaged on some important
+business, them as are to be favored with me confidence must have their
+credentials.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;And you accept our presence with him as proof that he is what he
+should be?&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Tim gravely inclined his head.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Do ye think I would admit Jiff as a partner if it was otherwise? Not
+I.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;But,&#34; interposed Frank, &#34;how is it with <i>us</i>? You never saw us
+before.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;One look at them faces is enough,&#34; was the prompt reply; &#34;ye carry a
+certificate wid ye that no one can dispoot.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;And I should like to know,&#34; said Jeff, with assumed indignation, &#34;what
+credential <i>you</i> have to present to us, young man.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Mine is the same as the young gintlemen,&#34; answered Tim, removing his
+thick fur cap and displaying his whole wealth of fiery red hair;
+&#34;obsarve me countenance.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+His face became grave for the first time, while all the rest laughed.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;I'm satisfied and hungry,&#34; said Jeff; &#34;take us where we can get
+something to eat.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;I knew by that token that I had forgot something, and it's me
+breakfast and dinner. In honor of yer coming, I've engaged the best
+quarters at the leading hotel. Come wid me.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It was but a short distance up the street to a frame hotel, which was
+kept by a corpulent German who had been in the country for a couple of
+years. The men registered, during which Tim remarked to the landlord,
+who seemed never to be without his long-stemmed meerschaum pipe between
+his lips:
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;This gintleman isn't the burglar that ye would think from his looks.
+He belongs to a good family, or ye wouldn't obsarve him in my company.
+The young gintlemen are two princes that are travelling <i>in cog</i>.
+In consideration of all of them having delicate appetites like mesilf,
+not forgetting the honor of their company, ye will be glad to make a
+reduction in your exorbitant rates, Baron Fritz, I am sure.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The phlegmatic German smiled, and in a guttural voice announced that
+his terms were three dollars a day, including rooms and meals, which,
+when all the circumstances are considered, was not extravagant. The
+party carried their luggage to their rooms, where they prepared
+themselves for the meal, which was satisfactory in every respect and
+better than they expected.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It came out during the conversation that Tim McCabe had not a dollar to
+his name, and he spoke the truth when he said that he had not eaten a
+mouthful that day. It would have gone hard for him but for the arrival
+of Jeff Graham, though there is such a lively demand for labor in
+Juneau that he must have soon found means to provide himself with food.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+As for Jeff, he was glad in his heart that his old friend was in such
+sore straits, inasmuch as it gave him the pleasure of providing for
+him. Tim had taken out some five hundred dollars, but a companion whom
+he fully trusted robbed him of it, and the small amount left barely
+kept the Irishman afloat until the arrival of the old miner.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jeff Graham showed prudence in bringing a plentiful supply of funds
+with him, and since he expected to take back a hundredfold more than he
+brought, he could well afford to do so. Stowed away in his safe inside
+pocket was fully two thousand dollars, and inasmuch as gold is the
+&#34;coin of the realm&#34; in California, as well as in Alaska, the funds were
+in shining eagles and half eagles&#8212;rather bulky of themselves, but not
+uncomfortably so.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The experience of McCabe and Jeff prevented any mistake in providing
+their outfit. They had good, warm flannels, thick woollen garments,
+strong shoes, and rubber boots. Those who press their mining operations
+during the long and severe winter generally use the water boot of seal
+and walrus, which costs from two dollars to five dollars a pair, with
+trousers made from Siberian fawn-skins and the skin of the marmot and
+ground squirrel, with the outer garment of marmot-skin. Blankets and
+robes, of course, are indispensable. The best are of wolf-skin, and
+Jeff paid one hundred dollars apiece for those furnished to himself and
+each of his companions.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The matter of provisions was of the first importance. A man needs a
+goodly supply of nourishing food to sustain him through the trying
+journey from Juneau to Dawson City, the following being considered
+necessary for an able-bodied person: Twenty pounds of flour, twelve of
+bacon, twelve of beans, four of butter, five of vegetables, five of
+sugar, three of coffee, five of corn-meal, one pound of tea, four cans
+of condensed milk, one and one half pounds of salt, with a little
+pepper and mustard.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Because of the weight and bulk, Jeff omitted from this list the tea,
+the condensed milk and butter, and while the supply in other respects
+was the same, respectively, for himself and McCabe, that of the boys
+was cut down about one third; for besides the food, the party were
+compelled to take with them a frying-pan, a water-kettle, a Yukon
+stove, a bean-pot, a drinking-cup, knives and forks, and a large and
+small frying-pan.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Since they would find a good raft necessary, axes, hatchets,
+hunting-knives, nails, one hundred and fifty feet of rope, and two
+Juneau sleds were purchased. To these were added snow-shoes, a strong
+duck-tent, fishing-tackle, snow-glasses to protect themselves against
+snow-blindness, rubber blankets, mosquito-netting, tobacco, and a few
+minor articles.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The start from Juneau to the gold fields should not be made before the
+beginning of April. Our friends had struck that date, but the headlong
+rush did not begin until some time later. One of the principal routes
+is from Seattle to St. Michael, on the western coast of Alaska, and
+then up that mighty river whose mouth is near, for nearly two thousand
+more miles to Dawson City. The river is open during the
+summer&#8212;sometimes barely four months&#8212;and our friends took the shorter
+route to Juneau on the southern coast, from which it is about a
+thousand miles to Dawson. While this route is much shorter, it is a
+hundred times more difficult and dangerous than by the Yukon.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+From Juneau there are four different routes to the headwaters of the
+Yukon, all crossing by separate paths the range of mountains along the
+coast. They are the Dyea or Chilkoot Pass, the Chilkat, Moore's or
+White Pass, and Takon. At this writing the Chilkoot is the favorite,
+because it is better known than the others, but the facilities for
+passing through this entrance or doorway to the new El Dorado are
+certain to be greatly increased at an early day.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It was learned on inquiry that another day would have to be spent in
+the town before the little steamer would leave for Dyea. While Tim and
+Jeff stayed at the hotel, talking over old times and laying plans for
+the future, the boys strolled through the streets, which were knee-deep
+with mud.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The curio shops on Front and Seward streets were interesting, and from
+the upper end of the latter street they saw a path leading to the Auk
+village, whose people claim to own the flats at the mouth of Gold
+Creek. On the high ground across the stream is a cemetery containing a
+number of curious totemic carvings, hung with offerings to departed
+spirits. It would cost a white man his life to disturb any of them.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It was early in the afternoon that the cousins were strolling aimlessly
+about and had turned to retrace their steps to the hotel, when Frank
+touched the arm of his companion and said, in a low voice:
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Roswell, do you know that a strange man has been following us for the
+past hour?&#34;
+</p>
+
+<a name="33">&nbsp;</a>
+<p class="img"><img src="images/002.jpg" alt="&#34;ROSWELL, DO YOU KNOW THAT STRANGE MAN HAS BEEN
+FOLLOWING US FOR THE PAST HOUR?&#34;" width="336" height="503">
+</p>
+<p class="caption">&#34;ROSWELL, DO YOU KNOW THAT STRANGE MAN HAS BEEN
+FOLLOWING US FOR THE PAST HOUR?&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;No; where is he?&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;On the other side of the street and a little way behind us. Don't look
+around just now. I don't fancy his appearance.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+A minute later, Roswell managed to gain a good view.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;I don't like his looks as well as he seems to like ours. Shall we wait
+for him and ask him his business?&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;No need of that, for he is walking so fast, he will soon be up with
+us. Here he comes, as if in a great hurry.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+A few minutes later the boys were overtaken by the suspicious stranger.
+</p>
+
+
+
+
+<a name="37">&nbsp;</a>
+<p class="chapter">
+CHAPTER III.
+</p>
+
+<p class="head">
+UP THE LYNN CANAL.
+</p>
+
+
+<p>
+Roswell and Frank were standing in front of one of the curio stores,
+studying the interesting exhibits, among which was a pan of Klondike
+gold, but they kept watch of the stranger, who slouched up to them and
+halted at the side of Frank.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;I say, pards,&#34; he said in the gruff, wheedling tones of the
+professional tramp, &#34;can't you do something for a chap that's down on
+his luck?&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+As the lads turned to face him they saw an unclean, tousled man, very
+tall, with stooping shoulders, protruding black eyes, spiky hair, and a
+generally repellent appearance.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;What's the trouble?&#34; asked Frank, looking into the face that had not
+been shaven for several days.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Had the worst sort of luck; got back from Klondike two days ago with
+thirty thousand dollars, and robbed of every cent. I'm dead broke.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;You seem to have had enough to buy whiskey,&#34; remarked Roswell, who
+had had a whiff of his breath, and placed no faith in his story. The
+man looked angrily at them, but restrained himself, in hopes of
+receiving help.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;There's where you're mistaken, my friends; I haven't had anything to
+eat for two days, and when a stranger offered me a swallow of whiskey
+to keep up my strength, I took it, as a medicine. If it hadn't been for
+that, I'd have flunked right in the street&#8212;sure as you live. What are
+you doing, if I may ask, in Juneau?&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;We are listening to you just now, but we are on our way to the gold
+fields,&#34; replied Roswell.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Not alone?&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;We are going with two men, one of whom has been there before.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;That's more sensible. Let me give you a little advice&#8212;&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;We really do not feel the need of it,&#34; interposed Roswell, who liked
+the man less each minute. &#34;You must excuse us, as we wish to join them
+at the hotel. Good-day.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;See here,&#34; said the fellow angrily, as he laid his hand on the arm of
+Frank; &#34;ain't you going to stake me a bit?&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The lad shook off his grasp.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Even if we wished to do so, we could not, for our friend at the hotel
+has all the funds that belong to our party. Perhaps if you go there,
+and he believes the story, Mr. Graham may do something for you, but Tim
+McCabe has not the means with which to help anybody.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+At mention of the Irishman's name the fellow showed some agitation.
+Then, seeing that he was about to lose the expected aid, he uttered a
+savage expression and exclaimed:
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;I don't believe a word you say.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;It is no concern of ours whether you believe it or not,&#34; replied
+Roswell, as he and Frank started down the street toward their hotel.
+The fellow was amazed at the defiance of the lads, and stood staring at
+them and muttering angrily to himself. Could he have carried out his
+promptings, he would have robbed both, but was restrained by several
+reasons.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+In the first place, Juneau, despite the influx of miners, is a
+law-abiding city, and the man's arrest and punishment would have
+followed speedily. Moreover, it would not have been an altogether &#34;sure
+thing&#34; for him to attack the youths. They were exceptionally tall,
+active and strong, and would have given him trouble without appeal to
+the firearms which they carried.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+They looked round and smiled, but he did not follow them. When they
+reached the hotel they related the incident.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Would ye oblige me with a description of the spalpeen?&#34; said Tim
+McCabe, after they had finished. Roswell did as requested.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Be the powers, it's him!&#34; exclaimed Tim. &#34;I 'spected it when ye told
+the yarn which I've heerd he has been telling round town.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Whom do you mean?&#34; asked Frank.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Hardman, Ike Hardman himsilf.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Who is he?&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Didn't I tell ye he was the one that robbed me of my money? Sure I
+did, what is the matter wid ye?&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;You told us about being robbed,&#34; said Jeff, &#34;but didn't mention the
+name of the man who did it.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;I want to inthrodooce mesilf to him!&#34; exclaimed Tim, flushed with
+indignation; &#34;axscoose me for a bit.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He strode to the door with the intention of hunting up and chastising
+the rogue, but, with his hand on the knob, checked himself. For a
+moment he debated with himself, and then, as his broad face lit up with
+his natural good humor, he came back to his chair, paraphrasing Uncle
+Toby:
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;The world's big enough for the likes of him and me, though he does
+crowd a bit. Let him git all the good out of the theft he can, say I.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Dyea is at the head of navigation, and is the timber line, being a
+hundred miles to the northwest of Juneau. It is at the upper fork of
+what is termed Lynn Canal, the most extensive fiord on the coast. It
+is, in truth, a continuation of Chatham Strait, the north and south
+passage being several hundred miles in extent, the whole forming the
+trough of a glacier which disappeared ages ago.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+On the day following the incident described our friends boarded the
+little, untidy steam launch bound for Dyea. There were fifty passengers
+beside themselves, double the number it was intended to carry, the
+destination of all being the gold fields. The weather was keen and
+biting, and the accommodations on the boat poor. They pushed here and
+there, surveying with natural interest the bleak scenery along shore,
+the mountains white with snow, and foretelling the more terrible
+regions that lay beyond. Hundreds of miles remained to be traversed
+before they could expect to gather the yellow particles, but neither of
+the sturdy lads felt any abatement of courage.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Well, look at that!&#34; suddenly exclaimed Roswell, catching the arm of
+his companion as they were making their way toward the front of the
+boat.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Frank turned in the direction indicated, and his astonishment was as
+great as his companion's. Tim McCabe and the shabby scamp, Ike Hardman,
+were sitting near each other on a bench, and smoking their pipes like
+two affectionate brothers. No one would have suspected there had ever
+been a ripple between them.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Catching the eye of the amazed boys, Tim winked and threw up his chin
+as an invitation for them to approach. Frank shook his head, and he and
+Roswell went back to where Jeff was smoking his pipe. They had hardly
+time to tell their story when the Irishman joined them.
+</p>
+
+<a name="43">&nbsp;</a>
+<p class="img"><img src="images/003.jpg" alt="CATCHING THE EYE OF THE AMAZED BOYS, TIM WINKED." width="338" height="534">
+</p>
+<p class="caption">CATCHING THE EYE OF THE AMAZED BOYS, TIM WINKED.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;I obsarved by the exprission on your faces that ye were a bit
+surprised,&#34; he said, addressing the youths.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Is that fellow the Hardman you told us about?&#34; asked Roswell.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;The same at your sarvice.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;And the man who robbed you of your money?&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Tim flung one of his muscular legs over the other, and with a twinkle
+of the eyes said:
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Hardman has made it all right; the matter is fixed atween oursilves.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Then he give you back your money?&#34; was the inquiring remark of Jeff.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Not precisely that, though he said he would do the same if he only had
+it with him, but he run up agin a game at Juneau and was cleaned out.
+Whin he told me that I was a bit sorry for him. He further obsarved
+that it was his intintion if he won to stake me agin and add something
+extra for interest on what he borrowed of me. That spakes well for
+Hardman, so we shook hands over it,&#34; was the hearty conclusion of Tim.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The boys were too astonished to speak. Jeff Graham's shoulders shook,
+and he looked sideways at his friend with a quizzical expression,
+unable to do justice to his feelings. As for Tim, his red face was the
+picture of bland innocence, but he was not through. Astounding as were
+the statements he had just made, he had a still more astounding one to
+submit.
+</p>
+
+
+
+
+<a name="47">&nbsp;</a>
+<p class="chapter">
+CHAPTER IV.
+</p>
+
+<p class="head">
+THE AVALANCHE.
+</p>
+
+
+<p>
+It was late in the day that the little steamer arrived at Dyea, which
+was found to be a village with one log store, a number of movable
+tents, and without any wharf, the beach being so flat that at high
+water the tide reaches a half mile or more inland. To guard against
+losing any of their supplies, Tim McCabe told his friends that it would
+be necessary to unload them themselves.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;From this p'int,&#34; said he, &#34;we must hoe our own row; under hiven we
+must depind on oursilves. Hardman, lind a hand there, and step lively.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+To the astonishment of the youths, the man took hold and wrought with
+right good will. Jeff looked at Tim queerly as he pointed out the
+different articles, he himself, as may be said, overlooking the job;
+but the conclusion was that the Irishman had promised him a small
+amount for his help. When, however, the task was finished Tim came to
+the group, and while Hardman, with shamefaced expression, remained in
+the background, he said with that simplicity which any one would find
+hard to resist:
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;You see poor Hardman is in bad luck; he hain't any outfit, and wants
+to go to the gold fields, but will have to git some one to stake him.
+Obsarving the same, I made bowld to remark that it would give me frind
+Jiff the highest plisure to do it for him, not forgetting to obsarve
+that I knew his company would be agreeable to the byes, and he will be
+of great hilp to the same.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Well, I'm blessed!&#34; exclaimed the old miner, removing his hat and
+mopping his forehead with his big red handkerchief. Then he turned half
+way round and looked steadily at the fellow, who was standing with his
+head down.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Poor dog! let him come along, but if he makes any trouble, I'll hold
+you responsible, Tim.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;And I'll be happy to take charge of the same 'sponsibility, and if he
+don't toe the mark, it's mesilf that will make him. Do you hear that,
+Ike?&#34; he roared, turning fiercely toward the fellow, who started, and
+meekly replied that he heard, though it was impossible for anything to
+reach him except the last thunderous demand.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;It isn't for us to say anything,&#34; remarked Roswell aside to his chum,
+&#34;but that means trouble for us all.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;It surely does; we must be on our guard against him.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The outfits were piled on a sandspit about a mile below the trading
+posts of Healy and Wilson. In the foreground were the ranch and store
+owned by them, and beyond towered the coast mountains, their tops
+gleaming in the sunshine with enormous masses of snow, while hundreds
+of miles still beyond stretched the immense Yukon country, toward which
+the eyes of the civilized world are turned at the present time.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+One of the strange facts connected with Alaska and the adjoining region
+is that in May the sun rises at 3 o'clock and sets at 9, while in June
+it rises at 1.30 and sets at 10.30. Thus the summer day is twenty hours
+long, and it has a diffuse twilight. The change from winter to summer
+is rapid, winter setting in in September, and in the Klondike region
+zero weather lasts from November to May, though at times the weather
+moderates early in March, but does not become settled until May. The
+Yukon generally freezes shut in the latter part of October, and breaks
+up about the middle of May, when the western route to the gold fields
+by the river becomes practicable.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The hour was so late when our friends had finished carrying their
+outfit beyond reach of the high tide, which rises twenty feet at Dyea,
+that they lodged and took their meals at the ranch trading post. By
+arrangement, an early breakfast was eaten the next morning, and the
+goods were loaded upon the two Yukon sleds with which they were
+provided. These were seven feet long, sixteen inches wide, and were
+shod with steel. Other gold-seekers were stopping, like themselves, at
+the ranch, but they lagged so much that when the men and boys headed
+northward they were alone.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jeff Graham and Ike Hardman passed the rope attached to one of the
+sleds over their shoulders, the elder in advance, and led off. Tim took
+the lead, with the boys behind him, with the second sled, following the
+trail left by their friends. The deep snow was packed so hard that no
+use was made of the snow-shoes which Jeff had provided.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+From Dyea the trail led for five miles over the ice, when they reached
+the mouth of the ca&#241;on. This is two miles long with an average width of
+fifty feet. The sleds were dragged over the strong ice, but later in
+the season, when it breaks up, travellers are obliged to follow the
+trail to the east of the ca&#241;on.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The party were so unaccustomed to this kind of labor that they found it
+exhausting. Curiously enough, Jeff bore the fatigue better than any.
+His iron muscles were the last to yield, and he was the first to resume
+the journey. He chaffed the others, and offered to let them mount his
+sled while he pulled them.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Beyond the ca&#241;on is a strip of woods three miles in length, which bears
+the name of Pleasant Camp, though it has not the first claim to the
+name. It does not contain the ruins of even a cabin or shanty&#8212;nothing,
+in fact, but trees, through which the wintry winds sough and howl
+dismally. There the party halted, ate lunch, rested for an hour, and
+then set out with the determination to make the next camping ground
+before night.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The ascent now became gradual, and before the day was spent they
+arrived at Sheep Camp, on the edge of the timber. This is the last spot
+where wood for fuel can be obtained until the other side of Chilkoot
+Pass is reached. The tent was pitched on top of the snow, the poles and
+pins being shoved down into it. Jeff took it upon himself to cut what
+fuel was needed, gathering at the same time a liberal quantity of
+hemlock brush, upon which to spread their blankets for beds.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Since it was necessary to use the stove, and it must rest on the snow,
+a simple arrangement provided against trouble from the melting of the
+latter. Three poles, eight feet in length, were laid parallel on the
+snow and the stove placed upon them. Although a hole was soon dissolved
+beneath, the length of the supports kept the stove upright.
+</p>
+
+<a name="53">&nbsp;</a>
+<p class="img"><img src="images/004.jpg" alt="THE TENT POLES WERE SHOVED DOWN INTO THE SNOW." width="344" height="551">
+</p>
+<p class="caption">THE TENT POLES WERE SHOVED DOWN INTO THE SNOW.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The experience which Jeff and Tim had had made them both excellent
+cooks, which was a fortunate thing for the boys, since they would have
+made sorry work in preparing a meal; but the art of the Irishman
+deserved the many compliments it received. With the aid of baking
+powder he prepared a goodly number of light, flaky biscuit, and by
+exposing some of the butter to the warmth of the stove, it was
+gradually changed from its stone-like hardness to a consistency that
+permitted it to be cut with a knife and spread upon the hot bread. The
+coffee was amber, clear, and fragrant, and with the condensed milk and
+sugar would have reflected credit upon the <i>chef</i> of any
+establishment. In addition, there were fried bacon and canned corn.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Until this time the boys had never believed they could eat bacon, but
+nothing could have had a more delicious flavor to them. It was not
+alone because of their vigorous appetites, but partly on account of the
+bitterly cold weather. There is a good deal of animal heat evolved in
+the digestion of fat bacon, and it is therefore among the favorite
+articles of food in the Arctic regions.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Probably there isn't a boy in the country who would not revolt at the
+thought of eating a tallow candle, and yet if he was exposed to the
+rigors of Greenland and the far north, he would soon look upon it as
+one of the greatest delicacies of the table.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The hemlock branches were now spread on top of the snow at the side of
+the tent, a large square of canvas was placed over them, upon which the
+blankets and robes were put, the whole forming a springy, comfortable
+bed.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Roswell and Frank were sure that in all their lives they were never so
+tired. Leaving the three men to talk and smoke, they stretched out on
+their blankets, wrapping themselves in them, and almost immediately
+sank into deep, dreamless slumber.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The sleep had lasted perhaps a couple of hours, when, without any
+apparent cause, Frank Mansley awoke in the full possession of his
+senses. Lying motionless, he listened to the soft breathing of his
+cousin beside him, while the regular respiration of the men left no
+doubt of their condition. Everything around was in blank, impenetrable
+darkness and all profoundly still.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;It's strange that I should awake like this,&#34; he thought, slightly
+shifting his position. &#34;I'm tired, and was so drowsy that I felt as if
+I could sleep a week, but I was never wider awake than I am this
+minute&#8212;&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Amid the all-pervading silence he was sensible of a low, solemn murmur,
+like that of the distant ocean. At first it seemed to be the &#34;voice of
+silence&#34; itself, but it steadily increased in volume until its roar
+became overpowering. Startled and frightened, he lay still, wondering
+what it could mean, or whether his senses were deceiving him. Then he
+suddenly remembered the vast masses of ice and snow which towered above
+them all through the day. He recalled the stories he had read of the
+glaciers and avalanches, and how Tim McCabe had referred to them as
+sometimes overtaking travellers in this part of the world.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He knew what it meant, and, leaping from his couch, he shouted:
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Wake up! Quick! An avalanche is upon us!&#34;
+</p>
+
+
+
+
+<a name="58">&nbsp;</a>
+<p class="chapter">
+CHAPTER V.
+</p>
+
+<p class="head">
+THROUGH CHILKOOT PASS.
+</p>
+
+
+<p>
+As Frank Mansley's words rang through the tent they were followed by
+the awful roar of the descending avalanche, and all awoke on the
+instant. But no one could do anything to save himself. They could only
+cower and pray to Heaven to protect them.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Something struck the side of the tent, like the plunge of a mountain
+torrent, yet it was not that, nor was it the snow. Tim McCabe knew its
+nature, and catching his breath, he called:
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;It's the wind of the avalanche! That won't hurt ye!&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The wonder was that it did not blow the canvas like a feather from its
+path; but the tent held its position, and the appalling rush and roar
+ceased with more suddenness than it had begun. The throbbing air became
+still.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jeff Graham, who had not spoken, struck a match, and holding it above
+his head, peered around the interior of the tent, which he observed had
+sagged a good deal from the impact of the avalanche's breath, though
+the stakes held their places in the snow. He saw Frank Mansley standing
+pale with affright, while Roswell, sitting on the edge of his couch,
+was equally startled. Ike Hardman had covered his face with his
+blanket, like a child, who thus seeks to escape an impending danger.
+Incredible as it may seem, Tim McCabe was filling his pipe in the
+gloom, preparatory to a smoke.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Be aisy,&#34; was his comment, as he struck a match and held it above the
+bowl; &#34;we're as safe as if in 'Frisco, and a little safer, for it's
+whin ye are there ye are liable to have an airthquake tumble the
+buildings about yer hid.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Wasn't that an avalanche?&#34; asked the amazed Frank.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;It was that, but it didn't hit us. If we had put up the tint a little
+beyant and further to the right, we'd've been mashed flat.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He spoke the truth. The enormous mass of snow, weighing thousands of
+tons, had toppled over and slid down the mountain-side with a roar like
+Niagara, but stopped short, just before reaching the tent. Some of the
+feathery particles sailed forward and struck the canvas, the greatest
+effect being produced by the wind, but the monster was palsied before
+he could reach forward and seize his victims.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+When the situation became clear, every one uttered expressions of
+gratitude, but the boys were not relieved of all fear. What had taken
+place might occur again.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Not a bit of it,&#34; was Tim's reassuring reply. &#34;I've obsarved the
+things before, and we shan't be bothered agin to-night. Take me advice
+and go to sleep, which the same is what I shall do mesilf as soon as I
+finishes me smoke.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The shock, however, had been too great for all to compose their nerves
+at once. Jeff was the first to succumb, having faith in the assurance
+of his friend, and Ike Hardman soon followed him in the land of dreams.
+Frank and Roswell lay for a long time talking in low tones, but finally
+drowsiness overcame them, and with the pungent odor of Tim's pipe in
+their nostrils they sank into slumber, which was not broken until Jeff
+called to them that breakfast was waiting.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The melted snow furnished what water they needed to drink and in which
+to lave their faces and hands. Then, before eating, they hurried
+outside the tent to survey the snowy mountain that had come so near
+swallowing them up. They were filled with amazement when they looked
+upon the vast pile, amid which were observed many chunks and masses of
+ice, several that must have weighed hundreds of pounds, lying on the
+snow within a few yards of the tent. Had one of these been precipitated
+against the shelter, it would have crushed the inmates, like the charge
+from the most enormous of our seacoast guns. It was a providential
+escape, indeed, for our friends, and it was no wonder that they
+continued to discuss it and to express their gratitude to Heaven, that
+had mercifully shielded them while they slept.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Standing at Sheep Camp, they saw the summit towering thirty-five
+hundred feet in front, though Chilkoot Pass, which they were to follow,
+is five hundred feet lower. The task of climbing to the summit of this
+pass is of the most trying nature conceivable, and many gold-seekers
+have turned back in despair. Terrific weather is often encountered, and
+men have been held in camp for weeks, during which the crest of the
+mountains was hidden by clouds and tempests, and the whirling snow and
+sleet were so blinding that they hardly ventured to peep out from their
+tent. The weather was such as has baffled the most intrepid of
+explorers for centuries in their search for the North Pole.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Our friends were unusually fortunate in being favored with good
+weather, there being hardly any wind stirring, while, more wonderful
+than all, the sun shone from an unclouded sky, in a section where the
+clear days average less than seventy degrees in the course of the
+entire year.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+No one who has ever climbed Chilkoot Pass will forget it. Some, alas!
+who have made the attempt never succeeded in reaching the other side,
+but perished in the frightful region; while many more have become
+disheartened by the perils and difficulties and turned back when on the
+threshold of the modern El Dorado. At the foot of the pass our friends
+met two men, bending low with the packs strapped to their shoulders,
+and plodding wearily southward. Tim called to them to know what the
+trouble was, and received a glum answer, accompanied by an oath that
+they had had enough of such a country, and if they ever lived to reach
+New York, they would shoot any man who pronounced the word &#34;Klondike&#34;
+in their presence.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It is a curious fact regarding this famous pass that the snow with
+which it is choked is what makes it possible for travel. The snow
+sometimes lies to the depth of fifty or sixty feet, and from February,
+through May, and often June, its smooth surface allows one to walk over
+it without trouble. Should it be fine and yielding, the snow-shoes come
+into play, but when the crust is hard, no better support could be
+asked. The trouble lies in the steep incline, which becomes more
+decided the higher one climbs.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Underneath this enormous mass rush violent torrents of water, which,
+hollowing out passages for themselves, leave the snow white arches far
+above, over which one walks upon a natural bridge. Later in the season,
+when the effects of the warm weather are felt, these arches begin to
+tumble in, and the incautious traveller who misses his footing and
+drops into one of the huge crevices is lost.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+As has been said, the steepness increases as one approaches the top,
+the last five hundred feet being like the roof of a house. Bending
+forward under their loads, our friends often found their noses within a
+few inches of the snow, while masses of rock protruding in many places
+added to the difficulties of travel. The combined strength of the party
+was required to get a single sled to the top. While one was left
+behind, they joined in pushing and pulling the other, with frequent
+pauses for rest, until, after hours of the hardest work conceivable,
+they succeeded in reaching the summit. Then, resting again, they began
+their descent for the other sled. It was fortunate that the crust of
+the snow removed the need of using the long snow-shoes, whose make
+suggests the bats used in playing tennis, for the men were the only
+ones who knew how to handle the awkward contrivances, which would have
+proved a sore perplexity for Roswell and Frank.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Under some circumstances it becomes a question which is the harder, to
+descend or ascend a steep hill. Despite the utmost care, the whole five
+stumbled several times. Roswell felt the chills run through him, and he
+held his breath in dismay when he saw himself sliding toward the edge
+of a ravine, over which if he fell he would have been dashed to death
+on the instant. While desperately trying to check himself, he shouted
+for help, but it looked equally fatal for any one to venture near him,
+since the slope was so abrupt that he could not check himself.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jeff Graham was carrying the coil of rope which he had loosened from
+the first sled, and, seeing the peril of his young friend, he flung the
+end toward him with the skill of a Mexican or cowboy in throwing the
+<i>rita</i>, or lasso. The youth was slipping downward on his face,
+with his terrified countenance turned appealingly to his friends, while
+he tried, by jamming his toes and clutching at the surface, to check
+himself, and Frank was on the point of going to his help when the end
+of the rope struck his shoulder and he seized it with both hands. The
+next minute he was drawn back to safety.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;I'm surprised wid ye,&#34; remarked Tim McCabe, when the panting youth
+stood among them again. &#34;I thought ye were too tired to indulge in any
+such foolin'. Whin ye want to slide down hill, make use of the slid
+instead of your stummick.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;I don't think I'll want to do any more sliding down hill in this part
+of the world,&#34; replied the frightened, but grateful youth.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Once more they bent to their work, and pulling themselves together,
+succeeded at last in reaching the summit with the second sled, the
+whole party utterly used up. Even Jeff Graham sat down on one of the
+loads, panting and too tired to speak. When he found voice, he said:
+</p>
+
+<a name="65">&nbsp;</a>
+<p class="img"><img src="images/005.jpg" alt="ALL JOINED IN PUSHING AND PULLING ONE SLED." width="346" height="495">
+</p>
+<p class="caption">ALL JOINED IN PUSHING AND PULLING ONE SLED.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;What fools we are! And yet if I went back to 'Frisco, I'd start agin
+for the Klondike the next day; so I reckon we'll keep on.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+No one responded, for they were so wearied that talking itself was
+labor.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Looking to the southwest, they could see the blue shimmer of the
+Pacific, where the Gulf of Alaska rolls its white surges against the
+dismal shores. Far in the distance a faint line against the sky showed
+where a steamer was probably ploughing its way to St. Michael's, with
+hundreds of gold-seekers on board, the van of the army that is pushing
+toward the Klondike from the West, the South, and the East, until it
+would seem that even that immense region must overflow with the
+innumerable multitudes, drawn thither by the most resistless magnet
+that can make men brave peril, suffering, and death.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Turning in the opposite direction, they saw the mountain slope melting
+away in the great valley of the Yukon, with the trail leading through a
+narrow, rocky gap, and with naked granite rocks rising steeply to the
+partly snow-clad mountains. The party had been fortunate in completing
+the ascent in less than a day, when it often requires twice as long.
+The first half mile of the descent was steep, when the slope becomes
+more gradual. The glare of the snow compelled all to use their glasses,
+and seven miles from the summit they reached the edge of timber, where
+camp was made.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Freed from all fear of descending avalanches, with plenty of food and
+wood for fuel, the exhausted gold-hunters lay down on their blankets,
+resting upon more hemlock boughs, and enjoyed the most refreshing sleep
+since leaving the steamer at Juneau. It was not until considerably
+after daylight that Jeff awoke and started a new fire, with which to
+prepare their breakfast, and when that was ready the boys were roused
+from slumber.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+They were now within three miles of Lake Lindeman, a body of water five
+miles in length, and the journey was speedily made. It was on the shore
+of this lake that the party expected to build a raft or boat with which
+to make the long, rough voyage to the Yukon, but, to their pleased
+surprise, they found an old Indian, with a broad scow, anxious to
+transport them and their luggage to the foot of the lake. He had
+already secured three men and their outfits, but was able to carry the
+new arrivals, and Jeff was not long in making a bargain with him.
+</p>
+
+
+
+
+<a name="71">&nbsp;</a>
+<p class="chapter">
+CHAPTER VI.
+</p>
+
+<p class="head">
+A SIGNIFICANT DISCOVERY.
+</p>
+
+
+<p>
+Game is so scarce in the valley of the Upper Yukon and in the Klondike
+country that many gold-seekers take no firearms at all with them. Years
+ago the Indians showed occasional hostility toward the missions and
+trading-posts, but nothing now is to be feared from them. They are
+often hired to help carry loads through the passes, and with that
+aptitude for imitating the white man, they have speedily learned to
+charge high prices for their labor.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Before leaving Juneau, Jeff Graham presented each of his little party
+with an excellent revolver, quoting the remark which a cowboy once made
+to a tenderfoot:
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;You may not want the weapon often, but when you do you'll want it
+mighty bad.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jeff took with him his own pistol which he had carried for years,
+besides which he was provided with a fine Winchester rifle. He knew he
+was not likely to find any use for it in shooting game, but he grimly
+observed that if a pistol should prove handy, the larger weapon was apt
+to prove much more so.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The Indian who engaged to take them to the foot of Lake Lindeman was
+old, but wiry and tough, and understood his business. He could speak a
+few words of English, which were enough for his purposes. He raised a
+small soiled sail of canvas on the scow, and with the help of a long
+pole kept the heavily laden craft moving. Although the lake was open
+thus early in the season, the shores were lined with ice, much of it
+extending into the water for a number of rods. Huge cakes sometimes
+bumped against the scow, but they caused no damage, and did not
+interfere with its progress.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The three men who had first engaged the boat looked as if they had come
+a long distance. Our friends had no recollection of having seen them on
+the steamer from Seattle or on the steam launch that connects Juneau
+with Dyea at the head of Lynn Canal. Where they came from, therefore,
+was a mystery, the probability being that they had been loitering about
+Dyea for a long time, waiting for the season to advance sufficiently to
+allow them to start for the Yukon. They seemed reserved to the point of
+sullenness, keeping by themselves and showing so much antipathy to any
+approach that they were let alone.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+But just before the foot of the lake, nearly six miles distant, was
+reached, Frank Mansley made an interesting discovery. The most
+ill-favored of the trio was an acquaintance of Ike Hardman. No one else
+noticed the significant fact, and it was partly through accident that
+the truth came to the lad.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The two men acted as if strangers, not exchanging a word on the
+passage, and seemingly feeling no interest in each other. All of
+Frank's friends were near the bow of the boat, looking to where they
+were soon to touch shore. Two of the strangers were standing just back
+of and near them, while Hardman was in the middle of the boat,
+apparently watching the old Indian as he plied his paddle with untiring
+vigor.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The third stranger was at the stern, seated on the gunwale, smoking a
+clay pipe and seemingly taking no note of anything about him. When Ike
+Hardman sauntered among the piles of luggage to the rear, Frank was
+impelled by an impulse for which he could not account to watch him. He
+had no well-defined suspicion, and least of all did he suspect what
+proved to be the truth.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Hardman halted a few paces from the man sitting on the edge of the
+boat, and, so far as appearances went, did not pay any attention to
+him. A quick, furtive glance to the front put the lad on his guard, and
+he, too, turned his face toward land, but his position was such that he
+could look sideways at the two, while not seeming to do so.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Suddenly Hardman, with his back partly toward the youth, made a sign
+with his hands, the meaning of which Frank could not catch, because the
+signal was not fully seen, but the fellow sitting down nodded his head,
+and taking his pipe from between his lips, said something in so guarded
+a voice that only the ears for which the words were intended could
+understand them.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+This brief interchange ought to have been enough, but Hardman did not
+appear to think so. He stepped somewhat closer, and he, too, spoke,
+still gesticulating with one of his hands. The man addressed was
+impatient. He nodded again in a jerky fashion, and made answer with
+less caution, as a consequence of which the eavesdropper caught the
+words, &#34;Yes, yes, to-night; I understand.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<a name="75">&nbsp;</a>
+<p class="img"><img src="images/006.jpg" alt="SUDDENLY HARDMAN MADE A SIGN." width="590" height="347">
+</p>
+<p class="caption">SUDDENLY HARDMAN MADE A SIGN.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Hardman was satisfied, and came back to the front of the boat, which
+was now approaching the shore. His friend smoked a few minutes until
+the scow bumped against the projection of ice, and, the old Indian
+leaping lightly out, carried the heavy stone anchor as far as the rope
+would permit. This held the boat in place, and the unloading began. The
+Indian offered to help for an extravagant price, but his offer was
+refused, and the respective parties busied themselves with their own
+work.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The discovery made by Frank Mansley caused him considerable uneasiness.
+The dislike which he felt toward Hardman the first time he saw him had
+never abated, and it was the same with his cousin. Young as they were,
+they felt that a great mistake was made when Hardman was allowed to
+join the party, and they wondered that Jeff permitted it, but, as has
+been shown, they were too discreet to object.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+That Hardman, on his part, detested the youths was apparent, though he
+tried to conceal the feeling when he feared it might attract the
+attention of others. He had little to say to them or they to him. Frank
+decided to tell his chum of the discovery he had made, and they would
+consult as to whether they should take Jeff and Tim into their
+confidence.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Meanwhile, the trio gathered their loads upon their backs and started
+northward without so much as calling good-by to those whom they left
+behind, and who were not sorry to part company with them.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The gold-hunters had had a little lift on their journey, but it was not
+worth considering, in view of what remained before them. A mile advance
+with sleds and their packs took them to the head of Lake Bennet, where
+it may be said the navigation of the Yukon really begins. The lake is
+about twenty-eight miles long, contains a number of islands, and in
+going to the foot one passes from Alaska into British Columbia. Along
+its shores were scores of miners, busily engaged in building boats with
+which to make the rest of the journey. Sad to say, owing to their
+impatience and lack of skill, some of the boats were so flimsy and
+ill-constructed that they were certain to go to pieces in the fierce
+rapids below, and add their owners to the long list of victims whose
+bodies strew the pathway from Chilkoot to the Upper Yukon.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Here, too, it became necessary for our friends to build a craft, and
+since it was comparatively early in the day, Jeff and Tim, each with an
+axe over his shoulder, went into the wood, already partly cut down,
+Hardman accompanying them, in order to bear his turn. The boys remained
+behind to guard the property, though their neighbors were so occupied
+with their own affairs that they gave them little heed. Frank took the
+opportunity to tell his companion what he had observed on the boat
+while crossing the lake.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Hardman has joined our company for some evil purpose,&#34; said Roswell,
+&#34;and the other man is his partner in the plot.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;But they are gone, and we may not see them again.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;One of them, at least, has an understanding with Hardman, and will
+keep him within hailing distance.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;We will say nothing to Jeff or Tim until to-morrow; I fear that we
+shall learn something to-night.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The boy was right in his supposition.
+</p>
+
+
+
+
+<a name="80">&nbsp;</a>
+<p class="chapter">
+CHAPTER VII.
+</p>
+
+<p class="head">
+THE PLOTTERS.
+</p>
+
+
+<p>
+All day long the two axes swung vigorously. Both Jeff and Tim were
+expert woodmen, and they felled pine after pine. Hardman pleaded that
+he was unaccustomed to such work; but Jeff grimly told him he could
+never have a better chance to learn to cut down trees, and compelled
+him to take his turn. The work was continued until dark, which, it will
+be remembered, comes much later in the far North than in our latitude.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The distance between the scene of their work and the point where the
+outfits and goods were piled was so slight that there was really no
+need of the boys remaining on guard. Feeling that they were favored too
+much, they sauntered to the wood and asked the privilege of taking a
+hand in felling the trees. It was granted; but they made such sorry
+work, finding it almost impossible to sink the blade twice in the same
+spot, that they yielded the implements to those who understood the
+business so much better.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The snow was deep, and the camp was much the same as the one made
+before entering Chilkoot Pass. All were tired, and lay down after the
+evening meal, glad of the opportunity for a few hours' sleep.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+In accordance with their agreement, the boys said nothing to either of
+their friends about what Frank had observed on the boat. It was
+understood between them that they were to feign sleep, but to keep
+watch of Hardman during the night as long as they could remain awake.
+Ordinarily it is a difficult if not impossible task for one to fight
+off the insidious approach of slumber, but Frank Mansley had wrought
+himself into such a state of anxiety that he was sure he could command
+his senses until well toward morning.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He and Roswell lay under the same blanket, with their backs to each
+other, while the others were by themselves, the interior of the tent
+barely permitting the arrangement. Had any one stealthily entered
+fifteen minutes after they had lain down, he would have declared that
+all were asleep, though such was not the fact.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Despite his nervousness, Frank was beginning to feel drowsy when he was
+startled and set on edge by a sound that penetrated the profound
+silence. It resembled the whistle of a bird from the timber, soft,
+clear, and tremulous. Almost in the same instant he heard one of the
+men rise stealthily from his couch. It was easy to determine, from the
+direction of the slight rustle, that it was Hardman.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Frank thrust his elbow into the back of his comrade as a warning for
+him to be alert; but there was no response. Roswell had been asleep for
+an hour. It was too dark to perceive anything within the tent, though
+all was clear outside; but the lad's senses were in that tense
+condition that he heard the man lift the flap of the tent and move
+softly over the snow on the outside. With the same silence, Frank flung
+back the blanket that enveloped him and stepped out on the packed snow
+of the interior. Pausing but a moment, he crept through the opening. In
+that cold region men sleep in their clothing, so he had nothing to fear
+from exposure.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The night was brilliantly clear, the sky studded with stars, and not a
+breath of air stirring. He remained a brief while in a crouching
+posture, while he peered in different directions. Before him stretched
+the lake, its shores crusted with snow and ice, with the cold water
+shining in the star-gleam. Still stooping low and looking intently
+about him, he saw something move between the tent and the water. A
+second glance revealed Hardman, who was standing alone and looking
+about him, as if he expected the approach of some person. Impatient at
+the delay, he repeated the signal that had aroused the attention of
+Frank a few minutes before.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The tremulous note had scarcely pierced the air when a shadowy form
+emerged from the wood and walked the short distance that took him to
+the waiting Hardman. The two were so far off that it was impossible to
+identify him; but the lad was as certain it was the man who had
+exchanged the words and signs with Hardman as if the noonday sun were
+shining.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Frank Mansley would have given anything he had to be able to steal near
+enough to overhear what passed between them, but that was clearly
+impossible. To move from his place by the tent was certain to bring
+instant detection. Now and then he could catch the faint murmur of
+their voices, but not once was he able to distinguish a syllable that
+was uttered.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The interview lasted but a short time. Whatever understanding was
+reached between the plotters must have been simple, else it would not
+have been effected so soon. Suddenly the stranger moved off over the
+snow in the direction of the wood and disappeared among the trees. At
+the same moment Hardman moved silently toward the tent. Frank was on
+the alert, and when the man entered he was lying on his couch, his
+blanket over him, and his chilled body against the warm form of his
+comrade, who recoiled slightly with a shiver, though he did not awake.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The fear of Frank Mansley had been that the two men were plotting some
+scheme for the robbery of Jeff, though it would seem that they would
+prefer to wait until he had made a strike in the gold district. What
+the youth had seen convinced him that the latter plan would be
+followed, or at least attempted, and he had hardly reached that
+conclusion when he fell asleep.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;You're a pretty fellow to stand guard,&#34; he remarked to his cousin the
+next morning, after the men had gone to the wood again.
+</p>
+
+<a name="85">&nbsp;</a>
+<p class="img"><img src="images/007.jpg" alt="&#34;YOU'RE A PRETTY FELLOW TO STAND GUARD,&#34; SAID FRANK." width="399" height="600">
+</p>
+<p class="caption">&#34;YOU'RE A PRETTY FELLOW TO STAND GUARD,&#34; SAID FRANK.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;I didn't try to stand guard,&#34; replied Roswell with a laugh; &#34;I was
+lying down all the time.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Why didn't you keep awake?&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Because I fell asleep, and you would have done the same if you hadn't
+kept awake.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Probably I should&#8212;most people do; but what do you think of it,
+Roswell?&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;First tell me something to think of.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+His cousin told all that he had seen the night before.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;There can't be any doubt that Hardman and one, if not all three of
+those fellows, are plotting mischief. It might have been one of the
+others who signalled to and met him. I think we ought to tell Jeff.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;We'll do so before night. It isn't likely Hardman suspects anything,
+and you will have no trouble in finding the chance.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;You think it best that I should tell Jeff?&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;By all means, since you will tell what you saw. Such things are best
+first-hand; but neither of us will say anything to Tim.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Why not?&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Jeff is the leader of this expedition. Tim is so soft-hearted that
+likely enough he would try to convince Hardman of his wrongdoing, and
+so put him on his guard. Let Jeff tell him if he chooses.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;I hope he will drive Hardman out of our party; my impression of him is
+that he would not only rob but kill for the sake of gold.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Roswell looked grave. The same thought had been in his mind, but he
+disliked to give expression to it. He hoped his cousin was wrong, but
+could not feel certain that he was.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Frank, make an excuse for calling Jeff here; he ought to know of this
+at once.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Looking toward the timber, they saw that their friend had just given up
+his axe to Hardman, who was swinging it a short distance from where Tim
+McCabe was lustily doing the same. Frank called to him, and when the
+old miner looked around, he beckoned for him to approach. Jeff slouched
+forward, wondering why the boys had summoned him from his work. He was
+quickly told. He listened, silent, but deeply interested, until the
+story was finished. Then, without any excitement, he said, &#34;Don't let
+Tim know anything of this, younkers;&#34; and, with a strange gleam in his
+keen gray eyes, the old man added, &#34;I've got a Winchester and a
+revolver, and I keep 'em both loaded, and I've plenty of ammunition. I
+think I'll have use for 'em purty soon.&#34;
+</p>
+
+
+
+
+<a name="90">&nbsp;</a>
+<p class="chapter">
+CHAPTER VIII.
+</p>
+
+<p class="head">
+ON LAKE BENNET.
+</p>
+
+
+<p>
+The men wrought steadily in felling trees, and by the close of the
+second day had enough timber for their raft. It would have been much
+preferable could they have constructed a good, stout boat; but it was
+not feasible, though Jeff and Tim would have built it had they
+possessed the necessary planking and boards. They had provided
+themselves with oakum, pitch, and other material; but the labor of
+sawing out the right kind of stuff would have taken weeks. The Irishman
+had learned from his late experience; as a result of which a
+double-decker, as it may be termed, was planned. This consisted first
+of a substantial framework of buoyant pine logs, securely nailed
+together, while upon that was reared another some two feet in height.
+This upper framework was intended to bear their outfits, over which
+were fastened rubber cloths. The Alaskan lakes are often swept by
+terrific tempests, the waves sometimes dashing entirely over the rafts
+and boats, and wetting everything that is not well protected. The upper
+deck serves also partially to protect the men.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The boys spent a portion of the days in fishing. There was a notable
+moderation in the weather, the snow and ice rapidly melting. Sitting or
+standing on the bank, they cast out their lines, baited with bits of
+meat, and met with pleasing success. Plump, luscious white-fish,
+grayling, and lake trout were landed in such numbers that little or no
+other solid food was eaten during their halt at the head of Lake
+Bennet.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Work was pushed so vigorously that on the third day the goods were
+carefully piled on the upper deck, secured in place, and with their
+long poles they pushed out from the shore on the voyage of twenty-eight
+miles to the foot of the sheet of water. They were provided with a
+sturdy mast reared near the middle of the craft, but they did not erect
+a sail, for the reason that the strong wind which was blowing was
+almost directly from the north, and would have checked their progress.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The unwieldy structure was pushed along the eastern side, where the
+poles were serviceable at all times. Each took his turn at the work,
+the boys with the others, and the progress, if slow, was sure.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The first twelve miles of Lake Bennet are quite shallow, with a width
+barely exceeding a half mile. Fifteen miles down occurs the junction
+with the southwest arm, and the point had hardly come into sight when
+Tim said:
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Now look out for trouble, for here's where we'll catch it sure.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+All understood what he meant, for a wind was blowing down the arm with
+such fierceness that it looked as if everything would be swept off the
+raft. The prospect was so threatening that they ran inshore while yet
+at a safe distance, and waited for the gale to subside.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Is it likely to last long?&#34; asked Roswell, when they had secured
+shelter.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;That depinds how far off the end of the same may be,&#34; was the
+unsatisfactory reply. &#34;I've knowed men to be held here for days, but I
+have hopes that we may get off in the coorse of two or three weeks.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The boys as well as Jeff could not believe that Tim was in earnest, for
+his lightest words were often spoken with the gravest expression of
+face; but their former experience taught them to be prepared for almost
+any whim in the weather. They recalled those dismal days and nights
+earlier on their journey, when they were storm-stayed, and they were
+depressed at the thought that something of the nature might again
+overtake them. When the boys proposed to put up the tent, the Irishman
+said:
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;It is early in the day; bide awhile before going to that trouble.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+This remark convinced them that he was more hopeful of a release than
+would be implied from his words; so they wrapped their heavy coats
+closer and hoped for the best. The men lit their pipes, while the boys
+huddled close together and had little to say. Unexpectedly there came
+such a lull in the gale early in the afternoon that the voyage, to the
+delight of all, was resumed.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Ike Hardman was in more genial spirits than at any time since he joined
+the company. He showed an eagerness to help, declining to yield the
+pole when Jeff offered to relieve him, and ventured now and then upon
+some jest with Roswell and Frank. Their distrust, however, was not
+lessened, and they were too honest to affect a liking that it was
+impossible to feel. They had little to say to him, and noticing the
+fact, he finally let them alone. Whatever misgiving Jeff may have felt
+was skilfully concealed, and the fellow could have felt no suspicion
+that his secret was suspected by any member of the company.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The wind blew so strongly that there was some misgiving; but observing
+that it came from the right quarter, the sail was hoisted, and as the
+canvas bellied outward, the raft caught the impulse and began moving
+through the water at a rate that sent the ripples flying over the
+square ends of the logs at the front. All sat down on the upper
+framework, with the exception of Jeff, who stood, pole in hand, at the
+bow, ready to guide the structure should it sheer in the wrong
+direction.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The conformation of the shore and a slight change of wind carried the
+raft farther out on the lake. Observing that it was getting slightly
+askew, Jeff pushed the long pole downward until his hand almost touched
+the surface of the water. While holding it there the other end bobbed
+up, having failed to touch ground.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;No use,&#34; he said, facing his friends, who were watching him, &#34;the
+bottom may be half a mile below.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;That looks as if we're over our hids,&#34; said Tim; &#34;by which token, if
+this steamer blows up we've got to swim for our lives, and I never
+larned to swim a stroke.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The boys looked at him wonderingly.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;How is it you did not learn?&#34; asked Roswell.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;I've tried hundreds of times. I kept in the water till me toes begun
+to have webs between 'em, but at the first stroke me hid went down and
+me heels up. I can swim in that style,&#34; he added gravely, &#34;but find the
+same slightly inconvanient owing to the necissity of braithing now and
+thin. I tried fur a long time to braithe through me toes, but niver
+made much of a succiss of it.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;And I learned to swim in one day,&#34; remarked Frank; &#34;strange that you
+should have so much trouble.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Undoubtedly that's because yer hid is so light, while me own brains
+weigh me down; it's aisy to understand that.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;If we should have any mishap, Tim,&#34; said Frank, &#34;you must remember to
+hold fast to a piece of wood to help you float&#8212;a small bit is enough.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;I have a bitter plan than that.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;What is it?&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Niver have anything to do wid the water.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;That would be certain safety if you could carry it out; but you can't
+help it all times&#8212;such, for instance, as the present.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;And I'm thinking we shall have plinty of the same before we raich
+Dawson.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;After we get to the foot of this lake, what comes next, Tim?&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Caribou Crossing, which we pass through to Lake Tagish, which isn't
+quite as big as is this one. I'm thinking,&#34; he added thoughtfully,
+watching the rising anger of the waves, &#34;that bime-by, whin we come
+near land, we'll be going that fast that we'll skim over the snow like
+a sled to the nixt lake.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Roswell pointed to the shore on their right, indicating a stake which
+rose upright from the ground and stood close to the water.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;What is the meaning of that?&#34; he asked.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;That,&#34; replied Tim, &#34;marks the grave of some poor chap that died on
+his way to the Klondike. Do ye obsarve that cairn of stones a bit
+beyont?&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Each saw it.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;That marks anither grave; and ye may call to mind that we obsarved
+more of the same along Lake Lindeman.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Such was the fact, though this was the first reference to them.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;And we shall hardly be out of sight of some of the same all the way to
+the Klondike; and I'm thinking,&#34; was his truthful remark, &#34;that
+hundreds more will lay their bones down in these parts and niver see
+their loved ones again.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It was a sad thought. In a few years improved routes, railway-tracks,
+and houses for food and lodging will rob the Klondike region of its
+terrors, but until then death must exact a heavy toll from the
+gold-seekers crowding northward, without regard to season or the
+simplest laws of prudence.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Roswell was standing on the upper deck, near a corner, when he
+exclaimed excitedly:
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Oh, look there! Isn't it dreadful?&#34;
+</p>
+
+<a name="97">&nbsp;</a>
+<p class="img"><img src="images/008.jpg" alt="&#34;OH, LOOK THERE! ISN'T IT DREADFUL?&#34;" width="326" height="585">
+</p>
+<p class="caption">&#34;OH, LOOK THERE! ISN'T IT DREADFUL?&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He was pointing out on the lake, and, following the direction of his
+hand, all saw the answer to his question.
+</p>
+
+
+
+
+<a name="100">&nbsp;</a>
+<p class="chapter">
+CHAPTER IX.
+</p>
+
+<p class="head">
+INTO BRITISH TERRITORY.
+</p>
+
+
+<p>
+All hurried to the side of Roswell, who was pointing to a place a short
+distance from the raft.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It was the body of a man that they saw, floating face upward. His
+clothing was good, and the white features, partly hidden by a black
+beard, must have been pleasing in life. The feet and hands, dangling at
+the sides, were so low in the water that only when stirred by the waves
+did they show, but the face rose and fell, sometimes above, and never
+more than a few inches below, so that it was in view all the time.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The group silently viewed the scene. The body drifted nearer and nearer
+and faintly touched the edge of the raft, as the wind carried it past.
+Then it continued dipping, and gradually floated away in the gathering
+gloom.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;We ought to give it burial,&#34; said Frank to Jeff, who shook his head.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;What's the use? We might tow it ashore, dig up a foot of the frozen
+earth, and set a wooden cross or heap of stones to mark the grave, but
+the lake is as good a burial-place as it could have.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;I wonder who he could have been,&#34; said Roswell thoughtfully. &#34;Some
+man, no doubt, who has come from his home in the States, thousands of
+miles away, and started to search for gold. He may have left wife and
+children behind, who will look longingly for his coming, but will never
+see his face again.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;The world is full of such sad things,&#34; observed Tim McCabe, impressed,
+like all, with the melancholy incident, and then he expressed the
+thought that was in the mind of each: &#34;There be five of us: will we all
+see home again?&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+There was no reply. Hardman had not spoken, and, as if the occasion was
+too oppressive, he sauntered to another part of the raft, while the
+rest gradually separated, each grave and saddened by what he had
+witnessed.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It is well for us to turn aside from the hurly-burly of life and
+reflect upon the solemn fact of the inevitable end that awaits us all.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+But the long afternoon was drawing to a close, and the question to be
+considered was whether the raft should be allowed to drift or land, or
+they should continue forward, despite a certain degree of danger during
+the darkness. All were eager to improve the time, and Jeff, as the head
+of the expedition, said they would keep at it at least for a while
+longer.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;As far as I can tell,&#34; he said, &#34;there's no danger of running into
+anything that'll wreck us, and we must use our sail while we can.
+Besides,&#34; he added, after testing it, &#34;the water is so deep that we
+can't reach bottom, and there isn't much chance to help ourselves.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The wind which swept over the raft had risen almost to a gale, and
+brought with it a few scurrying flakes of snow. There was a perceptible
+fall in the temperature, and the chilly, penetrating air caused all to
+shiver, despite their thick clothing.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Finally night closed in, and the raft was still drifting, the wind
+carrying it four or five miles an hour. The night was so short that the
+hope was general that the straightforward progress would continue until
+sunrise, though Tim, who was better acquainted with the region,
+expressed the belief that a storm of several days' duration had set in.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Since there was nothing to do, the men and boys disposed of themselves
+as comfortably as possible on the lee side of the raft, beyond reach of
+the waves, though the spray now and then dashed against their rubber
+blankets which each had wrapped about his shoulders and body. After a
+time Jeff took his station at the bow, though an almost imperceptible
+change of wind caused the structure to drift partly sideways.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Roswell and Frank, who were seated back to back and in an easy
+attitude, had sunk into a doze, when both were startled by a bump which
+swung them partly over. They straightened up and looked around in the
+gloom, wondering what it meant.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;We've struck shore,&#34; called Jeff, who was the only one on watch. &#34;The
+voyage is over for the time.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+There was hurrying to and fro, as all perceived that he had spoken the
+truth. The corner of the raft had impinged against some ice that was
+piled on the beach. The gloom was too deep for any one to see more than
+a few rods, so that Tim, who had traversed the sheet of water before,
+was unable to guess where they were.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Provided we've come over a straight coorse,&#34; said the Irishman, &#34;we
+can't be far from the fut of the lake.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;We'll know in the morning, which can't be far off,&#34; replied Jeff;
+&#34;we'll make ourselves as comfortable as we can until then.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Despite the wind, they managed to light several matches and examine
+their watches. To their surprise, the night was nearly gone, and it was
+decided not to attempt to put up their tent until daylight.
+Accordingly, they huddled together and spent the remaining hour of
+gloom in anything but comfort.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+At the earliest streakings of light all were astir. Springing from the
+ground, Tim McCabe hurriedly walked a short way to the northward. The
+others had risen to their feet and were watching him. As the gray light
+rapidly overspread the scene, they saw the lake, still tossing with
+whitecaps, stretching to the south and west, with the shore faintly
+visible. On the east, north, south, and west towered the snow-capped
+mountains, with Mount Lotne and other peaks piercing the very clouds.
+The sun was still hidden, with the air damp, cold, and penetrating.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Tim McCabe was seen to stand motionless for some minutes, when he
+slowly turned about on his heels and attentively studied the landmarks.
+Then he suddenly flung his cap high in air, and, catching it as it came
+down, began dancing a jig with furious vigor. He acted as if he had
+bidden good-by to his senses.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Whoop! hurrah!&#34; he shouted, as he replaced his cap and hurried to his
+friends. &#34;We're at the fut of the lake!&#34;
+</p>
+
+<a name="105">&nbsp;</a>
+<p class="img"><img src="images/009.jpg" alt="&#34;WE'RE AT THE FUT OF THE LAKE,&#34; SHOUTED TIM." width="338" height="466">
+</p>
+<p class="caption">&#34;WE'RE AT THE FUT OF THE LAKE,&#34; SHOUTED TIM.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Such was the fact. A steamer guided by pilot and compass could not have
+come more directly to the termination of the sheet of water. Tim had
+cause for rejoicing, and all congratulated themselves upon their good
+fortune.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;There's only one bad thing about the same,&#34; he added more seriously.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;What's that?&#34; asked Jeff.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;We're no longer in the United States.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;That's the fact,&#34; said Hardman, &#34;we're in British Columbia.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+After all, this was a small matter. Inasmuch as the signs indicated a
+severe storm, it was decided to stay where they were until its chief
+fury was spent. The snow was shovelled aside to allow them to reach the
+frozen earth, into which the stakes were securely driven, and the tent
+set up, with the stove in position.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Beyond Chilkoot Pass plenty of timber is to be found, consisting of
+pine, spruce, cottonwood, and birch. Thus far not the first sign of
+game had been seen. The whole country, after leaving Dyea, is
+mountainous.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Most of the goods were left on the raft, where they were protected by
+the rubber sheathing and the secure manner in which they were packed
+and bound.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Three dreary days of waiting followed, and the hours became so
+monotonous at times, especially after the hard, active toil that had
+preceded them, that in some respects it was the most trying period of
+the memorable journey of our friends from Dyea to Dawson City. The men
+found consolation in their pipes, which frequently made the air within
+the tent intolerable to the youngsters. Like most smokers, however, the
+men never suspected the annoyance they caused, and the boys were too
+considerate to hint anything of the kind. When their young limbs
+yearned for exercise, they bolted out of doors, in the face of the
+driving sleet and fine snow which cut the face like bird-shot. Locking
+arms, they wrestled and rolled and tumbled in the snow, washed each
+other's faces, flung the snow about&#8212;for it was too dry to admit of
+being wrought into balls&#8212;and when tired out, they came back panting
+and with red cheeks, showing that their lungs had been filled with the
+life-giving ozone.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It was necessary now and then to cut fuel from the adjacent wood, and
+this was done by Tim and Jeff. The boys asked to be allowed to try
+their hand, but they were too unskilful in wielding an axe, and their
+request was denied. Now and then the howling gale drove the smoke back
+into the tent, where it was almost as bad as the odor from the pipes.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The four slept at intervals through the day and most of the long night;
+but now and then the men laid aside their pipes, the stove &#34;drew,&#34; and
+the atmosphere within was agreeable. The only books in the company were
+the two pocket Bibles furnished by the mothers of Roswell and Frank.
+Neither boy forgot his promise to read the volume whenever suitable
+opportunity presented. Seeing Frank reclining on his blanket, with his
+little Bible in hand, Jeff asked him to read it aloud, and the boy
+gladly complied. It was a striking sight, as the men inclined their
+heads and reverently listened to the impressive words from the Book of
+Life. There was no jesting or badinage, for that chord which the
+Creator has placed in every human heart was touched, and responded with
+sweet music. Many an hour was thus passed&#8212;let us hope with profit to
+every one of the little party.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Finally the longed-for lull in the storm came, and the voyage was
+renewed. The trip through Caribou Crossing was made without mishap, the
+distance being about four miles, when they entered Marsh Lake, often
+known as Mud Lake, though no apparent cause exists for the title. No
+difficulty was experienced in making their way for the twenty-four
+miles of its length, at the end of which they debouched into Lynx
+River, where twenty-seven more miles were passed without incident or
+trouble worth recording.
+</p>
+
+
+
+
+<a name="111">&nbsp;</a>
+<p class="chapter">
+CHAPTER X.
+</p>
+
+<p class="head">
+AT WHITE HORSE RAPIDS.
+</p>
+
+
+<p>
+&#34;We're doing well,&#34; observed Tim McCabe, when the raft with its load
+and party of gold-seekers reached the end of Lynx River, &#34;but be the
+same token, we're drawing nigh the worst part of the voyage, and we'll
+be lucky if we git through the same without mishap.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;What have we ahead?&#34; asked Jeff.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Miles Ca&#241;on; it's a little more than half a mile long, and if this
+raft isn't as strong as it should be it'll be torn to pieces.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Fortunately Jeff had given attention from the first to the stability of
+the structure, upon which everything depended. He was continually
+examining it from stem to stern, and where there was a suspicion of the
+necessity, he drove nails and strengthened the craft in every way
+possible.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The sail was used whenever possible; but since they were really among
+the network of lakes which form the headwaters of the Yukon, the
+current carried them steadily toward their destination, and there were
+hours when they scarcely lifted their hands except to keep the raft in
+proper position by means of the poles. The weather grew steadily
+milder, for summer was approaching. The snow and ice rapidly melted,
+and now and then, when the sun shone, the thick clothing felt
+uncomfortable during the middle of the day. Our friends were in advance
+of the great multitude that were pushing toward the Klondike from the
+south, from Canada and to St. Michael's, whence they would start on the
+two-thousand-mile climb of the Yukon, as soon as it shook off its icy
+bounds.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It was impossible that the party should not view with solicitude their
+entrance into Miles Ca&#241;on, though Tim assured his friends that much
+more dangerous rapids would remain to be passed. The ca&#241;on is
+five-eighths of a mile long, with an angry and swift current. Although
+the raft was tossed about like a cockleshell, it went through without
+injury, and none of the goods were displaced or harmed.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Following this came the severest kind of work. For three miles it
+seemed as if the river could be no worse, and the raft must be wrenched
+asunder. The current was not only very swift, but the channel was
+filled with rocks. Each man grasped one of the strong poles with which
+the craft was provided, and wrought with might and main to steer clear
+of the treacherous masses of stone which thrust up their heads
+everywhere. There were many narrow escapes, and despite the utmost they
+could do, the raft struck repeatedly. Sometimes it was a bump and sheer
+to one side so suddenly that the party were almost knocked off their
+feet. Once, owing to unintentional contrary work the raft banged
+against the head of a rock and stood still. While the men were
+desperately plying their poles the current slewed the craft around, and
+the voyage was resumed.
+</p>
+
+<a name="113">&nbsp;</a>
+<p class="img"><img src="images/010.jpg" alt="THE CURRENT WAS NOT ONLY VERY SWIFT, BUT THE CHANNEL WAS
+FILLED WITH ROCKS." width="345" height="450">
+</p>
+<p class="caption">THE CURRENT WAS NOT ONLY VERY SWIFT, BUT THE CHANNEL WAS
+FILLED WITH ROCKS.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Look out!&#34; shouted Jeff; &#34;there's another rock right ahead!&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Unfortunately it was just below the surface, and there were so many
+ripples and eddies in the current that neither Tim nor Hardman was sure
+of its exact location, but taking their cue from the leader, they
+pushed with all their strength to clear the obstruction.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+They failed, and the flinty head swept directly under the logs and
+gouged its course for the entire length of the craft. All felt the jar,
+and those who could look beneath the upper deck saw the lower timbers
+rise from the impact, which was so severe that when the raft at last
+swung free it was barely moving, but, like a wounded horse, it shook
+itself clear, and the next moment was plunging forward as impetuously
+as ever. The fears of the party were intensified by sight of wreckage
+along the banks, proving that more than one of their predecessors had
+come to grief in trying to make the passage.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+While all were on edge with the danger, however, they found themselves
+at the end of the perilous passage and floating in comparatively smooth
+water again. Men and boys drew sighs of relief, the former mopping
+their perspiring brows and looking their mutual congratulations.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;The fun is only just begun,&#34; said Tim McCabe; &#34;we had matters purty
+lively fur a time, but they'll soon be a good deal livelier.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;What is next due?&#34; asked Frank.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;I belave,&#34; said Tim, &#34;that some folks spake of death as riding on a
+pale horse, don't they?&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Yes.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;That must be the raison they call the nixt plisure thramp White Horse
+Ca&#241;on, or White Horse Rapids.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Where are they?&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;But a little way ahid; many men have been drowned in thrying to sail
+through the same; and him as doesn't know how to swim in a whirlpool
+hasn't ony business to thry it.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;What, then, do you mean to do?&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Thry it,&#34; was the imperturbable response.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Such talk was not calculated to cheer the listeners, but knowing the
+Irishman as they did, they received his statement with less seriousness
+than they should have done, for he had by no means overrated the peril
+in their front. Jeff made another examination of the raft while he had
+the opportunity, and strengthened it in every possible way. He was
+pleased that it stood the test so well, though it had been severely
+wrenched, and when it crawled over the sunken rock it had narrowly
+missed being torn asunder. The fastenings of the goods were examined
+and everything prepared, so far as it could be done, for the crucial
+trial at hand.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The party were seated in various positions about the raft, looking
+anxiously ahead, when Tim pointed a little way in advance, with the
+question:
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Do ye all obsarve that?&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He indicated a high bank of sand on the right which had been cut out by
+the erosion of the violent current. Near by some philanthropist had put
+up a sign, &#34;Keep a Good Look Out.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;You have larned what other people think of the same,&#34; he added;
+&#34;there's been more than twinty men drowned in there.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Because they could not swim?&#34; asked Frank.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;'Cause the best swimmer in the world can't swim in there; you and
+mesilf, boys, will soon be on the same futting, for the raison that we
+won't have any futting at all.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;How long is the ca&#241;on?&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Not quite half a mile. Miles Ca&#241;on, that we've just passed through, is
+like a duck-pond alongside the rapids in front of us.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Can a boat go through?&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;The thing has been done, but only about one in fifty that starts into
+them rapids ever raiches the outlet, excipt in bits the size of yer
+hand.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Frank and Roswell looked at each other in consternation. Was it
+possible that Jeff would allow the criminal recklessness Tim
+contemplated? Where the chances were so overwhelmingly against success,
+it was throwing away their lives to trust themselves to the fearful
+rapids that had already caused so many deaths.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;If you want to try,&#34; said Roswell, excitedly, &#34;you may do so, but
+neither Frank nor I will. Put us ashore!&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He addressed himself to Jeff, who was seated on the edge of the upper
+deck, calmly smoking his pipe. He did not look around nor seem to hear
+the appeal.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Never mind,&#34; interposed Frank; &#34;if they are willing, we are not the
+ones to back out. I know of no law that prevents a man making a fool of
+himself.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Very well,&#34; replied his cousin, more composedly, &#34;I am ready.&#34;
+</p>
+
+
+
+
+<a name="120">&nbsp;</a>
+<p class="chapter">
+CHAPTER XI.
+</p>
+
+<p class="head">
+ON THE YUKON.
+</p>
+
+
+<p>
+Jeff Graham looked inquiringly at Tim McCabe, who nodded his head by
+way of reply. At the same time he said something to Hardman, and all
+three rose to their feet. Then the poles were plied with an effect that
+speedily drove the raft against the bank, where Tim sprang ashore and
+secured it. Brave and reckless as was the fellow, he had no intention
+of trying to take the boat through the exceedingly dangerous White
+Horse Rapids, but he could not refuse the chance for a little amusement
+at the expense of his young friends.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+In truth, no one should ever attempt to take a boat through White Horse
+Rapids. The best course, perhaps, is to let it drift down the rapids,
+guided by a rope one hundred and fifty feet in length. If it passes
+through without material injury, the craft is still at command below.
+Another plan is to portage. At this writing there are roller-ways on
+the western side, over which the boats can be rolled with a windlass to
+help pull them to the top of the hill. In lining a craft, it must be
+done on the right-hand side. Three miles farther down comes the Box
+Ca&#241;on, one hundred yards in length and fifty feet wide, with a chute of
+terrific velocity. Repeated attempts have been made by reckless miners
+to take a boat through, but it is much the same as trying to shoot the
+rapids below Niagara, and the place has well earned its title of &#34;The
+Miners' Grave.&#34; Still, the feat has been performed in safety.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Progress was so effectually barred at White Horse that our friends gave
+up their raft as of no further use. It was certain to be shattered, and
+where there was so much timber it was comparatively easy to build
+another, with which to make the remaining two hundred and twenty miles,
+particularly as there was no need of constructing a double-decker, for
+the rough voyaging was at an end.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The goods were, therefore, packed upon the Yukon sleds, and then the
+raft set adrift. It was never seen again, though an occasional stray
+log afterward observed bobbing in the current below the rapids may have
+formed a part of the structure that had served the travellers so well.
+There was enough snow for the sleds, but the work was exhausting, and
+was not completed until late in the afternoon, when the tent was set up
+and camp made.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+By the close of the following day the raft was finished. It contained
+enough pine lumber to float a much heavier load than formed its burden,
+but, as we have stated, it lacked the double deck, since the necessity
+for one no longer existed.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The raft was no more than fairly completed when a storm that had been
+threatening broke upon the party. Since it was expected, and there was
+no saying how long it would last, the tent was set up and secured in
+place. Considerable fuel had been gathered, and every preparation was
+made for a prolonged stay, though it need not be said that each one
+hoped it would prove otherwise. In a country where for four-fifths of
+the days the sun does not show itself, such weather must be expected,
+and, on the whole, our friends counted themselves fortunate that they
+had been able to make such good progress.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The tent was hardly in position, and all within, huddling around the
+stove, in which Tim had just started a fire, when they were startled by
+a hail:
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Halloa, the house!&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The four hurried outside, where a striking sight met them. Eight men,
+each with a heavy pack strapped over his shoulders, and bending over
+with his load, thickly clad, but with their faces, so far as they could
+be seen through the wrappings, wet and red, had halted in front of the
+tent, which they scrutinized with wonder.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Are you going to begin digging here?&#34; called one of the men, whose
+eyes, nose, and mouth were all that was visible behind his muffler.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Not while the storm lasts,&#34; replied Tim. &#34;If we had room, we'd ask ye
+to come inside and enj'y yoursilves till the weather clears. At any
+rate, we'll be glad to give ye something warm to ate and drink.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Oh, that's it!&#34; exclaimed another of the men. &#34;You're afraid of the
+storm, are you?&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;We're not much afraid, but we ain't in love with the same. Won't ye
+come in&#8212;that is, one or two at a time?&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Thanks for your invitation, but we haven't the time to spare. We're
+afeared they'll get all the gold in the Klondike country if we don't
+hurry. You're foolish to loiter along the road like this.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;We're willing to lose a bit of the goold for sake of the comfort. If
+ye are bound to go on, we wish ye good luck.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;The same to yourselves,&#34; the plucky and hopeful miners called as they
+plodded forward.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+For two dreary days the party was storm-stayed in camp.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Here,&#34; said Jeff Graham, when making ready to resume their voyage, &#34;we
+leave our Yukon sleds.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Shall we not need them on our return?&#34; asked Roswell.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;We should if we returned by this route, but I wouldn't work my way
+against these streams and through the passes again for all the gold in
+the Klondike country. We shall take the steamer down the Yukon to St.
+Michael's, and so on to Seattle.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;That is a long voyage,&#34; suggested Hardman.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Yes, four thousand miles; but it will be easy enough for us when we
+are on a steamer.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;The Yukon is closed for eight months or more each year.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;We don't intend to go down it when it's closed, for I didn't bring
+skates along, and I don't know how to skate, anyway.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;You do not expect to stay long in the Klondike country?&#34; was the
+inquiring remark of Hardman, who showed little interest in the
+intentions of their leader.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;That depends; we shall come back in two months, or six, or a year,
+according as to how rich we strike it.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;S'pose you don't strike it at all.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jeff shrugged his shoulders.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;We'll make a good try for it. If we slip up altogether, these folks I
+have brought with me won't be any worse off than before; but I don't
+intend to slip up&#8212;that ain't what I came into this part of the world
+for.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;No, I reckon few people come for that,&#34; was the comment of Hardman,
+who seemed to be in a cheerful mood again.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Nothing could have offered a stronger contrast to their previous rough
+experience than that which now came to them. Fourteen miles down the
+river brought them to Lake Labarge, where they had nothing to do but to
+sit down and float with the current, using the poles occasionally to
+keep the raft in the best position. Thirty-one miles brought them to
+Lewis River, down which they passed to the Hootalinqua; then to the Big
+Salmon, and forty-five miles farther to the Little Salmon, the current
+running five miles an hour, and much swifter in the narrow ca&#241;on-like
+passages. Then beyond the Little Salmon the craft and its hopeful
+passengers floated smoothly with the current for a distance of one
+hundred and twenty miles, when the boys were startled to see four giant
+buttes of stone towering above the water, which rushed violently among
+them.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;What place is that?&#34; asked Frank, who with his cousin surveyed the
+immense towers with deep interest.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Five-Finger Rapids,&#34; was the reply.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;They look dangerous.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;So they be, unless ye happens to know which two to pass between; now,
+which would ye selict as a guess?&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Roswell and Frank studied them awhile, and the latter answered:
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;It doesn't seem to me that it makes much difference which one you
+take.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Ah, but it makes a mighty difference. We should have big trouble if we
+neglicted to folly the right side of the river.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<a name="127">&nbsp;</a>
+<p class="img"><img src="images/011.jpg" alt="TIM AND JEFF LIT THEIR PIPES; HARDMAN SAT APART." width="342" height="534">
+</p>
+<p class="caption">TIM AND JEFF LIT THEIR PIPES; HARDMAN SAT APART.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jeff and Hardman were already working the raft in that direction, and
+Tim now gave his aid. It looked perilous, but, knowing the right
+course, the craft made the passage without any mishap. All settled down
+to enjoy the smooth sailing that was before them once more. Tim and
+Jeff lit their pipes, Hardman sat apart, while the boys were together
+near the front of the raft. The weather was clearer than it had been
+for several days, and much more moderate. May was well advanced, and
+the short, hot summer was at hand. If all went well, they would reach
+the gold country at the right season, and as they neared the goal the
+spirits of all rose, and a longing to get forward manifested itself in
+many ways. They waited until night had fairly come before they went
+ashore and encamped, and they were off again at daybreak, despite the
+uncannily early hour at which it comes in that part of the world.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Six miles down the Lewis River took them to the Rink Rapids, through
+which they passed without difficulty. Just beyond are the ruins of Fort
+Selkirk, where the Pelly and Lewis rivers unite. Tim McCabe studied the
+mouth of the Pelly, as it poured into the Lewis, and soon as the point
+was fairly passed, he turned to his friends, his round face aglow.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;I offer me congratulations,&#34; he said, doffing his cap and bowing low.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;On what?&#34; asked Frank Mansley.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;The stream over which ye are now floating takes the name of the Yukon,
+and doesn't give up the same till it tumbles into the Pacific siveral
+miles to the west of us.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Several miles!&#34; repeated Frank; &#34;it must be three thousand.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Something like that, I belave. The worst part of our journey is behind
+us.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;How far are we from Juneau?&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;To be exact, which I loikes to be, it is five hundred and tin miles.&#34;
+</p>
+
+
+
+
+<a name="131">&nbsp;</a>
+<p class="chapter">
+CHAPTER XII.
+</p>
+
+<p class="head">
+AT DAWSON CITY.
+</p>
+
+
+<p>
+Naturally the route over which the little party of gold-seekers were
+journeying steadily improved. The Yukon, like many other great rivers
+of the world, comes into being a lusty, vigorous infant, the junction
+of the Lewis and Pelly making it a stream of considerable proportions
+from the moment it takes its name.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Other gold-hunters were seen from time to time, and there were pleasant
+exchanges and greetings with most of them. It was the custom of Jeff
+Graham to keep going so long as daylight lasted, when the raft was
+worked into shore and an encampment made. For a time the old miner kept
+his Winchester within immediate reach, hoping to gain sight of some
+deer or wild game, but as day after day and night after night passed
+without the first glimpse of anything of the kind, he gave up in
+disgust.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;It's the most villainous country on the face of the earth,&#34; he said,
+as he lit his pipe at the evening fire. &#34;If it wasn't for the gold that
+we know is here, no decent man would stay over night in it. Frank, tell
+me something about the confounded country.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Me!&#34; replied the boy, with a laugh. &#34;I don't know half as much as you
+and Tim.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Yes, you do. Tim don't know anything more than the best way to travel
+through the mountains and across the lakes.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The Irishman took his pipe from between his lips to offer protest
+against this slur, but changed his mind, and resumed smoking, though
+his eyes twinkled.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;A man that takes a lot of gold out of the ground and then lets a thief
+steal it isn't fit to go alone.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Which is why I've provided mesilf with a chap that knows it all,&#34; said
+Tim, not the least offended, though Hardman scowled, for the remark was
+a pointed reflection upon him; but he held his peace.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;What about the Injins here?&#34; pursued Jeff, addressing the boys;
+&#34;they're different from ours in Californy.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Frank had no wish to air his knowledge, but he replied:
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;I have read that the natives belong to the red and yellow races&#8212;that
+is, the Indian and Mongolian. There are two stocks of Indians&#8212;the
+Thlinkets and the Tenneh. There are only a few Thlinkets, and they live
+along the coast. That old Indian who ferried us over Lake Lindeman is a
+Tenneh, as are the natives of the interior. You may not think they are
+much like our Indians, but they belong to the Chippewayan family, the
+same as the Apaches, who have caused so much trouble in Mexico and
+Arizona.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;That has been my 'pinion,&#34; said Tim, who now heard the fact for the
+first time; &#34;and the raison why the Alaska redskins ain't as bad as the
+Apaches is 'cause the weather is so cold it freezes up all the diviltry
+in them.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Roswell,&#34; continued Jeff, who was proud to show off the learning of
+his young friends, &#34;why do they call the Eskimos that name?&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;The name, which means those who eat raw flesh, was given to them by
+the Indians. They call themselves Aleuts, or Innuits. The Innuits are
+the same as the Eskimos of Greenland and the Arctic regions, while the
+Aleuts belong to Alaska, the long, narrow peninsula which extends
+southwesterly from the mainland and the Aleutian Islands, that look
+like a continuation of the peninsula. As for the climate, temperature,
+and size of Alaska, you and Tim know as much as we do,&#34; said Roswell,
+who disliked as much as his cousin to seem to display his knowledge.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Why not be modest,&#34; gravely asked Tim, &#34;and say that ye knows almost
+as much as Mr. McCabe, leaving Mr. Graham out of the quistion, be the
+token that he knows nothing at all, and I'm afeard will niver larn?&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;As you please,&#34; replied Roswell; &#34;you and Jeff may settle that between
+you.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;And ther's nothing to sittle, as me mither used to obsarve whin she
+looked into the impty coffee-pot; Jiff won't pretind that he knows
+anything of this country so long as he is in the prisence of mesilf.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Very true,&#34; gravely replied the old miner; &#34;but if I do scoop in any
+gold, I think I'll know 'nough to shoot any man that tries to steal
+it.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+As he spoke he darted a glance at Hardman, who was sitting a little
+back from the fire, also smoking, but glum and silent. The boys
+wondered why Jeff should make these pointed references, when he had
+never hinted anything of the kind before, but the old miner had a
+purpose in mind. While not seeming to pay any special attention to
+Hardman, he had studied him closely for the past few days, and felt
+little doubt that he was planning mischief. The words, therefore, that
+Jeff uttered were meant as a warning to the rogue of what he might
+expect if he attempted any crooked work.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+No further reference was made to the unpleasant subject, although Jeff
+and Tim chaffed each other for a long time, even after the boys had
+wrapped themselves in their blankets and lain down to sleep. No watch
+was set, as would have been the case had they been journeying through a
+wild part of their own country, for there was nothing to be feared from
+wild animals or Indians. The only being whom Jeff and the boys
+distrusted was a member of their own company, and they did not believe
+he would do anything wrong until after the party had secured something
+worth the risk on his part.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Deprived of many of the comforts of home and a mother's care, it did
+not take the boys long, under the tutelage of the older ones, to attend
+to their own wants. Roswell and Frank soon learned how to sew on a
+button and do the mending which their garments occasionally required.
+They washed their clothing and kept themselves in better form than do
+many men when placed in a similar situation.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+With the weather growing more summery and hardly a bit of ice in the
+river, the raft glided down the Upper Yukon. Ninety-eight miles from
+the head of the Yukon, the craft passed the mouth of the Milk River,
+and in this case the party saw the appropriateness of the name, for its
+water has a perceptible whitish color.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+A goodly distance remained to be passed, for it was ten miles to
+Stewart River, and twenty-five more to Fort Ogilvie, where they spent
+the night. They were now nearing their journey's end, and all showed a
+peculiar agitation, such as is natural when we feel ourselves close
+upon the solution of a problem that has baffled us for a long time.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+One form of this emotion was the impatience to get forward faster than
+before. There was nothing of the feeling when leaving Seattle or Juneau
+or Dyea, nor did they experience it to any degree while toiling through
+the hundreds of miles from lake to lake and down the upper waters of
+the streams which help to form the Yukon.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Roswell and Frank were grateful for one blessed fact&#8212;they were
+stronger and in more rugged health than ever in their lives. When
+making their way through the passes and helping to drag the sleds, they
+felt more than once like giving up and turning back, though neither
+would have confessed it; but now they were hopeful, buoyant, and eager.
+They had sent the last letter which they expected to write home for a
+long time upon leaving Dyea, where they bade good-by to civilization.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The afternoon was young when the raft drifted into a portion of the
+Yukon which expanded into a width of two miles, where it was joined by
+another large stream. On the eastern shore loomed a straggling town of
+considerable proportions.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Tim,&#34; said Frank, suspecting the truth, &#34;what place is that?&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Frinds,&#34; replied Tim, vainly trying to conceal his agitation, &#34;that
+town is Dawson City, and the river flowing into ours is the Klondike.
+Ye have raiched the goold counthry, which, being the same, I
+rispictfully asks ye all to jine mesilf in letting out a hurrah which
+will make the town trimble and the payple open their eyes so wide that
+they won't git them shet agin for a wake to come. Are ye riddy?
+Altogither!&#34;
+</p>
+
+<a name="137">&nbsp;</a>
+<p class="img"><img src="images/012.jpg" alt="AND THE THREE CHEERS WERE GIVEN WITH A WILL." width="350" height="554">
+</p>
+<p class="caption">AND THE THREE CHEERS WERE GIVEN WITH A WILL.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+And the cheers were given with a will.
+</p>
+
+
+
+
+<a name="141">&nbsp;</a>
+<p class="chapter">
+CHAPTER XIII.
+</p>
+
+<p class="head">
+ON THE EDGE OF THE GOLD-FIELDS.
+</p>
+
+
+<p>
+The little party of gold-seekers had every cause to congratulate
+themselves, for after a journey of nearly two thousand miles from
+Seattle, through wild passes, dangerous rapids and ca&#241;ons, over
+precipitous mountains, amid storm and tempests, with their lives many a
+time in peril, half frozen and exhausted by the most wearisome toil,
+they had arrived at Dawson City, in the midst of the wonderful gold
+district of the Northwest, all without mishap and in better condition
+than when they left home.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The boys, in roughing it, had breathed the invigorating ozone and
+gained in rugged health and strength. Youth and buoyant spirits were on
+their side, and their muscles, which would have become flabby in the
+unwholesome atmosphere of a store, were hardened, and their endurance
+and capacity for trying work immeasurably increased. There are
+thousands of men to-day enjoying life, without an ache or pain, who owe
+their splendid condition to the campaigning they underwent in the war
+for the Union. If that terrific struggle swept multitudes into their
+graves, it brought the balm of strength and health to many more, who
+otherwise would not have lived out half their days.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The trying experience of Jeff Graham in his youth and early manhood did
+this service for him. It was not strange, therefore, that he with his
+iron muscles bore the strain better than any of his companions. He
+seemed to be tireless, and his sturdy strength often put others to
+shame. He had never sapped his constitution by dissipation; and it may
+be said that the severe hardships of that journey from Dyea through
+Chilkoot Pass and the wild regions about the Upper Yukon confirmed that
+which already existed within his splendid make-up. As for Roswell
+Palmer and Frank Mansley, their excellent home training, not denying
+credit to the grim old miner for his wise counsel, had held them free
+from the bad habits which too often make boys effeminate and weak and
+old before their time. Gifted by nature with the best of constitutions,
+they had strengthened rather than undermined them. Neither had known an
+hour's illness throughout the long, laborious journey, and they were in
+the best condition possible for the great task that now confronted
+them.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+As for Tim McCabe and Ike Hardman, their weakness lay in yielding to
+the temptation to drink. No such temptation appeared on the road, and
+their enforced temperance had the best effect. Tim was less disposed to
+drink than the other, but, sad to say, he indulged at times. Hardman's
+ideal was to obtain the means for doing nothing and minister to his
+base appetites.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It was in 1887 that Dr. George M. Dawson, the leader of an exploring
+expedition sent by the Canadian Government into the Yukon district,
+made a report confirming the presence of gold in vast quantities
+throughout that section. The principal mining camp established there
+was named in his honor. It faces on one of the banks of the Yukon
+River, along which it extends for about a mile. It has a sawmill,
+stores, and churches of the Baptist, Presbyterian, Methodist, and Roman
+Catholic denominations. Being the headquarters of the Canadian
+Northwest mounted police, it is one of the best-governed towns on the
+American continent. At the time of our friends' arrival its population
+was about four thousand, but the rush will swell it in an incredibly
+short while to ten, twenty, and possibly fifty times that number, for
+beyond question it is the centre of the most marvellous gold district
+that the world has ever known.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Copper, silver, and coal are found in large quantities, but no one
+gives them a thought when so much of the vastly more attractive yellow
+metal is within reach. It is singular that while the existence of gold
+was incontestably known for many years, little or no excitement was
+produced until 1896 and 1897, when the whole civilized world was turned
+almost topsy-turvy by the bewildering reports. During the first three
+months of the latter year more than four million dollars were taken
+from a space of forty square miles, where a few placer claims were
+worked. What harvest will be during the next few years no man dare
+attempt to guess. How suggestive the fact that on one stream so much of
+the metal has been found that it was given the name &#34;Too Much Gold
+Creek!&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Inasmuch as our friends are now on the ground, a few more facts are
+proper, in order to understand the task that confronted them. Dawson
+City, it will be remembered, is in British territory, and all the great
+discoveries of gold have been made to the east of that town. Doubtless
+gold will be gathered in Alaska itself, but the probabilities are that
+the richest deposits are upon Canadian soil.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The mining claims begin within two and a half miles of Dawson City, on
+the Klondike, and follow both sides of that stream into the interior,
+taking in its tributaries like Hunker's Creek, Gold Bottom, Last
+Chance, Bear Creek, Bould's Bonanza, and El Dorado. Of these the
+richest are El Dorado, Gold Bottom, Hunker, and the oddly named Too
+Much Gold Creek. The last is the farthest from Dawson City, and the
+least known; but there can be no question that numerous other streams,
+at present unvisited, are equally rich, and will be speedily developed.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Just now placer mining is the only method employed. According to the
+mining laws of the Northwest, the words &#34;mine,&#34; &#34;placer mine,&#34; and
+&#34;diggings&#34; mean the same thing, and refer to any natural stratum or bed
+of earth, gravel, or cement mined for gold or other precious mineral.
+There is very little quartz mining, or crushing of rocks, as is
+practised in many sections of California. This requires expensive
+machinery, and little necessity for it seems to exist in the Klondike.
+In placer mining the pay dirt is washed by the simplest methods, such
+as were practised in California during the pioneer days.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Everything was hurry and bustle at Dawson City on that day, late in
+May, when our friends arrived. It was a noticeable fact that the date
+of their arrival was exactly two months after the boys kissed their
+parents good-by in San Francisco.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Tim McCabe had gathered much practical knowledge during his experience
+in this region, while Jeff had not forgotten what he passed through &#34;in
+the days of '49,&#34; to which wisdom he had added, as opportunity
+presented, while on the way to the Klondike. When the party had eaten
+together at the principal hotel and the men had lit their pipes in a
+group by themselves, a surprise came. The old miner smoked a minute or
+two in silence, and then turned to Hardman, who was sitting a little
+apart, moody and reserved.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Ike,&#34; said he, &#34;I've stood by you all the way from Juneau, hain't I?&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The fellow looked wonderingly at him, as did the others, none
+suspecting what was coming.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;In course,&#34; was the gruff reply of Hardman; &#34;we all stood by one
+another, fur if we hadn't we wouldn't stood at all.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;You've got to Dawson City without it costing you a penny, haven't
+you?&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;There hain't been much chance to spend money since we left Dyea,&#34;
+replied Hardman with a grin.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jeff was nettled by this dodging of the issue; but he kept his temper.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;And if there had been you hadn't a dollar to spend onless you kept
+back some of that which you stole from Tim.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;I don't see the use of your harping on that affair,&#34; said Hardman
+angrily. &#34;I've owned up, and am going to make it all right with Tim.
+It's none of your business, anyway, and I don't want to hear any more
+of it.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<a name="147">&nbsp;</a>
+<p class="img"><img src="images/013.jpg" alt="&#34;I DON'T SEE THE USE OF YOUR HARPING ON THAT AFFAIR,&#34;
+SAID HARDMAN." width="611" height="289">
+</p>
+<p class="caption">&#34;I DON'T SEE THE USE OF YOUR HARPING ON THAT AFFAIR,&#34;
+SAID HARDMAN.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Well, what I'm getting at is this: if it hadn't been for me you'd
+never got to this place. You're here, and now you must look out for
+yourself; I won't have you an hour longer in the party; we part; get
+away as soon as you can!&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Hardman looked savagely at the old miner, as if suspecting he had not
+heard aright. But a moment's reflection convinced him there was no
+mistake. With a muttered imprecation he rose to his feet and left. But
+it was by no means the last of him.
+</p>
+
+
+
+
+<a name="151">&nbsp;</a>
+<p class="chapter">
+CHAPTER XIV.
+</p>
+
+<p class="head">
+PROSPECTING.
+</p>
+
+
+<p>
+After the departure of Hardman, Jeff explained to Tim why he had driven
+him from their company. He told what Frank had seen when crossing Lake
+Lindeman, and how the fellow afterward, when he thought all were asleep
+within the tent, went out to meet his confederate.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;I didn't want to turn him loose on the road,&#34; added Jeff, &#34;though I
+had half a mind to tell him to hunt up his friends and join them. But
+he now has the same chance as the rest of us, and must look out for
+himself.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Begorra, but ye are right, Jiff,&#34; was the hearty response of the
+Irishman. &#34;I'm beginning to suspict that he didn't intind to give back
+that money he borrered&#8212;that is, if he should iver lay hands on the
+same.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jeff looked pityingly at his friend; but reading in the expression of
+his face that he was jesting, he made no response. Instead, he spoke
+impressively:
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;You never would have lost that money if you hadn't been in liquor.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;That's the fact, Jiff; but how did ye find it out?&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;My own common sense told me. You've been looking 'round the last hour
+for a chance to indulge agin.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;I'll admit,&#34; was the frank response, &#34;that a dim idea of the kind has
+been flickerin' through me brain; but I cast the timptation indignantly
+behind me. Do you know why?&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;No.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Nobody offered to pay for the drinks, and I haven't a cint to pay for
+any mesilf.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;And you won't get a cent from me; you must earn it by taking out gold.
+If you succeed it'll be yours, and you can do as you please with it.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Tim removed his cap and scratched his head.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;I've gone a good many wakes without it, and I feel so much better that
+I'm thinking of keeping up the good work.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;I hope you will, and prove yourself a man of sense. But we have no
+time to waste; we oughter be on our way now.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The sentiment suited all, and was followed without delay. Amid the
+crush and hustle it was impossible to hire a horse, mule, donkey, or
+boat. Everything had been engaged long before, and there were hundreds
+of disappointed applicants who, like our friends, were obliged to make
+the tramp eastward on foot, carrying their utensils with them, and
+leaving behind all that was not necessary in the work of placer mining.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+During the brief stay at Dawson City the four attentively studied such
+maps as they could secure, and gathered all information from the many
+who were qualified and willing to give it. As a consequence, when they
+started up the Klondike, they had a well-defined idea of their
+destination.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The first stream which flows into the river from the southward is the
+Bonanza, some twenty-five miles long. This itself has numerous small
+tributaries emptying into it; but hearing that all claims had been
+located, and not believing it possible that any valuable ones had been
+overlooked, they pushed on to Twelve Mile Creek, also flowing from the
+south. There the same facts confronted them, and camping on the road
+when necessary, our friends finally reached Too Much Gold Creek,
+thirty-five miles from Dawson.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Gold-hunters were all around them, and frequently the men and boys
+tramped for miles in the company of men whom they had never seen
+before; but such a life levels social distinctions, and they were soon
+upon as friendly terms as if they had come from Seattle in company.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+At the mouth of Too Much Gold Creek they encountered two grizzly
+miners, each mounted on a mule that was so covered with additional
+luggage that little besides his head, ears, and forefeet was visible.
+They intended to cross the Klondike and prospect on the other side.
+Jeff asked whether there was no gold along the creek which they had
+just descended.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;It's full of it,&#34; was the reply of the elder; &#34;but we're too late; all
+the claims have been taken up.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Did you go to the headwaters?&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;No; we didn't want to waste the time, when all the claims are gone;
+there are other places as good as that, and we'll strike one; so
+good-by, friends.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Laughing and in high spirits, the two miners struck their boot heels
+against the ribs of their mules and were off. It may be worth recording
+that both of them struck it rich within the following week, and a month
+later started for home rich men.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;It ain't likely,&#34; said Jeff, &#34;that there are many claims left along
+this river; but there must be some. Anyhow, we'll try it; I'm sure
+there are places among those mountains that nobody has visited.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+To the east and south towered a spur of the Rocky Mountains. It would
+take hundreds of men a long time thoroughly to explore their recesses,
+and it was the intention of the leader to push in among them. The
+region resembled that to which he had been accustomed in California,
+and he would feel more at home there.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+So the wearisome tramp was resumed and continued, with occasional
+rests, until late at night. Other parties were continually encountered,
+and all had the same story to tell of there not being a foot of
+desirable land that was not pre-empted. Some of these people were
+returning, but most of them pressed on, hopeful of striking some spot
+that was awaiting them.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Encamping under the shelter of a rock, the journey was resumed early
+the next morning, and, some twenty miles from the Klondike, a turn was
+made eastward among the mountains, which stretch far beyond the
+farthest range of vision. They were following a small stream that
+showed no signs of having been visited, and by noon had reached a point
+where they seemed as much alone as if in the depths of Africa.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;I guess we may as well try it here,&#34; said Jeff, and he began to unload
+his pack, in which he was promptly imitated by his companions. They
+quickly finished, and sat down for a long rest.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It had been a steady climb almost from the first. But for their
+previous severe training the boys would have succumbed, but they stood
+it well. The stream which flowed in front of them was little more than
+a brook, that seemed to be made by the melting snows above. It was
+clear and cold, and they drank deeply from it. Rocks and bowlders were
+above, below, in front, and at the rear.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+When their utensils and equipage were laid in a pile, Jeff went off in
+one direction, Tim in another, while the boys plunged deeper into the
+mountains, all engaged in prospecting as best they could. Inasmuch as
+the boys had never had any experience in that sort of work, their only
+chance of success was through accident.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+They followed up the stream, as nearly as they could judge, for about
+an eighth of a mile, still among the huge rocks, when they sat down to
+rest.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;We may as well go back,&#34; cried Roswell, &#34;for Jeff and Tim are the only
+ones who know when they have come upon signs of gold; we may have
+passed a half-dozen places where it can be taken out by the bushel&#8212;&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Frank touched his cousin's arm and indicated by a nod of his head a
+pile of rocks a few rods away and a short distance above them. Looking
+thither, they saw the head and shoulders of a man intently studying
+them. When he found he was observed he lowered his head and
+disappeared.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Do you know him?&#34; asked Frank, in an undertone.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;No; I never saw him before.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Yes, you have. He crossed Lake Lindeman with us. He's the one that
+signalled to Hardman and afterward met him at night outside of our
+tent.&#34;
+</p>
+
+
+
+
+<a name="159">&nbsp;</a>
+<p class="chapter">
+CHAPTER XV.
+</p>
+
+<p class="head">
+A FIND.
+</p>
+
+
+<p>
+It was an unpleasant discovery to the boys that after parting company
+with the ill-favored man who was known to be a friend and comrade of
+the rogue Ike Hardman, and after travelling hundreds of miles to this
+lonely spot, they should meet the fellow again. Doubtless he was
+engaged on the same errand as themselves, and the presumption was that
+sooner or later he would be joined by Hardman.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;I don't know that there is any danger,&#34; said Roswell; &#34;but it would be
+more comfortable to know they were not going to be our neighbors.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Let's follow up the man and question him,&#34; said Frank, starting to
+climb the rocks behind which the other's face had vanished. It took
+only a few minutes to reach the spot; but when they did so, and looked
+around, nothing was seen of him.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;He evidently doesn't wish to make our acquaintance,&#34; said Frank.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;I hope he will continue to feel that way; we must tell Jeff and Tim
+about this. Let's hurry back to camp.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+They now started to descend the stream, which they had followed from
+the point where they left their luggage. By using the brook as their
+guide, they were in no danger of losing their way.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+About half the distance was passed when they came to a point where the
+walking looked better on the other side. The stream was so narrow that
+Frank, who was in the lead, easily leaped across. Roswell started to
+follow, but tripped and fell on his hands and knees, one foot splashing
+in the water, which was only a few inches in depth and as clear as
+crystal.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Are you hurt?&#34; asked Frank, pausing and looking around at him.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Not a bit. I don't know what made me so awkward.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Halloa! what's that?&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+At first Frank thought it was a small fish holding itself stationary in
+the brook; but that could not be, and he stooped down to see more
+clearly. With an exclamation, he dashed his hand into the water and
+drew out a rough, irregular nugget nearly two inches in diameter each
+way. It was bright yellow in color, and so heavy that there could be no
+doubt of its nature.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;It's gold!&#34; he exclaimed in a half-frightened undertone, as he passed
+it to Roswell, who was as much excited as he. He &#34;hefted&#34; it and held
+it up to the light.
+</p>
+
+<a name="161">&nbsp;</a>
+<p class="img"><img src="images/014.jpg" alt="&#34;IT'S GOLD!&#34; HE EXCLAIMED." width="347" height="561">
+</p>
+<p class="caption">&#34;IT'S GOLD!&#34; HE EXCLAIMED.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;No mistake, it is. I wonder what it is worth.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Several hundred dollars at least. I'll bet there are lots more about
+here.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+They straightway began a vigorous search up and down stream, confident
+of finding other similar nuggets, but none was discovered, and finally
+they reached the place where their baggage had been left, and where Tim
+and Jeff were awaiting them.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Look!&#34; called the delighted Frank, holding up the nugget. &#34;See what we
+found!&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Begorra, but I shouldn't wonder if that's worth something,&#34; remarked
+Tim, catching the contagion. Jeff merely smiled and reached out his
+hand without any appearance of excitement.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Let me have a look at it.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He never used glasses, nor did he bring any acid with which to test
+such yellow metals as they might find, for he needed neither. He had
+been trained too well in his early manhood.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The instant he noted its great weight he was convinced of the truth.
+But, without speaking for a minute or two, he turned the nugget over,
+held it up to the light, and then put it between his big, sound teeth
+as if it were a hickory-nut which he wished to crack. He looked at the
+abrasion made by his teeth, tossed the nugget several feet in the air,
+and, catching it in his palm as it descended, said:
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;That's pure gold. Haven't you any more?&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;No,&#34; replied Frank; &#34;we searched, but couldn't find any.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jeff moved his hand up and down and closed one eye, as if that would
+help him to estimate the weight more exactly.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;I should say that it is worth from six to eight hundred dollars; you
+younkers have made purty good wages for to-day. I hope,&#34; he added
+quizzically, &#34;you'll be able to keep it up.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;And how have you made out?&#34; asked Roswell.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Tim says he didn't come onto anything that looks like pay dirt; but I
+struck a spot that gives me hope. We'll locate here for a while.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Of course it was impossible for the party to bring any material with
+them from which to construct a dwelling. The regulation miner's cabin
+is twelve by fourteen feet, with walls six or seven feet high, and
+gables two feet higher. It consists of a single room, with the roof
+heavily earthed and the worst sort of ventilation, owing to the small
+windows and the necessity of keeping warm in a climate that sometimes
+drops to fifty or sixty degrees below zero. The miners keep close
+within the cabins during the terrible winter weather, or, if it
+permits, they sink a shaft to bed-rock and then tunnel in different
+directions. The ground never thaws below a depth of two feet, so there
+is no need of shoring to prevent its caving. The pay dirt is brought up
+by means of a small windlass and thrown into a heap, where it remains
+until spring, when it is washed out.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Since the season was well advanced, the men and boys prepared
+themselves to wash the pay dirt whenever found. But, first of all, it
+was necessary to establish a home for themselves while they remained in
+the region. They had a single axe and a few utensils besides the
+shovels, pans, and articles required in their work. While Tim was
+prospecting, he gave more attention to searching for a site for a home
+than for gold, and was fortunate enough to find a place among the
+rocks, which was fitted up quite comfortably. The stone furnished three
+and a part of four walls necessary, and they cut branches, which were
+spread over the top and covered with dirt for the roof. Owing to the
+moderate weather and the trouble from smoke, the fire was kindled on
+the outside when required for cooking purposes. The Yukon stove,
+because of its weight, was left at Dawson City, whither one of them
+expected to go when it became necessary to replenish their stores.
+Although the nights were still cold, the weather was comparatively
+comfortable. Before long it would become oppressive during the middle
+of the day.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+As Jeff figured it out, they had enough food, tobacco, and supplies to
+last for a couple of weeks, or possibly longer. If they struck a claim
+which they wished to stake out, it would be necessary for one of them
+to go to Dawson City to register it, the process being quite simple.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The prospector is forbidden to exceed five hundred feet up and down a
+stream, following the course of the valley, but the width may run from
+base to base of the mountains. Thus a miner's claim is one of the few
+things that is often broader than it is long. Should the stream have no
+other claims located upon it, the one thus made is known as &#34;the
+discovery claim,&#34; and the stakes used are marked 0. This claim is the
+starting-point, the next one up and the next down the stream being
+marked No. 1, and there can be only two such on any stream.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Next, four stakes must be driven in place, each being marked with the
+owner's initials and the letters &#34;M. L.,&#34; meaning &#34;mining location,&#34;
+after which it must be bounded with cross or end lines, and within the
+ensuing sixty days the claim has to be filed with the government's
+recorder at Dawson City. Should a claim be staked before the discovery
+of gold, the prospector has sixty days in which to find the metal. If
+he fails to do so in the time mentioned, his claim lapses, since it is
+absolutely essential that he shall find gold in order to hold it
+permanently.
+</p>
+
+
+
+
+<a name="169">&nbsp;</a>
+<p class="chapter">
+CHAPTER XVI.
+</p>
+
+<p class="head">
+THE CLAIM.
+</p>
+
+
+<p>
+Not the least interesting feature of the stay of our friends in the
+gold region was their dwelling during those memorable days. The rocks
+came so nearly together that an irregular open space was left, which
+averaged a width of twenty feet with a depth slightly less. Thus three
+sides and the floor were composed of solid stone. When the roof, as
+described, was put in place, the dwelling had the appearance of a
+cavern fully open at the front. There the canvas composing the tent was
+stretched, and so arranged that the dwelling, as it may be called, was
+completed. It was inclosed on all sides, with the door composed of the
+flaps of the tent, which could be lowered at night, so that the inmates
+were effectually protected against the weather, though had there been
+any prowling wild animals or intruding white men near, they would have
+had little difficulty in forcing an entrance. It has been explained how
+all trouble from the smoke of a fire was avoided.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+One of the peculiarities of this primitive house was its interior
+arrangement. There were so many projecting points on the walls that
+they were utilized as pegs upon which to hang the extra garments. A
+ledge a couple of feet above the floor served as a couch, upon which
+the boys spread their blankets, while the men laid theirs on the floor
+itself. The mining and cooking utensils were neatly arranged against
+the rear wall, where were piled the small canvas bags intended to
+contain the gold dust and nuggets that were to be gathered.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jeff expressed the truth when he said:
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;This will sarve us well while the weather is moderate; but if we
+should be here when the thermometer goes down to fifty or sixty degrees
+below zero, we'd turn into icicles before we could say Jack Robinson.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Hardly pausing to place their house in order, the party set out to
+investigate the find which Jeff hoped he had made.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Going up the stream for a short distance, they turned off into a narrow
+valley, which never would have attracted the attention of the boys.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The old miner stood for some minutes attentively studying his
+surroundings, and then, instead of beginning to dig, as his companions
+expected him to do, he said with an expression of disgust:
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Boys, I've made a mistake; there's no gold here.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;How can you tell until you search?&#34; asked the astonished Roswell.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;It ain't what I thought it was; you don't find the stuff in places
+like this. There's no use of wasting time; come on.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Wondering at his action, the three, smiling but silent, trailed after
+him. Climbing over some intervening bowlders, they shortly emerged into
+a place altogether different from any they had yet seen. It was a
+valley two or three hundred feet in width, with the sides gently
+sloping. There was no snow on the ground, and here and there a few
+green blades of grass could be seen sprouting from the fertile soil.
+Through the middle of this valley meandered a stream eight or ten feet
+in width, but shallow, and so clear that the bottom could be plainly
+seen while yet some distance away. The valley itself soon curved out of
+sight above, and it was impossible, therefore, to guess its extent in
+that direction. Below it terminated, not far from where they stood, the
+rocks coming together so as to form a small ca&#241;on, through which the
+creek rushed with a velocity that reminded them of the dangerous ones
+they had passed on their way from Chilkoot Pass.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Wait here a bit,&#34; said Jeff, as he started toward the stream. The
+others obeyed, watching his actions with interest.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He strode to the creek, along which he walked a few rods, his head bent
+as he carefully scrutinized all that passed under his eye. Suddenly he
+stopped and stared as if he had found that for which he was looking.
+Then stooping down, he leaned as far out as he could, gathered a
+handful of the gravelly soil, and put it in the washer which he had
+taken with him. This was repeated several times. Then he dipped the pan
+so as nearly to fill it with water, after which he whirled it round
+several times with a speed that caused some of the water to fly out.
+That part of his work completed, he set down the pan which served as a
+washer, and walked rapidly back toward his friends.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Another disappointment,&#34; remarked Frank; &#34;it isn't as easy to find
+gold as we thought.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;I don't know about that,&#34; said Tim McCabe. &#34;Jiff looks to me as if he
+has hit on something worth while. How is it, Jiff?&#34; he called as the
+old miner drew near.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;That's our claim,&#34; he replied; &#34;we'll stake it out, and then I'm going
+to Dawson to file it.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Are you sure there is gold here?&#34; asked Roswell, in some excitement.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Yes, I hit it this time. We mustn't lose any days in staking it out,
+or somebody else will get ahead of us.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The assurance of Jeff imparted confidence to the rest. The stakes were
+cut and driven, according to the rule already stated, and then Jeff
+breathed more freely.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;We've got sixty days to find the stuff,&#34; he said, &#34;and nobody daren't
+say a word to us. All the same, I'm going to Dawson to file the claim
+and make things dead sure.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;When will you go?&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Now, right off. I want to bring back some things with me, and I'll be
+gone two or three days, but I won't lose no time.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jeff was one of those men who do not require long to make up their
+minds, and whom, having reached a decision, nothing can turn aside from
+its execution. Ten minutes later he was hurrying toward Dawson City,
+forty miles or more distant.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Inasmuch as Tim McCabe had practical knowledge of placer mining, the
+three decided to improve the time while Jeff was absent in taking out
+some of the gold which he assured them was there.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+As has been explained, this form of mining is of the crudest and
+cheapest nature. In winter, after sinking a shaft to bed-rock, tunnels
+are run in different directions, and the frozen dirt piled up until
+warm weather permits its washing out. The distance to bed-rock varies
+from four to twenty feet. The gold is found in dust, grains, and
+nuggets, the last varying from the size of a hickory-nut or larger to
+small grains of pure gold.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It quite often occurs that the bed-rock is seamy, with many small
+depressions. It is supposed that when the <i>d&#233;bris</i> containing the
+original gold swept over this bed-rock, the great weight of the metal
+caused it to fall and lodge in the crevices, where it has lain for
+ages. Certain it is that the richest finds have been made in such
+places.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Having fixed upon the spot where the work should begin, Tim McCabe and
+the boys set to work to clear off the coarse gravel and stone from a
+patch of ground. At the end of several hours they had completed enough
+to begin operations. Tim dropped a few handfuls of the finer gravel or
+sand into his pan, which was a broad, shallow dish of sheet iron. Then
+water was dipped into the pan until it was full, when he whirled it
+swiftly about and up and down. This allowed the gold, on account of its
+greater specific gravity, to fall to the bottom, while the sand itself
+was floated off by the agitation. Tim had learned the knack of dipping
+the pan sideways, so as gradually to get rid of the worthless stuff,
+while the heavy yellow particles remained below.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The boys stood attentively watching the operation, which was carried on
+with such skill that by and by nothing was left in the bottom but the
+yellow and black particles. The latter were pulverized magnetic iron
+ore, which almost always accompanies the gold. Frank's and Roswell's
+eyes sparkled as they saw so much of the yellow particles, even though
+it looked almost as fine as the black sand.
+</p>
+
+<a name="175">&nbsp;</a>
+<p class="img"><img src="images/015.jpg" alt="THE BOYS STOOD ATTENTIVELY WATCHING THE OPERATION." width="330" height="488">
+</p>
+<p class="caption">THE BOYS STOOD ATTENTIVELY WATCHING THE OPERATION.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;How will you separate them?&#34; asked Frank.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Now ye'll obsarve the use that that cask is to be put to,&#34; replied
+Tim, &#34;if ye'll oblige me by filling the same with water.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+This was done, when Tim flung about a pound of mercury into the cask,
+after which he dumped into it the black and yellow sand. As soon as the
+gold came in contact with the mercury it formed an amalgam.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;This will do to start things,&#34; said Tim. &#34;When we have enough to make
+it pay, we'll squaze it through a buckskin bag.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;What is the result?&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Nearly all the mercury will ooze through the bag, and we can use the
+same agin in the cask. The impure goold will be placed on a shovel and
+held over a hot fire till the mercury has gone off in vapor, and only
+the pure goold is lift, or rather there's just a wee bit of the mercury
+still hanging 'bout the goold; but we'll make a big improvement whin
+Jiff comes back. The filing of this claim ain't the only thing that
+takes him to Dawson City.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;What do you think of the deposit here?&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;I b'lave it's one of the richest finds in the Kloondike counthry, and
+if it turns out as it promises, we shall go home and live like
+gintlemen the rist of our lives.&#34;
+</p>
+
+
+
+
+<a name="180">&nbsp;</a>
+<p class="chapter">
+CHAPTER XVII.
+</p>
+
+<p class="head">
+A GOLDEN HARVEST.
+</p>
+
+
+<p>
+Tim McCabe and the boys wrought steadily through the rest of the day
+and the following two days. Inasmuch as the summer sun in the Klondike
+region does not thaw the soil to a greater depth than two feet, it was
+necessary to pile wood upon the earth and set it afire. As this
+gradually dissolved the frozen ground, the refuse dirt was cleared
+away, so as to reach paying earth or gravel. The results for a time
+were disappointing. The gold-hunters secured a good deal of yellow
+grains or dust, and ordinarily would have been satisfied, but naturally
+they were greedy for more.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+There came times of discouragement, when the boys began to doubt the
+truth of the wonderful stories that had reached them from the Klondike
+region, or they thought that if perchance the reports were true, they
+themselves and their friends had not hit upon a productive spot. Tim,
+when appealed to, had little to say, but it was of a hopeful nature. It
+would have been unnatural had he not been absorbed in the work in hand.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+That there was gold was undeniable, for the evidence was continually
+before them, but the question was whether it was to be found in paying
+quantities upon their claim. At the close of the second day all they
+had gathered was not worth ten dollars.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+But the harvest rewarded them on the third day. Tim was working hard
+and silently, when he suddenly leaped to his feet, flung down his pick,
+and hurling his cap in the air, began dancing a jig and singing an
+Irish ditty. The boys looked at him in amazement, wondering whether he
+had bidden good-by to his senses.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Do ye obsarve that beauty?&#34; he asked, stopping short and holding up a
+yellow nugget as large as the one the boys had taken from the brook
+several days before. Roswell and Frank hurried up to him and examined
+the prize. There could be no doubt that it was virgin gold and worth
+several hundred dollars.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Twenty minutes later it was Roswell's turn to hurrah, for he came upon
+one almost as large. And he did hurrah, too, and his friends joined in
+with a vigor that could not be criticised. Congratulating one another,
+the three paused but a few minutes to inspect the finds, when they were
+digging harder than ever.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;I think it is my turn,&#34; remarked Frank; &#34;you fellows are becoming so
+proud, that if I don't find&#8212;by George, <i>I have found it</i>!&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Incredible as it seemed, it was true, and Frank's prize was larger than
+any of the others. Instantly they were at work again, glowing with hope
+and delight. No more nuggets were taken out that day, but the gravel
+revealed greater richness than at any time before.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jeff Graham put in an appearance while they were eating supper, and, to
+the surprise of all, he was riding a tough little burro, which he had
+bought at Dawson for five hundred dollars. His eyes sparkled when he
+learned what had been done during his absence, but he quietly remarked,
+&#34;I knowed it,&#34; and having turned his animal loose, after unloading him,
+he asked for the particulars.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Although it was quite cold, the four remained seated on the bowlders
+outside of their primitive dwelling, the men smoking their pipes and
+discussing the wonderful success they had had, and the still greater
+that was fairly within their grasp.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;We're not so much alone as I thought,&#34; remarked Jeff, &#34;for there are
+fifty miners to the east and north, and some of them ain't far from
+where we've staked out our claim, and more are coming.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;They can't interfere with us?&#34; was the inquiring remark of Roswell.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Not much. As a rule, folks don't file their claims till they've struck
+onto a spot where the yaller stuff shows; but I've done both, 'cause I
+was sartin that we'd hit it rich. If anybody tried to jump our claim,
+the first thing I'd do would be to shoot him; then I'd turn him over to
+the mounted police that are looking after things all through this
+country.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Ye mane that ye'd turn over what was lift of his remains,&#34; suggested
+Tim gravely.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;It would amount to that. Things are in better shape here than they was
+in the old times in Californy, where a man had to fight for what he
+had, and then he wasn't always able to keep it.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;What do you intend to do with the burro?&#34; asked Frank.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Let him run loose till we need him. He brought a purty good load of
+such things as we want, and I'm hoping he'll have another kind of load
+to take back,&#34; was the significant reply of the old miner.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+This was the nearest Jeff came to particulars. His natural reserve as
+to what he had done and concerning his plans for the future prevented
+any further enlightenment. The fact that they had neighbors at no great
+distance was both pleasing and displeasing. Despite the assurance of
+their leader, there was some misgiving that when the richness of the
+find became known an attempt would be made to rob them. Gold will
+incite many men to commit any crime, and with the vast recesses of the
+Rocky Mountain spur behind them, the criminals might be ready to take
+desperate chances.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It was hardly light the next morning when the party were at it again.
+The pan or hand method of washing the gold is so slow and laborious
+that with the help and superintendence of Jeff a &#34;rocker&#34; was set up.
+This was a box about three feet long and two wide, made in two parts.
+The upper part was shallow, with a strong sheet-iron bottom perforated
+with quarter-inch holes. In the middle of the other part of the box was
+an inclined shelf, which sloped downward for six or eight inches at the
+lower end. Over this was placed a piece of heavy woollen blanket, the
+whole being mounted upon two rockers, like those of an ordinary child's
+cradle. These were rested on two strong blocks of wood to permit of
+their being rocked readily.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+This device was placed beside the running stream. As the pay dirt was
+shovelled into the upper shallow box, one of the party rocked it with
+one hand while with the other he ladled water. The fine particles with
+the gold fell through the holes upon the blanket, which held the gold,
+while the sand and other matter glided over it to the bottom of the
+box, which was so inclined that what passed through was washed down and
+finally out of the box. Thin slats were fixed across the bottom of the
+box, with mercury behind them, to catch such particles of gold as
+escaped the blanket.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The stuff dug up by our friends was so nuggety that many lumps remained
+in the upper box, where they were detained by their weight, while the
+lighter stuff passed through, and the smaller lumps were held by a
+deeper slat at the further end of the bottom of the box. When the
+blanket became surcharged with wealth it was removed and rinsed in a
+barrel of water, the particles amalgamating with the mercury in the
+bottom of the barrel.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Sluicing requires plenty of running water with considerable fall, and
+is two or three times as rapid as the method just described, but since
+it was not adopted by our friends, a description need not be given.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+At the end of a week Jeff, with the help of his companions, made a
+careful estimate of the nuggets and sand which they had gathered and
+stowed away in the cavern where they slept and took their meals. As
+nearly as they could figure it out the gold which they had collected
+was worth not quite one hundred thousand dollars&#8212;very fair wages, it
+will be conceded, for six days' work by two men and two boys. On Sunday
+they conscientiously abstained from labor, though it can hardly be said
+that their thoughts were elsewhere.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Since one hundred thousand dollars in gold weighs in the neighborhood
+of four hundred pounds, it will be seen that the party had already
+accumulated a good load to be distributed among themselves. It may have
+been that the expectation of this result caused Jeff to bring the burro
+back, for with his help it would not be hard to carry double the
+amount, especially as everything else would be left behind.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+To the surprise of his friends, Jeff announced that it was necessary
+for him to make another visit to Dawson City. It was important business
+that called him thither, but he gave no hint of its nature. He hoped to
+be back within two or three days, and he departed on foot, leaving the
+animal to recuperate, and, as he grimly added, &#34;make himself strong
+enough to carry a good load to town.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jeff left early in the morning. The afternoon was about half gone, when
+Tim with an expression of anxious concern announced that he had just
+remembered something which required him to go to Dawson without an
+hour's delay.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;It's queer that I didn't think of the same while Jiff was here,&#34; he
+said, &#34;so that he might have enj'yed the plisure of me society, but it
+won't be hard for me to find him after I git there. Ye byes wont be
+scared of being lift to yersilves fur a few days?&#34; he asked with so
+much earnestness that they hastened to assure him he need have no
+misgivings on that point.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;We shall keep hard at it while you are away, but since Jeff is also
+absent we shall be lonely.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Luk fur me very soon. I'll advise Jiff to make ye an extra allowance
+for yer wurruk while him and me is doing nothing.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Two hours after the departure of McCabe, Frank, who was working the
+rocker while his chum was shovelling in the dirt, suddenly stopped,
+with expanding eyes.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;I have just thought what Tim's business is at Dawson.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<a name="189">&nbsp;</a>
+<p class="img"><img src="images/016.jpg" alt="I HAVE JUST THOUGHT WHAT TIM'S BUSINESS IS AT DAWSON,&#34;
+SAID FRANK." width="534" height="324">
+</p>
+<p class="caption">&#34;I HAVE JUST THOUGHT WHAT TIM'S BUSINESS IS AT DAWSON,&#34;
+SAID FRANK.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;What is it?&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;It is his longing for drink. He has gone on a spree, taking one of his
+nuggets with him to pay the cost. Jeff will be sure to run across him,
+and then there will be music.&#34;
+</p>
+
+
+
+
+<a name="191">&nbsp;</a>
+<p class="chapter">
+CHAPTER XVIII.
+</p>
+
+<p class="head">
+A STARTLING DISCOVERY.
+</p>
+
+
+<p>
+The weather was mild, for the short, oppressive Northwest summer was
+rapidly approaching. During the middle of the day the sun was hot, and
+the boys perspired freely. By and by would come the billions of
+mosquitoes to render life unbearable. Those pests often kill bears and
+wolves by blinding them, and the man who does not wear some protection
+is driven frantic, unable to eat, sleep, or live, except in smothering
+smoke. Jeff had said that he meant to complete the work, if possible,
+and start down the Yukon before that time of torment arrived.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+For two days the boys wrought incessantly. They had learned how to wash
+and purify the gold in the crude way taught them by the old miner, and
+the rich reward for their labor continued. Jeff had brought back on his
+previous visit to Dawson City an abundant supply of strong canvas bags,
+in which the gold was placed, with the tops securely tied. These were
+regularly deposited in the cavern where the party made their home,
+until a row of them lined one side of the place. It was a striking
+proof of the wonderful richness of their find, that one of these bags
+was filled wholly with nuggets, which must have been worth fifteen or
+twenty thousand dollars.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Early on the afternoon of the third day another thought struck Frank
+Mansley, and he ceased shovelling gravel into the rocker for his
+companion.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;What is it now?&#34; asked Roswell with a smile.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Don't you remember that on the first day we arrived here, while we
+were prospecting up the little stream, we saw that friend of Ike
+Hardman?&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Yes, of course.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Well, we never told Jeff about it.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;I declare!&#34; exclaimed Roswell. &#34;How came we to forget it?&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;This gold drove it out of our minds. I never thought of it until this
+minute. I tell you, Roswell, I believe something has gone wrong.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+And Frank sat down, removed his cap, and wiped his moist forehead with
+his handkerchief.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;What could have gone wrong?&#34; asked the other lad, who, despite his
+jauntiness, shared in a degree the anxiety of his friend.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;All the gold we have gathered is in the cavern. I believe Hardman and
+those fellows are in the neighborhood and mean to steal it.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;It's a pity we didn't think of this before,&#34; said Roswell, laying down
+his shovel. &#34;Let's go back to the cavern and keep watch till Jeff comes
+back.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Inspired by their new dread, they hastily gathered up what gold had
+been washed out, stowed it into another canvas bag, and then Frank
+slung it half filled over his shoulder and started for the cavern,
+something more than an eighth of a mile away.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+They walked fast and in silence, for the thought in the mind of both
+was the same. From the first the most imprudent carelessness had been
+shown, and they could not understand how Jeff ever allowed the valuable
+store to remain unguarded. It is true, as has already been stated, that
+the section, despite the rush of lawless characters that have flocked
+thither, is one of the best governed in the world, and no officers
+could be more watchful and effective than the mounted police of the
+Northwest; but the course of our friends had much the appearance of a
+man leaving his pocketbook in the middle of the street and expecting to
+find it again the next day.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+A bitter reflection of the boys was that this never would have been the
+case had they told Jeff of the presence of the suspicious individual in
+the neighborhood. If anything went amiss, they felt that the blame must
+rest with them If matters were found right, they would not leave the
+cavern until one or both of their friends returned.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+When half the distance was passed, Roswell, who was in the load, broke
+into a lope, with Frank instantly doing the same. A minute later they
+had to slacken their pace because of the need to climb some bowlders
+and make their way through an avenue between massive rocks, but the
+instant it was possible they were trotting again.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It had been the custom for the gold-seekers to take a lunch with them
+to the diggings. This saved time, and their real meal was eaten in the
+evening after their return home.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The moment Roswell caught sight of the round, irregular opening which
+served as the door of their dwelling, he anxiously scanned it and the
+pile of wood and embers on the outside, where the fire was kindled for
+cooking purposes. The fact that he saw nothing amiss gave him hope, but
+did not remove the singular distrust that had brought both in such
+haste from the diggings.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He ran faster, while Frank, discommoded by the heavy, bouncing bag over
+his shoulder, stumbled, and his hat fell off. With an impatient
+exclamation he caught it up, recovered himself, and was off again.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+As he looked ahead he saw Roswell duck his head and plunge through the
+opening.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Is everything right?&#34; shouted Frank, whose dread intensified with each
+passing second.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Before he could reach the door out came his cousin, as if fired by a
+catapult. His eyes were staring and his face as white as death.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Right!&#34; he gasped; &#34;we have been robbed! All the gold is gone!&#34;
+</p>
+
+<a name="195">&nbsp;</a>
+<p class="img"><img src="images/017.jpg" alt="&#34;WE HAVE BEEN ROBBED! ALL THE GOLD IS GONE.&#34;" width="308" height="494">
+</p>
+<p class="caption">&#34;WE HAVE BEEN ROBBED! ALL THE GOLD IS GONE.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+And overcome by the shock the poor fellow collapsed and sank to the
+ground as weak as a kitten. Frank let the bag fall and straightened up.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;No; it cannot be,&#34; he said in a husky voice.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Look for yourself,&#34; replied Roswell, swallowing a lump in his throat
+and turning his eyes pitifully toward his comrade.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+A strange fear held Frank motionless for several seconds. Despite the
+startling declaration of his cousin, a faint hope thrilled him that he
+was mistaken, and yet he dared not peer into the interior through dread
+of finding he was not.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Reflecting, however, upon the childish part he was playing, he pulled
+himself together, and with the deliberation of Jeff Graham himself bent
+his head and passed through the door.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Enough sunlight penetrated the cavern to reveal the whole interior in
+the faint illumination. When they left that morning the row of canvas
+bags was neatly arranged along the farther wall, where they stood like
+so many corpulent little brownies.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Every one had vanished.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Frank Mansley stared for a moment in silence. Then he stepped forward
+and called in a strong, firm voice:
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Come, Roswell, quick!&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The other roused himself and hastily advanced.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Take your revolver,&#34; said Frank, as he shoved his own into his
+hip-pocket, and begun strapping Jeff's cartridge belt around his waist.
+As Roswell obeyed, his cousin took the Winchester from where it leaned
+in one corner.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Now for those thieves, and we don't come back till we find them.&#34;
+</p>
+
+
+
+
+<a name="200">&nbsp;</a>
+<p class="chapter">
+CHAPTER XIX.
+</p>
+
+<p class="head">
+THE TRAIL INTO THE MOUNTAINS.
+</p>
+
+
+<p>
+On the outside of the cavern the boys halted. After the shock both were
+comparatively calm. Their faces were pale, and they compressed their
+lips with resolution. Some time during the preceding few hours thieves
+had entered their home and carried away one hundred thousand dollars in
+gold dust and nuggets, and the youths were determined to regain the
+property, no matter what danger had to be confronted.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+But the common sense of the boys told them the surest way to defeat
+their resolve was to rush off blindly, with not one chance in a
+thousand of taking the right course.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Roswell, that gold weighs so much that no one and no two men could
+carry it off, unless they made several journeys.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Or there were more of them; they would hardly dare return after one
+visit.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Why not? Hardman (for I know he is at the bottom of the business) and
+the other rogue have been watching us for several days. They knew that
+when we left here in the morning we would not come back till night, and
+they had all the time they needed and much more.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;But if there were only two, they would have to keep doubling their
+journey, and I don't believe they would do that. Perhaps they used the
+donkey.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Let's find out.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The burro was accustomed to graze over an area several acres in extent
+and enclosed by walls of rocks. Since the first-mentioned brook ran
+alongside, the indolent creature could be counted upon to remain where
+the pasture was succulent and abundant. The place was not far off, and
+the boys hurried thither.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+A few minutes later the suggestive fact became apparent&#8212;the donkey was
+gone.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;And he helped take the gold!&#34; was the exclamation of Frank. &#34;They
+loaded part of it on his back and carried the rest. I don't believe
+they are far off.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It was certain the thieves had not gone in the direction of the
+diggings, and it was improbable that they would attempt to reach Dawson
+City, at least, for an indefinite time, for they must have known that
+Jeff Graham and Tim McCabe had gone thither, and that there they were
+likely to be seen and recognized. At any rate, it would be hard for
+them to get away through the town for a considerable period, during
+which the grim old miner would make things warm for them.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The conclusion of the boys, therefore, after briefly debating the
+problem, was that the men had turned into the mountains. These
+stretched away for many miles, and contained hundreds of places where
+they would be safe from pursuit by a regiment of men.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;But if they took the burro,&#34; said Roswell, &#34;as it seems certain they
+did, they must have followed some kind of a path along which we can
+pursue them.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Provided we can find it.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+They were too much stirred to remain idle. Frank led the way to the
+corner of the enclosure which was bisected by the brook. There the
+moistened ground was so spongy that it would disclose any footprint.
+The marks made by the hoofs of the burro were everywhere, and while
+examining what seemed to be the freshest, Roswell uttered an
+exclamation.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;What is it?&#34; asked his cousin, hurrying to his side.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Do you see that?&#34; asked the other in turn, pointing to the ground.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+There were the distinct impressions of a pair of heavy shoes. The burro
+had been loaded at the brook, or his new masters had allowed him to
+drink before starting into the mountains.
+</p>
+
+<a name="203">&nbsp;</a>
+<p class="img"><img src="images/018.jpg" alt="THE TELL-TALE FOOTPRINTS." width="322" height="578">
+</p>
+<p class="caption">THE TELL-TALE FOOTPRINTS.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The boys took several minutes to study the impressions, which appeared
+in a number of places. The inspection brought an interesting truth to
+light. One set of imprints was large, and the right shoe or boot had a
+broken patch on the sole, which showed when the ground was more
+yielding than usual. The others were noticeably smaller, and the toes
+pointed almost straight forward, like those of an American Indian. A
+minute examination of the soil failed to bring any other peculiarity to
+light. The conclusion, therefore, was that only two men were concerned
+in the robbery.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The problem now assumed a phase which demanded brain work, and the
+youths met it with a skill that did them credit. The question was:
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;If the burro was loaded with the gold at this point, or if he was
+brought hither, which amounts to the same thing, where did he and the
+thieves leave the enclosure?&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Neither of the boys had ever felt enough interest in the animal to make
+an inspection of his pasturage ground, and therefore knew nothing about
+it, but scrutinizing the boundaries, they fixed upon two gaps or
+openings on the farther side, both leading deeper into the mountains,
+one of which they believed had been used.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Let's try the nearest,&#34; said Roswell, leading the way across the
+comparatively level space.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+There the ground was higher, fairly dry and gravelly. A close scrutiny
+failed to reveal any signs of disturbance, and forced them to conclude
+that some other outlet had been taken. They made haste to the second.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+This was drier and more gravelly than the other. While the soil seemed
+to have been disturbed, they could not make sure whether or not it was
+by the hoofs of an animal, but Frank caught sight of something on a
+projecting point of a rock, just in front. Stepping forward, he plucked
+it off, and held it up in the light. It consisted of a dozen dark,
+coarse hairs.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;That's where the burro scraped against the rock,&#34; he said. &#34;We are on
+their path.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+In their eagerness they would have kept beside each other had not the
+passage been so narrow. Often they came to places where one would have
+declared it impossible for a mule or donkey to make his way, but there
+could be no question that the property of Jeff Graham had done it.
+Frequently he slipped, and must have come near falling, but he managed
+to keep forward with his precious load.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Less than two hundred yards distant the pursuers came to a depression
+of the soil where it was damp, and the footprints of the donkey and the
+two men were as distinct as if made in putty. There could be no
+question that the boys were on the trail of the despoilers.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+As they advanced, Frank, who was in advance; frequently turned his head
+and spoke in guarded tones over his shoulder to his cousin.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;They are pushing into the mountains,&#34; said he, &#34;but there's no saying
+how far they are ahead of us.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;No; if they made the start early in the morning, it would give them a
+big advantage.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;I believe that is what they did, knowing there was no danger of our
+returning until night.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;That knowledge may have made them slow. Anyhow, they are not
+travelling as fast as we, and we must overtake them before long.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+A few minutes later Frank asked:
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Do you believe they have thought of being followed?&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;They must know there is danger of it. They will fight to keep that
+gold, and if they get the first sight of us will shoot.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;They may have revolvers, but I don't believe either has a rifle. We
+will keep a lookout that we don't run into them before we know it and
+give them the advantage.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+This dread handicapped the boys to some extent. The trail was not
+distinctly marked, often winding and precipitous, and compelling them
+to halt and examine the ground and consult as to their course.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+While thus engaged, they awoke to the fact that they had gone astray
+and were not following the trail at all.
+</p>
+
+
+
+
+<a name="209">&nbsp;</a>
+<p class="chapter">
+CHAPTER XX.
+</p>
+
+<p class="head">
+A SOUND FROM OUT THE STILLNESS.
+</p>
+
+
+<p>
+The error occurred in this way: The trail that the boys had been
+assiduously following was so faintly marked that the wonder was they
+did not go astray sooner. In many places, there was little choice as to
+the route, because it was so broken and crossed that one was as
+distinct as the other. Nevertheless, Frank pressed on with scarcely any
+hesitation, until he again reached a depression where the soft ground
+failed to show the slightest impression of shoe or hoof.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;My gracious!&#34; he exclaimed, stopping short and looking at his
+companion; &#34;how far can we have gone wrong?&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;We can find out only by returning,&#34; replied Roswell, wheeling about
+and leading the way back.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+They walked more hurriedly than before, as a person naturally does who
+feels that time is precious, and he has wasted a good deal of it.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The search might have been continued for a long time but for a
+surprising and unexpected aid that came to them. They had halted at one
+of the broken places, in doubt whither to turn, and searching for some
+sign to guide them, when Roswell called out:
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;That beats anything I ever saw!&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+As he spoke, he stooped and picked up something from the ground.
+Inspecting it for a moment, he held it up for Frank to see. It was a
+large nugget of pure gold.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;These mountains must be full of the metal,&#34; said Frank, &#34;when we find
+it lying loose like that.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Not so fast,&#34; remarked his companion, who had taken the nugget again,
+and was turning it over and examining it minutely. &#34;Do you remember
+that?&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+On one of the faces of the gold something had been scratched with the
+point of a knife. While the work was inartistic, it was easy to make
+out the letters &#34;F. M.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;I think I remember that,&#34; said Frank; &#34;it is one of the nuggets I
+found yesterday, and marked it with my initials. Those folks must have
+dropped it.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+There could be no doubt of it. What amazing carelessness for a couple
+of men to drop a chunk of gold worth several hundred dollars and not
+miss it!
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It must have been that the mouth of the canvas bag containing the
+nuggets had become opened in some way to the extent of allowing a
+single one to fall out.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;I wonder how many more have been lost,&#34; mused Frank, as he put the
+specimen in his pocket.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+At any rate, it served to show the right course to follow, and the boys
+pressed on, looking more for nuggets than for their enemies. The mishap
+must have been discovered by the men in time to prevent its repetition,
+for nothing of the kind again met the eyes of the youths, who once more
+gave their attention to hunting for the lawless men that had despoiled
+them of so much property.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The trail steadily ascended, so broken and rough that it was a source
+of constant wonderment how the burro was able to keep his feet. He must
+have had some experience in mountain climbing before, in order to play
+the chamois so well.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The boys fancied they could feel the change of temperature on account
+of the increased elevation. They knew they were a good many feet above
+the starting-point, though at no time were they able to obtain a
+satisfactory view of the country they were leaving behind. They seemed
+to be continually passing in and out among the rocks and bowlders,
+which circumscribed their field of vision. Considerable pine and
+hemlock grew on all sides, but as yet they encountered no snow. There
+was plenty of it farther up and beyond, and it would not take them long
+to reach the region where eternal winter reigned.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+A short way along the new course, and they paused before another break;
+but although the ground was dry and hard, it was easy to follow the
+course of the burro, whose hoofs told the story; and though nothing
+served to indicate that the men were still with him, the fact of the
+three being in company might be set down as self-evident.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It would not be dark until nearly 10 o'clock, so the pursuers still had
+a goodly number of hours before them.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+A peculiar fact annoyed the boys more than would be supposed. The trail
+was continually winding in and out, its turns so numerous that rarely
+or never were they able to see more than a few rods in advance. In
+places the winding was incessant. The uncertainty as to how far they
+were behind the donkey and the men made the lads fear that at each turn
+as they approached it, they would come upon the party, who, perhaps,
+might be expecting them, and would thus take them unprepared. The dread
+of something like this often checked the boys and seriously retarded
+their progress.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;We may as well understand one thing,&#34; said Frank, as they halted
+again; &#34;you have heard Jeff tell about getting the drop on a man,
+Roswell?&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Yes; everybody knows what that means.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Well, neither Mr. Hardman, nor his friend, nor both of them will ever
+get the drop on us.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The flashing eyes and determined expression left no doubt of the lad's
+earnestness.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Is that because you carry a Winchester and they have only their
+revolvers?&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;It would make no difference if both of them had rifles.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Roswell was thoughtful.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;It is very well, Frank, to be brave, but there's nothing gained by
+butting your head against a stone wall. Suppose, now, that, in passing
+the next bend in this path, you should see Hardman waiting for you with
+his gun aimed, and he should call out to you to surrender, what would
+you do?&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Let fly at him as quickly as I could raise my gun to a level.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;And he would shoot before you could do that.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;I'll take the chances,&#34; was the rash response.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;I hope you will not have to take any chances like that&#8212;&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+They were talking as usual in low tones, and no one more than a few
+feet away could have caught the murmur of their voices, but while
+Roswell was uttering his words, and before he could complete his
+sentence, the two heard a sound, so faint that neither could guess its
+nature.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+As nearly as they were able to judge, it was as if some person, in
+walking, had struck his foot against an obstruction. It came from a
+point in front, and apparently just beyond the first bend in the trail,
+over which they were making their way.
+</p>
+
+<a name="215">&nbsp;</a>
+<p class="img"><img src="images/019.jpg" alt="WATCHING AT THE TURN IN THE TRAIL." width="362" height="567">
+</p>
+<p class="caption">WATCHING AT THE TURN IN THE TRAIL.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;We are nearer to them than we suspected,&#34; whispered Roswell.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;And they don't know it, or they wouldn't have betrayed themselves in
+that manner.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;It isn't safe to take that for granted.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Roswell, after the last change in their course, was at the front. Frank
+now quietly moved beyond him, Winchester in hand, and ready for
+whatever might come. Confident they were close upon the men they
+sought, he was glad of the misstep that had warned them of the fact.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+There certainly could be no excuse now for Hardman and his companion
+securing the advantage over the boys, when one of them held his
+Winchester half raised to his shoulder and ready to fire.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Within a couple of paces of the turn in the trail the two were almost
+lifted off their feet by a sound that burst from the stillness,
+startling enough to frighten the strongest man. It was the braying of
+the burro, not fifty feet distant.
+</p>
+
+
+
+
+<a name="218">&nbsp;</a>
+<p class="chapter">
+CHAPTER XXI.
+</p>
+
+<p class="head">
+A TURNING OF THE TABLES.
+</p>
+
+
+<p>
+The boys were in no doubt as to the author of this startling break in
+the mountain stillness. It was their own burro that had given out the
+unearthly roar, and they were confident of being close upon the trail
+of the two men who were making off with the gold. But a moment later,
+round the corner in front of them, the donkey's head came into view,
+his long ears flapping, as if training themselves for the fight with
+mosquitoes that would soon come. The animal was walking slowly, but the
+astonishing fact immediately appeared that he was not only without any
+load on his back, but was unaccompanied by either Hardman or his
+confederate.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Suspecting, however, they were close behind him, the boys held their
+places, the foremost still on the alert for the criminals. The burro
+came forward until within a rod, when he seemed to become aware for the
+first time of the presence of the youths in his path. He halted,
+twiddled his rabbit-like ears, looked at the two, and then opened his
+mouth. The flexible lips fluttered and vibrated with a second
+tremendous bray, which rolled back and forth among the mountains, the
+wheezing addendum more penetrating than the first part of the outburst.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+As the animal showed a disposition to continue his advance, the boys
+stepped aside and he came slowly forward, as if in doubt whether he was
+doing a prudent thing; but he kept on, and, passing both, continued
+down the trail, evidently anxious to return to his pasturage.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;What does it mean?&#34; asked Roswell.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;I have no idea, unless&#8212;&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;What?&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;They can't make any further use of the burro, and have allowed him to
+go home.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;But they can't carry away all the gold.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Then they are burying it. Let's hurry on, or we shall be too late.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Lowering his Winchester, Frank led the way up the trail, slackening his
+pace as he reached the bend, and partly raising his weapon again.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Rocks and bowlders were all around, but the trail still showed, and the
+donkey could have travelled indefinitely forward, so far as the boys
+could see. Nowhere was anything detected of the two men.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;They may have turned the burro loose a half mile off,&#34; said Frank,
+chagrined and disappointed beyond expression.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+His companion warned him to be careful, as he began pushing forward at
+a reckless rate, as if fearful that the men would get away after all.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Just beyond the point where the burro had appeared the path forked,
+each course being equally distinct. The boys scrutinized the ground,
+but could not decide from what direction the animal had come. Had they
+possessed the patience, they might have settled the question by
+kneeling down and making their scrutiny more minute; but Frank could
+not wait.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;I'll take the right,&#34; he said, &#34;while you follow the left. If you
+discover either of them, shoot and shout for me.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It may be doubted whether this was wise counsel, and Roswell did not
+feel himself bound by it, but he acted at once upon the suggestion. His
+weapon was in his grasp as he hurried over the path, and the cousins
+were quickly lost to each other.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The inspiring incentive to both boys was the dread that they were too
+late to recover the gold that had been stolen. Since its weight was too
+great for a couple of men to carry, the natural presumption was that
+they had buried or would bury it in some secure place, and return when
+it was safe to take it away.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Because of this, Roswell Palmer sharply scrutinized every part of his
+field of vision as it opened before him. There were numerous breaks in
+the path which permitted him to look over a space of several rods, and
+again he could not see six feet from him.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Reaching an earthy part of the trail, he leaned over and studied it.
+There was no sign of a hoof or footprint.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;The burro did not come this far,&#34; was his conclusion; &#34;I am wasting
+time by wandering from Frank.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He was in doubt whether to turn or to advance farther. He had paused
+among the bowlders, where little was visible, and, convinced of his
+mistake, he shoved his weapon back in his pocket, so as to give him the
+freer use of his hands, and turned back over the trail along which he
+had just come.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He had not taken a dozen steps when he was checked by the most
+startling summons that could come to him. It was a gruff &#34;Hands up,
+younker!&#34;
+</p>
+
+<a name="223">&nbsp;</a>
+<p class="img"><img src="images/020.jpg" alt="&#34;HANDS UP, YOUNKER!&#34;" width="334" height="558">
+</p>
+<p class="caption">&#34;HANDS UP, YOUNKER!&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It will be recalled that Roswell was less headstrong than his cousin,
+as he now demonstrated by his prompt obedience to the command, which
+came from an immense rock at the side of the path, partly behind him.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Having elevated his hands, the youth turned to look at his master. One
+glance at the countenance was sufficient. He was the individual whom
+Frank had seen secretly talking with Hardman on the boat that carried
+them from the head to the foot of Lake Lindeman, and whom both had seen
+on the day of their arrival in this neighborhood.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Roswell Palmer now displayed a quickness of wit that would have done
+credit to an older head. His revolver he had placed in a pocket on the
+side of him that was turned away from the man, and it will be
+remembered that the lad had placed it there before receiving the
+peremptory summons to surrender. In the hope that his captor was not
+aware that he carried any firearms, Roswell kept that part of his body
+farthest from him.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The man was standing at the side of the rock with a similar weapon in
+his grasp, and showed that he was elated over the clever manner in
+which he had gotten the best of the youth. His own weapon was not
+pointed at him, but held so that it could be raised and used on the
+instant.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;What do you mean by treating me thus when I am walking peaceably
+through the mountains, offering harm to no one?&#34; asked Roswell with an
+injured air.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;What are you doing here anyway?&#34; demanded the other, whose unpleasant
+face indicated that he did not fully grasp the situation.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;My friend and I set out to look for some men that have stolen our
+gold. Have you seen them?&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+This sounded as if the boy had no suspicion of the fellow before him,
+and taking his cue therefrom, he said:
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;No; I don't know anything about it. Did they jump your claim?&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;We had the gold among the rocks where we live, but when we came home
+to-day, we found that some persons had been there and taken it all.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Something seemed to strike the man as very amusing. He broke into
+laughter.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;You can put down your hands, my son, if you're getting tired.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;You won't shoot?&#34; asked Roswell in pretended alarm.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Not much,&#34; replied the other, with a laugh; &#34;I haven't a charge in my
+weapon nor a single cartridge with me; but all the same, I'll keep an
+eye on you.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Not doubting your word, I have to inform you that my pistol is loaded,
+and I now shall take charge of you.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+As he spoke, Roswell produced his weapon, and the other was at his
+mercy.
+</p>
+
+
+
+
+<a name="227">&nbsp;</a>
+<p class="chapter">
+CHAPTER XXII.
+</p>
+
+<p class="head">
+A LION IN THE PATH.
+</p>
+
+
+<p>
+To put it mildly, the man was astonished. Not dreaming the boy was
+armed, he had been foolish enough to announce that he had brought him
+to terms by the display of a useless weapon. He stared in amazement at
+Roswell, and then elevated both hands. The boy laughed.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;You needn't do that; I am not afraid of you. If you will lead me to
+the spot where you and Hardman hid our gold, I will set you free.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;I don't know anything about your gold,&#34; whimpered the fellow, who now
+proved himself a coward. &#34;I was only joking with you.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;You and he took it. I shall hold you a prisoner until my friend comes
+up, and then turn you over to the mounted police.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;All right; if it is a square deal, follow me.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He turned and darted behind the rock. The youth made after him, but
+when he came in sight of the fugitive again he was fifty feet distant,
+and running like a deer. Perhaps Roswell might have winged him, but he
+did not try to do so. He felt a natural repugnance to doing a thing of
+that nature, and the fact was self-evident that it would do no good.
+The man would sturdily insist that he knew nothing of the missing gold,
+and there could be no actual proof that he did. Had he been held a
+prisoner he might have been forced to terms, but it was too late now to
+think of that, and the youth stood motionless and saw him disappear
+among the rocks.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;I wonder how Frank has made out,&#34; was his thought. &#34;He can't have done
+worse than I.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Meanwhile, young Mansley had no idle time on his hands. He had hurried
+up the fork of the trail, after parting with his companion, until he
+had passed about the same distance. The two paths, although diverging,
+did not do so to the extent the boys thought, and thus it came about
+that they were considerably nearer each other than they supposed.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It need not be said that Frank was on the alert. Suspecting he was in
+the vicinity of the men for whom they were searching, he paid no
+attention to the ground, but glanced keenly to the right and left, and
+even behind him. He was thus engaged when something moved beside a
+craggy mass of rocks a little way ahead and slightly to the right of
+the path he was following. A second look showed the object to be a man,
+and though his back was toward the lad, his dress and general
+appearance left little doubt that he was Hardman.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+His attitude was that of listening. His shoulders were thrown slightly
+forward, and he gave a quick flirt of his head, which brought his
+profile for the moment into view. This removed all doubt as to his
+identity. It was Ike Hardman.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Frank's first thought was that he was standing near the spot where the
+gold had been secreted, and was looking around to make sure no one saw
+him, but it may have been he heard something of the movements of his
+confederate that had escaped Roswell Palmer.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Afraid of being detected, Frank crouched behind the nearest bowlder,
+but was a second too late. Hardman had observed him, and was off like
+a flash. To Frank's amazement, when he looked for him he was gone.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Determined not to lose him, the youth ran forward as fast as the nature
+of the ground would permit. Reaching the spot where he had first
+discovered the man, he glanced at the surroundings, but could see
+nothing to indicate that the gold had been hidden anywhere near, though
+the probabilities pointed to such being the fact, for it must have been
+in that vicinity that the burro was turned free.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+But the boy felt the necessity of bringing the man himself to terms,
+and with scarcely a halt he hurried over the bowlders and around the
+rocks in what he believed to be the right direction, though he had no
+certain knowledge that such was the fact.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He was still clambering forward, panting, impatient, and angry, when a
+figure suddenly came to view a little way in advance. Frank abruptly
+stopped and brought his gun to a level, but before he could aim he
+perceived to his amazement that it was his cousin Roswell standing
+motionless and looking with wonderment around him. A moment later the
+two came together and hastily exchanged experiences.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;We have made a mess of it,&#34; was the disgusted comment of Frank, &#34;for
+we had them both and let them get away.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<a name="231">&nbsp;</a>
+<p class="img"><img src="images/021.jpg" alt="&#34;WE HAVE MADE A MESS OF IT,&#34; WAS THE DISGUSTED COMMENT OF FRANK." width="335" height="574">
+</p>
+<p class="caption">&#34;WE HAVE MADE A MESS OF IT,&#34; WAS THE DISGUSTED COMMENT OF FRANK.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;All the same we must be near the spot where the gold was hidden, and I
+believe we can find it by searching.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;We may, but the chances are a hundred to one against it. How strange
+that those two men carried no firearms!&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It has been shown that the Klondike country is not one of dangerous
+weapons, because it is well governed, and the necessity, therefore,
+does not exist for men to go about armed. Many of them unquestionably
+carry pistols, but larger weapons are few, and the majority have
+neither, for they only serve as incumbrances. Strange, therefore, as it
+may seem, Hardman and his companion had but a single revolver between
+them, and the man who carried that spoke the truth when he said all its
+chambers were empty and he was without the means of loading it.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The great oversight of the two was that when they entered the cavern
+and took away the gold, they left the Winchester and revolvers. This
+may have been due to their eagerness to carry off every ounce of gold,
+but the commonest prudence would have suggested that they &#34;spike&#34; the
+weapons, so as to prevent their being used against them.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+A brief consultation caused the boys to decide to return to the cavern
+and await the return of their friends. Then the whole party could take
+up the search, though it seemed almost hopeless.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Disheartened, they started down the trail, Frank in advance and both
+silent, for their thoughts were too depressing for expression. Suddenly
+the leader stopped and raised his hand for his companion to do the
+same. The cause was apparent, for at that moment, in rounding a bend in
+the path, they saw Ike Hardman in front, moving stealthily in the same
+direction with themselves, but the rogue was watchful and caught sight
+of them at the same moment. As before, he was off like an arrow, the
+winding trail allowing him to pass from sight in the twinkling of an
+eye, as may be said.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Before they could take up the pursuit a great commotion broke out below
+them, and wondering what it could mean, the boys stopped to listen. It
+immediately became apparent that the fugitive had come in collision
+with some one approaching from the other direction over the trail, and
+that same person was gifted with a vigorous voice of which he was
+making free use.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Ah, but ye are the spalpeen I've been looking fur! This is the way ye
+sittle up fur the money ye tuk from me! Mister Hardman, do your bist,
+for that's what I'm going to do. Do ye hear me?&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;It's Tim!&#34; exclaimed Roswell; &#34;let's hurry to his help!&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+But Frank caught his arm.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;It's the other fellow who needs help, and Tim will take it as unkind
+for us to interfere, but we can look on.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+And they hurried forward.
+</p>
+
+
+
+
+<a name="236">&nbsp;</a>
+<p class="chapter">
+CHAPTER XXIII.
+</p>
+
+<p class="head">
+A GENERAL SETTLEMENT OF ACCOUNTS.
+</p>
+
+
+<p>
+Quick as were the boys in hurrying to the point where they heard the
+indignant Tim, they did not reach it until the affray was over. Wholly
+subdued, Ike Hardman begged for mercy at the hands of his conqueror,
+and promised to do anything desired if he received consideration.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It is a well-known fact that the wrath of a good-natured person is more
+to be feared than his who is of less equable temperament. The boys had
+never seen Tim McCabe in so dangerous a mood. He and Jeff Graham had
+returned to the cavern shortly after the departure of the cousins in
+pursuit of the thieves, and it did not take them long to understand
+what had occurred. They set out over the same trail, along which they
+readily discovered the footprints of all the parties. Tim, in his angry
+impatience, outsped his more stolid companion, and by good fortune came
+upon Hardman while in headlong flight down the mountain path.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The latter tried for a time to make it appear that he knew nothing of
+the abstraction of the gold from the cavern, but Tim would have none of
+it, and gave him the choice of conducting them to the place where it
+was concealed or of undergoing &#34;capital punishment.&#34; Like the poltroon
+that he was, Hardman insisted that his companion, Victor Herzog, was
+the real wrongdoer, but he offered to do what was demanded, only
+imploring that he should not be harmed for his evil acts.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Tim extended his hand and took the Winchester from Frank Mansley. He
+knew it was loaded, and he said to his prisoner:
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Lead on, and if ye think it will pay ye to try to git away or play any
+of yer tricks, why try it, that's all!&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The threat was sufficient to banish all hope from Hardman, who led them
+along the trail a short way, then turned on to the pile of rocks beside
+which Frank had seen him standing a short time before.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;There it is!&#34; he said, with an apprehensive glance at his captor.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Where?&#34; thundered Tim; &#34;I don't see it!&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+No digging had been done by the criminals, but a bowlder had been
+rolled aside, the canvas bags dropped into the opening, and the stone
+replaced, as he quickly demonstrated.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Count 'em, Roswell,&#34; said Tim.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Both boys leaned over, and moving the heavy sacks about so as not to
+miss one, announced that all were there.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;And now I s'pose I may go,&#34; whined Hardman.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Not a bit of it. I won't make a target of ye fer this gun, but ye
+shall remain me prisoner till I turn ye over to the police.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Thereupon Hardman begged so piteously that the boys interceded and
+asked that he be allowed to go, but Tim sternly bade them hold their
+peace. The bowlder having been replaced, while he glanced around to fix
+the locality in his memory, he ordered the captive to precede him down
+the trail, reminding him at the same time that the first attempt on his
+part to escape would be followed by the instant discharge of the gun.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Thus, as the long afternoon drew to a close the strange procession
+wound its way down the mountain, the prisoner in front, his captors
+directly behind, with Frank and Roswell bringing up the rear. The boys
+talked in whispers, but said nothing to their friend, who was in such a
+stern mood that they shrank from speaking to him.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+They speculated as to the fate of Herzog, the other criminal, who
+seemed to have effected his escape, but recalled that Jeff Graham was
+likely to be met somewhere along the path, and it might be that this
+had occurred with disastrous results to the evil fellow, for it will be
+remembered that the old miner was one of the few who always carried
+their revolvers with them.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The expectation of the boys was not disappointed. When about half way
+down the trail they came upon Jeff, who had his man secure, thanks to
+the good fortune which gave him an advantage of which he instantly
+availed himself.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Roswell and Frank thought that when Jeff learned that all the stolen
+gold had been recovered he would be willing to release the prisoners,
+but such intention was as far from him as from Tim McCabe. While he had
+no desire for revenge, he felt it would be wrong to set the evil-doers
+free, and he knew that they would receive the punishment they had well
+earned as soon as placed within the power of the law.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It was beginning to grow dark when the party reached their cabin. Just
+before reaching it they crossed the pasturage ground of the burro, who
+was seen quietly browsing, as if he had not taken any part and felt no
+interest in the proceedings of the afternoon.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Halting in front of the opening, Jeff said to Tim:
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;You have the gun and know it's a repeater.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The Irishman nodded his head.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Keep guard over these fellows till I come back; it won't be long.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;I'll do the same&#8212;on that ye may depind.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<a name="241">&nbsp;</a>
+<p class="img"><img src="images/022.jpg" alt="TIM AND HIS PRISONERS." width="587" height="317">
+</p>
+<p class="caption">TIM AND HIS PRISONERS.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The massive figure swung off in the gloom. He gave no intimation of
+whither he was going, and no one could guess, except that he promised
+shortly to return.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+A few minutes after his departure, both Hardman and Herzog renewed
+their pleadings for mercy&#8212;for at least they suspected the cause of the
+old miner's departure&#8212;but Tim checked them so promptly that they held
+their peace.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+At his suggestion, the boys started a fire and began preparing supper.
+They had hardly completed the task when Jeff Graham reappeared and he
+brought two companions with him. Though they were on foot, they were
+members of the mounted police, whose horses were but a short distance
+away. In the discharge of their duties, they were on a tour among the
+diggings to learn whether there was any call for their services. Jeff
+had seen them during the afternoon, and knew where to look for them.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+There was no nonsense about those sturdy fellows. They made their
+living by compelling obedience to the laws of their country, and were
+always prepared to do their duty. At the suggestion of Jeff, they
+questioned the men, who admitted their guilt, supplementing the
+confession with another appeal for clemency. Without deigning a reply,
+the officers slipped handcuffs upon them, and declining the invitation
+to remain to supper, departed with their prisoners, whom they delivered
+to the authorities at Dawson City on the following day. Since they had
+admitted their guilt, our friends were not required to appear as
+witnesses, and the case may be closed by the statement that Hardman and
+Herzog received the full punishment which they deserved.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+When the evening meal was finished, the men and boys remained outside
+in the cool, clear air, the former smoking their pipes, and all
+discussing the stirring events of the day. The boys confessed their
+neglect in failing to make known the presence of Herzog in the
+neighborhood, because the fact was driven from their minds by their
+excitement over the discovery of gold.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Had we done as we ought,&#34; said Frank, &#34;it isn't likely this would have
+happened.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;You are right,&#34; replied Jeff, &#34;for we should have been more watchful.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;And wasn't it oursilves that was careless, anyway, in laying so much
+wilth where any one could git at the same?&#34; asked Tim.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Yes,&#34; admitted the old miner, &#34;but things are different here from what
+they was in the early days in Californy, and you can see that these two
+men are the only ones that would steal our stuff.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;At prisint they saam to be the only ones, but we can't be sure that
+ithers wouldn't have tried to do the same.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Well, boys,&#34; was the surprising announcement of Jeff Graham,
+&#34;to-morrow we leave this place for good and take the next steamer down
+the Yukon for home; our hunt for gold is done!&#34;
+</p>
+
+
+
+
+<a name="246">&nbsp;</a>
+<p class="chapter">
+CHAPTER XXIV.
+</p>
+
+<p class="head">
+CONCLUSION.
+</p>
+
+
+<p>
+There was little sleep that night in the cavern home of the
+gold-seekers. The fact that the whole crop of the precious stuff was
+the better part of a mile away in the mountains, even though apparently
+safe, caused every one to feel uneasy. In addition was the announcement
+of Jeff Graham, the leader, that their work in the Klondike region was
+ended. In keeping with his habit of making known only that which was
+necessary, he gave no explanation, and his friends were left to
+speculate and surmise among themselves. All, however, suspected the
+truth.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+At early dawn Tim McCabe and the boys started up the trail, leading the
+burro. The old miner remained behind, saying that he expected company
+and his help was not needed in recovering the pilfered gold. The
+anxiety of the men and boys did not lessen until they reached the
+well-remembered spot and found the canvas bags intact. They were
+carefully loaded upon the strong back of the animal, secured in place,
+and the homeward journey begun. Frank and Roswell walked at the rear,
+to make sure none of the gold was lost. In due time they reached their
+primitive home, with all their wealth in hand.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+To their surprise, Jeff was absent. The recent experience of the three
+confirmed them in their resolution not to leave the nuggets and dust
+unguarded for a single hour. While some were at work in the diggings,
+one at least would be at the cavern on the watch against dishonest
+visitors. It was agreed that Tim and Roswell should go to the little
+valley to resume work, while Frank with the Winchester and smaller
+weapon acted as sentinel.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+As the two were on the point of setting out, Jeff Graham appeared with
+two well-dressed gentlemen, both in middle life. They were talking
+earnestly, and halted just beyond earshot to complete what they had to
+say. Then, without waiting to be introduced to Jeff's friends, they
+bade him good-day, and hurried down the path to where their horses were
+waiting, and lost no time in returning to Dawson City.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Get ready to foller,&#34; was the curt command of Jeff; and within the
+following hour the whole party, including the donkey, were on the road.
+They were compelled to spend one of the short nights in camp, but
+reached Dawson City without the slightest molestation from any one or
+the loss of a dollar's worth of gold. As Jeff had announced his
+intention, they brought away only their auriferous harvest and such
+clothing as was on their bodies. At the hotel he held another long
+interview with the two gentlemen who had called on him at the diggings;
+and the first steamer down the Yukon, which was now fairly open, bore
+among its hundreds of passengers Jeff Graham, Tim McCabe, Roswell
+Palmer, and Frank Mansley. The combined gold of the fortunate
+passengers on that trip must have amounted to nearly a million dollars.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Some weeks later Jeff and Tim were seated alone in one of the rooms at
+the Palace Hotel, San Francisco. They had met by appointment to close
+up the business which had taken them into the Klondike region.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;You know, Tim,&#34; said the old miner, &#34;that this whole thing was my
+own.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Tim nodded his head.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;I was aware of the same before ye mentioned it. Ye paid all our
+ixpenses like a gintleman, and we're entitled to fair wages for hilping
+and no more.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The generous disavowal of all claim to a share in the rich find touched
+Jeff, who hastened to say:
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Some folks might think that way, but I don't. It was a speculation on
+my part. It didn't cost much to get us to the Klondike, and so that
+don't count. I have delivered to the mint all the gold we brought back,
+and have been paid one hundred and twenty thousand dollars for it. You
+know what was done by the two men that visited us at the diggings?&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;The byes and mesilf had the idea that they bought out your claim.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;That's it. I was anxious to get out of the country before the summer
+fairly set in and the mosquitoes ate us up alive. From the way the dirt
+panned out, we should have been millionaires in a few weeks, but we had
+enough. There ain't many men as know when they have enough,&#34; was the
+philosophical observation of Jeff. &#34;I do, so I sold my claim for a
+hundred and eighty thousand dollars. As I figure out, that makes the
+total three hundred thousand dollars, which, divided among us four,
+gives each seventy-five thousand dollars. How does that strike you,
+Tim?&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;It almost knocks me off my chair, if you mean it.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;The boys being under age, I have turned over their shares to their
+parents; and do you know,&#34; added Jeff, with an expression of disgust,
+&#34;they both fixed things so as to go to college? You wouldn't believe
+it, but it's the fact. Howsumever, it's their business, and I ain't
+saying anything. Say, Tim, you hain't any idea of going to college?&#34;
+asked Jeff, looking across at his friend with a startled expression.
+</p>
+
+<a name="251">&nbsp;</a>
+<p class="img"><img src="images/023.jpg" alt="&#34;SAY, TIM, YOU HAIN'T ANY IDEA OF GOING TO COLLEGE, HAVE
+YOU?&#34;" width="607" height="334">
+</p>
+<p class="caption">&#34;SAY, TIM, YOU HAIN'T ANY IDEA OF GOING TO COLLEGE, HAVE
+YOU?&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;I won't unless ye will go wid me. How does that strike ye?&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jeff's shoulders bobbed up and down with silent laughter, and
+immediately he became serious again.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;As soon as you sign this paper, Tim, I shall give you a certified
+check for seventy-five thousand dollars on the Bank of Californy. Are
+you ready to sign?&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;I'll sign me own death warrant for that trifle,&#34; replied Tim, his rosy
+face aglow, as he caught up the pen.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Read it first.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+His friend read:
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;I, Timothy McCabe, hereby pledge my sacred honor not to taste a drop
+of malt or spirituous liquor, even on the advice of a physician who may
+declare it necessary to save my life, from the date of the signing of
+this pledge until the Fourth of July, one thousand nine hundred and
+seven.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+As Tim gathered the meaning of the words on the paper, his eyes
+expanded; he puckered his lips and emitted a low whistle.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Do ye mind,&#34; he said, looking across the table with his old quizzical
+expression, &#34;the remark that the governor of North Carliny made to the
+governor of South Carliny?&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jeff gravely inclined his head.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;I've heerd of it.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;What do ye s'pose he would have said if the time between drinks was
+ten years?&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;I've never thought, and don't care.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;He would have died long before the time was up.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;When you left the boys in the diggings you came to Dawson City to
+spend the worth of that nugget for whiskey. I happened to meet you in
+time and made you go back with me. You'd been off on sprees a half
+dozen other times, if I hadn't kept an eye on you. Drink is the enemy
+that will down you if you don't stop at once. If you'll stay sober for
+ten years, I'll take the chances after that. Are you going to sign?&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Tim's eyes were fixed on the paper which he held in his hand. He mused
+loud enough for the listening Jeff to catch every word:
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;To sign that means no more headaches and bad health, but a clear brain
+and a strong body; no more hours of gloom, no weakness of the limbs and
+pricks of the conscience; no more breaking the heart of me good old
+mother in Ireland, but the bringing of sunshine and joy to her in her
+last days; it means the signing away of me slavery, and the clasping to
+me heart of the swate boon of liberty; it means the making of mesilf
+into a man!&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+With a firm hand he wrote his name at the bottom of the paper, and
+flinging down the pen, said:
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;With God's help, that pledge shall be kept.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&#34;Amen,&#34; reverently responded Jeff; &#34;there's your check for seventy-five
+thousand dollars.&#34;
+</p>
+
+<p class="ctr">
+THE END.
+</p>
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+<pre>
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Klondike Nuggets, by E. S. Ellis
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+</body>
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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Klondike Nuggets, by E. S. Ellis
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Klondike Nuggets
+       and How Two Boys Secured Them
+
+Author: E. S. Ellis
+
+Illustrator: Orson Lowell
+
+Release Date: June 1, 2007 [EBook #21652]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK KLONDIKE NUGGETS ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by David Edwards and the Online Distributed
+Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was
+produced from images generously made available by The
+Internet Archive/American Libraries.)
+
+
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: THE HEAD AND SHOULDERS OF A MAN INTENTLY STUDYING
+THEM]
+
+
+
+KLONDIKE NUGGETS
+
+AND
+
+HOW TWO BOYS SECURED THEM
+
+
+
+By
+
+E. S. ELLIS
+
+AUTHOR OF "Deerfoot Series," "Boy-Pioneer Series," etc.
+
+
+
+24 ILLUSTRATIONS AFTER
+ORSON LOWELL
+
+
+
+DOUBLEDAY & McCLURE CO.
+NEW YORK
+1898
+
+Copyright, 1898, by
+Doubleday & McClure Co.
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+
+                                                               Page
+
+THE GOLD-HUNTERS                                                  3
+
+AT JUNEAU                                                        13
+
+UP THE LYNN CANAL                                                37
+
+THE AVALANCHE                                                    47
+
+THROUGH CHILKOOT PASS                                            58
+
+A SIGNIFICANT DISCOVERY                                          71
+
+THE PLOTTERS                                                     80
+
+ON LAKE BENNET                                                   90
+
+INTO BRITISH TERRITORY                                          100
+
+AT WHITE HORSE RAPIDS                                           111
+
+ON THE YUKON                                                    120
+
+AT DAWSON CITY                                                  131
+
+ON THE EDGE OF THE GOLD-FIELDS                                  141
+
+PROSPECTING                                                     151
+
+A FIND                                                          159
+
+THE CLAIM                                                       169
+
+A GOLDEN HARVEST                                                180
+
+A STARTLING DISCOVERY                                           191
+
+THE TRAIL INTO THE MOUNTAINS                                    200
+
+A SOUND FROM OUT THE STILLNESS                                  209
+
+A TURNING OF THE TABLES                                         218
+
+A LION IN THE PATH                                              227
+
+A GENERAL SETTLEMENT OF ACCOUNTS                                236
+
+CONCLUSION                                                      246
+
+
+
+
+LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
+
+
+                                                               Page
+
+THE HEAD AND SHOULDERS OF A MAN INTENTLY STUDYING
+THEM                                                  Frontispiece.
+
+JEFF                                                              9
+
+"ROSWELL, DO YOU KNOW THAT STRANGE MAN HAS BEEN
+FOLLOWING US FOR THE PAST HOUR?"                                 33
+
+CATCHING THE EYE OF THE AMAZED BOYS, TIM WINKED                  43
+
+THE TENT-POLES WERE SHOVED DOWN INTO THE SNOW                    53
+
+ALL JOINED IN PUSHING AND PULLING ONE SLED                       65
+
+SUDDENLY HARDMAN MADE A SIGN                                     75
+
+"YOU'RE A PRETTY FELLOW TO STAND GUARD," SAID FRANK              85
+
+"OH, LOOK THERE! ISN'T IT DREADFUL?"                             97
+
+"WE'RE AT THE FUT OF THE LAKE," SHOUTED TIM                     105
+
+THE CURRENT WAS NOT ONLY VERY SWIFT, BUT THE CHANNEL
+WAS FILLED WITH ROCKS                                           113
+
+TIM AND JEFF LIT THEIR PIPES; HARDMAN SAT APART                 127
+
+AND THE THREE CHEERS WERE GIVEN WITH A WILL                     137
+
+"I DON'T SEE THE USE OF YOUR HARPING ON THAT AFFAIR,"
+SAID HARDMAN                                                    147
+
+"IT'S GOLD!" HE EXCLAIMED                                       161
+
+THE BOYS STOOD ATTENTIVELY WATCHING THE OPERATION               175
+
+"I HAVE JUST THOUGHT WHAT TIM'S BUSINESS IS AT DAWSON,"
+SAID FRANK                                                      189
+
+"WE HAVE BEEN ROBBED! ALL THE GOLD IS GONE,"                    195
+
+THE TELL-TALE FOOTPRINTS                                        203
+
+WATCHING AT THE TURN IN THE TRAIL                               215
+
+"HANDS UP, YOUNKER!"                                            223
+
+"WE HAVE MADE A MESS OF IT," WAS THE DISGUSTED
+COMMENT OF FRANK                                                231
+
+TIM AND HIS PRISONERS                                           241
+
+"SAY, TIM, YOU HAIN'T ANY IDEA OF GOING TO COLLEGE,
+HAVE YOU?"                                                      251
+
+
+
+
+KLONDIKE NUGGETS AND HOW TWO BOYS SECURED THEM
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+THE GOLD-HUNTERS.
+
+
+Jeff Graham was an Argonaut who crossed the plains in 1849, while he
+was yet in his teens, and settling in California, made it his permanent
+home. When he left Independence, Mo., with the train, his parents and
+one sister were his companions, but all of them were buried on the
+prairie, and their loss robbed him of the desire ever to return to the
+East. Hostile Indians, storm, cold, heat, privation, and suffering were
+the causes of their taking off, as they have been of hundreds who
+undertook the long journey to the Pacific coast in quest of gold.
+
+Jeff spent several years in the diggings, and after varying fortune,
+made a strike, which yielded him sufficient to make him comfortable for
+the rest of his days. He never married, and the income from his
+investments was all and, indeed, more than he needed to secure him
+against want.
+
+He was now past threescore, grizzled, somewhat stoop-shouldered, but
+robust, rugged, strong, and, in his way, happy. His dress varied
+slightly with the changes of the seasons, consisting of an old slouch
+hat, a red shirt, coarse trousers tucked in the tops of his heavy
+boots, and a black neckerchief with dangling ends. He had never been
+addicted to drink, and his only indulgence was his brierwood pipe,
+which was his almost inseparable companion. His trousers were secured
+at the waist by a strong leathern belt, and when he wore a coat in cold
+weather he generally had a revolver at his hip, but the weapon had not
+been discharged in years.
+
+There were two members of that overland train whom Jeff never forgot.
+They were young children, Roswell and Edith Palmer, who lost both of
+their parents within five years after reaching the coast. Jeff proved
+the friend in need, and no father could have been kinder to the
+orphans, who were ten and twelve years younger than he.
+
+Roswell Palmer was now married, with a son named for himself, while his
+sister, Mrs. Mansley, had been a widow a long time, and she, too, had
+an only son, Frank, who was a few months older than his cousin. The
+boys had received a good common-school education, but their parents
+were too poor to send them to college. Jeff would have offered to help
+but for his prejudice against all colleges. The small wages which the
+lads received as clerks in a leading dry-goods house were needed by
+their parents, and the youths, active, lusty, and ambitious, had
+settled down to the career of merchants, with the hoped-for reward a
+long, long way in the future.
+
+One evening late in March, 1897, Jeff opened the door of Mr. Palmer's
+modest home, near the northern suburb of San Francisco, and with his
+pipe between his lips, sat down in the chair to which he was always
+welcome. In truth, the chair was considered his, and no one would have
+thought of occupying it when he was present. As he slowly puffed his
+pipe he swayed gently backward and forward, his slouch hat on the floor
+beside him, and his long, straggling hair dangling about his shoulders,
+while his heavy beard came almost to his eyes.
+
+It was so late that the wife had long since cleared away the dishes
+from the table, and sat at one side of the room sewing by the lamp. The
+husband was reading a paper, but laid it aside when Jeff entered,
+always glad to talk with their quaint visitor, to whom he and his
+family were bound by warm ties of gratitude.
+
+Jeff smoked a minute or two in silence, after greeting his friends, and
+the humping of his massive shoulders showed that he was laughing,
+though he gave forth no sound.
+
+"What pleases you, Jeff?" asked Mr. Palmer, smiling in sympathy, while
+the wife looked at their caller in mild surprise.
+
+"I've heerd it said that a burned child dreads the fire, but I don't
+b'lieve it. After he's burnt he goes back agin and gits burnt over. Why
+is it, after them explorers that are trying to find the North Pole no
+sooner git home and thawed out than they're crazy to go back agin! Look
+at Peary. You'd think he had enough, but he's at it once more, and will
+keep at it after he finds the pole--that is, if he ever does find it.
+Nansen, too, he'll be like a fish out of water till he's climbing the
+icebergs agin."
+
+And once more the huge shoulders bobbed up and down. His friends knew
+this was meant to serve as an introduction to something else that was
+on Jeff's mind, and they smilingly waited for it to come.
+
+"It's over forty years since I roughed it in the diggings, starving,
+fighting Injins, and getting tough," continued the old minor musingly.
+"After I struck it purty fair I quit; but I never told you how many
+times the longing has come over me so strong that it was all I could do
+to stick at home and not make a fool of myself."
+
+"But that was in your younger days," replied his friend; "you have had
+nothing of the kind for a good while."
+
+Jeff took his pipe from the network of beard that enclosed his lips,
+and turned his bright, gray eyes upon the husband and wife who were
+looking curiously at him. They knew by the movement of the beard at the
+corners of the invisible mouth that he was smiling.
+
+"There's the joke. It's come over me so strong inside the last week,
+that I've made up my mind to start out on a hunt for gold. What do you
+think of that, eh?"
+
+And restoring his pipe to his lips, he leaned back and rocked his chair
+with more vigor than before, while he looked fixedly into the faces of
+his friends.
+
+[Illustration: JEFF.]
+
+"Jeff, you can't be in earnest; you are past threescore--"
+
+"Sixty-four last month," he interrupted; "let's git it right."
+
+"And you are in no need of money; besides it is a hard matter to find
+any place in California where it is worth your while--"
+
+"But it ain't Californy," he broke in again; "it's the Klondike
+country. No use of talking," he added with warmth, "there's richer
+deposits in Alaska and that part of the world than was ever found
+hereabouts. I've got a friend, Tim McCabe, at Juneau; he's been through
+the Klondike country, and writes me there's no mistake about it; he
+wants me to join him. I'm going to do it, and your boy Roswell and his
+cousin Frank are to go with me. Oh, it's all settled," said Jeff
+airily; "the only question is how soon you can git him ready. A day
+oughter be enough."
+
+The husband and wife looked at each other in astonishment. They had not
+dreamed of anything like this; but if the truth were told, Mr. Palmer
+had been so wrought up by the wonderful stories that were continually
+coming from Alaska and British Columbia, that he was seriously thinking
+of joining the northward-bound procession.
+
+Startling as was the announcement of Jeff Graham, a discussion of the
+scheme brought out more than one fact to recommend it. The youths were
+in perfect health, strong and athletic. Jeff volunteered to provide all
+the funds needed, and his early experience in mining and his love for
+the boys made him an invaluable guide and companion despite his years.
+He had turned over in his mind every phase of the question, and met
+each objection the affectionate mother brought forward, alarmed as she
+was at the thought of having her boy go so many miles from under her
+care.
+
+"It will be necessary to talk with Roswell about it," said the father,
+after the conversation had lasted a considerable while.
+
+"No, it won't; I've talked with him, and he's as crazy as me to go."
+
+"But what will Frank's mother say?"
+
+"She's said what she's got to say; had a talk with her last night, and
+it's all fixed. I've sent word to Tim that I'll be at Juneau by next
+steamer, and have two of the likeliest younkers with me on the coast;
+then we'll head for the Upper Yukon, and bime-by hire a ship to bring
+back all the gold we'll scoop in."
+
+"It seems to me that we have nothing to do in the premises, Jeff."
+
+"Nothing 'cept to git the youngster ready."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+AT JUNEAU.
+
+
+Now it is a serious undertaking for any one to make a journey to the
+gold regions at the headwaters of the Yukon, as every one will admit
+who has been there. All know of the starvation which threatened the
+people of Dawson City during the winter of 1897-98, when the whole
+country was stirred with sympathy, and our Government made use of
+reindeer to take food to the suffering miners.
+
+No dangers of that kind confronted Roswell Palmer and Frank Mansley,
+but their parents could not contemplate the undertaking without
+anxiety. The mothers held more than one consultation, and there was a
+time when both were inclined to object to the boys going at all. The
+dread of that desolate, icy region in the far Northwest grew upon them,
+until it is safe to say that if the departure had been postponed for
+only a few days Mrs. Mansley and Mrs. Palmer would never have given
+their consent. But Mr. Palmer laughed at their fears, and assured them
+there was no cause for alarm. He spoke so cheeringly that they caught
+his hopefulness, but neither noticed the lump he swallowed, nor with
+what difficulty he kept back the tears when the hour for parting came.
+He was fully as anxious as they, but he knew how to dissemble, and
+would not have confessed his real emotions for the world.
+
+After all, it was Jeff Graham who deserved the credit for the
+willingness of the parents to see their sons venture upon the long and
+dangerous journey. To him the trip was much the same as a visit to Los
+Angeles or the Yosemite Valley. His self-confidence never faltered. He
+was sure it would be only a pleasant outing, with the certainty of a
+big reward at the end of it. The sly fellow dwelt on the pale
+complexion and debilitated appearance of the lads. He even said that a
+cough which he heard Frank try to suppress (in swallowing some fruit, a
+bit of it went the "wrong way"--it was nothing more) indicated the
+insidious approach of consumption. Jeff was the only one who was able
+to see any paleness in the countenance of the young athletes, or
+suspect them of being otherwise than fine specimens of youthful health
+and vigor; but since he was as solemn as a judge when making his
+declaration, the father and mother of the one and the mother of the
+other could not feel quite certain there were not grounds for his
+fears.
+
+And so it being settled that the boys were to go to the Klondike gold
+fields under the care of the grim old Argonaut, it only remained to
+complete the preparations in the short time at their disposal.
+
+Had the mothers been free to carry out their wishes, their sons would
+have been loaded down with baggage upon leaving San Francisco. There
+are so many things which seem indispensable, when an affectionate
+mother is considering the comfort of her only son, that she is sure to
+overwhelm him. At first the mothers insisted upon each being furnished
+with a large trunk, which would have to be crowded to bursting to
+contain what was needed, but Jeff put his foot down.
+
+"Nothin' of the kind. Didn't I tell you that we'll git all that's
+needed at Juneau or Dyea or some point on the road? You've forgot
+that."
+
+"But, Jeff, there are some articles which they _must_ take with them."
+
+The old miner lit his pipe, sat down in the rocking-chair at the Palmer
+home, where the mothers had met while the boys and Mr. Palmer were
+down-town making a few forgotten purchases. The old fellow chuckled a
+little and then became serious.
+
+"In the fust place, not a trunk!" and he shook his head decisively.
+
+"Do you expect them to take what they want in their pockets?"
+
+"Umph! it would be the sensiblest thing they could do, but we can't be
+bothered with any trunks, that would be sure to be lost in the first
+shuffle. Each of us will have a good, big, strong carpet-bag, and
+nothing more. You can cram them as full as you choose, but what you
+can't git in has got to be left at home."
+
+There could be no mistake as to Jeff's earnestness, and neither mother
+attempted to gainsay his words.
+
+"Now," said he, "jest lay out on the floor what you have in your mind
+that the youngsters need, and I'll tell you what they _do_ need."
+
+"You mustn't forget," observed Mrs. Palmer, as she started to comply,
+"that the boys are now down-town buying some things which they
+positively cannot get along without."
+
+"As, for instance, what?"
+
+"Well, tooth-brushes, soap, combs, courtplaster, handkerchiefs,
+buttons, thread, quinine, and pain-killer."
+
+"Is that all?" asked Jeff so quizzically that both ladies laughed.
+
+"You have forgotten," added Mrs. Mansley, "the shirts, underclothing,
+socks, and shoes."
+
+"They are here," replied Mrs. Palmer, stepping briskly into the next
+room and returning with her arms full.
+
+"I've got to lay down the law," observed Jeff, just as Mr. Palmer and
+the two boys came in, glowing with excitement. "Here are the young men,
+and they look as if they had bought out half the town. Dump everything
+on the floor, and let's sort 'em out."
+
+When the pile was complete the miner gravely remarked:
+
+"Nothing less than a freight-car will answer for all that stuff, and I
+don't b'lieve we can charter one through to Dawson. In the first place,
+I s'pose the tooth-brushes will have to go, though I never found any
+use for such things, and I can crack a bull hickory-nut with my teeth.
+The same may be obsarved of the soap and combs, while a roll of court
+plaster don't take up much room. We'll be likely to need thread,
+buttons, and some patches for our clothes, though I've got a supply in
+my carpetbag. The quinine and pain-killer they may take if you can find
+a corner to squeeze 'em in. As to the underclothing, extra shirts, it
+depends whether there is room for 'em; but the boys mustn't think of
+taking their dress suits along, 'cause _I'm_ not going to. There ain't
+any room for violins, pianos, or music-boxes, and the only clothing and
+shoes that can go with this party is what we wear on our bodies and
+feet."
+
+"Suppose the shoes wear out?" asked Mrs. Mansley in dismay.
+
+"Then we'll go barefoot. Now, see here, we shan't be away more than
+three months. A pair of well-made shoes will last longer than that, and
+the same is true about our clothes, though we have the means of mending
+them, if modesty calls for it, which ain't likely to be the case in the
+diggings. Caps, coats, vests, trousers, and shoes are to sarve from the
+day we start till we come back. If one of the boys casts a shoe and
+loses it, we'll find some way of getting him another. What's this?"
+suddenly asked Jeff, picking up a small volume from the floor and
+opening it.
+
+He looked at the fly-leaf, on which was written: "To my dear boy
+Roswell, from his affectionate mother. Read a portion every day, and be
+guided in your thoughts, words, and deeds by its blessed precepts. Then
+it shall always be well with thee."
+
+There were two of the small Bibles, the other being similarly inscribed
+with the name of Frank Mansley. The boys and their parents were
+standing around the seated miner, and no one spoke. He looked at each
+precious volume in turn, and then reverently laid them among the pile
+of indispensables.
+
+"That's the mother of it," he said, as if speaking with himself; "it's
+a good many years since my poor old mother done the same thing for me
+when I started for Californy, and I've got the book among my things
+yet, though I don't read it as often as I should. _Them_ go if we have
+to leave everything else behind."
+
+When the task was completed, every one acknowledged the excellent
+judgment displayed by Jeff Graham. The three were arrayed in strong,
+thick, warm clothing, and, in addition, each carried a heavy overcoat
+on his arm. In the valises were crowded underclothing, shirts,
+handkerchiefs, and the articles that have been already specified. It
+was wonderful how skilfully the mothers did the packing. When it looked
+as if every inch of space was filled, they found a crevice into which
+another bottle of standard medicine, an extra bit of soap, more thread
+and needles and conveniences of which no other person would think were
+forced without adding to the difficulty of locking the valises.
+
+Nothing remaining to be done, on the following day the boys kissed
+their tearful mothers good-by, and warmly shook hands with Mr. Palmer,
+who brokenly murmured, "God bless you! be good boys!" as he saw them
+off on the steamer bound for Seattle, and thence to Juneau, where they
+safely arrived one day early in April, 1897.
+
+In making such a voyage, many people are necessarily thrown together in
+more or less close companionship, with the result of forming numerous
+acquaintances and sometimes lasting friendships. Following the advice
+of Jeff, the cousins had little to say about their plans, though they
+became interested in more than one passenger, and often speculated
+between themselves as to the likelihood of certain ones meeting success
+or failure in the gold regions.
+
+There were three sturdy lumbermen all the way from Maine. A curious
+fact about them was that, although they were not related at all, the
+name of each was Brown. They were light-hearted and the life of the
+large party. One Brown had a good tenor voice, and often sang popular
+ballads with taste and great acceptability. Another played the violin
+with considerable skill, and sometimes indulged in jig tunes, to which
+his friends, and occasionally others, danced an accompaniment.
+
+"They'll succeed," was the verdict of Roswell, "for they are strong,
+healthy, and will toil like beavers."
+
+"And what of the two men smoking their pipes just beyond the fiddler?"
+asked Frank.
+
+"I had a talk with them the other day; one has been a miner in
+Australia, and the other spent two years in the diamond mines of
+Kimberley, South Africa. Meeting for the first time in San Francisco,
+they formed a partnership; they, too, are rugged and must understand
+their business."
+
+"No doubt of it. Do you remember that stoop-shouldered old man whose
+room is next to ours?"
+
+"The one who has such dreadful coughing spells in the night?"
+
+"Yes; he is far gone with consumption, and yet he won't believe there's
+anything the matter with him. He is worse than when he came on board:
+but he says it is only a slight cold which will soon pass off, and he
+is just as hopeful as you or I of taking a lot of nuggets home with
+him."
+
+"He never will see the other side of Chilkoot Pass."
+
+"I doubt whether he will ever see this side."
+
+Thus the boys speculated, sometimes amused and sometimes saddened by
+what they saw. There was a big San Francisco policeman, who said he had
+cracked heads so long that he thought he knew how to crack some golden
+nuggets; a correspondent of a prominent New York newspaper, whose
+situation was enviable, since his salary and expenses were guaranteed,
+and he was free to gather gold when the opportunity offered; a voluble
+insurance agent, who made a nuisance of himself by his solicitations,
+in season and out; a massive football-player, who had no companion, and
+did not wish any, since he was sure he could buck the line, make a
+touchdown, and kick a goal; a gray-haired head of a family, who, having
+lost his all, had set out to gather another fortune along the Klondike.
+He walked briskly, threw back his shoulders, and tried hard to appear
+young and vigorous, but the chances were strongly against him. There
+were a number of bright clerks; a clergyman, pleasant and genial with
+all; gamblers, with pallid faces and hair and mustaches dyed an intense
+black, who expected to win the gold for which others dug; young and
+middle-aged men, some with their brave wives, serene and calmly
+prepared to bear their full share of privation and toil; and
+adventurers, ready to go anywhere for the sake of adventure itself. In
+truth, it was a motley assemblage, which to the boys was like a
+continually shifting panorama of hope, ambition, honesty, dishonor,
+pluck, and human enterprise and daring, that was ever present
+throughout the thousand miles of salt water that stretches from Seattle
+to Juneau.
+
+Juneau, the metropolis of Alaska, was founded in 1880, and named in
+honor of Joseph Juneau, the discoverer of gold on Douglas Island, two
+miles distant. There is located the Treadwell quartz-mill, the largest
+in the world. The city nestles at the base of a precipitous mountain,
+thirty-three hundred feet high, has several thousand inhabitants, with
+its wooden houses regularly laid out, good wharves, water works,
+electric lights, banks, hotels, newspapers, schools, and churches.
+
+"Here's where we get our outfit," said Jeff, as they hurried over the
+plank to the landing. "But where can Tim be?"
+
+He paused abruptly as soon as he was clear of the crowd, and looked
+around for the one who was the cause of his coming to this
+out-of-the-way corner of the world. He was still gazing when a man,
+dressed much the same as himself, but short, stockily built, and with
+the reddest hair and whiskers the boys had ever seen, his round face
+aglow with pleasure stepped hastily forward from the group of
+spectators and extended his hand.
+
+"Ah, Jiff, it does me good to see your handsome silf; and how have ye
+been, and how do ye expect to continue to be?"
+
+Tim McCabe was an Irishman who, when overtaken by misfortune in San
+Francisco, found Jeff Graham the good Samaritan, and he could never
+show sufficient gratitude therefor. It was only one of the many kindly
+deeds the old miner was always performing, but he did not meet in every
+case with such honest thankfulness.
+
+Jeff clasped his hand warmly, and then looked at the smiling boys, to
+whom he introduced his friend, and who shook their hands. He eyed them
+closely, and, with the quizzical expression natural to many of his
+people, said:
+
+"And these are the laddies ye wrote me about? Ye said they were likely
+broths of boys; but, Jiff, ye didn't do them justice--they desarved
+more."
+
+"Tim is always full of blarney," explained Jeff, who, it was evident,
+was fond of the merry Irishman; "so you mustn't mind him and his ways."
+
+Roswell and Frank were attracted by Jeff's friend. He was one of those
+persons who, despite their homeliness of face and feature, win us by
+their genial nature and honest, outspoken ways. No one ever saw a finer
+set of big, white teeth, nor a broader smile, which scarcely ever was
+absent from the Irishman's countenance. He shook hands with each lad in
+turn, giving a warm pressure and expressing his pleasure at meeting
+them. "I'm glad to greet ye, me friends," he said, as the whole party
+moved out of the way of the hurrying, bustling swarm who were rushing
+back and forth, each intent on his own business; "not only on your own
+account, but on account of me friend Jiff."
+
+"I do not quite understand you," said Roswell with a smile.
+
+"Well, you see, I've met Jiff before, and formed a rather fair opinion
+of him; but whin a gintleman like mesilf is engaged on some important
+business, them as are to be favored with me confidence must have their
+credentials."
+
+"And you accept our presence with him as proof that he is what he
+should be?"
+
+Tim gravely inclined his head.
+
+"Do ye think I would admit Jiff as a partner if it was otherwise? Not
+I."
+
+"But," interposed Frank, "how is it with _us_? You never saw us
+before."
+
+"One look at them faces is enough," was the prompt reply; "ye carry a
+certificate wid ye that no one can dispoot."
+
+"And I should like to know," said Jeff, with assumed indignation, "what
+credential _you_ have to present to us, young man."
+
+"Mine is the same as the young gintlemen," answered Tim, removing his
+thick fur cap and displaying his whole wealth of fiery red hair;
+"obsarve me countenance."
+
+His face became grave for the first time, while all the rest laughed.
+
+"I'm satisfied and hungry," said Jeff; "take us where we can get
+something to eat."
+
+"I knew by that token that I had forgot something, and it's me
+breakfast and dinner. In honor of yer coming, I've engaged the best
+quarters at the leading hotel. Come wid me."
+
+It was but a short distance up the street to a frame hotel, which was
+kept by a corpulent German who had been in the country for a couple of
+years. The men registered, during which Tim remarked to the landlord,
+who seemed never to be without his long-stemmed meerschaum pipe between
+his lips:
+
+"This gintleman isn't the burglar that ye would think from his looks.
+He belongs to a good family, or ye wouldn't obsarve him in my company.
+The young gintlemen are two princes that are travelling _in cog_. In
+consideration of all of them having delicate appetites like mesilf, not
+forgetting the honor of their company, ye will be glad to make a
+reduction in your exorbitant rates, Baron Fritz, I am sure."
+
+The phlegmatic German smiled, and in a guttural voice announced that
+his terms were three dollars a day, including rooms and meals, which,
+when all the circumstances are considered, was not extravagant. The
+party carried their luggage to their rooms, where they prepared
+themselves for the meal, which was satisfactory in every respect and
+better than they expected.
+
+It came out during the conversation that Tim McCabe had not a dollar to
+his name, and he spoke the truth when he said that he had not eaten a
+mouthful that day. It would have gone hard for him but for the arrival
+of Jeff Graham, though there is such a lively demand for labor in
+Juneau that he must have soon found means to provide himself with food.
+
+As for Jeff, he was glad in his heart that his old friend was in such
+sore straits, inasmuch as it gave him the pleasure of providing for
+him. Tim had taken out some five hundred dollars, but a companion whom
+he fully trusted robbed him of it, and the small amount left barely
+kept the Irishman afloat until the arrival of the old miner.
+
+Jeff Graham showed prudence in bringing a plentiful supply of funds
+with him, and since he expected to take back a hundredfold more than he
+brought, he could well afford to do so. Stowed away in his safe inside
+pocket was fully two thousand dollars, and inasmuch as gold is the
+"coin of the realm" in California, as well as in Alaska, the funds were
+in shining eagles and half eagles--rather bulky of themselves, but not
+uncomfortably so.
+
+The experience of McCabe and Jeff prevented any mistake in providing
+their outfit. They had good, warm flannels, thick woollen garments,
+strong shoes, and rubber boots. Those who press their mining operations
+during the long and severe winter generally use the water boot of seal
+and walrus, which costs from two dollars to five dollars a pair, with
+trousers made from Siberian fawn-skins and the skin of the marmot and
+ground squirrel, with the outer garment of marmot-skin. Blankets and
+robes, of course, are indispensable. The best are of wolf-skin, and
+Jeff paid one hundred dollars apiece for those furnished to himself and
+each of his companions.
+
+The matter of provisions was of the first importance. A man needs a
+goodly supply of nourishing food to sustain him through the trying
+journey from Juneau to Dawson City, the following being considered
+necessary for an able-bodied person: Twenty pounds of flour, twelve of
+bacon, twelve of beans, four of butter, five of vegetables, five of
+sugar, three of coffee, five of corn-meal, one pound of tea, four cans
+of condensed milk, one and one half pounds of salt, with a little
+pepper and mustard.
+
+Because of the weight and bulk, Jeff omitted from this list the tea,
+the condensed milk and butter, and while the supply in other respects
+was the same, respectively, for himself and McCabe, that of the boys
+was cut down about one third; for besides the food, the party were
+compelled to take with them a frying-pan, a water-kettle, a Yukon
+stove, a bean-pot, a drinking-cup, knives and forks, and a large and
+small frying-pan.
+
+Since they would find a good raft necessary, axes, hatchets,
+hunting-knives, nails, one hundred and fifty feet of rope, and two
+Juneau sleds were purchased. To these were added snow-shoes, a strong
+duck-tent, fishing-tackle, snow-glasses to protect themselves against
+snow-blindness, rubber blankets, mosquito-netting, tobacco, and a few
+minor articles.
+
+The start from Juneau to the gold fields should not be made before the
+beginning of April. Our friends had struck that date, but the headlong
+rush did not begin until some time later. One of the principal routes
+is from Seattle to St. Michael, on the western coast of Alaska, and
+then up that mighty river whose mouth is near, for nearly two thousand
+more miles to Dawson City. The river is open during the
+summer--sometimes barely four months--and our friends took the shorter
+route to Juneau on the southern coast, from which it is about a
+thousand miles to Dawson. While this route is much shorter, it is a
+hundred times more difficult and dangerous than by the Yukon.
+
+From Juneau there are four different routes to the headwaters of the
+Yukon, all crossing by separate paths the range of mountains along the
+coast. They are the Dyea or Chilkoot Pass, the Chilkat, Moore's or
+White Pass, and Takon. At this writing the Chilkoot is the favorite,
+because it is better known than the others, but the facilities for
+passing through this entrance or doorway to the new El Dorado are
+certain to be greatly increased at an early day.
+
+It was learned on inquiry that another day would have to be spent in
+the town before the little steamer would leave for Dyea. While Tim and
+Jeff stayed at the hotel, talking over old times and laying plans for
+the future, the boys strolled through the streets, which were knee-deep
+with mud.
+
+The curio shops on Front and Seward streets were interesting, and from
+the upper end of the latter street they saw a path leading to the Auk
+village, whose people claim to own the flats at the mouth of Gold
+Creek. On the high ground across the stream is a cemetery containing a
+number of curious totemic carvings, hung with offerings to departed
+spirits. It would cost a white man his life to disturb any of them.
+
+It was early in the afternoon that the cousins were strolling aimlessly
+about and had turned to retrace their steps to the hotel, when Frank
+touched the arm of his companion and said, in a low voice:
+
+"Roswell, do you know that a strange man has been following us for the
+past hour?"
+
+[Illustration: "ROSWELL, DO YOU KNOW THAT STRANGE MAN HAS BEEN
+FOLLOWING US FOR THE PAST HOUR?"]
+
+"No; where is he?"
+
+"On the other side of the street and a little way behind us. Don't look
+around just now. I don't fancy his appearance."
+
+A minute later, Roswell managed to gain a good view.
+
+"I don't like his looks as well as he seems to like ours. Shall we wait
+for him and ask him his business?"
+
+"No need of that, for he is walking so fast, he will soon be up with
+us. Here he comes, as if in a great hurry."
+
+A few minutes later the boys were overtaken by the suspicious stranger.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+UP THE LYNN CANAL.
+
+
+Roswell and Frank were standing in front of one of the curio stores,
+studying the interesting exhibits, among which was a pan of Klondike
+gold, but they kept watch of the stranger, who slouched up to them and
+halted at the side of Frank.
+
+"I say, pards," he said in the gruff, wheedling tones of the
+professional tramp, "can't you do something for a chap that's down on
+his luck?"
+
+As the lads turned to face him they saw an unclean, tousled man, very
+tall, with stooping shoulders, protruding black eyes, spiky hair, and a
+generally repellent appearance.
+
+"What's the trouble?" asked Frank, looking into the face that had not
+been shaven for several days.
+
+"Had the worst sort of luck; got back from Klondike two days ago with
+thirty thousand dollars, and robbed of every cent. I'm dead broke."
+
+"You seem to have had enough to buy whiskey," remarked Roswell, who
+had had a whiff of his breath, and placed no faith in his story. The
+man looked angrily at them, but restrained himself, in hopes of
+receiving help.
+
+"There's where you're mistaken, my friends; I haven't had anything to
+eat for two days, and when a stranger offered me a swallow of whiskey
+to keep up my strength, I took it, as a medicine. If it hadn't been for
+that, I'd have flunked right in the street--sure as you live. What are
+you doing, if I may ask, in Juneau?"
+
+"We are listening to you just now, but we are on our way to the gold
+fields," replied Roswell.
+
+"Not alone?"
+
+"We are going with two men, one of whom has been there before."
+
+"That's more sensible. Let me give you a little advice--"
+
+"We really do not feel the need of it," interposed Roswell, who liked
+the man less each minute. "You must excuse us, as we wish to join them
+at the hotel. Good-day."
+
+"See here," said the fellow angrily, as he laid his hand on the arm of
+Frank; "ain't you going to stake me a bit?"
+
+The lad shook off his grasp.
+
+"Even if we wished to do so, we could not, for our friend at the hotel
+has all the funds that belong to our party. Perhaps if you go there,
+and he believes the story, Mr. Graham may do something for you, but Tim
+McCabe has not the means with which to help anybody."
+
+At mention of the Irishman's name the fellow showed some agitation.
+Then, seeing that he was about to lose the expected aid, he uttered a
+savage expression and exclaimed:
+
+"I don't believe a word you say."
+
+"It is no concern of ours whether you believe it or not," replied
+Roswell, as he and Frank started down the street toward their hotel.
+The fellow was amazed at the defiance of the lads, and stood staring at
+them and muttering angrily to himself. Could he have carried out his
+promptings, he would have robbed both, but was restrained by several
+reasons.
+
+In the first place, Juneau, despite the influx of miners, is a
+law-abiding city, and the man's arrest and punishment would have
+followed speedily. Moreover, it would not have been an altogether "sure
+thing" for him to attack the youths. They were exceptionally tall,
+active and strong, and would have given him trouble without appeal to
+the firearms which they carried.
+
+They looked round and smiled, but he did not follow them. When they
+reached the hotel they related the incident.
+
+"Would ye oblige me with a description of the spalpeen?" said Tim
+McCabe, after they had finished. Roswell did as requested.
+
+"Be the powers, it's him!" exclaimed Tim. "I 'spected it when ye told
+the yarn which I've heerd he has been telling round town."
+
+"Whom do you mean?" asked Frank.
+
+"Hardman, Ike Hardman himsilf."
+
+"Who is he?"
+
+"Didn't I tell ye he was the one that robbed me of my money? Sure I
+did, what is the matter wid ye?"
+
+"You told us about being robbed," said Jeff, "but didn't mention the
+name of the man who did it."
+
+"I want to inthrodooce mesilf to him!" exclaimed Tim, flushed with
+indignation; "axscoose me for a bit."
+
+He strode to the door with the intention of hunting up and chastising
+the rogue, but, with his hand on the knob, checked himself. For a
+moment he debated with himself, and then, as his broad face lit up with
+his natural good humor, he came back to his chair, paraphrasing Uncle
+Toby:
+
+"The world's big enough for the likes of him and me, though he does
+crowd a bit. Let him git all the good out of the theft he can, say I."
+
+Dyea is at the head of navigation, and is the timber line, being a
+hundred miles to the northwest of Juneau. It is at the upper fork of
+what is termed Lynn Canal, the most extensive fiord on the coast. It
+is, in truth, a continuation of Chatham Strait, the north and south
+passage being several hundred miles in extent, the whole forming the
+trough of a glacier which disappeared ages ago.
+
+On the day following the incident described our friends boarded the
+little, untidy steam launch bound for Dyea. There were fifty passengers
+beside themselves, double the number it was intended to carry, the
+destination of all being the gold fields. The weather was keen and
+biting, and the accommodations on the boat poor. They pushed here and
+there, surveying with natural interest the bleak scenery along shore,
+the mountains white with snow, and foretelling the more terrible
+regions that lay beyond. Hundreds of miles remained to be traversed
+before they could expect to gather the yellow particles, but neither of
+the sturdy lads felt any abatement of courage.
+
+"Well, look at that!" suddenly exclaimed Roswell, catching the arm of
+his companion as they were making their way toward the front of the
+boat.
+
+Frank turned in the direction indicated, and his astonishment was as
+great as his companion's. Tim McCabe and the shabby scamp, Ike Hardman,
+were sitting near each other on a bench, and smoking their pipes like
+two affectionate brothers. No one would have suspected there had ever
+been a ripple between them.
+
+Catching the eye of the amazed boys, Tim winked and threw up his chin
+as an invitation for them to approach. Frank shook his head, and he and
+Roswell went back to where Jeff was smoking his pipe. They had hardly
+time to tell their story when the Irishman joined them.
+
+[Illustration: CATCHING THE EYE OF THE AMAZED BOYS, TIM WINKED.]
+
+"I obsarved by the exprission on your faces that ye were a bit
+surprised," he said, addressing the youths.
+
+"Is that fellow the Hardman you told us about?" asked Roswell.
+
+"The same at your sarvice."
+
+"And the man who robbed you of your money?"
+
+Tim flung one of his muscular legs over the other, and with a twinkle
+of the eyes said:
+
+"Hardman has made it all right; the matter is fixed atween oursilves."
+
+"Then he give you back your money?" was the inquiring remark of Jeff.
+
+"Not precisely that, though he said he would do the same if he only had
+it with him, but he run up agin a game at Juneau and was cleaned out.
+Whin he told me that I was a bit sorry for him. He further obsarved
+that it was his intintion if he won to stake me agin and add something
+extra for interest on what he borrowed of me. That spakes well for
+Hardman, so we shook hands over it," was the hearty conclusion of Tim.
+
+The boys were too astonished to speak. Jeff Graham's shoulders shook,
+and he looked sideways at his friend with a quizzical expression,
+unable to do justice to his feelings. As for Tim, his red face was the
+picture of bland innocence, but he was not through. Astounding as were
+the statements he had just made, he had a still more astounding one to
+submit.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+THE AVALANCHE.
+
+
+It was late in the day that the little steamer arrived at Dyea, which
+was found to be a village with one log store, a number of movable
+tents, and without any wharf, the beach being so flat that at high
+water the tide reaches a half mile or more inland. To guard against
+losing any of their supplies, Tim McCabe told his friends that it would
+be necessary to unload them themselves.
+
+"From this p'int," said he, "we must hoe our own row; under hiven we
+must depind on oursilves. Hardman, lind a hand there, and step lively."
+
+To the astonishment of the youths, the man took hold and wrought with
+right good will. Jeff looked at Tim queerly as he pointed out the
+different articles, he himself, as may be said, overlooking the job;
+but the conclusion was that the Irishman had promised him a small
+amount for his help. When, however, the task was finished Tim came to
+the group, and while Hardman, with shamefaced expression, remained in
+the background, he said with that simplicity which any one would find
+hard to resist:
+
+"You see poor Hardman is in bad luck; he hain't any outfit, and wants
+to go to the gold fields, but will have to git some one to stake him.
+Obsarving the same, I made bowld to remark that it would give me frind
+Jiff the highest plisure to do it for him, not forgetting to obsarve
+that I knew his company would be agreeable to the byes, and he will be
+of great hilp to the same."
+
+"Well, I'm blessed!" exclaimed the old miner, removing his hat and
+mopping his forehead with his big red handkerchief. Then he turned half
+way round and looked steadily at the fellow, who was standing with his
+head down.
+
+"Poor dog! let him come along, but if he makes any trouble, I'll hold
+you responsible, Tim."
+
+"And I'll be happy to take charge of the same 'sponsibility, and if he
+don't toe the mark, it's mesilf that will make him. Do you hear that,
+Ike?" he roared, turning fiercely toward the fellow, who started, and
+meekly replied that he heard, though it was impossible for anything to
+reach him except the last thunderous demand.
+
+"It isn't for us to say anything," remarked Roswell aside to his chum,
+"but that means trouble for us all."
+
+"It surely does; we must be on our guard against him."
+
+The outfits were piled on a sandspit about a mile below the trading
+posts of Healy and Wilson. In the foreground were the ranch and store
+owned by them, and beyond towered the coast mountains, their tops
+gleaming in the sunshine with enormous masses of snow, while hundreds
+of miles still beyond stretched the immense Yukon country, toward which
+the eyes of the civilized world are turned at the present time.
+
+One of the strange facts connected with Alaska and the adjoining region
+is that in May the sun rises at 3 o'clock and sets at 9, while in June
+it rises at 1.30 and sets at 10.30. Thus the summer day is twenty hours
+long, and it has a diffuse twilight. The change from winter to summer
+is rapid, winter setting in in September, and in the Klondike region
+zero weather lasts from November to May, though at times the weather
+moderates early in March, but does not become settled until May. The
+Yukon generally freezes shut in the latter part of October, and breaks
+up about the middle of May, when the western route to the gold fields
+by the river becomes practicable.
+
+The hour was so late when our friends had finished carrying their
+outfit beyond reach of the high tide, which rises twenty feet at Dyea,
+that they lodged and took their meals at the ranch trading post. By
+arrangement, an early breakfast was eaten the next morning, and the
+goods were loaded upon the two Yukon sleds with which they were
+provided. These were seven feet long, sixteen inches wide, and were
+shod with steel. Other gold-seekers were stopping, like themselves, at
+the ranch, but they lagged so much that when the men and boys headed
+northward they were alone.
+
+Jeff Graham and Ike Hardman passed the rope attached to one of the
+sleds over their shoulders, the elder in advance, and led off. Tim took
+the lead, with the boys behind him, with the second sled, following the
+trail left by their friends. The deep snow was packed so hard that no
+use was made of the snow-shoes which Jeff had provided.
+
+From Dyea the trail led for five miles over the ice, when they reached
+the mouth of the canon. This is two miles long with an average width of
+fifty feet. The sleds were dragged over the strong ice, but later in
+the season, when it breaks up, travellers are obliged to follow the
+trail to the east of the canon.
+
+The party were so unaccustomed to this kind of labor that they found it
+exhausting. Curiously enough, Jeff bore the fatigue better than any.
+His iron muscles were the last to yield, and he was the first to resume
+the journey. He chaffed the others, and offered to let them mount his
+sled while he pulled them.
+
+Beyond the canon is a strip of woods three miles in length, which bears
+the name of Pleasant Camp, though it has not the first claim to the
+name. It does not contain the ruins of even a cabin or shanty--nothing,
+in fact, but trees, through which the wintry winds sough and howl
+dismally. There the party halted, ate lunch, rested for an hour, and
+then set out with the determination to make the next camping ground
+before night.
+
+The ascent now became gradual, and before the day was spent they
+arrived at Sheep Camp, on the edge of the timber. This is the last spot
+where wood for fuel can be obtained until the other side of Chilkoot
+Pass is reached. The tent was pitched on top of the snow, the poles and
+pins being shoved down into it. Jeff took it upon himself to cut what
+fuel was needed, gathering at the same time a liberal quantity of
+hemlock brush, upon which to spread their blankets for beds.
+
+Since it was necessary to use the stove, and it must rest on the snow,
+a simple arrangement provided against trouble from the melting of the
+latter. Three poles, eight feet in length, were laid parallel on the
+snow and the stove placed upon them. Although a hole was soon dissolved
+beneath, the length of the supports kept the stove upright.
+
+[Illustration: THE TENT POLES WERE SHOVED DOWN INTO THE SNOW.]
+
+The experience which Jeff and Tim had had made them both excellent
+cooks, which was a fortunate thing for the boys, since they would have
+made sorry work in preparing a meal; but the art of the Irishman
+deserved the many compliments it received. With the aid of baking
+powder he prepared a goodly number of light, flaky biscuit, and by
+exposing some of the butter to the warmth of the stove, it was
+gradually changed from its stone-like hardness to a consistency that
+permitted it to be cut with a knife and spread upon the hot bread. The
+coffee was amber, clear, and fragrant, and with the condensed milk and
+sugar would have reflected credit upon the _chef_ of any establishment.
+In addition, there were fried bacon and canned corn.
+
+Until this time the boys had never believed they could eat bacon, but
+nothing could have had a more delicious flavor to them. It was not
+alone because of their vigorous appetites, but partly on account of the
+bitterly cold weather. There is a good deal of animal heat evolved in
+the digestion of fat bacon, and it is therefore among the favorite
+articles of food in the Arctic regions.
+
+Probably there isn't a boy in the country who would not revolt at the
+thought of eating a tallow candle, and yet if he was exposed to the
+rigors of Greenland and the far north, he would soon look upon it as
+one of the greatest delicacies of the table.
+
+The hemlock branches were now spread on top of the snow at the side of
+the tent, a large square of canvas was placed over them, upon which the
+blankets and robes were put, the whole forming a springy, comfortable
+bed.
+
+Roswell and Frank were sure that in all their lives they were never so
+tired. Leaving the three men to talk and smoke, they stretched out on
+their blankets, wrapping themselves in them, and almost immediately
+sank into deep, dreamless slumber.
+
+The sleep had lasted perhaps a couple of hours, when, without any
+apparent cause, Frank Mansley awoke in the full possession of his
+senses. Lying motionless, he listened to the soft breathing of his
+cousin beside him, while the regular respiration of the men left no
+doubt of their condition. Everything around was in blank, impenetrable
+darkness and all profoundly still.
+
+"It's strange that I should awake like this," he thought, slightly
+shifting his position. "I'm tired, and was so drowsy that I felt as if
+I could sleep a week, but I was never wider awake than I am this
+minute--"
+
+Amid the all-pervading silence he was sensible of a low, solemn murmur,
+like that of the distant ocean. At first it seemed to be the "voice of
+silence" itself, but it steadily increased in volume until its roar
+became overpowering. Startled and frightened, he lay still, wondering
+what it could mean, or whether his senses were deceiving him. Then he
+suddenly remembered the vast masses of ice and snow which towered above
+them all through the day. He recalled the stories he had read of the
+glaciers and avalanches, and how Tim McCabe had referred to them as
+sometimes overtaking travellers in this part of the world.
+
+He knew what it meant, and, leaping from his couch, he shouted:
+
+"Wake up! Quick! An avalanche is upon us!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+THROUGH CHILKOOT PASS.
+
+
+As Frank Mansley's words rang through the tent they were followed by
+the awful roar of the descending avalanche, and all awoke on the
+instant. But no one could do anything to save himself. They could only
+cower and pray to Heaven to protect them.
+
+Something struck the side of the tent, like the plunge of a mountain
+torrent, yet it was not that, nor was it the snow. Tim McCabe knew its
+nature, and catching his breath, he called:
+
+"It's the wind of the avalanche! That won't hurt ye!"
+
+The wonder was that it did not blow the canvas like a feather from its
+path; but the tent held its position, and the appalling rush and roar
+ceased with more suddenness than it had begun. The throbbing air became
+still.
+
+Jeff Graham, who had not spoken, struck a match, and holding it above
+his head, peered around the interior of the tent, which he observed had
+sagged a good deal from the impact of the avalanche's breath, though
+the stakes held their places in the snow. He saw Frank Mansley standing
+pale with affright, while Roswell, sitting on the edge of his couch,
+was equally startled. Ike Hardman had covered his face with his
+blanket, like a child, who thus seeks to escape an impending danger.
+Incredible as it may seem, Tim McCabe was filling his pipe in the
+gloom, preparatory to a smoke.
+
+"Be aisy," was his comment, as he struck a match and held it above the
+bowl; "we're as safe as if in 'Frisco, and a little safer, for it's
+whin ye are there ye are liable to have an airthquake tumble the
+buildings about yer hid."
+
+"Wasn't that an avalanche?" asked the amazed Frank.
+
+"It was that, but it didn't hit us. If we had put up the tint a little
+beyant and further to the right, we'd've been mashed flat."
+
+He spoke the truth. The enormous mass of snow, weighing thousands of
+tons, had toppled over and slid down the mountain-side with a roar like
+Niagara, but stopped short, just before reaching the tent. Some of the
+feathery particles sailed forward and struck the canvas, the greatest
+effect being produced by the wind, but the monster was palsied before
+he could reach forward and seize his victims.
+
+When the situation became clear, every one uttered expressions of
+gratitude, but the boys were not relieved of all fear. What had taken
+place might occur again.
+
+"Not a bit of it," was Tim's reassuring reply. "I've obsarved the
+things before, and we shan't be bothered agin to-night. Take me advice
+and go to sleep, which the same is what I shall do mesilf as soon as I
+finishes me smoke."
+
+The shock, however, had been too great for all to compose their nerves
+at once. Jeff was the first to succumb, having faith in the assurance
+of his friend, and Ike Hardman soon followed him in the land of dreams.
+Frank and Roswell lay for a long time talking in low tones, but finally
+drowsiness overcame them, and with the pungent odor of Tim's pipe in
+their nostrils they sank into slumber, which was not broken until Jeff
+called to them that breakfast was waiting.
+
+The melted snow furnished what water they needed to drink and in which
+to lave their faces and hands. Then, before eating, they hurried
+outside the tent to survey the snowy mountain that had come so near
+swallowing them up. They were filled with amazement when they looked
+upon the vast pile, amid which were observed many chunks and masses of
+ice, several that must have weighed hundreds of pounds, lying on the
+snow within a few yards of the tent. Had one of these been precipitated
+against the shelter, it would have crushed the inmates, like the charge
+from the most enormous of our seacoast guns. It was a providential
+escape, indeed, for our friends, and it was no wonder that they
+continued to discuss it and to express their gratitude to Heaven, that
+had mercifully shielded them while they slept.
+
+Standing at Sheep Camp, they saw the summit towering thirty-five
+hundred feet in front, though Chilkoot Pass, which they were to follow,
+is five hundred feet lower. The task of climbing to the summit of this
+pass is of the most trying nature conceivable, and many gold-seekers
+have turned back in despair. Terrific weather is often encountered, and
+men have been held in camp for weeks, during which the crest of the
+mountains was hidden by clouds and tempests, and the whirling snow and
+sleet were so blinding that they hardly ventured to peep out from their
+tent. The weather was such as has baffled the most intrepid of
+explorers for centuries in their search for the North Pole.
+
+Our friends were unusually fortunate in being favored with good
+weather, there being hardly any wind stirring, while, more wonderful
+than all, the sun shone from an unclouded sky, in a section where the
+clear days average less than seventy degrees in the course of the
+entire year.
+
+No one who has ever climbed Chilkoot Pass will forget it. Some, alas!
+who have made the attempt never succeeded in reaching the other side,
+but perished in the frightful region; while many more have become
+disheartened by the perils and difficulties and turned back when on the
+threshold of the modern El Dorado. At the foot of the pass our friends
+met two men, bending low with the packs strapped to their shoulders,
+and plodding wearily southward. Tim called to them to know what the
+trouble was, and received a glum answer, accompanied by an oath that
+they had had enough of such a country, and if they ever lived to reach
+New York, they would shoot any man who pronounced the word "Klondike"
+in their presence.
+
+It is a curious fact regarding this famous pass that the snow with
+which it is choked is what makes it possible for travel. The snow
+sometimes lies to the depth of fifty or sixty feet, and from February,
+through May, and often June, its smooth surface allows one to walk over
+it without trouble. Should it be fine and yielding, the snow-shoes come
+into play, but when the crust is hard, no better support could be
+asked. The trouble lies in the steep incline, which becomes more
+decided the higher one climbs.
+
+Underneath this enormous mass rush violent torrents of water, which,
+hollowing out passages for themselves, leave the snow white arches far
+above, over which one walks upon a natural bridge. Later in the season,
+when the effects of the warm weather are felt, these arches begin to
+tumble in, and the incautious traveller who misses his footing and
+drops into one of the huge crevices is lost.
+
+As has been said, the steepness increases as one approaches the top,
+the last five hundred feet being like the roof of a house. Bending
+forward under their loads, our friends often found their noses within a
+few inches of the snow, while masses of rock protruding in many places
+added to the difficulties of travel. The combined strength of the party
+was required to get a single sled to the top. While one was left
+behind, they joined in pushing and pulling the other, with frequent
+pauses for rest, until, after hours of the hardest work conceivable,
+they succeeded in reaching the summit. Then, resting again, they began
+their descent for the other sled. It was fortunate that the crust of
+the snow removed the need of using the long snow-shoes, whose make
+suggests the bats used in playing tennis, for the men were the only
+ones who knew how to handle the awkward contrivances, which would have
+proved a sore perplexity for Roswell and Frank.
+
+Under some circumstances it becomes a question which is the harder, to
+descend or ascend a steep hill. Despite the utmost care, the whole five
+stumbled several times. Roswell felt the chills run through him, and he
+held his breath in dismay when he saw himself sliding toward the edge
+of a ravine, over which if he fell he would have been dashed to death
+on the instant. While desperately trying to check himself, he shouted
+for help, but it looked equally fatal for any one to venture near him,
+since the slope was so abrupt that he could not check himself.
+
+Jeff Graham was carrying the coil of rope which he had loosened from
+the first sled, and, seeing the peril of his young friend, he flung the
+end toward him with the skill of a Mexican or cowboy in throwing the
+_rita_, or lasso. The youth was slipping downward on his face, with his
+terrified countenance turned appealingly to his friends, while he
+tried, by jamming his toes and clutching at the surface, to check
+himself, and Frank was on the point of going to his help when the end
+of the rope struck his shoulder and he seized it with both hands. The
+next minute he was drawn back to safety.
+
+"I'm surprised wid ye," remarked Tim McCabe, when the panting youth
+stood among them again. "I thought ye were too tired to indulge in any
+such foolin'. Whin ye want to slide down hill, make use of the slid
+instead of your stummick."
+
+"I don't think I'll want to do any more sliding down hill in this part
+of the world," replied the frightened, but grateful youth.
+
+Once more they bent to their work, and pulling themselves together,
+succeeded at last in reaching the summit with the second sled, the
+whole party utterly used up. Even Jeff Graham sat down on one of the
+loads, panting and too tired to speak. When he found voice, he said:
+
+[Illustration: ALL JOINED IN PUSHING AND PULLING ONE SLED.]
+
+"What fools we are! And yet if I went back to 'Frisco, I'd start agin
+for the Klondike the next day; so I reckon we'll keep on."
+
+No one responded, for they were so wearied that talking itself was
+labor.
+
+Looking to the southwest, they could see the blue shimmer of the
+Pacific, where the Gulf of Alaska rolls its white surges against the
+dismal shores. Far in the distance a faint line against the sky showed
+where a steamer was probably ploughing its way to St. Michael's, with
+hundreds of gold-seekers on board, the van of the army that is pushing
+toward the Klondike from the West, the South, and the East, until it
+would seem that even that immense region must overflow with the
+innumerable multitudes, drawn thither by the most resistless magnet
+that can make men brave peril, suffering, and death.
+
+Turning in the opposite direction, they saw the mountain slope melting
+away in the great valley of the Yukon, with the trail leading through a
+narrow, rocky gap, and with naked granite rocks rising steeply to the
+partly snow-clad mountains. The party had been fortunate in completing
+the ascent in less than a day, when it often requires twice as long.
+The first half mile of the descent was steep, when the slope becomes
+more gradual. The glare of the snow compelled all to use their glasses,
+and seven miles from the summit they reached the edge of timber, where
+camp was made.
+
+Freed from all fear of descending avalanches, with plenty of food and
+wood for fuel, the exhausted gold-hunters lay down on their blankets,
+resting upon more hemlock boughs, and enjoyed the most refreshing sleep
+since leaving the steamer at Juneau. It was not until considerably
+after daylight that Jeff awoke and started a new fire, with which to
+prepare their breakfast, and when that was ready the boys were roused
+from slumber.
+
+They were now within three miles of Lake Lindeman, a body of water five
+miles in length, and the journey was speedily made. It was on the shore
+of this lake that the party expected to build a raft or boat with which
+to make the long, rough voyage to the Yukon, but, to their pleased
+surprise, they found an old Indian, with a broad scow, anxious to
+transport them and their luggage to the foot of the lake. He had
+already secured three men and their outfits, but was able to carry the
+new arrivals, and Jeff was not long in making a bargain with him.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+A SIGNIFICANT DISCOVERY.
+
+
+Game is so scarce in the valley of the Upper Yukon and in the Klondike
+country that many gold-seekers take no firearms at all with them. Years
+ago the Indians showed occasional hostility toward the missions and
+trading-posts, but nothing now is to be feared from them. They are
+often hired to help carry loads through the passes, and with that
+aptitude for imitating the white man, they have speedily learned to
+charge high prices for their labor.
+
+Before leaving Juneau, Jeff Graham presented each of his little party
+with an excellent revolver, quoting the remark which a cowboy once made
+to a tenderfoot:
+
+"You may not want the weapon often, but when you do you'll want it
+mighty bad."
+
+Jeff took with him his own pistol which he had carried for years,
+besides which he was provided with a fine Winchester rifle. He knew he
+was not likely to find any use for it in shooting game, but he grimly
+observed that if a pistol should prove handy, the larger weapon was apt
+to prove much more so.
+
+The Indian who engaged to take them to the foot of Lake Lindeman was
+old, but wiry and tough, and understood his business. He could speak a
+few words of English, which were enough for his purposes. He raised a
+small soiled sail of canvas on the scow, and with the help of a long
+pole kept the heavily laden craft moving. Although the lake was open
+thus early in the season, the shores were lined with ice, much of it
+extending into the water for a number of rods. Huge cakes sometimes
+bumped against the scow, but they caused no damage, and did not
+interfere with its progress.
+
+The three men who had first engaged the boat looked as if they had come
+a long distance. Our friends had no recollection of having seen them on
+the steamer from Seattle or on the steam launch that connects Juneau
+with Dyea at the head of Lynn Canal. Where they came from, therefore,
+was a mystery, the probability being that they had been loitering about
+Dyea for a long time, waiting for the season to advance sufficiently to
+allow them to start for the Yukon. They seemed reserved to the point of
+sullenness, keeping by themselves and showing so much antipathy to any
+approach that they were let alone.
+
+But just before the foot of the lake, nearly six miles distant, was
+reached, Frank Mansley made an interesting discovery. The most
+ill-favored of the trio was an acquaintance of Ike Hardman. No one else
+noticed the significant fact, and it was partly through accident that
+the truth came to the lad.
+
+The two men acted as if strangers, not exchanging a word on the
+passage, and seemingly feeling no interest in each other. All of
+Frank's friends were near the bow of the boat, looking to where they
+were soon to touch shore. Two of the strangers were standing just back
+of and near them, while Hardman was in the middle of the boat,
+apparently watching the old Indian as he plied his paddle with untiring
+vigor.
+
+The third stranger was at the stern, seated on the gunwale, smoking a
+clay pipe and seemingly taking no note of anything about him. When Ike
+Hardman sauntered among the piles of luggage to the rear, Frank was
+impelled by an impulse for which he could not account to watch him. He
+had no well-defined suspicion, and least of all did he suspect what
+proved to be the truth.
+
+Hardman halted a few paces from the man sitting on the edge of the
+boat, and, so far as appearances went, did not pay any attention to
+him. A quick, furtive glance to the front put the lad on his guard, and
+he, too, turned his face toward land, but his position was such that he
+could look sideways at the two, while not seeming to do so.
+
+Suddenly Hardman, with his back partly toward the youth, made a sign
+with his hands, the meaning of which Frank could not catch, because the
+signal was not fully seen, but the fellow sitting down nodded his head,
+and taking his pipe from between his lips, said something in so guarded
+a voice that only the ears for which the words were intended could
+understand them.
+
+This brief interchange ought to have been enough, but Hardman did not
+appear to think so. He stepped somewhat closer, and he, too, spoke,
+still gesticulating with one of his hands. The man addressed was
+impatient. He nodded again in a jerky fashion, and made answer with
+less caution, as a consequence of which the eavesdropper caught the
+words, "Yes, yes, to-night; I understand."
+
+[Illustration: SUDDENLY HARDMAN MADE A SIGN.]
+
+Hardman was satisfied, and came back to the front of the boat, which
+was now approaching the shore. His friend smoked a few minutes until
+the scow bumped against the projection of ice, and, the old Indian
+leaping lightly out, carried the heavy stone anchor as far as the rope
+would permit. This held the boat in place, and the unloading began. The
+Indian offered to help for an extravagant price, but his offer was
+refused, and the respective parties busied themselves with their own
+work.
+
+The discovery made by Frank Mansley caused him considerable uneasiness.
+The dislike which he felt toward Hardman the first time he saw him had
+never abated, and it was the same with his cousin. Young as they were,
+they felt that a great mistake was made when Hardman was allowed to
+join the party, and they wondered that Jeff permitted it, but, as has
+been shown, they were too discreet to object.
+
+That Hardman, on his part, detested the youths was apparent, though he
+tried to conceal the feeling when he feared it might attract the
+attention of others. He had little to say to them or they to him. Frank
+decided to tell his chum of the discovery he had made, and they would
+consult as to whether they should take Jeff and Tim into their
+confidence.
+
+Meanwhile, the trio gathered their loads upon their backs and started
+northward without so much as calling good-by to those whom they left
+behind, and who were not sorry to part company with them.
+
+The gold-hunters had had a little lift on their journey, but it was not
+worth considering, in view of what remained before them. A mile advance
+with sleds and their packs took them to the head of Lake Bennet, where
+it may be said the navigation of the Yukon really begins. The lake is
+about twenty-eight miles long, contains a number of islands, and in
+going to the foot one passes from Alaska into British Columbia. Along
+its shores were scores of miners, busily engaged in building boats with
+which to make the rest of the journey. Sad to say, owing to their
+impatience and lack of skill, some of the boats were so flimsy and
+ill-constructed that they were certain to go to pieces in the fierce
+rapids below, and add their owners to the long list of victims whose
+bodies strew the pathway from Chilkoot to the Upper Yukon.
+
+Here, too, it became necessary for our friends to build a craft, and
+since it was comparatively early in the day, Jeff and Tim, each with an
+axe over his shoulder, went into the wood, already partly cut down,
+Hardman accompanying them, in order to bear his turn. The boys remained
+behind to guard the property, though their neighbors were so occupied
+with their own affairs that they gave them little heed. Frank took the
+opportunity to tell his companion what he had observed on the boat
+while crossing the lake.
+
+"Hardman has joined our company for some evil purpose," said Roswell,
+"and the other man is his partner in the plot."
+
+"But they are gone, and we may not see them again."
+
+"One of them, at least, has an understanding with Hardman, and will
+keep him within hailing distance."
+
+"We will say nothing to Jeff or Tim until to-morrow; I fear that we
+shall learn something to-night."
+
+The boy was right in his supposition.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+THE PLOTTERS.
+
+
+All day long the two axes swung vigorously. Both Jeff and Tim were
+expert woodmen, and they felled pine after pine. Hardman pleaded that
+he was unaccustomed to such work; but Jeff grimly told him he could
+never have a better chance to learn to cut down trees, and compelled
+him to take his turn. The work was continued until dark, which, it will
+be remembered, comes much later in the far North than in our latitude.
+
+The distance between the scene of their work and the point where the
+outfits and goods were piled was so slight that there was really no
+need of the boys remaining on guard. Feeling that they were favored too
+much, they sauntered to the wood and asked the privilege of taking a
+hand in felling the trees. It was granted; but they made such sorry
+work, finding it almost impossible to sink the blade twice in the same
+spot, that they yielded the implements to those who understood the
+business so much better.
+
+The snow was deep, and the camp was much the same as the one made
+before entering Chilkoot Pass. All were tired, and lay down after the
+evening meal, glad of the opportunity for a few hours' sleep.
+
+In accordance with their agreement, the boys said nothing to either of
+their friends about what Frank had observed on the boat. It was
+understood between them that they were to feign sleep, but to keep
+watch of Hardman during the night as long as they could remain awake.
+Ordinarily it is a difficult if not impossible task for one to fight
+off the insidious approach of slumber, but Frank Mansley had wrought
+himself into such a state of anxiety that he was sure he could command
+his senses until well toward morning.
+
+He and Roswell lay under the same blanket, with their backs to each
+other, while the others were by themselves, the interior of the tent
+barely permitting the arrangement. Had any one stealthily entered
+fifteen minutes after they had lain down, he would have declared that
+all were asleep, though such was not the fact.
+
+Despite his nervousness, Frank was beginning to feel drowsy when he was
+startled and set on edge by a sound that penetrated the profound
+silence. It resembled the whistle of a bird from the timber, soft,
+clear, and tremulous. Almost in the same instant he heard one of the
+men rise stealthily from his couch. It was easy to determine, from the
+direction of the slight rustle, that it was Hardman.
+
+Frank thrust his elbow into the back of his comrade as a warning for
+him to be alert; but there was no response. Roswell had been asleep for
+an hour. It was too dark to perceive anything within the tent, though
+all was clear outside; but the lad's senses were in that tense
+condition that he heard the man lift the flap of the tent and move
+softly over the snow on the outside. With the same silence, Frank flung
+back the blanket that enveloped him and stepped out on the packed snow
+of the interior. Pausing but a moment, he crept through the opening. In
+that cold region men sleep in their clothing, so he had nothing to fear
+from exposure.
+
+The night was brilliantly clear, the sky studded with stars, and not a
+breath of air stirring. He remained a brief while in a crouching
+posture, while he peered in different directions. Before him stretched
+the lake, its shores crusted with snow and ice, with the cold water
+shining in the star-gleam. Still stooping low and looking intently
+about him, he saw something move between the tent and the water. A
+second glance revealed Hardman, who was standing alone and looking
+about him, as if he expected the approach of some person. Impatient at
+the delay, he repeated the signal that had aroused the attention of
+Frank a few minutes before.
+
+The tremulous note had scarcely pierced the air when a shadowy form
+emerged from the wood and walked the short distance that took him to
+the waiting Hardman. The two were so far off that it was impossible to
+identify him; but the lad was as certain it was the man who had
+exchanged the words and signs with Hardman as if the noonday sun were
+shining.
+
+Frank Mansley would have given anything he had to be able to steal near
+enough to overhear what passed between them, but that was clearly
+impossible. To move from his place by the tent was certain to bring
+instant detection. Now and then he could catch the faint murmur of
+their voices, but not once was he able to distinguish a syllable that
+was uttered.
+
+The interview lasted but a short time. Whatever understanding was
+reached between the plotters must have been simple, else it would not
+have been effected so soon. Suddenly the stranger moved off over the
+snow in the direction of the wood and disappeared among the trees. At
+the same moment Hardman moved silently toward the tent. Frank was on
+the alert, and when the man entered he was lying on his couch, his
+blanket over him, and his chilled body against the warm form of his
+comrade, who recoiled slightly with a shiver, though he did not awake.
+
+The fear of Frank Mansley had been that the two men were plotting some
+scheme for the robbery of Jeff, though it would seem that they would
+prefer to wait until he had made a strike in the gold district. What
+the youth had seen convinced him that the latter plan would be
+followed, or at least attempted, and he had hardly reached that
+conclusion when he fell asleep.
+
+"You're a pretty fellow to stand guard," he remarked to his cousin the
+next morning, after the men had gone to the wood again.
+
+[Illustration: "YOU'RE A PRETTY FELLOW TO STAND GUARD," SAID FRANK.]
+
+"I didn't try to stand guard," replied Roswell with a laugh; "I was
+lying down all the time."
+
+"Why didn't you keep awake?"
+
+"Because I fell asleep, and you would have done the same if you hadn't
+kept awake."
+
+"Probably I should--most people do; but what do you think of it,
+Roswell?"
+
+"First tell me something to think of."
+
+His cousin told all that he had seen the night before.
+
+"There can't be any doubt that Hardman and one, if not all three of
+those fellows, are plotting mischief. It might have been one of the
+others who signalled to and met him. I think we ought to tell Jeff."
+
+"We'll do so before night. It isn't likely Hardman suspects anything,
+and you will have no trouble in finding the chance."
+
+"You think it best that I should tell Jeff?"
+
+"By all means, since you will tell what you saw. Such things are best
+first-hand; but neither of us will say anything to Tim."
+
+"Why not?"
+
+"Jeff is the leader of this expedition. Tim is so soft-hearted that
+likely enough he would try to convince Hardman of his wrongdoing, and
+so put him on his guard. Let Jeff tell him if he chooses."
+
+"I hope he will drive Hardman out of our party; my impression of him is
+that he would not only rob but kill for the sake of gold."
+
+Roswell looked grave. The same thought had been in his mind, but he
+disliked to give expression to it. He hoped his cousin was wrong, but
+could not feel certain that he was.
+
+"Frank, make an excuse for calling Jeff here; he ought to know of this
+at once."
+
+Looking toward the timber, they saw that their friend had just given up
+his axe to Hardman, who was swinging it a short distance from where Tim
+McCabe was lustily doing the same. Frank called to him, and when the
+old miner looked around, he beckoned for him to approach. Jeff slouched
+forward, wondering why the boys had summoned him from his work. He was
+quickly told. He listened, silent, but deeply interested, until the
+story was finished. Then, without any excitement, he said, "Don't let
+Tim know anything of this, younkers;" and, with a strange gleam in his
+keen gray eyes, the old man added, "I've got a Winchester and a
+revolver, and I keep 'em both loaded, and I've plenty of ammunition. I
+think I'll have use for 'em purty soon."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+ON LAKE BENNET.
+
+
+The men wrought steadily in felling trees, and by the close of the
+second day had enough timber for their raft. It would have been much
+preferable could they have constructed a good, stout boat; but it was
+not feasible, though Jeff and Tim would have built it had they
+possessed the necessary planking and boards. They had provided
+themselves with oakum, pitch, and other material; but the labor of
+sawing out the right kind of stuff would have taken weeks. The Irishman
+had learned from his late experience; as a result of which a
+double-decker, as it may be termed, was planned. This consisted first
+of a substantial framework of buoyant pine logs, securely nailed
+together, while upon that was reared another some two feet in height.
+This upper framework was intended to bear their outfits, over which
+were fastened rubber cloths. The Alaskan lakes are often swept by
+terrific tempests, the waves sometimes dashing entirely over the rafts
+and boats, and wetting everything that is not well protected. The upper
+deck serves also partially to protect the men.
+
+The boys spent a portion of the days in fishing. There was a notable
+moderation in the weather, the snow and ice rapidly melting. Sitting or
+standing on the bank, they cast out their lines, baited with bits of
+meat, and met with pleasing success. Plump, luscious white-fish,
+grayling, and lake trout were landed in such numbers that little or no
+other solid food was eaten during their halt at the head of Lake
+Bennet.
+
+Work was pushed so vigorously that on the third day the goods were
+carefully piled on the upper deck, secured in place, and with their
+long poles they pushed out from the shore on the voyage of twenty-eight
+miles to the foot of the sheet of water. They were provided with a
+sturdy mast reared near the middle of the craft, but they did not erect
+a sail, for the reason that the strong wind which was blowing was
+almost directly from the north, and would have checked their progress.
+
+The unwieldy structure was pushed along the eastern side, where the
+poles were serviceable at all times. Each took his turn at the work,
+the boys with the others, and the progress, if slow, was sure.
+
+The first twelve miles of Lake Bennet are quite shallow, with a width
+barely exceeding a half mile. Fifteen miles down occurs the junction
+with the southwest arm, and the point had hardly come into sight when
+Tim said:
+
+"Now look out for trouble, for here's where we'll catch it sure."
+
+All understood what he meant, for a wind was blowing down the arm with
+such fierceness that it looked as if everything would be swept off the
+raft. The prospect was so threatening that they ran inshore while yet
+at a safe distance, and waited for the gale to subside.
+
+"Is it likely to last long?" asked Roswell, when they had secured
+shelter.
+
+"That depinds how far off the end of the same may be," was the
+unsatisfactory reply. "I've knowed men to be held here for days, but I
+have hopes that we may get off in the coorse of two or three weeks."
+
+The boys as well as Jeff could not believe that Tim was in earnest, for
+his lightest words were often spoken with the gravest expression of
+face; but their former experience taught them to be prepared for almost
+any whim in the weather. They recalled those dismal days and nights
+earlier on their journey, when they were storm-stayed, and they were
+depressed at the thought that something of the nature might again
+overtake them. When the boys proposed to put up the tent, the Irishman
+said:
+
+"It is early in the day; bide awhile before going to that trouble."
+
+This remark convinced them that he was more hopeful of a release than
+would be implied from his words; so they wrapped their heavy coats
+closer and hoped for the best. The men lit their pipes, while the boys
+huddled close together and had little to say. Unexpectedly there came
+such a lull in the gale early in the afternoon that the voyage, to the
+delight of all, was resumed.
+
+Ike Hardman was in more genial spirits than at any time since he joined
+the company. He showed an eagerness to help, declining to yield the
+pole when Jeff offered to relieve him, and ventured now and then upon
+some jest with Roswell and Frank. Their distrust, however, was not
+lessened, and they were too honest to affect a liking that it was
+impossible to feel. They had little to say to him, and noticing the
+fact, he finally let them alone. Whatever misgiving Jeff may have felt
+was skilfully concealed, and the fellow could have felt no suspicion
+that his secret was suspected by any member of the company.
+
+The wind blew so strongly that there was some misgiving; but observing
+that it came from the right quarter, the sail was hoisted, and as the
+canvas bellied outward, the raft caught the impulse and began moving
+through the water at a rate that sent the ripples flying over the
+square ends of the logs at the front. All sat down on the upper
+framework, with the exception of Jeff, who stood, pole in hand, at the
+bow, ready to guide the structure should it sheer in the wrong
+direction.
+
+The conformation of the shore and a slight change of wind carried the
+raft farther out on the lake. Observing that it was getting slightly
+askew, Jeff pushed the long pole downward until his hand almost touched
+the surface of the water. While holding it there the other end bobbed
+up, having failed to touch ground.
+
+"No use," he said, facing his friends, who were watching him, "the
+bottom may be half a mile below."
+
+"That looks as if we're over our hids," said Tim; "by which token, if
+this steamer blows up we've got to swim for our lives, and I never
+larned to swim a stroke."
+
+The boys looked at him wonderingly.
+
+"How is it you did not learn?" asked Roswell.
+
+"I've tried hundreds of times. I kept in the water till me toes begun
+to have webs between 'em, but at the first stroke me hid went down and
+me heels up. I can swim in that style," he added gravely, "but find the
+same slightly inconvanient owing to the necissity of braithing now and
+thin. I tried fur a long time to braithe through me toes, but niver
+made much of a succiss of it."
+
+"And I learned to swim in one day," remarked Frank; "strange that you
+should have so much trouble."
+
+"Undoubtedly that's because yer hid is so light, while me own brains
+weigh me down; it's aisy to understand that."
+
+"If we should have any mishap, Tim," said Frank, "you must remember to
+hold fast to a piece of wood to help you float--a small bit is enough."
+
+"I have a bitter plan than that."
+
+"What is it?"
+
+"Niver have anything to do wid the water."
+
+"That would be certain safety if you could carry it out; but you can't
+help it all times--such, for instance, as the present."
+
+"And I'm thinking we shall have plinty of the same before we raich
+Dawson."
+
+"After we get to the foot of this lake, what comes next, Tim?"
+
+"Caribou Crossing, which we pass through to Lake Tagish, which isn't
+quite as big as is this one. I'm thinking," he added thoughtfully,
+watching the rising anger of the waves, "that bime-by, whin we come
+near land, we'll be going that fast that we'll skim over the snow like
+a sled to the nixt lake."
+
+Roswell pointed to the shore on their right, indicating a stake which
+rose upright from the ground and stood close to the water.
+
+"What is the meaning of that?" he asked.
+
+"That," replied Tim, "marks the grave of some poor chap that died on
+his way to the Klondike. Do ye obsarve that cairn of stones a bit
+beyont?"
+
+Each saw it.
+
+"That marks anither grave; and ye may call to mind that we obsarved
+more of the same along Lake Lindeman."
+
+Such was the fact, though this was the first reference to them.
+
+"And we shall hardly be out of sight of some of the same all the way to
+the Klondike; and I'm thinking," was his truthful remark, "that
+hundreds more will lay their bones down in these parts and niver see
+their loved ones again."
+
+It was a sad thought. In a few years improved routes, railway-tracks,
+and houses for food and lodging will rob the Klondike region of its
+terrors, but until then death must exact a heavy toll from the
+gold-seekers crowding northward, without regard to season or the
+simplest laws of prudence.
+
+Roswell was standing on the upper deck, near a corner, when he
+exclaimed excitedly:
+
+"Oh, look there! Isn't it dreadful?"
+
+[Illustration: "OH, LOOK THERE! ISN'T IT DREADFUL?"]
+
+He was pointing out on the lake, and, following the direction of his
+hand, all saw the answer to his question.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+
+INTO BRITISH TERRITORY.
+
+
+All hurried to the side of Roswell, who was pointing to a place a short
+distance from the raft.
+
+It was the body of a man that they saw, floating face upward. His
+clothing was good, and the white features, partly hidden by a black
+beard, must have been pleasing in life. The feet and hands, dangling at
+the sides, were so low in the water that only when stirred by the waves
+did they show, but the face rose and fell, sometimes above, and never
+more than a few inches below, so that it was in view all the time.
+
+The group silently viewed the scene. The body drifted nearer and nearer
+and faintly touched the edge of the raft, as the wind carried it past.
+Then it continued dipping, and gradually floated away in the gathering
+gloom.
+
+"We ought to give it burial," said Frank to Jeff, who shook his head.
+
+"What's the use? We might tow it ashore, dig up a foot of the frozen
+earth, and set a wooden cross or heap of stones to mark the grave, but
+the lake is as good a burial-place as it could have."
+
+"I wonder who he could have been," said Roswell thoughtfully. "Some
+man, no doubt, who has come from his home in the States, thousands of
+miles away, and started to search for gold. He may have left wife and
+children behind, who will look longingly for his coming, but will never
+see his face again."
+
+"The world is full of such sad things," observed Tim McCabe, impressed,
+like all, with the melancholy incident, and then he expressed the
+thought that was in the mind of each: "There be five of us: will we all
+see home again?"
+
+There was no reply. Hardman had not spoken, and, as if the occasion was
+too oppressive, he sauntered to another part of the raft, while the
+rest gradually separated, each grave and saddened by what he had
+witnessed.
+
+It is well for us to turn aside from the hurly-burly of life and
+reflect upon the solemn fact of the inevitable end that awaits us all.
+
+But the long afternoon was drawing to a close, and the question to be
+considered was whether the raft should be allowed to drift or land, or
+they should continue forward, despite a certain degree of danger during
+the darkness. All were eager to improve the time, and Jeff, as the head
+of the expedition, said they would keep at it at least for a while
+longer.
+
+"As far as I can tell," he said, "there's no danger of running into
+anything that'll wreck us, and we must use our sail while we can.
+Besides," he added, after testing it, "the water is so deep that we
+can't reach bottom, and there isn't much chance to help ourselves."
+
+The wind which swept over the raft had risen almost to a gale, and
+brought with it a few scurrying flakes of snow. There was a perceptible
+fall in the temperature, and the chilly, penetrating air caused all to
+shiver, despite their thick clothing.
+
+Finally night closed in, and the raft was still drifting, the wind
+carrying it four or five miles an hour. The night was so short that the
+hope was general that the straightforward progress would continue until
+sunrise, though Tim, who was better acquainted with the region,
+expressed the belief that a storm of several days' duration had set in.
+
+Since there was nothing to do, the men and boys disposed of themselves
+as comfortably as possible on the lee side of the raft, beyond reach of
+the waves, though the spray now and then dashed against their rubber
+blankets which each had wrapped about his shoulders and body. After a
+time Jeff took his station at the bow, though an almost imperceptible
+change of wind caused the structure to drift partly sideways.
+
+Roswell and Frank, who were seated back to back and in an easy
+attitude, had sunk into a doze, when both were startled by a bump which
+swung them partly over. They straightened up and looked around in the
+gloom, wondering what it meant.
+
+"We've struck shore," called Jeff, who was the only one on watch. "The
+voyage is over for the time."
+
+There was hurrying to and fro, as all perceived that he had spoken the
+truth. The corner of the raft had impinged against some ice that was
+piled on the beach. The gloom was too deep for any one to see more than
+a few rods, so that Tim, who had traversed the sheet of water before,
+was unable to guess where they were.
+
+"Provided we've come over a straight coorse," said the Irishman, "we
+can't be far from the fut of the lake."
+
+"We'll know in the morning, which can't be far off," replied Jeff;
+"we'll make ourselves as comfortable as we can until then."
+
+Despite the wind, they managed to light several matches and examine
+their watches. To their surprise, the night was nearly gone, and it was
+decided not to attempt to put up their tent until daylight.
+Accordingly, they huddled together and spent the remaining hour of
+gloom in anything but comfort.
+
+At the earliest streakings of light all were astir. Springing from the
+ground, Tim McCabe hurriedly walked a short way to the northward. The
+others had risen to their feet and were watching him. As the gray light
+rapidly overspread the scene, they saw the lake, still tossing with
+whitecaps, stretching to the south and west, with the shore faintly
+visible. On the east, north, south, and west towered the snow-capped
+mountains, with Mount Lotne and other peaks piercing the very clouds.
+The sun was still hidden, with the air damp, cold, and penetrating.
+
+Tim McCabe was seen to stand motionless for some minutes, when he
+slowly turned about on his heels and attentively studied the landmarks.
+Then he suddenly flung his cap high in air, and, catching it as it came
+down, began dancing a jig with furious vigor. He acted as if he had
+bidden good-by to his senses.
+
+"Whoop! hurrah!" he shouted, as he replaced his cap and hurried to his
+friends. "We're at the fut of the lake!"
+
+[Illustration: "WE'RE AT THE FUT OF THE LAKE," SHOUTED TIM.]
+
+Such was the fact. A steamer guided by pilot and compass could not have
+come more directly to the termination of the sheet of water. Tim had
+cause for rejoicing, and all congratulated themselves upon their good
+fortune.
+
+"There's only one bad thing about the same," he added more seriously.
+
+"What's that?" asked Jeff.
+
+"We're no longer in the United States."
+
+"That's the fact," said Hardman, "we're in British Columbia."
+
+After all, this was a small matter. Inasmuch as the signs indicated a
+severe storm, it was decided to stay where they were until its chief
+fury was spent. The snow was shovelled aside to allow them to reach the
+frozen earth, into which the stakes were securely driven, and the tent
+set up, with the stove in position.
+
+Beyond Chilkoot Pass plenty of timber is to be found, consisting of
+pine, spruce, cottonwood, and birch. Thus far not the first sign of
+game had been seen. The whole country, after leaving Dyea, is
+mountainous.
+
+Most of the goods were left on the raft, where they were protected by
+the rubber sheathing and the secure manner in which they were packed
+and bound.
+
+Three dreary days of waiting followed, and the hours became so
+monotonous at times, especially after the hard, active toil that had
+preceded them, that in some respects it was the most trying period of
+the memorable journey of our friends from Dyea to Dawson City. The men
+found consolation in their pipes, which frequently made the air within
+the tent intolerable to the youngsters. Like most smokers, however, the
+men never suspected the annoyance they caused, and the boys were too
+considerate to hint anything of the kind. When their young limbs
+yearned for exercise, they bolted out of doors, in the face of the
+driving sleet and fine snow which cut the face like bird-shot. Locking
+arms, they wrestled and rolled and tumbled in the snow, washed each
+other's faces, flung the snow about--for it was too dry to admit of
+being wrought into balls--and when tired out, they came back panting
+and with red cheeks, showing that their lungs had been filled with the
+life-giving ozone.
+
+It was necessary now and then to cut fuel from the adjacent wood, and
+this was done by Tim and Jeff. The boys asked to be allowed to try
+their hand, but they were too unskilful in wielding an axe, and their
+request was denied. Now and then the howling gale drove the smoke back
+into the tent, where it was almost as bad as the odor from the pipes.
+
+The four slept at intervals through the day and most of the long night;
+but now and then the men laid aside their pipes, the stove "drew," and
+the atmosphere within was agreeable. The only books in the company were
+the two pocket Bibles furnished by the mothers of Roswell and Frank.
+Neither boy forgot his promise to read the volume whenever suitable
+opportunity presented. Seeing Frank reclining on his blanket, with his
+little Bible in hand, Jeff asked him to read it aloud, and the boy
+gladly complied. It was a striking sight, as the men inclined their
+heads and reverently listened to the impressive words from the Book of
+Life. There was no jesting or badinage, for that chord which the
+Creator has placed in every human heart was touched, and responded with
+sweet music. Many an hour was thus passed--let us hope with profit to
+every one of the little party.
+
+Finally the longed-for lull in the storm came, and the voyage was
+renewed. The trip through Caribou Crossing was made without mishap, the
+distance being about four miles, when they entered Marsh Lake, often
+known as Mud Lake, though no apparent cause exists for the title. No
+difficulty was experienced in making their way for the twenty-four
+miles of its length, at the end of which they debouched into Lynx
+River, where twenty-seven more miles were passed without incident or
+trouble worth recording.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X.
+
+AT WHITE HORSE RAPIDS.
+
+
+"We're doing well," observed Tim McCabe, when the raft with its load
+and party of gold-seekers reached the end of Lynx River, "but be the
+same token, we're drawing nigh the worst part of the voyage, and we'll
+be lucky if we git through the same without mishap."
+
+"What have we ahead?" asked Jeff.
+
+"Miles Canon; it's a little more than half a mile long, and if this
+raft isn't as strong as it should be it'll be torn to pieces."
+
+Fortunately Jeff had given attention from the first to the stability of
+the structure, upon which everything depended. He was continually
+examining it from stem to stern, and where there was a suspicion of the
+necessity, he drove nails and strengthened the craft in every way
+possible.
+
+The sail was used whenever possible; but since they were really among
+the network of lakes which form the headwaters of the Yukon, the
+current carried them steadily toward their destination, and there were
+hours when they scarcely lifted their hands except to keep the raft in
+proper position by means of the poles. The weather grew steadily
+milder, for summer was approaching. The snow and ice rapidly melted,
+and now and then, when the sun shone, the thick clothing felt
+uncomfortable during the middle of the day. Our friends were in advance
+of the great multitude that were pushing toward the Klondike from the
+south, from Canada and to St. Michael's, whence they would start on the
+two-thousand-mile climb of the Yukon, as soon as it shook off its icy
+bounds.
+
+It was impossible that the party should not view with solicitude their
+entrance into Miles Canon, though Tim assured his friends that much
+more dangerous rapids would remain to be passed. The canon is
+five-eighths of a mile long, with an angry and swift current. Although
+the raft was tossed about like a cockleshell, it went through without
+injury, and none of the goods were displaced or harmed.
+
+Following this came the severest kind of work. For three miles it
+seemed as if the river could be no worse, and the raft must be wrenched
+asunder. The current was not only very swift, but the channel was
+filled with rocks. Each man grasped one of the strong poles with which
+the craft was provided, and wrought with might and main to steer clear
+of the treacherous masses of stone which thrust up their heads
+everywhere. There were many narrow escapes, and despite the utmost they
+could do, the raft struck repeatedly. Sometimes it was a bump and sheer
+to one side so suddenly that the party were almost knocked off their
+feet. Once, owing to unintentional contrary work the raft banged
+against the head of a rock and stood still. While the men were
+desperately plying their poles the current slewed the craft around, and
+the voyage was resumed.
+
+[Illustration: THE CURRENT WAS NOT ONLY VERY SWIFT, BUT THE CHANNEL
+WAS FILLED WITH ROCKS.]
+
+"Look out!" shouted Jeff; "there's another rock right ahead!"
+
+Unfortunately it was just below the surface, and there were so many
+ripples and eddies in the current that neither Tim nor Hardman was sure
+of its exact location, but taking their cue from the leader, they
+pushed with all their strength to clear the obstruction.
+
+They failed, and the flinty head swept directly under the logs and
+gouged its course for the entire length of the craft. All felt the jar,
+and those who could look beneath the upper deck saw the lower timbers
+rise from the impact, which was so severe that when the raft at last
+swung free it was barely moving, but, like a wounded horse, it shook
+itself clear, and the next moment was plunging forward as impetuously
+as ever. The fears of the party were intensified by sight of wreckage
+along the banks, proving that more than one of their predecessors had
+come to grief in trying to make the passage.
+
+While all were on edge with the danger, however, they found themselves
+at the end of the perilous passage and floating in comparatively smooth
+water again. Men and boys drew sighs of relief, the former mopping
+their perspiring brows and looking their mutual congratulations.
+
+"The fun is only just begun," said Tim McCabe; "we had matters purty
+lively fur a time, but they'll soon be a good deal livelier."
+
+"What is next due?" asked Frank.
+
+"I belave," said Tim, "that some folks spake of death as riding on a
+pale horse, don't they?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"That must be the raison they call the nixt plisure thramp White Horse
+Canon, or White Horse Rapids."
+
+"Where are they?"
+
+"But a little way ahid; many men have been drowned in thrying to sail
+through the same; and him as doesn't know how to swim in a whirlpool
+hasn't ony business to thry it."
+
+"What, then, do you mean to do?"
+
+"Thry it," was the imperturbable response.
+
+Such talk was not calculated to cheer the listeners, but knowing the
+Irishman as they did, they received his statement with less seriousness
+than they should have done, for he had by no means overrated the peril
+in their front. Jeff made another examination of the raft while he had
+the opportunity, and strengthened it in every possible way. He was
+pleased that it stood the test so well, though it had been severely
+wrenched, and when it crawled over the sunken rock it had narrowly
+missed being torn asunder. The fastenings of the goods were examined
+and everything prepared, so far as it could be done, for the crucial
+trial at hand.
+
+The party were seated in various positions about the raft, looking
+anxiously ahead, when Tim pointed a little way in advance, with the
+question:
+
+"Do ye all obsarve that?"
+
+He indicated a high bank of sand on the right which had been cut out by
+the erosion of the violent current. Near by some philanthropist had put
+up a sign, "Keep a Good Look Out."
+
+"You have larned what other people think of the same," he added;
+"there's been more than twinty men drowned in there."
+
+"Because they could not swim?" asked Frank.
+
+"'Cause the best swimmer in the world can't swim in there; you and
+mesilf, boys, will soon be on the same futting, for the raison that we
+won't have any futting at all."
+
+"How long is the canon?"
+
+"Not quite half a mile. Miles Canon, that we've just passed through, is
+like a duck-pond alongside the rapids in front of us."
+
+"Can a boat go through?"
+
+"The thing has been done, but only about one in fifty that starts into
+them rapids ever raiches the outlet, excipt in bits the size of yer
+hand."
+
+Frank and Roswell looked at each other in consternation. Was it
+possible that Jeff would allow the criminal recklessness Tim
+contemplated? Where the chances were so overwhelmingly against success,
+it was throwing away their lives to trust themselves to the fearful
+rapids that had already caused so many deaths.
+
+"If you want to try," said Roswell, excitedly, "you may do so, but
+neither Frank nor I will. Put us ashore!"
+
+He addressed himself to Jeff, who was seated on the edge of the upper
+deck, calmly smoking his pipe. He did not look around nor seem to hear
+the appeal.
+
+"Never mind," interposed Frank; "if they are willing, we are not the
+ones to back out. I know of no law that prevents a man making a fool of
+himself."
+
+"Very well," replied his cousin, more composedly, "I am ready."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI.
+
+ON THE YUKON.
+
+
+Jeff Graham looked inquiringly at Tim McCabe, who nodded his head by
+way of reply. At the same time he said something to Hardman, and all
+three rose to their feet. Then the poles were plied with an effect that
+speedily drove the raft against the bank, where Tim sprang ashore and
+secured it. Brave and reckless as was the fellow, he had no intention
+of trying to take the boat through the exceedingly dangerous White
+Horse Rapids, but he could not refuse the chance for a little amusement
+at the expense of his young friends.
+
+In truth, no one should ever attempt to take a boat through White Horse
+Rapids. The best course, perhaps, is to let it drift down the rapids,
+guided by a rope one hundred and fifty feet in length. If it passes
+through without material injury, the craft is still at command below.
+Another plan is to portage. At this writing there are roller-ways on
+the western side, over which the boats can be rolled with a windlass to
+help pull them to the top of the hill. In lining a craft, it must be
+done on the right-hand side. Three miles farther down comes the Box
+Canon, one hundred yards in length and fifty feet wide, with a chute of
+terrific velocity. Repeated attempts have been made by reckless miners
+to take a boat through, but it is much the same as trying to shoot the
+rapids below Niagara, and the place has well earned its title of "The
+Miners' Grave." Still, the feat has been performed in safety.
+
+Progress was so effectually barred at White Horse that our friends gave
+up their raft as of no further use. It was certain to be shattered, and
+where there was so much timber it was comparatively easy to build
+another, with which to make the remaining two hundred and twenty miles,
+particularly as there was no need of constructing a double-decker, for
+the rough voyaging was at an end.
+
+The goods were, therefore, packed upon the Yukon sleds, and then the
+raft set adrift. It was never seen again, though an occasional stray
+log afterward observed bobbing in the current below the rapids may have
+formed a part of the structure that had served the travellers so well.
+There was enough snow for the sleds, but the work was exhausting, and
+was not completed until late in the afternoon, when the tent was set up
+and camp made.
+
+By the close of the following day the raft was finished. It contained
+enough pine lumber to float a much heavier load than formed its burden,
+but, as we have stated, it lacked the double deck, since the necessity
+for one no longer existed.
+
+The raft was no more than fairly completed when a storm that had been
+threatening broke upon the party. Since it was expected, and there was
+no saying how long it would last, the tent was set up and secured in
+place. Considerable fuel had been gathered, and every preparation was
+made for a prolonged stay, though it need not be said that each one
+hoped it would prove otherwise. In a country where for four-fifths of
+the days the sun does not show itself, such weather must be expected,
+and, on the whole, our friends counted themselves fortunate that they
+had been able to make such good progress.
+
+The tent was hardly in position, and all within, huddling around the
+stove, in which Tim had just started a fire, when they were startled by
+a hail:
+
+"Halloa, the house!"
+
+The four hurried outside, where a striking sight met them. Eight men,
+each with a heavy pack strapped over his shoulders, and bending over
+with his load, thickly clad, but with their faces, so far as they could
+be seen through the wrappings, wet and red, had halted in front of the
+tent, which they scrutinized with wonder.
+
+"Are you going to begin digging here?" called one of the men, whose
+eyes, nose, and mouth were all that was visible behind his muffler.
+
+"Not while the storm lasts," replied Tim. "If we had room, we'd ask ye
+to come inside and enj'y yoursilves till the weather clears. At any
+rate, we'll be glad to give ye something warm to ate and drink."
+
+"Oh, that's it!" exclaimed another of the men. "You're afraid of the
+storm, are you?"
+
+"We're not much afraid, but we ain't in love with the same. Won't ye
+come in--that is, one or two at a time?"
+
+"Thanks for your invitation, but we haven't the time to spare. We're
+afeared they'll get all the gold in the Klondike country if we don't
+hurry. You're foolish to loiter along the road like this."
+
+"We're willing to lose a bit of the goold for sake of the comfort. If
+ye are bound to go on, we wish ye good luck."
+
+"The same to yourselves," the plucky and hopeful miners called as they
+plodded forward.
+
+For two dreary days the party was storm-stayed in camp.
+
+"Here," said Jeff Graham, when making ready to resume their voyage, "we
+leave our Yukon sleds."
+
+"Shall we not need them on our return?" asked Roswell.
+
+"We should if we returned by this route, but I wouldn't work my way
+against these streams and through the passes again for all the gold in
+the Klondike country. We shall take the steamer down the Yukon to St.
+Michael's, and so on to Seattle."
+
+"That is a long voyage," suggested Hardman.
+
+"Yes, four thousand miles; but it will be easy enough for us when we
+are on a steamer."
+
+"The Yukon is closed for eight months or more each year."
+
+"We don't intend to go down it when it's closed, for I didn't bring
+skates along, and I don't know how to skate, anyway."
+
+"You do not expect to stay long in the Klondike country?" was the
+inquiring remark of Hardman, who showed little interest in the
+intentions of their leader.
+
+"That depends; we shall come back in two months, or six, or a year,
+according as to how rich we strike it."
+
+"S'pose you don't strike it at all."
+
+Jeff shrugged his shoulders.
+
+"We'll make a good try for it. If we slip up altogether, these folks I
+have brought with me won't be any worse off than before; but I don't
+intend to slip up--that ain't what I came into this part of the world
+for."
+
+"No, I reckon few people come for that," was the comment of Hardman,
+who seemed to be in a cheerful mood again.
+
+Nothing could have offered a stronger contrast to their previous rough
+experience than that which now came to them. Fourteen miles down the
+river brought them to Lake Labarge, where they had nothing to do but to
+sit down and float with the current, using the poles occasionally to
+keep the raft in the best position. Thirty-one miles brought them to
+Lewis River, down which they passed to the Hootalinqua; then to the Big
+Salmon, and forty-five miles farther to the Little Salmon, the current
+running five miles an hour, and much swifter in the narrow canon-like
+passages. Then beyond the Little Salmon the craft and its hopeful
+passengers floated smoothly with the current for a distance of one
+hundred and twenty miles, when the boys were startled to see four giant
+buttes of stone towering above the water, which rushed violently among
+them.
+
+"What place is that?" asked Frank, who with his cousin surveyed the
+immense towers with deep interest.
+
+"Five-Finger Rapids," was the reply.
+
+"They look dangerous."
+
+"So they be, unless ye happens to know which two to pass between; now,
+which would ye selict as a guess?"
+
+Roswell and Frank studied them awhile, and the latter answered:
+
+"It doesn't seem to me that it makes much difference which one you
+take."
+
+"Ah, but it makes a mighty difference. We should have big trouble if we
+neglicted to folly the right side of the river."
+
+[Illustration: TIM AND JEFF LIT THEIR PIPES; HARDMAN SAT APART.]
+
+Jeff and Hardman were already working the raft in that direction, and
+Tim now gave his aid. It looked perilous, but, knowing the right
+course, the craft made the passage without any mishap. All settled down
+to enjoy the smooth sailing that was before them once more. Tim and
+Jeff lit their pipes, Hardman sat apart, while the boys were together
+near the front of the raft. The weather was clearer than it had been
+for several days, and much more moderate. May was well advanced, and
+the short, hot summer was at hand. If all went well, they would reach
+the gold country at the right season, and as they neared the goal the
+spirits of all rose, and a longing to get forward manifested itself in
+many ways. They waited until night had fairly come before they went
+ashore and encamped, and they were off again at daybreak, despite the
+uncannily early hour at which it comes in that part of the world.
+
+Six miles down the Lewis River took them to the Rink Rapids, through
+which they passed without difficulty. Just beyond are the ruins of Fort
+Selkirk, where the Pelly and Lewis rivers unite. Tim McCabe studied the
+mouth of the Pelly, as it poured into the Lewis, and soon as the point
+was fairly passed, he turned to his friends, his round face aglow.
+
+"I offer me congratulations," he said, doffing his cap and bowing low.
+
+"On what?" asked Frank Mansley.
+
+"The stream over which ye are now floating takes the name of the Yukon,
+and doesn't give up the same till it tumbles into the Pacific siveral
+miles to the west of us."
+
+"Several miles!" repeated Frank; "it must be three thousand."
+
+"Something like that, I belave. The worst part of our journey is behind
+us."
+
+"How far are we from Juneau?"
+
+"To be exact, which I loikes to be, it is five hundred and tin miles."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII.
+
+AT DAWSON CITY.
+
+
+Naturally the route over which the little party of gold-seekers were
+journeying steadily improved. The Yukon, like many other great rivers
+of the world, comes into being a lusty, vigorous infant, the junction
+of the Lewis and Pelly making it a stream of considerable proportions
+from the moment it takes its name.
+
+Other gold-hunters were seen from time to time, and there were pleasant
+exchanges and greetings with most of them. It was the custom of Jeff
+Graham to keep going so long as daylight lasted, when the raft was
+worked into shore and an encampment made. For a time the old miner kept
+his Winchester within immediate reach, hoping to gain sight of some
+deer or wild game, but as day after day and night after night passed
+without the first glimpse of anything of the kind, he gave up in
+disgust.
+
+"It's the most villainous country on the face of the earth," he said,
+as he lit his pipe at the evening fire. "If it wasn't for the gold that
+we know is here, no decent man would stay over night in it. Frank, tell
+me something about the confounded country."
+
+"Me!" replied the boy, with a laugh. "I don't know half as much as you
+and Tim."
+
+"Yes, you do. Tim don't know anything more than the best way to travel
+through the mountains and across the lakes."
+
+The Irishman took his pipe from between his lips to offer protest
+against this slur, but changed his mind, and resumed smoking, though
+his eyes twinkled.
+
+"A man that takes a lot of gold out of the ground and then lets a thief
+steal it isn't fit to go alone."
+
+"Which is why I've provided mesilf with a chap that knows it all," said
+Tim, not the least offended, though Hardman scowled, for the remark was
+a pointed reflection upon him; but he held his peace.
+
+"What about the Injins here?" pursued Jeff, addressing the boys;
+"they're different from ours in Californy."
+
+Frank had no wish to air his knowledge, but he replied:
+
+"I have read that the natives belong to the red and yellow races--that
+is, the Indian and Mongolian. There are two stocks of Indians--the
+Thlinkets and the Tenneh. There are only a few Thlinkets, and they live
+along the coast. That old Indian who ferried us over Lake Lindeman is a
+Tenneh, as are the natives of the interior. You may not think they are
+much like our Indians, but they belong to the Chippewayan family, the
+same as the Apaches, who have caused so much trouble in Mexico and
+Arizona."
+
+"That has been my 'pinion," said Tim, who now heard the fact for the
+first time; "and the raison why the Alaska redskins ain't as bad as the
+Apaches is 'cause the weather is so cold it freezes up all the diviltry
+in them."
+
+"Roswell," continued Jeff, who was proud to show off the learning of
+his young friends, "why do they call the Eskimos that name?"
+
+"The name, which means those who eat raw flesh, was given to them by
+the Indians. They call themselves Aleuts, or Innuits. The Innuits are
+the same as the Eskimos of Greenland and the Arctic regions, while the
+Aleuts belong to Alaska, the long, narrow peninsula which extends
+southwesterly from the mainland and the Aleutian Islands, that look
+like a continuation of the peninsula. As for the climate, temperature,
+and size of Alaska, you and Tim know as much as we do," said Roswell,
+who disliked as much as his cousin to seem to display his knowledge.
+
+"Why not be modest," gravely asked Tim, "and say that ye knows almost
+as much as Mr. McCabe, leaving Mr. Graham out of the quistion, be the
+token that he knows nothing at all, and I'm afeard will niver larn?"
+
+"As you please," replied Roswell; "you and Jeff may settle that between
+you."
+
+"And ther's nothing to sittle, as me mither used to obsarve whin she
+looked into the impty coffee-pot; Jiff won't pretind that he knows
+anything of this country so long as he is in the prisence of mesilf."
+
+"Very true," gravely replied the old miner; "but if I do scoop in any
+gold, I think I'll know 'nough to shoot any man that tries to steal
+it."
+
+As he spoke he darted a glance at Hardman, who was sitting a little
+back from the fire, also smoking, but glum and silent. The boys
+wondered why Jeff should make these pointed references, when he had
+never hinted anything of the kind before, but the old miner had a
+purpose in mind. While not seeming to pay any special attention to
+Hardman, he had studied him closely for the past few days, and felt
+little doubt that he was planning mischief. The words, therefore, that
+Jeff uttered were meant as a warning to the rogue of what he might
+expect if he attempted any crooked work.
+
+No further reference was made to the unpleasant subject, although Jeff
+and Tim chaffed each other for a long time, even after the boys had
+wrapped themselves in their blankets and lain down to sleep. No watch
+was set, as would have been the case had they been journeying through a
+wild part of their own country, for there was nothing to be feared from
+wild animals or Indians. The only being whom Jeff and the boys
+distrusted was a member of their own company, and they did not believe
+he would do anything wrong until after the party had secured something
+worth the risk on his part.
+
+Deprived of many of the comforts of home and a mother's care, it did
+not take the boys long, under the tutelage of the older ones, to attend
+to their own wants. Roswell and Frank soon learned how to sew on a
+button and do the mending which their garments occasionally required.
+They washed their clothing and kept themselves in better form than do
+many men when placed in a similar situation.
+
+With the weather growing more summery and hardly a bit of ice in the
+river, the raft glided down the Upper Yukon. Ninety-eight miles from
+the head of the Yukon, the craft passed the mouth of the Milk River,
+and in this case the party saw the appropriateness of the name, for its
+water has a perceptible whitish color.
+
+A goodly distance remained to be passed, for it was ten miles to
+Stewart River, and twenty-five more to Fort Ogilvie, where they spent
+the night. They were now nearing their journey's end, and all showed a
+peculiar agitation, such as is natural when we feel ourselves close
+upon the solution of a problem that has baffled us for a long time.
+
+One form of this emotion was the impatience to get forward faster than
+before. There was nothing of the feeling when leaving Seattle or Juneau
+or Dyea, nor did they experience it to any degree while toiling through
+the hundreds of miles from lake to lake and down the upper waters of
+the streams which help to form the Yukon.
+
+Roswell and Frank were grateful for one blessed fact--they were
+stronger and in more rugged health than ever in their lives. When
+making their way through the passes and helping to drag the sleds, they
+felt more than once like giving up and turning back, though neither
+would have confessed it; but now they were hopeful, buoyant, and eager.
+They had sent the last letter which they expected to write home for a
+long time upon leaving Dyea, where they bade good-by to civilization.
+
+The afternoon was young when the raft drifted into a portion of the
+Yukon which expanded into a width of two miles, where it was joined by
+another large stream. On the eastern shore loomed a straggling town of
+considerable proportions.
+
+"Tim," said Frank, suspecting the truth, "what place is that?"
+
+"Frinds," replied Tim, vainly trying to conceal his agitation, "that
+town is Dawson City, and the river flowing into ours is the Klondike.
+Ye have raiched the goold counthry, which, being the same, I
+rispictfully asks ye all to jine mesilf in letting out a hurrah which
+will make the town trimble and the payple open their eyes so wide that
+they won't git them shet agin for a wake to come. Are ye riddy?
+Altogither!"
+
+[Illustration: AND THE THREE CHEERS WERE GIVEN WITH A WILL.]
+
+And the cheers were given with a will.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII.
+
+ON THE EDGE OF THE GOLD-FIELDS.
+
+
+The little party of gold-seekers had every cause to congratulate
+themselves, for after a journey of nearly two thousand miles from
+Seattle, through wild passes, dangerous rapids and canons, over
+precipitous mountains, amid storm and tempests, with their lives many a
+time in peril, half frozen and exhausted by the most wearisome toil,
+they had arrived at Dawson City, in the midst of the wonderful gold
+district of the Northwest, all without mishap and in better condition
+than when they left home.
+
+The boys, in roughing it, had breathed the invigorating ozone and
+gained in rugged health and strength. Youth and buoyant spirits were on
+their side, and their muscles, which would have become flabby in the
+unwholesome atmosphere of a store, were hardened, and their endurance
+and capacity for trying work immeasurably increased. There are
+thousands of men to-day enjoying life, without an ache or pain, who owe
+their splendid condition to the campaigning they underwent in the war
+for the Union. If that terrific struggle swept multitudes into their
+graves, it brought the balm of strength and health to many more, who
+otherwise would not have lived out half their days.
+
+The trying experience of Jeff Graham in his youth and early manhood did
+this service for him. It was not strange, therefore, that he with his
+iron muscles bore the strain better than any of his companions. He
+seemed to be tireless, and his sturdy strength often put others to
+shame. He had never sapped his constitution by dissipation; and it may
+be said that the severe hardships of that journey from Dyea through
+Chilkoot Pass and the wild regions about the Upper Yukon confirmed that
+which already existed within his splendid make-up. As for Roswell
+Palmer and Frank Mansley, their excellent home training, not denying
+credit to the grim old miner for his wise counsel, had held them free
+from the bad habits which too often make boys effeminate and weak and
+old before their time. Gifted by nature with the best of constitutions,
+they had strengthened rather than undermined them. Neither had known an
+hour's illness throughout the long, laborious journey, and they were in
+the best condition possible for the great task that now confronted
+them.
+
+As for Tim McCabe and Ike Hardman, their weakness lay in yielding to
+the temptation to drink. No such temptation appeared on the road, and
+their enforced temperance had the best effect. Tim was less disposed to
+drink than the other, but, sad to say, he indulged at times. Hardman's
+ideal was to obtain the means for doing nothing and minister to his
+base appetites.
+
+It was in 1887 that Dr. George M. Dawson, the leader of an exploring
+expedition sent by the Canadian Government into the Yukon district,
+made a report confirming the presence of gold in vast quantities
+throughout that section. The principal mining camp established there
+was named in his honor. It faces on one of the banks of the Yukon
+River, along which it extends for about a mile. It has a sawmill,
+stores, and churches of the Baptist, Presbyterian, Methodist, and Roman
+Catholic denominations. Being the headquarters of the Canadian
+Northwest mounted police, it is one of the best-governed towns on the
+American continent. At the time of our friends' arrival its population
+was about four thousand, but the rush will swell it in an incredibly
+short while to ten, twenty, and possibly fifty times that number, for
+beyond question it is the centre of the most marvellous gold district
+that the world has ever known.
+
+Copper, silver, and coal are found in large quantities, but no one
+gives them a thought when so much of the vastly more attractive yellow
+metal is within reach. It is singular that while the existence of gold
+was incontestably known for many years, little or no excitement was
+produced until 1896 and 1897, when the whole civilized world was turned
+almost topsy-turvy by the bewildering reports. During the first three
+months of the latter year more than four million dollars were taken
+from a space of forty square miles, where a few placer claims were
+worked. What harvest will be during the next few years no man dare
+attempt to guess. How suggestive the fact that on one stream so much of
+the metal has been found that it was given the name "Too Much Gold
+Creek!"
+
+Inasmuch as our friends are now on the ground, a few more facts are
+proper, in order to understand the task that confronted them. Dawson
+City, it will be remembered, is in British territory, and all the great
+discoveries of gold have been made to the east of that town. Doubtless
+gold will be gathered in Alaska itself, but the probabilities are that
+the richest deposits are upon Canadian soil.
+
+The mining claims begin within two and a half miles of Dawson City, on
+the Klondike, and follow both sides of that stream into the interior,
+taking in its tributaries like Hunker's Creek, Gold Bottom, Last
+Chance, Bear Creek, Bould's Bonanza, and El Dorado. Of these the
+richest are El Dorado, Gold Bottom, Hunker, and the oddly named Too
+Much Gold Creek. The last is the farthest from Dawson City, and the
+least known; but there can be no question that numerous other streams,
+at present unvisited, are equally rich, and will be speedily developed.
+
+Just now placer mining is the only method employed. According to the
+mining laws of the Northwest, the words "mine," "placer mine," and
+"diggings" mean the same thing, and refer to any natural stratum or bed
+of earth, gravel, or cement mined for gold or other precious mineral.
+There is very little quartz mining, or crushing of rocks, as is
+practised in many sections of California. This requires expensive
+machinery, and little necessity for it seems to exist in the Klondike.
+In placer mining the pay dirt is washed by the simplest methods, such
+as were practised in California during the pioneer days.
+
+Everything was hurry and bustle at Dawson City on that day, late in
+May, when our friends arrived. It was a noticeable fact that the date
+of their arrival was exactly two months after the boys kissed their
+parents good-by in San Francisco.
+
+Tim McCabe had gathered much practical knowledge during his experience
+in this region, while Jeff had not forgotten what he passed through "in
+the days of '49," to which wisdom he had added, as opportunity
+presented, while on the way to the Klondike. When the party had eaten
+together at the principal hotel and the men had lit their pipes in a
+group by themselves, a surprise came. The old miner smoked a minute or
+two in silence, and then turned to Hardman, who was sitting a little
+apart, moody and reserved.
+
+"Ike," said he, "I've stood by you all the way from Juneau, hain't I?"
+
+The fellow looked wonderingly at him, as did the others, none
+suspecting what was coming.
+
+"In course," was the gruff reply of Hardman; "we all stood by one
+another, fur if we hadn't we wouldn't stood at all."
+
+"You've got to Dawson City without it costing you a penny, haven't
+you?"
+
+"There hain't been much chance to spend money since we left Dyea,"
+replied Hardman with a grin.
+
+Jeff was nettled by this dodging of the issue; but he kept his temper.
+
+"And if there had been you hadn't a dollar to spend onless you kept
+back some of that which you stole from Tim."
+
+"I don't see the use of your harping on that affair," said Hardman
+angrily. "I've owned up, and am going to make it all right with Tim.
+It's none of your business, anyway, and I don't want to hear any more
+of it."
+
+[Illustration: "I DON'T SEE THE USE OF YOUR HARPING ON THAT AFFAIR,"
+SAID HARDMAN.]
+
+"Well, what I'm getting at is this: if it hadn't been for me you'd
+never got to this place. You're here, and now you must look out for
+yourself; I won't have you an hour longer in the party; we part; get
+away as soon as you can!"
+
+Hardman looked savagely at the old miner, as if suspecting he had not
+heard aright. But a moment's reflection convinced him there was no
+mistake. With a muttered imprecation he rose to his feet and left. But
+it was by no means the last of him.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV.
+
+PROSPECTING.
+
+
+After the departure of Hardman, Jeff explained to Tim why he had driven
+him from their company. He told what Frank had seen when crossing Lake
+Lindeman, and how the fellow afterward, when he thought all were asleep
+within the tent, went out to meet his confederate.
+
+"I didn't want to turn him loose on the road," added Jeff, "though I
+had half a mind to tell him to hunt up his friends and join them. But
+he now has the same chance as the rest of us, and must look out for
+himself."
+
+"Begorra, but ye are right, Jiff," was the hearty response of the
+Irishman. "I'm beginning to suspict that he didn't intind to give back
+that money he borrered--that is, if he should iver lay hands on the
+same."
+
+Jeff looked pityingly at his friend; but reading in the expression of
+his face that he was jesting, he made no response. Instead, he spoke
+impressively:
+
+"You never would have lost that money if you hadn't been in liquor."
+
+"That's the fact, Jiff; but how did ye find it out?"
+
+"My own common sense told me. You've been looking 'round the last hour
+for a chance to indulge agin."
+
+"I'll admit," was the frank response, "that a dim idea of the kind has
+been flickerin' through me brain; but I cast the timptation indignantly
+behind me. Do you know why?"
+
+"No."
+
+"Nobody offered to pay for the drinks, and I haven't a cint to pay for
+any mesilf."
+
+"And you won't get a cent from me; you must earn it by taking out gold.
+If you succeed it'll be yours, and you can do as you please with it."
+
+Tim removed his cap and scratched his head.
+
+"I've gone a good many wakes without it, and I feel so much better that
+I'm thinking of keeping up the good work."
+
+"I hope you will, and prove yourself a man of sense. But we have no
+time to waste; we oughter be on our way now."
+
+The sentiment suited all, and was followed without delay. Amid the
+crush and hustle it was impossible to hire a horse, mule, donkey, or
+boat. Everything had been engaged long before, and there were hundreds
+of disappointed applicants who, like our friends, were obliged to make
+the tramp eastward on foot, carrying their utensils with them, and
+leaving behind all that was not necessary in the work of placer mining.
+
+During the brief stay at Dawson City the four attentively studied such
+maps as they could secure, and gathered all information from the many
+who were qualified and willing to give it. As a consequence, when they
+started up the Klondike, they had a well-defined idea of their
+destination.
+
+The first stream which flows into the river from the southward is the
+Bonanza, some twenty-five miles long. This itself has numerous small
+tributaries emptying into it; but hearing that all claims had been
+located, and not believing it possible that any valuable ones had been
+overlooked, they pushed on to Twelve Mile Creek, also flowing from the
+south. There the same facts confronted them, and camping on the road
+when necessary, our friends finally reached Too Much Gold Creek,
+thirty-five miles from Dawson.
+
+Gold-hunters were all around them, and frequently the men and boys
+tramped for miles in the company of men whom they had never seen
+before; but such a life levels social distinctions, and they were soon
+upon as friendly terms as if they had come from Seattle in company.
+
+At the mouth of Too Much Gold Creek they encountered two grizzly
+miners, each mounted on a mule that was so covered with additional
+luggage that little besides his head, ears, and forefeet was visible.
+They intended to cross the Klondike and prospect on the other side.
+Jeff asked whether there was no gold along the creek which they had
+just descended.
+
+"It's full of it," was the reply of the elder; "but we're too late; all
+the claims have been taken up."
+
+"Did you go to the headwaters?"
+
+"No; we didn't want to waste the time, when all the claims are gone;
+there are other places as good as that, and we'll strike one; so
+good-by, friends."
+
+Laughing and in high spirits, the two miners struck their boot heels
+against the ribs of their mules and were off. It may be worth recording
+that both of them struck it rich within the following week, and a month
+later started for home rich men.
+
+"It ain't likely," said Jeff, "that there are many claims left along
+this river; but there must be some. Anyhow, we'll try it; I'm sure
+there are places among those mountains that nobody has visited."
+
+To the east and south towered a spur of the Rocky Mountains. It would
+take hundreds of men a long time thoroughly to explore their recesses,
+and it was the intention of the leader to push in among them. The
+region resembled that to which he had been accustomed in California,
+and he would feel more at home there.
+
+So the wearisome tramp was resumed and continued, with occasional
+rests, until late at night. Other parties were continually encountered,
+and all had the same story to tell of there not being a foot of
+desirable land that was not pre-empted. Some of these people were
+returning, but most of them pressed on, hopeful of striking some spot
+that was awaiting them.
+
+Encamping under the shelter of a rock, the journey was resumed early
+the next morning, and, some twenty miles from the Klondike, a turn was
+made eastward among the mountains, which stretch far beyond the
+farthest range of vision. They were following a small stream that
+showed no signs of having been visited, and by noon had reached a point
+where they seemed as much alone as if in the depths of Africa.
+
+"I guess we may as well try it here," said Jeff, and he began to unload
+his pack, in which he was promptly imitated by his companions. They
+quickly finished, and sat down for a long rest.
+
+It had been a steady climb almost from the first. But for their
+previous severe training the boys would have succumbed, but they stood
+it well. The stream which flowed in front of them was little more than
+a brook, that seemed to be made by the melting snows above. It was
+clear and cold, and they drank deeply from it. Rocks and bowlders were
+above, below, in front, and at the rear.
+
+When their utensils and equipage were laid in a pile, Jeff went off in
+one direction, Tim in another, while the boys plunged deeper into the
+mountains, all engaged in prospecting as best they could. Inasmuch as
+the boys had never had any experience in that sort of work, their only
+chance of success was through accident.
+
+They followed up the stream, as nearly as they could judge, for about
+an eighth of a mile, still among the huge rocks, when they sat down to
+rest.
+
+"We may as well go back," cried Roswell, "for Jeff and Tim are the only
+ones who know when they have come upon signs of gold; we may have
+passed a half-dozen places where it can be taken out by the bushel--"
+
+Frank touched his cousin's arm and indicated by a nod of his head a
+pile of rocks a few rods away and a short distance above them. Looking
+thither, they saw the head and shoulders of a man intently studying
+them. When he found he was observed he lowered his head and
+disappeared.
+
+"Do you know him?" asked Frank, in an undertone.
+
+"No; I never saw him before."
+
+"Yes, you have. He crossed Lake Lindeman with us. He's the one that
+signalled to Hardman and afterward met him at night outside of our
+tent."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV.
+
+A FIND.
+
+
+It was an unpleasant discovery to the boys that after parting company
+with the ill-favored man who was known to be a friend and comrade of
+the rogue Ike Hardman, and after travelling hundreds of miles to this
+lonely spot, they should meet the fellow again. Doubtless he was
+engaged on the same errand as themselves, and the presumption was that
+sooner or later he would be joined by Hardman.
+
+"I don't know that there is any danger," said Roswell; "but it would be
+more comfortable to know they were not going to be our neighbors."
+
+"Let's follow up the man and question him," said Frank, starting to
+climb the rocks behind which the other's face had vanished. It took
+only a few minutes to reach the spot; but when they did so, and looked
+around, nothing was seen of him.
+
+"He evidently doesn't wish to make our acquaintance," said Frank.
+
+"I hope he will continue to feel that way; we must tell Jeff and Tim
+about this. Let's hurry back to camp."
+
+They now started to descend the stream, which they had followed from
+the point where they left their luggage. By using the brook as their
+guide, they were in no danger of losing their way.
+
+About half the distance was passed when they came to a point where the
+walking looked better on the other side. The stream was so narrow that
+Frank, who was in the lead, easily leaped across. Roswell started to
+follow, but tripped and fell on his hands and knees, one foot splashing
+in the water, which was only a few inches in depth and as clear as
+crystal.
+
+"Are you hurt?" asked Frank, pausing and looking around at him.
+
+"Not a bit. I don't know what made me so awkward."
+
+"Halloa! what's that?"
+
+At first Frank thought it was a small fish holding itself stationary in
+the brook; but that could not be, and he stooped down to see more
+clearly. With an exclamation, he dashed his hand into the water and
+drew out a rough, irregular nugget nearly two inches in diameter each
+way. It was bright yellow in color, and so heavy that there could be no
+doubt of its nature.
+
+"It's gold!" he exclaimed in a half-frightened undertone, as he passed
+it to Roswell, who was as much excited as he. He "hefted" it and held
+it up to the light.
+
+[Illustration: "IT'S GOLD!" HE EXCLAIMED.]
+
+"No mistake, it is. I wonder what it is worth."
+
+"Several hundred dollars at least. I'll bet there are lots more about
+here."
+
+They straightway began a vigorous search up and down stream, confident
+of finding other similar nuggets, but none was discovered, and finally
+they reached the place where their baggage had been left, and where Tim
+and Jeff were awaiting them.
+
+"Look!" called the delighted Frank, holding up the nugget. "See what we
+found!"
+
+"Begorra, but I shouldn't wonder if that's worth something," remarked
+Tim, catching the contagion. Jeff merely smiled and reached out his
+hand without any appearance of excitement.
+
+"Let me have a look at it."
+
+He never used glasses, nor did he bring any acid with which to test
+such yellow metals as they might find, for he needed neither. He had
+been trained too well in his early manhood.
+
+The instant he noted its great weight he was convinced of the truth.
+But, without speaking for a minute or two, he turned the nugget over,
+held it up to the light, and then put it between his big, sound teeth
+as if it were a hickory-nut which he wished to crack. He looked at the
+abrasion made by his teeth, tossed the nugget several feet in the air,
+and, catching it in his palm as it descended, said:
+
+"That's pure gold. Haven't you any more?"
+
+"No," replied Frank; "we searched, but couldn't find any."
+
+Jeff moved his hand up and down and closed one eye, as if that would
+help him to estimate the weight more exactly.
+
+"I should say that it is worth from six to eight hundred dollars; you
+younkers have made purty good wages for to-day. I hope," he added
+quizzically, "you'll be able to keep it up."
+
+"And how have you made out?" asked Roswell.
+
+"Tim says he didn't come onto anything that looks like pay dirt; but I
+struck a spot that gives me hope. We'll locate here for a while."
+
+Of course it was impossible for the party to bring any material with
+them from which to construct a dwelling. The regulation miner's cabin
+is twelve by fourteen feet, with walls six or seven feet high, and
+gables two feet higher. It consists of a single room, with the roof
+heavily earthed and the worst sort of ventilation, owing to the small
+windows and the necessity of keeping warm in a climate that sometimes
+drops to fifty or sixty degrees below zero. The miners keep close
+within the cabins during the terrible winter weather, or, if it
+permits, they sink a shaft to bed-rock and then tunnel in different
+directions. The ground never thaws below a depth of two feet, so there
+is no need of shoring to prevent its caving. The pay dirt is brought up
+by means of a small windlass and thrown into a heap, where it remains
+until spring, when it is washed out.
+
+Since the season was well advanced, the men and boys prepared
+themselves to wash the pay dirt whenever found. But, first of all, it
+was necessary to establish a home for themselves while they remained in
+the region. They had a single axe and a few utensils besides the
+shovels, pans, and articles required in their work. While Tim was
+prospecting, he gave more attention to searching for a site for a home
+than for gold, and was fortunate enough to find a place among the
+rocks, which was fitted up quite comfortably. The stone furnished three
+and a part of four walls necessary, and they cut branches, which were
+spread over the top and covered with dirt for the roof. Owing to the
+moderate weather and the trouble from smoke, the fire was kindled on
+the outside when required for cooking purposes. The Yukon stove,
+because of its weight, was left at Dawson City, whither one of them
+expected to go when it became necessary to replenish their stores.
+Although the nights were still cold, the weather was comparatively
+comfortable. Before long it would become oppressive during the middle
+of the day.
+
+As Jeff figured it out, they had enough food, tobacco, and supplies to
+last for a couple of weeks, or possibly longer. If they struck a claim
+which they wished to stake out, it would be necessary for one of them
+to go to Dawson City to register it, the process being quite simple.
+
+The prospector is forbidden to exceed five hundred feet up and down a
+stream, following the course of the valley, but the width may run from
+base to base of the mountains. Thus a miner's claim is one of the few
+things that is often broader than it is long. Should the stream have no
+other claims located upon it, the one thus made is known as "the
+discovery claim," and the stakes used are marked 0. This claim is the
+starting-point, the next one up and the next down the stream being
+marked No. 1, and there can be only two such on any stream.
+
+Next, four stakes must be driven in place, each being marked with the
+owner's initials and the letters "M. L.," meaning "mining location,"
+after which it must be bounded with cross or end lines, and within the
+ensuing sixty days the claim has to be filed with the government's
+recorder at Dawson City. Should a claim be staked before the discovery
+of gold, the prospector has sixty days in which to find the metal. If
+he fails to do so in the time mentioned, his claim lapses, since it is
+absolutely essential that he shall find gold in order to hold it
+permanently.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI.
+
+THE CLAIM.
+
+
+Not the least interesting feature of the stay of our friends in the
+gold region was their dwelling during those memorable days. The rocks
+came so nearly together that an irregular open space was left, which
+averaged a width of twenty feet with a depth slightly less. Thus three
+sides and the floor were composed of solid stone. When the roof, as
+described, was put in place, the dwelling had the appearance of a
+cavern fully open at the front. There the canvas composing the tent was
+stretched, and so arranged that the dwelling, as it may be called, was
+completed. It was inclosed on all sides, with the door composed of the
+flaps of the tent, which could be lowered at night, so that the inmates
+were effectually protected against the weather, though had there been
+any prowling wild animals or intruding white men near, they would have
+had little difficulty in forcing an entrance. It has been explained how
+all trouble from the smoke of a fire was avoided.
+
+One of the peculiarities of this primitive house was its interior
+arrangement. There were so many projecting points on the walls that
+they were utilized as pegs upon which to hang the extra garments. A
+ledge a couple of feet above the floor served as a couch, upon which
+the boys spread their blankets, while the men laid theirs on the floor
+itself. The mining and cooking utensils were neatly arranged against
+the rear wall, where were piled the small canvas bags intended to
+contain the gold dust and nuggets that were to be gathered.
+
+Jeff expressed the truth when he said:
+
+"This will sarve us well while the weather is moderate; but if we
+should be here when the thermometer goes down to fifty or sixty degrees
+below zero, we'd turn into icicles before we could say Jack Robinson."
+
+Hardly pausing to place their house in order, the party set out to
+investigate the find which Jeff hoped he had made.
+
+Going up the stream for a short distance, they turned off into a narrow
+valley, which never would have attracted the attention of the boys.
+
+The old miner stood for some minutes attentively studying his
+surroundings, and then, instead of beginning to dig, as his companions
+expected him to do, he said with an expression of disgust:
+
+"Boys, I've made a mistake; there's no gold here."
+
+"How can you tell until you search?" asked the astonished Roswell.
+
+"It ain't what I thought it was; you don't find the stuff in places
+like this. There's no use of wasting time; come on."
+
+Wondering at his action, the three, smiling but silent, trailed after
+him. Climbing over some intervening bowlders, they shortly emerged into
+a place altogether different from any they had yet seen. It was a
+valley two or three hundred feet in width, with the sides gently
+sloping. There was no snow on the ground, and here and there a few
+green blades of grass could be seen sprouting from the fertile soil.
+Through the middle of this valley meandered a stream eight or ten feet
+in width, but shallow, and so clear that the bottom could be plainly
+seen while yet some distance away. The valley itself soon curved out of
+sight above, and it was impossible, therefore, to guess its extent in
+that direction. Below it terminated, not far from where they stood, the
+rocks coming together so as to form a small canon, through which the
+creek rushed with a velocity that reminded them of the dangerous ones
+they had passed on their way from Chilkoot Pass.
+
+"Wait here a bit," said Jeff, as he started toward the stream. The
+others obeyed, watching his actions with interest.
+
+He strode to the creek, along which he walked a few rods, his head bent
+as he carefully scrutinized all that passed under his eye. Suddenly he
+stopped and stared as if he had found that for which he was looking.
+Then stooping down, he leaned as far out as he could, gathered a
+handful of the gravelly soil, and put it in the washer which he had
+taken with him. This was repeated several times. Then he dipped the pan
+so as nearly to fill it with water, after which he whirled it round
+several times with a speed that caused some of the water to fly out.
+That part of his work completed, he set down the pan which served as a
+washer, and walked rapidly back toward his friends.
+
+"Another disappointment," remarked Frank; "it isn't as easy to find
+gold as we thought."
+
+"I don't know about that," said Tim McCabe. "Jiff looks to me as if he
+has hit on something worth while. How is it, Jiff?" he called as the
+old miner drew near.
+
+"That's our claim," he replied; "we'll stake it out, and then I'm going
+to Dawson to file it."
+
+"Are you sure there is gold here?" asked Roswell, in some excitement.
+
+"Yes, I hit it this time. We mustn't lose any days in staking it out,
+or somebody else will get ahead of us."
+
+The assurance of Jeff imparted confidence to the rest. The stakes were
+cut and driven, according to the rule already stated, and then Jeff
+breathed more freely.
+
+"We've got sixty days to find the stuff," he said, "and nobody daren't
+say a word to us. All the same, I'm going to Dawson to file the claim
+and make things dead sure."
+
+"When will you go?"
+
+"Now, right off. I want to bring back some things with me, and I'll be
+gone two or three days, but I won't lose no time."
+
+Jeff was one of those men who do not require long to make up their
+minds, and whom, having reached a decision, nothing can turn aside from
+its execution. Ten minutes later he was hurrying toward Dawson City,
+forty miles or more distant.
+
+Inasmuch as Tim McCabe had practical knowledge of placer mining, the
+three decided to improve the time while Jeff was absent in taking out
+some of the gold which he assured them was there.
+
+As has been explained, this form of mining is of the crudest and
+cheapest nature. In winter, after sinking a shaft to bed-rock, tunnels
+are run in different directions, and the frozen dirt piled up until
+warm weather permits its washing out. The distance to bed-rock varies
+from four to twenty feet. The gold is found in dust, grains, and
+nuggets, the last varying from the size of a hickory-nut or larger to
+small grains of pure gold.
+
+It quite often occurs that the bed-rock is seamy, with many small
+depressions. It is supposed that when the _debris_ containing the
+original gold swept over this bed-rock, the great weight of the metal
+caused it to fall and lodge in the crevices, where it has lain for
+ages. Certain it is that the richest finds have been made in such
+places.
+
+Having fixed upon the spot where the work should begin, Tim McCabe and
+the boys set to work to clear off the coarse gravel and stone from a
+patch of ground. At the end of several hours they had completed enough
+to begin operations. Tim dropped a few handfuls of the finer gravel or
+sand into his pan, which was a broad, shallow dish of sheet iron. Then
+water was dipped into the pan until it was full, when he whirled it
+swiftly about and up and down. This allowed the gold, on account of its
+greater specific gravity, to fall to the bottom, while the sand itself
+was floated off by the agitation. Tim had learned the knack of dipping
+the pan sideways, so as gradually to get rid of the worthless stuff,
+while the heavy yellow particles remained below.
+
+The boys stood attentively watching the operation, which was carried on
+with such skill that by and by nothing was left in the bottom but the
+yellow and black particles. The latter were pulverized magnetic iron
+ore, which almost always accompanies the gold. Frank's and Roswell's
+eyes sparkled as they saw so much of the yellow particles, even though
+it looked almost as fine as the black sand.
+
+[Illustration: THE BOYS STOOD ATTENTIVELY WATCHING THE OPERATION.]
+
+"How will you separate them?" asked Frank.
+
+"Now ye'll obsarve the use that that cask is to be put to," replied
+Tim, "if ye'll oblige me by filling the same with water."
+
+This was done, when Tim flung about a pound of mercury into the cask,
+after which he dumped into it the black and yellow sand. As soon as the
+gold came in contact with the mercury it formed an amalgam.
+
+"This will do to start things," said Tim. "When we have enough to make
+it pay, we'll squaze it through a buckskin bag."
+
+"What is the result?"
+
+"Nearly all the mercury will ooze through the bag, and we can use the
+same agin in the cask. The impure goold will be placed on a shovel and
+held over a hot fire till the mercury has gone off in vapor, and only
+the pure goold is lift, or rather there's just a wee bit of the mercury
+still hanging 'bout the goold; but we'll make a big improvement whin
+Jiff comes back. The filing of this claim ain't the only thing that
+takes him to Dawson City."
+
+"What do you think of the deposit here?"
+
+"I b'lave it's one of the richest finds in the Kloondike counthry, and
+if it turns out as it promises, we shall go home and live like
+gintlemen the rist of our lives."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII.
+
+A GOLDEN HARVEST.
+
+
+Tim McCabe and the boys wrought steadily through the rest of the day
+and the following two days. Inasmuch as the summer sun in the Klondike
+region does not thaw the soil to a greater depth than two feet, it was
+necessary to pile wood upon the earth and set it afire. As this
+gradually dissolved the frozen ground, the refuse dirt was cleared
+away, so as to reach paying earth or gravel. The results for a time
+were disappointing. The gold-hunters secured a good deal of yellow
+grains or dust, and ordinarily would have been satisfied, but naturally
+they were greedy for more.
+
+There came times of discouragement, when the boys began to doubt the
+truth of the wonderful stories that had reached them from the Klondike
+region, or they thought that if perchance the reports were true, they
+themselves and their friends had not hit upon a productive spot. Tim,
+when appealed to, had little to say, but it was of a hopeful nature. It
+would have been unnatural had he not been absorbed in the work in hand.
+
+That there was gold was undeniable, for the evidence was continually
+before them, but the question was whether it was to be found in paying
+quantities upon their claim. At the close of the second day all they
+had gathered was not worth ten dollars.
+
+But the harvest rewarded them on the third day. Tim was working hard
+and silently, when he suddenly leaped to his feet, flung down his pick,
+and hurling his cap in the air, began dancing a jig and singing an
+Irish ditty. The boys looked at him in amazement, wondering whether he
+had bidden good-by to his senses.
+
+"Do ye obsarve that beauty?" he asked, stopping short and holding up a
+yellow nugget as large as the one the boys had taken from the brook
+several days before. Roswell and Frank hurried up to him and examined
+the prize. There could be no doubt that it was virgin gold and worth
+several hundred dollars.
+
+Twenty minutes later it was Roswell's turn to hurrah, for he came upon
+one almost as large. And he did hurrah, too, and his friends joined in
+with a vigor that could not be criticised. Congratulating one another,
+the three paused but a few minutes to inspect the finds, when they were
+digging harder than ever.
+
+"I think it is my turn," remarked Frank; "you fellows are becoming so
+proud, that if I don't find--by George, _I have found it_!"
+
+Incredible as it seemed, it was true, and Frank's prize was larger than
+any of the others. Instantly they were at work again, glowing with hope
+and delight. No more nuggets were taken out that day, but the gravel
+revealed greater richness than at any time before.
+
+Jeff Graham put in an appearance while they were eating supper, and, to
+the surprise of all, he was riding a tough little burro, which he had
+bought at Dawson for five hundred dollars. His eyes sparkled when he
+learned what had been done during his absence, but he quietly remarked,
+"I knowed it," and having turned his animal loose, after unloading him,
+he asked for the particulars.
+
+Although it was quite cold, the four remained seated on the bowlders
+outside of their primitive dwelling, the men smoking their pipes and
+discussing the wonderful success they had had, and the still greater
+that was fairly within their grasp.
+
+"We're not so much alone as I thought," remarked Jeff, "for there are
+fifty miners to the east and north, and some of them ain't far from
+where we've staked out our claim, and more are coming."
+
+"They can't interfere with us?" was the inquiring remark of Roswell.
+
+"Not much. As a rule, folks don't file their claims till they've struck
+onto a spot where the yaller stuff shows; but I've done both, 'cause I
+was sartin that we'd hit it rich. If anybody tried to jump our claim,
+the first thing I'd do would be to shoot him; then I'd turn him over to
+the mounted police that are looking after things all through this
+country."
+
+"Ye mane that ye'd turn over what was lift of his remains," suggested
+Tim gravely.
+
+"It would amount to that. Things are in better shape here than they was
+in the old times in Californy, where a man had to fight for what he
+had, and then he wasn't always able to keep it."
+
+"What do you intend to do with the burro?" asked Frank.
+
+"Let him run loose till we need him. He brought a purty good load of
+such things as we want, and I'm hoping he'll have another kind of load
+to take back," was the significant reply of the old miner.
+
+This was the nearest Jeff came to particulars. His natural reserve as
+to what he had done and concerning his plans for the future prevented
+any further enlightenment. The fact that they had neighbors at no great
+distance was both pleasing and displeasing. Despite the assurance of
+their leader, there was some misgiving that when the richness of the
+find became known an attempt would be made to rob them. Gold will
+incite many men to commit any crime, and with the vast recesses of the
+Rocky Mountain spur behind them, the criminals might be ready to take
+desperate chances.
+
+It was hardly light the next morning when the party were at it again.
+The pan or hand method of washing the gold is so slow and laborious
+that with the help and superintendence of Jeff a "rocker" was set up.
+This was a box about three feet long and two wide, made in two parts.
+The upper part was shallow, with a strong sheet-iron bottom perforated
+with quarter-inch holes. In the middle of the other part of the box was
+an inclined shelf, which sloped downward for six or eight inches at the
+lower end. Over this was placed a piece of heavy woollen blanket, the
+whole being mounted upon two rockers, like those of an ordinary child's
+cradle. These were rested on two strong blocks of wood to permit of
+their being rocked readily.
+
+This device was placed beside the running stream. As the pay dirt was
+shovelled into the upper shallow box, one of the party rocked it with
+one hand while with the other he ladled water. The fine particles with
+the gold fell through the holes upon the blanket, which held the gold,
+while the sand and other matter glided over it to the bottom of the
+box, which was so inclined that what passed through was washed down and
+finally out of the box. Thin slats were fixed across the bottom of the
+box, with mercury behind them, to catch such particles of gold as
+escaped the blanket.
+
+The stuff dug up by our friends was so nuggety that many lumps remained
+in the upper box, where they were detained by their weight, while the
+lighter stuff passed through, and the smaller lumps were held by a
+deeper slat at the further end of the bottom of the box. When the
+blanket became surcharged with wealth it was removed and rinsed in a
+barrel of water, the particles amalgamating with the mercury in the
+bottom of the barrel.
+
+Sluicing requires plenty of running water with considerable fall, and
+is two or three times as rapid as the method just described, but since
+it was not adopted by our friends, a description need not be given.
+
+At the end of a week Jeff, with the help of his companions, made a
+careful estimate of the nuggets and sand which they had gathered and
+stowed away in the cavern where they slept and took their meals. As
+nearly as they could figure it out the gold which they had collected
+was worth not quite one hundred thousand dollars--very fair wages, it
+will be conceded, for six days' work by two men and two boys. On Sunday
+they conscientiously abstained from labor, though it can hardly be said
+that their thoughts were elsewhere.
+
+Since one hundred thousand dollars in gold weighs in the neighborhood
+of four hundred pounds, it will be seen that the party had already
+accumulated a good load to be distributed among themselves. It may have
+been that the expectation of this result caused Jeff to bring the burro
+back, for with his help it would not be hard to carry double the
+amount, especially as everything else would be left behind.
+
+To the surprise of his friends, Jeff announced that it was necessary
+for him to make another visit to Dawson City. It was important business
+that called him thither, but he gave no hint of its nature. He hoped to
+be back within two or three days, and he departed on foot, leaving the
+animal to recuperate, and, as he grimly added, "make himself strong
+enough to carry a good load to town."
+
+Jeff left early in the morning. The afternoon was about half gone, when
+Tim with an expression of anxious concern announced that he had just
+remembered something which required him to go to Dawson without an
+hour's delay.
+
+"It's queer that I didn't think of the same while Jiff was here," he
+said, "so that he might have enj'yed the plisure of me society, but it
+won't be hard for me to find him after I git there. Ye byes wont be
+scared of being lift to yersilves fur a few days?" he asked with so
+much earnestness that they hastened to assure him he need have no
+misgivings on that point.
+
+"We shall keep hard at it while you are away, but since Jeff is also
+absent we shall be lonely."
+
+"Luk fur me very soon. I'll advise Jiff to make ye an extra allowance
+for yer wurruk while him and me is doing nothing."
+
+Two hours after the departure of McCabe, Frank, who was working the
+rocker while his chum was shovelling in the dirt, suddenly stopped,
+with expanding eyes.
+
+"I have just thought what Tim's business is at Dawson."
+
+[Illustration: "I HAVE JUST THOUGHT WHAT TIM'S BUSINESS IS AT DAWSON,"
+SAID FRANK.]
+
+"What is it?"
+
+"It is his longing for drink. He has gone on a spree, taking one of his
+nuggets with him to pay the cost. Jeff will be sure to run across him,
+and then there will be music."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII.
+
+A STARTLING DISCOVERY.
+
+
+The weather was mild, for the short, oppressive Northwest summer was
+rapidly approaching. During the middle of the day the sun was hot, and
+the boys perspired freely. By and by would come the billions of
+mosquitoes to render life unbearable. Those pests often kill bears and
+wolves by blinding them, and the man who does not wear some protection
+is driven frantic, unable to eat, sleep, or live, except in smothering
+smoke. Jeff had said that he meant to complete the work, if possible,
+and start down the Yukon before that time of torment arrived.
+
+For two days the boys wrought incessantly. They had learned how to wash
+and purify the gold in the crude way taught them by the old miner, and
+the rich reward for their labor continued. Jeff had brought back on his
+previous visit to Dawson City an abundant supply of strong canvas bags,
+in which the gold was placed, with the tops securely tied. These were
+regularly deposited in the cavern where the party made their home,
+until a row of them lined one side of the place. It was a striking
+proof of the wonderful richness of their find, that one of these bags
+was filled wholly with nuggets, which must have been worth fifteen or
+twenty thousand dollars.
+
+Early on the afternoon of the third day another thought struck Frank
+Mansley, and he ceased shovelling gravel into the rocker for his
+companion.
+
+"What is it now?" asked Roswell with a smile.
+
+"Don't you remember that on the first day we arrived here, while we
+were prospecting up the little stream, we saw that friend of Ike
+Hardman?"
+
+"Yes, of course."
+
+"Well, we never told Jeff about it."
+
+"I declare!" exclaimed Roswell. "How came we to forget it?"
+
+"This gold drove it out of our minds. I never thought of it until this
+minute. I tell you, Roswell, I believe something has gone wrong."
+
+And Frank sat down, removed his cap, and wiped his moist forehead with
+his handkerchief.
+
+"What could have gone wrong?" asked the other lad, who, despite his
+jauntiness, shared in a degree the anxiety of his friend.
+
+"All the gold we have gathered is in the cavern. I believe Hardman and
+those fellows are in the neighborhood and mean to steal it."
+
+"It's a pity we didn't think of this before," said Roswell, laying down
+his shovel. "Let's go back to the cavern and keep watch till Jeff comes
+back."
+
+Inspired by their new dread, they hastily gathered up what gold had
+been washed out, stowed it into another canvas bag, and then Frank
+slung it half filled over his shoulder and started for the cavern,
+something more than an eighth of a mile away.
+
+They walked fast and in silence, for the thought in the mind of both
+was the same. From the first the most imprudent carelessness had been
+shown, and they could not understand how Jeff ever allowed the valuable
+store to remain unguarded. It is true, as has already been stated, that
+the section, despite the rush of lawless characters that have flocked
+thither, is one of the best governed in the world, and no officers
+could be more watchful and effective than the mounted police of the
+Northwest; but the course of our friends had much the appearance of a
+man leaving his pocketbook in the middle of the street and expecting to
+find it again the next day.
+
+A bitter reflection of the boys was that this never would have been the
+case had they told Jeff of the presence of the suspicious individual in
+the neighborhood. If anything went amiss, they felt that the blame must
+rest with them If matters were found right, they would not leave the
+cavern until one or both of their friends returned.
+
+When half the distance was passed, Roswell, who was in the load, broke
+into a lope, with Frank instantly doing the same. A minute later they
+had to slacken their pace because of the need to climb some bowlders
+and make their way through an avenue between massive rocks, but the
+instant it was possible they were trotting again.
+
+It had been the custom for the gold-seekers to take a lunch with them
+to the diggings. This saved time, and their real meal was eaten in the
+evening after their return home.
+
+The moment Roswell caught sight of the round, irregular opening which
+served as the door of their dwelling, he anxiously scanned it and the
+pile of wood and embers on the outside, where the fire was kindled for
+cooking purposes. The fact that he saw nothing amiss gave him hope, but
+did not remove the singular distrust that had brought both in such
+haste from the diggings.
+
+He ran faster, while Frank, discommoded by the heavy, bouncing bag over
+his shoulder, stumbled, and his hat fell off. With an impatient
+exclamation he caught it up, recovered himself, and was off again.
+
+As he looked ahead he saw Roswell duck his head and plunge through the
+opening.
+
+"Is everything right?" shouted Frank, whose dread intensified with each
+passing second.
+
+Before he could reach the door out came his cousin, as if fired by a
+catapult. His eyes were staring and his face as white as death.
+
+"Right!" he gasped; "we have been robbed! All the gold is gone!"
+
+[Illustration: "WE HAVE BEEN ROBBED! ALL THE GOLD IS GONE."]
+
+And overcome by the shock the poor fellow collapsed and sank to the
+ground as weak as a kitten. Frank let the bag fall and straightened up.
+
+"No; it cannot be," he said in a husky voice.
+
+"Look for yourself," replied Roswell, swallowing a lump in his throat
+and turning his eyes pitifully toward his comrade.
+
+A strange fear held Frank motionless for several seconds. Despite the
+startling declaration of his cousin, a faint hope thrilled him that he
+was mistaken, and yet he dared not peer into the interior through dread
+of finding he was not.
+
+Reflecting, however, upon the childish part he was playing, he pulled
+himself together, and with the deliberation of Jeff Graham himself bent
+his head and passed through the door.
+
+Enough sunlight penetrated the cavern to reveal the whole interior in
+the faint illumination. When they left that morning the row of canvas
+bags was neatly arranged along the farther wall, where they stood like
+so many corpulent little brownies.
+
+Every one had vanished.
+
+Frank Mansley stared for a moment in silence. Then he stepped forward
+and called in a strong, firm voice:
+
+"Come, Roswell, quick!"
+
+The other roused himself and hastily advanced.
+
+"Take your revolver," said Frank, as he shoved his own into his
+hip-pocket, and begun strapping Jeff's cartridge belt around his waist.
+As Roswell obeyed, his cousin took the Winchester from where it leaned
+in one corner.
+
+"Now for those thieves, and we don't come back till we find them."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX.
+
+THE TRAIL INTO THE MOUNTAINS.
+
+
+On the outside of the cavern the boys halted. After the shock both were
+comparatively calm. Their faces were pale, and they compressed their
+lips with resolution. Some time during the preceding few hours thieves
+had entered their home and carried away one hundred thousand dollars in
+gold dust and nuggets, and the youths were determined to regain the
+property, no matter what danger had to be confronted.
+
+But the common sense of the boys told them the surest way to defeat
+their resolve was to rush off blindly, with not one chance in a
+thousand of taking the right course.
+
+"Roswell, that gold weighs so much that no one and no two men could
+carry it off, unless they made several journeys."
+
+"Or there were more of them; they would hardly dare return after one
+visit."
+
+"Why not? Hardman (for I know he is at the bottom of the business) and
+the other rogue have been watching us for several days. They knew that
+when we left here in the morning we would not come back till night, and
+they had all the time they needed and much more."
+
+"But if there were only two, they would have to keep doubling their
+journey, and I don't believe they would do that. Perhaps they used the
+donkey."
+
+"Let's find out."
+
+The burro was accustomed to graze over an area several acres in extent
+and enclosed by walls of rocks. Since the first-mentioned brook ran
+alongside, the indolent creature could be counted upon to remain where
+the pasture was succulent and abundant. The place was not far off, and
+the boys hurried thither.
+
+A few minutes later the suggestive fact became apparent--the donkey was
+gone.
+
+"And he helped take the gold!" was the exclamation of Frank. "They
+loaded part of it on his back and carried the rest. I don't believe
+they are far off."
+
+It was certain the thieves had not gone in the direction of the
+diggings, and it was improbable that they would attempt to reach Dawson
+City, at least, for an indefinite time, for they must have known that
+Jeff Graham and Tim McCabe had gone thither, and that there they were
+likely to be seen and recognized. At any rate, it would be hard for
+them to get away through the town for a considerable period, during
+which the grim old miner would make things warm for them.
+
+The conclusion of the boys, therefore, after briefly debating the
+problem, was that the men had turned into the mountains. These
+stretched away for many miles, and contained hundreds of places where
+they would be safe from pursuit by a regiment of men.
+
+"But if they took the burro," said Roswell, "as it seems certain they
+did, they must have followed some kind of a path along which we can
+pursue them."
+
+"Provided we can find it."
+
+They were too much stirred to remain idle. Frank led the way to the
+corner of the enclosure which was bisected by the brook. There the
+moistened ground was so spongy that it would disclose any footprint.
+The marks made by the hoofs of the burro were everywhere, and while
+examining what seemed to be the freshest, Roswell uttered an
+exclamation.
+
+"What is it?" asked his cousin, hurrying to his side.
+
+"Do you see that?" asked the other in turn, pointing to the ground.
+
+There were the distinct impressions of a pair of heavy shoes. The burro
+had been loaded at the brook, or his new masters had allowed him to
+drink before starting into the mountains.
+
+[Illustration: THE TELL-TALE FOOTPRINTS.]
+
+The boys took several minutes to study the impressions, which appeared
+in a number of places. The inspection brought an interesting truth to
+light. One set of imprints was large, and the right shoe or boot had a
+broken patch on the sole, which showed when the ground was more
+yielding than usual. The others were noticeably smaller, and the toes
+pointed almost straight forward, like those of an American Indian. A
+minute examination of the soil failed to bring any other peculiarity to
+light. The conclusion, therefore, was that only two men were concerned
+in the robbery.
+
+The problem now assumed a phase which demanded brain work, and the
+youths met it with a skill that did them credit. The question was:
+
+"If the burro was loaded with the gold at this point, or if he was
+brought hither, which amounts to the same thing, where did he and the
+thieves leave the enclosure?"
+
+Neither of the boys had ever felt enough interest in the animal to make
+an inspection of his pasturage ground, and therefore knew nothing about
+it, but scrutinizing the boundaries, they fixed upon two gaps or
+openings on the farther side, both leading deeper into the mountains,
+one of which they believed had been used.
+
+"Let's try the nearest," said Roswell, leading the way across the
+comparatively level space.
+
+There the ground was higher, fairly dry and gravelly. A close scrutiny
+failed to reveal any signs of disturbance, and forced them to conclude
+that some other outlet had been taken. They made haste to the second.
+
+This was drier and more gravelly than the other. While the soil seemed
+to have been disturbed, they could not make sure whether or not it was
+by the hoofs of an animal, but Frank caught sight of something on a
+projecting point of a rock, just in front. Stepping forward, he plucked
+it off, and held it up in the light. It consisted of a dozen dark,
+coarse hairs.
+
+"That's where the burro scraped against the rock," he said. "We are on
+their path."
+
+In their eagerness they would have kept beside each other had not the
+passage been so narrow. Often they came to places where one would have
+declared it impossible for a mule or donkey to make his way, but there
+could be no question that the property of Jeff Graham had done it.
+Frequently he slipped, and must have come near falling, but he managed
+to keep forward with his precious load.
+
+Less than two hundred yards distant the pursuers came to a depression
+of the soil where it was damp, and the footprints of the donkey and the
+two men were as distinct as if made in putty. There could be no
+question that the boys were on the trail of the despoilers.
+
+As they advanced, Frank, who was in advance; frequently turned his head
+and spoke in guarded tones over his shoulder to his cousin.
+
+"They are pushing into the mountains," said he, "but there's no saying
+how far they are ahead of us."
+
+"No; if they made the start early in the morning, it would give them a
+big advantage."
+
+"I believe that is what they did, knowing there was no danger of our
+returning until night."
+
+"That knowledge may have made them slow. Anyhow, they are not
+travelling as fast as we, and we must overtake them before long."
+
+A few minutes later Frank asked:
+
+"Do you believe they have thought of being followed?"
+
+"They must know there is danger of it. They will fight to keep that
+gold, and if they get the first sight of us will shoot."
+
+"They may have revolvers, but I don't believe either has a rifle. We
+will keep a lookout that we don't run into them before we know it and
+give them the advantage."
+
+This dread handicapped the boys to some extent. The trail was not
+distinctly marked, often winding and precipitous, and compelling them
+to halt and examine the ground and consult as to their course.
+
+While thus engaged, they awoke to the fact that they had gone astray
+and were not following the trail at all.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX.
+
+A SOUND FROM OUT THE STILLNESS.
+
+
+The error occurred in this way: The trail that the boys had been
+assiduously following was so faintly marked that the wonder was they
+did not go astray sooner. In many places, there was little choice as to
+the route, because it was so broken and crossed that one was as
+distinct as the other. Nevertheless, Frank pressed on with scarcely any
+hesitation, until he again reached a depression where the soft ground
+failed to show the slightest impression of shoe or hoof.
+
+"My gracious!" he exclaimed, stopping short and looking at his
+companion; "how far can we have gone wrong?"
+
+"We can find out only by returning," replied Roswell, wheeling about
+and leading the way back.
+
+They walked more hurriedly than before, as a person naturally does who
+feels that time is precious, and he has wasted a good deal of it.
+
+The search might have been continued for a long time but for a
+surprising and unexpected aid that came to them. They had halted at one
+of the broken places, in doubt whither to turn, and searching for some
+sign to guide them, when Roswell called out:
+
+"That beats anything I ever saw!"
+
+As he spoke, he stooped and picked up something from the ground.
+Inspecting it for a moment, he held it up for Frank to see. It was a
+large nugget of pure gold.
+
+"These mountains must be full of the metal," said Frank, "when we find
+it lying loose like that."
+
+"Not so fast," remarked his companion, who had taken the nugget again,
+and was turning it over and examining it minutely. "Do you remember
+that?"
+
+On one of the faces of the gold something had been scratched with the
+point of a knife. While the work was inartistic, it was easy to make
+out the letters "F. M."
+
+"I think I remember that," said Frank; "it is one of the nuggets I
+found yesterday, and marked it with my initials. Those folks must have
+dropped it."
+
+There could be no doubt of it. What amazing carelessness for a couple
+of men to drop a chunk of gold worth several hundred dollars and not
+miss it!
+
+It must have been that the mouth of the canvas bag containing the
+nuggets had become opened in some way to the extent of allowing a
+single one to fall out.
+
+"I wonder how many more have been lost," mused Frank, as he put the
+specimen in his pocket.
+
+At any rate, it served to show the right course to follow, and the boys
+pressed on, looking more for nuggets than for their enemies. The mishap
+must have been discovered by the men in time to prevent its repetition,
+for nothing of the kind again met the eyes of the youths, who once more
+gave their attention to hunting for the lawless men that had despoiled
+them of so much property.
+
+The trail steadily ascended, so broken and rough that it was a source
+of constant wonderment how the burro was able to keep his feet. He must
+have had some experience in mountain climbing before, in order to play
+the chamois so well.
+
+The boys fancied they could feel the change of temperature on account
+of the increased elevation. They knew they were a good many feet above
+the starting-point, though at no time were they able to obtain a
+satisfactory view of the country they were leaving behind. They seemed
+to be continually passing in and out among the rocks and bowlders,
+which circumscribed their field of vision. Considerable pine and
+hemlock grew on all sides, but as yet they encountered no snow. There
+was plenty of it farther up and beyond, and it would not take them long
+to reach the region where eternal winter reigned.
+
+A short way along the new course, and they paused before another break;
+but although the ground was dry and hard, it was easy to follow the
+course of the burro, whose hoofs told the story; and though nothing
+served to indicate that the men were still with him, the fact of the
+three being in company might be set down as self-evident.
+
+It would not be dark until nearly 10 o'clock, so the pursuers still had
+a goodly number of hours before them.
+
+A peculiar fact annoyed the boys more than would be supposed. The trail
+was continually winding in and out, its turns so numerous that rarely
+or never were they able to see more than a few rods in advance. In
+places the winding was incessant. The uncertainty as to how far they
+were behind the donkey and the men made the lads fear that at each turn
+as they approached it, they would come upon the party, who, perhaps,
+might be expecting them, and would thus take them unprepared. The dread
+of something like this often checked the boys and seriously retarded
+their progress.
+
+"We may as well understand one thing," said Frank, as they halted
+again; "you have heard Jeff tell about getting the drop on a man,
+Roswell?"
+
+"Yes; everybody knows what that means."
+
+"Well, neither Mr. Hardman, nor his friend, nor both of them will ever
+get the drop on us."
+
+The flashing eyes and determined expression left no doubt of the lad's
+earnestness.
+
+"Is that because you carry a Winchester and they have only their
+revolvers?"
+
+"It would make no difference if both of them had rifles."
+
+Roswell was thoughtful.
+
+"It is very well, Frank, to be brave, but there's nothing gained by
+butting your head against a stone wall. Suppose, now, that, in passing
+the next bend in this path, you should see Hardman waiting for you with
+his gun aimed, and he should call out to you to surrender, what would
+you do?"
+
+"Let fly at him as quickly as I could raise my gun to a level."
+
+"And he would shoot before you could do that."
+
+"I'll take the chances," was the rash response.
+
+"I hope you will not have to take any chances like that--"
+
+They were talking as usual in low tones, and no one more than a few
+feet away could have caught the murmur of their voices, but while
+Roswell was uttering his words, and before he could complete his
+sentence, the two heard a sound, so faint that neither could guess its
+nature.
+
+As nearly as they were able to judge, it was as if some person, in
+walking, had struck his foot against an obstruction. It came from a
+point in front, and apparently just beyond the first bend in the trail,
+over which they were making their way.
+
+[Illustration: WATCHING AT THE TURN IN THE TRAIL.]
+
+"We are nearer to them than we suspected," whispered Roswell.
+
+"And they don't know it, or they wouldn't have betrayed themselves in
+that manner."
+
+"It isn't safe to take that for granted."
+
+Roswell, after the last change in their course, was at the front. Frank
+now quietly moved beyond him, Winchester in hand, and ready for
+whatever might come. Confident they were close upon the men they
+sought, he was glad of the misstep that had warned them of the fact.
+
+There certainly could be no excuse now for Hardman and his companion
+securing the advantage over the boys, when one of them held his
+Winchester half raised to his shoulder and ready to fire.
+
+Within a couple of paces of the turn in the trail the two were almost
+lifted off their feet by a sound that burst from the stillness,
+startling enough to frighten the strongest man. It was the braying of
+the burro, not fifty feet distant.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI.
+
+A TURNING OF THE TABLES.
+
+
+The boys were in no doubt as to the author of this startling break in
+the mountain stillness. It was their own burro that had given out the
+unearthly roar, and they were confident of being close upon the trail
+of the two men who were making off with the gold. But a moment later,
+round the corner in front of them, the donkey's head came into view,
+his long ears flapping, as if training themselves for the fight with
+mosquitoes that would soon come. The animal was walking slowly, but the
+astonishing fact immediately appeared that he was not only without any
+load on his back, but was unaccompanied by either Hardman or his
+confederate.
+
+Suspecting, however, they were close behind him, the boys held their
+places, the foremost still on the alert for the criminals. The burro
+came forward until within a rod, when he seemed to become aware for the
+first time of the presence of the youths in his path. He halted,
+twiddled his rabbit-like ears, looked at the two, and then opened his
+mouth. The flexible lips fluttered and vibrated with a second
+tremendous bray, which rolled back and forth among the mountains, the
+wheezing addendum more penetrating than the first part of the outburst.
+
+As the animal showed a disposition to continue his advance, the boys
+stepped aside and he came slowly forward, as if in doubt whether he was
+doing a prudent thing; but he kept on, and, passing both, continued
+down the trail, evidently anxious to return to his pasturage.
+
+"What does it mean?" asked Roswell.
+
+"I have no idea, unless--"
+
+"What?"
+
+"They can't make any further use of the burro, and have allowed him to
+go home."
+
+"But they can't carry away all the gold."
+
+"Then they are burying it. Let's hurry on, or we shall be too late."
+
+Lowering his Winchester, Frank led the way up the trail, slackening his
+pace as he reached the bend, and partly raising his weapon again.
+
+Rocks and bowlders were all around, but the trail still showed, and the
+donkey could have travelled indefinitely forward, so far as the boys
+could see. Nowhere was anything detected of the two men.
+
+"They may have turned the burro loose a half mile off," said Frank,
+chagrined and disappointed beyond expression.
+
+His companion warned him to be careful, as he began pushing forward at
+a reckless rate, as if fearful that the men would get away after all.
+
+Just beyond the point where the burro had appeared the path forked,
+each course being equally distinct. The boys scrutinized the ground,
+but could not decide from what direction the animal had come. Had they
+possessed the patience, they might have settled the question by
+kneeling down and making their scrutiny more minute; but Frank could
+not wait.
+
+"I'll take the right," he said, "while you follow the left. If you
+discover either of them, shoot and shout for me."
+
+It may be doubted whether this was wise counsel, and Roswell did not
+feel himself bound by it, but he acted at once upon the suggestion. His
+weapon was in his grasp as he hurried over the path, and the cousins
+were quickly lost to each other.
+
+The inspiring incentive to both boys was the dread that they were too
+late to recover the gold that had been stolen. Since its weight was too
+great for a couple of men to carry, the natural presumption was that
+they had buried or would bury it in some secure place, and return when
+it was safe to take it away.
+
+Because of this, Roswell Palmer sharply scrutinized every part of his
+field of vision as it opened before him. There were numerous breaks in
+the path which permitted him to look over a space of several rods, and
+again he could not see six feet from him.
+
+Reaching an earthy part of the trail, he leaned over and studied it.
+There was no sign of a hoof or footprint.
+
+"The burro did not come this far," was his conclusion; "I am wasting
+time by wandering from Frank."
+
+He was in doubt whether to turn or to advance farther. He had paused
+among the bowlders, where little was visible, and, convinced of his
+mistake, he shoved his weapon back in his pocket, so as to give him the
+freer use of his hands, and turned back over the trail along which he
+had just come.
+
+He had not taken a dozen steps when he was checked by the most
+startling summons that could come to him. It was a gruff "Hands up,
+younker!"
+
+[Illustration: "HANDS UP, YOUNKER!"]
+
+It will be recalled that Roswell was less headstrong than his cousin,
+as he now demonstrated by his prompt obedience to the command, which
+came from an immense rock at the side of the path, partly behind him.
+
+Having elevated his hands, the youth turned to look at his master. One
+glance at the countenance was sufficient. He was the individual whom
+Frank had seen secretly talking with Hardman on the boat that carried
+them from the head to the foot of Lake Lindeman, and whom both had seen
+on the day of their arrival in this neighborhood.
+
+Roswell Palmer now displayed a quickness of wit that would have done
+credit to an older head. His revolver he had placed in a pocket on the
+side of him that was turned away from the man, and it will be
+remembered that the lad had placed it there before receiving the
+peremptory summons to surrender. In the hope that his captor was not
+aware that he carried any firearms, Roswell kept that part of his body
+farthest from him.
+
+The man was standing at the side of the rock with a similar weapon in
+his grasp, and showed that he was elated over the clever manner in
+which he had gotten the best of the youth. His own weapon was not
+pointed at him, but held so that it could be raised and used on the
+instant.
+
+"What do you mean by treating me thus when I am walking peaceably
+through the mountains, offering harm to no one?" asked Roswell with an
+injured air.
+
+"What are you doing here anyway?" demanded the other, whose unpleasant
+face indicated that he did not fully grasp the situation.
+
+"My friend and I set out to look for some men that have stolen our
+gold. Have you seen them?"
+
+This sounded as if the boy had no suspicion of the fellow before him,
+and taking his cue therefrom, he said:
+
+"No; I don't know anything about it. Did they jump your claim?"
+
+"We had the gold among the rocks where we live, but when we came home
+to-day, we found that some persons had been there and taken it all."
+
+Something seemed to strike the man as very amusing. He broke into
+laughter.
+
+"You can put down your hands, my son, if you're getting tired."
+
+"You won't shoot?" asked Roswell in pretended alarm.
+
+"Not much," replied the other, with a laugh; "I haven't a charge in my
+weapon nor a single cartridge with me; but all the same, I'll keep an
+eye on you."
+
+"Not doubting your word, I have to inform you that my pistol is loaded,
+and I now shall take charge of you."
+
+As he spoke, Roswell produced his weapon, and the other was at his
+mercy.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII.
+
+A LION IN THE PATH.
+
+
+To put it mildly, the man was astonished. Not dreaming the boy was
+armed, he had been foolish enough to announce that he had brought him
+to terms by the display of a useless weapon. He stared in amazement at
+Roswell, and then elevated both hands. The boy laughed.
+
+"You needn't do that; I am not afraid of you. If you will lead me to
+the spot where you and Hardman hid our gold, I will set you free."
+
+"I don't know anything about your gold," whimpered the fellow, who now
+proved himself a coward. "I was only joking with you."
+
+"You and he took it. I shall hold you a prisoner until my friend comes
+up, and then turn you over to the mounted police."
+
+"All right; if it is a square deal, follow me."
+
+He turned and darted behind the rock. The youth made after him, but
+when he came in sight of the fugitive again he was fifty feet distant,
+and running like a deer. Perhaps Roswell might have winged him, but he
+did not try to do so. He felt a natural repugnance to doing a thing of
+that nature, and the fact was self-evident that it would do no good.
+The man would sturdily insist that he knew nothing of the missing gold,
+and there could be no actual proof that he did. Had he been held a
+prisoner he might have been forced to terms, but it was too late now to
+think of that, and the youth stood motionless and saw him disappear
+among the rocks.
+
+"I wonder how Frank has made out," was his thought. "He can't have done
+worse than I."
+
+Meanwhile, young Mansley had no idle time on his hands. He had hurried
+up the fork of the trail, after parting with his companion, until he
+had passed about the same distance. The two paths, although diverging,
+did not do so to the extent the boys thought, and thus it came about
+that they were considerably nearer each other than they supposed.
+
+It need not be said that Frank was on the alert. Suspecting he was in
+the vicinity of the men for whom they were searching, he paid no
+attention to the ground, but glanced keenly to the right and left, and
+even behind him. He was thus engaged when something moved beside a
+craggy mass of rocks a little way ahead and slightly to the right of
+the path he was following. A second look showed the object to be a man,
+and though his back was toward the lad, his dress and general
+appearance left little doubt that he was Hardman.
+
+His attitude was that of listening. His shoulders were thrown slightly
+forward, and he gave a quick flirt of his head, which brought his
+profile for the moment into view. This removed all doubt as to his
+identity. It was Ike Hardman.
+
+Frank's first thought was that he was standing near the spot where the
+gold had been secreted, and was looking around to make sure no one saw
+him, but it may have been he heard something of the movements of his
+confederate that had escaped Roswell Palmer.
+
+Afraid of being detected, Frank crouched behind the nearest bowlder,
+but was a second too late. Hardman had observed him, and was off like
+a flash. To Frank's amazement, when he looked for him he was gone.
+
+Determined not to lose him, the youth ran forward as fast as the nature
+of the ground would permit. Reaching the spot where he had first
+discovered the man, he glanced at the surroundings, but could see
+nothing to indicate that the gold had been hidden anywhere near, though
+the probabilities pointed to such being the fact, for it must have been
+in that vicinity that the burro was turned free.
+
+But the boy felt the necessity of bringing the man himself to terms,
+and with scarcely a halt he hurried over the bowlders and around the
+rocks in what he believed to be the right direction, though he had no
+certain knowledge that such was the fact.
+
+He was still clambering forward, panting, impatient, and angry, when a
+figure suddenly came to view a little way in advance. Frank abruptly
+stopped and brought his gun to a level, but before he could aim he
+perceived to his amazement that it was his cousin Roswell standing
+motionless and looking with wonderment around him. A moment later the
+two came together and hastily exchanged experiences.
+
+"We have made a mess of it," was the disgusted comment of Frank, "for
+we had them both and let them get away."
+
+[Illustration: "WE HAVE MADE A MESS OF IT," WAS THE DISGUSTED COMMENT
+OF FRANK.]
+
+"All the same we must be near the spot where the gold was hidden, and I
+believe we can find it by searching."
+
+"We may, but the chances are a hundred to one against it. How strange
+that those two men carried no firearms!"
+
+It has been shown that the Klondike country is not one of dangerous
+weapons, because it is well governed, and the necessity, therefore,
+does not exist for men to go about armed. Many of them unquestionably
+carry pistols, but larger weapons are few, and the majority have
+neither, for they only serve as incumbrances. Strange, therefore, as it
+may seem, Hardman and his companion had but a single revolver between
+them, and the man who carried that spoke the truth when he said all its
+chambers were empty and he was without the means of loading it.
+
+The great oversight of the two was that when they entered the cavern
+and took away the gold, they left the Winchester and revolvers. This
+may have been due to their eagerness to carry off every ounce of gold,
+but the commonest prudence would have suggested that they "spike" the
+weapons, so as to prevent their being used against them.
+
+A brief consultation caused the boys to decide to return to the cavern
+and await the return of their friends. Then the whole party could take
+up the search, though it seemed almost hopeless.
+
+Disheartened, they started down the trail, Frank in advance and both
+silent, for their thoughts were too depressing for expression. Suddenly
+the leader stopped and raised his hand for his companion to do the
+same. The cause was apparent, for at that moment, in rounding a bend in
+the path, they saw Ike Hardman in front, moving stealthily in the same
+direction with themselves, but the rogue was watchful and caught sight
+of them at the same moment. As before, he was off like an arrow, the
+winding trail allowing him to pass from sight in the twinkling of an
+eye, as may be said.
+
+Before they could take up the pursuit a great commotion broke out below
+them, and wondering what it could mean, the boys stopped to listen. It
+immediately became apparent that the fugitive had come in collision
+with some one approaching from the other direction over the trail, and
+that same person was gifted with a vigorous voice of which he was
+making free use.
+
+"Ah, but ye are the spalpeen I've been looking fur! This is the way ye
+sittle up fur the money ye tuk from me! Mister Hardman, do your bist,
+for that's what I'm going to do. Do ye hear me?"
+
+"It's Tim!" exclaimed Roswell; "let's hurry to his help!"
+
+But Frank caught his arm.
+
+"It's the other fellow who needs help, and Tim will take it as unkind
+for us to interfere, but we can look on."
+
+And they hurried forward.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIII.
+
+A GENERAL SETTLEMENT OF ACCOUNTS.
+
+
+Quick as were the boys in hurrying to the point where they heard the
+indignant Tim, they did not reach it until the affray was over. Wholly
+subdued, Ike Hardman begged for mercy at the hands of his conqueror,
+and promised to do anything desired if he received consideration.
+
+It is a well-known fact that the wrath of a good-natured person is more
+to be feared than his who is of less equable temperament. The boys had
+never seen Tim McCabe in so dangerous a mood. He and Jeff Graham had
+returned to the cavern shortly after the departure of the cousins in
+pursuit of the thieves, and it did not take them long to understand
+what had occurred. They set out over the same trail, along which they
+readily discovered the footprints of all the parties. Tim, in his angry
+impatience, outsped his more stolid companion, and by good fortune came
+upon Hardman while in headlong flight down the mountain path.
+
+The latter tried for a time to make it appear that he knew nothing of
+the abstraction of the gold from the cavern, but Tim would have none of
+it, and gave him the choice of conducting them to the place where it
+was concealed or of undergoing "capital punishment." Like the poltroon
+that he was, Hardman insisted that his companion, Victor Herzog, was
+the real wrongdoer, but he offered to do what was demanded, only
+imploring that he should not be harmed for his evil acts.
+
+Tim extended his hand and took the Winchester from Frank Mansley. He
+knew it was loaded, and he said to his prisoner:
+
+"Lead on, and if ye think it will pay ye to try to git away or play any
+of yer tricks, why try it, that's all!"
+
+The threat was sufficient to banish all hope from Hardman, who led them
+along the trail a short way, then turned on to the pile of rocks beside
+which Frank had seen him standing a short time before.
+
+"There it is!" he said, with an apprehensive glance at his captor.
+
+"Where?" thundered Tim; "I don't see it!"
+
+No digging had been done by the criminals, but a bowlder had been
+rolled aside, the canvas bags dropped into the opening, and the stone
+replaced, as he quickly demonstrated.
+
+"Count 'em, Roswell," said Tim.
+
+Both boys leaned over, and moving the heavy sacks about so as not to
+miss one, announced that all were there.
+
+"And now I s'pose I may go," whined Hardman.
+
+"Not a bit of it. I won't make a target of ye fer this gun, but ye
+shall remain me prisoner till I turn ye over to the police."
+
+Thereupon Hardman begged so piteously that the boys interceded and
+asked that he be allowed to go, but Tim sternly bade them hold their
+peace. The bowlder having been replaced, while he glanced around to fix
+the locality in his memory, he ordered the captive to precede him down
+the trail, reminding him at the same time that the first attempt on his
+part to escape would be followed by the instant discharge of the gun.
+
+Thus, as the long afternoon drew to a close the strange procession
+wound its way down the mountain, the prisoner in front, his captors
+directly behind, with Frank and Roswell bringing up the rear. The boys
+talked in whispers, but said nothing to their friend, who was in such a
+stern mood that they shrank from speaking to him.
+
+They speculated as to the fate of Herzog, the other criminal, who
+seemed to have effected his escape, but recalled that Jeff Graham was
+likely to be met somewhere along the path, and it might be that this
+had occurred with disastrous results to the evil fellow, for it will be
+remembered that the old miner was one of the few who always carried
+their revolvers with them.
+
+The expectation of the boys was not disappointed. When about half way
+down the trail they came upon Jeff, who had his man secure, thanks to
+the good fortune which gave him an advantage of which he instantly
+availed himself.
+
+Roswell and Frank thought that when Jeff learned that all the stolen
+gold had been recovered he would be willing to release the prisoners,
+but such intention was as far from him as from Tim McCabe. While he had
+no desire for revenge, he felt it would be wrong to set the evil-doers
+free, and he knew that they would receive the punishment they had well
+earned as soon as placed within the power of the law.
+
+It was beginning to grow dark when the party reached their cabin. Just
+before reaching it they crossed the pasturage ground of the burro, who
+was seen quietly browsing, as if he had not taken any part and felt no
+interest in the proceedings of the afternoon.
+
+Halting in front of the opening, Jeff said to Tim:
+
+"You have the gun and know it's a repeater."
+
+The Irishman nodded his head.
+
+"Keep guard over these fellows till I come back; it won't be long."
+
+"I'll do the same--on that ye may depind."
+
+[Illustration: TIM AND HIS PRISONERS.]
+
+The massive figure swung off in the gloom. He gave no intimation of
+whither he was going, and no one could guess, except that he promised
+shortly to return.
+
+A few minutes after his departure, both Hardman and Herzog renewed
+their pleadings for mercy--for at least they suspected the cause of the
+old miner's departure--but Tim checked them so promptly that they held
+their peace.
+
+At his suggestion, the boys started a fire and began preparing supper.
+They had hardly completed the task when Jeff Graham reappeared and he
+brought two companions with him. Though they were on foot, they were
+members of the mounted police, whose horses were but a short distance
+away. In the discharge of their duties, they were on a tour among the
+diggings to learn whether there was any call for their services. Jeff
+had seen them during the afternoon, and knew where to look for them.
+
+There was no nonsense about those sturdy fellows. They made their
+living by compelling obedience to the laws of their country, and were
+always prepared to do their duty. At the suggestion of Jeff, they
+questioned the men, who admitted their guilt, supplementing the
+confession with another appeal for clemency. Without deigning a reply,
+the officers slipped handcuffs upon them, and declining the invitation
+to remain to supper, departed with their prisoners, whom they delivered
+to the authorities at Dawson City on the following day. Since they had
+admitted their guilt, our friends were not required to appear as
+witnesses, and the case may be closed by the statement that Hardman and
+Herzog received the full punishment which they deserved.
+
+When the evening meal was finished, the men and boys remained outside
+in the cool, clear air, the former smoking their pipes, and all
+discussing the stirring events of the day. The boys confessed their
+neglect in failing to make known the presence of Herzog in the
+neighborhood, because the fact was driven from their minds by their
+excitement over the discovery of gold.
+
+"Had we done as we ought," said Frank, "it isn't likely this would have
+happened."
+
+"You are right," replied Jeff, "for we should have been more watchful."
+
+"And wasn't it oursilves that was careless, anyway, in laying so much
+wilth where any one could git at the same?" asked Tim.
+
+"Yes," admitted the old miner, "but things are different here from what
+they was in the early days in Californy, and you can see that these two
+men are the only ones that would steal our stuff."
+
+"At prisint they saam to be the only ones, but we can't be sure that
+ithers wouldn't have tried to do the same."
+
+"Well, boys," was the surprising announcement of Jeff Graham,
+"to-morrow we leave this place for good and take the next steamer down
+the Yukon for home; our hunt for gold is done!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIV.
+
+CONCLUSION.
+
+
+There was little sleep that night in the cavern home of the
+gold-seekers. The fact that the whole crop of the precious stuff was
+the better part of a mile away in the mountains, even though apparently
+safe, caused every one to feel uneasy. In addition was the announcement
+of Jeff Graham, the leader, that their work in the Klondike region was
+ended. In keeping with his habit of making known only that which was
+necessary, he gave no explanation, and his friends were left to
+speculate and surmise among themselves. All, however, suspected the
+truth.
+
+At early dawn Tim McCabe and the boys started up the trail, leading the
+burro. The old miner remained behind, saying that he expected company
+and his help was not needed in recovering the pilfered gold. The
+anxiety of the men and boys did not lessen until they reached the
+well-remembered spot and found the canvas bags intact. They were
+carefully loaded upon the strong back of the animal, secured in place,
+and the homeward journey begun. Frank and Roswell walked at the rear,
+to make sure none of the gold was lost. In due time they reached their
+primitive home, with all their wealth in hand.
+
+To their surprise, Jeff was absent. The recent experience of the three
+confirmed them in their resolution not to leave the nuggets and dust
+unguarded for a single hour. While some were at work in the diggings,
+one at least would be at the cavern on the watch against dishonest
+visitors. It was agreed that Tim and Roswell should go to the little
+valley to resume work, while Frank with the Winchester and smaller
+weapon acted as sentinel.
+
+As the two were on the point of setting out, Jeff Graham appeared with
+two well-dressed gentlemen, both in middle life. They were talking
+earnestly, and halted just beyond earshot to complete what they had to
+say. Then, without waiting to be introduced to Jeff's friends, they
+bade him good-day, and hurried down the path to where their horses were
+waiting, and lost no time in returning to Dawson City.
+
+"Get ready to foller," was the curt command of Jeff; and within the
+following hour the whole party, including the donkey, were on the road.
+They were compelled to spend one of the short nights in camp, but
+reached Dawson City without the slightest molestation from any one or
+the loss of a dollar's worth of gold. As Jeff had announced his
+intention, they brought away only their auriferous harvest and such
+clothing as was on their bodies. At the hotel he held another long
+interview with the two gentlemen who had called on him at the diggings;
+and the first steamer down the Yukon, which was now fairly open, bore
+among its hundreds of passengers Jeff Graham, Tim McCabe, Roswell
+Palmer, and Frank Mansley. The combined gold of the fortunate
+passengers on that trip must have amounted to nearly a million dollars.
+
+Some weeks later Jeff and Tim were seated alone in one of the rooms at
+the Palace Hotel, San Francisco. They had met by appointment to close
+up the business which had taken them into the Klondike region.
+
+"You know, Tim," said the old miner, "that this whole thing was my
+own."
+
+Tim nodded his head.
+
+"I was aware of the same before ye mentioned it. Ye paid all our
+ixpenses like a gintleman, and we're entitled to fair wages for hilping
+and no more."
+
+The generous disavowal of all claim to a share in the rich find touched
+Jeff, who hastened to say:
+
+"Some folks might think that way, but I don't. It was a speculation on
+my part. It didn't cost much to get us to the Klondike, and so that
+don't count. I have delivered to the mint all the gold we brought back,
+and have been paid one hundred and twenty thousand dollars for it. You
+know what was done by the two men that visited us at the diggings?"
+
+"The byes and mesilf had the idea that they bought out your claim."
+
+"That's it. I was anxious to get out of the country before the summer
+fairly set in and the mosquitoes ate us up alive. From the way the dirt
+panned out, we should have been millionaires in a few weeks, but we had
+enough. There ain't many men as know when they have enough," was the
+philosophical observation of Jeff. "I do, so I sold my claim for a
+hundred and eighty thousand dollars. As I figure out, that makes the
+total three hundred thousand dollars, which, divided among us four,
+gives each seventy-five thousand dollars. How does that strike you,
+Tim?"
+
+"It almost knocks me off my chair, if you mean it."
+
+"The boys being under age, I have turned over their shares to their
+parents; and do you know," added Jeff, with an expression of disgust,
+"they both fixed things so as to go to college? You wouldn't believe
+it, but it's the fact. Howsumever, it's their business, and I ain't
+saying anything. Say, Tim, you hain't any idea of going to college?"
+asked Jeff, looking across at his friend with a startled expression.
+
+[Illustration: "SAY, TIM, YOU HAIN'T ANY IDEA OF GOING TO COLLEGE,
+HAVE YOU?"]
+
+"I won't unless ye will go wid me. How does that strike ye?"
+
+Jeff's shoulders bobbed up and down with silent laughter, and
+immediately he became serious again.
+
+"As soon as you sign this paper, Tim, I shall give you a certified
+check for seventy-five thousand dollars on the Bank of Californy. Are
+you ready to sign?"
+
+"I'll sign me own death warrant for that trifle," replied Tim, his rosy
+face aglow, as he caught up the pen.
+
+"Read it first."
+
+His friend read:
+
+"I, Timothy McCabe, hereby pledge my sacred honor not to taste a drop
+of malt or spirituous liquor, even on the advice of a physician who may
+declare it necessary to save my life, from the date of the signing of
+this pledge until the Fourth of July, one thousand nine hundred and
+seven."
+
+As Tim gathered the meaning of the words on the paper, his eyes
+expanded; he puckered his lips and emitted a low whistle.
+
+"Do ye mind," he said, looking across the table with his old quizzical
+expression, "the remark that the governor of North Carliny made to the
+governor of South Carliny?"
+
+Jeff gravely inclined his head.
+
+"I've heerd of it."
+
+"What do ye s'pose he would have said if the time between drinks was
+ten years?"
+
+"I've never thought, and don't care."
+
+"He would have died long before the time was up."
+
+"When you left the boys in the diggings you came to Dawson City to
+spend the worth of that nugget for whiskey. I happened to meet you in
+time and made you go back with me. You'd been off on sprees a half
+dozen other times, if I hadn't kept an eye on you. Drink is the enemy
+that will down you if you don't stop at once. If you'll stay sober for
+ten years, I'll take the chances after that. Are you going to sign?"
+
+Tim's eyes were fixed on the paper which he held in his hand. He mused
+loud enough for the listening Jeff to catch every word:
+
+"To sign that means no more headaches and bad health, but a clear brain
+and a strong body; no more hours of gloom, no weakness of the limbs and
+pricks of the conscience; no more breaking the heart of me good old
+mother in Ireland, but the bringing of sunshine and joy to her in her
+last days; it means the signing away of me slavery, and the clasping to
+me heart of the swate boon of liberty; it means the making of mesilf
+into a man!"
+
+With a firm hand he wrote his name at the bottom of the paper, and
+flinging down the pen, said:
+
+"With God's help, that pledge shall be kept."
+
+"Amen," reverently responded Jeff; "there's your check for seventy-five
+thousand dollars."
+
+
+THE END.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Klondike Nuggets, by E. S. Ellis
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