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+The Project Gutenberg eBook, To Alaska for Gold, by Edward Stratemeyer,
+Illustrated by A. B. Shute
+
+
+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: To Alaska for Gold
+       The Fortune Hunters of the Yukon
+
+
+Author: Edward Stratemeyer
+
+
+
+Release Date: April 14, 2010  [eBook #31989]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+
+***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TO ALASKA FOR GOLD***
+
+
+E-text prepared by Barbara Kosker, David Edwards, and the Project
+Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from
+page images generously made available by Internet Archive
+(http://www.archive.org)
+
+
+
+Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this
+      file which includes the original illustrations.
+      See 31989-h.htm or 31989-h.zip:
+      (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/31989/31989-h/31989-h.htm)
+      or
+      (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/31989/31989-h.zip)
+
+
+      Images of the original pages are available through
+      Internet Archive. See
+      http://www.archive.org/details/toalaskaforgoldo00strarich
+
+
+
+
+
+TO ALASKA FOR GOLD
+
+
+      *      *      *      *      *      *
+
+[Illustration: TO ALASKA FOR GOLD
+
+EDWARD STRATEMEYER
+
+BOUND TO SUCCEED SERIES]
+
+
+
+  EDWARD STRATEMEYER'S BOOKS
+
+
+  Old Glory Series
+
+  _Cloth Illustrated Price per volume $1.25._
+
+  UNDER DEWEY AT MANILA Or the War Fortunes of a Castaway.
+
+  A YOUNG VOLUNTEER IN CUBA Or Fighting for the Single Star.
+
+  FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS Or Under Schley on the Brooklyn.
+
+  UNDER OTIS IN THE PHILIPPINES Or A Young Officer in the Tropics. (_In
+    Press._)
+
+
+  The Bound to Succeed Series
+
+  _Three volumes Cloth Illustrated Price per volume $1.00._
+
+
+  RICHARD DARE'S VENTURE Or Striking Out for Himself.
+
+  OLIVER BRIGHT'S SEARCH Or The Mystery of a Mine.
+
+  TO ALASKA FOR GOLD Or The Fortune Hunters of the Yukon.
+
+
+  The Ship and Shore Series
+
+  _Three volumes Cloth Illustrated Price per volume $1.00._
+
+
+  THE LAST CRUISE OF THE SPITFIRE Or Larry Foster's Strange Voyage.
+
+  REUBEN STONE'S DISCOVERY Or The Young Miller of Torrent Bend.
+
+  TRUE TO HIMSELF Or Roger Strong's Struggle for Place. (_In Press._)
+
+
+      *      *      *      *      *      *
+
+
+[Illustration: "UNCLE FOSTER! EARL! LOOK AT THIS!"--_Page 170._]
+
+
+TO ALASKA FOR GOLD
+
+Or
+
+The Fortune Hunters of the Yukon
+
+by
+
+EDWARD STRATEMEYER
+
+Author of "Under Dewey at Manila," "A Young Volunteer in Cuba,"
+"Fighting in Cuban Waters," "Richard Dare's Venture,"
+"Oliver Bright's Search," Etc., Etc.
+
+Illustrated by A. B. Shute
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+Boston
+Lee and Shepard Publishers
+1899
+
+Copyright, 1899, by Lee and Shepard.
+All Rights Reserved.
+
+TO ALASKA FOR GOLD.
+
+Norwood Press
+J. S. Cushing & Co.  Berwick & Smith
+Norwood Mass. U.S.A.
+
+
+
+
+PREFACE.
+
+
+"TO ALASKA FOR GOLD" forms the third volume of the "Bound to
+Succeed" Series. Like the preceding tales, this story is complete in
+itself.
+
+The rush to the far-away territory of Alaska, when gold in large
+quantities was discovered upon Klondike Creek, was somewhat similar to
+the rush to California in years gone by. The gold fever spread to even
+the remotest of our hamlets, and men, young and old, poured forth, ready
+to endure every hardship if only the much-coveted prize might be
+secured. That many succeeded and that many more failed is now a matter
+of history, although of recent date.
+
+In this story are related the adventures of two Maine boys who leave
+their home among the lumbermen, travel to California, there to join
+their uncle, an experienced miner, and several other men, and start on
+the long trip to the Klondike by way of Dyea, Chilkoot Pass, and the
+lakes and streams forming the headwaters of the mighty Yukon River.
+After many perils the gold district is reached, and here a summer and
+winter are passed, the former in hunting for the precious metal and the
+latter in a never ending struggle to sustain life until the advent of
+spring.
+
+In writing the description of this new El Dorado the author has
+endeavored to be as accurate as possible, and has consulted, for this
+purpose, the leading authorities on Alaska and its resources, as well as
+digested the sometimes tedious, but, nevertheless, always interesting,
+government reports covering this subject. Regarding the personal
+experiences of his heroes he would add that nearly every incident cited
+has been taken from life, as narrated by those who joined in the
+frenzied rush to the new gold fields.
+
+  EDWARD STRATEMEYER.
+
+  NEWARK, N. J.,
+  April 1, 1899.
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS.
+
+
+  CHAPTER                                               PAGE
+
+       I. A LETTER FROM THE WEST                           1
+
+      II. THE BOYS REACH A DECISION                        9
+
+     III. A FALSE IDENTIFICATION                          18
+
+      IV. A SERIOUS SET-BACK                              27
+
+       V. A NIGHT IN NEW YORK                             36
+
+      VI. PREPARATIONS FOR DEPARTURE                      44
+
+     VII. BUYING THE OUTFITS                              52
+
+    VIII. ON THE WAY TO JUNEAU                            61
+
+      IX. THE FATE OF A STOWAWAY                          69
+
+       X. UP THE LYNN CANAL                               77
+
+      XI. THE START FROM DYEA                             85
+
+     XII. EARL HAS AN ADVENTURE                           93
+
+    XIII. AT THE SUMMIT OF CHILKOOT PASS                 101
+
+     XIV. BOAT-BUILDING AT LAKE LINDERMAN                109
+
+      XV. ON TO LAKE BENNETT                             118
+
+     XVI. AN EXCITING NIGHT IN CAMP                      127
+
+    XVII. A HUNT FOR FOOD                                134
+
+   XVIII. ON TO THE WHITE HORSE RAPIDS                   141
+
+     XIX. NEARING THE END OF A LONG JOURNEY              149
+
+      XX. THE GOLD FIELDS AT LAST                        157
+
+     XXI. A DAY IN DAWSON CITY                           164
+
+    XXII. DIGGING FOR GOLD                               172
+
+   XXIII. GOOD LUCK AND BAD                              180
+
+    XXIV. AN UNLOOKED-FOR ARRIVAL                        187
+
+     XXV. MORE WORK IN THE GULCHES                       195
+
+    XXVI. SLUICE BOXES AND PREPARATIONS FOR WINTER       203
+
+   XXVII. THE END OF THE SUMMER SEASON                   211
+
+  XXVIII. SNOWED IN                                      219
+
+    XXIX. WAITING AND WATCHING FOR SPRING                227
+
+     XXX. LAST WASHINGS FOR GOLD                         235
+
+    XXXI. DOWN THE YUKON AND HOME                        243
+
+
+
+
+LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
+
+  "'Uncle Foster! Earl! look at this'"                 _Frontispiece_
+
+                                                                 PAGE
+
+  "With a final kick the stowaway was run off the gang-plank"      72
+
+  "The water was boiling on every side"                           125
+
+  "'I would like to see the prisoner, please'"                    196
+
+
+
+
+TO ALASKA FOR GOLD.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+A LETTER FROM THE WEST.
+
+
+"It is not a question of what we should like to do, Randy; it is a
+question of what we must do."
+
+"I know it, Earl. One thing is certain: the way matters stand we can't
+pay the quarter's rent for this timber land to-morrow unless we borrow
+the money, and where we are going for it I haven't the least idea."
+
+"Nor I. It's a pity the Jackson Lumber Company had to go to pieces. I
+wonder where Jackson is."
+
+"In Canada most likely. They would put him in jail if they could catch
+him, and he knows it."
+
+"He ought to be put in jail!" burst out Earl, who was the elder of the
+two Portney brothers. "That two hundred dollars he cheated us out of
+would just put us on our feet. But without it we can't even pay bills
+now owing; and Caleb Norcross is just aching to sell this land to Dan
+Roland."
+
+"If we have to get out, what are we to do?" questioned Randy, soberly.
+"I don't believe we can get work, unless we go into the woods as mere
+ choppers."
+
+"We shall have to do something," was Earl's unsatisfactory response.
+
+The Portney brothers lived upon a small timber claim in the state of
+Maine. Their parents had died three years before, from injuries received
+in a terrible forest fire, which had at that time swept the locality.
+The family had never been rich, and after the sad affair the boys were
+left to shift for themselves. The father had owned an interest in a
+timber claim, and this had been sold for three hundred dollars, and with
+the proceeds the two brothers had rented another claim and gone to work
+to get out lumber for a new company which had begun operations in the
+vicinity.
+
+Earl was now eighteen years of age, and Randolph, or Randy, as he was
+always called, was nearly seventeen. Both lads were so tall, well-built,
+and muscular, that they appeared older. Neither had had a real sickness
+in his life, and the pair were admirably calculated, physically, to cope
+with the hardships which came to them later.
+
+The collapse of the new lumber combination, and the running away of its
+head man, Aaron Jackson, had proved a serious blow to their prospects.
+As has been intimated, the company owed them two hundred dollars for
+timber, and, as not a cent was forthcoming, they found themselves in
+debt, not only for the quarter's rent for the land they were working,
+but also at the general supply store at the village of Basco, three
+miles away. The boys had worked hard, early and late, to make both ends
+meet, and it certainly looked as if they did not deserve the hard luck
+which had befallen them.
+
+It was supper time, and the pair had just finished a scanty meal of
+beans, bread, and the remains of a brook trout Randy had been lucky
+enough to catch before breakfast. Randy threw himself down on the
+doorstep, while Earl washed and dried the few dishes.
+
+"I wonder if we can't get something out of the lumber company," mused
+the younger brother, as he gazed meditatively at his boots, which were
+sadly in need of soling and heeling. "They've lots of timber on hand."
+
+"All covered by a mortgage to some Boston concern," replied Earl. "I
+asked Squire Dobson about it. He said we shouldn't get a penny."
+
+"Humph!" Randy drew a deep breath. "By the way, has Squire Dobson
+learned anything about Fred, yet?"
+
+"He's pretty sure Fred ran away to New York."
+
+"I can't understand why he should run away from such a good home, can
+you? You wouldn't catch me doing it."
+
+"He ran away because he didn't want to finish studying. Fred always was
+a wild Dick. I shouldn't wonder if he ended up by going out West to hunt
+Indians." Earl gave a short laugh. "He'll have his eye-teeth cut one of
+these days. Hullo, here comes Caleb Norcross now!"
+
+Earl was looking up the winding road through the woods, and, gazing in
+the direction, Randy saw a tall, lean individual, astride a bony horse,
+riding swiftly toward the cabin.
+
+"Well, boys, what's the best word?" was the sharp greeting given by
+Caleb Norcross, as he came to a halt at the cabin door.
+
+"I don't know as there is any best word, Mr. Norcross," replied Earl,
+quietly.
+
+"I was over to Bill Stiger's place and thought if I could see you
+to-night about the rent money, it would save you a three miles' trip
+to-morrow."
+
+"You know we can't pay you just at present, Mr. Norcross," went on Earl.
+"The suspension of the lumber company has left us in the lurch."
+
+The face of the tall, lean man darkened. "How much did they stick you
+for?" he asked abruptly.
+
+"Two hundred dollars."
+
+"Two hundred dollars! You were fools to trust 'em that much. I wouldn't
+have trusted 'em a cent--not a penny."
+
+"They were well recommended," put in Randy. "Even Squire Dobson trusted
+them."
+
+"That don't make no difference. I don't trust folks unless I know what
+I'm doing. Although I did trust you boys," added Caleb Norcross,
+hastily. "Your father was always a straight man."
+
+"And we are straight, too," burst out Randy, stung by the insinuation.
+"You shall have your money, if only you will give us a little time."
+
+"How are you going to get it?"
+
+"We'll earn it," said Earl. "I am sure we can get out enough timber by
+fall to square accounts."
+
+"That won't do for me--not at all. If you can't pay up to-morrow, you
+can consider your claim on the land at an end."
+
+"You won't give us any time?"
+
+"No. I can sell this whole section to Dan Roland, and I'm going to do
+it."
+
+"You are very hard-hearted, Mr. Norcross," began Randy, when a look from
+his elder brother silenced him.
+
+"I ain't hard-hearted--I'm only looking after my own," growled Caleb
+Norcross. "If I let things run, I'd do as the lumber company did--bust
+up. So you can't pay, nohow?"
+
+"No, we can't pay," answered Earl.
+
+"Then I'll expect you to quit by to-morrow noon."
+
+Without waiting for another word, Caleb Norcross turned around his bony
+steed and urged him forward. In less than a minute he had disappeared in
+the direction whence he had come. With sinking hearts the boys watched
+him out of sight.
+
+The blow they had dreaded had fallen, and for several seconds neither
+spoke. Then Randy, who had pulled off one boot, flung it across the
+kitchen floor.
+
+"I don't care, he can have his old place," he cried angrily. "We'll
+never get rich here, if we stay a hundred years. I'm sick and tired of
+cutting timber just for one's meals!"
+
+"It's all well enough to talk so, Randy," was the elder brother's
+cautious response. "But where are we to go if we leave here?"
+
+"Oh, anywhere! We might try our luck down in Bangor, or maybe Boston."
+
+Earl smiled faintly. "We'd cut pretty figures in a city, I'm thinking,
+after a life in the backwoods."
+
+"A backwoods boy became President."
+
+"Do you wish to try for the presidency?"
+
+"No; but it shows what can be done; and I'm tired of drudging in the
+woods, without any excitement or anything new from one year's end to
+another. Father and mother gave us pretty good educations, and we ought
+to make the most of that."
+
+"I knew he wanted to sell this land to Dan Roland," went on Earl, after
+a pause. "I fancy he is going to get a good price, too."
+
+"If Roland pays over five hundred dollars he will get cheated. The
+timber at the south end is good for nothing."
+
+The boys entered the cabin, lit the lamp, and sat down to discuss the
+situation. It was far from promising, and, an hour later, each retired
+to bed in a very uneasy frame of mind. They were up before daybreak, and
+at breakfast Earl announced his intention to go to Basco and see what
+could be done.
+
+"You might as well stay at home," he continued. "It may be Norcross will
+come back and reconsider matters."
+
+"Not he!" exclaimed Randy; nevertheless, he promised to remain and look
+over some clothing which needed mending, for these sturdy lads were in
+the habit of doing everything for themselves, even to sewing up rents
+and darning socks. Such are the necessities of real life in the
+backwoods.
+
+It was a bright sunny morning, well calculated to cheer any one's
+spirits, yet Randy felt far from light-hearted when left alone. He could
+not help but wonder what would happen next.
+
+"We've got just twenty-eight dollars and a half in cash left," he mused,
+as he set to work to replace some buttons on one of Earl's working
+shirts. "And we owe about six dollars at the general store, three
+dollars and a quarter for those new axes and the coffee mill, and twenty
+to Norcross. Heigh-ho! but it's hard lines to be poor, with one's nose
+continually to the grindstone. I wonder if we shouldn't have done better
+if we had struck out, as Uncle Foster did six years ago? He has seen a
+lot of the world and made money besides."
+
+Earl had expected to be gone the best part of the forenoon, and Randy
+was surprised, at half-past nine, to see his elder brother returning
+from the village. Earl was walking along the road at the top of his
+speed, and as he drew closer, he held up a letter.
+
+"It's a letter from Uncle Foster!" he cried, as soon as he was within
+speaking distance. "It's got such wonderful news in it that I thought I
+ought to come home with it at once."
+
+"Wonderful news?" repeated Randy. "What does he say?"
+
+"He says he is going back to Alaska,--to some new gold field that has
+just been discovered there,--and he wants to know if we will go with
+him."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+THE BOYS REACH A DECISION.
+
+
+"Uncle Foster is going back to Alaska?" said Randy, slowly.
+
+"Yes; he is going to start almost immediately, too," added his elder
+brother. "He says the new gold diggings are something immense, and he
+wants to stake a claim at the earliest possible date."
+
+Randy drew a long breath. To Alaska! What a tremendous trip that would
+be--five thousand miles at least! And going to such an almost unknown
+region would be very much like starting for the north pole.
+
+He remembered well that his Uncle Foster had paid a visit to Alaska
+three years previous, sailing from San Francisco to St. Michael's Island
+and then taking a Yukon River steamboat to a trading camp known as Fort
+Cudahy. They had received several letters from him while he was up
+there, working for the Alaskan Transportation Company part of the time
+and hunting for gold whenever the opportunity offered. The letters had
+told of the intense cold and the suffering, and of numerous unsuccessful
+attempts to strike a paying claim around Fort Cudahy and at another
+camp, known as Circle City. His uncle had taken up several claims, but
+they had not panned out very well, and Mr. Portney had finally returned
+to the United States, to interest himself in a Colorado silver mine.
+
+"Let me see the letter," said Randy, and Earl handed it over. "I don't
+see how we are to pay our way to Alaska or anywhere else," added the
+younger boy, ruefully, as he opened the epistle.
+
+"You will see presently," rejoined Earl. "Read it aloud. Uncle writes
+such a twisted hand, I want to make sure I read aright." And Randy
+started at once:--
+
+"CREEDE, COL., April 5.
+
+"MY DEAR NEPHEWS:--I suppose you have been looking for a letter
+from me all winter, but the fact is I have been away from this vicinity
+since last December. A man from British Columbia wanted me to buy an
+interest in a gold mine at a settlement called Dunbar's, and I went with
+him. The mine proved to be worthless, and I left Dunbar's, and went to
+Victoria, and stayed there until three weeks ago.
+
+"While I was in Victoria, I ran across two miners whom I had met while
+at Fort Cudahy in Alaska. They reported that a new gold field had been
+discovered farther up the Yukon River, at a place known as Klondike
+Creek. There had been an exodus from Circle City and Fort Cudahy to this
+new region, and a camp known as Dawson City had been started. They said
+that there were about a dozen small creeks flowing into the Klondike and
+into the Yukon at this point, and that it was reported and proved that
+the entire district was rich with gold.
+
+"I was chary of believing the men at first, for I know only too well how
+many wild-cat reports start up in every mining camp. But a couple of
+days later I heard another report from Juneau, Alaska, to the effect
+that several miners had come down from this same territory by way of the
+lakes and Chilkoot Pass, and had brought with them over thirty-five
+thousand dollars in nuggets and gold dust, taken out of a place called
+Hunker's Creek, which runs into the Klondike.
+
+"From these reports, and from others which are floating around, I am
+convinced that they have at last struck the rich vein of yellow metal
+which I always believed would be located there, and I am now making
+preparations to try my luck again in that territory, and if you two boys
+want to go along and think you can stand the climate, which is something
+awful for nine months in the year, I'll see you through. I do not know
+how you are fixed for cash, but I have been lucky in Colorado, and I
+will pay all expenses, providing you will agree to remain with me for
+two years, working as I work, for a one-half interest in all our
+discoveries--that is, a one-quarter interest to each of you and a
+one-half interest to myself. The expense of a year's trip to Alaska by
+the route we shall take, over the mountain pass, will be between six
+and eight hundred dollars each, for we shall have to take nearly all our
+outfits--clothing, tools, and provisions--along.
+
+"I am now on the point of starting for San Francisco, and shall arrive
+there probably before this letter reaches you. My address will be the
+Palace Hotel, and I wish you to telegraph me immediately, at my expense,
+if you will go or not. Do not attempt to accept my offer unless both of
+you are perfectly well and strong and willing to stand great hardships,
+for the sake of what we may have the good luck to find. And if you do
+go, don't blame me if we are all disappointed, and come home poorer than
+we went.
+
+"If you accept the offer, I will telegraph you sufficient money to
+Messrs. Bartwell & Stone, Boston, to pay your fare to San Francisco, and
+I shall expect to see you at the latter city before the 20th of the
+month, for I am going to start for the new gold fields, even if I have
+to go with strangers, as soon as possible. With love to you both, I
+remain,
+
+"Your affectionate uncle,
+
+"FOSTER C. PORTNEY."
+
+"Oh, Earl, let's go!" burst from Randy's lips as he finished the long
+letter. "This is just what I've been waiting for. Let's go to Alaska and
+make our fortunes!"
+
+"Go to Alaska and be frozen to death, you mean," replied Earl; yet he
+smiled even as he spoke. "Do you know that the thermometer goes down to
+forty degrees below zero out there in winter?"
+
+"Well, we're used to roughing it out here in these woods."
+
+"These woods can't hold a candle to Alaska for barrenness, Randy. Think
+of a winter nine months long and ice all the year round! Uncle said in
+one of his other letters, that the ground never thawed out more than a
+few feet, excepting in favored localities."
+
+"Do you mean to say you'll let such a splendid chance slip by?" demanded
+the younger lad, straightening up and looking his brother full in the
+face. "And let it slip, too, when we're in such trouble here?"
+
+"No, I didn't say that, Randy. But we ought to consider the matter
+carefully before we make up our minds. According to the letter we'll
+have to spend at least two years in the gold fields."
+
+"I'll spend ten if I can make money."
+
+"Uncle said in that other letter that no one seemed to care to stay in
+the upper portion of Alaska more than two or three years at a time."
+
+"Well, I'm in for the trip, heart and soul. Hurrah for the--what's the
+name of that creek?--Klondike! Hurrah for the Klondike! I wonder if it's
+on the map."
+
+Randy rushed over to the little shelf which contained all the
+school-books the family had ever possessed, and brought forth a large
+geography, much the worse for wear. There was no separate map of Alaska,
+but there was one of North America, and this he scanned with interest.
+
+"Here's the Yukon and here's the Porcupine and the Pelly rivers, but I
+don't see any Klondike," he said seriously. "I wonder where it can be."
+
+"You can't expect to find a little creek on a map that shows up the
+Yukon River as less than two inches long," said Earl. "Why, the Yukon is
+between two and three thousand miles long. Circle City must be up
+there," he continued, pointing to where the Yukon touched the 144° of
+longitude, "and if that's so, this new gold field can't be so very far
+off, although in such a great territory a few hundred miles this way or
+that are hardly counted."
+
+"But you'll go, won't you, Earl?" pleaded Randy, as he restored the
+geography to the shelf. "We'll never make more than our pork and beans
+out here in the woods."
+
+Earl picked up a small stick from the fireplace and brought out his
+pocket-knife. He always had to go to whittling when he wanted to do some
+hard thinking. "If we accepted Uncle Foster's invitation to come to San
+Francisco, there would be no turning back," he remarked, after a moment
+of silence.
+
+"We shouldn't want to turn back as soon as that."
+
+"And we couldn't turn back after we once got into Alaska. There is no
+such thing as travelling back and forth between the months of October
+and May. The rivers freeze up, and everything is snow and ice."
+
+"Well, we'd have plenty of provisions--Uncle would be sure to see to
+that. We've got to vacate here, you must remember, in a day or two."
+
+Again Earl was silent. He had sharpened up one end of the stick, and now
+he turned to the other. "I wonder where we could telegraph from best,"
+he said at last.
+
+Randy's eyes lit up instantly, and he caught his big brother by the
+shoulder. "Good for you, Earl; I knew you would say yes!" he cried.
+"Why, we can telegraph from Spruceville, can't we?"
+
+"We can if they'll trust us for the telegram."
+
+"If they won't, I'll pay for it. I'm not going to let such a chance
+slide by. The thing of it is," Randy added, sobering down suddenly, "how
+are we to get to Boston to get the money Uncle intends to send on?"
+
+"We'll have to sell off our things here. They'll bring in something,
+although not much."
+
+"Good! I never thought of that."
+
+For two hours the boys talked matters over, and in the excitement dinner
+was entirely forgotten. Then a telegram was prepared which ran as
+follows:--
+
+      "Will sell out and come on as soon as possible."
+
+It was agreed that Earl should send the message from Spruceville, a town
+four miles beyond Basco. This was a seven miles' tramp, but he did not
+mind it, having walked the distance many times previously. He procured a
+bite to eat, and with the letter from his uncle in his pocket he started
+off. He intended to show the letter to the telegraph operator in case
+the man should hesitate to send the message with charges to be paid at
+the other end.
+
+At Basco, Earl met a number of workmen of the district, among whom was
+Tom Roland, the brother of the lumberman who intended to buy the timber
+land from Caleb Norcross. Roland was a man whom nobody liked, and Earl
+passed him without a word, although it was evident from Roland's manner
+that the latter desired to stop for a talk. With Tom Roland was a fellow
+named Guardley, a ne'er-do-well, who had been up before the squire on
+more than one occasion for drinking and stealing. The reader will do
+well to remember both Tom Roland and Guardley, for they are destined to
+play a most important part in the chapters which follow.
+
+The middle of the afternoon had passed before Earl struck the outskirts
+of Spruceville and made his way to the little railroad station where was
+located the telegraph office. His errand was soon explained to the
+young man in charge, and he felt in his pocket to bring forth the slip
+of paper Randy had written out, and his uncle's letter.
+
+To his consternation both were missing. He remembered well where he had
+placed them, yet to make sure he searched his clothing thoroughly. His
+search was useless. The message and the letter were gone.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+A FALSE IDENTIFICATION.
+
+
+"Gone!"
+
+That was the single word which dropped from Earl's lips as he stood at
+the window of the telegraph office at Spruceville and hunted for the
+missing letter from his Uncle Foster. He cared nothing for the
+message,--that could easily be rewritten,--but the letter was highly
+important.
+
+Not finding it about his person, he commenced to retrace his steps with
+his eyes on the ground. An hour was spent in this manner, and then he
+returned slowly to the office.
+
+"I want to send a message to San Francisco, and I had a letter with me
+to show that it was all right," he explained. "Will you send the message
+anyhow and collect at the other end? The man who is to receive the
+message wanted it sent that way."
+
+The telegraph operator mused for a moment. Then he asked Earl who he was
+and where he lived, and finally said he guessed it would be all right.
+The message was again written out, and ten minutes later it was on its
+long journey westward, by way of Boston. The business finished, Earl
+thanked the operator and started on his return home.
+
+He was very much out of sorts with himself, and wondered what his
+younger brother would think of him. "I needn't find fault with Randy for
+being careless after this," he sighed, almost bitterly. "I'm as bad as
+he is, and worse. One thing is a comfort, though: I remember the name of
+that Boston firm that is to provide us with our money--Bartwell & Stone.
+I had better make a note of that." And he did.
+
+The evening shadows were beginning to fall when Basco was again reached.
+On the main street of the little town Earl halted to think matters over.
+Why wouldn't it be a good thing to let folks know that they wanted to
+sell out their household goods and their tools and other things? He made
+his way to the general store.
+
+"Well, Portney, I heard you had been put off your place," was the
+greeting received from the general storekeeper.
+
+"We have not been put off--we are going to leave it, Mr. Andrews."
+
+"Oh! Where are you going?"
+
+"To Alaska."
+
+"Alaska? You must be joking."
+
+"No, sir. My uncle, Foster Portney, has sent for Randy and me to come to
+San Francisco, and the three of us are going to some new gold fields."
+
+"Well, what about my bill?" asked the storekeeper, anxiously. He was
+interested in but little outside of his business. "Of course that has
+got to be settled before you leave."
+
+"We will pay up, never fear. But we want to sell off all our stuff
+first. Will you let me write out a notice to that effect and post it
+outside?"
+
+"Yes, you can do that. Going to sell off, eh? What have you got?"
+
+Earl enumerated the various articles he and Randy had listed to sell.
+They were not of great value, and the storekeeper smiled grimly.
+
+"They won't bring much."
+
+"They ought to bring thirty or forty dollars."
+
+"You'll be lucky to get ten."
+
+"Ten dollars won't see us through. We have got to get enough to pay our
+bills and secure our passage down to Boston."
+
+"And how much will that be?" questioned Peleg Andrews, cautiously. Earl
+made a rapid calculation. With the money already on hand and that owing
+for tools and groceries, twenty-five dollars ought to see them through.
+
+"We must have thirty dollars for the stuff."
+
+Peleg Andrews said no more, but turned away to wait on a customer that
+had just come in. Procuring sheets of paper, Earl set to work and penned
+two notices, both alike, stating that the goods and chattels of the
+Portney brothers would be sold within the next three days, to the
+highest bidders, and a list of the articles followed. One of the notices
+was tacked up in front of the store and the other in front of the hotel,
+and then Earl returned home.
+
+As the big brother had expected, Randy was much put out about the loss
+of the letter, but he was glad that Earl had gone ahead, nevertheless,
+and before he retired that night, he brought forth some of the articles
+to be sold, and mended and cleaned them up.
+
+The two were eating breakfast when the first prospective buyer rode up
+in a farm wagon. It was a lumberman from over the ridge behind Basco,
+who was thinking of settling down to cabin life by himself. He made an
+offer of fifteen dollars for everything in sight, but Earl held out for
+forty dollars.
+
+The man was about to drive away, when a second lumberman drove up,
+followed by Peleg Andrews in his store wagon. Both of the newcomers were
+eager to buy, although they affected indifference. Bidding became rather
+lively, and at last the goods were split up between the first comer and
+the storekeeper, the former paying thirty dollars and the latter twenty
+dollars for what they got. This made fifty dollars in all, and out of
+this amount Earl settled with Peleg Andrews on the spot.
+
+It was while the men were loading the goods preparatory to taking them
+away, that Caleb Norcross appeared. He had expected to make a cheap
+purchase, and was keenly disappointed to find he was too late.
+
+"Getting out, eh?" he ventured.
+
+"Yes," answered Earl, briefly. "You can have your keys in a couple of
+hours. Here is your money."
+
+"I ain't in any hurry," grumbled the landlord.
+
+"Isn't Dan Roland going to take the property?" asked Randy, curiously.
+
+"No, he backed out last night," answered Caleb Norcross, and to avoid
+being questioned further he moved away.
+
+Fortunately for the two boys, there was an old trunk in the cabin, and
+also a small wooden box which could be made to hold clothing, and these
+they packed with such effects as they intended to take along. A bargain
+was struck with the man who had failed to purchase any of the other
+goods, and the two boxes were placed in his wagon, and then the lads
+were ready to leave the spot which had been their home for many years.
+
+"Well, I'm sure I wish you success," said Peleg Andrews, as he shook
+each by the hand. "But it looks foolhardy to me--going away off to
+Alaska."
+
+"You'll be glad enough to come back home, see if you don't," put in
+Caleb Norcross. He did not offer to shake hands, at which the boys were
+just as well satisfied. In a minute more the brothers were up beside the
+lumberman on the wagon seat, the whip cracked, and the horse started;
+and the long trip to Alaska could be said to have fairly begun.
+
+A stop was made at Basco, where Earl settled up such bills as still
+remained unpaid, and then the horse set off on a trot for Spruceville,
+which was reached less than three-quarters of an hour later. At the
+latter place a way train for Bangor was due, and they had barely time to
+procure tickets and get their baggage checked before it came along and
+took them on board.
+
+"We've made a flying start and no mistake," was Randy's comment, as he
+leaned back in the cushioned seat. "Two days ago we never dreamed of
+going to Alaska or anywhere else."
+
+"I hope we haven't any cause to regret our hasty action," answered Earl,
+gravely. Then he immediately brightened up. "But we've started now, so
+let us make the most of it."
+
+The ride over the rough roads had made them hungry, but they had to wait
+until Bangor was reached before they could obtain anything to eat. It
+was late in the evening when the train rolled into the station and they
+alighted. Both boys had been in Bangor several times, so they did not
+feel quite like strangers. Having obtained supper at a restaurant, they
+made their way to the river docks and asked concerning the boat for
+Boston, having decided to make that trip by water. The boat was in, and
+having procured their passage, they were privileged to go on board and
+sleep there over-night.
+
+The trip to Boston was an uneventful one, although full of novelty to
+Earl and Randy, who had never taken such a voyage before. They might
+have enjoyed it still more had they not been so anxious concerning what
+was before them. Alas! little did they dream of all the grave perils the
+future held in store.
+
+"We don't want to look too green," said Earl, when the steamboat was
+tying up at her wharf and the passengers were preparing to go ashore.
+
+"Oh, I guess we'll pass in a crowd," said Randy, laughing. "All we want
+to look out for is that we are not robbed, or something like that."
+
+Leaving their baggage on check, the two boys started from Foster's wharf
+up into the city. They had no idea where the firm of Bartwell & Stone
+were located, but Earl was certain they could easily be found by
+consulting a directory.
+
+The elder brother was on the point of entering a large store in quest of
+the book mentioned when Randy pulled his arm and pointed down the
+street. "There goes a fire engine, Earl!" he cried. "Let's follow it. I
+should like to see how they manage a fire in a city."
+
+Earl was willing, and away they went, easily keeping up with the engine,
+which had to proceed slowly through the crowded thoroughfare. The fire
+was in a paint and oil works, and burnt fiercely for over an hour
+before it was gotten under control. The boys lingered around, watching
+the movements of the firemen with keen interest, and it was two hours
+later before Earl caught Randy by the shoulder and hauled him out of the
+mob of people.
+
+"Remember, we're bound for Alaska," he said. "We can't afford to stop at
+every sight on the way."
+
+A few blocks further on a directory was found in a drug store and the
+address of Bartwell & Stone jotted down. They lost no further time in
+hunting up the firm of bankers and brokers, who occupied the ground
+floor of a substantial business structure.
+
+"I am Earl Portney," explained Earl, to the clerk who asked them what
+they wanted. "This is my brother Randolph. Our uncle, Foster Portney,
+said he would send on some money for us from San Francisco. Has it
+arrived yet?"
+
+"I'll see. Was it a telegraph order?"
+
+"I suppose so."
+
+The clerk disappeared into an inner apartment, to be gone several
+minutes. When he came out he was accompanied by a tall, sharp-eyed man
+in rusty black.
+
+"These are not the young men who called for the money," said the man in
+rusty black. "There must be some mistake here."
+
+"Were the other men identified, Mr. Stone?" questioned the clerk, while
+both Randy and Earl pricked up their ears.
+
+"Oh, yes; a clerk from Johnston's restaurant identified them as Earl and
+Randolph Portney. Besides, they held the original letter which had been
+sent by their uncle, Foster Portney, from San Francisco."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+A SERIOUS SET-BACK.
+
+
+Earl and Randy could scarcely believe their ears. What was this
+gentleman in rusty black saying, that two men had been identified as
+themselves and had called for the money sent on by their Uncle Foster?
+
+"There is a mistake somewhere," said the clerk, turning to the brothers.
+"You say you are Earl and Randolph Portney?"
+
+"We are," both replied, in a breath.
+
+"Two men were here not two hours ago and were identified as the ones to
+receive the money. They had a letter from their uncle, in which he
+wanted them to come to San Francisco and join him in a trip to Alaska."
+
+"That letter was ours!" burst out Earl. "I lost it a couple of days
+ago."
+
+The clerk turned to the elderly gentleman, who looked more serious than
+ever.
+
+"Have you any idea who those men were?" asked the gentleman.
+
+"They were a couple of thieves, that's certain," said Randy, bluntly.
+"The money was to come to us and nobody else."
+
+"Where did you lose that letter?"
+
+"I lost it on the road between Naddy Brook and Spruceville," replied
+Earl, and gave some of the particulars. The full story of his uncle's
+offer to Randy and himself followed, to which Mr. Stone listened
+closely. He was a fair judge of human nature, and saw at once that the
+two boys were no sharpers and that their story was most likely true.
+
+"Well, if you are the real Portney brothers, we are out exactly three
+hundred dollars," he said, after considerable talking. "I paid over that
+money in good faith, too, on the strength of the letter and the
+identification."
+
+"We had nothing to do with that," answered Earl, stoutly, feeling he
+must stand up for his rights.
+
+"Of course not, but--Just wait here a few minutes, and I'll try to find
+that clerk from the restaurant who identified the rascals."
+
+Mr. Stone put on a silk hat and went out, to be gone nearly or quite
+half an hour. He returned accompanied by another man--a police
+official--to whom the particulars of the occurrence had been given.
+
+"That identification was also part of the swindle," the broker
+explained. "I could not find the clerk at the restaurant, and I am
+convinced now that he was not the man he made me believe he was."
+
+"But what about our money?" said Earl, coldly, thinking the broker might
+try to shift the responsibility of the affair.
+
+"If you can find some reliable party known to us to identify you, I will
+pay the sum to you," was the answer. "But I've got to be sure of the
+identification this time--and you can't blame me for that," added the
+broker, with a short laugh.
+
+"No, we can't blame you for that," repeated Earl, yet at the same time
+wondering who there was in that strange city who knew them.
+
+"I don't know of any one here who knows us," put in Randy, reading his
+elder brother's thought. "I wish Uncle had sent the money in some other
+way."
+
+"See here," put in the police official. "Since those swindlers had the
+letter that was lost up near where you come from, perhaps you know the
+men. Mr. Stone, can't you describe them?"
+
+As well as he was able the broker did so. But the description was so
+indefinite that both Earl and Randy shook their heads.
+
+"I know a dozen men who look a good deal like that description," said
+the older brother. "It's possible they were lumbermen like ourselves."
+
+"Yes, they did look like lumbermen," replied Mr. Stone. "That is why I
+was not so particular about their identification."
+
+For another half hour the matter was talked over, and then as it was
+getting time to close up the office for the day, Earl and Randy left, to
+find some one to identify them, were such a thing possible. At the
+corner of the block both halted.
+
+"I'm blessed if I know what to do," were Randy's words. "I can't think
+of a soul who knows us here."
+
+"There used to be a man named Curtis Gordon who once lived at Basco--he
+owned the feed mill there. He came to Boston and started a flour
+business. But whether he would remember me is a question. He hasn't seen
+me in about eight years."
+
+"We might try him--it would be better than nothing!" cried Randy,
+eagerly. "Let us hunt him up in the directory."
+
+This was done, and they found Mr. Curtis Gordon's place of business
+after a search lasting over an hour. Several clerks were in attendance
+who supplied the information that Mr. Gordon had gone to New York, and
+would not be back for two days.
+
+"Stumped again," murmured Randy, dismally. "Did you ever see such luck!"
+
+"Never give up," answered Earl, as cheerfully as he could. "I wonder if
+Mrs. Gordon lives in town."
+
+"What if she does?"
+
+"I'd call on her, and perhaps she can help us out. She used to know me."
+
+From the clerks in the store they received the Gordons' home address.
+It was a fine place on the Back Bay, and it was nightfall by the time
+the boys reached it. They were ushered into the waiting-hall by a
+servant, who immediately went off to notify her mistress, who was at
+dinner.
+
+From the dining-room came a murmur of talking, and one of the voices
+sounded strangely familiar to Earl. "Hark, Randy," he whispered. "Isn't
+that Squire Dobson speaking?"
+
+"It is!" ejaculated Randy. "We are saved at last!"
+
+Mrs. Gordon came to them a minute later, having excused herself to her
+guest. The boys' mission was soon explained, Earl at the same time
+offering an excuse for calling at the meal hour. He mentioned Squire
+Dobson, and that individual was called from the table.
+
+"Well, well!" exclaimed the squire of Basco, a short, stout, and rather
+jolly type of a country official. "I didn't expect to see you in Boston,
+although I heard yesterday that you were bound for Alaska or some such
+place. Mrs. Gordon, these are Daniel Portney's boys,--you must remember
+Daniel Portney,--the one who lost his life in that dreadful forest fire
+up our way some years ago."
+
+Mrs. Gordon did remember, and she gave both lads a warm greeting. It was
+several minutes before Earl could get down to business, and then the
+matter of identification was left to Squire Dobson, who said he would
+see them through in the morning, as soon as the Bartwell & Stone offices
+were open.
+
+"I don't know them," he said, "but I know some bankers on the same
+block, and we can introduce each other."
+
+Mrs. Gordon was glad enough to see some folks from the district which
+had once been her home, and asked the brothers to partake of dinner with
+the squire and her family of boys and girls. After some hesitation, the
+invitation was accepted, and two hours were spent at the mansion.
+
+During the course of this time it was learned by Earl and Randy that
+Squire Dobson had come down from Maine in search of his son, a
+happy-go-lucky lad, who had run away from home, as previously mentioned.
+The squire had heard from a friend that Fred had been seen near the
+docks in Boston, but he had been unable so far to locate the wayward
+youth.
+
+"I'm afraid he has either gone to New York or on some long ocean trip,"
+said the squire to Earl. "He's a foolish boy and is causing me no end of
+trouble. If you ever run across him, send him home at once."
+
+"I will--if he'll go," answered Earl; but neither he nor Randy ever
+dreamed of meeting Fred Dobson where they did.
+
+The visit over, the brothers left, to hunt up some cheap hotel at which
+to stop for the night. This was an easy matter, and at ten o'clock they
+retired. A sound sleep, however, was out of the question, for both were
+anxious concerning the outcome of their dealings with Bartwell & Stone.
+
+Promptly at the hour appointed they met the squire at the office of the
+brokers and bankers. Another banker, well known to both Squire Dobson
+and to Mr. Stone, was introduced all around, and thus Randy and Earl's
+identification was established beyond a doubt. This accomplished, Earl
+received three hundred dollars in cash, for which he and Randy signed a
+receipt; and the transaction was over.
+
+Just outside of the office, the boys separated from the squire of Basco,
+and the former lost no time in making their way to the depot of the New
+York & New England Railroad.
+
+"I don't know what route is best to take to San Francisco," said Earl.
+"I guess we had better buy tickets as far as New York first." And this
+was done; and a few hours later saw them safe on board a train, with
+their baggage in the car ahead. At the depot Earl had obtained a number
+of folders of different routes to the west, and these he intended to
+study while on his way to the great metropolis.
+
+"Oh, but railroad travelling is fine!" cried Randy, enthusiastically, as
+the long train sped on its way through hills and valleys, and past
+numerous pretty towns and villages, all alive with the hum of a thousand
+industries. "One feels as if he would like to ride forever!"
+
+"I'm afraid you'll be tired of riding by the time we reach San
+Francisco," said Earl, who, nevertheless, also enjoyed the journey.
+"This is only a little trip of six or seven hours. The next will be one
+of many days and nights."
+
+"I wonder how they sleep on a train," went on Randy, curiously.
+
+"We'll learn soon enough, Randy. Only don't let every one see how green
+we are," added Earl, in a whisper.
+
+At one of the stations in Connecticut, where a ten minutes' stop was
+made, the two lads alighted to stretch their legs and take a look
+around. They had been seated in the last car, and now they walked
+forward along the broad platform.
+
+Suddenly Randy caught his brother's arm. "Earl! Earl! look!" he
+ejaculated, and pointed to a window of the smoking-car. "There are Tom
+Roland and Jasper Guardley! What can they be doing on this train?"
+
+Earl glanced to where Randy pointed and saw that his brother was right.
+At the same instant Tom Roland saw them, and he drew back and motioned
+for his companion to do the same. Earl noted the movement and stood
+stock-still.
+
+"Randy, I wonder--" he began, and stopped short.
+
+"What, Earl? Isn't it queer they should be on this train from Boston?"
+
+"Yes. Randy, do you think it is possible that Tom Roland would be so
+dishonest as to--to--"
+
+"To get that money, Earl?" broke in the younger boy. "He might be--and
+yes, Mr. Stone's description of the two swindlers fits Roland and
+Guardley exactly!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+A NIGHT IN NEW YORK.
+
+
+"The description certainly does fit these two men," said Earl, with some
+hesitation. "And it is queer that Roland should be down here, when only
+a few days ago he was in Basco. Guardley, I know, is not above
+cheating--he's been up before Squire Dobson several times for it."
+
+"Let us go and have a talk with them," said Randy, impulsively. "If they
+stole that money, I want to know it."
+
+"It's not our business to hunt those swindlers up," answered Earl,
+hesitatingly; yet he followed Randy to the platform of the smoking-car,
+and they were soon inside, and making their way to where Roland and
+Guardley sat, pulling away at two black-looking cigars.
+
+"How do you do, Earl?" said Tom Roland, familiarly, as soon as the boys
+appeared. "It's queer we should be on the same train, isn't it?"
+
+"It is queer," answered Earl, stiffly, taken aback by the greeting.
+"Where are you bound?"
+
+"Guardley and I are going to try our luck in the West. Say, I heard you
+boys were bound for Alaska. Is that true?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"It costs a heap to go there--didn't know you had so much money," put in
+Guardley, with a smile that neither Earl nor Randy appreciated.
+
+"And I didn't know you had any money for a Western trip," returned the
+older brother, rather sharply.
+
+"Oh, Tom here is seeing me through," answered Guardley; but both Randy
+and Earl noted that he appeared somewhat confused for the moment.
+
+"Guardley has done me several good turns, and it wouldn't be fair for me
+to turn my back on him," finished Tom Roland. "We are going right
+through to San Francisco. How about yourselves?"
+
+"We stop off at New York," said Randy.
+
+"It's a pity we can't travel together--" began Roland, when Earl cut him
+short.
+
+"Roland, did you pick up a letter belonging to me?" asked the boy.
+
+The man's eyes dropped, but only for the fraction of a second. "A letter
+belonging to you?" he repeated. "No. Where did you lose it?"
+
+"Somewhere around Basco. Did you see it, Guardley?"
+
+The second man shook his head. "Was it important?" he asked.
+
+"Very," said Earl, laconically, and then, as the train began to move
+again he motioned to Randy, and the two started back for their seat in
+the last car.
+
+"What do you think?" questioned Randy, when they were seated.
+
+"I don't know what to think. It's mighty queer the pair should leave
+Basco in such a hurry."
+
+"We left in a hurry. But we had a good reason."
+
+"And they may have--a reason most folks don't look for."
+
+"Do you think they left on account of some crooked work?" cried Randy.
+
+"That would probably be Jasper Guardley's reason for getting away. But
+it's not our affair, and we have enough other matters to think of,"
+concluded Earl, after a pause. "When we get to New York we'll be like
+stray cattle in a hundred-acre lot. We must look out not to get lost,
+and above all things not to lose our money."
+
+"And engage the cheapest and quickest passage to San Francisco," said
+Randy. "Let us look over those folders before it gets too late. It's too
+dark to see much outside."
+
+The lamps were lighted in the car, and they lost no further time in
+digesting the contents of the folders of the railroad companies and
+pouring over the maps of the various routes to the Golden Gate.
+
+"One looks about as good as another on paper," remarked Earl, at last.
+"I think we had best take the New York Central Railroad to Chicago, then
+the Rock Island & Chicago to Rock Island, and then the Southern Pacific.
+We'll find out about that route when we reach New York."
+
+It was exactly ten o'clock in the evening that the train rolled into the
+Grand Central Depot at Forty-second Street and Randy and Earl alighted.
+The crowd was very thick, and though both looked for Roland and
+Guardley, the two men could not be discovered. The coming and going of
+so many people confused them, and the many cries which greeted them as
+they emerged on the street did not tend to set them at ease.
+
+"Cab, sir? Coupé? This way for the Broadway Central Hotel! Evening
+papers, _Post_ or _Telegram_! _Mail and Express_!"
+
+Several came up to the two boys, offering them cab rides and the like,
+but both Randy and Earl shook their heads. Then Earl remembered that the
+ticket office was close at hand, and he and his brother went inside
+again. A long talk with the ticket clerk followed, and they concluded to
+take the New York Central road to Chicago, and from there as previously
+intended. The train would start at ten in the morning, and Earl bought
+two tickets, paying an amount which brought their cash balance down
+quite low once more.
+
+"Never mind; that pays for about all we'll need," said Randy. "Let us
+leave the tickets to be called for, and then they'll be safe."
+
+"No indeed!" said Earl. "Some one may call for them just as the money
+was called for. I'll carry my ticket in an inside pocket, and you had
+best do the same."
+
+This settled, the brothers strolled out once more. It was rather late,
+but they could not resist the temptation to a walk down Broadway, of
+which they had heard so often. They trudged as far as the Post-office,
+took a look at Park Row and the numerous newspaper buildings, and the
+Brooklyn Bridge all lit up in a blaze of electric lights, and then Earl
+happened to glance at the clock on St. Paul's Church.
+
+"Half-past twelve, Randy!" he ejaculated. "Gracious! we'll never find a
+hotel open as late as this! Let us get back to the vicinity of the depot
+again!"
+
+"I guess the hotels are open all night here," answered the younger
+brother. "Let us ride up Broadway on that street car." And they boarded
+a cable car, which speedily took them back to Forty-second Street. A
+convenient hotel was found close to the railroad station, and they lost
+no time in retiring. The constant rumble and roar of the elevated trains
+disturbed them not a little, and it was well into the morning hours
+before both dropped off into dreamland, not to awaken until a bell boy
+aroused them at seven o'clock.
+
+After a hasty breakfast another look was taken around the city. Finding
+they had the time, they took an elevated train to the Battery and back,
+staying long enough at the lower end of the city to catch a glimpse of
+Castle Garden with its aquarium, and the statue of Liberty out in the
+bay.
+
+"One could spend a month in sight-seeing here," sighed Randy. "I wish we
+had had the time to do Boston and New York thoroughly."
+
+Ten o'clock found them on the train which was to take them through to
+Chicago without change of cars. The cars were comfortably filled, but
+there was no crowding. Again they looked for Roland and Guardley, but
+without success.
+
+"I guess they remained in New York," said Earl; but for once the young
+fellow was mistaken.
+
+Leaving the vicinity of the metropolis, the train began its long journey
+up the beautiful Hudson. But the journey northward did not last long.
+Soon the train branched to the westward and plunged into the hills and
+rolling lands of the Mohawk Valley. City after city were left behind
+with a whir and a rush that almost took Randy's breath from him. At noon
+a stop was made for lunch, then on they went again. Supper was served in
+a dining-car, and both boys voted it about the best meal they had ever
+tasted.
+
+After the lamps were lit it was not long before the passengers began to
+think of going to bed. Both Randy and Earl watched the porter closely
+as he drew out the beds from the narrow closets in the sloping roof of
+the car, set up the little wooden partitions, and otherwise arranged the
+sleeping-apartments. The boys had a section to themselves and concluded
+to sleep together in the lower berth, so the upper berth was left out.
+
+"A sleeping-car is a great institution," said Earl, as they turned in.
+"Why, a train like this is just a moving house and nothing else!"
+
+Shortly after noon of the day following Chicago was reached. Here they
+had a three hours' stop and spent the time in a ride on State Street,
+and a trip to the roof of the great Masonic Temple, where a grand
+bird's-eye view of the entire city was to be seen, spread out far below
+them.
+
+And so the long trip westward continued. To tell of all the places
+stopped at would be impossible. All day long for nearly a week they sat
+at their car window taking in the sights of cities, towns, prairies, and
+mountains. There were wonderful bridges to cross and perilous turns to
+make, at which both held their breath, expecting each moment to be
+dashed to pieces. In the mountains a severe storm was encountered, and
+the rolling of the thunder was awe-inspiring, so long was it kept up.
+
+But all journeys, long and short, must come to an end, and one fine
+morning the boys found themselves safe and sound in San Francisco, and
+on their way to the Palace Hotel. The trip overland had brightened them
+a good bit, and they no longer looked as green as when they had started.
+
+They had just stepped from a Market Street car in front of the hotel
+when they saw a youth coming down the hotel steps who looked strangely
+familiar, in spite of the somewhat ragged clothing he wore.
+
+"Randy, who is that fellow?" questioned Earl, quickly, as he caught his
+brother by the elbow.
+
+"Why, if it isn't Fred Dobson!" burst from Randy's lips. "How in the
+world did he get away out here? Fred Dobson! Fred Dobson! Stop, we want
+to talk to you!" he called out, as the youth in question was on the
+point of hurrying off.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+PREPARATIONS FOR DEPARTURE.
+
+
+"Randy Portney!" came from the lips of the boy addressed, as he turned
+to stare at the person who had called out his name. "And Earl, too!
+Where--where did you come from?"
+
+"From Basco, of course," returned Randy. "How did you get away out
+here?"
+
+"I--I came out on a train from Chicago," stammered Fred Dobson, but he
+did not add that the train had been a freight, and that the stolen ride
+had been both uncomfortable and full of peril.
+
+"We met your father in Boston," put in Earl. "He said if we should ever
+run across you to tell you to come home."
+
+"I'm not going back," was the reply of the squire's son. "I came out
+here to make my fortune."
+
+"I'm afraid you'll find it rather hard work," ventured Randy, and he
+glanced at Fred's shabby suit. Around Basco the youth had dressed better
+than any one else.
+
+"I've been playing in hard luck lately," was the slangy reply. "But
+say, what are you two fellows doing out here?"
+
+"We came on to join our uncle," said Randy. "He is going to take us to
+Alaska with him."
+
+"Alaska! To those new gold fields a fellow reads about in the daily
+papers?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"I'd like to go there myself," said the runaway, readily.
+
+"It costs a good deal of money to go, Fred," remarked Earl. He rather
+liked the squire's son, in spite of his wild ways. "A fellow must take
+along a year's provisions."
+
+"So I've heard. I wonder if I couldn't work my way up on one of the
+boats."
+
+"I wouldn't advise you to go," said Randy. "Why, you are not used to
+hard work, and they say work up there is of the hardest kind."
+
+"Oh, I can work if I have to. Where is your uncle?"
+
+"He's stopping at this hotel." Randy turned to Earl. "Let us see if
+Uncle Foster is in, and we can talk to Fred some time later."
+
+This was decided upon, and the squire's son walked off, promising to be
+back in a few hours.
+
+"He puts on a pretty good face, but I fancy he is homesick,
+nevertheless," remarked Earl, as he and Randy made their way to the
+hotel office. They were just about to ask for their uncle when a hand
+was laid on Earl's shoulder.
+
+"Earl! Randy! How are you, my boys! Just as fresh and hearty as when I
+saw you last. And how both of you are growing! Why, Earl, you are almost
+a man! I'm glad to see you, yes, I am!" And Foster Portney beamed at
+both from a pair of brown eyes set in a round, ruddy face, which was
+half covered with a long beard. He was a large and rugged man, and his
+open manner had made him many friends.
+
+"What a beard you've got, Uncle Foster!" were Randy's first words, as he
+winced at the close grip Foster Portney gave his hand. "You look like
+all the rest of the Westerners around here!"
+
+"I'm glad we had no trouble in finding you," put in Earl, whose hand
+also tingled from the grip given it. He remembered now that his uncle
+had always been considered an unusually strong man. "I know he'll stand
+the Alaskan climate well enough, even if we don't," he thought.
+
+"Didn't have any trouble getting here, did you?" questioned Foster
+Portney. "Your message came on time?"
+
+"We had a little set-back in Boston," answered Earl, and told of the
+trouble about the money. His uncle listened with a sober look on his
+broad face.
+
+"That was too bad, truly, lads. But it's the loss of that firm of
+bankers and brokers. They ought to have been sure of the identification.
+And you think the thieves were two men named Roland and Guardley? They
+must be thorough rascals."
+
+"We are not sure," broke in Randy, hastily. "It only looks that way."
+
+"I see." Foster Portney mused for a moment. "Well, we can't lose time in
+trying to investigate. I was hoping you two boys would turn up to-day or
+to-morrow. Day after to-morrow a boat sails for Juneau, and if I rustle
+around I think I can secure passage for ourselves and our traps. If we
+don't catch this boat, we'll have to wait two weeks, or else take a
+train for Portland and wait ten days."
+
+"But we haven't a thing, Uncle Foster," cried Randy. "That is, outside
+of our clothing, which is in our trunks, on check at the railroad
+station."
+
+"And that clothing, for the most part, will have to be left behind,
+Randy. For a country like Alaska one must be differently dressed than
+here. Each of you will have to have a suit of furs and plenty of
+flannels and all that sort of thing."
+
+"And where shall we get them?"
+
+"There is a regular outfitting store not far from here. But the first
+thing to be done, now you have turned up, is to secure those passage
+tickets to Juneau. The Alaskan fever is setting in strong here, and
+we'll not be alone on our trip over Chilkoot Pass and along the
+headwaters of the Yukon."
+
+"I'm in the dark about this trip, I must confess," said Earl. "Where is
+this pass you mention, and where is the Klondike Creek, or River?"
+
+"I'll show you the route to-night, boys, on a map just issued by our
+government, the best map out so far. But come along to that steamboat
+office, or we'll get left."
+
+Five minutes later saw the boys and their uncle on a street car which
+ran close to the dock at which the steamboat lay, taking in her cargo,
+which consisted mainly of the outfits of miners and prospectors. The
+boat, which was named the _Golden Hope_, had been chartered especially
+for this trip, and a temporary shipping office had been established
+close at hand. Around this office was congregated a motley collection of
+men, all eager to obtain passage to Juneau as cheaply as it could be
+had.
+
+Through this crowd Foster Portney shoved his way, with Randy and Earl
+close behind him. It was some minutes before they could get to the
+ticket office.
+
+"I want three tickets," said Mr. Portney. "How much freight will you
+carry on them?"
+
+"Six hundred pounds, and not a pound more for anybody," was the quick
+reply.
+
+"And when do you sail?"
+
+"Wednesday, at twelve o'clock sharp. What are the names? We don't want
+any mix-up in this rush."
+
+The names were put down, and the money for the passage paid over, and
+with their tickets in their pockets the three struggled to get out of
+the crowd, which was growing more dense every minute. Close at hand was
+a big bill-board on which was posted a large circular headed in big
+black letters:--
+
+  THE GOLD FIELDS OF ALASKA!
+
+  _Direct Route via Juneau and Over Chilkoot Pass!
+  Now is the Time to Go and Stake Your Claim!_
+
+"That circular is enough to set almost any one crazy," said Earl, as he
+read it over. "Well, I hope we strike a bonanza."
+
+"The reports are very encouraging," replied Foster Portney, who, in
+spite of his usual cool headedness had the gold fever nearly as badly as
+any one in San Francisco. "You see," he went on, "the sooner we get
+there the better: for we won't have much time left after arriving before
+the long and terribly cold winter sets in."
+
+Earl had imagined that the six hundred pounds of freight must be divided
+between the three, but soon learned that six hundred pounds was the
+limit for each person.
+
+"We'll never carry that much, will we?" he queried. "Why, how are we
+going to get all that stuff over the pass you mentioned?"
+
+"We'll get Indians to pack it over. They'll charge twenty or thirty
+cents a pound, but it's the best that can be done. Some hire pack mules
+and dog teams, but my experience has been that Indians are the most
+reliable."
+
+Dinner was now had, and then the three proceeded to the outfitting store
+Foster Portney had previously mentioned. On the way their uncle asked
+the boys what they had in their trunks, that nothing not needed might be
+purchased.
+
+Two hours were spent in buying clothing, and both Earl and Randy thought
+their uncle would never get done adding to the pile. First came a dozen
+suits of flannel underwear, and with them a dozen pairs of heavy socks
+and half a dozen of light ones. Then came two suits of woollen clothing,
+strongly made and with large pockets, two pairs of strong shoes and a
+pair of arctics, and two pairs of walrus-hide boots--heavy, it is true,
+but strong as iron. Finally came a suit of furs and two caps, each with
+a guard which could be pulled down to the neck, leaving only two holes
+for the eyes.
+
+"I reckon you've got handkerchiefs and such extras," said Mr. Portney.
+"So now all you want, so far as wearing is concerned, is a few pairs of
+smoked glasses, to prevent snow-blindness."
+
+The general outfitter was also able to supply these, and he suggested
+they take along about ten yards of mosquito netting.
+
+"Mosquito netting!" cried Randy. "What for?"
+
+"During the short summer mosquitoes are exceedingly thick in Alaska,"
+said his uncle; and made the purchase suggested.
+
+It was now getting late, and Foster Portney said they had best wait
+until the following morning before buying the camping-out things,
+bedding, and other necessities. "I'll make a careful list to-night," he
+added.
+
+They returned to the Palace Hotel, where Randy and Earl found Fred
+Dobson awaiting them.
+
+"Say!" was the greeting of the squire's son. "Is half of Basco moving
+out to San Francisco?"
+
+"What do you mean?" questioned Earl, with a puzzled look.
+
+"Why, I was down at the railroad station about an hour ago, and I saw a
+train come in from Chicago with Tom Roland and Jasper Guardley on
+board."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+BUYING THE OUTFITS.
+
+
+"You saw Tom Roland and Jasper Guardley?" burst from the lips of the
+Portney brothers simultaneously.
+
+"Yes," replied Fred Dobson. "I couldn't believe my eyes at first, but
+when I felt sure I was right I ran up to speak to Roland."
+
+"And what did he say?" queried Earl.
+
+"He didn't give me a chance to speak to him. He and Guardley disappeared
+in the crowd like a flash. I rather think they saw me and avoided me."
+
+Earl and Randy exchanged glances. Tom Roland and Jasper Guardley had
+followed them to San Francisco. What could it mean?
+
+"I shouldn't wonder if they are bound for Alaska, too!" burst out Randy.
+"Oh, Earl, supposing they got that letter--"
+
+"It's more than likely they did," said the elder youth, quickly. "I'll
+wager both of them are going to try their fortunes in the new gold
+fields. Well, they had a cheap trip West," he concluded bitterly.
+
+"If we could prove they got the money, we could have them locked up."
+
+"But we can't prove it, Randy; we haven't time, so we'll just have to
+let matters stand where they are. For my part I never want to see either
+of them again," said Earl, decidedly.
+
+Fred Dobson had listened to the latter part of the conversation with
+interest, and now he wished to know what it all meant.
+
+"They must be guilty," he said, after Randy had recited the facts.
+"Guardley is a bad egg. You know he was up before my father several
+times. But say, Randy," he went on, as Earl turned away with Foster
+Portney to secure extra accommodations at the hotel for the two
+following nights, "can't you fix it up with your uncle so that I can go
+to Alaska with him? I'll work like a slave for the chance to go."
+
+Randy had expected something of this sort and had talked the matter over
+with Earl, and now he shook his head.
+
+"I don't believe I can, Fred. My uncle is only taking us along because
+we are related and because he knows we are both strong and used to hard
+work. I really don't believe you could stand it in the new gold fields.
+He has warned us that the exposure is something awful."
+
+"Oh, I know, but I can stand more than you think," pleaded Fred.
+
+"Besides that, it wouldn't be right," added Randy. "You ran away from
+home, and it's your duty to go back."
+
+"Oh, don't preach. My father doesn't care where I am."
+
+"Yes, he does, Fred; he cares a good deal. And then your mother must be
+worried, too."
+
+At the mention of his mother, Fred Dobson's face changed color for a
+moment, and when next he spoke there seemed to be a suspicious lump in
+his throat.
+
+"I--I'm going to send mother a letter; I'll write it to-night."
+
+"You should have written long ago, Fred."
+
+"Oh, don't preach. Then you won't speak to your uncle?" And the squire's
+son looked into Randy's face wistfully.
+
+"Yes, I'll speak to him; but it won't do any good, Fred."
+
+It was not long after this that Foster Portney and Earl came back,
+having hired an extra room for the time desired. The uncle had been
+introduced to Fred, and now he invited the runaway to take supper with
+them.
+
+It was not until the meal was nearly over that Fred urged Randy to
+broach the subject next his heart. Foster Portney listened patiently to
+all Randy had to say and also gave ear to Fred's pleadings. But his
+face did not brighten up into anything like an encouraging look.
+
+"No, Dobson, I can't take you," was his reply. "In the first place, Earl
+and Randy are all the companions I wish to take along, that is, and grub
+stake, as we term it in mining slang--pay their way, that means; and in
+the second place, it wouldn't be right. You are a minor and have run
+away from home, and, if anything, it is my duty to see that you go back.
+Besides this, you do not look strong, and, I believe, you have never
+done any real hard work, and that won't do for Alaska. Only those who
+know how to rough it stand any show whatever of getting along there. My
+advice to you is, to go back where you belong."
+
+As may be surmised, this plain speech did not suit Fred Dobson at all,
+and he felt more than ill at ease for the remainder of the repast. As
+soon as he could do so gracefully he arose to go.
+
+"I don't suppose I'll see you again for a long while," he said, as he
+held out his hand to Earl and to Randy. "Well, good luck to you,
+anyway."
+
+Randy caught Earl by the arm and gave it a little pinch. "How are you
+off for cash, Fred?" he asked, in a low tone.
+
+"Oh, I've got a little money with me," answered Fred, quietly, but did
+not add that the sum-total of his fortune amounted to exactly sixty-five
+cents.
+
+"Perhaps we can help you a little," put in Earl, who understood the
+pinch Randy had given him. "We haven't much, but if a few dollars will
+do any good--"
+
+"Will you let me have two dollars?" asked the squire's son, eagerly.
+
+"Yes."
+
+"And I'll let you have two more," added Randy, and the amounts were
+passed over on the spot, and Fred thanked them very profusely. A few
+minutes later he had thanked Foster Portney for the supper, bade all
+good-by, and was gone.
+
+"Not a half bad boy," was the comment of Mr. Portney. "His one fault is,
+I reckon, that he has been allowed to have his own way too long.
+Roughing it out here will most likely make a man of him, unless he gets
+into bad company and goes to the dogs."
+
+"I am going to write to his folks and let them know where he is," said
+Earl; and the letter was penned and mailed before he went to bed.
+
+The three were on their way early on the following morning to complete
+the purchase of their outfits, for all must be packed up and on the
+steamboat deck by seven o'clock the next morning, to insure being stored
+on board of the _Golden Hope_.
+
+The first purchases made were those of a good tent, bedding, woollen
+blankets, rubber sleeping-bags, a large piece of oiled canvas, and
+several lynx-skin robes.
+
+"Now for our tools with which to cut down trees, build boats, and the
+like," said Foster Portney. "Remember, we are almost like pioneers in a
+new land."
+
+For boat-building purposes they purchased a good whip-saw, a cross-cut
+saw, a jack plane, and a draw knife, a large and a small axe, a hammer,
+brace and bits, six pounds of assorted nails, several pounds of oakum
+for calking, and some pitch. To this outfit was added fifty yards of
+three-quarter-inch rope.
+
+"Don't we want some canvas for sail?" asked Randy, who was intensely
+interested, and who felt somewhat as if he was going out to play at
+Robinson Crusoe.
+
+"No, the other bits of canvas will do for that," responded Foster
+Portney. "Now for the camping-out things," he went on, and had soon
+procured a good-sized water kettle, a frying-pan, broiler, bean pot, tin
+measure, extra baking and cooking tins, three tin plates and cups, three
+sets of knives and forks, coffee pot and strainer, salt and pepper
+shakers, and a strong paper-fibre water pail.
+
+"That about ends that," he said, when each article bought had been
+carefully scrutinized to see that it was perfect. "Now for food and
+medicines, and then we'll be about done."
+
+The food list made Randy smile grimly. "No luxuries there," he whispered
+to Earl. "We are going to live as plain as we did up in Maine, or
+plainer."
+
+The list consisted of the following: A hundred pounds of flour, with
+baking-powder, twenty pounds of smoked ham and bacon, two dozen cans of
+tomatoes, a dozen cans of other vegetables, a small sack of potatoes, a
+dozen cans of condensed milk, twenty pounds of sugar, ten pounds of
+salt, twenty pounds of coffee, a sack of beans, pepper and other spices,
+and mustard. To these were added a few cans of fruit by way of
+delicacies.
+
+The food packed, they made their way to a drug store and procured a
+small family chest of various medicines, and added to this several
+bottles of liquor, which, however, were to be used only for medicinal
+purposes, for none of the party were drinkers.
+
+Foster Portney already had a serviceable pistol, and he now procured for
+this weapon a sufficient supply of cartridges. He also bought a pistol
+for Randy and a shot-gun for Earl. "The gun will be the most useful
+weapon," he said, "for it will help put lots of game into our
+eating-pot, and that is what we shall want."
+
+"Won't we want a fishing-line or two?" asked Earl. "I have one in my
+trunk, but it is not of much account."
+
+"Yes, we'll buy several first-class ones, and a book of flies. Fish to a
+hungry man are as acceptable as any other game," answered his uncle, and
+the articles mentioned were purchased without delay.
+
+The list was now filled, yet Foster Portney spent nearly an hour more in
+picking up such odds and ends as pins, needles, spools of thread, three
+good pocket compasses, and burning-glasses, a pocket notebook for each,
+with pencils and some writing-paper and envelopes. Finally he took them
+to a little shop on a side street, where each procured a monstrous
+knapsack of oiled canvas, having straps to be placed over the shoulders
+and an extra strap to come up over the front part of the head.
+
+"What an affair!" said Randy, with a laugh. "I never saw a knapsack with
+a head-piece before."
+
+"You'll find it an easy thing to carry," said his uncle. "Try it," and
+Randy did so, and was astonished to learn how much the head-strap
+improved the carrying powers.
+
+The best part of the evening was spent in packing the things they had
+purchased, and it was not until after ten o'clock that the last of the
+bundles were ready and duly tagged.
+
+"Now we have only a few more things to get," said Foster Portney, "the
+most important of the whole outfit;" and as Randy and Earl looked at him
+blankly, he smiled in an odd way. "What could three gold hunters do
+without picks, shovels, and pans?"
+
+"To be sure!" shouted Randy, and Earl reddened over the idea that he had
+not thought of the things before.
+
+"We'll get them in the morning, for they won't have to be packed," said
+the uncle. "We have done enough for to-day."
+
+And Randy, who was tired out, agreed with him that it had been a busy
+day, indeed. He went to bed with his head in a whirl about Alaska and
+how they were to get there, and of the wonderful finds of gold which
+awaited all hands. He was full of the brightest of hopes, and the
+hardships so soon to be encountered did not bother him.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+ON THE WAY TO JUNEAU.
+
+
+"Get up, Randy! Don't you know we are to start for Alaska to-day?" cried
+Earl, at six o'clock on the following morning. "Come now, turn out."
+
+"Oh my, but I'm tired still!" grumbled Randy, as he stretched himself.
+Nevertheless, he hopped out of bed a moment later and was dressed almost
+as soon as his brother. They had barely finished when their uncle came
+to summon them to breakfast.
+
+"We'll hunt up those tools and then I have a little private business to
+attend to," announced Foster Portney. "So we must move lively."
+
+Breakfast, the last meal to be eaten in San Francisco, was quickly
+disposed of, and then followed a half-hour's inspection of various
+picks, shovels, and gold-washing pans at a hardware store that made a
+specialty of miners' tools. The boys were greatly interested, and, as
+Earl said, it made them feel more like prospectors to own a pick and a
+shovel each. The final bundle was made and shipped to the steamboat
+dock, and Foster Portney left them.
+
+"Meet me at the dock at eleven o'clock," he said, as he hurried away.
+
+The boys had still several private matters to be settled. Their trunks
+were to be sold, also some old clothing. At the hotel they obtained the
+addresses of several dealers in second-hand goods, and they had one of
+the dealers call and look at the stuff. He offered ten dollars for the
+lot; and, as they did not see their way to doing better, they accepted
+his terms, and the goods were removed without delay.
+
+"Let us take a walk around while we have the chance," said Earl. "It is
+only ten o'clock."
+
+Randy was willing, and off they started up Market Street to the City
+Hall, and then back and into Montgomery and Kearney streets, taking in
+all the sights as they went. Almost before they knew it, it was time to
+go to the wharf.
+
+"We don't want to keep Uncle Foster waiting," said Earl; but when they
+reached the wharf their uncle was nowhere in sight.
+
+The crowd which had collected to see the gold seekers off was a large
+one, and more people kept coming every moment. The almost magic name,
+Klondike, was on every tongue, and there were hundreds who expressed the
+wish that they were going along.
+
+"Alaska is full of gold!" one man declared. "Full of gold! All you've
+got to do is to locate it."
+
+"That's just it," said Earl to his brother. "If you can locate it you're
+all right; if not--" and he finished by a shrug of his broad shoulders.
+
+"You're not sorry we're going, are you?" demanded Randy, quickly.
+
+"Sorry? Not a bit of it. But it doesn't pay to be too sanguine, Randy,
+my boy."
+
+Quarter of an hour passed, and the jam on the dock began to become
+uncomfortable. Brawny men predominated, but there were also many others
+there,--wives to bid good-by to their husbands, girls to wish their
+lovers good-luck, and children to catch a last embrace from their
+parents. Many of the women were in tears, and a number of other eyes
+were moist, and altogether the scene was rather a sober one.
+
+"What can be keeping Uncle Foster?" asked Randy, as the minutes to the
+time for sailing slipped by. "I don't see him anywhere, do you?"
+
+Earl did not, and he was as anxious as his brother. Back and forth they
+pushed their way, but without success. Then Earl looked at the silver
+watch he carried. "Ten minutes to twelve!" he ejaculated.
+
+"Let us go on board and stand where Uncle Foster can see us," suggested
+Randy, in a tone of voice which was far from steady. Supposing their
+uncle should not turn up, what should they do? To go alone on that trip
+seemed out of the question.
+
+Luckily they had their tickets, so getting on board was not difficult.
+A number of the passengers glanced at them curiously.
+
+"Goin' ter Alaska?" asked one brawny fellow whose face was almost
+entirely concealed by his tangled beard. "Well, well! Ain't yer most
+afraid ye'll git done up?"
+
+"We'll try to keep on top," answered Earl. The fellow wished to continue
+the conversation, but both Earl and Randy were too impatient just then
+to listen to him, and moved off to another part of the boat.
+
+Five minutes more had passed and an officer was going around shouting:
+"All ashore that's going! We sail in five minutes!" Those to be left
+behind began to pass over the gang-plank--it was a hasty handshake and a
+last good-by on every side. The boys looked at each other doubtfully.
+
+"If he doesn't come--" began Earl, when his quick eye caught sight in
+the crowd of a hat that he recognized. "Uncle Foster! Uncle Foster
+Portney! Come on board!" he yelled, at the top of his sturdy lungs.
+
+Mr. Portney, in the jam of people below, heard and looked up. In a
+moment he had caught sight of his nephews and he shook his hand at them.
+Soon he was mounting the gang-plank, the last of the passengers to come
+on board. He was out of breath and gave the boys an odd smile.
+
+"I suppose I gave you a scare," he said. "I didn't mean to be so late,
+but those business matters took longer than I intended, and then there
+was a blockade of street cars and I had to walk it. But we're all right
+now, I reckon," he added, gazing around. "Good-by to San Francisco! When
+we see her again may our pockets be lined with gold!" And he took off
+his soft felt hat and waved it at the crowd on shore.
+
+The boat was now swinging clear of the wharf and thousands of hats and
+handkerchiefs were waving. "There she goes!" "Hurrah for Alaska!" "If
+you strike it rich, let us know!" "God be with you!" These and a hundred
+other cries rang out, and they were kept up until the steamer was far
+out in the stream and on her way up the bay to the Golden Gate.
+
+The run to the Gate did not take long, and by the middle of the
+afternoon the steamer was standing out boldly into the Pacific Ocean, on
+her way almost due north. It had been rather muggy, and now a heavy mist
+set in, and by evening the boys were glad enough to leave the deck and
+arrange their stateroom. It contained four berths, two for themselves,
+one for Mr. Portney, and the last for a stranger who was down on the
+ship's list as Captain Luke Zoss.
+
+"I wonder who Captain Zoss can be?" said Randy to Earl, when the door of
+the stateroom was suddenly flung open, and the bushy-bearded man who had
+spoken to them on deck came in. He stared at them in surprise for a
+second, then burst into a hearty fit of laughter.
+
+"Wall! wall! So it's you as are goin' ter be my messmates on this yere
+trip!" he exclaimed. "All right, lads, glad ter have ye." He held out a
+brawny hand. "My handle is Luke Zoss, but most of the boys know me as
+Cap'n Luke. May I be so inquisitive as to ask your names?"
+
+"My name is Earl Portney, and this is my brother Randy," answered Earl.
+The hearty way of the stranger pleased him, and he was sure he should
+like Zoss.
+
+"Portney, eh? I used ter know a man by thet name--Foster Portney, o'
+Colorady."
+
+"Why, he's our uncle, and he is with us!" cried Randy, and just then his
+uncle came in, and he and Captain Zoss shook hands. They had met in
+Creede, where Zoss had once been a mining superintendent, and knew each
+other quite well.
+
+"All bound fer the Klondike!" exclaimed the captain. "Hooray! We're sure
+to strike it, eh, Portney? I know you wouldn't be a-goin' thar unless
+gold was to be picked up. Goin' over Chilkoot Pass, I take it." Foster
+Portney nodded. "Then we might as well stick together, eh? It will be
+better than pairing off with somebody as might be wuss nor a hoss thief,
+eh? O' course it would!"
+
+Again the captain shook hands. Then he asked the boys where they came
+from and was pleased to learn they were used to a life in the open air.
+
+"I was a lumberman myself onct--up in Michigan," he said. "But thar
+wasn't enough excitement, so I gave it up to seek gold and silver.
+Minin' and prospectin' just suit me--leas'wise so long as the grub holds
+out. One thing is in our favor--scarcity o' men up in them new gold
+fields. Now, down in Colorady it's different--all overrun with men, eh,
+Portney?"
+
+"Yes, we'll have rather an open field," answered Foster Portney. And
+then followed a long discussion about the new gold fields and what might
+be expected when Dyea was reached and the terrible climb over the
+mountains began. The discussion lasted until ten o'clock, and the boys
+listened with interest and picked up many stray bits of information.
+Both concluded that the overland trip to the mines would prove every bit
+as rough and dangerous as they had pictured it.
+
+The distance from San Francisco to Juneau, Alaska, is, in round figures,
+one thousand miles. The _Golden Hope_ was not as large as a regular
+ocean liner, yet she was a fast boat, and it was expected that she would
+cover the distance inside of four days. Much, of course, would depend
+upon the weather encountered, for she was heavily loaded with both
+passengers and freight. The freight had given even the owners concern,
+for much of it was piled high on the outer decks.
+
+On the second day out, and some time after Cape Blanco had been sighted
+through the glass, the sky to the westward began to darken, and the
+sailors announced an approaching storm. Soon the sun went under a heavy
+bank of clouds and a stiff breeze sprung up which threw the long, heavy
+swells of the ocean into millions of whitecaps, dancing and skipping on
+every side as far as eye could reach.
+
+"We are in for it now," was the announcement which went the rounds.
+Presently it began to rain, and all endeavored to seek the shelter of
+the cabin, which speedily became crowded to suffocation. The boys, their
+uncle, and Captain Zoss were in the forward part of the boat, and they
+saw the course changed, so that the _Golden Hope_ stood out straight to
+meet the blow.
+
+"We are going to have no fun of this," said Foster Portney, with a grave
+shake of his head. "If I know anything about matters, that storm will be
+an extra heavy one." And the events of the next hour proved that he was
+right.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+
+THE FATE OF A STOWAWAY.
+
+
+"My gracious! We're going to the bottom sure!"
+
+It was Randy who made the observation. The storm had struck the steamer
+in all its fury, and the pitching of the vessel made it almost
+impossible for a person to keep his feet. Randy clutched a handrail
+fastened near by, and Earl did the same; while Mr. Portney and Captain
+Zoss braced up against a ceiling post. The only thing that kept many
+from falling was the fact that there was no vacant floor space. "They
+were in it like sardines in a tin," as Randy expressed it.
+
+"Some of the outside freight is bound to go," remarked Foster Portney, a
+minute later. "Ah, as I thought--the captain has ordered it cut away.
+There goes some poor fellows' outfits! Too bad!"
+
+"I hope our stuff isn't among it!" cried Earl. "But they'll be
+responsible, won't they?"
+
+"Yes, they'll be responsible, Earl. But we don't want their money--we
+want our goods, for it may be difficult, if not impossible, to duplicate
+the things at Juneau. But I imagine our goods are in the hold."
+
+"Our clothing and provisions are," said Randy. "I saw them put down just
+before we started. But the tools may be out there."
+
+"If they--" began Captain Zoss, but broke off short as a mighty crash
+was heard from the rear deck. The crash was followed by the jingle of
+broken glass and sharp cries of pain and alarm.
+
+There was every evidence of a panic, but the cooler heads restored
+order, and then it was found that a miner's outfit had caused all the
+trouble. It had been loosened from the deck, but before it could be
+thrown overboard a lurch of the steamer had sent it sailing through the
+air straight through a cabin window. The miner to whom the outfit
+belonged had been one of those to be most scared by its unceremonious
+entrance.
+
+For three hours the storm raged in all its fury, and during that time no
+one but the officers and crew were allowed on deck. Nearly all the
+outside freight was thrown away, a loss which amounted to several
+thousand dollars. At last the wind and the rain gradually abated, and by
+nightfall the _Golden Hope_ was again proceeding on her journey
+northward.
+
+On the following day they ran by Vancouver Island, and it was calculated
+that they would reach Juneau by noon of the day following. All were
+anxious concerning the outfits which had been lost overboard, and the
+miners and officers tried to make out a list of them. The work
+proceeded all day, and it was not until nightfall that it was learned
+positively that the goods belonging to the Portneys and to Captain Zoss
+were safe.
+
+The first sight of Juneau was rather disappointing to the boys, who had
+expected to see a much larger place. Juneau is but a small town, lying
+on the western coast of a peninsula formed by the Lynn Canal and the
+wide mouth of the Taku River. Directly opposite is Douglas Island. The
+town lies on a small patch of flat ground, backed up by several high
+mountains. It is principally a trading centre. The harbor is a fairly
+good one, and, on account of the rush to the gold fields, the stores
+were increasing constantly.
+
+As soon as the steamer reached her landing place a wild rush for shore
+ensued, and then began a hunt for some vessel which might take the party
+up to Dyea, where the journey by water would, for the present, come to
+an end. The water up the Lynn Canal, as it is termed, although it is not
+at all a canal as we know them, and through Dyea Inlet, is shallow, and,
+consequently, ocean steamers do not go beyond Juneau.
+
+"I'll hunt up passage on some boat," said Foster Portney to the boys.
+"You remain here and watch our goods. Those fellows who lost their
+outfits are angry enough, and some of them would like nothing better
+than to appropriate ours and let us look to the steamboat company for
+redress."
+
+While he was gone, the task of bringing the goods from the steamer's
+hold was started, for no one wanted to be delayed in Juneau any longer
+than was necessary. Randy and Earl watched the work closely, and as soon
+as their things appeared they claimed them and had the lot transferred
+to a spot at the end of the rather rotten and shaky dock.
+
+Presently, as they stood waiting for the reappearance of their uncle and
+Captain Zoss, who had gone with Mr. Portney, they noticed a commotion on
+board the _Golden Hope_. A stowaway had been found in the hold of the
+vessel, and the sailors and stevedores had brought the fellow out more
+dead than alive.
+
+"Get off of here!" cried the captain of the steamer, in a rage, as he
+booted the fellow not once, but half a dozen times. "Get out, I say! If
+we were down in San Francisco I'd have you locked up in a minute. It's a
+pity I didn't find you out when we were on the trip--I'd a-made you work
+your passage, and more! Go, before I heave you overboard!"
+
+And with a final kick the stowaway was run off the gang-plank, to fall
+in a heap on the dock, too weak from the confinement and want of proper
+food to stand.
+
+"It's Fred Dobson!" ejaculated Randy. "Oh, Earl, look!"
+
+"It is Fred, true enough!" replied Earl, as much surprised as his
+brother. Forgetful of their outfits for the time being, both ran forward
+and picked up the son of the squire of Basco. Fred's eyes were closed,
+his face was as white as chalk, and they saw at a glance that he had
+fainted.
+
+[Illustration: "WITH A FINAL KICK THE STOWAWAY WAS RUN OFF THE
+GANG-PLANK."--_Page 72._]
+
+"Get some water, Randy," said Earl, as he began to work over the
+prostrate figure. "I wonder if there is a doctor handy. He looks as if
+he was half starved to death."
+
+As Randy ran off, a crowd began to collect, a few to sympathize, but the
+majority to look on merely in curiosity or to make audible comments that
+it served the boy right, since he had no business to steal a trip.
+
+"Got a crazy notion to go to the gold fields, I reckon," said one
+bystander. "He ought to be home where his mamma could spank him."
+
+At this there was a coarse laugh, which was quickly hushed when another
+man, a young fellow of not more than twenty-three, stepped forward, and
+announced that he was a doctor. He soon succeeded in bringing Fred
+around.
+
+"He wants something to eat as much as anything," said the newcomer.
+"There is a restaurant over yonder. Better take him there and get him
+some soup and stale bread--his stomach isn't strong enough to bear a
+regular meal."
+
+Randy and Earl thanked the doctor and did as advised, while the crowd
+gradually melted away to tend to its own affairs. Fred was ravenously
+hungry, yet he ate with difficulty when the food was set before him.
+
+"I've had nothing to eat for about forty hours," he said, when he felt
+strong enough to talk. "I spent that four dollars you two gave me in
+buying provisions, crackers, cheese, and the like, but on the second day
+out the rats got at the crackers and cheese and ate nearly the whole of
+them. Then one of my bottles of water was smashed during that storm, and
+though it was as close as pepper down there I hadn't a mouthful to
+drink. I thought I was going to die just before they opened the hold and
+began to remove the cargo."
+
+"But, Fred, what made you do it?" asked Earl, reproachfully. "It was the
+height of foolishness."
+
+"I'm bound to go to the gold fields, Earl. You two are going there to
+make a fortune, and why can't I make a fortune, too?"
+
+"Because you are not fit for life out there, that's why. You suffered a
+good deal in coming this far, but let me tell you that I expect to
+suffer a good deal more than that before the Klondike River is reached
+and we have endured the hardships of an Alaskan winter. Supposing you
+succeed in getting away up in Alaska and are taken sick, who is going to
+care for you, and how are you going to get back home? Now I don't want
+to preach, but my advice is, to go back to Basco at once."
+
+"And that's my advice, too, Fred," broke in Randy. "I know you are as
+old as I am, but you know you never did such work as Earl and I are used
+to, and some of the experienced miners even laugh at us. If Uncle
+Foster hadn't known that we were used to hard work out in the open, in
+midwinter at that, he would never have dreamed of asking us to go with
+him; he told us so."
+
+Randy and Earl both spoke earnestly, and it was not their fault that
+what they had to say did not take effect. But Fred Dobson was both wild
+and reckless, and he shook his head.
+
+"I'm bound to go if I have to walk the rest of the way," he said. "I
+thought I would strike your uncle again when we reached the place, but
+if you are so dead set against me I'll not say another word, but try to
+paddle my own canoe, as the saying is. Of course I'm much obliged for
+what you did for me in San Francisco and here, and some day I'll make it
+up to you, see if I don't."
+
+"We don't want you to make it up, Fred; only act sensible and steer for
+home when you next strike out," said Earl. He was about to go on, when
+the entrance of his uncle and Captain Zoss into the restaurant caused
+him to stop.
+
+"Humph! so you've turned up again!" were Foster Portney's words. "I
+heard there had been a stowaway on board of the _Golden Hope_. It was
+the most foolish move you could make, lad." The prospector turned to his
+youngest nephew. "Randy, where are our outfits?"
+
+"Oh my!" burst out Randy, leaping to his feet. "Earl, we forgot all
+about them!"
+
+Earl said nothing, but he reached the door of the restaurant almost as
+quickly as his brother. There was a crowd in the roadway outside, but
+they quickly forced a passage through, and ran for the steamer dock. A
+large number of outfits were spread here, there, and everywhere, but the
+spot where they had left those belonging to their own party was vacant.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X.
+
+UP THE LYNN CANAL.
+
+
+Randy and Earl gazed about them in hopeless bewilderment. The outfits
+belonging to themselves, their uncle, and to Captain Zoss were gone. Who
+had taken them, and was there any chance of recovery?
+
+"We should have looked after them," said Earl, bitterly. "It was
+foolishness to leave the stuff, especially after Uncle Foster had warned
+us."
+
+"I wonder if any of those miners who lost their outfits from the steamer
+are guilty," said Randy, as they started on another tour of the Juneau
+wharf. "I remember one fellow with a red beard and a scar on his nose
+who looked at the stuff rather closely when we came ashore."
+
+"Let us start to make inquiries, Randy. We must get our outfits back. If
+we don't, Uncle Foster will never forgive us."
+
+"Yes, and we'll be in a pickle besides," groaned the younger brother.
+"By the look of things in this settlement mining outfits are rather
+scarce."
+
+"Yes, I heard one man saying that about everything worth having had been
+gobbled up several weeks ago and the storekeepers were awaiting new
+consignments from San Francisco, Portland, and Seattle."
+
+With anxious hearts they walked around the wharf and along a side road,
+also piled high with miners' goods and steamer freight. Presently a man
+joined them. It was Captain Zoss.
+
+"Well, whar's our packs?" he questioned, and looked glum when told of
+what had occurred. "By the boots, lads, we must find 'em--ain't no two
+ways about that! Why, to go to the mines without tools would be wuss nor
+a hen sittin' on a nest without eggs. Been all over the dock, yer say?"
+He paused an instant. "I'll make a round o' the saloons. If the things
+was stolen, like as not the thieves would want to git 'em out of sight
+in quick order, eh?"
+
+He was about to leave them, when they were hailed by a man standing near
+the entrance to a new store that was going up on the opposite side of
+the way. It was the doctor who had so kindly come to Fred Dobson's
+assistance.
+
+"What's up?" he called out. "Looking for your traps? They're all right.
+I had them brought up here for safe keeping when you went off with the
+sick lad. I knew they wouldn't be secure down on the wharf. There are
+half a dozen quarrels on down there over lost and mixed-up baggage."
+
+Randy and Earl felt much relieved, and so did the captain. They ran over
+to the new store, and sure enough, everything was there in a heap,
+alongside of the packs owned by the doctor. They thanked the medical man
+for his kindness, and a short talk followed. The doctor's name was
+Kenneth Barwaithe, and he was an Englishman who had practised for a year
+in Victoria. He, too, was bound for the new gold fields, either for
+mining purposes, or to set himself up in business.
+
+"The hundreds of miners going up there will need doctoring," he
+explained. "And I am all prepared to dose them with medicine, set a
+broken leg, amputate an arm, or pull an aching tooth."
+
+"Thar'll be work for you," said Captain Zoss, with a laugh. "But the
+wust disease up thar will be one ye can't touch nohow."
+
+"Indeed! And what is that?" questioned Kenneth Barwaithe, with interest.
+
+"Starvation," was the solemn reply.
+
+In order to relieve their uncle of further anxiety, Randy and Earl
+returned to where they had left Mr. Portney. They found him in earnest
+conversation with Fred Dobson. The face of the squire's son was very red
+and his eyes were downcast.
+
+"I'll write home at once," they heard Fred say, in a low voice. "I'm
+glad Earl wrote from San Francisco. My folks will at least know I am
+alive and well--that is, as well as a fellow can be who was half starved
+to death," he added ruefully.
+
+"And you ought to go home, lad--it's the proper place for you."
+
+"Well, maybe I will--after I have earned enough around here to take me,
+Mr. Portney."
+
+Foster Portney's hand was in his pocket, and Earl and Randy saw him hand
+Fred a ten-dollar bill. "Pay me back whenever you feel rich enough to do
+so," he said, and the squire's son gave him a ready promise to that
+effect.
+
+Foster Portney and Captain Zoss had been fortunate enough to secure
+passage up to Dyea, on a little steamboat, which was to leave early the
+next day. The craft was a freight boat, but carried passengers whenever
+she could get them. No time was lost in transferring their goods to this
+craft, Fred Dobson helping them carry their loads. Doctor Barwaithe had
+also secured passage in the craft, and soon became one of the party.
+Later on, matters were talked over by him and the others, and it was
+agreed that the five should stick together until the Klondike region was
+reached. The forming of little parties of five or more was popular among
+those who travelled by the overland route into Alaska. By such means
+there was less danger of a man getting lost in the mountains, and the
+preparation of meals along the way was easier, for each man of a party
+took his turn at feeding the rest, so that only one set of packs had to
+be unstrapped and packed again, instead of the lot. Besides this, the
+building and sailing of a boat down the lakes and through the rapids by
+one man was next to impossible.
+
+It was very difficult to obtain accommodations at any of the so-styled
+hotels in Juneau, so all hands encamped for the night on the deck of the
+freighter, Fred Dobson managing to smuggle himself in with the regular
+party. In the morning Fred approached the captain of the boat for a
+situation, but was turned off in language far from fit to transcribe to
+these pages.
+
+"Got more on board than we want now, boy, so git ashore in a hurry, for
+we're on the point of sailing," and with a wistful good-by to Randy,
+Earl, and the others, the squire's son leaped to the dock. Five minutes
+later the lines were cast off, and the wheezy, overloaded craft started
+northward on the Lynn Canal.
+
+The distance from Juneau to Dyea is a hundred and eighteen miles, past
+Berner's Bay and Katsehan River into Chilkoot Inlet and finally up Dyea
+Inlet. The run for the most part is past gigantic glaciers on one side
+and mountains covered with snow and ice on the other.
+
+"Gracious, this is a touch of winter and no mistake!" ejaculated Randy,
+as the steamboat ploughed steadily on her way, and they stood by the
+rail taking in the desolate sight. "See how those little icebergs
+sparkle in the sunshine."
+
+"Far off to the west of this canal is the great Muir Glacier," said
+Foster Portney. "It is the largest glacier in the world. That island
+which we just passed is Douglas, and there is situated the great
+Treadwell Mine, one of the richest gold mines heretofore discovered in
+Alaska."
+
+"Have we got to climb mountains like that?" questioned Earl, as he
+pointed to the snow-capped summits to the eastward.
+
+"Have we got to climb 'em?" burst in Captain Zoss. "Why, them ain't an
+ant hill to the ones we're to crawl over, lad. Just wait till we get up
+into Dyea Inlet, and you'll catch sight o' mountains as will give you
+the yellow shakes, as the boys call it. Now I don't want to discourage
+ye," he went on, as he saw Earl take a deep breath. "I want to prepare
+ye for the wust, that's all. That pass--the Chilkoot--is the wust part
+o' the whole trip, being about three-quarters of a mile high and betwixt
+mountains twice that size."
+
+"Well, we can climb three-quarters of a mile, I guess, if the grade
+isn't too steep," said Randy.
+
+The captain turned away and smiled to himself. He was more than doubtful
+if the boys would ever get safely over to Lake Linderman, the first of
+the lakes on the other side of the mountain range.
+
+It was well that they had dressed themselves warmly; for, on account of
+the sun shining on the glaciers the air was filled with a mist which
+chilled them to the bone. The channel was filled with loose pieces of
+ice, and ever and anon the steamer would strike a miniature iceberg
+with a crash which was clearly heard by all on board.
+
+After a few hours of gazing at the monotonous presentation of glaciers
+and snow-covered hills and mountains, the boys turned their attention to
+those on board. It was a motley collection of people. Most of the men
+were Americans, but there was also a fair sprinkling of Canadians,
+Germans, and half a dozen Indians. The latter were of the Chilkoot
+tribe, and interested Randy more than anything else. They were a
+round-faced, stalwart set of fellows, and several of them had bands of
+black painted across the upper parts of their faces.
+
+"They paint the black around their eyes as a preventive of
+snow-blindness," explained Foster Portney. "As soon as either of you
+find your eyes hurting from the glare you had better put on a pair of
+the smoked goggles."
+
+Dinner on the steamer was served under the rather scanty shelter on the
+upper deck. But fifteen could be accommodated at once, and as there were
+over sixty people on board, it took some time to satisfy them all. The
+fare was principally beef stew, bread, coffee, and rice pudding, but the
+cold air gave every one a good appetite, and the boys did full justice
+to all that was offered them.
+
+At turning-in time there was more than one little row, for sleeping
+accommodations were limited. Berths were at a premium, and had been
+secured by the more fortunate ones when the steamer had landed at
+Juneau. Foster Portney gathered his party around him in the shelter of
+the wheelhouse, on deck, and here they slept huddled together like sheep
+in a cattle car.
+
+"Not like stopping at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco, is it?" said
+his uncle to Randy. "But never mind; as soon as we leave Dyea we'll have
+all the room we want, and more."
+
+"Sleeping like this keeps a fellow warm," said Randy, who felt somehow
+as if he was out for a lark. But by and by, when somebody passed over
+him in the dark and slipped on his chest, he did not think it quite so
+much fun.
+
+However, the night passed quickly enough, and at daybreak all were
+stirring, for they had reached Dyea Inlet, and a landing was expected
+before noon. A stiff breeze was blowing, and the Inlet, a long, narrow
+arm of Chilkoot Inlet and the canal, was filled with angry waves blowing
+from off shore. Presently the first sight of Dyea was gained, and half
+an hour later an anchor was dropped, and the voyage so far as the
+steamer was concerned was over.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI.
+
+THE START FROM DYEA.
+
+
+Randy and Earl found Dyea but a small settlement. There was one store
+which had been established for some time, and half a dozen others which
+had sprung up to accommodate the miners and adventurers who were pouring
+into the place. The total white population did not number a hundred, but
+there were a very large number of Indians,--men, women, and
+children,--all anxious to obtain employment as pack-carriers over the
+mountains.
+
+The steamer had anchored some distance from the beach, and it was no
+light work to get the packs ashore in the heavy sea that was running.
+Four small boats were employed for the purpose, and more than one bundle
+was lost overboard in making the transfer to land.
+
+"There goes one of my packs!" suddenly sang out Dr. Barwaithe, as a
+small boat loaded high above the gunwales capsized just as the shore was
+struck. A wild scramble by the miners was made to recover their goods.
+The doctor would have gone into the icy water also, but he could not
+swim.
+
+Several Indians who were watching the scene rushed up to the medical
+man. "Get heem fo' one dolla!" said the largest of the redmen, and the
+doctor made the bargain on the spot. At once the Indian and his helper
+leaped into the surf and swam toward the pack, which contained the
+doctor's clothing and bedding, and was becoming rapidly water soaked.
+They reached the pack as it was about to sink, and after ten minutes of
+hard work brought it out on the pebbly shore.
+
+By the middle of the afternoon all hands found themselves encamped along
+the half-dried-up stream back of the settlement. Here there were nearly
+a hundred tents of miners and prospectors who were not quite ready to
+attempt the trip over Chilkoot Pass.
+
+The Indian who had rescued the doctor's pack stuck to the medical man
+for the job of transferring his goods over to Lake Linderman, stating he
+and his companions would do the work for fifteen cents a pound.
+
+"What do you think of that rate?" asked Dr. Barwaithe of Foster Portney,
+while Randy and Earl looked on with interest.
+
+"I don't know but that it's fair enough," was the reply.
+
+"But wouldn't it be better to take horses from here and use Indians only
+over the pass? You know we have about thirteen miles to travel before
+the pass is reached."
+
+"We had better take the Indians from here," put in Captain Zoss. "Thar's
+no tellin' if we can git 'em further on, eh?"
+
+"Yes, and we might as well get used to walking it from here, too," added
+Mr. Portney. "It will do Randy and Earl some good, not but that I
+imagine they can tramp as well as any of us."
+
+"We've tramped for many a mile through the Maine woods, when we were out
+hunting," said Randy. "By the way," he went on, "I haven't seen any game
+yet, outside of a few birds."
+
+The big Indian, who rejoiced in the name of Salmon Head, was waiting for
+an answer, his squaw and two boys standing close by. The squaw was a
+tall, thin woman of forty, whose face was painted a greasy black down to
+the tip of her nose, the balance of her countenance being left its
+natural color, yellowish red. The boys were sturdy lads of perhaps ten
+and twelve, as used to carrying heavy burdens as their parents.
+
+The bargain was struck with Salmon Head to have the goods of the entire
+party packed over from that spot to the shore of Lake Linderman for
+fifteen cents a pound, the work to be accomplished within the next four
+days, weather permitting. The boys had expected to carry some of the
+goods, but at this Foster Portney shook his head.
+
+"You couldn't carry over forty or fifty pounds and maybe not that over
+the Pass," he said, "and I would rather pay the price and have you
+reserve your strength. You can each carry a knapsack filled with food,
+in case you wander from the trail, although don't let this happen if you
+can possibly avoid it. The best rule, in going over any pass, is to keep
+at least two other members of the party in sight constantly."
+
+In spite of the close proximity of the snow-capped mountains, the night
+was a comparatively warm one, and no inconvenience was experienced by
+the party in their tents. They had two, one belonging to Mr. Portney and
+the boys, the other being one Captain Zoss and Dr. Barwaithe had
+purchased at Juneau for mutual comfort. The tents were put up end to
+end, and being both water and wind tight were almost as good to sleep in
+as a cabin.
+
+The outfits had been carefully parcelled out to the Indians, Salmon Head
+carrying a load of over a hundred and twenty-five pounds, his squaw
+carrying a hundred pounds, and the sons loads of about half that weight.
+Relatives of these Indians carried the remainder of the loads; for these
+Chilkoot people, like other redmen, believed in keeping all they could
+in the family.
+
+Usually the journey to Lake Linderman was made in two stages, the first
+from Dyea to the entrance to Chilkoot Pass, and the second over the Pass
+itself and down to the lake, which may fairly be called the southern
+headwaters of the Yukon River. This course was to be pursued by the
+present party, and bright and early on the following morning they
+started out on what was destined to be the most perilous trip of their
+lives. Captain Zoss went ahead with the Indians, while the boys and
+their uncle and the doctor kept in a bunch behind.
+
+At the start, the trip was along the bottom of a deep cañon, on either
+side of which arose mountains and cliffs for the most part covered with
+snow and ice. Down in this cañon flowed what is called the Dyea River, a
+mere mountain torrent, dashing over rocks and crags and here and there
+broadening out into a shallow flow over sand and pebbles. Walking was
+rough, for at times they had to leap from one great rock to another or
+else let themselves down, to wade through water and sand up to their
+knees. The wind had calmed down, yet once in a while it sent upon them a
+flurry of fine snow from the distant mountain tops.
+
+"We are not getting ahead very fast!" puffed Randy, as he and the others
+came to a halt on a flat rock to rest. "We've been walking for three
+hours, and I doubt if we have covered more than five miles."
+
+"I heard at Dyea that the thirteen miles to the entrance to the Pass is
+considered a good day's journey," said Earl. "I'm rather glad I'm not
+carrying that load Salmon Head has strapped to his back."
+
+"It would take me a week to get that load up," said Randy. "I can't
+understand how those boys get along."
+
+"It's a matter of training," said Foster Portney. "I dare say either of
+you can cut down a tree in half the time that those Chilkoots can do
+it."
+
+On they went again, the trail now growing steeper and more barren. A few
+stunted firs lined the cañon, and here and there could be seen a
+half-dead vine twisted about the fir branches, and that was all, so far
+as vegetation went. And this was coming summer time!
+
+"It must be dreariness itself in winter," remarked Earl, to his uncle,
+as they trudged along side by side. "I never saw anything so desolate,
+not even in the wildest parts of Maine."
+
+"It is this desolate look which has kept men out of Alaska, Earl. Many
+have known of there being gold there, but they preferred to remain down
+in the States, where living, at least, was more certain and congenial.
+You'll find, my lad, that you will need all your nerve and backbone to
+withstand what is before you. Perhaps I did wrong in urging you to join
+me."
+
+"No, you didn't--I'm glad I came, and so is Randy, and we'll get
+through," answered Earl, hastily. "Oh, look!" he pointed to where a
+flock of birds were circling far overhead. "Shall I give them a shot?"
+
+"No! no!" cried Foster Portney, hastily. "I forgot to tell you. I
+arranged with the Indians that no shot should be fired on the trip
+excepting some one was in trouble and needed assistance. I'll inform the
+others." And he halted for the others to come up.
+
+Captain Zoss provided the dinner at about one o'clock, all hands taking
+it easy on some clear rocks in the sunshine. As may be supposed, the
+fare was a plain one, yet to Randy and Earl nothing had ever tasted
+better, for climbing and the bracing mountain air gave them enormous
+appetites. They could have eaten more than was provided but understood
+that from henceforth until further supplies were assured, rations would
+be dealt out with a sparing hand.
+
+As soon as the dinner dishes had been cleaned and repacked the journey
+to Sheep Camp, as the stopping-place was called, was renewed. The trail
+was now steeper than ever, and more than once the stream of water had to
+be crossed. Every one was suffering from wet feet, but as all had on
+several pairs of heavy socks, this did no further damage than to render
+them cold in their nether limbs. As the trail grew rougher the Indians,
+who knew every footstep, forged ahead, and the others were allowed to
+shift for themselves.
+
+It was about the middle of the afternoon that Randy and his uncle were
+walking one behind the other, with Captain Zoss and Dr. Barwaithe just
+in the rear. The captain had been relating one of his experiences in
+mountain climbing in Colorado, to which all had listened with interest.
+The story was finished, and they were congratulating themselves that
+the end of the day's tramp was close at hand, when Randy suddenly looked
+around in alarm.
+
+"Where is Earl?" he asked.
+
+"Earl!" exclaimed Mr. Portney. "Why, he is ahead, isn't he?"
+
+"No, he dropped behind, to fix his boot," was the quick reply. "Earl!
+Earl!"
+
+The cry was repeated, and the others also took it up. Then they waited
+for an answer, but none came. Earl had disappeared. They waited for five
+minutes for him to make his reappearance, but he did not come; and then
+they started on a search for him.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII.
+
+EARL HAS AN ADVENTURE.
+
+
+As Randy had explained, Earl had stopped on the trail to fix his boot.
+In crossing the mountain stream he had shipped a lot of water, and he
+sat down on a rock and held up his foot, to allow the water to run out
+on the ground.
+
+Unfortunately for the youth he had rested on a rock which was by no
+means secure on the bank of the stream, and now, as he leaned to one
+side, the rock slipped from its resting-place, and down went poor Earl
+into the water head first. As luck would have it, he struck in some
+loose sand, otherwise he would have been seriously injured. Even as it
+was he was stunned for the moment, and before he could turn he had
+gulped down a great deal of water. He was nearly blinded by some fine
+sand getting into his eyes and began to flounder around as though in the
+midst of an ocean instead of a watercourse less than fifty feet wide and
+five feet deep.
+
+It took several minutes for him to save himself by reaching a large rock
+in the centre of the stream. Collecting his scattered senses, he
+cleared his eyes as best he could and took a view of his situation.
+
+The rock was six feet in diameter and two feet above the top of the
+water. On either side flowed the stream at a rate which he knew would be
+quite sufficient to take him off his feet should he attempt to ford to
+shore. What was to be done in this emergency he did not at first know.
+The others had gone on ahead, and although he called to them, no one
+heard his cry.
+
+Had he had his gun he would have fired it, had the weapon been in
+condition. But less than quarter of an hour before he had passed the
+fowling-piece over to Captain Zoss, the captain having asked to inspect
+it. He must help himself, or go without assistance.
+
+Standing on the rock, he saw that escape to either side was out of the
+question, and escape up the stream was also cut off. Below, however,
+were a series of rocks running off to shore, and after some hesitation
+he dropped into the stream and allowed himself to be carried down to
+these rocks.
+
+Five minutes of struggling in the current found him safe on the opposite
+shore to that upon which the lower portion of the trail to Chilkoot Pass
+lay. The question now was, how to get back to the other side of the
+river.
+
+"I'll walk along on this side until I get a chance to cross over," he
+said, half aloud, and then the loneliness of his situation dawned upon
+him. He struck out without delay, determined to catch up with the
+others of the party as quickly as possible.
+
+For the first quarter of a mile Earl did very well, but soon he noted to
+his dismay that the stream was widening, and that, consequently, he was
+getting further and further away from the other side. He had been making
+his way along a cliff lined with short firs. Now the cliff came to an
+abrupt end, and beyond he beheld nothing but a mass of jagged rocks and
+a jungle of brush, to pass through which would be next to impossible.
+
+"Stumped now!" he muttered to himself, and his face fell as he surveyed
+his situation. The stream at this point was all of one hundred and fifty
+feet wide, and the trail opposite was not close to the water's edge, but
+wound in behind the rocks and fir trees.
+
+"I've got to get over to that trail, that's certain!" he went on, after
+a disagreeable pause. "Here goes to try the water again," and with
+extreme care he began the descent of the cliff, which was some twenty
+feet high. The bottom was reached in safety, and he found himself
+standing in water and sand half up to his knees.
+
+Because of the widening of the stream at this point the current was not
+so strong, and he began to wade in deeper and deeper, until one-quarter
+of the width had been passed and he found himself up to his waist. He
+shivered with the cold and felt like going back, but a few steps more
+brought him to a sand-bar, where the water scarcely touched his knees.
+Overjoyed at this, he attempted to follow up the bar, soon reaching and
+passing the middle of the river. He was wading on more confidently than
+ever, when of a sudden the bar came to an end, and down he plunged into
+a pool over his head.
+
+The one thing to do now was to swim, and Earl struck out boldly for the
+shore, still thirty feet away. The weight of his heavy clothing was
+against him, and the current carried him on and on down the stream and
+toward a mass of jagged rocks fearful to behold. Had he been of a less
+rugged temperament the cold water might have given him both a chill and
+a cramp.
+
+Five minutes of fearful anxiety passed, and Earl was almost exhausted,
+when, putting his foot down, he struck bottom at a depth of four feet.
+This encouraged him, and he renewed his effort to reach the bank beyond.
+Yet another pool had to be crossed, and when finally he did pull himself
+out of the stream and safe up on a sloping rock he was too exhausted to
+do aught but lie down on his side and pant for breath.
+
+It was here that Randy and his uncle found him, just as he was making an
+effort to gain his feet and continue his search for them. They were
+overjoyed to learn that he had not suffered serious injury. They called
+to Captain Zoss and Dr. Barwaithe, who were close by, and soon all were
+together again.
+
+Captain Zoss had an extra shirt in his pack, and this Earl borrowed,
+along with a dry coat belonging to his uncle. Both articles of wearing
+apparel were too large for him, but he gladly exchanged them, for the
+time being, for his wet ones; and then the delayed journey toward Sheep
+Camp was continued.
+
+When the resting-place for the night was gained, it was found that all
+of the Indians had come in over an hour before and had sought out a
+comfortable camp for them under a large overhanging rock. A number of
+others had also arrived, and over a dozen tents had been pitched in
+addition to those already there. According to lot, it was Randy's turn
+to get a meal ready, and he set to work without delay, starting a
+roaring fire of pine branches and logs, that Earl might warm and dry
+himself. Dr. Barwaithe had brought with him a newly patented sheet-iron
+camp stove, and on this a pot of water was soon boiling, to be used in
+making coffee, while Randy also offered them fried potatoes and a
+deliciously cooked fish one of the Indians brought in.
+
+Outside of the doctor, who was not used to walking over such rough
+ground, no one felt any ill effects of the day's journey, although all
+were glad to turn in at the earliest possible moment. The doctor had
+worn a slight blister on his heel, and, in order to prevent this giving
+him serious concern later, he put some salve on it and bound it up
+before retiring.
+
+Ere they crawled into the tent, both boys took a look at the great,
+white mountains, which loomed up before them. Here was the entrance to
+Chilkoot Pass, and there, almost lost among the clouds, was the dreaded
+summit, with mountains still higher on either side of it. Randy drew
+closer to Earl as he surveyed the awe-inspiring scene.
+
+"Earl, we've got an everlasting hard climb before us," he whispered. "Do
+you think we'll make it?"
+
+"We must make it, Randy," was the low and earnest reply. "It won't do to
+show the white feather now. Uncle would never forgive us."
+
+"Some parts of it look like crawling up the side of a house," and Randy
+shuddered. "If a fellow should fall, he'd break his neck sure."
+
+"I guess you're right, Randy; although it may not be so bad when one is
+right on top of it. There is a sort of a trail, you know, although it's
+not much. I heard Salmon Head tell Uncle he hoped it would be cold
+to-morrow night, and that we should start for the Pass about four or
+five o'clock in the afternoon. I wonder what he meant by that."
+
+"I heard Captain Zoss speaking of it. They start toward evening so as to
+pass the deepest snows on the summit about midnight when a crust forms
+to walk on, for at this season of the year the deep snows are too soft
+to be trusted when the sun is shining."
+
+"And what happens to a fellow, I wonder, if he breaks through the
+snow?"
+
+"I don't know, I'm sure--I guess he goes to kingdom come," and Randy
+shuddered again. "We'll know all about it by this time to-morrow night."
+And then both boys retired, to dream of perilous climbs over the
+snow-clad mountains and fearful falls into gigantic crevasses, until
+both awoke in a fright and covered with cold perspiration.
+
+It was not until late that anybody was stirring the next day. It was
+Earl's turn to get breakfast, and he told them if they would wait he
+would treat them to freshly baked beans and hot bread; and all waited.
+While Earl was at work, with Randy helping him, two of the Indian boys
+came up, and their efforts at making themselves understood were
+laughable. Finally Randy made out that they wanted an old silk
+neckerchief he possessed, and he gave it to Tomablink, the older youth,
+who was as proud of the article as if it had been worth a small fortune.
+
+Under the advice of Foster Portney, all took it easy in camp that day,
+in order to reserve their strength for the struggle to come. Even the
+Indians seemed to grow a bit uneasy concerning what was before them;
+for, although they had climbed over the Pass a number of times, they
+well knew what a rough and highly dangerous proceeding each new trip was
+likely to be. On this terrible Pass more than one Indian and white man
+had been lost, never to be heard of again.
+
+At last, at exactly four o'clock in the afternoon, Salmon Head
+announced his readiness to start. As chief of the Indian party, he had
+looked to it that each carrier's pack was properly adjusted, and now he
+gave several directions to the whites to the effect that they should
+keep together as much as possible and always in sight of his own people.
+
+"Don't think there be an easy this way or that," he said in broken
+English. "Indian know best way in the end--you follow him day and night,
+or you lost. Stick foot deep down when climb, and no let go with hands."
+
+His manner was so earnest, all promised to remember his words. Then the
+crowd of whites and Indians was gathered together, the tents were struck
+and packed; and the terrifying journey over the dreadful Chilkoot Pass
+was begun.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII.
+
+AT THE SUMMIT OF CHILKOOT PASS.
+
+
+At Sheep Camp, which lay in something of a hollow, there had been a
+goodly collection of trees and brush, but now, as the little party
+started on the journey to the summit of Chilkoot Pass, all this was left
+behind, and nothing confronted them but immense beds or glaciers of
+snow, which crunched under their feet and gave forth a hollow sound. At
+certain points they could plainly hear the rushing of water far beneath.
+
+"Gracious, if a fellow went through this crust of snow what would happen
+to him?" said Randy, as he trudged on, with his uncle just ahead of him
+and Earl behind.
+
+"Let us hope that no such fate overtakes any of the party," replied Mr.
+Portney, gravely. "It is not likely that one can break through here," he
+added, "for the snow in the trail is pretty well packed down."
+
+The blinding glare of the sun had caused all to put on their smoked
+glasses, or goggles, but now, as the great orb of day was lost to sight
+behind the mountain tops, these protectors for the eyes were removed,
+that they might see their way clearer. The Alaskan twilight was creeping
+on them, causing all their surroundings to turn to a pale blue color.
+The mists of the mountains were also rising, and on every hand were
+weird, ghostlike shadows which enhanced this scene of wild desolation.
+
+On and on went the white members of the party, doing their best to keep
+the sturdy Indian pack-carriers well in sight. But the red people, with
+their hideously painted faces, knew every foot of the way, and made
+rapid progress, and it was all the others could do at times to keep up.
+
+By ten o'clock it began to grow colder, and even the boys could feel the
+crust of snow on which they were trudging becoming firmer beneath their
+feet. It was far from dark, a pale glimmer of light hanging on every
+mountain top. But now the trail became suddenly steeper, and they found
+themselves going straight up the side of a hill several hundred feet
+high.
+
+"Plant your feet firmly at every step," were Foster Portney's words of
+caution. "And remember, looking back will do you no good."
+
+This last warning was for Randy's benefit, for the lad had just looked
+back and shivered over the awful descent below him. A fall would mean a
+long roll, and a broken neck over a cliff below.
+
+Captain Zoss had gone on ahead with the Indians and just before midnight
+he came back with a warning to watch out for several splits, or
+crevasses, in the glaciers they were now traversing.
+
+"Salmon Head says he heard a report of several new ones just before
+starting, and these are as yet unmarked," he said.
+
+"We'll be as careful as we can," said Dr. Barwaithe. "We can do no
+more."
+
+They now passed over a broad plain of snow where the mists hung more
+thickly than ever. They had almost reached the centre of the plain when
+a loud cry from the Indians ahead caused them to halt.
+
+"What can be the meaning of that?" questioned Earl. "Can they be in
+trouble?"
+
+Presently, from among the mists appeared the form of one of the Indian
+carriers, without his bundle. He soon explained in broken English that
+he had been sent back by Salmon Head to warn them of a split in the ice
+field just ahead. One of the Indian women had slipped in, and it was by
+mere good fortune that some of the men had rescued her.
+
+This Indian remained with them until the crack was reached, where he
+resumed his pack and went on. The opening was an irregular one, from
+four to eight feet wide and of unfathomable depth. Fortunately the sides
+were well defined and firm, so they had small trouble in leaping
+across.
+
+"It was good of them to send a man back," said the doctor, as he paused
+to peer down into the crevasse. "Had we not been warned we might have
+slipped into that without knowing it."
+
+The trail now wound in and out among a number of small hills, and once
+again the party ahead was lost to sight. With the increasing cold came a
+stiff wind through the passes, bringing down upon their heads a
+veritable storm of snow, swept from the mountain tops above.
+
+"I can readily understand how impossible it would be to make one's way
+through this Pass during the winter," said Dr. Barwaithe. "A regular
+fall of snow would mean a blizzard down here and a snowing in from which
+there would be no escape until spring arrived."
+
+"And think of the cold!" said Earl. "Phew! the thermometer must go to
+about forty below zero!"
+
+"It does go as low as that at times," replied his uncle. "No; travelling
+through this Pass during the long Alaskan winter is entirely out of the
+question. The man to undertake it would be a madman."
+
+They had come to the end of the comparatively level portion of the
+trail, and now climbing so dangerous was at hand that little more was
+said. From one steep icy elevation they would crawl to the next, until
+several hundred feet up. Then came a turn around a cliff where the
+passageway was scarcely two feet wide, with a wall on one side and what
+appeared misty, bottomless space on the other. Here the Indians had
+fastened a hand-rope which each was glad enough to clutch as he wormed
+his way along to safer ground.
+
+"Well, I don't want any more of that!" said Earl, with a long sigh of
+relief. "A slip there, and it would be good-by, sure!"
+
+"Yes, and I guess they would never even get your body," added Randy.
+
+There was no time left to halt, for the Indians were pressing on, their
+endurance, and especially the endurance of the women and the boys,
+proving a constant wonder to Randy and Earl, the latter declaring that
+they must be tougher than pine knots to stand it.
+
+"One more big climb, boys, and we'll be at the summit!" was the welcome
+announcement made by Captain Zoss; but when Earl and Randy looked at the
+climb he mentioned their hearts fairly sank within them and they
+wondered how in the world they were going to make it without its costing
+them their lives.
+
+An almost sheer wall of ice and snow confronted them, rising in an
+irregular form to a height of four hundred feet. This cliff, if such it
+might be called, was more light at its top than at the base, and
+consequently it appeared to stand out towards them as they gazed up at
+it. Along the face the Indian pack-carriers were crawling, like flies on
+a lumpy whitewashed wall.
+
+"We can't do--" began Randy, when he felt his arm pinched by Earl.
+
+"We must do it, Randy," came back in a whisper. "The Indians are doing
+it, and so can we--if we'll put our grit into it."
+
+"Now take it slow and be sure of one foot before you move the next,"
+said Foster Portney, warning them again. "Dig as deeply into the ice and
+snow as you can. And above all things, Randy and Earl, _don't look
+back_!" And the uncle shook his fist to emphasize his words.
+
+A breathing spell was taken, and then they started slowly for the base
+of the cliff, where Captain Zoss got down on his knees to make sure that
+they were on the right trail, if trail it could be called. He soon
+announced that one party had gone up at one place and the others at a
+spot about thirty feet to the left.
+
+"I'll try my luck here," he said, and the doctor agreed to follow him.
+There was no telling which trail was the better, and the Portneys took
+the other, Mr. Portney going first, with Randy next and Earl last. The
+uncle wished to make sure of the footing before he allowed the boys to
+come after him.
+
+The first hundred feet up were not as difficult as Randy and Earl had
+imagined, but now every step had to be calculated, and when half way up
+Foster Portney came to a halt.
+
+"Here's a very steep place," he announced, without, however, looking
+back. "Randy, when you reach it, catch hold of the spur of ice with your
+left hand and put your foot just beneath it. Tell Earl to do the same."
+
+"I will," answered Randy, but when the spot mentioned was reached poor
+Randy's heart leaped into his throat. The sheer wall before him was
+nearly as high as a house, and there was nothing to cling to but little
+lumps of ice which stuck out here and there. The lumps might crack off,
+and then--he did not dare to think further than that. He was strangely
+tempted to look below him, but his uncle's words of warning rang in his
+ears--"_Don't look back!_" and he did not.
+
+One step was taken, and then another, and Randy felt as if he was
+suspended in the air, with nothing above or beneath him. A brief vision
+of himself lying mangled far below flashed across his mind, and he
+wished himself safe back in the woods of Maine again. What was all the
+gold in Alaska worth alongside of such an agonizing risk of life as
+this?
+
+But he must go on; he could not remain where he was forever. The next
+step was even more difficult, and he held his breath as he took it. He
+had been climbing up the cliff for less than quarter of an hour, yet he
+felt a year older than when he had begun. Would the climb never come to
+an end?
+
+"Take it easy, boys; we are almost there," came the encouraging voice of
+Foster Portney, although the uncle was almost as fearful as his
+nephews. "A little to the right now, and beware of those snow lumps;
+they are not firm enough to hold to. I can see the top just above my
+head. Ah, here I am. Now, Randy, another step and give me your hand.
+Now, Earl, take the same step Randy took. There you are. Thank God we
+are safe so far!"
+
+The two boys echoed their uncle's sentiment, with a deep feeling in
+their hearts which they never forgot. The summit of Chilkoot Pass had
+been reached at last.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV.
+
+BOAT-BUILDING AT LAKE LINDERMAN.
+
+
+The Portneys, having reached the highest point of Chilkoot Pass, were
+presently joined by Captain Zoss and Dr. Barwaithe, who had gone through
+a similar experience to that just described. The doctor had once come
+very close to losing his footing, and he declared that he would not make
+the climb again for a million dollars.
+
+They stopped for a few minutes to view the scene from the edge of the
+cliff. On either side were the still taller mountains, while below them
+stretched that portion of the Pass just travelled, like a valley of
+glittering ice, thick with mist and wind-swept snow. An intense silence
+reigned, broken occasionally by the booming and crunching of some
+immense glacier in the distance.
+
+"A grand scene, but one not particularly suited to my feelings," said
+the doctor. "Let us go on."
+
+"Yes; the sooner we git out o' this yere Pass, the better I will be
+pleased," added the captain. "I've had enough climbin' ter last me two
+lifetimes, eh?" and he gave a grunt and strode off, and the others
+followed.
+
+"That is, I believe, the most perilous part of the trip to the gold
+fields," remarked Foster Portney. "Of course we have still a good bit of
+rough country to traverse and rapids in the rivers to shoot, but nothing
+quite so bad as that."
+
+The ice fields from the summit sloped gradually downward to a basin some
+distance below, called Crater Lake. This little lake was frozen solid
+from top to bottom and covered with snow. It was hemmed in on three
+sides by tall mountains, while on the fourth there was a cañon-like
+opening, where an ice-bound stream led the way over rocks and tiny
+cliffs to Lake Linderman, at the end of the Pass. Just before reaching
+the latter lake, they passed several large posts set up close to the
+trail, which was now once more clearly defined.
+
+"Those are surveyors' posts," said Foster Portney, in reply to a
+question from Earl. "We have just passed from United States into British
+territory."
+
+"This, then, is the Northwest Territory," said Earl.
+
+"Yes, my boy; and the entire Klondike region, from Ogilvie to Belle
+Isle, is in that territory."
+
+As they descended to the lower level of the Pass, the solid ice gave way
+to rotten ice and slush, in which they frequently sank to their ankles.
+Here the stream broadened out into several ponds, and finally ended in
+a wide, marshy expanse, forming the upper end of Lake Linderman. Along
+the edge of this marsh they picked their way, first, however, stopping
+for dinner, for the night had passed and the forenoon had been consumed
+in the journey from Crater Lake. The Indians kept pressing on, and they
+followed.
+
+It was dark again when they came up at last with their pack-carriers
+encamped under some timber, which stood on a little bluff not over two
+hundred feet from the lake. Salmon Head's party had started a rousing
+fire, and this was a welcome sight, for it made all feel more at home.
+No time was lost in getting out the cooking utensils and the doctor's
+stove; and while they were preparing other things, the Indians brought
+several fish from the lake to be baked.
+
+"I guess we'll get our fill of fish before long," remarked Earl.
+
+"Don't you want any now?" smiled his uncle.
+
+"Want any, Uncle Foster? Indeed I do! Why, I'm so hungry I could almost
+eat horse meat!" was Earl's earnest reply; and he bustled around with
+the cups and plates, that they might not be delayed as soon as the
+coffee, biscuits, and fish were done.
+
+The Indians remained near by all night, and early in the morning a
+general reckoning-up took place, and the pack-carriers were paid off in
+gold and silver, not caring to take the paper money which was offered.
+All had done very well, and Foster Portney, Captain Zoss, and Dr.
+Barwaithe did not dispute the amounts asked, although they were a trifle
+high. As soon as they were paid off, the Indians packed up their own
+articles, but a handful in number, and hurried away in the direction
+whence they had come.
+
+"Good gracious! are they going right back to Dyea?" exclaimed Randy, in
+amazement.
+
+"Yes, my lad," was Captain Zoss's answer. "Salmon Head calculates to
+pilot another lot o' miners over as soon as possible. It's his hayin'
+time, ye see, an' he intends ter make the most o' it."
+
+At this Earl laughed. "I guess he's not going to let his legs get
+stiff," he cried. "I'm as stiff as an old mule this morning. What's to
+do to-day?"
+
+"We'll locate some timber for boat-building," said his uncle, "and get
+our traps into shape, and then rest. There is no use in killing
+ourselves all at once. We've got a matter of five hundred miles to
+journey yet."
+
+"If we go up into the timber, I suppose we can try our hand at shooting
+something if anything turns up," said Randy.
+
+"Certainly; shoot all the game you can, boys. We'll want it to help eke
+out our stores."
+
+There were numerous odds and ends to do about the camp, and it was not
+until after dinner that they started into the timber to select some wood
+which might be used in boat-building. It was now that the boys'
+knowledge of timber stood them in good stead; and it took but a short
+while to pick out a tree which was close-grained and comparatively free
+from knots. They had brought their axes with them, and had the tree down
+in short order. Then they lopped off the branches and cut off the top,
+and left it in the sun to dry out as much as possible before attacking
+it with their boat-building tools.
+
+This accomplished, Earl and Randy set off, the former with the shot-gun
+and the other with his pistol, to stir up whatever might be around in
+the way of game. They followed the edge of the cliff to where it sloped
+down to the lake shore.
+
+Presently Earl thought he saw something in the brush along the water
+front, and, taking up a half-decayed stick, he threw it at the spot. At
+once there was a squawk, and half a dozen wild geese arose in the air.
+Bang! went the shot-gun, and crack! went Randy's pistol, and three of
+the geese were seen to throw back their heads and sink.
+
+"We hit 'em!" cried Randy, and ran down, followed by his brother. Two of
+the fowls were dead, and the other was speedily put out of its misery by
+Earl with a blow from the gun-stock. They had been cautioned not to
+waste their ammunition, so had not ventured a second round at the
+balance of the flock.
+
+"These ought to make good eating," observed Randy, as he picked up the
+game. "That is, if they don't taste too fishy. Here is my bullet hole,
+right through the neck. You killed the other two."
+
+With the dead geese over their shoulders, they continued their hunt for
+game, and presently stirred up a number of wild birds, at which Earl
+blazed away, bringing down five. The birds were small and hardly worth
+the trouble of cleaning and cooking, yet they took them along.
+
+"Geese, eh?" exclaimed Captain Zoss, as they entered camp. "Wall, that's
+not so bad! We kin have a goose pot-pie o' one, and stuff the other with
+bread an' beans, eh?" All hands agreed this would be an excellent plan,
+and the boys set about cleaning the game without delay, the captain
+assisting them at the work.
+
+Toward night they espied a band of Indians coming down the trail with
+their packs and followed by half a dozen miners, a hardy but not an
+evil-looking crowd. The miners had left Dyea twenty-four hours later
+than themselves and had brought with them the material for a
+flat-bottomed scow, fifteen feet long and four feet wide. The Indians
+had carried this material over the Pass, but how it had been
+accomplished was a mystery to the boys and the others.
+
+"Hang me, if I don't reckon they have a secret way o' their own," was
+Captain Zoss's comment. "They couldn't cart them boards up that steep
+cliff, nohow!" And Randy and Earl were half inclined to believe the
+captain's suspicions to be true.
+
+The miners, who went by the name of the Idaho crowd, because they came
+from that State, encamped next to the doctor's crowd, as they were
+speedily termed, on account of having a medical man with them, and all
+became well acquainted before night. The Idaho crowd had just heard of
+an extra large find being made on Gold Bottom Creek, which flowed into
+the Klondike River, and they were anxious to get up there without delay,
+and consequently spent half the night in putting their boat together for
+an early start on the following morning.
+
+"You're the fust boys I've heerd tell on bound for the gold diggin's,"
+said one of the men to Randy and Earl. "I'm afeard ye'll find it kinder
+tough luck, for as far ez I kin understand it is tough even on a man.
+Whar are ye from? Californy?"
+
+"No, from the backwoods of Maine," answered Earl. "And we are used to
+roughing it."
+
+"Gee shoo! Didn't know the news had struck out so all-fired far ez thet.
+Wall, if you're from the backwoods, 'tain't likely you'll suffer ez much
+ez some of the tenderfoots wot's older. Wish ye the best o' luck." And
+the man turned away to his boat-building again.
+
+Eight o'clock of the following morning found the Idaho crowd on its way
+down Lake Linderman. In the meantime the boys, Foster Portney, and
+Captain Zoss had started into the timber with their tools, leaving Dr.
+Barwaithe to watch camp and bake several days' supply of bread and
+biscuits, and also to parboil some beans for baking.
+
+The tree selected for cutting up had been allowed to fall over a large
+flat rock, and now the first work was to prop up the lower end. This
+done, both ends were sawed off even and a good portion of the bark was
+scaled off. Then Earl and Randy sharpened up several wedges and tried
+their hands at splitting up the trunk into a suitable size for
+whipsawing.
+
+This was no light work, and had they not had a knowledge of woodcraft it
+would have been next to impossible to do what the lads, aided by their
+uncle and the captain, accomplished. By nightfall the tree was split and
+sawed up into more than a dozen slabs, of varying thickness, and these
+were laid out for working up in the morning.
+
+When the party returned to the edge of the lake they found that three
+other crowds had come in over the Pass, and there was quite a settlement
+of tents alongshore. In one of the parties there was a young woman, the
+wife of a prospector, who had stood the arduous climb nearly as well as
+any one.
+
+"Hullo, Portney!" suddenly cried a voice to Earl, as he was walking
+around among the tents. "I didn't know you had got this far."
+
+Earl turned swiftly, and was nearly dumfounded to find himself
+confronted by Tom Roland, while Jasper Guardley stood but a few feet
+away.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV.
+
+ON TO LAKE BENNETT.
+
+
+The face of Tom Roland wore a smile, but in his eyes was an anxious look
+which Earl did not fail to notice as he surveyed the two acquaintances
+from Basco. The young prospector was much taken aback by this sudden
+appearance, for he had not dreamed of meeting Roland and Guardley in
+this out-of-the-way spot.
+
+"Ain't you glad to see a feller from Maine?" went on Roland, as Earl did
+not speak; and he held out his hand, which the youth took rather coldly.
+Guardley had come up to shake hands too, but now he did not risk making
+the offer.
+
+"Are you two bound for the Klondike?" at length asked Earl.
+
+"Of course," was Roland's sharp reply. "What else would we be doing up
+here?"
+
+"What started you--the fact that we were going?"
+
+"Well, I allow as that had a little to do with it, Earl; but Guardley
+got a letter from a friend of his who is up there now--a man named
+Stephens. He said Guardley ought to come up at once, and as he didn't
+want to go alone, I came along. How are you making out?"
+
+"We are doing very well."
+
+"You and your brother came on with your uncle, didn't you?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Any others in the party?"
+
+"Yes; two men."
+
+Tom Roland's eyes dropped for a moment. "Me and Guardley have been
+havin' rather a hard road of it, all alone," he went on. "We've been
+thinking of joining forces with somebody."
+
+"Well, our crowd is complete," answered Earl, quickly.
+
+"Then you won't consider taking in two more, providing, of course, we do
+our share of work and pay our share of the expenses."
+
+"I don't think so, Roland."
+
+"Who is at the head of your party?"
+
+"Nobody in particular; we all work together."
+
+"Maybe you had better speak to the boy's uncle," put in Guardley. "Come
+on."
+
+He stalked off, and after some slight hesitation Tom Roland followed,
+with Earl at his side. Foster Portney was found mending a corner of the
+tent, which had become torn in packing. Randy was beside him and uttered
+a cry when he beheld the two men from Basco.
+
+"Tom Roland and Jasper Guardley!" he whispered to his uncle. "Those are
+the fellows we thought got that money on a false identification!"
+
+"Is that so?" returned Foster Portney. "What can Earl be bringing them
+here for?"
+
+"This is Mr. Portney, I take it," said Guardley, after clearing his
+throat awkwardly. "I was thinking--"
+
+"He and his friend want to join us," put in Earl. "I told them that our
+party was complete."
+
+"Hullo, Randy!" broke in Roland, carelessly. "You'd like us to come into
+your crowd, wouldn't you?"
+
+Randy was staggered at the request, coming so unexpectedly. He glanced
+at Earl before replying. "No, I guess not," he said.
+
+"Why, what's the matter with you?" cried Roland, half angrily. "We are
+all Maine folks, and friends ought to stick together, seems to me."
+
+He turned to Foster Portney and introduced himself and Guardley, and
+stated his case, adding that he and his companion only wanted to join
+some party until Dawson City was reached. Mr. Portney listened quietly,
+and then turned to Captain Zoss, who stood near.
+
+"I don't believe we want any more in our crowd, do you?"
+
+"I reckon we've got a-plenty," was the captain's answer. "Still, if they
+are friends to the boys--"
+
+"But they are not," whispered Earl. "And what is more, we consider them
+doubtful characters."
+
+"Then we don't want 'em, nohow."
+
+"This camp is full," came from inside, where Dr. Barwaithe sat,
+examining his sore foot, which was neither better nor worse. "That boat
+we are building won't hold more than five people, along with our
+outfits."
+
+The faces of both Roland and Guardley grew dark. "All right; if you
+don't want us, we'll hook fast somewhere else," muttered Roland, and
+turned on his heel.
+
+"Maybe you'll regret throwing us off some day," came from Guardley, as
+he passed Earl; and then the two men were lost to sight among the tents
+up the lake shore.
+
+"Oh, what cheek!" burst from Randy, when they were gone. "I wouldn't
+have Roland in the party for a farm."
+
+"I'd be afraid of Guardley's stealing everything we had," said Earl. "As
+if we didn't know his real character, and that he had been up before
+Judge Dobson lots of times!"
+
+"I reckon they'll stand watching, especially that last cur--from what he
+said to Randy," said Captain Zoss. "He's got a bad eye, he has, eh?"
+
+All hands slept soundly after their hard day's work in the timber, and
+it was not until they heard others stirring in the morning that they
+arose. As he was not working on the boat, Dr. Barwaithe took it upon
+himself to perform the "household duties," as he expressed it, and soon
+a well-cooked breakfast was arranged on a rude table Captain Zoss had
+stuck up. The doctor was an excellent cook, and Foster Portney could not
+help but ask him whence his knowledge had been derived.
+
+"It's easily explained," said the doctor. "I have an older sister who
+was once the head of a cooking school in Montreal. She insisted on it
+that every one should know how to cook, especially a bachelor like
+myself, and she used to deliver her lectures to me, at home, before
+delivering them at the school. I believe I was an apt pupil, but I never
+dreamed at that time of how useful the knowledge would become."
+
+"Which goes for to prove a feller can't know too much," remarked Captain
+Zoss. "But come on," he added, draining off his big tin cup of coffee,
+and springing up. "That ere boat ain't going to build itself." And off
+he hurried for the woods, carrying all of the tools he could carry. In a
+moment the boys and Foster Portney followed him.
+
+They found the rough slabs of lumber as they had left them, and sticking
+them up in convenient places, began the task of smoothing them off into
+boards, working first with their axes and then with the drawing-knife
+and the plane. It was no light labor, and night was again upon them by
+the time the boards were ready and hauled to the edge of the lake.
+After supper Foster Portney brought out a measuring-rule and marked off
+the different parts of the boat, which was to be a flat-bottom affair,
+with a blunt stern and rather a long-pointed bow.
+
+Another day at Lake Linderman saw the craft put together, false bottom,
+seats, and all. It was a clumsy affair, and they were glad that they had
+enough oakum and pitch along to make her fairly water-tight. The other
+parties in camp were also boat-building, and the scene in the clear and
+fairly warm weather was a busy one.
+
+Randy had cut down a small, straight tree for a mast, and this was
+easily set in place and held by guards running across from one gunwale
+to another. The yard and the boom of this mast were primitive affairs,
+to be put up whenever desired.
+
+As soon as the pitch had hardened, preparations for leaving the camp
+were made. All the goods and tools were packed up into the smallest
+possible space, and stored on board of the _Wild Goose_, as Randy had
+christened the craft, the eatables, clothing, and blankets being placed
+on top, so as not to be injured by the water which might get in. The
+last thing to be taken down was the tent, the fly of which was then
+adjusted for a sail.
+
+"All aboard!" cried Randy, as he leaped into the bow, with Earl behind
+him. Captain Zoss followed them, to help keep a lookout ahead, while
+Mr. Portney and Dr. Barwaithe took places in the stern, one to manage
+the rudder and the other with an oar ready for use, should they run upon
+a bar or mud-flat.
+
+Lake Linderman is but a few miles long, lying in the midst of snow-clad
+mountains, similar to those left behind, although not quite so high. At
+its lower end it connects with Lake Bennett by a short river where are
+situated the Homan Rapids. These rapids are among the most dangerous
+encountered in sailing along the headwaters of the Yukon, and are feared
+more by some miners than are the famous White Horse Rapids, which the
+party must pass through later on. To avoid the Homan Rapids many miners
+travelled straight from Chilkoot Pass to Lake Bennett before stopping to
+build their boats.
+
+But it was all new territory to our party, for even Foster Portney, in
+his previous trip to Alaska, had not passed in this direction. A stiff
+breeze sent them on their way down Lake Linderman, and all expressed
+themselves as well satisfied with the sailing qualities of the _Wild
+Goose_.
+
+"We're coming to the end of the lake," observed Earl, when scarcely an
+hour had passed. "There is the river, over to the right."
+
+In a few minutes more the sail was lowered, and they came to anchor at
+the mouth of the river. The water at this point was smooth enough, but
+some distance ahead could be seen the leaping and swirling whitecaps
+of the rapids leading to the lake below.
+
+[Illustration: "THE WATER WAS BOILING ON EVERY SIDE."--_Page 125._]
+
+"I reckon we'll have to take a line ashore and haul her through,"
+observed Captain Zoss, after an examination of the situation. "We don't
+want to run no risk of bein' upsot so early in the game."
+
+This was agreed to, and the captain and Dr. Barwaithe took one line to
+the left shore and Foster Portney and Randy another to the right,
+leaving Earl to steer or use the rudder, as might be best.
+
+Some loose ice, floating along the lake shores, had partly choked the
+stream, but there was a clear place near the centre, and into this the
+_Wild Goose_ drifted. It was not long before she was caught in the
+strong current, which sent the ice cakes crunching and banging along her
+sides and the spray flying up into Earl's face. He had started to use
+the rudder, but now saw this was useless, and sprang forward with the
+long oar.
+
+"Steady to the left! Not to the right! Swing her around a bit, you
+fellows over there! Easy now, easy! Shove off from that rock, Earl! Now
+then, let her down a few feet! That was a narrow shave, boys! There you
+go again! Steady now! steady! steady!"
+
+So the cries and directions ran on, as the boat proceeded on her
+perilous voyage. The water was boiling on every side, and the lines
+which held the craft were as tight as whipcords. Considerable water had
+been shipped, and Earl was wet from head to foot. But he kept his place
+and shoved off, this way and that, with might and main.
+
+"Hold hard!" suddenly shouted Foster Portney. "Look out, Earl; the line
+is going to break!"
+
+The words were hardly spoken when snap! went the line, the boat end
+hitting Earl a sharp crack in the neck. Thus released, the _Wild Goose_
+swung around and made straight for a series of rocks which all had been
+working hard to avoid. Should she strike she would become a total wreck,
+beyond a doubt, and all their outfits would be lost.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI.
+
+AN EXCITING NIGHT IN CAMP.
+
+
+When the line parted, Foster Portney and Randy were thrown flat on their
+backs in the six inches of slush and water in which they had been wading
+along the edge of the rapids. But they did not care for this, the one
+thought of both was of Earl and how the boat would fare now that there
+was only one line by which to guide her.
+
+As for Earl, the shock also caused him to lose his balance, and he went
+down heavily on one of the packs with which the _Wild Goose_ was
+freighted. But he recovered instantly, and sprang to the bow, oar in
+hand. The craft had swung around, as has been related, and was on the
+point of smashing on the rocks when he put out the oar and tried to
+sheer off.
+
+"Hold her! hold her!" roared Captain Zoss to Earl. "Take the line, but
+don't pull!" he added to the doctor, and the next instant he was in the
+icy water up to his waist. He could not reach the bow of the boat, but
+he gained the stern, and catching hold of the rudder he swung the _Wild
+Goose_ in toward a rock and held her there.
+
+"Throw the broken line to Earl and let him tie it, quick!" he shouted to
+Foster Portney; but the broken line was floating amid the loose ice, and
+it was several seconds before it could be secured. In that time the
+current again caught the boat from another direction, and sheering along
+the rocks in front, the craft made a wild plunge ahead and downward,
+dragging the captain in her wake.
+
+"Earl will be killed!" groaned Randy, and his heart leaped into his
+throat as the _Wild Goose_ seemed swallowed up in the foaming and
+boiling waters below them. His uncle did not reply, but darted out of
+the water and down the bank of the river as fast as his feet could carry
+him. Dr. Barwaithe, who had been compelled to let go the line in order
+to save himself, was also running, and now Randy likewise took to his
+heels.
+
+Fortunately for Earl he kept his wits about him, even though he realized
+the great peril he was in. In previous years he had helped raft lumber
+in Maine during the spring freshets, so that the situation was not such
+a novel one. But there was a vast difference between steering logs which
+could not be harmed and navigating a boat loaded with all their
+possessions, and he felt the responsibility. He clung to the long oar
+and used it as best he could, whenever the opportunity offered, which
+was not often.
+
+In less than ten minutes the ride was over and the _Wild Goose_ shot
+with a swish into Lake Bennett. By this time Captain Zoss had managed to
+crawl on board and give Earl a helping hand. The craft had struck a
+dozen times, twice rather sharply, but beyond a scraping on one side and
+a slight crack in the bow, which was speedily caulked up, she escaped
+injury. The two on board ran to one shore, to take Dr. Barwaithe on
+board, and then stood over to where Mr. Portney and Randy awaited them.
+
+"That was a providential escape!" were Foster Portney's words, when he
+saw that Earl was safe. "I wouldn't have you run such a risk again for a
+fortune!"
+
+"And I don't want to run such a risk again," replied Earl, with rather a
+sickly smile. He was greatly shaken up, and it was a long while before
+he felt like himself. Randy could hardly keep from hugging his brother
+because of the escape.
+
+"It was a fool move of ours from the start," said Captain Zoss, speaking
+plainly, for the icy bath had not improved his temper. "We should have
+packed our outfits along the river and let the boat take care of
+herself, with plenty of lines to guide her. I won't stand fer any such
+move as that ag'in; not much, eh?"
+
+"You are right, captain," said Foster Portney, gravely. "We'll be more
+cautious in the future."
+
+"Yes! yes!" broke in the doctor. "What should we have done had this
+young man been killed and all our traps been lost? It would have been
+better to have carried boat and all around from one lake to the next."
+
+It was a sober party which went into camp that night on the rather rocky
+shore of Lake Bennett, sober and rather out of sorts in the bargain. The
+captain insisted on building an immense fire, and while he sat drying
+himself by it he found fault with everything which came into view. Later
+on the others of the crowd found that the captain got these moods every
+once in a while and never meant all he said, but now they did not know
+this and it made the two boys, at least, unhappy.
+
+"Might have knowed it," grumbled Captain Zoss, "with two kids along,
+instead o' nothing but growed-up men as know their business. The next
+time I jine a crowd it will be o' those as has at least voted, eh?"
+
+"I can't agree with you that it was the boys' fault," replied Dr.
+Barwaithe. "The line broke, and that started the whole thing."
+
+"Well, boys is boys, and men wouldn't have let sech a thing happen!"
+snapped the captain. "See yere, I want my coffee hot!" he roared to
+Randy, who was preparing supper. "No lukewarm dishwater fer me, eh?"
+
+"I'll give it to you as hot as the fire will make it; I can't do any
+more," was Randy's short answer. He was as much out of sorts as any one.
+Then the captain turned to Earl, and found fault with the timber in the
+boat; and by the time they sat down to eat, all felt thoroughly put out.
+
+The doctor tried to enliven matters by relating some of his experiences
+in college, and he even gave them a song or two, for he was a good
+singer with a sweet tenor voice. All enjoyed the singing, but the
+captain looked as glum as ever.
+
+"I'm sorry we've got that old curmudgeon along," said Earl, as he and
+Randy turned in together, on the rubber blanket. "Gracious, I never
+imagined he could be so disagreeable!"
+
+"Nor I," grumbled his brother. "And to think that we have got to put up
+with him until we reach the gold diggings!"
+
+The tent had been pitched in the shelter of a number of high rocks and
+at some distance from the lake front. The _Wild Goose_ rested in a tiny
+cove, secured by a painter attached to a stake driven deeply into the
+sandy shore. There was a little swell on the water, caused by the rising
+wind, but no one supposed this would prove sufficient to do the craft
+any harm.
+
+As they expected to remain in that camp but one night only, a single
+tent had been erected for the entire party, so all hands were huddled
+closely together. It was not long before they were all asleep.
+
+When Earl awoke it was still dark. He roused up with a start, to find
+the wind blowing violently. Outside it was raining and snowing
+together, and it was some snow on his face which had caused him to
+awake. He was about to get up, when Randy called to him.
+
+"What's up?"
+
+"There's a storm on, snow and rain, and I guess we'll have to look to
+the fastenings of the tent," answered Earl.
+
+The talking awoke the others. The wind was increasing rapidly, and
+already the front left end of the tent was flapping violently, torn
+loose from its pegging. Earl donned his overcoat and ran outside to hold
+it down, while he called to Randy to bring the hammer with which to bury
+the pegs anew.
+
+"Fasten her tight; I'll take a look after the boat!" cried Captain Zoss,
+and rushed off in the darkness, followed by Foster Portney. By this time
+the doctor was also out, and he and the boys began the task of securing
+the shelter. A heavy gust of wind came on, and in a flash the canvas was
+sailing high in the air, held down only by the pegs on one side. To
+secure the cloth was no mean work, and they had to wait for fully a
+minute in the rain and snow, until the wind abated.
+
+"This is going to the gold diggings with a vengeance," murmured Dr.
+Barwaithe.
+
+"A fellow could 'most fly there in this wind!" panted Randy. "Earl, have
+you a peg handy?"
+
+"Not a one."
+
+"Neither have I, and it's as dark as pitch."
+
+"Here are two pegs," said the doctor. "I wonder if I can stir up that
+fire," he added, starting to where the campfire had been. The fire was
+out, and the sheet-iron stove lay over on its side, with a mess of beans
+overturned in the oven. To light a new fire under existing circumstances
+was out of the question, and the medical man went back to assist the
+boys.
+
+The tent had hardly been secured when there came a great flurry of snow
+which almost blinded them. Randy had been for running down to the lake,
+but now he crawled under the canvas and hesitated. In the meantime Dr.
+Barwaithe set the stove up once more and tried to rescue such of the
+beans as were worth it.
+
+"The rain is giving way to snow--" began Earl, when he stopped short, as
+a faint shout reached them through the whistling wind. "It's Uncle's
+voice! We are wanted down there!" he added, and started off on a run. As
+the cry was repeated Randy followed. A minute's run and they reached the
+beach a hundred feet above where Captain Zoss and Foster Portney were
+standing.
+
+"What's the matter?" demanded Earl, quickly.
+
+"The boat is gone," was his uncle's alarming reply. "She has drifted off
+in the storm, and we can't catch sight of her anywhere!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII.
+
+A HUNT FOR FOOD.
+
+
+Randy and Earl were much dismayed by their uncle's announcement. The
+_Wild Goose_ had disappeared! Where to? Ah, that was the question. In
+vain they tried to pierce the darkness of the night and the snow-squall.
+Nothing in the shape of a craft could be discerned upon the broad waters
+of Lake Bennett.
+
+"I told ye to mind how ye tied up that yere craft," growled Captain
+Zoss, wrathfully, to Earl. "Any lubber could have tied her up better
+than you did."
+
+"You expect me to do everything!" retorted Earl, beginning to lose his
+temper, too. "I did the best I could. Why didn't you look after it?"
+
+"He was too busy taking it easy by the fire," put in Randy, bound to
+stand up for his brother, as well as to put in a "shot" for himself.
+
+"None o' your impudence, boy!" roared the captain, and he turned as if
+to strike Randy. But now Foster Portney caught his arm and threw it
+back.
+
+"Stop it, all of you!" said he. "This is no time to quarrel. The wind,
+and not Earl, is responsible for this, for I looked to the tying up
+myself, after he was done. We're all out of sorts, but we needn't act
+like children over it. Our duty is to find the boat, and that as quickly
+as possible."
+
+"I reckon she's gone down the lake," grumbled the captain, after an
+awkward pause. "The wind's that way."
+
+"We'll go down and see if we can't sight her," answered Foster Portney.
+
+Away they went on a run. Earl, who was tall and light in weight, easily
+outdistanced the rest and reached a rocky cliff, where the lake made a
+slight bend. He went up the cliff, to stumble headlong into a narrow
+gulch, cutting his chin and his left hand. Picking himself up, he
+started on, but soon stopped. "I ought to warn the others," was his
+thought, and he turned and hurried back.
+
+Captain Zoss was ahead of the others and was on top of the cliff when
+Earl shouted to him. "Stop, captain, stop, or you'll get hurt!" came at
+the top of his voice, and the captain halted just in time to save
+himself from a disastrous fall. He climbed down the gulch and up at the
+other side, and yelled a warning to those behind. Soon all four stood
+upon another level stretch of the lake shore.
+
+Nothing was to be seen--that is, nothing but the flying snowflakes
+dropping into the wind-swept and white-capped waters beneath. They
+continued to walk on, until the cold chilled each to the marrow of his
+bones.
+
+"We might as well get back and wait till morning," said Foster Portney,
+with a heavy sigh. "We can do nothing in the darkness. Let us hope the
+boat will beach herself somewhere and remain right-side up."
+
+With chattering teeth they started on the return, Randy by his uncle's
+side and Earl behind Captain Zoss. Half the distance to the tent had
+been covered when the captain paused and ranged up beside Earl.
+
+"Earl, you mustn't mind me when I git in my tantrums," he said jerkily.
+"I git 'em every once in a while, see? It's nateral with me--allers was.
+But I ain't bad at heart, an' I shan't forgit ye for savin' me a dirty
+fall, mark that! And it's not your fault the boat is gone--anything
+would have torn loose in this yere gale." He paused for a moment. "An' I
+didn't mean ter hit Randy--it's only a way I have ter frighten folks--a
+poor way, too, as I acknowledge. Come on." And before Earl could reply
+he was stalking on, his head bent far down, to keep the snow from his
+eyes. Earl clung close to him, and from that night he and the captain
+were better friends than ever. Later on Randy received a like "apology,"
+and when he got to know the captain better voted him "all right, though
+a bit cranky at times."
+
+Dr. Barwaithe was as dismayed as any of them had been, when the news
+was broken to him, but he agreed that nothing was to be accomplished
+while the darkness and the storm lasted. He had dragged the cooking
+stove up to the entrance to the tent and was trying to start a fire.
+Twice the tiny flames had flickered and gone out, but now, fanned
+vigorously, the wood caught, and soon the stove was red-hot, the top
+spluttering with the snowflakes which fell upon it. The fire warmed the
+air in the tent, and for the balance of the night the party rested
+comfortably in body if not in mind.
+
+With the coming of morning the storm abated, and by eight o'clock the
+sun was struggling to shine through the drifting clouds. The captain, as
+if to atone for his misdeeds, prepared breakfast, giving to Earl and
+Randy the best of the flap-jacks turned out. The captain was a great
+hand at these cakes, and the party was certain to get them whenever he
+was cook.
+
+"For all we know, the boat may have gone clear down to the entrance to
+Tagish Lake," remarked Foster Portney, while finishing the repast. "I
+see nothing for us to do but to walk along the lake shore and keep our
+eyes open."
+
+"Shall we take our traps along?" asked the doctor. "I can carry the cook
+stove if you can divide the rest of the stuff among you."
+
+A short discussion followed, and feeling certain the boat had gone down
+the lake, if anywhere, it was decided by all hands to pack the outfit
+and take it along. The packing took some time, and when the start was
+made the storm had cleared away entirely, leaving the sky as bright as
+one could wish.
+
+A mile of the shore had been covered when Foster Portney called a halt
+and directed attention to an object floating in the direction from which
+they had come. "It's a boat!" he cried, a moment later.
+
+"Our boat?" questioned Randy, eagerly.
+
+"I can't say." Mr. Portney and the others watched the craft with
+interest. "No, it's not our boat, but another, and there are several
+people on board."
+
+"Let's hail 'em, and git 'em to search for the _Wild Goose_," said
+Captain Zoss, and they walked back, and after some trouble succeeded in
+attracting the attention of the party on the water. There were three men
+in the boat and a woman, the latter being the same they had met in camp
+at Lake Linderman. To all the newcomers Foster Portney told his story.
+
+"O' course we'll help you," said the miner who had his wife on board.
+"One o' you can git aboard here, and we'll cruise around the lake on a
+hunt. Ain't got room fer more 'n one," he went on; "and say, who's the
+doctor among ye?"
+
+"I am," responded Dr. Barwaithe.
+
+"Then you might ez well do the trick, fer Lizy here don't feel extry
+well, an' it will be fair play fer you to give her some medicine, I take
+it."
+
+"I'll do what I can for her," said the doctor. "But most of my medicines
+are on board of the lost boat."
+
+"Then we've got ter find her, sure pop, fer Lizy does feel most
+distressin' like, with a pain in her head an' a crick in her back," went
+on Wodley, the miner.
+
+The doctor hopped on board, and after a few words more the boat set off
+in search of the _Wild Goose_, and the hunt from the lake shore was
+continued. Slowly the forenoon wore away and still nothing was seen of
+the missing craft. The other boat with the doctor had long since been
+lost to view up the lake.
+
+It was getting toward supper time when Foster Portney turned to Earl,
+who, in addition to some of the camping outfit, carried the shot-gun. "I
+just caught a glance of something on legs up among yonder rocks," he
+said. "If you can, you might as well knock it over, for it won't be long
+before all of us will want something to eat."
+
+Earl was glad enough to try his hand at hunting, and turned over his
+traps to his companions. Soon he was climbing the rocks to which his
+uncle had pointed. He had not gone over five hundred feet when he beheld
+a small deer gazing at him in alarm. Before he could draw a bead on the
+animal the deer was gone behind a neighboring cliff.
+
+Feeling moderately sure that this was the animal his uncle had seen, and
+that the deer would not go far, but might even come back out of
+curiosity, Earl began to climb the cliff. A profusion of brush grew
+among the rocks, and these afforded him a good hand-hold, and he was
+soon at the top.
+
+Although hemmed in on three sides by mountains, the way to the lake was
+clear, and looking in that direction he saw, far to the opposite shore,
+the boat containing Dr. Barwaithe and their newly made friends. He
+watched the boat for a minute, when a clatter of sharp hoofs on the
+cliff made him whirl around, just in time to catch a second sight of the
+deer. His gun came up quick enough now, and the charge took the animal
+full in the breast.
+
+Struck in this fashion, many an animal would have rolled over dead. But
+the deer of Alaska, which are growing more scarce every year, are a
+sturdy lot, and though terribly wounded, this specimen did not drop.
+Staggering for a brief moment, he turned and then fled in the direction
+from which he had come.
+
+Earl was amazed, but, determined not to lose his game after such a shot,
+he hastily reloaded and made after the game. Less than two score of
+steps brought him almost to the end of the cliff, and he discovered the
+deer crouched in the shelter of the rocks, its dark eyes glaring
+angrily. Up came his gun, and the weapon was discharged just as the
+animal sprang forward. The shot was a glancing one, doing little harm,
+and the next instant the wounded beast was upon the boy.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII.
+
+ON TO THE WHITE HORSE RAPIDS.
+
+
+For a brief instant, as the deer rushed upon him, Earl was fairly
+paralyzed, having had no idea that the wounded animal might attack him.
+But as those glaring eyes came closer and the antlers were lowered, he
+realized that something must be done, and leaped to the inner side of
+the narrow cliff.
+
+Crash! the deer had struck him on the arm. It was a heavy blow, and only
+the sharp rock to one side of him saved the youth from serious injury.
+Then, as the animal bounded back for a second attack, Earl shoved out
+the gun, pressed it at the deer's breast, and sent the beast tumbling
+from the cliff into the gulch below. It was done so rapidly that the
+animal had no time to save itself. It went down with a crash and a dull
+thud, and, looking over the rocks, the boy saw that it lay on its back
+unable to run off on account of a broken leg. As soon as he could, he
+reloaded the shot-gun and put his game out of its misery.
+
+"That was a narrow escape, and no fooling!" he half muttered, as he
+looked about for some place where he might descend to the bottom of the
+gulch. A quarter of an hour later he had the deer bound on top of a tree
+branch, and was dragging it toward the lake shore.
+
+"A deer!" cried Randy and Foster Portney, simultaneously, as they caught
+sight of the prize. "Well, that was well worth going after!" continued
+the latter.
+
+"You had a narrow escape!" exclaimed Randy, when Earl's story was told.
+"If you hadn't shoved him over, he would have gored you to death."
+
+It was quite dark by the time they went into camp. The deer was soon cut
+up, and they dined that evening on the choicest of venison steak. The
+remainder of the meat was hung up to dry, while a portion of it was
+thoroughly salted.
+
+In addition to the fire in the camp stove, a big blaze was lit on the
+shore, that Dr. Barwaithe and the others might be guided hither if they
+succeeded in finding the _Wild Goose_. But the night wore away without
+interruption, and by six o'clock the next morning the search for the
+missing craft was renewed.
+
+"We're most down to Tagish Lake, I reckon," remarked Captain Zoss. "I
+don't believe the _Wild Goose_ could go through, 'ceptin' she was bottom
+side up and minus our traps, which I don't hope fer, eh?"
+
+The entrance to Tagish Lake was reached, and they were speculating on
+what to do next, when Randy shouted, "Here they come, and they have the
+_Wild Goose_ in tow!"
+
+His announcement proved correct, and quarter of an hour later Wodley
+sent his own craft up to the bank with a swish through the water-grass
+and tundra, or moss, which was now beginning to show itself on every
+side. The _Wild Goose_ was close behind, and they noted with
+satisfaction that she seemed to be in the same condition as they had
+left her.
+
+"We found her stuck in the mud on the other side," announced Dr.
+Barwaithe. "The wind had just sent her along and left her, and the only
+damage done is to some of the provisions which were soaked by the rain
+and snow."
+
+"We can be thankful it's not worse," replied Foster Portney. "If she had
+not turned up, I don't know what we would have done."
+
+Dr. Barwaithe had become well acquainted with the party, and had given
+Mrs. Wodley some medicine containing a large quantity of quinine, for
+the woman was suffering from chills and fever, something frequently met
+with in Alaska.
+
+It did not take long for both parties to haul their boats into Tagish
+Lake, and once on that broad sheet of water, all sail was set for the
+six miles of river which connects that body of water with Marsh Lake,
+called by many Mud Lake, on account of its shallowness and soft bottom.
+
+As they skimmed along, Earl and Randy, under the directions of their
+uncle, sorted over the provisions, putting aside for immediate use such
+as would not keep after being wet. This had scarcely been finished when
+the end of Tagish Lake appeared in sight.
+
+"There is some sort o' a camp ahead," announced Captain Zoss. "Don't
+look like er miner's strike, either. Injuns, I'll bet!"
+
+The captain was right. The camp was a rude one, consisting of half a
+dozen huts and dugouts. The Indians numbered about two score, and they
+were the most disagreeable Randy and Earl had yet beheld. Each was
+painted from forehead to chin with greasy black and red paint, and all
+wore filthy skin suits which could be smelt "further than you could see
+them," according to Randy's notion. The Indians tried to sell them some
+fish, but the members of the party declined, and pointed to the deer
+meat. Then one of the Indians begged Earl to let him have the deer's
+head and antlers for a string of beautiful pike, and the youth made the
+trade; for although he would have liked to keep the trophy, carrying it
+up into the gold regions was out of the question. The deer meat had been
+divided with the Wodley party, and now a similar disposition was made of
+the fish.
+
+The day was fine, with the wind in the right direction, and soon they
+came to the end of Marsh Lake, which is fifteen miles long, and heavily
+fringed on all sides with timber and brush. On several occasions they
+ran in water so shallow they were in danger of going aground; but the
+sharp eyes of Captain Zoss saved them, and the second day saw them
+encamped within sight of the fifty-mile river which connects Marsh Lake
+with Lake Labarge, the last of the lakes they were to traverse on the
+way to the gold regions.
+
+"By day after to-morrow we'll strike the White Hoss Rapids," said
+Captain Zoss. "Then, I reckon we'll have jest sech a time as we had up
+ter Homan Rapids."
+
+"Excuse me!" rejoined Earl. "One such experience is enough in a
+lifetime."
+
+"I have been talking to Wodley," put in Foster Portney. "He has been
+through the rapids, and he says he will give us a hand when we get
+there. He advises taking the boats through almost empty."
+
+The captain "allowed" this would be safer, although, to be sure, it
+would also be far more laborious, for everything not left in the boat
+would have to be carried over the roughest kind of a trail, running some
+distance away from the stream.
+
+The two parties camped side by side, and it made each feel more at home
+to have the other at hand, for among these lofty and cold-looking
+mountains one was very apt to have a lonely feeling creeping over him if
+no companion were at hand.
+
+"How a man could attempt this trip all alone is something I can't
+understand," observed Randy. "Imagine getting lost in those mountains
+over yonder! It makes a fellow shiver to think of it!"
+
+"Men have been lost out here," replied Dr. Barwaithe, gravely, "and lost
+so thoroughly they have never been heard of again. If a man gets lost in
+the mountains, and he is of a nervous temperament, the chances are that
+after a week or a month of it he will lose his mind and go crazy."
+
+"I guess that is what would happen to me," answered Randy. "Oh, what's
+that stung me? A mosquito, I declare! Who would expect to find one of
+those pests at this season of the year?"
+
+"You'll get mosquitoes enough presently," replied Foster Portney. "Don't
+you remember the mosquito netting I brought along? During the short
+summer here the insects are apt to worry the life out of a person."
+
+"I suppose they thrive in this moss that I see around," said Earl. "What
+did you say it was called, Uncle Foster? tundra?"
+
+"Yes, tundra, Earl. The moss is thicker than this up in the north and
+covers everything. If it wasn't for the moss, I think the ground might
+thaw out more in the summer, but as it is, the moss prevents the sun
+from striking in, and the ground is as hard as in midwinter six or eight
+feet below the surface."
+
+"The moss doesn't seem to have any effect on the berry bushes, though,"
+said Randy. "I see 'em everywhere. Do they bear fruit?"
+
+"Oh, yes, they have everything in the way of berries up here, Randy. But
+they are rather small, and they haven't the flavor of those at home. The
+berries have to take the place of larger fruits, such as apples, pears,
+and peaches, and the birds live on them."
+
+"Well, we won't starve as long as we have berries, birds, and fish,"
+said Earl. "I don't see where this cry of starvation comes in, I must
+say."
+
+"O' course ye don't--not now!" burst in Captain Zoss. "But wait till
+winter sets in. Then the berries will be gone, an' birds will be mighty
+scarce."
+
+"But we'll have the fish, captain. We can cut holes in the ice on the
+river and spear them, as we do down in Maine."
+
+"Wall, maybe, my lad. But ye don't catch me a-tryin' it when I kin git
+anything else--not with the ice eight or ten feet thick an' the mercury
+down to forty below nuthin' at all!"
+
+It was not long after that they turned in, and never did they sleep more
+soundly, although a number of mosquitoes visited them. Foster Portney
+was the first to get up, and by the time the boys followed, a delicious
+smell of frying fish and boiling coffee was floating through the air.
+
+A ten minutes' ride on the lake brought them close to the entrance of
+the river. Here the water was broken up into a dozen currents, swirling
+this way and that and throwing the spray in every direction. On either
+side of this watercourse were high walls.
+
+"Now fer the tug o' war!" said Captain Zoss, and immediate preparations
+were made to shoot the cañon and the falls of which Randy and Earl had
+heard so much. Once past that dangerous spot, the remainder of the trip
+to the gold regions would be an easy one.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX.
+
+NEARING THE END OF A LONG JOURNEY.
+
+
+Both Earl and Randy had heard from the miner Wodley that it was only of
+late years that prospectors after gold in Alaska had had the daring to
+shoot the White Horse Rapids, of which even the Indians in their light
+canoes were afraid. Formerly white men had packed everything, even to
+their boats, round the dangerous runs of water, a task which to them
+looked herculean, when they gazed at the tall mountains, and at the
+crooked trail Wodley pointed out.
+
+After much talking by all hands, it was decided that Wodley's boat
+should go through first, loaded down only with the mining tools, which
+would not suffer from getting wet. Wodley was at first going to take the
+trip alone, leaving his wife and the other miners of the party to join
+the Portney crowd, but at the last moment Captain Zoss asked to be
+allowed to take a hand, and the offer was accepted.
+
+The sail was taken from the _Buster_, as Wodley had named his craft, a
+heavy-set affair, built to stand some rough usage, and, each armed with
+an oar and a heavy pole, the two men shoved off from the rocky shore. A
+few strokes sufficed to send them into the current, and fairly caught,
+the boat swung around and started on her mad career through the cañon of
+rocks and water and flying spray.
+
+"She's off!" shouted Earl, and followed by Randy he sped alongshore and
+up to the edge of the cañon, where he might see what progress was made.
+But hardly had they reached a convenient spot when the _Buster_ shot
+along far beneath them, and around a bend, and was hidden from view in
+the midst of a whirlpool of waters that threatened each instant to
+ingulf her.
+
+"If she isn't smashed up before she reaches the end of the cañon, then
+I'll miss my guess!" ejaculated Earl. "My, but how she did spin along!"
+
+"Wodley ought to know what he's doing," answered Randy. "If she is
+smashed up, I hope he and the captain come out alive."
+
+They returned to where the others had been left, and took up the heavy
+packs which had been assigned to them. All the things to be carried had
+been equally divided among the men and the boys, and it was calculated
+that three trips would be necessary to move the outfits.
+
+That day proved the hardest they had yet experienced, and by the time it
+was dark both Randy and Earl felt as if their backs were broken and
+their feet, to use Earl's expression, "walked off." They had carried
+one-third of their traps to a beautiful spot just at the head of the
+worst of the White Horse Rapids, which, it may be well to add here, are
+many miles in extent.
+
+Contrary to the expectation of the boys, Wodley and Captain Zoss had
+brought the _Buster_ through in safety. They had had only one alarm,
+just at the end of the cañon proper, when the boat had swung around on a
+hidden rock and shipped about half a barrel of water. They were wet to
+the skin, and this, along with the story they told, made Mrs. Wodley
+insist upon it that her husband allow the other men of the party to
+bring the _Wild Goose_ through, on the day following.
+
+As Captain Zoss had made the trip once, it was decided that he and Earl
+should take the next trip, while the others made another tramp over the
+trail with more of the traps. They encamped at the White Horse Rapids,
+but started back toward Lake Marsh before sunrise.
+
+"It's easy enough, Earl," said the captain, on embarking on the _Wild
+Goose_. "All you've got to do is to keep your wits about you and your
+eyes on the rocks. Tie the pail fast to the seat, so it won't float away
+if the boat gives too much of a lurch. If we have to bail any, you had
+better do it."
+
+They were soon on the way, out of the brightness of the early sunshine
+into the gloom of the yawning cañon, which seemed to swallow them up.
+The roar of the waters between the rocks was deafening, and the flying
+spray sent a shiver through Earl. Yet he stood to his post manfully,
+realizing that there was no turning back, now that the perilous trip was
+once begun.
+
+"To the left shore!" roared Captain Zoss, presently, and Earl scarcely
+heard him. The captain waved his elbow frantically, while using his
+pole, and Earl saw what was wanted. They were running close to some
+half-submerged rocks. A vigorous use of the pole, a slight grating which
+made the youth hold his breath, and that danger at least was past.
+
+But more were ahead, and they grew thicker and thicker as the _Wild
+Goose_ leaped, turned, and twisted, first in one mad current and then
+another. Swish! came a huge wave into the craft, nearly taking Earl from
+his feet. Then, before he could make up his mind whether to begin
+bailing or not, the boat slid up almost on her stern's end, and most of
+the water went flying forth. "Now for the left shore, and mind the
+channel!" roared the captain, once more, and then the oars came into
+play, and on they bounded through a clear cut in the rocks not over
+twenty-five feet wide. The cut at an end, the captain threw down his oar
+with a deep breath of satisfaction.
+
+"The wust on it's over," he announced. "Jest pole her along easy-like
+now, and we'll be down to camp inside of half an hour."
+
+The strain on the _Wild Goose_ had caused several of the seams to part,
+but it was decided to do nothing with these until after the worst of the
+White Horse Rapids had been passed. They must now take their crafts out
+of water and carry or ride them on rollers to the foot of the falls.
+
+This was a job lasting several days, for both the _Wild Goose_ and the
+_Buster_ were heavy, and it took all the men in both parties to move one
+boat at a time. But at last the greatest of the falls was passed, and
+then it was decided to draw the boats along through what remained, and
+after another hard day's labor they had the satisfaction of finding
+themselves free from further obstacles, and encamped midway between
+Tahkheena River and the head of Lake Labarge. That day was Sunday, and
+it was spent in perfect rest by all.
+
+Thus far since the snow-squall on Lake Bennett, fine weather had favored
+them, but now Monday set in cloudy and threatening. As soon as breakfast
+was over, the _Wild Goose_ was patched up and pitched over, and all of
+the outfit placed on board. The _Buster_ was already loaded, and with
+the wind from the westward they tacked down the river and into Lake
+Labarge, a clear sheet of water, some twenty odd miles in length, and
+varying from two to four miles in width. About midway from either end of
+the lake there was an island, and on this rocky shore they were
+compelled to seek shelter about the middle of the afternoon, for the
+wind had increased to a good-sized blow, and to sail in such a boat
+was, consequently, out of the question.
+
+Both the _Wild Goose_ and the _Buster_ had hardly been drawn up out of
+harm's way than it began to rain. Seeing this, all lost no time in
+pitching the tents and in building fires to keep warm, for in this
+section of Alaska a rain even in the summer is sure to make one feel
+cold. The tents were pegged down with extra care, and this was a good
+thing, for by nightfall the wind had increased to a hurricane.
+
+The travellers to the gold regions were stormbound at Lake Labarge for
+two days. It did not rain all this time, but the wind blew too strongly
+to venture from shore. The time was spent inside the tent and hung
+rather heavily, although occasionally relieved by a song from the
+doctor, or a yarn told by Captain Zoss, or Wodley, who, along with his
+wife, and Crimmins and Johnson, the other two miners, made themselves
+quite at home with the Portney party.
+
+"The wind has moderated at last!" said Randy, who was the first out on
+the third morning. "Now let us make the most of the fine weather while
+it lasts."
+
+The others were more than willing, and the stove and camping outfit were
+taken down to the _Wild Goose_ without delay. The Wodley party was also
+stirring, but did not start until some time later on; and the two
+parties did not see each other again until many a day later.
+
+The journey to the end of Lake Labarge was quickly made, and they
+entered the thirty-mile watercourse, at that time unnamed, which
+connects the lake with the Big Salmon and the Lewes rivers. Randy and
+Earl were in charge, the men taking it easy over their pipes, for the
+captain was an inveterate smoker, and Mr. Portney and the doctor
+indulged occasionally in the weed.
+
+A good many miles had been covered, when Earl, happening to glance at
+his pocket compass, announced that they were sailing almost due
+southward. "And that can't be right," he said to Randy. "We ought to be
+headed for the northwest."
+
+"Well, we're on the river all right," answered Randy. Nevertheless, he
+spoke to his uncle about it, who at once consulted his pocket map.
+
+"I'll tell you what you've done," he announced presently. "Instead of
+sticking to the river that flows northward, you have turned into the
+Teslin, which flows to the south. Swing the _Wild Goose_ around at
+once."
+
+Much crestfallen over their mistake, the boys did as requested. They had
+to go back nearly four miles, as they calculated, before they saw the
+opening which had previously escaped their notice. But once right, they
+found the wind directly in their favor, and with the sail set to its
+fullest, they bowled along until the Big Salmon was reached, and they
+swept into the broad waters of the Lewes River.
+
+"And now for the Yukon and the gold regions!" cried Dr. Barwaithe. "How
+much further have we to go?" he questioned, turning to Foster Portney.
+
+"About three hundred and fifty miles," was the answer. "And with the
+exception of the Rink and Five Finger rapids, which don't amount to
+much, so I have heard, we'll have straight sailing. Ten days more ought
+to see us at Dawson City, ready to stake our claims."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX.
+
+THE GOLD FIELDS AT LAST.
+
+
+On the following day the wind died down utterly, and no progress could
+be made in the _Wild Goose_ excepting by the use of oars, and this was
+slow and laborious work. They took turns at rowing, two at a turn, with
+the others taking it easy on the blankets, for the river was now broad
+and deep and as smooth as a mill-pond.
+
+On the second day they seemed to leave the rocks behind, and emerged
+into a slightly hilly country. Here the banks of the stream were
+overgrown with bushes and flowers, the latter just starting to push
+forth their buds in countless profusion of variety and color. The
+transformation was almost magical and more than one spoke of it.
+
+"That's the way of things in Alaska," said Foster Portney. "There are no
+spring and autumn; just winter and summer, and that's all. The warm
+weather which is now coming on will last until September, and then
+winter will come almost before you know it."
+
+Earl had noticed the increase in heat since leaving the lakes, and now
+he perspired freely while pulling at the long oar. Randy sat in the bow
+taking in the sights. A flock of wild geese came sweeping toward them,
+and he asked for permission to take a shot with the gun. His aim was a
+good one, and two of the creatures fell where they were readily picked
+up.
+
+"We'll have stuffed goose to-night," said the captain, with a grin.
+"It's a pity we ain't got sage an' onions ter stuff it with."
+
+"Perhaps I can find something to take the place of sage," said the
+doctor. "This variety of bushes and vines ought to produce some similar
+herb."
+
+During the past two days they had noted a number of islands in the
+river, and that night they made a landing on one of these, in preference
+to tying up on shore. Mosquitoes were more numerous than ever, but a
+smudge built by Foster Portney soon drove the most of the insects off.
+
+The island was several acres in extent, and while the captain busied
+himself in roasting a goose and frying some potatoes he had "traded in"
+from Wodley for a bit of bacon, Randy and Earl took a tramp around, to
+stretch their legs and prospect on the sly. One carried a pick and a
+shovel and the other a gold-washing pan, and coming to a hollow where
+they could work unobserved, they set about getting out some dirt from
+under a series of rocks. The pan was soon full, and then Earl started to
+wash by pouring water on top and giving it the rotary motion he had
+heard his uncle mention.
+
+The labor was harder than either of them had imagined, and four panfuls
+of dirt were washed out, leaving nothing but smooth stones behind. They
+were about to continue the process, when they heard their uncle calling
+them, and a moment later Foster Portney appeared. He started to laugh,
+but quickly checked himself.
+
+"Digging for gold, eh?" he said. "Well, I don't think you'll find any
+here. The formation of the ground isn't right. If there is any precious
+metal around at all, it's at the bottom of yonder river. Might as well
+give it up." And somewhat disgusted the boys returned to camp. It was
+the only time they tried prospecting until the regular gold fields were
+reached.
+
+Two days later found them at the Rink and Five Finger rapids. Owing to
+the melting of the snow and ice under the increasing heat of the sun,
+the river was very high now, and, consequently, both spots were passed
+with comparative ease, the dangerous rocks being covered to a depth of a
+yard or more. In consequence of this increase of water, the river had
+over-flowed its bank for miles, forming great lakes and marshes
+everywhere, and at times it was almost impossible for them to keep to
+the channel. Once they did make a false turn, only to find themselves,
+half an hour later, in a "blind pocket," as Dr. Barwaithe put it.
+
+The rapids and the Tachun River passed, it was almost a straight sail
+northwest to the ruins of old Fort Selkirk. But little could be seen of
+the former fort, the Indians having overturned the very foundations in
+their search for trinkets and articles of value. They encamped at the
+spot over-night and were joined on the following morning by two other
+parties who had crossed Chilkoot Pass two days after themselves.
+
+Of these parties Earl asked for news of Tom Roland and Jasper Guardley,
+and was informed that the men had joined a crowd of Irishmen from
+Portland, who were coming through on a large raft. "They're a tough
+crowd, too--all of 'em," said the speaker. "If they don't get into
+trouble before they leave the gold diggings, it will be mighty queer."
+
+From old Fort Selkirk to Dawson City is a distance of one hundred and
+sixty miles, through a country so varied that it is next to impossible
+to describe it. At times the voyagers found themselves sailing calmly
+along on a broad expanse of water dotted here and there with wooded
+islands, rich in new foliage and evergreen trees, and again the stream
+would narrow, with high and rocky hills on either side. Here the water
+would flow swiftly over and around jagged rocks, and the utmost care
+would have to be exercised in avoiding a smash-up. Once they did receive
+a severe shaking-up and had to run for a low island with all possible
+speed, to avoid becoming waterlogged. This happened in the forenoon,
+and it took the balance of the day to make the _Wild Goose_ as seaworthy
+as before.
+
+A week and more had slipped by since leaving the Rink Rapids, and now
+all were on the watch for the first sight of the new gold fields. Every
+one was in a state of suppressed excitement. They had met half a dozen
+miners sailing back and forth on the river and from these had learned
+that everything was "booming," and that strikes were panning out big.
+The eyes of both Randy and Earl glistened when they heard these stories,
+and the hardships endured since leaving Dyea were forgotten.
+
+"Hurrah! there's a miner's tent!" suddenly shouted Randy, late one
+afternoon. "We've struck the diggings at last!"
+
+"There are half a dozen tents and a board cabin!" added Earl, pointing
+still further on. "I guess you're right, Randy. I wonder if that is the
+Klondike River over yonder. It looks mighty small."
+
+"That's only a creek," said Foster Portney. "We'll land and see how far
+we are from Dawson."
+
+The _Wild Goose_ was easily beached, and they lost no time in hunting up
+the miners to whom the tents and the cabin belonged. They were a party
+of Frenchmen from Canada and could speak but little English. Dr.
+Barwaithe spoke to them in their native tongue and soon learned that the
+place was Baker's Creek and that Dawson City was about six miles further
+on. The Frenchmen were very conservative, but admitted that they were
+doing very well at placer-mining, taking out an average of thirty
+dollars a day per man.
+
+"Thirty dollars a day!" cried Randy. "A fellow can get rich quick enough
+at that rate."
+
+"Hardly--with such a short season," answered his uncle. "Yet thirty
+dollars isn't bad by any means."
+
+"I'm up yere to strike a fortune," put in the captain. "No measly little
+thirty dollars a day fer me!"
+
+Both Randy and Earl wished to remain behind to see the Frenchmen wash
+out the gold dust, but the others were impatient to go on, and they were
+soon on the way once more.
+
+"If the claims are good around here, it won't be long before they are
+taken up," said Foster Portney. "For, as you can see, men are pouring in
+over the mountains every day, not to say anything of those who make the
+long trip by way of the ocean and up the Yukon."
+
+"Well, I'm just crazy to get to work," declared Randy. "Just think of
+the gold lying around ready to be picked up!"
+
+His uncle smiled. Poor Randy! Little did he dream of the many backaches
+and privations in store for him.
+
+To the left of the river there now arose a long chain of hills and
+mountains, sloping gradually to the water's edge; on the right were
+smaller hills and great marshes, fairly choked with bushes and wild
+growths of vines and flowers. The tundra was everywhere, and over all
+circled flocks and flocks of wild birds, a few mosquitoes, and something
+they had not yet seen--horseflies. The horseflies were black and green
+in color, and a bite from one of them made Captain Zoss utter a mighty
+yell of pain. "It was like the stab of a dagger!" he declared
+afterwards, and so angry did the bite become, and so painful, that the
+doctor was called upon to treat it with a soothing lotion.
+
+It was after seven o'clock, but still daylight, when Dr. Barwaithe
+raised his hand for the others to become silent. "Listen!" he said. "I
+think I heard a steamboat whistle. Ah! I was right. A boat is on the
+river!"
+
+A few minutes passed, and they heard the whistle again. Then Earl
+pointed ahead excitedly. "There's the boat, and she is tied up to the
+river bank. There are half a dozen buildings and fifty tents or more.
+I'll wager it's Dawson!"
+
+With hearts which beat quickly they sailed forward, using the oars to
+make the _Wild Goose_ move the faster. Another turn of the stream and
+the mining town could be seen quite plainly. Ten minutes later they ran
+up just behind the steamboat and tied fast. The long trip was at an end.
+The new diggings, with all their golden hopes, lay before them.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI.
+
+A DAY IN DAWSON CITY.
+
+
+At the time of which I write, Dawson City was little better than a rude
+mining camp, containing, as has been previously mentioned, a half dozen
+board buildings and fifty tents, strung along what was known as the
+principal "street." Back in the timber land a rude saw-mill had been set
+up, and this was beginning to get out lumber at the moderate price of
+one hundred and twenty-five dollars per thousand feet!
+
+A year before Dawson City had been unknown, but the rich finds of gold
+on Bonanza and Gold Bottom creeks had caused the miners to leave Circle
+City and Forty Mile Post and boom the new El Dorado, as it was termed,
+and the settlement grew as if by magic. From the wild rush to stake
+claims many rows resulted, but the cooler heads speedily took matters in
+hand, and each man was allowed a claim from five to fifteen hundred feet
+long and extending the width of the creek or gulch in which it was
+located.
+
+These claims were not located upon the Klondike River, which joins the
+Yukon at Dawson City, as has been often supposed, but upon the little
+watercourses running into the Klondike. These gold-bearing diggings
+are, or were, variously called Bonanza, Gold Bottom, and Bear creeks,
+which flow into the Klondike direct, and Hunker, Last Chance, El Dorado,
+Adams, Shantantay, and other creeks and semi-wet gulches which are
+tributaries to the creeks first named. The names were arbitrary, and
+were often changed to suit the miners' tastes.
+
+To Randy and Earl, the camp presented the appearance of having "just
+moved in," as the younger brother termed it. On every side were miners'
+outfits stacked in little piles, while their owners were either at hand
+erecting tents, or off prospecting or buying supplies. There was but one
+store, a rude board building not over twenty by thirty feet, in which
+everything on hand was offered at most extravagant prices. Flour sold
+for sixty dollars per barrel, beans fifty cents per pound, bacon and
+canned meats seventy-five cents per pound, and other goods in
+proportion. There were no fresh meats excepting two sides of beef just
+brought in by the little flat-bottomed steamboat from Circle City, and
+which were rapidly disposed of at two dollars to five dollars per pound.
+A crate of eggs were at hand, to be purchased at one dollar per dozen,
+but as most of the eggs were stale, the contents of the crate went
+begging. Of miners' tools, a pick or a shovel brought ten dollars to
+fifteen dollars, while washing pans were not to be found, and had to be
+manufactured by the miners themselves. Wearing apparel was also scarce,
+and Earl saw twenty dollars given for a flannel shirt, and five dollars
+for a pair of socks, both articles being paid for in gold dust.
+
+As it was evening, most of the miners had given up work and come into
+the camp to talk, trade, and learn the latest news. Every one was in a
+quiver of excitement, and the announcement that an extra good find had
+been made on Hunker Creek caused many to strike out during the night to
+make new claims in that vicinity.
+
+"Let us go, too!" cried Randy, and Earl joined in; but the men talked it
+over and decided to remain in Dawson City until they learned more about
+the "lay of the land." They pitched their tent as close to where their
+boat lay as possible, but it is doubtful if any of the party slept
+through that short night, which had hardly anything of darkness.
+
+All told, there were not over six hundred white men in camp, and, in
+addition, there were perhaps a hundred Indians, with their squaws,
+children, and dogs; for no Alaskan Indian family is complete without
+from one to a half-dozen canines attached. The Indians were there to
+sell fish and game, and to pick up odd jobs of pack-carrying. They took
+but little interest in the gold strikes, and it was but rarely that they
+could be found mining, and then never for themselves.
+
+One of the first lessons to be learned by the boys and the others, was
+that of keeping their outfits intact. Hardly were they up in the
+morning than a dozen miners and prospectors came shuffling around
+offering them various prices for this and that. Had they been willing to
+sell, they could have disposed of all they possessed by noon, but,
+cautioned by Foster Portney, they were firm, and nothing was allowed to
+change hands but a small bottle of cough syrup which the doctor sold for
+an ounce of gold, worth sixteen dollars, to a poor fellow suffering with
+a slight attack of pneumonia. The doctor wanted no pay, but the miner
+insisted on giving it, saying he would pay a thousand dollars if the
+physician would make him as well and strong as ever again.
+
+After many careful inquiries, it was decided that the party should first
+try its luck on Gold Bottom Creek, at some spot near to where the
+watercourse was joined by Hunker and Last Chance creeks. They had
+learned that while Bonanza and El Dorado creeks were paying well, all
+the best claims in those localities were already staked out.
+
+Two days later found them encamped at the entrance to a tiny
+watercourse, which flowed into Gold Bottom Creek. They had come in from
+the Klondike with their outfits on their backs and half a dozen Indians
+to aid them, for the trail was over rough rocks and through lowlands of
+berry bushes and tundra,--a wearisome walk which to Randy, at least,
+seemed to have no end. Often they sank up to their knees in the muck and
+cold water, and once the doctor got "stuck" and had to be hauled forth
+by main strength and minus one boot, which was afterward recovered. A
+promising spot was reached by nightfall, the Indians were paid and sent
+off, and they set about making themselves a home, temporary or
+permanent, as fortune might elect.
+
+A flat surface on the side of a small hill was selected, and the tents
+were placed end to end, as before, but tightened down to stay. Then a
+trench was dug around the sides and the back, so that when it rained the
+water might drain off. This done, the interior was carpeted with small
+branches of pine and evergreen.
+
+"A good, healthful smell," said the doctor, referring to the greens;
+"and one that will ward off many a cold. On the top of those branches
+one ought to sleep almost as comfortably as on a feather bed."
+
+The interior of the tents arranged, a fireplace was next in order, a
+semicircular affair of stone, in which the sheet-iron stove might be
+sheltered from the wind. Then came a cache for the provisions to be
+stored away; and their domestic arrangements were complete.
+
+It was bright and early on the day following that all hands set off to
+prospect along the bottom of the gulch, which the boys had named
+Prosper. They were divided into two parties, the doctor and the captain
+in one, and the boys and their uncle in the other. The latter turned up
+to the left arm of the gulch and presently came to a little hollow,
+where the tiny stream of water flowing along had deposited some coarse
+sand to a depth of eight to twenty inches.
+
+"Now we'll shovel up some of this sand in the pan and see what it
+amounts to," said Foster Portney. "Don't take what is right on top,
+boys. If there is any gold, it is down next to the bed rock. And don't
+fill the pan too full." The boys worked eagerly, and soon had the pan
+nearly full of the sand. Mr. Portney then carried it to a nearby pool
+and allowed the water to run over the top, then brushed off the surface
+and began to "wash down." This took several minutes, and Randy and Earl
+stood by almost breathless during the process.
+
+At last only a handful of sand and dirt remained at the bottom of the
+pan. All three examined it with care. Here and there could be seen a
+tiny grain of dull yellow.
+
+"That is gold," explained Foster Portney. "But there is hardly enough to
+pay; probably three or four cents' worth in all."
+
+"Is that all!" cried Randy, and his voice was full of disappointment.
+Earl said nothing, but gathered up the pick and shovel and moved on.
+
+In two days a dozen other spots had been tried with even worse success,
+and the three in the party began to imagine that the gulch was of no
+consequence, so far as staking a claim there was concerned. To add to
+their discomfiture a miner came along who said he had gone all over that
+locality a month previous.
+
+"Ain't nothin' thar," he announced; "nothin' wuth over four or five
+cents a panful. Better try your luck elsewar, friends."
+
+"We'll put in another day over here," announced Foster Portney. "One day
+won't count very much, and ground is often gone over a dozen times
+before the right strike is made."
+
+They had brought a lunch with them, and now sat down on the edge of a
+small stony cliff to eat it. The boys were tremendously hungry and could
+have devoured twice as much as what was on hand, but they were beginning
+to learn that short rations would be something to look forward to for
+some time to come.
+
+Having eaten what was allotted to him, Randy began to poke around with
+the pick, while his uncle and Earl still rested. The cliff was divided
+into two sections, and between was a lot of rotten stone, dirt, muck,
+and rubbish. Striking the pick deeply into this, Randy loosened a
+portion of the stone, and out it rolled into the gulch, bringing the
+dirt and a good portion of the rubbish after it. He began to scatter the
+stuff to the right and the left when something shiny caught his eye, and
+stooping he picked it up, while his heart leaped into his throat.
+
+"Uncle Foster! Earl! Look at this!" he cried, and ran to them, holding
+up the object as he did so. It was larger than an egg and quite heavy.
+Foster Portney gave one glance and then leaped forward, dropping what
+food still remained in his hand.
+
+"Where did you find it, Randy?" he exclaimed.
+
+"Over yonder," was the hasty reply. "But is it gold, Uncle Foster?"
+
+"Yes, Randy, it's a nugget as sure as you're born--a nugget worth at
+least two hundred dollars. And what's better yet," went on Mr. Portney
+as Randy began to dance with delight, "the chances are that there are
+more where this came from!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII.
+
+DIGGING FOR GOLD.
+
+
+A nugget worth two hundred dollars! Randy could scarcely believe his
+eyes and ears. He gazed at his uncle for a moment in open-mouthed
+wonder.
+
+"You're in luck, and no mistake!" broke in Earl, as he also examined the
+yellowish lump. "Say, but that's a strike to start on, isn't it!"
+
+He had hoped to make the first find himself, but he was too unselfish to
+begrudge his brother that pleasure. Leaving the lump in his uncle's
+possession, Randy led the way back to where the find had been made, and
+all three set to work without delay to empty the "pocket," as Foster
+Portney called it, and examine the contents.
+
+"Here's another!" cried Earl, presently. "It's not quite so large,
+though."
+
+"But it's worth at least a hundred dollars, Earl," answered his uncle.
+"And see, here are a number of little fellows worth from ten dollars to
+fifty each. Randy has struck a bonanza beyond a doubt. Don't scatter
+that dirt too much, for we must wash out every ounce of it for little
+nuggets and dust."
+
+"And maybe there is a vein of gold back there," said Randy, proudly.
+"If there is, we can all work it, can't we?"
+
+"Yes, unless the captain and the doctor have struck something equally
+good. There, that seems to be the last of the nuggets. Let us count
+them. Fourteen in all, and worth at least four hundred dollars. It paid
+to stay over in spite of what that miner said, didn't it?" And Foster
+Portney laughed, and the boys joined in readily, for the discovery of so
+much gold had put all into the best of humor.
+
+The nuggets picked out, they set to work to wash out the sand and dirt.
+While Foster Portney filled the pan and washed, the two boys took turns
+in bringing up water from the pool, using for the purpose a rubber water
+bag the man had thoughtfully provided for just such an emergency. The
+washings continued until it was quite dark, and by that time half of the
+dirt had been gone over and something like two ounces of gold dust
+extracted.
+
+"Not so bad," said Mr. Portney. "Perhaps to-morrow we'll do even
+better."
+
+"I could keep on all night," declared Randy, who was loath to quit the
+locality. "Somebody may come in and take the claim away from us before
+morning."
+
+"We'll leave the pick and the shovel in it, and that will prevent them,"
+was the answer; and this was done. No miner dares to touch another's
+"prospect" so long as any tools remain in it.
+
+When they got back to camp they found the doctor and the captain already
+there. The two had tried half a dozen spots, but only one had yielded
+sufficient gold dust to warrant their continuing to work it. They
+listened with keen interest to the account of the find made by Randy,
+and were quite willing to take a hand at prospecting that locality the
+next day.
+
+Eight o'clock found all hard at work. While the captain and Earl washed,
+the others went into the opening of the cliff and brought out all that
+remained of the dirt and loose stones. There was not a great deal, and
+shortly after noon every shovelful was heaped up close to the artificial
+pool of water Dr. Barwaithe had constructed. While the washing
+continued, Foster Portney examined the sides and the bottom of the
+opening, and then moved forward through a tangled mass of brushwood and
+tundra until he came to the bed of a second gulch a hundred feet
+distance from the first.
+
+"There is nothing more in the pocket," he declared. "And if there is any
+more gold, it is either in that gulch or this, and I am half inclined to
+think it is over there, although we may as well prospect this gulch
+thoroughly first."
+
+By the morrow the washings from the pocket came to an end, with four
+more ounces of gold to the credit of the prospectors, making in all a
+find of about five hundred dollars. Previous to going into camp it had
+been decided that for the present everything found should be divided
+into five parts, one to go to the captain, one to the doctor, and three
+to Foster Portney for himself and his nephews. The Portney share, as we
+know, was to be divided, one-half to Mr. Portney and one-quarter to each
+of the boys. Thus the boys received each three-twentieths of the entire
+amount found; not a large portion, but then they had nothing to pay out
+for expenses, which were bound to be considerable, and each was
+perfectly willing that his uncle should have the one-tenth extra of the
+whole amount on that account.
+
+"Three-twentieths of five hundred dollars is seventy-five dollars," said
+Randy to Earl, when they were alone. "We've each earned that, free and
+clear, so far. That's not bad."
+
+"If only we can continue, we'll make our fortunes," replied Earl,
+earnestly. "But the pocket's at an end, and now we've got to prospect
+elsewhere."
+
+The days went by, and they tried the first of the gulches from end to
+end, sometimes working together, and then each man and boy for himself.
+But though they struck gold often it was never in paying quantities, and
+the end of the week saw them somewhat discouraged.
+
+"It wouldn't be so bad, only we made such a fine start," grumbled Randy.
+"Now there's no telling when we shall find gold again."
+
+"That's the fortunes o' prospectin'," said the captain. "It may be we
+won't git a smell o' gold in the hull district ag'in!"
+
+"I move we try that other gulch on Monday," put in the doctor. "It's
+full of loose sand, isn't it?" he went on to Foster Portney.
+
+"Yes, the sand and gravel are at least two feet thick," was the answer.
+"I believe there is gold there, as I said before, but to clear off the
+brush and moss will be no easy task."
+
+"We came out here for work," said Earl. "I didn't expect to sit around
+and sun myself." And all laughed at this remark.
+
+It was Sunday, and late on Saturday night a miner had been around
+announcing a religious meeting to be held over at the Bottom at noon.
+Mr. Portney, the boys, and the doctor walked over, nearly half a mile,
+leaving the captain in charge of the camp. They found about fifty miners
+collected around an improvised platform, where an earnest-looking young
+man was reading a chapter from his Bible. A song by three of the women
+present followed, and then came a short sermon on the brotherhood of man
+and the value of a faith which would carry a man above the temptation to
+do wrong, even in that desolate region. At the close of the service a
+collection was taken up, for the preacher's benefit, some of the miners
+giving ordinary money, and others pouring gold dust into the little
+chamois bag the preacher had provided for that purpose.
+
+At this meeting the Portneys again met the Wodley crowd, who had located
+about a mile up Gold Bottom Creek, at a place called Rosebud, a name
+particularly inappropriate, since no roses were to be found in the
+vicinity. Wodley and his companions were doing fairly well, and thought
+the "doctor's flock" might do worse than to locate just above them.
+
+"We'll remember that," said Foster Portney. "But first we are going to
+try again over where we are."
+
+Wodley had heard again from Tom Roland and Guardley. He said the gang,
+as he termed it, which they had joined had gone up Hunker Creek and
+staked out three claims somewhere above Discovery, as the first claim on
+a creek or gulch is called. The claims had overlapped some already
+staked out, and the miners in that section had had several fights and
+had threatened to drive out all the newcomers if they did not do what
+was right.
+
+"I was going over to Hunker Creek myself," concluded Wodley. "But I
+don't want to quarrel with anybody."
+
+Monday morning found the entire Portney crowd over to Tangle Gulch, as
+Mr. Portney christened it. It was a name well chosen, for the tangle of
+bushes, vines, and moss was "simply out of sight," so Earl said,
+although as a matter of fact it was very much in sight--that and
+nothing else. No one could move forward more than a yard before having
+to stop to loosen himself, either from the bushes and vines or the
+clinging moss, and muck under the moss. And to add to their discomfort
+they stirred up a legion of mosquitoes, gnats, and black flies, which
+hovered over their heads like a cloud.
+
+"Let us burn the brush first of all," said the doctor, when at last the
+middle of the gulch was reached. "That will clear the surface and
+scatter those pests overhead. Oh, my!" He broke off short as he went
+down into a concealed water hole which was several feet deep. "Here's
+another of the pleasures of hunting gold in Alaska!" and this was said
+so comically that everybody roared.
+
+Axes and knives had been brought along, and soon a large pile of the
+brush had been cut and piled in a heap and set on fire. As it was green,
+it burnt slowly and raised a large smoke, which made the mosquitoes
+scatter immediately. From that day until the end of the summer they kept
+a smudge fire for protection. The brush cleared from the sides of the
+gulch, which was very narrow, they went at the tundra, throwing the moss
+wherever it would be out of the way. This took a long time, and it was
+not until almost nightfall that they got down to the sand and gravel of
+the choked-up watercourse.
+
+"Now we'll see if there is anything in this gulch or not," said the
+captain, as he scooped up the first panful off the bedrock. "If there
+isn't, then we've had most all-fired hard work fer nuthin', eh?" And he
+started in to wash up the sand, gravel, and dirt, while the others
+looked on in breathless interest.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIII.
+
+GOOD LUCK AND BAD.
+
+
+As the captain wanted to save every grain of gold in the pan, he washed
+very carefully, and it was fully five minutes before the last of the
+sand and dirt was disposed of and they could come to a calculation as to
+the value of the yellow metal left.
+
+For gold there was, true enough, shining brightly before their eyes--and
+there was more than this, too, for some of it was of a blackish color.
+The others could not believe in the value of this until Foster Portney
+assured them that he had frequently heard of black gold being turned up
+in the Yukon district.
+
+"Half an ounce at least," was the verdict arrived at by both the captain
+and Mr. Portney; "and that's eight dollars."
+
+"Then we had better stay, hadn't we?" said Earl.
+
+"Why, of course, Earl; you didn't expect to do much better than that,
+unless you struck nuggets."
+
+"One fellow over to Gold Bottom said he was taking out a hundred dollars
+to the panful," put in Randy.
+
+"Fairy stories, my lad," answered the captain. "A claim as will turn
+out eight dollars to the pan is mighty good--as good as I'm a-lookin'
+fer just now."
+
+"And we haven't gone very far into this gulch," put in the doctor. "It
+may be better further up."
+
+"And it may be worse," said Foster Portney, "although I'm inclined to
+think it will be better. We had best stake out our claims without
+delay."
+
+This was readily agreed to, and before they went back to the tents they
+had staked out three claims, one for each of the men. Earl might have
+taken up a claim, too, being just old enough, but the three covered all
+the ground which the party thought of any account. Each claim was five
+hundred feet long and the upper one covered both gulches, which was an
+excellent thing, as it would give them a fair amount of water by which
+to do their washing. The posts firmly planted and marked, they walked
+slowly back to camp, talking over the prospects and mapping out their
+future work.
+
+It was decided to move the tents to a more convenient locality, and a
+spot was readily found at a point above where the two gulches joined, or
+rather where the one gulch split into two. The transfer to this new
+home-spot was made the next day by Earl, Randy, and the doctor, Mr.
+Portney and the captain going back to uncover several other portions of
+the claims, to ascertain, if possible, just what their values might be.
+
+The next week was a busy one. The camp removed and put into comfortable
+shape, the next work was to dam up the gulch where the pocket had been
+found, so that all the water might flow through Mosquito Hollow, as the
+doctor had facetiously dubbed the new diggings,--a name that stuck to
+it. This work was done by Randy and Dr. Barwaithe, while Earl joined the
+captain and his uncle in burning down the brush and getting rid of the
+tundra.
+
+Before turning the water from Prosper Gulch into Mosquito Hollow, Foster
+Portney advised sinking several holes along the latter gulch, that any
+gold washed along by the flow would be caught. The captain put these
+down, and then came the long labor of cleaning the sand and dirt from
+the bedrock below. As it would have taken all summer to clean out the
+entire bottom of the gulch, only the deeper part was attacked and here a
+runway for the water was made, a foot to two feet wide.
+
+The water had just been turned along Mosquito Hollow and washing begun
+when a party of prospectors from Forty Mile Post came along and espied
+the claims. They at once wished to know the particulars of the find
+made, and, assured that there was gold there, one of the men lost no
+time in putting up his stakes below them, while two others went above.
+Inside of a week after this the Hollow boasted of eight claims, and a
+little settlement sprung up at the Fork, as the miners named the spot
+where the Portney crowd had located.
+
+"We'll have a town here before the summer is over," said Earl; but he
+was not sorry to have company, especially as the newcomers were all
+hail-fellows-well-met and apparently honest to the core. Among them was
+a young lawyer from Dakota, and he and Dr. Barwaithe soon became the
+warmest of friends.
+
+The short Alaska summer was now reaching its height, and flowers and
+berries were growing everywhere in the wildest profusion, while during
+the middle of the day the sun beat down so fiercely that they were often
+compelled to seek the shade for hours at a time.
+
+"My gracious, the Hollow is like a pepper box!" said Randy one day, as
+he came into camp with his shirt wet through with perspiration. "Not a
+breath of air stirring."
+
+"And the hotter it is, the worse the flies are," added Earl. "I declare,
+they seem to bother me more than even the mosquitoes."
+
+Usually it cooled off toward seven or eight o'clock, even though the sun
+still shone well up in the sky, but this night proved as warm as the day
+had been, and most of the party went to sleep outdoors, unable to stand
+it inside of the close tents. Outside, they had to wind their heads and
+necks in mosquito netting and cover up their hands, to keep from being
+pestered to death. It was the most uncomfortable twenty-four hours they
+had yet put in.
+
+"The old Harry take Alaska!" burst out Dr. Barwaithe, finally. One
+mosquito had alighted on his nose, and two others on his neck. "It's
+worth all the gold you can get, and more, too, to stand these impudent
+pests. Oh!" And making half a dozen wild slashes he finally scrambled up
+and ran around the tents to throw his tormentors off.
+
+The captain was suffering from a slight attack of scurvy, brought on by
+eating so much salt food. The doctor had given him some medicine, but
+this did little good, and the captain was getting into a bad way when
+one of the old miners, who had just come in, came to his aid.
+
+"Eat tomatoes, cap'n," he said. "Best thing on airth fer scurvy. Bill
+Watson wuz down with it wust way an' nuthin' helped him but tomatoes. He
+eat 'most a bushel o' 'em, an' they made a new man o' him. Eat
+tomatoes."
+
+"Tomatoes may be very good," said the doctor. "They are a very strong,
+green vegetable, you know. You might try them."
+
+And the captain did try them, first using up some of the cans brought
+along, and then buying a quart of fresh tomatoes at Dawson City, for two
+dollars. Sure enough, the tomatoes helped wonderfully, and about a week
+later the scurvy left him.
+
+Nearly a month had now passed since the party had located at Mosquito
+Hollow, and in that time they had taken out three small nuggets worth
+probably fifty dollars apiece, and a little short of a hundred and
+fifty ounces of gold dust. Counting the gold dust as worth sixteen
+dollars an ounce, this gave them, in round figures, twenty-five hundred
+dollars for their labor.
+
+"Twenty-five hundred dollars!" said Earl. "That's a good deal more than
+we could earn at home."
+
+Captain Zoss gave a deep sigh and shook his head. "I ain't satisfied,"
+he said. "I didn't come up to Alaska to work fer no five hundred a
+month. I'm goin' elsewhar fer luck."
+
+"You won't stay here?" asked Randy, quickly. He had begun to like the
+captain very much.
+
+"No, lad; I'm yere to make a fortune or nuthin'. I quit the hollow
+ter-morrow."
+
+"Well, you have that right, captain, although I'm sorry to see you go,"
+said Foster Portney.
+
+"Which means thet you an' the boys stay," answered the captain, quickly.
+"I'm sorry ye won't go with me. I want ter try Hunker Creek."
+
+"I think I'll stay," said Foster Portney, quietly. "I'll give the gulch
+a few weeks longer, for the way I look at it we're making wages and have
+the chance to make a strike. What do you say, boys?"
+
+Randy was in for following the captain, but a look from Earl made him
+change the words on the end of his tongue. "I'll do as you think best,
+Uncle Foster."
+
+"And so will I," said Earl.
+
+Then they looked at the doctor, who was kicking the toe of his boot
+against the tent pole in speculative way. It was several seconds before
+the medical man spoke.
+
+"I--I think I'll go with the captain," he said finally. "Not but that I
+hate to part company," he added hastily. "But I came up here to make a
+big hit, and if I wanted to work for what we've been making here, I
+could get it easier by going into Dawson City and hanging out my
+shingle--you all know that. I hope we part the best of friends."
+
+"We will," said Foster Portney. "We'll divide our gold as per agreement,
+and also the outfits."
+
+"And I'll give you my share of this gulch free," said the captain, and
+the doctor said the same.
+
+Of this, however, Foster Portney would not hear. He insisted on paying
+each of them a hundred dollars, and drawing up regular papers, which
+were signed in the presence of two of the outside miners. On the day
+following the doctor and the captain packed up their traps, hired four
+Indians to help them, and set off, first however, giving Mr. Portney and
+each of the boys a hearty handshake. In a few minutes they were out of
+sight.
+
+"And now to work the Hollow for all it is worth," said Foster Portney,
+when they were left alone. "And remember, from henceforth, whatever we
+turn up belongs to us and to nobody else."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIV.
+
+AN UNLOOKED-FOR ARRIVAL.
+
+
+Although the boys missed Dr. Barwaithe and Captain Zoss greatly, there
+was much of satisfaction in the thought that their uncle had expressed;
+namely, that henceforth whatever was taken out of the three claims on
+Mosquito Hollow gulch would belong to them and to nobody else.
+
+"Of course, we can't expect to do as much work as was done before," was
+the way Earl reasoned. "But we are just as liable as ever to make a big
+strike."
+
+During the following week the weather turned off somewhat cooler, and
+this made work easier and more rapid. All three went at it with a will,
+and the six days brought in six hundred dollars in dust.
+
+"That's a hundred and fifty apiece for us, Earl," said Randy, after
+figuring up. "It beats lumbering down in Maine all hollow, doesn't it?"
+
+"I'll tell you better after we've gone through a winter up here, Randy.
+From all accounts the weather is something awful, and we've got to stand
+it, for getting away is out of the question after the first of
+September."
+
+"Well, let's not anticipate trouble. I guess Uncle will see that we are
+as well provided for as possible," answered Randy, who could think of
+nothing but the gold dust brought in daily.
+
+So far they had done all their washing with hand pans. Foster Portney
+had tried to obtain a cradle, or a "Long Tom," but had failed. Now he
+announced his intention to go over to the saw-mill at Dawson and buy the
+necessary boards for several sluice boxes. He left on Friday, stating he
+would probably not return before Monday or Tuesday.
+
+The week had brought a number of newcomers to the vicinity, who had
+staked claims on other gulches within a radius of half a mile. Some of
+these late arrivals had come over the mountain pass, while the majority
+had taken the longer route up the Pacific Ocean and the Yukon. The Fork
+seemed to be a favorite camping ground, and there were times when as
+many as a score of tents were pitched there.
+
+One of the newcomers was from Hunker Creek, and he brought news of the
+doctor and the captain. The pair had staked two claims some distance
+above Discovery and were doing fairly well, although they had by no
+means struck it as rich as anticipated.
+
+It was on Saturday evening, when Randy and Earl were busy washing out
+some of their underwear--for they of course had to play their own
+washerwoman--that news was brought to them that there was a young
+fellow down at a camp below who had expressed a desire that Randy or
+Earl come to see him.
+
+"He ain't give no name, but he's a slim-built chap an' don't look like
+he was cut out fer roughing it," said the messenger. "He's half sick,
+and he was grub-struck when me and my pard picked him up."
+
+"A slim-built chap--" began Randy, when Earl broke in: "It's Fred
+Dobson, the crazy fool!"
+
+"Fred!" cried Randy. He turned to the messenger and asked the miner to
+give him a better description of the boy; but this was not forthcoming,
+and he hurried off with the man, leaving Earl in charge of the tent.
+
+The camp below was quarter of a mile away, over a hill thick with
+blackberry bushes. But something like a trail had been tramped down from
+the Fork, and it did not take the two long to cover the distance. They
+had just come over the hill in sight of several tents when Randy beheld
+somebody get up from a seat on a fallen log and totter toward him.
+
+"Randy Portney!" It was Fred Dobson's voice, but so thin and hollow
+Randy scarcely recognized it. "Oh, how glad I am to see somebody I
+know!"
+
+"Fred! How in the world did you get up here!" burst out Randy. He took
+the hand of the squire's son, and led the way back to the seat. "How
+thin and pale you look! I thought you had gone back to Basco!"
+
+Fred heaved a deep sigh. Then he looked Randy full in the face for a
+moment. His eyes were moist, and he tried in vain to keep back the
+tears. But it was impossible, and throwing his head on Randy's shoulder,
+he wept like a child.
+
+The tears touched Randy to the heart, and he caught the thin hands and
+pressed them warmly. "Never mind, Fred," he said. "Now you are up here
+I'll do what I can for you. So let up and tell me your story."
+
+It was several minutes before Fred could do this. "I came up by the way
+of the Chilkoot Pass," he said, when he felt able to speak. "I joined a
+party I met in Juneau, a crowd of men from Chicago, and they promised to
+see me through if I would do my share of work. But the work was too hard
+for me, and they treated me like a dog, and at Baker's Creek they kicked
+me out of camp and compelled me to shift for myself."
+
+"How long ago was this?"
+
+"A week ago. Since that time I've been knocking around from pillar to
+post, looking for something I could do, so as to earn at least enough to
+eat. I did get one job in Dawson City washing dishes in the restaurant,
+but even there the food the boss wanted me to eat was more than I could
+stand, as it was nothing but leavings."
+
+"And when did you hear of us?"
+
+"Yesterday. I struck a miner named Wodley and he gave me your
+directions. Oh, Randy, what a fool I was to come to Alaska! If only I
+had taken your advice and gone back to Basco!" And it was only by an
+effort that Fred Dobson kept himself from crying anew. He felt
+miserable, weak, and hungry, had had scarcely a kind word for weeks, and
+was on the point of giving up in despair.
+
+"Do your parents know where you are?" asked Randy, after another pause.
+
+"Yes, I wrote to them just before leaving Juneau--I couldn't think of
+going so far away without doing that."
+
+"Well, that was at least one sensible move, Fred." Randy thought for a
+moment. "Our camp is about half a mile from here, over that hill. Can
+you walk that far?"
+
+"Oh, yes, Randy; I can walk a good way now I've found a friend." Fred
+arose as quickly as he could. "Are you and your friends all together
+yet?"
+
+"No; there are only my uncle, Earl, and myself now."
+
+The two were soon on the journey over the hill. Fred was still rather
+shaky, and Randy gave him his arm to help him at the difficult places.
+When they reached camp, Earl had all the washing out and everything
+tidied up.
+
+"So it is you, Fred?" he said, as he held out his hand. "I thought you
+back in Basco by this time."
+
+"I only wish I was! I made the biggest mistake of my life when I ran
+away, so there! and I don't care who knows it!" And Fred threw himself
+on a bench in front of the tent.
+
+"If there is any of that bean soup left, you had better give Fred some,"
+said Randy, with a knowing glance which did not escape Earl. "And I'm
+going to fry some of the fish I caught over in the river last night."
+
+Half an hour later the wanderer was sitting down to as appetizing a
+supper as he had tasted since leaving the States. While he ate he told
+his story in detail, to which Randy and Earl listened with much
+interest. That Fred had had a hard time of it there could be no doubt;
+and that he had learned a lesson he would never forget was also
+apparent.
+
+"If there was only some way of getting home, I'd start to-morrow," he
+said. "But I'm up here now, and I've got to do for myself--somehow." He
+looked wistfully at Earl and Randy. "Do you think I could make some kind
+of a deal with your uncle to keep me? I know I am not as strong and
+hardy as you, but I can do something, and I won't look for any pay."
+
+"I don't know what uncle will say," said Earl. "He has gone to Dawson,
+and won't be back before Monday or Tuesday. I guess you can stay here
+till that time."
+
+"Yes; and if he won't take you in, I'll help you some," added Randy.
+"We've been more fortunate than you."
+
+Fred was curious to know how they had made out, and Earl and Randy told
+him. He was amazed to think they had done so well; and his face
+brightened a good deal when he remembered how Randy had said he would
+help him.
+
+Sunday was spent in camp. Fred, who was completely tired out, slept the
+greater part of the day, although at meal times, weak as he was, he
+insisted on washing the dishes and the pots and kettles, just to show
+that he was in earnest about working. This made Earl and Randy smile to
+themselves.
+
+"Think of Fred washing dishes like that at home," whispered Earl to his
+brother. "If only the squire could see him now, I guess he'd almost
+forgive him for running away!"
+
+On Monday the two brothers went to work as usual in the Hollow. Fred
+followed them over and was much interested in their labors. Once he
+tried shovelling up the sand and dirt, but Earl told him he had better
+take it easy and get back his strength; and then he walked back to the
+tent, to spend the balance of the day in mending his clothing, which was
+sadly in need of repairs. When the boys came back, he had supper ready
+for them, and never had they had a meal in camp that was better cooked.
+
+"Cooking was the one thing I learned coming up here," Fred explained.
+"There was a negro in the party who had been a chef in a Chicago hotel;
+and he was the one soul in the crowd that treated me half decently."
+
+"Perhaps uncle will retain you as cook," said Randy, mischievously, and
+then he stopped short, for he did not wish to hurt Fred's feelings. The
+supper passed off pleasantly, and Fred announced that he felt a hundred
+times better than the day previous.
+
+It was around ten o'clock, and the sun had just set over the mountains
+to the westward, leaving the Hollow in an uncertain, pale-blue light,
+which would last until sunrise at four, when a messenger on mule-back
+dashed along the trail from Gold Bottom. "Thar's a lynchin' goin' on
+down to Smedley's!" he yelled, as he sped by. "They've caught a sneak
+thief by the name o' Guardley, an' they're goin' ter make him do er
+dance on nuthin'. Better be gittin' down thar, if ye want ter see
+justice done!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXV.
+
+MORE WORK IN THE GULCHES.
+
+
+"They are going to lynch a fellow named Guardley!" ejaculated Earl. "I
+wonder if it can be Jasper Guardley."
+
+"It must be; it's not likely there is another Guardley up here--the name
+isn't as common as all that," returned Randy. "Shall we go?"
+
+Earl hesitated. There was something appalling in a lynching, to his
+mind. Yet he was curious to know more of the crime for which the
+prisoner was about to suffer.
+
+"Yes, we might as well--if Fred will watch the camp," he answered.
+
+"I'll watch it as well as I can," answered Fred. The work he had been
+doing had tired him more than he would admit, and he was glad enough to
+take it easy. He knew Guardley, but took small interest in the man his
+father had sent up more than once for petty crimes.
+
+In less than five minutes Earl and Randy were off, stalking over the
+hills and along Gold Bottom Creek as rapidly as their tired limbs would
+carry them. Smedley's, a settlement of two-score of tents and one board
+cabin where a few odds and ends could be bought, was nearly two miles
+distance, yet they arrived there in less than half an hour--fast time
+when the state of the trails they had travelled was taken into
+consideration.
+
+They found that the prisoner had been bound, hands and feet, and placed
+in the storeroom of the board cabin, a little shed in the rear, scarcely
+eight feet by twelve and hardly high enough for a man to stand in. Two
+rough-looking miners were on guard, one with a gun, and the other with
+an old-fashioned horse-pistol over a foot long.
+
+"What do you want?" demanded one of the miners of Earl, as the latter
+pushed his way forward through the fast-gathering crowd. "This ain't no
+place fer a young rooster like you."
+
+"I would like to see the prisoner, please," answered Earl. "I think I
+know him."
+
+"You ain't the feller's pard, are ye?" demanded the second guard,
+suspiciously.
+
+"No. I am from Maine, and I knew a Guardley up there who came to these
+diggings. I wanted to find out if it was the same man."
+
+"Say, is that Earl Portney?" came from within, and both Earl and Randy
+recognized Jasper Guardley's voice. "If it is, I'd like to talk to him."
+
+"Yes, Guardley," answered Earl. "What's the trouble?"
+
+[Illustration: "I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE PRISONER, PLEASE."--_Page 196._]
+
+"Can't you come in and talk to me?"
+
+"I'll come in if the guards will allow it," and Earl looked at the men.
+
+"Go on in; but leave yer gun with me, if yer got one," was the reply,
+from the man who had first addressed Earl.
+
+"I haven't any pistol," said the youth, and passed into the shed. Randy
+was about to follow, but the guard stopped him. "One's enough, my lad;
+you wait outside." And Randy fell back into the crowd, which kept
+increasing every minute.
+
+From those around him, Randy learned that Guardley was being held for
+the theft of eighty ounces of gold dust, which had been buried by a
+miner, named Cozzins, under the flooring of his tent. Cozzins had missed
+his gold that morning, and three other miners had testified to seeing
+Guardley sneaking around the place, in company with another man,
+presumably Tom Roland. Roland and the gold were both gone, and Guardley
+had been "collared" just as he was about to leave for Dawson City. The
+miners around Smedley's had held a meeting, and it was likely that
+Guardley's crime would cost him his life.
+
+"For you see we ain't got no jails here," explained one miner. "An' to
+leave sech a measly critter run would be puttin' a premium on crime."
+
+When Earl came out of the shed his face was very pale, and he was on the
+point of passing the guards without a word, when they stopped him.
+"Well, wot did ye make out?" demanded one, laconically.
+
+"He says he didn't take the gold--that the robbery was planned and
+executed by his partner. It is awful to think of taking his life."
+
+"It's his own fault, lad--he should have thunk o' those things afore he
+consented to help on the job."
+
+"When will they--they--"
+
+"Perform the ceremony? I reckon some time between now an' sunrise,
+onless the crowd changes its mind. They're goin' to talk it over agin ez
+soon as Cozzins comes back. He's huntin' fer thet other rascal."
+
+After this Earl joined Randy, who was anxious to hear what Guardley had
+had to say. The two walked some distance away.
+
+"I believe Tom Roland stole the gold," began Earl, "but Guardley was
+willing he should, and he remained on guard around the tent while Roland
+dug it up, so he's just as guilty."
+
+"But to take his life--" shuddered Randy.
+
+"I hope they change their minds about that. And, by the way, we were
+right about that money in Boston. Roland got that, and he had that lost
+letter, too. Guardley admitted it, although he didn't give me any
+particulars. He is trying to lay the blame of everything on Roland."
+
+A shout interrupted the conversation at this point. Cozzins had come
+back after an exciting but fruitless chase. At his appearance the scene
+took on a new activity, and the would-be lynching party moved to the
+front of the so-called store, where half a dozen flaring torches and two
+smoking kerosene lamps lit up the weird scene. Here Cozzins told his
+story, and then Guardley was brought out, trembling in every limb. He
+begged over and over again to be let go, and his earnestness had its
+effect even on the man who had been robbed. A talk lasting a quarter of
+an hour followed, and then Guardley was given his choice of two
+sentences,--the one being that already pronounced, and the other being a
+whip-lashing on his bare back, and a drumming out of the camp, with the
+warning that if he ever showed up there again, he was to be shot on
+sight. With a long sigh of relief he chose the latter punishment, and
+was ordered to strip, while Cozzins prepared for his part in the affair,
+by hunting up the hardest and strongest rawhide dog-whip to be found.
+
+"I don't want to see the whipping," whispered Randy; "let us go home.
+Poor Guardley! I guess Cozzins will make him suffer as he has never
+suffered before!"
+
+"I hope it teaches him a lesson to turn over a new leaf," answered Earl.
+"But I'm afraid there isn't any reform to Guardley. He hasn't even
+enough manliness to shoulder his share of the blame, but tries to put it
+all off on Roland. Come on." And they turned away without another word.
+Before they were out of hearing distance of the camp, a shriek rent the
+air, telling that Guardley's punishment had already begun.
+
+The boys had expected their uncle to come back by Tuesday as told; but
+in the afternoon one of the miners, working down Mosquito Hollow,
+brought word from Dawson City that Mr. Portney could not get his lumber
+for two or three days, and might be absent the remainder of the week in
+consequence. So there was nothing to do but to keep on working at the
+claims with the hand pans, and this Randy and Earl did, Fred helping
+them as far as he was able. The boy who had been so ill-treated and half
+starved was growing stronger rapidly, and he showed a willingness to do
+even the most disagreeable things which was as astonishing as it was
+gratifying.
+
+Friday found the trio working up along a little split in the rocks on
+the right bank of the gulch. The split was not over two feet wide by
+twelve feet long, and it was filled with gravel and muck, with here and
+there the nest of a field mouse among the tundra. Earl had suggested
+clearing out the split, and he had gone in first to loosen the gravel
+with his pick. About three loads of soil had been removed and carted
+down to the gulch stream, and now Earl found the balance of the split
+blocked by a huge rock.
+
+"Doesn't seem to amount to much," he said, throwing down his tools to
+mop the perspiration from his brow.
+
+"Let me go in there," suggested Fred, and caught up the pick. Swinging
+the tool over his shoulder, he brought it down with all force at a spot
+where the rock showed a slight crack.
+
+"Look out, or you'll break that pick!" called out Randy, when the front
+half of the rock fell away, and Fred had to jump up to avoid having his
+feet crushed. As he made the leap, his eyes caught sight of a surface of
+yellow half hidden by muck and moss. He struck at it with the pick, and
+out came a nugget nearly as big as his fist. He grabbed it up in a
+transport of delight.
+
+"Look! look! A nugget! Oh, what a big fellow! How much do you think it's
+worth?" he cried; and rubbed the muck off with his coat sleeve. "It
+looks as if it was solid!"
+
+"It is almost solid," said Earl, weighing the find in his hand. "It's
+worth two or three hundred dollars at least." And then he added, by way
+of a caution, "You'll have to remember, Fred, that this is my uncle's
+claim."
+
+"Oh, I know that. But it ought to be worth something for finding it,"
+said Fred, wistfully.
+
+"Certainly, we'll make it right."
+
+"Of course we will," added Randy. "Let us see if there are any more
+nuggets in there. This may be a pocket, like the one I found on Prosper
+Gulch." He went forward, but Earl was ahead of him, and was using the
+pick with all the speed and skill at his command. As the remainder of
+the rock came away, a mass of sand, gravel, and dirt followed.
+
+"Here are four small nuggets," said Randy, picking them up.
+"Fifty-dollar finds, every one of them."
+
+Earl said nothing, although he heard the talk. He had espied a gleam of
+dull yellow wedged in between the side of the split and a second rock.
+He tried to force the second rock out, and as it moved forward the gleam
+of yellow became larger and larger, until his hand could not have
+covered it. He worked on frantically, hardly daring to breathe. At last
+the rock fell and the face of the nugget lay revealed, shaped very much
+like the sole and heel of a large man's shoe.
+
+"What have you got?" asked Randy and Fred simultaneously, seeing
+something was up; but Earl kept right on, picking away below the find,
+and to both sides. It seemed to him the thing would never come out, and
+as he realized how large the nugget was, his hands trembled so he could
+scarcely hold the pick. "I've struck a fortune!" he muttered, at last,
+in a strangely hoarse voice. "See if anybody is looking, Randy." And
+then the nugget came loose, and he clutched it in both hands and held it
+up,--a dull, dirty, yellowish lump, worth at least three thousand
+dollars!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVI.
+
+SLUICE BOXES AND PREPARATIONS FOR WINTER.
+
+
+A nugget worth three thousand dollars was, by far, the largest find yet
+made in that district, and the three young miners could scarcely believe
+it true, as they surveyed the lump in Earl's hands.
+
+"Do you suppose it's pure gold?" asked Randy, as he took it from his
+brother. "It's heavy enough."
+
+"I think it's almost pure," said Earl. "We've struck it rich this time.
+Be sure and keep your mouth shut, both of you, or we'll have all of Gold
+Bottom up here," he added. "We've got at least four thousand dollars'
+worth of stuff out of there, so far, and goodness only knows how much
+more there is."
+
+"Here come a couple of miners now," whispered Fred, happening to glance
+down the gulch. He dropped some of the smaller nuggets into his pockets,
+while Randy took care of the rest. Earl let the large lump fall into the
+dirt and covered it up with tundra muck.
+
+"Well, pards, how air ye makin' it?" asked one of the miners, as he
+halted on the edge of the gulch.
+
+"Oh, we're doing fairly well," answered Earl, as coolly as he could,
+although still highly excited. "Where are you bound?"
+
+"Thought we'd try it over to Hunker Creek. Some good reports from there
+this week."
+
+"So I've heard," said Randy. "I wonder if it would pay us to go over."
+
+"It might--everybody has an equal chance, ye know," said the second
+miner. "Say, do ye calkerlate to git anything outer thet split?" he went
+on, with a look of disdain on his face.
+
+"I thought I would see what was in it," said Earl. "If a fellow don't
+try, he'll never find anything."
+
+"Ye won't git nuthin' out o' thar; the split don't lay right. Better go
+up to the top end o' your claim; ye'll stand more chance thar." And
+after a few words more the two miners moved off, and the boys breathed
+easier.
+
+"That shows what he knows about it," said Earl, when he dared to broach
+the subject. "Wouldn't he open his eyes if he knew the truth?"
+
+"And wouldn't he be in for squeezing a claim right on top of us?" added
+Randy. "No; we had best keep this find to ourselves, at least until
+we've found just what is in the split and how far away from the gulch it
+runs."
+
+"Throw all the nuggets into the hole over yonder," said Earl, "and cover
+them up. We'll take them to the tent to-night, and bury them in some
+safe place. I'm going ahead." And he began to pick away as though his
+life depended upon it, while Randy and Fred went over the sand, gravel,
+and dirt with their shovels and hands, to pick out some small nuggets,
+which they found to the number of forty-three, some not larger than a
+grain of rice, and others the size of coffee beans.
+
+"Here is another lump," said Earl, presently, and brought out a thin
+sheet of gold, mixed with stone. "I shouldn't wonder if there is a layer
+of quartz rock somewhere along here, although I don't see anything of it
+yet. I guess this lump will produce thirty or forty dollars' worth of
+gold more. Pretty good for five minutes' work." And he went at it again
+with renewed vigor, scattering the sand and gravel behind him, like a
+mother hen looking for worms.
+
+An hour later the split was cleaned out so far as it could be
+accomplished with the tools at hand. There remained a small crack still,
+running downward three feet, as Earl ascertained by testing it with a
+berry-bush switch. What there might be at the bottom of the crack there
+was no telling, although it must contain some gold, if only in dust.
+Three additional nuggets had been unearthed, one as large as a pint
+measure and finer in appearance than any of the rest. Making sure they
+were not observed, the first nuggets were again brought forth, and each
+took a portion of them to carry home. The largest was tied up in Earl's
+coat, which he slung carelessly over his shoulder as he trudged along.
+
+"Worth five to six thousand dollars if they are worth a cent," said
+Earl, as he surveyed the lot in the privacy of their tent. "And we
+haven't begun to wash up yet nor tested that little crack. This is the
+best luck yet."
+
+Some of their findings had already been put down in a hole under the
+bedding in the tent. The hole was now opened and the new findings added,
+Earl first making a list of the nuggets, to give to his uncle. The
+ground was pounded down hard after this, so that if anybody wanted to
+dig the treasure up, he would find it a day's labor. Nearly all the
+miners buried their large finds, it being the only protection to be had.
+
+On Saturday Mr. Portney came back, bringing with him three Indians
+loaded down with lumber and hardware. He was much surprised to see Fred,
+and was on the point of giving the lad a good talking to when Randy
+called him aside and explained the situation. Earl, also, put in a good
+word for Fred; and then, when the Indians were paid off and discharged,
+the subject was dropped, by both boys telling of the wonderful find
+which had been made. Of course Foster Portney was greatly interested,
+and he smiled when Randy particularly mentioned how Fred had brought out
+the first nugget and caused Earl to investigate further.
+
+"You certainly deserve credit for that, Dobson," he said. "You shall
+have your full share of whatever the nugget proves to be worth. As for
+that little split, the only thing we can do is to blow it open with
+dynamite, and, luckily, I brought a can of the stuff from Dawson for
+just such an emergency."
+
+Foster Portney had heard about Guardley, and had also heard that some
+Canadian mounted police, who had arrived at Dawson City, were on Tom
+Roland's trail. Guardley had turned up at Forty Mile Post whipped half
+to death, and it was doubtful whether he would get over his punishment.
+
+On Sunday the question of whether Fred Dobson should remain as one of
+the party or not was fully discussed. The lad offered to work for
+nothing if only given his board and such clothing as he needed, and
+Randy and Earl said Fred could certainly cook as well as any of them and
+was getting more used to using a pick and a shovel every day. Seeing
+that his nephews wanted the runaway to be taken in, Mr. Portney at last
+said he would "let it go at that."
+
+"I'll feed you and clothe you," he added, "and if we come out all right
+next spring I'll pay your passage back to Basco and give you a little
+extra in the bargain. But you've got to hustle the same as the rest of
+us; that is, as far as your strength and health will permit." And Fred
+said he understood and was thankful for the chance, and would do his
+level best. And he did do his level best from that hour forth. His
+experience had been a bitter one, but at the same time it had been the
+best in the world for him,--exactly what he needed.
+
+The days which followed were busy ones. With the lumber brought in,
+Foster Portney and the boys constructed three sluice boxes, which, after
+completion, were set up at convenient points in the gulch, where the
+water might easily be turned on and off in them. Each box was fifteen
+feet long and a foot square, open at each end and at the top, the latter
+having a few braces across to keep the sides stiff. At the bottom of the
+box small cleats about an inch high were placed at intervals of fifteen
+inches apart, the last cleat, at the lower end of the box, being a
+trifle higher than the rest.
+
+A sluice box done, it was carried to the spot selected for it and
+planted firmly, with its lower end in the stream and its upper end
+elevated from one to two feet. Then the upper end of the stream was run
+into it by means of a water trough. The box was now ready for use. By
+shovelling dirt in at the upper end and allowing the water to run
+through, the dirt was gradually washed down and out at the lower end,
+leaving the heavy gold to settle to the bottom and pile up along the
+upper sides of the cleats previously mentioned. At night the water was
+turned aside and the day's accumulation of gold was scraped away from
+the cleats.
+
+"We can do a good deal more with the boxes than we can with the pans,"
+said Foster Portney. "And what washing we want to do must be done before
+cold weather sets in and the gulch freezes up."
+
+It must not be supposed that the slit in the rocks had been forgotten.
+To the contrary, all hands had often spoken of it, and as soon as the
+sluice boxes were finished every one in the claim turned to the place.
+Two sticks of dynamite were placed in the slit and set off, and the rock
+blown into a thousand fragments.
+
+The blast revealed an opening beneath the slit which was a yard wide and
+twice as deep. This opening was filled with loose sand and dirt, and at
+the bottom of all was a thick layer of gold dust, slightly mixed with
+silver. They scraped the dust up with great care, and found that it
+would very nearly fill a quart measure. They hunted eagerly for nuggets,
+but no more could be found, and the quartz rock Earl had hoped for
+failed to appear.
+
+"Never mind; we can't expect too much luck," said Mr. Portney. "A heap
+of dust like this is find enough for one day. Let us scrape the hole
+thoroughly and cart the dirt down to the nearest sluice box." This was
+done and they examined the vicinity carefully for another slit, but none
+appeared. This pocket, like that on Prosper Gulch, was now exhausted,
+and with a sigh Randy and Earl turned away to the regular work of
+washing for dust. Each had one of the boxes allotted to him, while
+Foster Portney took the third. Fred occupied his time between the three
+and in cooking the meals; and thus the balance of the summer slipped by
+until the day came when Mr. Portney announced that they must begin
+building a cabin and prepare for the long Alaskan winter which would
+speedily close in around them.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVII.
+
+THE END OF THE SUMMER SEASON.
+
+
+Mr. Portney and the boys had long since decided where the cabin should
+be built, up against the side of a cliff, ten feet in height, which
+overlooked the head of the gulch. All the miners in the locality had
+agreed that this would be the best spot, and six cabins were to be
+placed there, for hospitality's sake if for no other reason. Mr. Portney
+had already ordered the dressed lumber needed from the saw-mill; but as
+this was costly stuff, and expensive to transport, Earl and Randy had
+declared their intention to go into the timber back of the cliff and get
+out whatever of rough wood could be made to do.
+
+"We're not going in for style," declared Earl. "You can get the window
+frames and glass, and the door and the finishing boards, and we'll get
+out the rest, won't we, Randy?" And his brother agreed with him.
+
+A week later found the party building in earnest. Over a hundred
+dollars' worth of lumber had been purchased, and it had cost as much
+again to bring it over. In the meantime Earl and Randy, aided by Fred,
+had brought out from the woods four sticks of timber for the corner
+posts of the cabin and had whip-sawed two-score of rough boards. With
+this material they went to work, and four pairs of willing hands soon
+caused the building to take definite shape. Seeing them at work, the
+other miners also got at it, and soon there was sawing and hammering all
+day long beneath the cliff.
+
+Of necessity the cabin was a simple affair. It was set partly on the
+flat rock and partly on the hard ground, and was twenty feet wide by
+twelve feet deep, the back resting almost against the cliff. In the
+front was a door and a window, and there was another window at the end
+nearest to the door. Inside, a spare blanket divided the space into two
+compartments, the first, the one having the door, being the general
+living-room, and the second being the sleeping-room. In the living-room
+was placed a cooking-stove, a rude table, and four home-made chairs,
+while the sleeping-room was provided with four bunks, ranged along the
+rear and end walls. Later on a closet was built for the
+cooking-utensils, but for the present these were piled up in a corner.
+
+Foster Portney was very particular that all the cracks in the side walls
+of the cabin should be filled in with mud, and the top, which was nearly
+on a level with the cliff, was also made water and wind tight, excepting
+where a circular hole was left for the upper section of a stovepipe.
+
+As soon as the cabin was in habitable shape, an account of all the
+provisions on hand was taken. It was found that the canned vegetables
+had run low and that they also needed more flour. A list of necessities
+was made out, and Earl and his uncle started away to Dawson City to
+purchase them, knowing that prices were advancing every day and that the
+goods on hand at the store were liable to give out long before the
+demand for them should cease.
+
+Fred had asked to go out into the woods to see what he could shoot, he
+being a fairly good shot and thoroughly familiar with the use of a gun.
+It was thought best not to let him go alone, and he and Randy went
+together, leaving the cabin in care of the miners who were building
+close at hand.
+
+The hunt in the woods was hardly a success. After tramping around for
+two hours they brought down several birds of a species unknown to them
+and one small deer, smaller than any Randy had ever seen in Maine.
+Otherwise the woods were bare of game, and by the middle of the
+afternoon they gave it up.
+
+"When Earl comes back I'll ask my uncle to let the three of us go over
+to the river," said Randy. "I've heard there are good chances there for
+wild goose, snipe, and plover."
+
+"Yes, and we might put in a day fishing. Even salt and smoked fish
+wouldn't go bad during the winter," added Fred. He was growing hardy and
+strong and took a deep interest in all that was going on.
+
+It was two days before Mr. Portney and Earl returned, bringing with them
+all they and two Indians could carry. The provisions included an extra
+hundred pounds of flour, for which they had paid fifty dollars, some
+canned peas and tomatoes, fifteen pounds of dried apples and California
+apricots, and some coffee, sugar, salt, and smoked bacon. In an extra
+package Earl also carried a beefsteak weighing two pounds and for which
+he had paid five dollars.
+
+"It's Randy's birthday to-morrow," he said, "and we're going to
+celebrate in a style I know you'll all admire." And every one laughed
+and agreed with him, for they had not had any fresh beef since leaving
+the steamboat at Dyea.
+
+Foster Portney was quite willing that the three boys should take a trip
+over to the Yukon to see what could be found in the way of fish and
+game, and it was arranged that they should be gone three days. The start
+was made on Monday morning.
+
+They travelled altogether by compass through the woods, managing on the
+way to knock over enough birds to serve them for their meals. On the
+morning of the second day they struck the Yukon about midway between
+Dawson City and Ogilvie. As they came in sight of the broad stream Earl
+halted the crowd and pointed straight ahead.
+
+"Look at the snipe!" he said. "Now is our chance. Let us all fire
+together!"
+
+Randy and Fred had borrowed shot-guns from their neighbors, and at the
+signal three reports rang out, and eight of the birds came down. A
+second shot from Randy, whose gun had a double barrel, brought down
+three more; and from that hour on the sport began, lasting until well
+into the evening, when they had twenty snipe, six plover, and eight wild
+geese to their credit.
+
+As late as it was, Earl determined to try his hand at fishing, and soon
+had his line out. There were a few minutes of waiting, then the bait was
+taken like a flash, and there followed a lively struggle between the
+youth and a salmon which weighed over fifteen pounds. Several times Earl
+thought he had lost his catch, but each time he recovered, and finally
+the salmon came in close enough to be swung on shore. Even then he
+flopped around so lively that Fred had to quiet him by a blow from the
+stock of his gun.
+
+Earl's success had fired the others, and soon they were fishing in the
+pale-blue twilight of the night. They kept it up until after twelve
+o'clock, when they turned in with a catch of three salmon, several
+whitefish, and a burbot, which Randy at first took for a codfish. They
+slept soundly, and early in the morning tried the sport again, starting
+for home at about noon, and arriving there with their burdens some time
+after midnight, worn out but happy.
+
+It was found that Foster Portney had not been idle during their
+absence. From time to time, as the canned eatables were disposed of,
+they had saved the tins, and now he had cleaned them out and filled some
+with such berries as still remained on the bushes about the gulch. To
+seal the cans up he had brought from Dawson City a stick of lead, and
+for an iron had used the end of a broken pick.
+
+"That will give us some fresh berries," he said. "And along with canned
+salmon, and salted and smoked whitefish, burbot, and wild goose, I
+reckon we'll get along fairly well, unless the winter proves an extra
+long one."
+
+As much as they felt the necessity of preparing for winter, Randy and
+Earl hated to lose the time when there was the chance to make so much
+money at the sluice boxes. So as soon as they were able, they got down
+to the gulch again, and never did two lads work harder. They were
+accompanied by Fred, and a day later their uncle also joined them.
+
+The dirt from the pocket had been cleaned up, and it had yielded over
+twenty ounces of gold. They were now working on the regular sand and
+gravel scraped from the bedrock of the gulch, and though this did not
+pay so well, yet it brought in enough to make them all satisfied. There
+was a good deal of excitement, too, when it came to cleaning out the
+sluice boxes, for almost every day one or another found a nugget,
+sometimes small, and then again as large as a walnut.
+
+"How much do you think we are averaging?" asked Randy, one day, and his
+uncle replied that he could not figure very closely, but he would put it
+down as over a hundred dollars per day. This meant twenty-five dollars a
+day as the boy's share, and he felt more content than ever to slave
+along in the gulch.
+
+For it was slaving along, this constantly picking and digging and
+carting the dirt, sand, and gravel to the sluice boxes and throwing it
+in. Every night Randy's back ached, and sometimes he would come in with
+feet that were sopping wet, and covered up to his waist with mud and
+muck. And then he took a touch of the chills and fever, and was down on
+his back for a week with only Fred to wait on him. The chills and fever
+went the rounds, and Foster Portney and Earl were stricken at the same
+time. Fred was the last to catch it; and by the time he had recovered,
+winter was at hand.
+
+The first indication was a rawness in the air, which made them shiver
+when they turned out in the morning. Then the bushes and the trees
+quickly lost their leaves, and three days later ice formed in the
+marshes back of the gulch. The sun came up as usual, but it seemed to
+have lost its warmth, and all were glad enough to keep on their coats
+even when working.
+
+"Two more weeks will fetch it," observed Foster Portney. "We had better
+wash out as much dirt as possible before the water stops running."
+
+Ten days later the thermometer went down with a rush, dropping from
+fifty-six to but twenty above zero. Going down to the gulch, they found
+the stream covered with ice, which was half an inch thick. By the next
+day there was no water to be found, only ice, and even the piles of
+sand, gravel, and dirt were frozen stiff. A heavy dulness, which
+oppressed them greatly, hung in the air. Winter had come, and gold
+washing for that season was a thing of the past.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVIII.
+
+SNOWED IN.
+
+
+Although everything in the gulch was frozen up, it must not be supposed
+that mining there came to an end. While it was true no more washing
+could be done that season, there was dirt, gravel, and sand to be heaped
+in convenient spots, ready for the first run of water in the spring.
+
+At one end of the claims there was a bank which had been examined by
+Foster Portney and found to contain very rich pay dirt, and this bank
+was now attacked by all hands and the dirt brought out to the nearest
+sluice box. To thaw the ground a fire was built up against the bank
+every night and allowed to burn until morning. Even in extremely cold
+weather this thawed the bank to a depth of several feet, and when they
+had scooped out a hole which resembled a baker's oven the thawing-out
+process was still more effectual.
+
+But it was hard and bitter work at the best, and as the cold increased,
+Fred found he could not stand it, and had to remain in the cabin the
+greater part of the time, coming out only during the middle of the day.
+
+"This cold gets into the marrow of a fellow's bones," he said to Randy.
+"I don't see how you can put up with it."
+
+"Earl and I were used to pretty tough weather up in the Maine woods, as
+you know," replied Randy. "I guess an out-and-out city chap would freeze
+stiff before he had been here a week. The thermometer was down to six
+below zero this morning."
+
+The cold had cut off their water supply, and every drop for drinking or
+cooking had to be obtained by melting ice on the stove. To keep them in
+fuel, all hands spent four days up in the woods cutting timber, which
+was allowed to dry out for two weeks, and was then hauled over to the
+edge of the cliff and tumbled down to a spot between their cabin and
+that of their nearest neighbor, two hundred feet away.
+
+By Foster Portney's advice another trip was made by him and Earl to the
+Yukon River in search of fish for winter use, for fish could now be kept
+by simply being frozen in a chunk of ice and laid away. The two found
+the ice on the Yukon over two feet thick, and had to cut fishing-holes
+with an axe they had brought along for that purpose. They spent a day on
+the river, fishing and spearing, and were rewarded with a catch of over
+fifty pounds. Earl had brought the shot-gun, and to the fish were added
+a dozen small sea-fowl, which were caught on the wing while flying
+southward.
+
+"We had better be getting back," observed Foster Portney, early on the
+following morning. "Unless I am greatly mistaken we shall have a heavy
+fall of snow by to-night."
+
+As they did not wish to be caught in a storm, they started on the return
+to the gulch as rapidly as their loads would permit. They were still in
+the woods when the first flakes began to fall. With the coming of the
+snow the wind began to rise, shaking the bare limbs above them savagely
+and causing a lively tumble of dead branches on every side. Not to
+become stormbound, they increased their pace, reaching the lower end of
+the gulch by six o'clock in the evening. They could hardly see before
+them, so thickly did the flakes come down, and both considered
+themselves fortunate in having struck familiar ground. By the time the
+cabin was reached the snow was six inches deep.
+
+"We thought you'd be snowed under!" cried Randy, as he opened the door
+to let them in. He had been watching anxiously since the snow began to
+fall. "It's going to be an awful night."
+
+He was right; it was an awful night--more so than any of them had
+anticipated. After a hot supper they retired to their bunks to sleep,
+only to be aroused about midnight by the roar of the wind as it tore
+through the woods and along the gulch with the force of a hurricane. The
+snow was coming down "in chunks," as Randy put it, and mingled with it
+were tree branches, small brush, and dried tundra. In one corner of the
+cabin the wind had found a crack about six inches long and less than a
+sixteenth of an inch wide, and through this crack the snow had sifted
+over the entire floor.
+
+"Jerusalem! the roof is coming down!" cried Earl, when they had been up
+a few minutes, and while his uncle was stuffing a piece of cloth in the
+crack mentioned. There was a great noise overhead as the hurricane tore
+away the top joint of the stovepipe. Through the opening poured a lot of
+snow, which, falling on the hot stove, sent up a cloud of steam. To stop
+the snow from coming in, Foster Portney climbed up on the top of the
+table and nailed a bit of a board over the hole.
+
+"We can't have that stovepipe up there, that's certain," he said. "We'll
+have to stick it out of the side window. It won't look very elegant, but
+I reckon we're not keeping house on looks up here." And by their united
+efforts the stove was swung around in front of the little window, and
+the upper end of what was left of the pipe was twisted around and
+pointed outside, after one of the small window panes had been taken out.
+Around the pipe Mr. Portney fitted a square sheet of tin, obtained from
+an empty tomato can. Then the floor was cleared of snow and the fire
+started up afresh.
+
+The hurricane, or blizzard, lasted until six o'clock in the morning, and
+during that time nobody thought of going to sleep again. The cabin
+shook and rocked, and had it not been for the shelter of the cliff would
+have gone to pieces. The snow kept piling higher and higher until it
+threatened to cut off the smokepipe again.
+
+"Perhaps we'll have to swing the stove around to the front," said Foster
+Portney. "We can let the pipe out near the roof, and build a little hood
+over it, so that the snow from the cliff can blow right over into the
+gulch." And later on this was done.
+
+"This will stop work in the gulch," said Randy. "It's too bad! What on
+earth are we going to do with ourselves from now until next spring?"
+
+"We'll try to keep alive and well, Randy," returned Mr. Portney,
+seriously. "Remember, from now on comes the tug-of-war, as the old
+saying goes."
+
+But work was not over, as Randy had surmised. To be sure, when the storm
+ceased at noon it was found the snow was nearly three feet deep on the
+level. But a day's labor sufficed to beat down a path to the bank in the
+gulch, and once again the fires were started and the work of getting the
+dirt to the sluice boxes resumed. The clearing of the storm had left it
+stinging cold, and all were glad enough to hustle lively in order to
+keep warm. They worked with their overcoats on and with their feet
+encased in several pairs of woollen socks, and even then spent much time
+around the fire, "thawing out," to use Randy's words.
+
+The work in the bank, however, paid them well. Four days after the fall
+of snow, Foster Portney struck several rocks to one side of the rise and
+located another pocket of nuggets. They were all small fellows, the
+largest about the size of a hickory nut, but the nuggets numbered nearly
+half a hundred and caused a good deal of excitement.
+
+"It's another fifteen hundred or two thousand dollars to our credit,"
+said Mr. Portney. "And not only that, but this dirt is as rich as that
+taken from the pocket over yonder. We haven't struck a million, but we
+are doing remarkably well."
+
+"I wonder how Captain Zoss and Dr. Barwaithe are making out," said Earl.
+They had not heard from their former partners for nearly a month, when a
+miner had brought word to the effect that they had just located a claim
+on a gulch heading into Hunker Creek, the third strike since leaving
+Mosquito Hollow.
+
+"I imagine they are not doing any better than we are," replied his
+uncle. "If they were, we should have heard of it. It may pay to strike
+around, more or less, but I believe in giving a claim a fair trial
+before abandoning it."
+
+Less than a week later it began to snow again. The sky was heavy, and
+even at midday it did not brighten up. They had gone down to the gulch
+directly after breakfast, but now returned to the cabin, to fix up the
+stovepipe as previously mentioned, and to cut enough small wood to last
+for several weeks. All were hard at work when they saw two white men and
+two Indians approaching, the latter driving before them two dog teams
+attached to a pair of Alaskan sledges, piled high with miners' outfits.
+The two men were Dr. Barwaithe and Captain Zoss.
+
+"It's a sight good fer sore eyes to see ye ag'in!" exclaimed the
+captain, as he shook hands with Mr. Portney and the boys. "I couldn't
+keep away no longer. How are ye all?"
+
+"We are very well," said Foster Portney. "How have you been doing?"
+
+"Only fairly well," answered the doctor. "To tell the truth, I don't
+think it paid to strike out. We have a little dust, but no more, I
+imagine, than we should have had had we remained with you."
+
+The pair had come over to see if they could not arrange to remain at the
+cabin through the winter, fearing that they would find it very lonesome
+if they went off by themselves. They had brought along all their things,
+including a stock of provisions, and were willing to pay whatever was
+fair in addition. As their company would no doubt prove very acceptable
+during the long, cheerless days to come, they were taken in without
+question.
+
+"We can put up two more bunks somewhere," said Foster Portney. "And
+though we may be rather crowded, I reckon we'll manage it." He had taken
+a great fancy to the doctor, and was pleased to think he would not have
+to depend altogether on the boys for companionship. As for the boys,
+Randy declared that the presence of the jovial captain would make every
+day seem several hours shorter. Fred, whose story had been told in
+secret, also took to the newcomers, and all together they formed a happy
+family.
+
+But the height of the winter was now on them, and it was destined to
+keep its grip for many long weeks and months to come. The storm that had
+started on the day the doctor and the captain arrived kept up with more
+or less vigor for a week, and by that time they found themselves snowed
+in completely. The thermometer kept going down steadily, registering as
+low as fifteen degrees below zero, and on more than one occasion the
+pail of water standing up against the side of the stove was frozen
+solid. To keep thoroughly warm was impossible, even though they wrapped
+themselves in all the clothing and blankets their outfits afforded.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIX.
+
+WAITING AND WATCHING FOR SPRING.
+
+
+"Perhaps it isn't cold! I never felt so frozen up in my life!"
+
+It was Randy who uttered the words, as he danced around the floor of the
+living-room, almost on top of the stove. The fire had burned low during
+the night, and he had just shoved in some fresh wood and opened the
+draughts. Going to the little window of the sleeping-apartment, he
+looked through the single pane of glass at the thermometer, which hung
+on the casement outside. The mercury registered twenty-two degrees below
+zero.
+
+"Twenty-two degrees below, and this is Christmas morning!" he went on,
+with another shiver. "The best thing Santa Claus can bring us is warmer
+weather."
+
+"Merry Christmas!" cried Fred, tumbling out of his bunk, and his cry
+awoke the others, and the greeting went the whole round. The fire was
+now blazing with a vigor which threatened to crack the stove, yet as
+they talked they could see each other's breath. Every one was stamping
+around to get his blood in circulation.
+
+"I'll give ye some hot coffee and Christmas flap-jacks!" said the
+captain; and soon a smell which was most appetizing was floating through
+the air, and they sat down at the table, which had been placed as close
+to the fire as possible. Indeed, "hugging the stove" was a common trick
+all day long, and Fred often grumbled because he could not take the
+stove to bed with him. The boys were waking up to the fact that an
+Alaskan winter was "two winters in one," as Earl said, when compared
+with those experienced at home.
+
+It had been snowing again; indeed, it snowed about half the time now,
+and even in the middle of the day it was so dark they could scarcely
+see, excepting right in front of the windows. Some time previous several
+Indians had appeared with fish oil and some dried fat fish to sell, and
+they had purchased a quantity of both for lighting purposes. The oil was
+used in a lamp made of a round tin having a home-made wick hanging over
+the side. The fat fish, dried very hard, were slit in strips and set up,
+to be lighted and burnt as tallow candles. Many of the Indians and the
+Esquimaux have no lights but these dried-fish candles. The smell from
+them is far from pleasant, but they are certainly better than nothing.
+
+As it was a holiday, the boys felt they must do something. But what to
+do was the question, until Fred suggested they try their hand at making
+some candy. They were allowed just a pound of sugar by the men, and
+worked themselves half sick over the wood fire until noon, when the
+candy was declared done. It was a sort of taffy; and although it would
+not have added to the reputation of a skilled confectioner, all hands
+partook of their share of it, and declared it excellent.
+
+Just before being snowed in Mr. Portney had become the possessor of two
+newspapers and a magazine, and much of the time was spent by one or
+another over these. The magazine was rather a heavy one, yet the boys
+read it through from cover to cover, including all the advertisements.
+It contained among other stories one which was continued, and to pass
+away the time they tried to invent a conclusion. This self-imposed task
+amused the doctor also, and he took a hand and finished the tale in a
+manner which took three evenings to tell.
+
+And so New Year's Day came and went, and still they found themselves
+housed up with the thermometer continually at fifteen to twenty degrees
+below. Once it went down to twenty-six below, and everything fairly
+cracked with the cold. To keep from being frozen, one and another stood
+guard during the night, that the fire might not go down. During that
+time they received but scant news from their neighbors, although the
+cabins along the under side of the cliff were less than seventy yards
+apart. Nobody cared to venture out, and even opening the door was
+something to be considered, although the doctor insisted on having a
+little fresh air.
+
+"Providence help the poor chaps who are not well provided for this
+winter," said Mr. Portney, one day. "I shouldn't wonder if some of them
+are found dead in the spring."
+
+"To be sure," answered the captain. "I looked ter somethin' putty bad
+myself, but I didn't expect nuthin' like this. Why, we might jest as
+well be a-sittin' on the top o' the North Pole. Hain't been a blessed
+streak o' sunshine fer eight days, an' every time it snows the stuff
+piles up a foot or so more! It must be nigh on to thirty feet deep in
+yonder gulch."
+
+"We'll have to economize with our store before long," put in the doctor.
+"Flour is running pretty low. Captain, you'll have to give us less
+flap-jacks--they're too toothsome."
+
+"Yes, we'll have to come down to plain bread," said Foster Portney. "And
+maybe eat it stale too," he added.
+
+Economizing began that day, after Mr. Portney had taken an account of
+the provisions still left to them. Whatever they had must be made to do
+for three months yet, and three months meant ninety days, a goodly
+number for which to provide.
+
+Slowly the days wore on, every one so much like the others that it
+seemed impossible to tell them apart. Sunday was the one day they
+observed through it all. On the morning of that the doctor invariably
+read a chapter out of the Bible he carried, and one or another of the
+rest offered prayer. "It's right an' proper," said the captain, speaking
+of this. "We don't want ter live like no heathens, even if we are cast
+away in an ocean o' snow!"
+
+February proved the worst month of all. It snowed nearly the whole time,
+and it was so dark that they kept the lights lit as long as they dared
+to consume the fish oil and the dried fish. During that time they saw or
+heard nothing of their neighbors, who might have died of starvation
+without their being any the wiser. The snow against the door was five
+feet high and water was obtained by shovelling this into the pot instead
+of ice and melting it.
+
+"Well, it's a dog's life and that's the truth," said Earl one day, in
+the middle of March. "It's worth all the gold we've found--that's my
+opinion." It was the first time Earl had grumbled since winter set in,
+but as he had not had what he called a square meal for a month he can
+well be pardoned for the speech.
+
+"If I thought I could get there and back, I would try for some extra
+provisions from Dawson," said Foster Portney; but none of the others
+would hear of his attempting such a trip, feeling certain he would lose
+his way and perish.
+
+"We'll make out with what we have," said the doctor. "Divide the rations
+so they'll hold out until the middle of April. I fancy by that time
+this winter siege will about end." His advice was followed out, and they
+waited with all the patience possible for the coming of spring.
+
+The fish and game had long since come to an end, and they were now
+living on plain bread, beans, and bacon or pork, and half a can of fresh
+vegetables per day, with an occasional taste of stewed dried apples or
+apricots as a side dish. They were all tired of the beans, especially
+Fred and the doctor, who had been used to good living all their lives.
+
+"They're too much for me," said Fred, one day, as he pushed his small
+plateful back. "I'd rather eat a crust of bread and drink snow water."
+And the beans remained untouched for two days, when he was forced, out
+of sheer hunger, to go at them again.
+
+They had also reached the last half pound of coffee, and by a general
+vote this was reserved for dinner each Sunday. As the amount on hand
+decreased they made the beverage weaker and weaker, until the doctor
+laughingly declared that the snow flavored the water more than the
+coffee did. The lack of coffee hit the captain more than the others, for
+he loved his cupful, strong, black, and without sugar.
+
+It was on the last day of March that they heard a noise outside and then
+came a faint hammering on their door. All leaped up and ran to open the
+barrier. When it had been forced back a distance of a foot, they beheld
+two miners there, so weak they could scarcely stand, much less speak.
+"Sumthin' to eat!" whispered one of them hoarsely, and the other echoed
+the word "Eat!" as being all he could say.
+
+The two were taken into the cabin and warmed up, while Earl prepared a
+thin vegetable soup for them, that being best for their stomachs,
+according to the doctor. They could hardly swallow at first, and it was
+not until the following morning that they were strong enough to sit up
+and tell their stories. They had been wintering back of the woods, but
+starvation had driven them forth in an attempt to reach Dawson City for
+supplies. Their strength had failed them, they had lost their way, and
+here they were.
+
+"Take care of us, and we'll pay you well," said one of the miners.
+"We've got over a thousand dollars in gold dust with us and ten thousand
+in dust and nuggets hidden up at the camp."
+
+"I'm afraid your money won't count up here," replied Foster Portney,
+sadly. "We're almost as badly off ourselves. Yet I am willing to share
+what I have." A vote was taken, and the miners remained; and that made
+two more mouths to feed out of their scanty store.
+
+The first week in April saw them reduced to next to nothing. The flour
+was gone, so was the bacon and the canned goods, and it was pork and
+beans and stewed dried apples twice a day and nothing more. Every one
+looked haggard, and all felt that something must happen soon. Would
+spring ever come?
+
+"Pork and beans enough to last about three days yet," said Foster
+Portney, as he surveyed the scanty store, with the others standing
+around. "Three days, and after that--" He did not finish, and a silence
+fell on the crowd. Were they to suffer the pangs of actual starvation,
+after all?
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXX.
+
+LAST WASHINGS FOR GOLD.
+
+
+Just one day before their provisions gave out the skies brightened as if
+by magic and the sun came out warmly. They could scarcely believe their
+eyes, so sudden was the change. The snow was cleared away from the door,
+and every one lost no time in rushing out into the fresh air.
+
+"This is living again!" cried Earl. And then he added: "Let us beat down
+a path to Wompole's cottage and see how he is faring."
+
+The others agreed, and soon they had a trail to the next cabin, where an
+old Alaskan gold hunter had gone into quarters all by himself. Wompole
+was also out, and they shook hands. When questioned he said he had run
+out of everything but beans, dried peas, and some smoked salmon, and he
+agreed to let them have enough of his stores to last them three days
+longer.
+
+"Winter is broke up now," he remarked. "An' I reckon thar ain't no doubt
+but wot ye kin git ter Dawson an' back, if ye try."
+
+"And I shall try," said Foster Portney; and an hour later he and Captain
+Zoss started off on snowshoes which they had made during their many
+idle hours. Randy and Earl saw their uncle depart with much anxiety, but
+did nothing to detain him, for food they must have, and that appeared
+the only manner in which to obtain it.
+
+"If we could only bring down a bird or something with the gun," said
+Earl, some time later, and then he climbed the cliff and beat a path to
+the first belt of timber. But though he thrashed around three hours, not
+a sign of game was to be discovered anywhere.
+
+The night was cold, but not nearly as much so as other nights had been,
+and on the following day the mercury when held in the sun actually
+crawled up to ten degrees above zero. And so it kept gradually becoming
+warmer, until the snow started to melt and they knew for a certainty
+that the long and tedious winter was a thing of the past.
+
+It took Foster Portney and Captain Zoss five full days to find their way
+to Dawson City and back again. The return for the larger portion of the
+way was made on dog sledges driven by Indians. They had found provisions
+very scarce and high in price in Dawson City, but had brought back
+enough to last a month. One of the Indians had also brought provisions
+for the two miners, this commission having been executed through Mr.
+Portney, and the next day the miners set off for their own cabin with
+many sincere thanks for the assistance which had been rendered them.
+
+On the day the provisions came in, they celebrated by having what Dr.
+Barwaithe called "a round, square meal." To be sure there was nothing
+but the plainest kind of food, but there was enough, and that was of
+prime importance.
+
+After this they watched eagerly for the day to come when they might get
+to work again. A bargain had been struck all around, whereby the doctor
+and the captain were to work the single sluice box on the upper claim
+and have four-fifths of the findings, the other fifth going to Foster
+Portney for keeping them--the contract to hold good so long as the pair
+were content to remain in the present camp.
+
+"The water is running in the gulch!" was the welcome announcement made
+by Earl one day, and all went down to see the thin stream, which soon
+became stronger. The snow was almost gone now, and the sand, gravel, and
+dirt which was exposed to the sun was quite free from frost. The picks,
+shovels, and other tools were brought out and cleaned up, and two days
+later found them at work as during the previous summer. It was
+marvellous how the seasons changed when once there was a start.
+
+Before the end of the month Mr. Portney made another trip to Dawson
+City, and this time he took with him both Randy and Earl. They had
+settled that they should remain in the gulch until the first of August,
+and now they took back, by Indian carriers, enough provisions to last
+the camp until that time.
+
+The stop in Dawson lasted two days, and the boys had a chance to walk
+about the town and see how it had improved. There were now at least
+two-score of buildings, and several of them were quite pretentious. At
+the dock were two steamboats, both nearly free of the ice which had held
+them fast all winter.
+
+In the town there was much news to be heard of the many wonderful
+strikes which had been made. Several had taken out over a hundred
+thousand dollars in dust and nuggets, and were waiting for navigation to
+open on the Yukon, that they might sail for home with their riches. No
+one who had accumulated a pile cared to remain in that forsaken country.
+
+Just before they were to start for the gulch, Mr. Portney brought news
+of Tom Roland. The man had been captured at Circle City two months
+before, and the gold stolen from Cozzins taken from him. He had escaped
+from his temporary jail and fled to the mountains, and now his dead body
+had been found at the foot of a lofty cañon, down which he had most
+likely tumbled during the snowstorm which was then raging. It was a sad
+ending to a misspent life, and the boys could not help but shudder as
+they heard the story. They wondered what had become of Jasper Guardley,
+but nothing further was ever heard of that cowardly rascal.
+
+By the first of June the gulch was as active as it had ever been during
+the previous summer, and the mosquitoes and flies were just as numerous
+and troublesome. No more finds of nuggets of large size were made, but
+the sluice boxes yielded heavy returns of dust, and all were very well
+content, and Dr. Barwaithe and Captain Zoss gave up all thoughts of
+leaving.
+
+"We know what we have here," said the doctor, "and I am convinced that
+too much prospecting does not pay."
+
+"An' besides, it's something ter be in company which is congenial,"
+added the captain. "Over to the other claim it was nuthin' but fight the
+whole day long with yer neighbors about stake lines."
+
+By the end of July the sand and gravel taken from the bedrock of
+Mosquito Hollow gulch had been disposed of, and now a month was given to
+a general clearing up of the dirt taken from half a dozen little hollows
+which lay on either side. It was terribly hot again, but the workers
+took their time over what they did, and often rested during the middle
+of the day. Three days before the first of September they were done.
+
+"There, that settles it!" cried Foster Portney, as he flung down his
+shovel. "No more work for me until I have paid a visit to the States."
+
+"Hurrah!" shouted Randy, and he gave his pick a whirl which sent it
+thirty feet off. "I'm just aching for a sight of civilization."
+
+"And for an old-fashioned meal," added Earl.
+
+Fred's eyes glistened, but he said nothing. He was wondering what sort
+of a reception he would receive when he got home. He had sent on two
+letters from the gulch, but no answer had come back and there was no
+telling if the communications had reached their destination.
+
+The next day was spent in the delightful task of counting up the
+proceeds of their venture. Of course it was impossible to calculate
+closely, yet they were conservative in their estimates, and in the end,
+when their nuggets and dust were turned over to the United States mint
+in San Francisco, they were not disappointed as to the check received in
+return.
+
+The upper claim during the time it was worked by Dr. Barwaithe and
+Captain Zoss in the spring had yielded five thousand dollars. Of this,
+as per agreement, two thousand dollars went to the doctor, a like sum to
+the captain, and one thousand dollars to Foster Portney. Added to what
+they had made previously, the doctor and the captain now held a matter
+of nine thousand dollars' worth of gold between them. Not a fortune, but
+still a tidy sum, all things considered.
+
+The Portneys, of course, had fared much better. The total yield of gold
+to them from start to finish footed up to fifty-two thousand dollars. Of
+this amount, as we know, one-half went to Earl and Randy, which gave the
+lads exactly thirteen thousand dollars apiece. Twenty-six thousand
+dollars was Foster Portney's share, but out of this he had been
+compelled to spend three thousand dollars in bringing the party up and
+keeping them, and he would have to spend nearly another thousand in
+getting them home.
+
+During the early summer of the present year, Earl, Randy, and Foster
+Portney had held a private talk concerning the amount to be granted to
+Fred, and it had been decided that he should have an even thousand
+dollars, one half to come from the two boys' share and the other from
+their uncle. Fred's fare was also to be paid clear through to Basco. The
+lad, when told of this decision, said he was more than satisfied, as the
+amount of work he had been able to do had really been very small on
+account of frequent attacks of sickness.
+
+"I can't stand the climate," he said. "And I shan't attempt to come up
+here again. If father will let me, I'll go to college and become a
+lawyer."
+
+The doctor was going on to Dawson City to give up mining and establish
+himself in his profession, having become satisfied that he could do
+better at this than he could in working a claim. But the captain decided
+to remain where he was.
+
+"I'm bound ter strike it rich some day," he said. "An' I'm goin' ter
+rustle till I do."
+
+"I certainly hope you strike it rich," said Randy; for the pair were now
+greater friends than ever.
+
+It was a warm, clear day when the party of five left the gulch, with
+their faces set toward Dawson City. The Portneys had decided to return
+to the States by the way of the Yukon and the Pacific Ocean, and a
+voyage of five thousand miles still lay before them. They carried all
+their findings with them, and now the question arose,--having found so
+much gold, would they be able to get it out of this wild country in
+safety?
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXI.
+
+DOWN THE YUKON AND HOME.
+
+
+Foster Portney knew that the regular terminus of travel on the Yukon
+steamboats was Fort Cudahy, which was situated forty-eight miles below
+Dawson City. But owing to the rush to the new gold fields, which was now
+stronger than ever, two small boats were making regular trips between
+these two points.
+
+When the party reached Dawson City, now the scene of great activity, it
+was found they would have to wait a week before they could secure
+passage to Fort Cudahy, as the tickets for the two following trips were
+all sold. This wait, when they were impatient to get home, was not an
+agreeable one, yet it gave them a chance to look around the settlement
+and become better acquainted with the various persons who were there.
+
+"Dawson is bound to grow," said the doctor, who had hired a room at the
+so-called hotel and hung out his sign on the day he arrived. "See, there
+are actually three streets already, two stores, three saloons, a barber
+shop, and a reading and pool room; and I understand that a fellow has
+just arrived who is going to open a clothing store, and another is on
+his way with medicines for a drug store. We are bound to boom!"
+
+"'We' is good!" said Earl, with a laugh. "I guess you had better strike
+up a partnership with that druggist when he arrives."
+
+"Not much, Earl! I'll put him in the way of getting the gold fever, and
+when he is ready to strike out, I'll buy his outfit and run the whole
+thing myself. I'm bound to make money." And it looked as if the doctor
+was right, for during their stay in Dawson City he had eleven calls for
+his services, for which he charged the fee of five dollars per call,
+which was moderate for that place.
+
+At last came the day to part, and with a hearty handshake from the
+doctor the Portneys and Fred boarded the little side-wheeler _Alice_,
+and the long homeward trip was begun. The boat was crowded with
+returning miners, and as nearly all of them had struck gold, it was a
+happy congregation which spent the time in eating, drinking, smoking,
+playing cards, and "swapping yarns." "Swapping yarns" went on
+continually, and many were the wonderful stories told of great finds,
+perilous climbs, and escapes from starvation during the awful winter.
+
+"I've made seventy thousand dollars, boys," said one elderly miner. "But
+I never did so much starving in my life, an' ten hosses couldn't drag
+me back to put in another such winter--hear me!"
+
+"I'm with ye," said another; "leas'wise, I think I am. But thar's no
+tellin' wot I might do ef the gold fever struck me ag'in," he added
+reflectively.
+
+Fort Cudahy was a small settlement on the Yukon, at the mouth of Clinton
+Creek. Just above the creek was another settlement, called Forty Mile.
+Between the stores in the two settlements there was a fierce rivalry,
+and consequently prices here were more reasonable than at Dawson City.
+
+The party was fortunate in obtaining immediate passage to Fort Get
+There, on St. Michael's Island, which is situated sixty miles above the
+entrance to the Yukon. An offer was also made by the agent of the
+transportation company to take charge of their gold from there right on
+through to San Francisco, but as the commission for doing this would be
+fifteen per cent, this offer was declined.
+
+"I think we can get it through," said Foster Portney. "At any rate, I am
+willing to risk it." And the boys agreed with him.
+
+The next stop of importance was Circle City, of which the boys had heard
+through Mr. Portney. In former days Circle City had been the banner
+mining town on the upper Yukon, but now its glory was departed, for over
+three-quarters of its inhabitants had pulled up stakes and moved on to
+the Klondike district.
+
+From Circle City the river, already broad, widened out to such an extent
+that it looked more like a lake than anything else. It was dotted with
+numerous islands, and the pilot of the boat had his head full with
+keeping track of the proper channel to pursue. The run was north to the
+ruins of Fort Yukon, the highest point gained by the mighty river upon
+which they were sailing.
+
+From Fort Yukon the run was mostly to the southwestward, past the
+settlements of Shaman's, We Are, Nulato, and a dozen similar places,
+Indian villages, the home of fur traders, missionaries, and of fishers.
+At many of the places the main things to be seen were the totem poles
+stuck up in front of the Indian huts--poles of wood, curiously carved
+with hideous-looking images and undecipherable hieroglyphics.
+
+At last St. Michael's Island was gained, and here they found themselves
+again in luck, for an ocean steamer was in waiting to take the
+passengers from the river boat. The transfer was made before nightfall,
+and at dawn of the day following the steamer started on her long voyage
+down Norton Sound, Bering Sea, and the Pacific Ocean to Seattle. But one
+stop was made, that at Dutch Harbor, on one of the Aleutian Islands, and
+then one glorious afternoon early in the fall they steamed through the
+Straits of San Juan de Fuca and swept into the grand harbor at Seattle.
+
+"The United States at last!" cried Randy. "Oh my, how good civilization
+does look!"
+
+"We don't know what we have at home until we miss it," said Fred, but in
+such a low tone that nobody heard him.
+
+They stopped in Seattle two days, and then took steamer direct for San
+Francisco. The trip down the coast was an uneventful one. They were
+impatient to finish it, and a glad cry rang everywhere through the
+vessel when land was sighted and they ran through the Golden Gate.
+
+A crowd was at the wharf to receive the latest news from the gold
+fields. "How are the diggings up there?" "Is there any show for a fellow
+staking a good claim?" "How much did you bring along?" "Is it true about
+provisions being scarce?" These and a hundred other questions went the
+rounds, as the fortunate ones came ashore. Foster Portney managed to
+keep the boys together and get them through the jam, and quarter of an
+hour later found them on the way to the mint with their precious
+burdens. Here they were given receipts for their nuggets and dust, and
+then they turned away with a big load lifted off their minds, for they
+knew that their fortunes were now safe.
+
+And here properly ends the tale of the fortune hunters of the Yukon. How
+Fred Dobson returned home a penitent runaway, and how he was readily
+forgiven and later on allowed to study for college, I will leave my
+readers to imagine. As for Earl and Randy, there was nothing which
+called for their return to Basco, and they remained with their uncle in
+San Francisco until their gold was reduced to coin and they received a
+check on the treasurer of the United States for its value. Then they
+paid a visit to Colorado, remaining there until the following spring.
+During the winter a company was organized to work their claims by
+machinery, and early spring found them again in the land of gold. And
+there we will leave them, wishing them all the success that their pluck
+and industry deserve.
+
+
+
+***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TO ALASKA FOR GOLD***
+
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+    .tr       {margin-left: 15%; margin-right: 15%; margin-top: 5%; margin-bottom: 5%; padding: 1em; background-color: #f6f2f2; color: black; border: dotted black 1px;} /* transcriber's notes */
+
+    .pagenum  { /* uncomment the next line for invisible page numbers */
+               /*  visibility: hidden;  */
+               position: absolute; right: 2%;
+               font-size: 75%;
+               color: silver;
+               background-color: inherit;
+               text-align: right;
+               text-indent: 0em;
+               font-style: normal;
+               font-weight: normal;
+               font-variant: normal;} /* page numbers */
+
+    .poem             {margin-left: 15%; margin-right: 15%; text-align: left;}
+    .poem br          {display: none;}
+    .poem .stanza     {margin: 1em 0em 1em 0em;}
+    .poem span        {display: block; margin: 0; padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;}
+    .poem span.i2     {display: block; margin-left: 2em;}
+    .poem span.i4     {display: block; margin-left: 4em;}
+    .poem span.pn     { /* uncomment the next line for invisible page numbers */
+                        /*  visibility: hidden;  */
+                            position: absolute; right: 2%;
+                            font-size: 75%;
+                            text-align: right;
+                            text-indent: 0em;
+                            font-style: normal;
+                            font-weight: normal;
+                            color: silver; background-color: inherit;
+                            font-variant: normal;} /* page numbers in poems */
+
+    hr.full { width: 100%;
+              margin-top: 0em;
+              margin-bottom: 0em;
+              border: solid black;
+              height: 5px; }
+    pre      {font-size: 85%; }
+    </style>
+</head>
+<body>
+<h1 class="pg">The Project Gutenberg eBook, To Alaska for Gold, by Edward Stratemeyer,
+Illustrated by A. B. Shute</h1>
+<pre>
+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 <a href = "http://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a></pre>
+<p>Title: To Alaska for Gold</p>
+<p>       The Fortune Hunters of the Yukon</p>
+<p>Author: Edward Stratemeyer</p>
+<p>Release Date: April 14, 2010  [eBook #31989]</p>
+<p>Language: English</p>
+<p>Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1</p>
+<p>***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TO ALASKA FOR GOLD***</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<h4 class="pg">E-text prepared by Barbara Kosker, David Edwards,<br />
+    and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team<br />
+    (<a href="http://www.pgdp.net/c/">http://www.pgdp.net</a>)<br />
+    from page images generously made available by<br />
+    Internet Archive<br />
+    (<a href="http://www.archive.org/">http://www.archive.org</a>)</h4>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<table border="0" style="background-color: #ccccff;" cellpadding="10">
+  <tr>
+    <td valign="top">
+      Note:
+    </td>
+    <td>
+      Images of the original pages are available through
+      Internet Archive. See
+      <a href="http://www.archive.org/details/toalaskaforgoldo00strarich">
+      http://www.archive.org/details/toalaskaforgoldo00strarich</a>
+	</td>
+  </tr>
+</table>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<hr class="full" />
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+
+<div class="img">
+<img border="0" src="images/cover.jpg" width="40%" alt="Book Cover" />
+</div>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+
+<h3>EDWARD STRATEMEYER'S BOOKS</h3>
+<br />
+<br />
+<p class="cen"><b>Old Glory Series</b><br />
+
+<i>Cloth &mdash; Illustrated &mdash; Price per volume $1.25.</i><br />
+<br />
+UNDER DEWEY AT MANILA Or the War Fortunes of a Castaway.<br />
+
+A YOUNG VOLUNTEER IN CUBA Or Fighting for the Single Star.<br />
+
+FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS Or Under Schley on the Brooklyn.<br />
+
+UNDER OTIS IN THE PHILIPPINES Or A Young Officer in the Tropics. (<i>In Press.</i>)<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<b>The Bound to Succeed Series</b><br />
+
+<i>Three volumes &mdash; Cloth &mdash; Illustrated &mdash; Price per volume $1.00.</i><br />
+<br />
+
+RICHARD DARE'S VENTURE Or Striking Out for Himself.<br />
+
+OLIVER BRIGHT'S SEARCH Or The Mystery of a Mine.<br />
+
+TO ALASKA FOR GOLD Or The Fortune Hunters of the Yukon.<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<b>The Ship and Shore Series</b><br />
+
+<i>Three volumes &mdash; Cloth &mdash; Illustrated &mdash; Price per volume $1.00.</i><br />
+<br />
+
+THE LAST CRUISE OF THE SPITFIRE Or Larry Foster's Strange Voyage.<br />
+
+REUBEN STONE'S DISCOVERY Or The Young Miller of Torrent Bend.<br />
+
+TRUE TO HIMSELF Or Roger Strong's Struggle for Place. (<i>In Press.</i>)<br />
+</p>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+
+<div class="img"><a name="frontis" id="frontis"></a>
+<a href="images/frontis.jpg">
+<img border="0" src="images/frontis.jpg" width="40%" alt="&quot;Uncle Foster! Earl! Look at This!&quot;" /></a><br />
+<p class="cen" style="margin-top: .2em;">"<span class="smcap">Uncle Foster! Earl! Look at This!</span>"&mdash;<i>Page
+170.</i></p>
+</div>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+
+<h1>TO ALASKA FOR GOLD</h1>
+<br />
+<h4>  OR</h4>
+
+<h3>  The Fortune Hunters of the Yukon</h3>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+
+<h4>  BY</h4>
+<br />
+<h2>  EDWARD STRATEMEYER</h2>
+
+<h4>  AUTHOR OF "UNDER DEWEY AT MANILA," "A YOUNG VOLUNTEER IN CUBA,"<br />
+  "FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS," "RICHARD DARE'S VENTURE,"<br />
+  "OLIVER BRIGHT'S SEARCH," ETC., ETC.</h4>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+
+<h3>  <i>ILLUSTRATED BY A. B. SHUTE</i></h3>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+
+<h3>  BOSTON<br />
+  LEE AND SHEPARD PUBLISHERS<br />
+  1899</h3>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+
+<h5><span class="smcap">Copyright, 1899, by Lee and Shepard.</span></h5>
+<hr style="width: 10%;" />
+<h5><i>All Rights Reserved.</i></h5>
+<hr style="width: 10%;" />
+<h5><span class="smcap">To Alaska for Gold.</span></h5>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+
+<h5>Norwood Press<br />
+J. S. Cushing &amp; Co. &mdash; Berwick &amp; Smith<br />
+Norwood Mass. U.S.A.</h5>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+
+<hr /><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_iii" id="Page_iii">[Pg iii]</a></span>
+<br />
+<h2>PREFACE.</h2>
+
+
+<p>"<span class="smcap">To Alaska for Gold</span>" forms the third volume of the "Bound to
+Succeed" Series. Like the preceding tales, this story is complete in
+itself.</p>
+
+<p>The rush to the far-away territory of Alaska, when gold in large
+quantities was discovered upon Klondike Creek, was somewhat similar to
+the rush to California in years gone by. The gold fever spread to even
+the remotest of our hamlets, and men, young and old, poured forth, ready
+to endure every hardship if only the much-coveted prize might be
+secured. That many succeeded and that many more failed is now a matter
+of history, although of recent date.</p>
+
+<p>In this story are related the adventures of two Maine boys who leave
+their home among the lumbermen, travel to California, there to join
+their uncle, an experienced miner, and several other men, and start on
+the long trip to the Klondike by way of Dyea, Chilkoot Pass, and the
+lakes and streams forming the headwaters of the mighty Yukon River.
+After many perils the gold district is reached, and here a summer <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_iv" id="Page_iv">[Pg iv]</a></span>and
+winter are passed, the former in hunting for the precious metal and the
+latter in a never ending struggle to sustain life until the advent of
+spring.</p>
+
+<p>In writing the description of this new El Dorado the author has
+endeavored to be as accurate as possible, and has consulted, for this
+purpose, the leading authorities on Alaska and its resources, as well as
+digested the sometimes tedious, but, nevertheless, always interesting,
+government reports covering this subject. Regarding the personal
+experiences of his heroes he would add that nearly every incident cited
+has been taken from life, as narrated by those who joined in the
+frenzied rush to the new gold fields.</p>
+
+<p class="right smcap">edward stratemeyer.</p>
+
+<p class="noin"><span class="smcap">Newark, N. J.,</span><br />
+April 1, 1899.</p>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+
+<hr /><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_v" id="Page_v">[Pg v]</a></span>
+<br />
+<h2>CONTENTS.</h2>
+
+<div class="centered">
+<table border="0" width="70%" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" summary="Table of Contents">
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdrp smcap" width="10%"><span style="font-size: 80%">CHAPTER</span></td>
+  <td class="tdl" width="82%">&nbsp;</td>
+  <td class="tdr" width="8%"><span style="font-size: 80%">PAGE</span></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdrp">I.</td>
+  <td class="tdl smcap">A Letter from the West</td>
+  <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_1">1</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdrp">II.</td>
+  <td class="tdl smcap">The Boys reach a Decision</td>
+  <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_9">9</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdrp">III.</td>
+  <td class="tdl smcap">A False Identification</td>
+  <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_18">18</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdrp">IV.</td>
+  <td class="tdl smcap">A Serious Set-back</td>
+  <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_27">27</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdrp">V.</td>
+  <td class="tdl smcap">A Night in New York</td>
+  <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_36">36</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdrp">VI.</td>
+  <td class="tdl smcap">Preparations for Departure</td>
+  <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_44">44</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdrp">VII.</td>
+  <td class="tdl smcap">Buying the Outfits</td>
+  <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_52">52</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdrp">VIII.</td>
+  <td class="tdl smcap">On the Way to Juneau</td>
+  <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_61">61</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdrp">IX.</td>
+  <td class="tdl smcap">The Fate of a Stowaway</td>
+  <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_69">69</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdrp">X.</td>
+  <td class="tdl smcap">Up the Lynn Canal</td>
+  <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_77">77</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdrp">XI.</td>
+  <td class="tdl smcap">The Start from Dyea</td>
+  <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_85">85</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdrp">XII.</td>
+  <td class="tdl smcap">Earl has an Adventure</td>
+  <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_93">93</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdrp">XIII.</td>
+  <td class="tdl smcap">At the Summit of Chilkoot Pass</td>
+  <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_101">101</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdrp">XIV.</td>
+  <td class="tdl smcap">Boat-building at Lake Linderman</td>
+  <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_109">109</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdrp">XV.</td>
+  <td class="tdl smcap">On to Lake Bennett</td>
+  <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_118">118</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdrp">XVI.</td>
+  <td class="tdl smcap">An Exciting Night in Camp</td>
+  <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_127">127</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdrp">XVII.</td>
+  <td class="tdl smcap">A Hunt for Food</td>
+  <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_134">134</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdrp">XVIII.</td>
+  <td class="tdl smcap">On to the White Horse Rapids</td>
+  <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_141">141</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdrp">XIX.</td>
+  <td class="tdl smcap">Nearing the End of a Long Journey</td>
+  <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_149">149</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdrp"><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_vi" id="Page_vi">[Pg vi]</a></span>XX.</td>
+  <td class="tdl smcap">The Gold Fields at Last</td>
+  <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_157">157</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdrp">XXI.</td>
+  <td class="tdl smcap">A Day in Dawson City</td>
+  <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_164">164</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdrp">XXII.</td>
+  <td class="tdl smcap">Digging for Gold</td>
+  <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_172">172</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdrp">XXIII.</td>
+  <td class="tdl smcap">Good Luck and Bad</td>
+  <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_180">180</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdrp">XXIV.</td>
+  <td class="tdl smcap">An  Unlooked-for Arrival</td>
+  <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_187">187</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdrp">XXV.</td>
+  <td class="tdl smcap">More Work in the Gulches</td>
+  <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_195">195</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdrp">XXVI.</td>
+  <td class="tdl smcap">Sluice Boxes and Preparations for Winter</td>
+  <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_203">203</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdrp">XXVII.</td>
+  <td class="tdl smcap">The End of the Summer Season</td>
+  <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_211">211</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdrp">XXVIII.</td>
+  <td class="tdl smcap">Snowed in</td>
+  <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_219">219</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdrp">XXIX.</td>
+  <td class="tdl smcap">Waiting and Watching for Spring</td>
+  <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_227">227</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdrp">XXX.</td>
+  <td class="tdl smcap">Last Washings for Gold</td>
+  <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_235">235</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdrp">XXXI.</td>
+  <td class="tdl smcap">Down the Yukon and Home</td>
+  <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_243">243</a></td>
+  </tr>
+</table>
+</div>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+
+<hr /><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_vii" id="Page_vii">[Pg vii]</a></span>
+<br />
+<h2>LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS</h2>
+
+<div class="centered">
+<table border="0" width="70%" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" summary="Illustrations">
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdl" width="92%">&nbsp;</td>
+  <td class="tdr" width="8%"><span style="font-size: 80%">PAGE</span></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdl">"Uncle Foster! Earl! look at this!"</td>
+  <td class="tdr"><a href="#frontis"><i>Frontispiece</i></a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdl">"With a final kick the stowaway was run off the gang-plank"</td>
+  <td class="tdrb"><a href="#imagep072">72</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdl">"The water was boiling on every side"</td>
+  <td class="tdr"><a href="#imagep125">125</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdl">"'I would like to see the prisoner, please'"</td>
+  <td class="tdr"><a href="#imagep196">196</a></td>
+  </tr>
+</table>
+</div>
+
+<br />
+<br /><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_viii" id="Page_viii">[Pg viii]</a></span>
+<br />
+<br />
+
+<hr /><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_1" id="Page_1">[Pg 1]</a></span>
+<br />
+<h2>TO ALASKA FOR GOLD.</h2>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+
+<h2>CHAPTER I.</h2>
+
+<h2>A LETTER FROM THE WEST.</h2>
+
+
+<p>"It is not a question of what we should like to do, Randy; it is a
+question of what we must do."</p>
+
+<p>"I know it, Earl. One thing is certain: the way matters stand we can't
+pay the quarter's rent for this timber land to-morrow unless we borrow
+the money, and where we are going for it I haven't the least idea."</p>
+
+<p>"Nor I. It's a pity the Jackson Lumber Company had to go to pieces. I
+wonder where Jackson is."</p>
+
+<p>"In Canada most likely. They would put him in jail if they could catch
+him, and he knows it."</p>
+
+<p>"He ought to be put in jail!" burst out Earl, who was the elder of the
+two Portney brothers. "That two hundred dollars he cheated us out of
+would just put us on our feet. But without it we can't even pay bills
+now owing; and Caleb Norcross is just aching to sell this land to Dan
+Roland."</p>
+
+<p>"If we have to get out, what are we to do?" questioned Randy, soberly.
+"I don't believe we can get work, unless we go into the woods as mere
+choppers."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_2" id="Page_2">[Pg 2]</a></span>"We shall have to do something," was Earl's unsatisfactory response.</p>
+
+<p>The Portney brothers lived upon a small timber claim in the state of
+Maine. Their parents had died three years before, from injuries received
+in a terrible forest fire, which had at that time swept the locality.
+The family had never been rich, and after the sad affair the boys were
+left to shift for themselves. The father had owned an interest in a
+timber claim, and this had been sold for three hundred dollars, and with
+the proceeds the two brothers had rented another claim and gone to work
+to get out lumber for a new company which had begun operations in the
+vicinity.</p>
+
+<p>Earl was now eighteen years of age, and Randolph, or Randy, as he was
+always called, was nearly seventeen. Both lads were so tall, well-built,
+and muscular, that they appeared older. Neither had had a real sickness
+in his life, and the pair were admirably calculated, physically, to cope
+with the hardships which came to them later.</p>
+
+<p>The collapse of the new lumber combination, and the running away of its
+head man, Aaron Jackson, had proved a serious blow to their prospects.
+As has been intimated, the company owed them two hundred dollars for
+timber, and, as not a cent was forthcoming, they found themselves in
+debt, not only for the quarter's rent for the land they were working,
+but also at the general supply store at the village of Basco, three
+miles <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3">[Pg 3]</a></span>away. The boys had worked hard, early and late, to make both ends
+meet, and it certainly looked as if they did not deserve the hard luck
+which had befallen them.</p>
+
+<p>It was supper time, and the pair had just finished a scanty meal of
+beans, bread, and the remains of a brook trout Randy had been lucky
+enough to catch before breakfast. Randy threw himself down on the
+doorstep, while Earl washed and dried the few dishes.</p>
+
+<p>"I wonder if we can't get something out of the lumber company," mused
+the younger brother, as he gazed meditatively at his boots, which were
+sadly in need of soling and heeling. "They've lots of timber on hand."</p>
+
+<p>"All covered by a mortgage to some Boston concern," replied Earl. "I
+asked Squire Dobson about it. He said we shouldn't get a penny."</p>
+
+<p>"Humph!" Randy drew a deep breath. "By the way, has Squire Dobson
+learned anything about Fred, yet?"</p>
+
+<p>"He's pretty sure Fred ran away to New York."</p>
+
+<p>"I can't understand why he should run away from such a good home, can
+you? You wouldn't catch me doing it."</p>
+
+<p>"He ran away because he didn't want to finish studying. Fred always was
+a wild Dick. I shouldn't wonder if he ended up by going out West to hunt
+Indians." Earl gave a short laugh. "He'll have his <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4">[Pg 4]</a></span>eye-teeth cut one of
+these days. Hullo, here comes Caleb Norcross now!"</p>
+
+<p>Earl was looking up the winding road through the woods, and, gazing in
+the direction, Randy saw a tall, lean individual, astride a bony horse,
+riding swiftly toward the cabin.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, boys, what's the best word?" was the sharp greeting given by
+Caleb Norcross, as he came to a halt at the cabin door.</p>
+
+<p>"I don't know as there is any best word, Mr. Norcross," replied Earl,
+quietly.</p>
+
+<p>"I was over to Bill Stiger's place and thought if I could see you
+to-night about the rent money, it would save you a three miles' trip
+to-morrow."</p>
+
+<p>"You know we can't pay you just at present, Mr. Norcross," went on Earl.
+"The suspension of the lumber company has left us in the lurch."</p>
+
+<p>The face of the tall, lean man darkened. "How much did they stick you
+for?" he asked abruptly.</p>
+
+<p>"Two hundred dollars."</p>
+
+<p>"Two hundred dollars! You were fools to trust 'em that much. I wouldn't
+have trusted 'em a cent&mdash;not a penny."</p>
+
+<p>"They were well recommended," put in Randy. "Even Squire Dobson trusted
+them."</p>
+
+<p>"That don't make no difference. I don't trust folks unless I know what
+I'm doing. Although I did trust you boys," added Caleb Norcross,
+hastily. "Your father was always a straight man."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[Pg 5]</a></span>"And we are straight, too," burst out Randy, stung by the insinuation.
+"You shall have your money, if only you will give us a little time."</p>
+
+<p>"How are you going to get it?"</p>
+
+<p>"We'll earn it," said Earl. "I am sure we can get out enough timber by
+fall to square accounts."</p>
+
+<p>"That won't do for me&mdash;not at all. If you can't pay up to-morrow, you
+can consider your claim on the land at an end."</p>
+
+<p>"You won't give us any time?"</p>
+
+<p>"No. I can sell this whole section to Dan Roland, and I'm going to do
+it."</p>
+
+<p>"You are very hard-hearted, Mr. Norcross," began Randy, when a look from
+his elder brother silenced him.</p>
+
+<p>"I ain't hard-hearted&mdash;I'm only looking after my own," growled Caleb
+Norcross. "If I let things run, I'd do as the lumber company did&mdash;bust
+up. So you can't pay, nohow?"</p>
+
+<p>"No, we can't pay," answered Earl.</p>
+
+<p>"Then I'll expect you to quit by to-morrow noon."</p>
+
+<p>Without waiting for another word, Caleb Norcross turned around his bony
+steed and urged him forward. In less than a minute he had disappeared in
+the direction whence he had come. With sinking hearts the boys watched
+him out of sight.</p>
+
+<p>The blow they had dreaded had fallen, and for several seconds neither
+spoke. Then Randy, who <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[Pg 6]</a></span>had pulled off one boot, flung it across the
+kitchen floor.</p>
+
+<p>"I don't care, he can have his old place," he cried angrily. "We'll
+never get rich here, if we stay a hundred years. I'm sick and tired of
+cutting timber just for one's meals!"</p>
+
+<p>"It's all well enough to talk so, Randy," was the elder brother's
+cautious response. "But where are we to go if we leave here?"</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, anywhere! We might try our luck down in Bangor, or maybe Boston."</p>
+
+<p>Earl smiled faintly. "We'd cut pretty figures in a city, I'm thinking,
+after a life in the backwoods."</p>
+
+<p>"A backwoods boy became President."</p>
+
+<p>"Do you wish to try for the presidency?"</p>
+
+<p>"No; but it shows what can be done; and I'm tired of drudging in the
+woods, without any excitement or anything new from one year's end to
+another. Father and mother gave us pretty good educations, and we ought
+to make the most of that."</p>
+
+<p>"I knew he wanted to sell this land to Dan Roland," went on Earl, after
+a pause. "I fancy he is going to get a good price, too."</p>
+
+<p>"If Roland pays over five hundred dollars he will get cheated. The
+timber at the south end is good for nothing."</p>
+
+<p>The boys entered the cabin, lit the lamp, and sat down to discuss the
+situation. It was far from <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[Pg 7]</a></span>promising, and, an hour later, each retired
+to bed in a very uneasy frame of mind. They were up before daybreak, and
+at breakfast Earl announced his intention to go to Basco and see what
+could be done.</p>
+
+<p>"You might as well stay at home," he continued. "It may be Norcross will
+come back and reconsider matters."</p>
+
+<p>"Not he!" exclaimed Randy; nevertheless, he promised to remain and look
+over some clothing which needed mending, for these sturdy lads were in
+the habit of doing everything for themselves, even to sewing up rents
+and darning socks. Such are the necessities of real life in the
+backwoods.</p>
+
+<p>It was a bright sunny morning, well calculated to cheer any one's
+spirits, yet Randy felt far from light-hearted when left alone. He could
+not help but wonder what would happen next.</p>
+
+<p>"We've got just twenty-eight dollars and a half in cash left," he mused,
+as he set to work to replace some buttons on one of Earl's working
+shirts. "And we owe about six dollars at the general store, three
+dollars and a quarter for those new axes and the coffee mill, and twenty
+to Norcross. Heigh-ho! but it's hard lines to be poor, with one's nose
+continually to the grindstone. I wonder if we shouldn't have done better
+if we had struck out, as Uncle Foster did six years ago? He has seen a
+lot of the world and made money besides."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[Pg 8]</a></span>Earl had expected to be gone the best part of the forenoon, and Randy
+was surprised, at half-past nine, to see his elder brother returning
+from the village. Earl was walking along the road at the top of his
+speed, and as he drew closer, he held up a letter.</p>
+
+<p>"It's a letter from Uncle Foster!" he cried, as soon as he was within
+speaking distance. "It's got such wonderful news in it that I thought I
+ought to come home with it at once."</p>
+
+<p>"Wonderful news?" repeated Randy. "What does he say?"</p>
+
+<p>"He says he is going back to Alaska,&mdash;to some new gold field that has
+just been discovered there,&mdash;and he wants to know if we will go with
+him."</p>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br /><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[Pg 9]</a></span>
+
+<hr />
+<br />
+<h2>CHAPTER II.</h2>
+
+<h2>THE BOYS REACH A DECISION.</h2>
+
+
+<p>"Uncle Foster is going back to Alaska?" said Randy, slowly.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes; he is going to start almost immediately, too," added his elder
+brother. "He says the new gold diggings are something immense, and he
+wants to stake a claim at the earliest possible date."</p>
+
+<p>Randy drew a long breath. To Alaska! What a tremendous trip that would
+be&mdash;five thousand miles at least! And going to such an almost unknown
+region would be very much like starting for the north pole.</p>
+
+<p>He remembered well that his Uncle Foster had paid a visit to Alaska
+three years previous, sailing from San Francisco to St. Michael's Island
+and then taking a Yukon River steamboat to a trading camp known as Fort
+Cudahy. They had received several letters from him while he was up
+there, working for the Alaskan Transportation Company part of the time
+and hunting for gold whenever the opportunity offered. The letters had
+told of the intense cold and the suffering, and of numerous unsuccessful
+attempts to strike a paying <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[Pg 10]</a></span>claim around Fort Cudahy and at another
+camp, known as Circle City. His uncle had taken up several claims, but
+they had not panned out very well, and Mr. Portney had finally returned
+to the United States, to interest himself in a Colorado silver mine.</p>
+
+<p>"Let me see the letter," said Randy, and Earl handed it over. "I don't
+see how we are to pay our way to Alaska or anywhere else," added the
+younger boy, ruefully, as he opened the epistle.</p>
+
+<p>"You will see presently," rejoined Earl. "Read it aloud. Uncle writes
+such a twisted hand, I want to make sure I read aright." And Randy
+started at once:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p class="right"><span class="smcap">Creede, Col.</span>, April 5.</p>
+
+<p>"<span class="smcap">My dear Nephews</span>:&mdash;I suppose you have been looking for a letter
+from me all winter, but the fact is I have been away from this vicinity
+since last December. A man from British Columbia wanted me to buy an
+interest in a gold mine at a settlement called Dunbar's, and I went with
+him. The mine proved to be worthless, and I left Dunbar's, and went to
+Victoria, and stayed there until three weeks ago.</p>
+
+<p>"While I was in Victoria, I ran across two miners whom I had met while
+at Fort Cudahy in Alaska. They reported that a new gold field had been
+discovered farther up the Yukon River, at a place known as Klondike
+Creek. There had been an exodus from Circle City and Fort Cudahy to this
+new region, and a <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[Pg 11]</a></span>camp known as Dawson City had been started. They said
+that there were about a dozen small creeks flowing into the Klondike and
+into the Yukon at this point, and that it was reported and proved that
+the entire district was rich with gold.</p>
+
+<p>"I was chary of believing the men at first, for I know only too well how
+many wild-cat reports start up in every mining camp. But a couple of
+days later I heard another report from Juneau, Alaska, to the effect
+that several miners had come down from this same territory by way of the
+lakes and Chilkoot Pass, and had brought with them over thirty-five
+thousand dollars in nuggets and gold dust, taken out of a place called
+Hunker's Creek, which runs into the Klondike.</p>
+
+<p>"From these reports, and from others which are floating around, I am
+convinced that they have at last struck the rich vein of yellow metal
+which I always believed would be located there, and I am now making
+preparations to try my luck again in that territory, and if you two boys
+want to go along and think you can stand the climate, which is something
+awful for nine months in the year, I'll see you through. I do not know
+how you are fixed for cash, but I have been lucky in Colorado, and I
+will pay all expenses, providing you will agree to remain with me for
+two years, working as I work, for a one-half interest in all our
+discoveries&mdash;that is, a one-quarter interest to each of you and a
+one-half interest to myself. The expense of a year's trip to Alaska by
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[Pg 12]</a></span>the route we shall take, over the mountain pass, will be between six
+and eight hundred dollars each, for we shall have to take nearly all our
+outfits&mdash;clothing, tools, and provisions&mdash;along.</p>
+
+<p>"I am now on the point of starting for San Francisco, and shall arrive
+there probably before this letter reaches you. My address will be the
+Palace Hotel, and I wish you to telegraph me immediately, at my expense,
+if you will go or not. Do not attempt to accept my offer unless both of
+you are perfectly well and strong and willing to stand great hardships,
+for the sake of what we may have the good luck to find. And if you do
+go, don't blame me if we are all disappointed, and come home poorer than
+we went.</p>
+
+<p>"If you accept the offer, I will telegraph you sufficient money to
+Messrs. Bartwell &amp; Stone, Boston, to pay your fare to San Francisco, and
+I shall expect to see you at the latter city before the 20th of the
+month, for I am going to start for the new gold fields, even if I have
+to go with strangers, as soon as possible. With love to you both, I
+remain,</p>
+
+<p class="right">
+<span style="padding-right: 8em;">"Your affectionate uncle,</span><br />
+<span style="padding-right: 5em;">"<span class="smcap">Foster C. Portney</span>."</span><br />
+</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, Earl, let's go!" burst from Randy's lips as he finished the long
+letter. "This is just what I've been waiting for. Let's go to Alaska and
+make our fortunes!"</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[Pg 13]</a></span>"Go to Alaska and be frozen to death, you mean," replied Earl; yet he
+smiled even as he spoke. "Do you know that the thermometer goes down to
+forty degrees below zero out there in winter?"</p>
+
+<p>"Well, we're used to roughing it out here in these woods."</p>
+
+<p>"These woods can't hold a candle to Alaska for barrenness, Randy. Think
+of a winter nine months long and ice all the year round! Uncle said in
+one of his other letters, that the ground never thawed out more than a
+few feet, excepting in favored localities."</p>
+
+<p>"Do you mean to say you'll let such a splendid chance slip by?" demanded
+the younger lad, straightening up and looking his brother full in the
+face. "And let it slip, too, when we're in such trouble here?"</p>
+
+<p>"No, I didn't say that, Randy. But we ought to consider the matter
+carefully before we make up our minds. According to the letter we'll
+have to spend at least two years in the gold fields."</p>
+
+<p>"I'll spend ten if I can make money."</p>
+
+<p>"Uncle said in that other letter that no one seemed to care to stay in
+the upper portion of Alaska more than two or three years at a time."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, I'm in for the trip, heart and soul. Hurrah for the&mdash;what's the
+name of that creek?&mdash;Klondike! Hurrah for the Klondike! I wonder if it's
+on the map."</p>
+
+<p>Randy rushed over to the little shelf which contained <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[Pg 14]</a></span>all the
+school-books the family had ever possessed, and brought forth a large
+geography, much the worse for wear. There was no separate map of Alaska,
+but there was one of North America, and this he scanned with interest.</p>
+
+<p>"Here's the Yukon and here's the Porcupine and the Pelly rivers, but I
+don't see any Klondike," he said seriously. "I wonder where it can be."</p>
+
+<p>"You can't expect to find a little creek on a map that shows up the
+Yukon River as less than two inches long," said Earl. "Why, the Yukon is
+between two and three thousand miles long. Circle City must be up
+there," he continued, pointing to where the Yukon touched the 144&deg; of
+longitude, "and if that's so, this new gold field can't be so very far
+off, although in such a great territory a few hundred miles this way or
+that are hardly counted."</p>
+
+<p>"But you'll go, won't you, Earl?" pleaded Randy, as he restored the
+geography to the shelf. "We'll never make more than our pork and beans
+out here in the woods."</p>
+
+<p>Earl picked up a small stick from the fireplace and brought out his
+pocket-knife. He always had to go to whittling when he wanted to do some
+hard thinking. "If we accepted Uncle Foster's invitation to come to San
+Francisco, there would be no turning back," he remarked, after a moment
+of silence.</p>
+
+<p>"We shouldn't want to turn back as soon as that."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[Pg 15]</a></span>"And we couldn't turn back after we once got into Alaska. There is no
+such thing as travelling back and forth between the months of October
+and May. The rivers freeze up, and everything is snow and ice."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, we'd have plenty of provisions&mdash;Uncle would be sure to see to
+that. We've got to vacate here, you must remember, in a day or two."</p>
+
+<p>Again Earl was silent. He had sharpened up one end of the stick, and now
+he turned to the other. "I wonder where we could telegraph from best,"
+he said at last.</p>
+
+<p>Randy's eyes lit up instantly, and he caught his big brother by the
+shoulder. "Good for you, Earl; I knew you would say yes!" he cried.
+"Why, we can telegraph from Spruceville, can't we?"</p>
+
+<p>"We can if they'll trust us for the telegram."</p>
+
+<p>"If they won't, I'll pay for it. I'm not going to let such a chance
+slide by. The thing of it is," Randy added, sobering down suddenly, "how
+are we to get to Boston to get the money Uncle intends to send on?"</p>
+
+<p>"We'll have to sell off our things here. They'll bring in something,
+although not much."</p>
+
+<p>"Good! I never thought of that."</p>
+
+<p>For two hours the boys talked matters over, and in the excitement dinner
+was entirely forgotten. Then a telegram was prepared which ran as
+follows:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p class="cen">"Will sell out and come on as soon as possible."</p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[Pg 16]</a></span>
+
+<p>It was agreed that Earl should send the message from Spruceville, a town
+four miles beyond Basco. This was a seven miles' tramp, but he did not
+mind it, having walked the distance many times previously. He procured a
+bite to eat, and with the letter from his uncle in his pocket he started
+off. He intended to show the letter to the telegraph operator in case
+the man should hesitate to send the message with charges to be paid at
+the other end.</p>
+
+<p>At Basco, Earl met a number of workmen of the district, among whom was
+Tom Roland, the brother of the lumberman who intended to buy the timber
+land from Caleb Norcross. Roland was a man whom nobody liked, and Earl
+passed him without a word, although it was evident from Roland's manner
+that the latter desired to stop for a talk. With Tom Roland was a fellow
+named Guardley, a ne'er-do-well, who had been up before the squire on
+more than one occasion for drinking and stealing. The reader will do
+well to remember both Tom Roland and Guardley, for they are destined to
+play a most important part in the chapters which follow.</p>
+
+<p>The middle of the afternoon had passed before Earl struck the outskirts
+of Spruceville and made his way to the little railroad station where was
+located the telegraph office. His errand was soon explained to the
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[Pg 17]</a></span>young man in charge, and he felt in his pocket to bring forth the slip
+of paper Randy had written out, and his uncle's letter.</p>
+
+<p>To his consternation both were missing. He remembered well where he had
+placed them, yet to make sure he searched his clothing thoroughly. His
+search was useless. The message and the letter were gone.</p>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br /><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[Pg 18]</a></span>
+<br />
+
+<hr />
+<br />
+<h2>CHAPTER III.</h2>
+
+<h2>A FALSE IDENTIFICATION.</h2>
+
+
+<p>"Gone!"</p>
+
+<p>That was the single word which dropped from Earl's lips as he stood at
+the window of the telegraph office at Spruceville and hunted for the
+missing letter from his Uncle Foster. He cared nothing for the
+message,&mdash;that could easily be rewritten,&mdash;but the letter was highly
+important.</p>
+
+<p>Not finding it about his person, he commenced to retrace his steps with
+his eyes on the ground. An hour was spent in this manner, and then he
+returned slowly to the office.</p>
+
+<p>"I want to send a message to San Francisco, and I had a letter with me
+to show that it was all right," he explained. "Will you send the message
+anyhow and collect at the other end? The man who is to receive the
+message wanted it sent that way."</p>
+
+<p>The telegraph operator mused for a moment. Then he asked Earl who he was
+and where he lived, and finally said he guessed it would be all right.
+The message was again written out, and ten minutes later it was on its
+long journey westward, by way of Boston. The <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[Pg 19]</a></span>business finished, Earl
+thanked the operator and started on his return home.</p>
+
+<p>He was very much out of sorts with himself, and wondered what his
+younger brother would think of him. "I needn't find fault with Randy for
+being careless after this," he sighed, almost bitterly. "I'm as bad as
+he is, and worse. One thing is a comfort, though: I remember the name of
+that Boston firm that is to provide us with our money&mdash;Bartwell &amp; Stone.
+I had better make a note of that." And he did.</p>
+
+<p>The evening shadows were beginning to fall when Basco was again reached.
+On the main street of the little town Earl halted to think matters over.
+Why wouldn't it be a good thing to let folks know that they wanted to
+sell out their household goods and their tools and other things? He made
+his way to the general store.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, Portney, I heard you had been put off your place," was the
+greeting received from the general storekeeper.</p>
+
+<p>"We have not been put off&mdash;we are going to leave it, Mr. Andrews."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh! Where are you going?"</p>
+
+<p>"To Alaska."</p>
+
+<p>"Alaska? You must be joking."</p>
+
+<p>"No, sir. My uncle, Foster Portney, has sent for Randy and me to come to
+San Francisco, and the three of us are going to some new gold fields."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[Pg 20]</a></span>"Well, what about my bill?" asked the storekeeper, anxiously. He was
+interested in but little outside of his business. "Of course that has
+got to be settled before you leave."</p>
+
+<p>"We will pay up, never fear. But we want to sell off all our stuff
+first. Will you let me write out a notice to that effect and post it
+outside?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, you can do that. Going to sell off, eh? What have you got?"</p>
+
+<p>Earl enumerated the various articles he and Randy had listed to sell.
+They were not of great value, and the storekeeper smiled grimly.</p>
+
+<p>"They won't bring much."</p>
+
+<p>"They ought to bring thirty or forty dollars."</p>
+
+<p>"You'll be lucky to get ten."</p>
+
+<p>"Ten dollars won't see us through. We have got to get enough to pay our
+bills and secure our passage down to Boston."</p>
+
+<p>"And how much will that be?" questioned Peleg Andrews, cautiously. Earl
+made a rapid calculation. With the money already on hand and that owing
+for tools and groceries, twenty-five dollars ought to see them through.</p>
+
+<p>"We must have thirty dollars for the stuff."</p>
+
+<p>Peleg Andrews said no more, but turned away to wait on a customer that
+had just come in. Procuring sheets of paper, Earl set to work and penned
+two notices, both alike, stating that the goods and chattels <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[Pg 21]</a></span>of the
+Portney brothers would be sold within the next three days, to the
+highest bidders, and a list of the articles followed. One of the notices
+was tacked up in front of the store and the other in front of the hotel,
+and then Earl returned home.</p>
+
+<p>As the big brother had expected, Randy was much put out about the loss
+of the letter, but he was glad that Earl had gone ahead, nevertheless,
+and before he retired that night, he brought forth some of the articles
+to be sold, and mended and cleaned them up.</p>
+
+<p>The two were eating breakfast when the first prospective buyer rode up
+in a farm wagon. It was a lumberman from over the ridge behind Basco,
+who was thinking of settling down to cabin life by himself. He made an
+offer of fifteen dollars for everything in sight, but Earl held out for
+forty dollars.</p>
+
+<p>The man was about to drive away, when a second lumberman drove up,
+followed by Peleg Andrews in his store wagon. Both of the newcomers were
+eager to buy, although they affected indifference. Bidding became rather
+lively, and at last the goods were split up between the first comer and
+the storekeeper, the former paying thirty dollars and the latter twenty
+dollars for what they got. This made fifty dollars in all, and out of
+this amount Earl settled with Peleg Andrews on the spot.</p>
+
+<p>It was while the men were loading the goods preparatory to taking them
+away, that Caleb Norcross <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[Pg 22]</a></span>appeared. He had expected to make a cheap
+purchase, and was keenly disappointed to find he was too late.</p>
+
+<p>"Getting out, eh?" he ventured.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," answered Earl, briefly. "You can have your keys in a couple of
+hours. Here is your money."</p>
+
+<p>"I ain't in any hurry," grumbled the landlord.</p>
+
+<p>"Isn't Dan Roland going to take the property?" asked Randy, curiously.</p>
+
+<p>"No, he backed out last night," answered Caleb Norcross, and to avoid
+being questioned further he moved away.</p>
+
+<p>Fortunately for the two boys, there was an old trunk in the cabin, and
+also a small wooden box which could be made to hold clothing, and these
+they packed with such effects as they intended to take along. A bargain
+was struck with the man who had failed to purchase any of the other
+goods, and the two boxes were placed in his wagon, and then the lads
+were ready to leave the spot which had been their home for many years.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, I'm sure I wish you success," said Peleg Andrews, as he shook
+each by the hand. "But it looks foolhardy to me&mdash;going away off to
+Alaska."</p>
+
+<p>"You'll be glad enough to come back home, see if you don't," put in
+Caleb Norcross. He did not offer to shake hands, at which the boys were
+just as well satisfied. In a minute more the brothers were up beside the
+lumberman on the wagon seat, the whip cracked, and <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[Pg 23]</a></span>the horse started;
+and the long trip to Alaska could be said to have fairly begun.</p>
+
+<p>A stop was made at Basco, where Earl settled up such bills as still
+remained unpaid, and then the horse set off on a trot for Spruceville,
+which was reached less than three-quarters of an hour later. At the
+latter place a way train for Bangor was due, and they had barely time to
+procure tickets and get their baggage checked before it came along and
+took them on board.</p>
+
+<p>"We've made a flying start and no mistake," was Randy's comment, as he
+leaned back in the cushioned seat. "Two days ago we never dreamed of
+going to Alaska or anywhere else."</p>
+
+<p>"I hope we haven't any cause to regret our hasty action," answered Earl,
+gravely. Then he immediately brightened up. "But we've started now, so
+let us make the most of it."</p>
+
+<p>The ride over the rough roads had made them hungry, but they had to wait
+until Bangor was reached before they could obtain anything to eat. It
+was late in the evening when the train rolled into the station and they
+alighted. Both boys had been in Bangor several times, so they did not
+feel quite like strangers. Having obtained supper at a restaurant, they
+made their way to the river docks and asked concerning the boat for
+Boston, having decided to make that trip by water. The boat was in, and
+having procured their passage, they <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[Pg 24]</a></span>were privileged to go on board and
+sleep there over-night.</p>
+
+<p>The trip to Boston was an uneventful one, although full of novelty to
+Earl and Randy, who had never taken such a voyage before. They might
+have enjoyed it still more had they not been so anxious concerning what
+was before them. Alas! little did they dream of all the grave perils the
+future held in store.</p>
+
+<p>"We don't want to look too green," said Earl, when the steamboat was
+tying up at her wharf and the passengers were preparing to go ashore.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, I guess we'll pass in a crowd," said Randy, laughing. "All we want
+to look out for is that we are not robbed, or something like that."</p>
+
+<p>Leaving their baggage on check, the two boys started from Foster's wharf
+up into the city. They had no idea where the firm of Bartwell &amp; Stone
+were located, but Earl was certain they could easily be found by
+consulting a directory.</p>
+
+<p>The elder brother was on the point of entering a large store in quest of
+the book mentioned when Randy pulled his arm and pointed down the
+street. "There goes a fire engine, Earl!" he cried. "Let's follow it. I
+should like to see how they manage a fire in a city."</p>
+
+<p>Earl was willing, and away they went, easily keeping up with the engine,
+which had to proceed slowly through the crowded thoroughfare. The fire
+was in a paint and <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[Pg 25]</a></span>oil works, and burnt fiercely for over an hour
+before it was gotten under control. The boys lingered around, watching
+the movements of the firemen with keen interest, and it was two hours
+later before Earl caught Randy by the shoulder and hauled him out of the
+mob of people.</p>
+
+<p>"Remember, we're bound for Alaska," he said. "We can't afford to stop at
+every sight on the way."</p>
+
+<p>A few blocks further on a directory was found in a drug store and the
+address of Bartwell &amp; Stone jotted down. They lost no further time in
+hunting up the firm of bankers and brokers, who occupied the ground
+floor of a substantial business structure.</p>
+
+<p>"I am Earl Portney," explained Earl, to the clerk who asked them what
+they wanted. "This is my brother Randolph. Our uncle, Foster Portney,
+said he would send on some money for us from San Francisco. Has it
+arrived yet?"</p>
+
+<p>"I'll see. Was it a telegraph order?"</p>
+
+<p>"I suppose so."</p>
+
+<p>The clerk disappeared into an inner apartment, to be gone several
+minutes. When he came out he was accompanied by a tall, sharp-eyed man
+in rusty black.</p>
+
+<p>"These are not the young men who called for the money," said the man in
+rusty black. "There must be some mistake here."</p>
+
+<p>"Were the other men identified, Mr. Stone?" <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[Pg 26]</a></span>questioned the clerk, while
+both Randy and Earl pricked up their ears.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, yes; a clerk from Johnston's restaurant identified them as Earl and
+Randolph Portney. Besides, they held the original letter which had been
+sent by their uncle, Foster Portney, from San Francisco."</p>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br /><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[Pg 27]</a></span>
+<br />
+
+<hr />
+<br />
+<h2>CHAPTER IV.</h2>
+
+<h2>A SERIOUS SET-BACK.</h2>
+
+
+<p>Earl and Randy could scarcely believe their ears. What was this
+gentleman in rusty black saying, that two men had been identified as
+themselves and had called for the money sent on by their Uncle Foster?</p>
+
+<p>"There is a mistake somewhere," said the clerk, turning to the brothers.
+"You say you are Earl and Randolph Portney?"</p>
+
+<p>"We are," both replied, in a breath.</p>
+
+<p>"Two men were here not two hours ago and were identified as the ones to
+receive the money. They had a letter from their uncle, in which he
+wanted them to come to San Francisco and join him in a trip to Alaska."</p>
+
+<p>"That letter was ours!" burst out Earl. "I lost it a couple of days
+ago."</p>
+
+<p>The clerk turned to the elderly gentleman, who looked more serious than
+ever.</p>
+
+<p>"Have you any idea who those men were?" asked the gentleman.</p>
+
+<p>"They were a couple of thieves, that's certain," said <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[Pg 28]</a></span>Randy, bluntly.
+"The money was to come to us and nobody else."</p>
+
+<p>"Where did you lose that letter?"</p>
+
+<p>"I lost it on the road between Naddy Brook and Spruceville," replied
+Earl, and gave some of the particulars. The full story of his uncle's
+offer to Randy and himself followed, to which Mr. Stone listened
+closely. He was a fair judge of human nature, and saw at once that the
+two boys were no sharpers and that their story was most likely true.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, if you are the real Portney brothers, we are out exactly three
+hundred dollars," he said, after considerable talking. "I paid over that
+money in good faith, too, on the strength of the letter and the
+identification."</p>
+
+<p>"We had nothing to do with that," answered Earl, stoutly, feeling he
+must stand up for his rights.</p>
+
+<p>"Of course not, but&mdash;Just wait here a few minutes, and I'll try to find
+that clerk from the restaurant who identified the rascals."</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Stone put on a silk hat and went out, to be gone nearly or quite
+half an hour. He returned accompanied by another man&mdash;a police
+official&mdash;to whom the particulars of the occurrence had been given.</p>
+
+<p>"That identification was also part of the swindle," the broker
+explained. "I could not find the clerk at the restaurant, and I am
+convinced now that he was not the man he made me believe he was."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[Pg 29]</a></span>"But what about our money?" said Earl, coldly, thinking the broker might
+try to shift the responsibility of the affair.</p>
+
+<p>"If you can find some reliable party known to us to identify you, I will
+pay the sum to you," was the answer. "But I've got to be sure of the
+identification this time&mdash;and you can't blame me for that," added the
+broker, with a short laugh.</p>
+
+<p>"No, we can't blame you for that," repeated Earl, yet at the same time
+wondering who there was in that strange city who knew them.</p>
+
+<p>"I don't know of any one here who knows us," put in Randy, reading his
+elder brother's thought. "I wish Uncle had sent the money in some other
+way."</p>
+
+<p>"See here," put in the police official. "Since those swindlers had the
+letter that was lost up near where you come from, perhaps you know the
+men. Mr. Stone, can't you describe them?"</p>
+
+<p>As well as he was able the broker did so. But the description was so
+indefinite that both Earl and Randy shook their heads.</p>
+
+<p>"I know a dozen men who look a good deal like that description," said
+the older brother. "It's possible they were lumbermen like ourselves."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, they did look like lumbermen," replied Mr. Stone. "That is why I
+was not so particular about their identification."</p>
+
+<p>For another half hour the matter was talked over, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[Pg 30]</a></span>and then as it was
+getting time to close up the office for the day, Earl and Randy left, to
+find some one to identify them, were such a thing possible. At the
+corner of the block both halted.</p>
+
+<p>"I'm blessed if I know what to do," were Randy's words. "I can't think
+of a soul who knows us here."</p>
+
+<p>"There used to be a man named Curtis Gordon who once lived at Basco&mdash;he
+owned the feed mill there. He came to Boston and started a flour
+business. But whether he would remember me is a question. He hasn't seen
+me in about eight years."</p>
+
+<p>"We might try him&mdash;it would be better than nothing!" cried Randy,
+eagerly. "Let us hunt him up in the directory."</p>
+
+<p>This was done, and they found Mr. Curtis Gordon's place of business
+after a search lasting over an hour. Several clerks were in attendance
+who supplied the information that Mr. Gordon had gone to New York, and
+would not be back for two days.</p>
+
+<p>"Stumped again," murmured Randy, dismally. "Did you ever see such luck!"</p>
+
+<p>"Never give up," answered Earl, as cheerfully as he could. "I wonder if
+Mrs. Gordon lives in town."</p>
+
+<p>"What if she does?"</p>
+
+<p>"I'd call on her, and perhaps she can help us out. She used to know me."</p>
+
+<p>From the clerks in the store they received the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[Pg 31]</a></span>Gordons' home address.
+It was a fine place on the Back Bay, and it was nightfall by the time
+the boys reached it. They were ushered into the waiting-hall by a
+servant, who immediately went off to notify her mistress, who was at
+dinner.</p>
+
+<p>From the dining-room came a murmur of talking, and one of the voices
+sounded strangely familiar to Earl. "Hark, Randy," he whispered. "Isn't
+that Squire Dobson speaking?"</p>
+
+<p>"It is!" ejaculated Randy. "We are saved at last!"</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Gordon came to them a minute later, having excused herself to her
+guest. The boys' mission was soon explained, Earl at the same time
+offering an excuse for calling at the meal hour. He mentioned Squire
+Dobson, and that individual was called from the table.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, well!" exclaimed the squire of Basco, a short, stout, and rather
+jolly type of a country official. "I didn't expect to see you in Boston,
+although I heard yesterday that you were bound for Alaska or some such
+place. Mrs. Gordon, these are Daniel Portney's boys,&mdash;you must remember
+Daniel Portney,&mdash;the one who lost his life in that dreadful forest fire
+up our way some years ago."</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Gordon did remember, and she gave both lads a warm greeting. It was
+several minutes before Earl could get down to business, and then the
+matter of <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[Pg 32]</a></span>identification was left to Squire Dobson, who said he would
+see them through in the morning, as soon as the Bartwell &amp; Stone offices
+were open.</p>
+
+<p>"I don't know them," he said, "but I know some bankers on the same
+block, and we can introduce each other."</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Gordon was glad enough to see some folks from the district which
+had once been her home, and asked the brothers to partake of dinner with
+the squire and her family of boys and girls. After some hesitation, the
+invitation was accepted, and two hours were spent at the mansion.</p>
+
+<p>During the course of this time it was learned by Earl and Randy that
+Squire Dobson had come down from Maine in search of his son, a
+happy-go-lucky lad, who had run away from home, as previously mentioned.
+The squire had heard from a friend that Fred had been seen near the
+docks in Boston, but he had been unable so far to locate the wayward
+youth.</p>
+
+<p>"I'm afraid he has either gone to New York or on some long ocean trip,"
+said the squire to Earl. "He's a foolish boy and is causing me no end of
+trouble. If you ever run across him, send him home at once."</p>
+
+<p>"I will&mdash;if he'll go," answered Earl; but neither he nor Randy ever
+dreamed of meeting Fred Dobson where they did.</p>
+
+<p>The visit over, the brothers left, to hunt up some cheap hotel at which
+to stop for the night. This was <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[Pg 33]</a></span>an easy matter, and at ten o'clock they
+retired. A sound sleep, however, was out of the question, for both were
+anxious concerning the outcome of their dealings with Bartwell &amp; Stone.</p>
+
+<p>Promptly at the hour appointed they met the squire at the office of the
+brokers and bankers. Another banker, well known to both Squire Dobson
+and to Mr. Stone, was introduced all around, and thus Randy and Earl's
+identification was established beyond a doubt. This accomplished, Earl
+received three hundred dollars in cash, for which he and Randy signed a
+receipt; and the transaction was over.</p>
+
+<p>Just outside of the office, the boys separated from the squire of Basco,
+and the former lost no time in making their way to the depot of the New
+York &amp; New England Railroad.</p>
+
+<p>"I don't know what route is best to take to San Francisco," said Earl.
+"I guess we had better buy tickets as far as New York first." And this
+was done; and a few hours later saw them safe on board a train, with
+their baggage in the car ahead. At the depot Earl had obtained a number
+of folders of different routes to the west, and these he intended to
+study while on his way to the great metropolis.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, but railroad travelling is fine!" cried Randy, enthusiastically, as
+the long train sped on its way through hills and valleys, and past
+numerous pretty towns and villages, all alive with the hum of a thousand
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[Pg 34]</a></span>industries. "One feels as if he would like to ride forever!"</p>
+
+<p>"I'm afraid you'll be tired of riding by the time we reach San
+Francisco," said Earl, who, nevertheless, also enjoyed the journey.
+"This is only a little trip of six or seven hours. The next will be one
+of many days and nights."</p>
+
+<p>"I wonder how they sleep on a train," went on Randy, curiously.</p>
+
+<p>"We'll learn soon enough, Randy. Only don't let every one see how green
+we are," added Earl, in a whisper.</p>
+
+<p>At one of the stations in Connecticut, where a ten minutes' stop was
+made, the two lads alighted to stretch their legs and take a look
+around. They had been seated in the last car, and now they walked
+forward along the broad platform.</p>
+
+<p>Suddenly Randy caught his brother's arm. "Earl! Earl! look!" he
+ejaculated, and pointed to a window of the smoking-car. "There are Tom
+Roland and Jasper Guardley! What can they be doing on this train?"</p>
+
+<p>Earl glanced to where Randy pointed and saw that his brother was right.
+At the same instant Tom Roland saw them, and he drew back and motioned
+for his companion to do the same. Earl noted the movement and stood
+stock-still.</p>
+
+<p>"Randy, I wonder&mdash;" he began, and stopped short.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[Pg 35]</a></span>"What, Earl? Isn't it queer they should be on this train from Boston?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes. Randy, do you think it is possible that Tom Roland would be so
+dishonest as to&mdash;to&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"To get that money, Earl?" broke in the younger boy. "He might be&mdash;and
+yes, Mr. Stone's description of the two swindlers fits Roland and
+Guardley exactly!"</p>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br /><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[Pg 36]</a></span>
+<br />
+
+<hr />
+<br />
+<h2>CHAPTER V.</h2>
+
+<h2>A NIGHT IN NEW YORK.</h2>
+
+
+<p>"The description certainly does fit these two men," said Earl, with some
+hesitation. "And it is queer that Roland should be down here, when only
+a few days ago he was in Basco. Guardley, I know, is not above
+cheating&mdash;he's been up before Squire Dobson several times for it."</p>
+
+<p>"Let us go and have a talk with them," said Randy, impulsively. "If they
+stole that money, I want to know it."</p>
+
+<p>"It's not our business to hunt those swindlers up," answered Earl,
+hesitatingly; yet he followed Randy to the platform of the smoking-car,
+and they were soon inside, and making their way to where Roland and
+Guardley sat, pulling away at two black-looking cigars.</p>
+
+<p>"How do you do, Earl?" said Tom Roland, familiarly, as soon as the boys
+appeared. "It's queer we should be on the same train, isn't it?"</p>
+
+<p>"It is queer," answered Earl, stiffly, taken aback by the greeting.
+"Where are you bound?"</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[Pg 37]</a></span>"Guardley and I are going to try our luck in the West. Say, I heard you
+boys were bound for Alaska. Is that true?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes."</p>
+
+<p>"It costs a heap to go there&mdash;didn't know you had so much money," put in
+Guardley, with a smile that neither Earl nor Randy appreciated.</p>
+
+<p>"And I didn't know you had any money for a Western trip," returned the
+older brother, rather sharply.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, Tom here is seeing me through," answered Guardley; but both Randy
+and Earl noted that he appeared somewhat confused for the moment.</p>
+
+<p>"Guardley has done me several good turns, and it wouldn't be fair for me
+to turn my back on him," finished Tom Roland. "We are going right
+through to San Francisco. How about yourselves?"</p>
+
+<p>"We stop off at New York," said Randy.</p>
+
+<p>"It's a pity we can't travel together&mdash;" began Roland, when Earl cut him
+short.</p>
+
+<p>"Roland, did you pick up a letter belonging to me?" asked the boy.</p>
+
+<p>The man's eyes dropped, but only for the fraction of a second. "A letter
+belonging to you?" he repeated. "No. Where did you lose it?"</p>
+
+<p>"Somewhere around Basco. Did you see it, Guardley?"</p>
+
+<p>The second man shook his head. "Was it important?" he asked.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[Pg 38]</a></span>"Very," said Earl, laconically, and then, as the train began to move
+again he motioned to Randy, and the two started back for their seat in
+the last car.</p>
+
+<p>"What do you think?" questioned Randy, when they were seated.</p>
+
+<p>"I don't know what to think. It's mighty queer the pair should leave
+Basco in such a hurry."</p>
+
+<p>"We left in a hurry. But we had a good reason."</p>
+
+<p>"And they may have&mdash;a reason most folks don't look for."</p>
+
+<p>"Do you think they left on account of some crooked work?" cried Randy.</p>
+
+<p>"That would probably be Jasper Guardley's reason for getting away. But
+it's not our affair, and we have enough other matters to think of,"
+concluded Earl, after a pause. "When we get to New York we'll be like
+stray cattle in a hundred-acre lot. We must look out not to get lost,
+and above all things not to lose our money."</p>
+
+<p>"And engage the cheapest and quickest passage to San Francisco," said
+Randy. "Let us look over those folders before it gets too late. It's too
+dark to see much outside."</p>
+
+<p>The lamps were lighted in the car, and they lost no further time in
+digesting the contents of the folders of the railroad companies and
+pouring over the maps of the various routes to the Golden Gate.</p>
+
+<p>"One looks about as good as another on paper," <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[Pg 39]</a></span>remarked Earl, at last.
+"I think we had best take the New York Central Railroad to Chicago, then
+the Rock Island &amp; Chicago to Rock Island, and then the Southern Pacific.
+We'll find out about that route when we reach New York."</p>
+
+<p>It was exactly ten o'clock in the evening that the train rolled into the
+Grand Central Depot at Forty-second Street and Randy and Earl alighted.
+The crowd was very thick, and though both looked for Roland and
+Guardley, the two men could not be discovered. The coming and going of
+so many people confused them, and the many cries which greeted them as
+they emerged on the street did not tend to set them at ease.</p>
+
+<p>"Cab, sir? Coup&eacute;? This way for the Broadway Central Hotel! Evening
+papers, <i>Post</i> or <i>Telegram</i>! <i>Mail and Express</i>!"</p>
+
+<p>Several came up to the two boys, offering them cab rides and the like,
+but both Randy and Earl shook their heads. Then Earl remembered that the
+ticket office was close at hand, and he and his brother went inside
+again. A long talk with the ticket clerk followed, and they concluded to
+take the New York Central road to Chicago, and from there as previously
+intended. The train would start at ten in the morning, and Earl bought
+two tickets, paying an amount which brought their cash balance down
+quite low once more.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[Pg 40]</a></span>"Never mind; that pays for about all we'll need," said Randy. "Let us
+leave the tickets to be called for, and then they'll be safe."</p>
+
+<p>"No indeed!" said Earl. "Some one may call for them just as the money
+was called for. I'll carry my ticket in an inside pocket, and you had
+best do the same."</p>
+
+<p>This settled, the brothers strolled out once more. It was rather late,
+but they could not resist the temptation to a walk down Broadway, of
+which they had heard so often. They trudged as far as the Post-office,
+took a look at Park Row and the numerous newspaper buildings, and the
+Brooklyn Bridge all lit up in a blaze of electric lights, and then Earl
+happened to glance at the clock on St. Paul's Church.</p>
+
+<p>"Half-past twelve, Randy!" he ejaculated. "Gracious! we'll never find a
+hotel open as late as this! Let us get back to the vicinity of the depot
+again!"</p>
+
+<p>"I guess the hotels are open all night here," answered the younger
+brother. "Let us ride up Broadway on that street car." And they boarded
+a cable car, which speedily took them back to Forty-second Street. A
+convenient hotel was found close to the railroad station, and they lost
+no time in retiring. The constant rumble and roar of the elevated trains
+disturbed them not a little, and it was well into the morning hours
+before both dropped off into dreamland, not to awaken until a bell boy
+aroused them at seven o'clock.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[Pg 41]</a></span>After a hasty breakfast another look was taken around the city. Finding
+they had the time, they took an elevated train to the Battery and back,
+staying long enough at the lower end of the city to catch a glimpse of
+Castle Garden with its aquarium, and the statue of Liberty out in the
+bay.</p>
+
+<p>"One could spend a month in sight-seeing here," sighed Randy. "I wish we
+had had the time to do Boston and New York thoroughly."</p>
+
+<p>Ten o'clock found them on the train which was to take them through to
+Chicago without change of cars. The cars were comfortably filled, but
+there was no crowding. Again they looked for Roland and Guardley, but
+without success.</p>
+
+<p>"I guess they remained in New York," said Earl; but for once the young
+fellow was mistaken.</p>
+
+<p>Leaving the vicinity of the metropolis, the train began its long journey
+up the beautiful Hudson. But the journey northward did not last long.
+Soon the train branched to the westward and plunged into the hills and
+rolling lands of the Mohawk Valley. City after city were left behind
+with a whir and a rush that almost took Randy's breath from him. At noon
+a stop was made for lunch, then on they went again. Supper was served in
+a dining-car, and both boys voted it about the best meal they had ever
+tasted.</p>
+
+<p>After the lamps were lit it was not long before the passengers began to
+think of going to bed. Both <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[Pg 42]</a></span>Randy and Earl watched the porter closely
+as he drew out the beds from the narrow closets in the sloping roof of
+the car, set up the little wooden partitions, and otherwise arranged the
+sleeping-apartments. The boys had a section to themselves and concluded
+to sleep together in the lower berth, so the upper berth was left out.</p>
+
+<p>"A sleeping-car is a great institution," said Earl, as they turned in.
+"Why, a train like this is just a moving house and nothing else!"</p>
+
+<p>Shortly after noon of the day following Chicago was reached. Here they
+had a three hours' stop and spent the time in a ride on State Street,
+and a trip to the roof of the great Masonic Temple, where a grand
+bird's-eye view of the entire city was to be seen, spread out far below
+them.</p>
+
+<p>And so the long trip westward continued. To tell of all the places
+stopped at would be impossible. All day long for nearly a week they sat
+at their car window taking in the sights of cities, towns, prairies, and
+mountains. There were wonderful bridges to cross and perilous turns to
+make, at which both held their breath, expecting each moment to be
+dashed to pieces. In the mountains a severe storm was encountered, and
+the rolling of the thunder was awe-inspiring, so long was it kept up.</p>
+
+<p>But all journeys, long and short, must come to an end, and one fine
+morning the boys found themselves safe and sound in San Francisco, and
+on their way to the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[Pg 43]</a></span>Palace Hotel. The trip overland had brightened them
+a good bit, and they no longer looked as green as when they had started.</p>
+
+<p>They had just stepped from a Market Street car in front of the hotel
+when they saw a youth coming down the hotel steps who looked strangely
+familiar, in spite of the somewhat ragged clothing he wore.</p>
+
+<p>"Randy, who is that fellow?" questioned Earl, quickly, as he caught his
+brother by the elbow.</p>
+
+<p>"Why, if it isn't Fred Dobson!" burst from Randy's lips. "How in the
+world did he get away out here? Fred Dobson! Fred Dobson! Stop, we want
+to talk to you!" he called out, as the youth in question was on the
+point of hurrying off.</p>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br /><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[Pg 44]</a></span>
+<br />
+
+<hr />
+<br />
+<h2>CHAPTER VI.</h2>
+
+<h2>PREPARATIONS FOR DEPARTURE.</h2>
+
+
+<p>"Randy Portney!" came from the lips of the boy addressed, as he turned
+to stare at the person who had called out his name. "And Earl, too!
+Where&mdash;where did you come from?"</p>
+
+<p>"From Basco, of course," returned Randy. "How did you get away out
+here?"</p>
+
+<p>"I&mdash;I came out on a train from Chicago," stammered Fred Dobson, but he
+did not add that the train had been a freight, and that the stolen ride
+had been both uncomfortable and full of peril.</p>
+
+<p>"We met your father in Boston," put in Earl. "He said if we should ever
+run across you to tell you to come home."</p>
+
+<p>"I'm not going back," was the reply of the squire's son. "I came out
+here to make my fortune."</p>
+
+<p>"I'm afraid you'll find it rather hard work," ventured Randy, and he
+glanced at Fred's shabby suit. Around Basco the youth had dressed better
+than any one else.</p>
+
+<p>"I've been playing in hard luck lately," was the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[Pg 45]</a></span>slangy reply. "But
+say, what are you two fellows doing out here?"</p>
+
+<p>"We came on to join our uncle," said Randy. "He is going to take us to
+Alaska with him."</p>
+
+<p>"Alaska! To those new gold fields a fellow reads about in the daily
+papers?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes."</p>
+
+<p>"I'd like to go there myself," said the runaway, readily.</p>
+
+<p>"It costs a good deal of money to go, Fred," remarked Earl. He rather
+liked the squire's son, in spite of his wild ways. "A fellow must take
+along a year's provisions."</p>
+
+<p>"So I've heard. I wonder if I couldn't work my way up on one of the
+boats."</p>
+
+<p>"I wouldn't advise you to go," said Randy. "Why, you are not used to
+hard work, and they say work up there is of the hardest kind."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, I can work if I have to. Where is your uncle?"</p>
+
+<p>"He's stopping at this hotel." Randy turned to Earl. "Let us see if
+Uncle Foster is in, and we can talk to Fred some time later."</p>
+
+<p>This was decided upon, and the squire's son walked off, promising to be
+back in a few hours.</p>
+
+<p>"He puts on a pretty good face, but I fancy he is homesick,
+nevertheless," remarked Earl, as he and Randy made their way to the
+hotel office. They were just about to ask for their uncle when a hand
+was laid on Earl's shoulder.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[Pg 46]</a></span>"Earl! Randy! How are you, my boys! Just as fresh and hearty as when I
+saw you last. And how both of you are growing! Why, Earl, you are almost
+a man! I'm glad to see you, yes, I am!" And Foster Portney beamed at
+both from a pair of brown eyes set in a round, ruddy face, which was
+half covered with a long beard. He was a large and rugged man, and his
+open manner had made him many friends.</p>
+
+<p>"What a beard you've got, Uncle Foster!" were Randy's first words, as he
+winced at the close grip Foster Portney gave his hand. "You look like
+all the rest of the Westerners around here!"</p>
+
+<p>"I'm glad we had no trouble in finding you," put in Earl, whose hand
+also tingled from the grip given it. He remembered now that his uncle
+had always been considered an unusually strong man. "I know he'll stand
+the Alaskan climate well enough, even if we don't," he thought.</p>
+
+<p>"Didn't have any trouble getting here, did you?" questioned Foster
+Portney. "Your message came on time?"</p>
+
+<p>"We had a little set-back in Boston," answered Earl, and told of the
+trouble about the money. His uncle listened with a sober look on his
+broad face.</p>
+
+<p>"That was too bad, truly, lads. But it's the loss of that firm of
+bankers and brokers. They ought to have been sure of the identification.
+And you think the thieves were two men named Roland and Guardley? They
+must be thorough rascals."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[Pg 47]</a></span>"We are not sure," broke in Randy, hastily. "It only looks that way."</p>
+
+<p>"I see." Foster Portney mused for a moment. "Well, we can't lose time in
+trying to investigate. I was hoping you two boys would turn up to-day or
+to-morrow. Day after to-morrow a boat sails for Juneau, and if I rustle
+around I think I can secure passage for ourselves and our traps. If we
+don't catch this boat, we'll have to wait two weeks, or else take a
+train for Portland and wait ten days."</p>
+
+<p>"But we haven't a thing, Uncle Foster," cried Randy. "That is, outside
+of our clothing, which is in our trunks, on check at the railroad
+station."</p>
+
+<p>"And that clothing, for the most part, will have to be left behind,
+Randy. For a country like Alaska one must be differently dressed than
+here. Each of you will have to have a suit of furs and plenty of
+flannels and all that sort of thing."</p>
+
+<p>"And where shall we get them?"</p>
+
+<p>"There is a regular outfitting store not far from here. But the first
+thing to be done, now you have turned up, is to secure those passage
+tickets to Juneau. The Alaskan fever is setting in strong here, and
+we'll not be alone on our trip over Chilkoot Pass and along the
+headwaters of the Yukon."</p>
+
+<p>"I'm in the dark about this trip, I must confess," said Earl. "Where is
+this pass you mention, and where is the Klondike Creek, or River?"</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[Pg 48]</a></span>"I'll show you the route to-night, boys, on a map just issued by our
+government, the best map out so far. But come along to that steamboat
+office, or we'll get left."</p>
+
+<p>Five minutes later saw the boys and their uncle on a street car which
+ran close to the dock at which the steamboat lay, taking in her cargo,
+which consisted mainly of the outfits of miners and prospectors. The
+boat, which was named the <i>Golden Hope</i>, had been chartered especially
+for this trip, and a temporary shipping office had been established
+close at hand. Around this office was congregated a motley collection of
+men, all eager to obtain passage to Juneau as cheaply as it could be
+had.</p>
+
+<p>Through this crowd Foster Portney shoved his way, with Randy and Earl
+close behind him. It was some minutes before they could get to the
+ticket office.</p>
+
+<p>"I want three tickets," said Mr. Portney. "How much freight will you
+carry on them?"</p>
+
+<p>"Six hundred pounds, and not a pound more for anybody," was the quick
+reply.</p>
+
+<p>"And when do you sail?"</p>
+
+<p>"Wednesday, at twelve o'clock sharp. What are the names? We don't want
+any mix-up in this rush."</p>
+
+<p>The names were put down, and the money for the passage paid over, and
+with their tickets in their pockets the three struggled to get out of
+the crowd, which was growing more dense every minute. Close <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[Pg 49]</a></span>at hand was
+a big bill-board on which was posted a large circular headed in big
+black letters:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p class="cen">
+<b>THE GOLD FIELDS OF ALASKA!</b><br />
+<i>Direct Route via Juneau and Over Chilkoot Pass!<br />
+Now is the Time to Go and Stake Your Claim!</i></p>
+
+<p>"That circular is enough to set almost any one crazy," said Earl, as he
+read it over. "Well, I hope we strike a bonanza."</p>
+
+<p>"The reports are very encouraging," replied Foster Portney, who, in
+spite of his usual cool headedness had the gold fever nearly as badly as
+any one in San Francisco. "You see," he went on, "the sooner we get
+there the better: for we won't have much time left after arriving before
+the long and terribly cold winter sets in."</p>
+
+<p>Earl had imagined that the six hundred pounds of freight must be divided
+between the three, but soon learned that six hundred pounds was the
+limit for each person.</p>
+
+<p>"We'll never carry that much, will we?" he queried. "Why, how are we
+going to get all that stuff over the pass you mentioned?"</p>
+
+<p>"We'll get Indians to pack it over. They'll charge twenty or thirty
+cents a pound, but it's the best that can be done. Some hire pack mules
+and dog teams, but my experience has been that Indians are the most
+reliable."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[Pg 50]</a></span>Dinner was now had, and then the three proceeded to the outfitting store
+Foster Portney had previously mentioned. On the way their uncle asked
+the boys what they had in their trunks, that nothing not needed might be
+purchased.</p>
+
+<p>Two hours were spent in buying clothing, and both Earl and Randy thought
+their uncle would never get done adding to the pile. First came a dozen
+suits of flannel underwear, and with them a dozen pairs of heavy socks
+and half a dozen of light ones. Then came two suits of woollen clothing,
+strongly made and with large pockets, two pairs of strong shoes and a
+pair of arctics, and two pairs of walrus-hide boots&mdash;heavy, it is true,
+but strong as iron. Finally came a suit of furs and two caps, each with
+a guard which could be pulled down to the neck, leaving only two holes
+for the eyes.</p>
+
+<p>"I reckon you've got handkerchiefs and such extras," said Mr. Portney.
+"So now all you want, so far as wearing is concerned, is a few pairs of
+smoked glasses, to prevent snow-blindness."</p>
+
+<p>The general outfitter was also able to supply these, and he suggested
+they take along about ten yards of mosquito netting.</p>
+
+<p>"Mosquito netting!" cried Randy. "What for?"</p>
+
+<p>"During the short summer mosquitoes are exceedingly thick in Alaska,"
+said his uncle; and made the purchase suggested.</p>
+
+<p>It was now getting late, and Foster Portney said they <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[Pg 51]</a></span>had best wait
+until the following morning before buying the camping-out things,
+bedding, and other necessities. "I'll make a careful list to-night," he
+added.</p>
+
+<p>They returned to the Palace Hotel, where Randy and Earl found Fred
+Dobson awaiting them.</p>
+
+<p>"Say!" was the greeting of the squire's son. "Is half of Basco moving
+out to San Francisco?"</p>
+
+<p>"What do you mean?" questioned Earl, with a puzzled look.</p>
+
+<p>"Why, I was down at the railroad station about an hour ago, and I saw a
+train come in from Chicago with Tom Roland and Jasper Guardley on
+board."</p>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br /><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[Pg 52]</a></span>
+<br />
+
+<hr />
+<br />
+<h2>CHAPTER VII.</h2>
+
+<h2>BUYING THE OUTFITS.</h2>
+
+
+<p>"You saw Tom Roland and Jasper Guardley?" burst from the lips of the
+Portney brothers simultaneously.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," replied Fred Dobson. "I couldn't believe my eyes at first, but
+when I felt sure I was right I ran up to speak to Roland."</p>
+
+<p>"And what did he say?" queried Earl.</p>
+
+<p>"He didn't give me a chance to speak to him. He and Guardley disappeared
+in the crowd like a flash. I rather think they saw me and avoided me."</p>
+
+<p>Earl and Randy exchanged glances. Tom Roland and Jasper Guardley had
+followed them to San Francisco. What could it mean?</p>
+
+<p>"I shouldn't wonder if they are bound for Alaska, too!" burst out Randy.
+"Oh, Earl, supposing they got that letter&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"It's more than likely they did," said the elder youth, quickly. "I'll
+wager both of them are going to try their fortunes in the new gold
+fields. Well, they had a cheap trip West," he concluded bitterly.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[Pg 53]</a></span>"If we could prove they got the money, we could have them locked up."</p>
+
+<p>"But we can't prove it, Randy; we haven't time, so we'll just have to
+let matters stand where they are. For my part I never want to see either
+of them again," said Earl, decidedly.</p>
+
+<p>Fred Dobson had listened to the latter part of the conversation with
+interest, and now he wished to know what it all meant.</p>
+
+<p>"They must be guilty," he said, after Randy had recited the facts.
+"Guardley is a bad egg. You know he was up before my father several
+times. But say, Randy," he went on, as Earl turned away with Foster
+Portney to secure extra accommodations at the hotel for the two
+following nights, "can't you fix it up with your uncle so that I can go
+to Alaska with him? I'll work like a slave for the chance to go."</p>
+
+<p>Randy had expected something of this sort and had talked the matter over
+with Earl, and now he shook his head.</p>
+
+<p>"I don't believe I can, Fred. My uncle is only taking us along because
+we are related and because he knows we are both strong and used to hard
+work. I really don't believe you could stand it in the new gold fields.
+He has warned us that the exposure is something awful."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, I know, but I can stand more than you think," pleaded Fred.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[Pg 54]</a></span>"Besides that, it wouldn't be right," added Randy. "You ran away from
+home, and it's your duty to go back."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, don't preach. My father doesn't care where I am."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, he does, Fred; he cares a good deal. And then your mother must be
+worried, too."</p>
+
+<p>At the mention of his mother, Fred Dobson's face changed color for a
+moment, and when next he spoke there seemed to be a suspicious lump in
+his throat.</p>
+
+<p>"I&mdash;I'm going to send mother a letter; I'll write it to-night."</p>
+
+<p>"You should have written long ago, Fred."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, don't preach. Then you won't speak to your uncle?" And the squire's
+son looked into Randy's face wistfully.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, I'll speak to him; but it won't do any good, Fred."</p>
+
+<p>It was not long after this that Foster Portney and Earl came back,
+having hired an extra room for the time desired. The uncle had been
+introduced to Fred, and now he invited the runaway to take supper with
+them.</p>
+
+<p>It was not until the meal was nearly over that Fred urged Randy to
+broach the subject next his heart. Foster Portney listened patiently to
+all Randy had to say and also gave ear to Fred's pleadings. But his
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[Pg 55]</a></span>face did not brighten up into anything like an encouraging look.</p>
+
+<p>"No, Dobson, I can't take you," was his reply. "In the first place, Earl
+and Randy are all the companions I wish to take along, that is, and grub
+stake, as we term it in mining slang&mdash;pay their way, that means; and in
+the second place, it wouldn't be right. You are a minor and have run
+away from home, and, if anything, it is my duty to see that you go back.
+Besides this, you do not look strong, and, I believe, you have never
+done any real hard work, and that won't do for Alaska. Only those who
+know how to rough it stand any show whatever of getting along there. My
+advice to you is, to go back where you belong."</p>
+
+<p>As may be surmised, this plain speech did not suit Fred Dobson at all,
+and he felt more than ill at ease for the remainder of the repast. As
+soon as he could do so gracefully he arose to go.</p>
+
+<p>"I don't suppose I'll see you again for a long while," he said, as he
+held out his hand to Earl and to Randy. "Well, good luck to you,
+anyway."</p>
+
+<p>Randy caught Earl by the arm and gave it a little pinch. "How are you
+off for cash, Fred?" he asked, in a low tone.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, I've got a little money with me," answered Fred, quietly, but did
+not add that the sum-total of his fortune amounted to exactly sixty-five
+cents.</p>
+
+<p>"Perhaps we can help you a little," put in Earl, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[Pg 56]</a></span>who understood the
+pinch Randy had given him. "We haven't much, but if a few dollars will
+do any good&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Will you let me have two dollars?" asked the squire's son, eagerly.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes."</p>
+
+<p>"And I'll let you have two more," added Randy, and the amounts were
+passed over on the spot, and Fred thanked them very profusely. A few
+minutes later he had thanked Foster Portney for the supper, bade all
+good-by, and was gone.</p>
+
+<p>"Not a half bad boy," was the comment of Mr. Portney. "His one fault is,
+I reckon, that he has been allowed to have his own way too long.
+Roughing it out here will most likely make a man of him, unless he gets
+into bad company and goes to the dogs."</p>
+
+<p>"I am going to write to his folks and let them know where he is," said
+Earl; and the letter was penned and mailed before he went to bed.</p>
+
+<p>The three were on their way early on the following morning to complete
+the purchase of their outfits, for all must be packed up and on the
+steamboat deck by seven o'clock the next morning, to insure being stored
+on board of the <i>Golden Hope</i>.</p>
+
+<p>The first purchases made were those of a good tent, bedding, woollen
+blankets, rubber sleeping-bags, a large piece of oiled canvas, and
+several lynx-skin robes.</p>
+
+<p>"Now for our tools with which to cut down trees, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[Pg 57]</a></span>build boats, and the
+like," said Foster Portney. "Remember, we are almost like pioneers in a
+new land."</p>
+
+<p>For boat-building purposes they purchased a good whip-saw, a cross-cut
+saw, a jack plane, and a draw knife, a large and a small axe, a hammer,
+brace and bits, six pounds of assorted nails, several pounds of oakum
+for calking, and some pitch. To this outfit was added fifty yards of
+three-quarter-inch rope.</p>
+
+<p>"Don't we want some canvas for sail?" asked Randy, who was intensely
+interested, and who felt somewhat as if he was going out to play at
+Robinson Crusoe.</p>
+
+<p>"No, the other bits of canvas will do for that," responded Foster
+Portney. "Now for the camping-out things," he went on, and had soon
+procured a good-sized water kettle, a frying-pan, broiler, bean pot, tin
+measure, extra baking and cooking tins, three tin plates and cups, three
+sets of knives and forks, coffee pot and strainer, salt and pepper
+shakers, and a strong paper-fibre water pail.</p>
+
+<p>"That about ends that," he said, when each article bought had been
+carefully scrutinized to see that it was perfect. "Now for food and
+medicines, and then we'll be about done."</p>
+
+<p>The food list made Randy smile grimly. "No luxuries there," he whispered
+to Earl. "We are going to live as plain as we did up in Maine, or
+plainer."</p>
+
+<p>The list consisted of the following: A hundred pounds of flour, with
+baking-powder, twenty pounds <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[Pg 58]</a></span>of smoked ham and bacon, two dozen cans of
+tomatoes, a dozen cans of other vegetables, a small sack of potatoes, a
+dozen cans of condensed milk, twenty pounds of sugar, ten pounds of
+salt, twenty pounds of coffee, a sack of beans, pepper and other spices,
+and mustard. To these were added a few cans of fruit by way of
+delicacies.</p>
+
+<p>The food packed, they made their way to a drug store and procured a
+small family chest of various medicines, and added to this several
+bottles of liquor, which, however, were to be used only for medicinal
+purposes, for none of the party were drinkers.</p>
+
+<p>Foster Portney already had a serviceable pistol, and he now procured for
+this weapon a sufficient supply of cartridges. He also bought a pistol
+for Randy and a shot-gun for Earl. "The gun will be the most useful
+weapon," he said, "for it will help put lots of game into our
+eating-pot, and that is what we shall want."</p>
+
+<p>"Won't we want a fishing-line or two?" asked Earl. "I have one in my
+trunk, but it is not of much account."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, we'll buy several first-class ones, and a book of flies. Fish to a
+hungry man are as acceptable as any other game," answered his uncle, and
+the articles mentioned were purchased without delay.</p>
+
+<p>The list was now filled, yet Foster Portney spent nearly an hour more in
+picking up such odds and ends as pins, needles, spools of thread, three
+good pocket <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[Pg 59]</a></span>compasses, and burning-glasses, a pocket notebook for each,
+with pencils and some writing-paper and envelopes. Finally he took them
+to a little shop on a side street, where each procured a monstrous
+knapsack of oiled canvas, having straps to be placed over the shoulders
+and an extra strap to come up over the front part of the head.</p>
+
+<p>"What an affair!" said Randy, with a laugh. "I never saw a knapsack with
+a head-piece before."</p>
+
+<p>"You'll find it an easy thing to carry," said his uncle. "Try it," and
+Randy did so, and was astonished to learn how much the head-strap
+improved the carrying powers.</p>
+
+<p>The best part of the evening was spent in packing the things they had
+purchased, and it was not until after ten o'clock that the last of the
+bundles were ready and duly tagged.</p>
+
+<p>"Now we have only a few more things to get," said Foster Portney, "the
+most important of the whole outfit;" and as Randy and Earl looked at him
+blankly, he smiled in an odd way. "What could three gold hunters do
+without picks, shovels, and pans?"</p>
+
+<p>"To be sure!" shouted Randy, and Earl reddened over the idea that he had
+not thought of the things before.</p>
+
+<p>"We'll get them in the morning, for they won't have to be packed," said
+the uncle. "We have done enough for to-day."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[Pg 60]</a></span>And Randy, who was tired out, agreed with him that it had been a busy
+day, indeed. He went to bed with his head in a whirl about Alaska and
+how they were to get there, and of the wonderful finds of gold which
+awaited all hands. He was full of the brightest of hopes, and the
+hardships so soon to be encountered did not bother him.</p>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br /><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[Pg 61]</a></span>
+
+<hr />
+<br />
+<h2>CHAPTER VIII.</h2>
+
+<h2>ON THE WAY TO JUNEAU.</h2>
+
+
+<p>"Get up, Randy! Don't you know we are to start for Alaska to-day?" cried
+Earl, at six o'clock on the following morning. "Come now, turn out."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh my, but I'm tired still!" grumbled Randy, as he stretched himself.
+Nevertheless, he hopped out of bed a moment later and was dressed almost
+as soon as his brother. They had barely finished when their uncle came
+to summon them to breakfast.</p>
+
+<p>"We'll hunt up those tools and then I have a little private business to
+attend to," announced Foster Portney. "So we must move lively."</p>
+
+<p>Breakfast, the last meal to be eaten in San Francisco, was quickly
+disposed of, and then followed a half-hour's inspection of various
+picks, shovels, and gold-washing pans at a hardware store that made a
+specialty of miners' tools. The boys were greatly interested, and, as
+Earl said, it made them feel more like prospectors to own a pick and a
+shovel each. The final bundle was made and shipped to the steamboat
+dock, and Foster Portney left them.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[Pg 62]</a></span>"Meet me at the dock at eleven o'clock," he said, as he hurried away.</p>
+
+<p>The boys had still several private matters to be settled. Their trunks
+were to be sold, also some old clothing. At the hotel they obtained the
+addresses of several dealers in second-hand goods, and they had one of
+the dealers call and look at the stuff. He offered ten dollars for the
+lot; and, as they did not see their way to doing better, they accepted
+his terms, and the goods were removed without delay.</p>
+
+<p>"Let us take a walk around while we have the chance," said Earl. "It is
+only ten o'clock."</p>
+
+<p>Randy was willing, and off they started up Market Street to the City
+Hall, and then back and into Montgomery and Kearney streets, taking in
+all the sights as they went. Almost before they knew it, it was time to
+go to the wharf.</p>
+
+<p>"We don't want to keep Uncle Foster waiting," said Earl; but when they
+reached the wharf their uncle was nowhere in sight.</p>
+
+<p>The crowd which had collected to see the gold seekers off was a large
+one, and more people kept coming every moment. The almost magic name,
+Klondike, was on every tongue, and there were hundreds who expressed the
+wish that they were going along.</p>
+
+<p>"Alaska is full of gold!" one man declared. "Full of gold! All you've
+got to do is to locate it."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[Pg 63]</a></span>"That's just it," said Earl to his brother. "If you can locate it you're
+all right; if not&mdash;" and he finished by a shrug of his broad shoulders.</p>
+
+<p>"You're not sorry we're going, are you?" demanded Randy, quickly.</p>
+
+<p>"Sorry? Not a bit of it. But it doesn't pay to be too sanguine, Randy,
+my boy."</p>
+
+<p>Quarter of an hour passed, and the jam on the dock began to become
+uncomfortable. Brawny men predominated, but there were also many others
+there,&mdash;wives to bid good-by to their husbands, girls to wish their
+lovers good-luck, and children to catch a last embrace from their
+parents. Many of the women were in tears, and a number of other eyes
+were moist, and altogether the scene was rather a sober one.</p>
+
+<p>"What can be keeping Uncle Foster?" asked Randy, as the minutes to the
+time for sailing slipped by. "I don't see him anywhere, do you?"</p>
+
+<p>Earl did not, and he was as anxious as his brother. Back and forth they
+pushed their way, but without success. Then Earl looked at the silver
+watch he carried. "Ten minutes to twelve!" he ejaculated.</p>
+
+<p>"Let us go on board and stand where Uncle Foster can see us," suggested
+Randy, in a tone of voice which was far from steady. Supposing their
+uncle should not turn up, what should they do? To go alone on that trip
+seemed out of the question.</p>
+
+<p>Luckily they had their tickets, so getting on board <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[Pg 64]</a></span>was not difficult.
+A number of the passengers glanced at them curiously.</p>
+
+<p>"Goin' ter Alaska?" asked one brawny fellow whose face was almost
+entirely concealed by his tangled beard. "Well, well! Ain't yer most
+afraid ye'll git done up?"</p>
+
+<p>"We'll try to keep on top," answered Earl. The fellow wished to continue
+the conversation, but both Earl and Randy were too impatient just then
+to listen to him, and moved off to another part of the boat.</p>
+
+<p>Five minutes more had passed and an officer was going around shouting:
+"All ashore that's going! We sail in five minutes!" Those to be left
+behind began to pass over the gang-plank&mdash;it was a hasty handshake and a
+last good-by on every side. The boys looked at each other doubtfully.</p>
+
+<p>"If he doesn't come&mdash;" began Earl, when his quick eye caught sight in
+the crowd of a hat that he recognized. "Uncle Foster! Uncle Foster
+Portney! Come on board!" he yelled, at the top of his sturdy lungs.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Portney, in the jam of people below, heard and looked up. In a
+moment he had caught sight of his nephews and he shook his hand at them.
+Soon he was mounting the gang-plank, the last of the passengers to come
+on board. He was out of breath and gave the boys an odd smile.</p>
+
+<p>"I suppose I gave you a scare," he said. "I didn't <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[Pg 65]</a></span>mean to be so late,
+but those business matters took longer than I intended, and then there
+was a blockade of street cars and I had to walk it. But we're all right
+now, I reckon," he added, gazing around. "Good-by to San Francisco! When
+we see her again may our pockets be lined with gold!" And he took off
+his soft felt hat and waved it at the crowd on shore.</p>
+
+<p>The boat was now swinging clear of the wharf and thousands of hats and
+handkerchiefs were waving. "There she goes!" "Hurrah for Alaska!" "If
+you strike it rich, let us know!" "God be with you!" These and a hundred
+other cries rang out, and they were kept up until the steamer was far
+out in the stream and on her way up the bay to the Golden Gate.</p>
+
+<p>The run to the Gate did not take long, and by the middle of the
+afternoon the steamer was standing out boldly into the Pacific Ocean, on
+her way almost due north. It had been rather muggy, and now a heavy mist
+set in, and by evening the boys were glad enough to leave the deck and
+arrange their stateroom. It contained four berths, two for themselves,
+one for Mr. Portney, and the last for a stranger who was down on the
+ship's list as Captain Luke Zoss.</p>
+
+<p>"I wonder who Captain Zoss can be?" said Randy to Earl, when the door of
+the stateroom was suddenly flung open, and the bushy-bearded man who had
+spoken <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[Pg 66]</a></span>to them on deck came in. He stared at them in surprise for a
+second, then burst into a hearty fit of laughter.</p>
+
+<p>"Wall! wall! So it's you as are goin' ter be my messmates on this yere
+trip!" he exclaimed. "All right, lads, glad ter have ye." He held out a
+brawny hand. "My handle is Luke Zoss, but most of the boys know me as
+Cap'n Luke. May I be so inquisitive as to ask your names?"</p>
+
+<p>"My name is Earl Portney, and this is my brother Randy," answered Earl.
+The hearty way of the stranger pleased him, and he was sure he should
+like Zoss.</p>
+
+<p>"Portney, eh? I used ter know a man by thet name&mdash;Foster Portney, o'
+Colorady."</p>
+
+<p>"Why, he's our uncle, and he is with us!" cried Randy, and just then his
+uncle came in, and he and Captain Zoss shook hands. They had met in
+Creede, where Zoss had once been a mining superintendent, and knew each
+other quite well.</p>
+
+<p>"All bound fer the Klondike!" exclaimed the captain. "Hooray! We're sure
+to strike it, eh, Portney? I know you wouldn't be a-goin' thar unless
+gold was to be picked up. Goin' over Chilkoot Pass, I take it." Foster
+Portney nodded. "Then we might as well stick together, eh? It will be
+better than pairing off with somebody as might be wuss nor a hoss thief,
+eh? O' course it would!"</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[Pg 67]</a></span>Again the captain shook hands. Then he asked the boys where they came
+from and was pleased to learn they were used to a life in the open air.</p>
+
+<p>"I was a lumberman myself onct&mdash;up in Michigan," he said. "But thar
+wasn't enough excitement, so I gave it up to seek gold and silver.
+Minin' and prospectin' just suit me&mdash;leas'wise so long as the grub holds
+out. One thing is in our favor&mdash;scarcity o' men up in them new gold
+fields. Now, down in Colorady it's different&mdash;all overrun with men, eh,
+Portney?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, we'll have rather an open field," answered Foster Portney. And
+then followed a long discussion about the new gold fields and what might
+be expected when Dyea was reached and the terrible climb over the
+mountains began. The discussion lasted until ten o'clock, and the boys
+listened with interest and picked up many stray bits of information.
+Both concluded that the overland trip to the mines would prove every bit
+as rough and dangerous as they had pictured it.</p>
+
+<p>The distance from San Francisco to Juneau, Alaska, is, in round figures,
+one thousand miles. The <i>Golden Hope</i> was not as large as a regular
+ocean liner, yet she was a fast boat, and it was expected that she would
+cover the distance inside of four days. Much, of course, would depend
+upon the weather encountered, for she was heavily loaded with both
+passengers and <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[Pg 68]</a></span>freight. The freight had given even the owners concern,
+for much of it was piled high on the outer decks.</p>
+
+<p>On the second day out, and some time after Cape Blanco had been sighted
+through the glass, the sky to the westward began to darken, and the
+sailors announced an approaching storm. Soon the sun went under a heavy
+bank of clouds and a stiff breeze sprung up which threw the long, heavy
+swells of the ocean into millions of whitecaps, dancing and skipping on
+every side as far as eye could reach.</p>
+
+<p>"We are in for it now," was the announcement which went the rounds.
+Presently it began to rain, and all endeavored to seek the shelter of
+the cabin, which speedily became crowded to suffocation. The boys, their
+uncle, and Captain Zoss were in the forward part of the boat, and they
+saw the course changed, so that the <i>Golden Hope</i> stood out straight to
+meet the blow.</p>
+
+<p>"We are going to have no fun of this," said Foster Portney, with a grave
+shake of his head. "If I know anything about matters, that storm will be
+an extra heavy one." And the events of the next hour proved that he was
+right.</p>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br /><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[Pg 69]</a></span>
+
+<hr />
+<br />
+<h2>CHAPTER IX.</h2>
+
+<h2>THE FATE OF A STOWAWAY.</h2>
+
+
+<p>"My gracious! We're going to the bottom sure!"</p>
+
+<p>It was Randy who made the observation. The storm had struck the steamer
+in all its fury, and the pitching of the vessel made it almost
+impossible for a person to keep his feet. Randy clutched a handrail
+fastened near by, and Earl did the same; while Mr. Portney and Captain
+Zoss braced up against a ceiling post. The only thing that kept many
+from falling was the fact that there was no vacant floor space. "They
+were in it like sardines in a tin," as Randy expressed it.</p>
+
+<p>"Some of the outside freight is bound to go," remarked Foster Portney, a
+minute later. "Ah, as I thought&mdash;the captain has ordered it cut away.
+There goes some poor fellows' outfits! Too bad!"</p>
+
+<p>"I hope our stuff isn't among it!" cried Earl. "But they'll be
+responsible, won't they?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, they'll be responsible, Earl. But we don't want their money&mdash;we
+want our goods, for it may be difficult, if not impossible, to duplicate
+the things at Juneau. But I imagine our goods are in the hold."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[Pg 70]</a></span>"Our clothing and provisions are," said Randy. "I saw them put down just
+before we started. But the tools may be out there."</p>
+
+<p>"If they&mdash;" began Captain Zoss, but broke off short as a mighty crash
+was heard from the rear deck. The crash was followed by the jingle of
+broken glass and sharp cries of pain and alarm.</p>
+
+<p>There was every evidence of a panic, but the cooler heads restored
+order, and then it was found that a miner's outfit had caused all the
+trouble. It had been loosened from the deck, but before it could be
+thrown overboard a lurch of the steamer had sent it sailing through the
+air straight through a cabin window. The miner to whom the outfit
+belonged had been one of those to be most scared by its unceremonious
+entrance.</p>
+
+<p>For three hours the storm raged in all its fury, and during that time no
+one but the officers and crew were allowed on deck. Nearly all the
+outside freight was thrown away, a loss which amounted to several
+thousand dollars. At last the wind and the rain gradually abated, and by
+nightfall the <i>Golden Hope</i> was again proceeding on her journey
+northward.</p>
+
+<p>On the following day they ran by Vancouver Island, and it was calculated
+that they would reach Juneau by noon of the day following. All were
+anxious concerning the outfits which had been lost overboard, and the
+miners and officers tried to make out a list of them. <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[Pg 71]</a></span>The work
+proceeded all day, and it was not until nightfall that it was learned
+positively that the goods belonging to the Portneys and to Captain Zoss
+were safe.</p>
+
+<p>The first sight of Juneau was rather disappointing to the boys, who had
+expected to see a much larger place. Juneau is but a small town, lying
+on the western coast of a peninsula formed by the Lynn Canal and the
+wide mouth of the Taku River. Directly opposite is Douglas Island. The
+town lies on a small patch of flat ground, backed up by several high
+mountains. It is principally a trading centre. The harbor is a fairly
+good one, and, on account of the rush to the gold fields, the stores
+were increasing constantly.</p>
+
+<p>As soon as the steamer reached her landing place a wild rush for shore
+ensued, and then began a hunt for some vessel which might take the party
+up to Dyea, where the journey by water would, for the present, come to
+an end. The water up the Lynn Canal, as it is termed, although it is not
+at all a canal as we know them, and through Dyea Inlet, is shallow, and,
+consequently, ocean steamers do not go beyond Juneau.</p>
+
+<p>"I'll hunt up passage on some boat," said Foster Portney to the boys.
+"You remain here and watch our goods. Those fellows who lost their
+outfits are angry enough, and some of them would like nothing better
+than to appropriate ours and let us look to the steamboat company for
+redress."</p>
+
+<p>While he was gone, the task of bringing the goods <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[Pg 72]</a></span>from the steamer's
+hold was started, for no one wanted to be delayed in Juneau any longer
+than was necessary. Randy and Earl watched the work closely, and as soon
+as their things appeared they claimed them and had the lot transferred
+to a spot at the end of the rather rotten and shaky dock.</p>
+
+<p>Presently, as they stood waiting for the reappearance of their uncle and
+Captain Zoss, who had gone with Mr. Portney, they noticed a commotion on
+board the <i>Golden Hope</i>. A stowaway had been found in the hold of the
+vessel, and the sailors and stevedores had brought the fellow out more
+dead than alive.</p>
+
+<p>"Get off of here!" cried the captain of the steamer, in a rage, as he
+booted the fellow not once, but half a dozen times. "Get out, I say! If
+we were down in San Francisco I'd have you locked up in a minute. It's a
+pity I didn't find you out when we were on the trip&mdash;I'd a-made you work
+your passage, and more! Go, before I heave you overboard!"</p>
+
+<p>And with a final kick the stowaway was run off the gang-plank, to fall
+in a heap on the dock, too weak from the confinement and want of proper
+food to stand.</p>
+
+<p>"It's Fred Dobson!" ejaculated Randy. "Oh, Earl, look!"</p>
+
+<p>"It is Fred, true enough!" replied Earl, as much surprised as his
+brother. Forgetful of their outfits for the time being, both ran forward
+and picked up the son of the squire of Basco. Fred's eyes were closed,
+his face was as white as chalk, and they saw at a glance that he had
+fainted.</p>
+
+<div class="img"><a name="imagep072" id="imagep072"></a>
+<a href="images/imagep072.jpg">
+<img border="0" src="images/imagep072.jpg" width="40%" alt="With a Final Kick the Stowaway was run off the Gang-plank." /></a><br />
+<p class="cen" style="margin-top: .2em;">"<span class="smcap">With a Final Kick the Stowaway was run off the
+Gang-plank.</span>"&mdash;<i>Page 72.</i></p>
+</div>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[Pg 73]</a></span>"Get some water, Randy," said Earl, as he began to work over the
+prostrate figure. "I wonder if there is a doctor handy. He looks as if
+he was half starved to death."</p>
+
+<p>As Randy ran off, a crowd began to collect, a few to sympathize, but the
+majority to look on merely in curiosity or to make audible comments that
+it served the boy right, since he had no business to steal a trip.</p>
+
+<p>"Got a crazy notion to go to the gold fields, I reckon," said one
+bystander. "He ought to be home where his mamma could spank him."</p>
+
+<p>At this there was a coarse laugh, which was quickly hushed when another
+man, a young fellow of not more than twenty-three, stepped forward, and
+announced that he was a doctor. He soon succeeded in bringing Fred
+around.</p>
+
+<p>"He wants something to eat as much as anything," said the newcomer.
+"There is a restaurant over yonder. Better take him there and get him
+some soup and stale bread&mdash;his stomach isn't strong enough to bear a
+regular meal."</p>
+
+<p>Randy and Earl thanked the doctor and did as advised, while the crowd
+gradually melted away to tend to its own affairs. Fred was ravenously
+hungry, yet he ate with difficulty when the food was set before him.</p>
+
+<p>"I've had nothing to eat for about forty hours," he <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[Pg 74]</a></span>said, when he felt
+strong enough to talk. "I spent that four dollars you two gave me in
+buying provisions, crackers, cheese, and the like, but on the second day
+out the rats got at the crackers and cheese and ate nearly the whole of
+them. Then one of my bottles of water was smashed during that storm, and
+though it was as close as pepper down there I hadn't a mouthful to
+drink. I thought I was going to die just before they opened the hold and
+began to remove the cargo."</p>
+
+<p>"But, Fred, what made you do it?" asked Earl, reproachfully. "It was the
+height of foolishness."</p>
+
+<p>"I'm bound to go to the gold fields, Earl. You two are going there to
+make a fortune, and why can't I make a fortune, too?"</p>
+
+<p>"Because you are not fit for life out there, that's why. You suffered a
+good deal in coming this far, but let me tell you that I expect to
+suffer a good deal more than that before the Klondike River is reached
+and we have endured the hardships of an Alaskan winter. Supposing you
+succeed in getting away up in Alaska and are taken sick, who is going to
+care for you, and how are you going to get back home? Now I don't want
+to preach, but my advice is, to go back to Basco at once."</p>
+
+<p>"And that's my advice, too, Fred," broke in Randy. "I know you are as
+old as I am, but you know you never did such work as Earl and I are used
+to, and some of the experienced miners even laugh at us. If <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[Pg 75]</a></span>Uncle
+Foster hadn't known that we were used to hard work out in the open, in
+midwinter at that, he would never have dreamed of asking us to go with
+him; he told us so."</p>
+
+<p>Randy and Earl both spoke earnestly, and it was not their fault that
+what they had to say did not take effect. But Fred Dobson was both wild
+and reckless, and he shook his head.</p>
+
+<p>"I'm bound to go if I have to walk the rest of the way," he said. "I
+thought I would strike your uncle again when we reached the place, but
+if you are so dead set against me I'll not say another word, but try to
+paddle my own canoe, as the saying is. Of course I'm much obliged for
+what you did for me in San Francisco and here, and some day I'll make it
+up to you, see if I don't."</p>
+
+<p>"We don't want you to make it up, Fred; only act sensible and steer for
+home when you next strike out," said Earl. He was about to go on, when
+the entrance of his uncle and Captain Zoss into the restaurant caused
+him to stop.</p>
+
+<p>"Humph! so you've turned up again!" were Foster Portney's words. "I
+heard there had been a stowaway on board of the <i>Golden Hope</i>. It was
+the most foolish move you could make, lad." The prospector turned to his
+youngest nephew. "Randy, where are our outfits?"</p>
+
+<p>"Oh my!" burst out Randy, leaping to his feet. "Earl, we forgot all
+about them!"</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[Pg 76]</a></span>Earl said nothing, but he reached the door of the restaurant almost as
+quickly as his brother. There was a crowd in the roadway outside, but
+they quickly forced a passage through, and ran for the steamer dock. A
+large number of outfits were spread here, there, and everywhere, but the
+spot where they had left those belonging to their own party was vacant.</p>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br /><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[Pg 77]</a></span>
+
+<hr />
+<br />
+<h2>CHAPTER X.</h2>
+
+<h2>UP THE LYNN CANAL.</h2>
+
+
+<p>Randy and Earl gazed about them in hopeless bewilderment. The outfits
+belonging to themselves, their uncle, and to Captain Zoss were gone. Who
+had taken them, and was there any chance of recovery?</p>
+
+<p>"We should have looked after them," said Earl, bitterly. "It was
+foolishness to leave the stuff, especially after Uncle Foster had warned
+us."</p>
+
+<p>"I wonder if any of those miners who lost their outfits from the steamer
+are guilty," said Randy, as they started on another tour of the Juneau
+wharf. "I remember one fellow with a red beard and a scar on his nose
+who looked at the stuff rather closely when we came ashore."</p>
+
+<p>"Let us start to make inquiries, Randy. We must get our outfits back. If
+we don't, Uncle Foster will never forgive us."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, and we'll be in a pickle besides," groaned the younger brother.
+"By the look of things in this settlement mining outfits are rather
+scarce."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, I heard one man saying that about everything worth having had been
+gobbled up several weeks ago <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[Pg 78]</a></span>and the storekeepers were awaiting new
+consignments from San Francisco, Portland, and Seattle."</p>
+
+<p>With anxious hearts they walked around the wharf and along a side road,
+also piled high with miners' goods and steamer freight. Presently a man
+joined them. It was Captain Zoss.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, whar's our packs?" he questioned, and looked glum when told of
+what had occurred. "By the boots, lads, we must find 'em&mdash;ain't no two
+ways about that! Why, to go to the mines without tools would be wuss nor
+a hen sittin' on a nest without eggs. Been all over the dock, yer say?"
+He paused an instant. "I'll make a round o' the saloons. If the things
+was stolen, like as not the thieves would want to git 'em out of sight
+in quick order, eh?"</p>
+
+<p>He was about to leave them, when they were hailed by a man standing near
+the entrance to a new store that was going up on the opposite side of
+the way. It was the doctor who had so kindly come to Fred Dobson's
+assistance.</p>
+
+<p>"What's up?" he called out. "Looking for your traps? They're all right.
+I had them brought up here for safe keeping when you went off with the
+sick lad. I knew they wouldn't be secure down on the wharf. There are
+half a dozen quarrels on down there over lost and mixed-up baggage."</p>
+
+<p>Randy and Earl felt much relieved, and so did the captain. They ran over
+to the new store, and sure <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[Pg 79]</a></span>enough, everything was there in a heap,
+alongside of the packs owned by the doctor. They thanked the medical man
+for his kindness, and a short talk followed. The doctor's name was
+Kenneth Barwaithe, and he was an Englishman who had practised for a year
+in Victoria. He, too, was bound for the new gold fields, either for
+mining purposes, or to set himself up in business.</p>
+
+<p>"The hundreds of miners going up there will need doctoring," he
+explained. "And I am all prepared to dose them with medicine, set a
+broken leg, amputate an arm, or pull an aching tooth."</p>
+
+<p>"Thar'll be work for you," said Captain Zoss, with a laugh. "But the
+wust disease up thar will be one ye can't touch nohow."</p>
+
+<p>"Indeed! And what is that?" questioned Kenneth Barwaithe, with interest.</p>
+
+<p>"Starvation," was the solemn reply.</p>
+
+<p>In order to relieve their uncle of further anxiety, Randy and Earl
+returned to where they had left Mr. Portney. They found him in earnest
+conversation with Fred Dobson. The face of the squire's son was very red
+and his eyes were downcast.</p>
+
+<p>"I'll write home at once," they heard Fred say, in a low voice. "I'm
+glad Earl wrote from San Francisco. My folks will at least know I am
+alive and well&mdash;that is, as well as a fellow can be who was half starved
+to death," he added ruefully.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[Pg 80]</a></span>"And you ought to go home, lad&mdash;it's the proper place for you."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, maybe I will&mdash;after I have earned enough around here to take me,
+Mr. Portney."</p>
+
+<p>Foster Portney's hand was in his pocket, and Earl and Randy saw him hand
+Fred a ten-dollar bill. "Pay me back whenever you feel rich enough to do
+so," he said, and the squire's son gave him a ready promise to that
+effect.</p>
+
+<p>Foster Portney and Captain Zoss had been fortunate enough to secure
+passage up to Dyea, on a little steamboat, which was to leave early the
+next day. The craft was a freight boat, but carried passengers whenever
+she could get them. No time was lost in transferring their goods to this
+craft, Fred Dobson helping them carry their loads. Doctor Barwaithe had
+also secured passage in the craft, and soon became one of the party.
+Later on, matters were talked over by him and the others, and it was
+agreed that the five should stick together until the Klondike region was
+reached. The forming of little parties of five or more was popular among
+those who travelled by the overland route into Alaska. By such means
+there was less danger of a man getting lost in the mountains, and the
+preparation of meals along the way was easier, for each man of a party
+took his turn at feeding the rest, so that only one set of packs had to
+be unstrapped and packed again, instead of the lot. Besides this, the
+building and sailing <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[Pg 81]</a></span>of a boat down the lakes and through the rapids by
+one man was next to impossible.</p>
+
+<p>It was very difficult to obtain accommodations at any of the so-styled
+hotels in Juneau, so all hands encamped for the night on the deck of the
+freighter, Fred Dobson managing to smuggle himself in with the regular
+party. In the morning Fred approached the captain of the boat for a
+situation, but was turned off in language far from fit to transcribe to
+these pages.</p>
+
+<p>"Got more on board than we want now, boy, so git ashore in a hurry, for
+we're on the point of sailing," and with a wistful good-by to Randy,
+Earl, and the others, the squire's son leaped to the dock. Five minutes
+later the lines were cast off, and the wheezy, overloaded craft started
+northward on the Lynn Canal.</p>
+
+<p>The distance from Juneau to Dyea is a hundred and eighteen miles, past
+Berner's Bay and Katsehan River into Chilkoot Inlet and finally up Dyea
+Inlet. The run for the most part is past gigantic glaciers on one side
+and mountains covered with snow and ice on the other.</p>
+
+<p>"Gracious, this is a touch of winter and no mistake!" ejaculated Randy,
+as the steamboat ploughed steadily on her way, and they stood by the
+rail taking in the desolate sight. "See how those little icebergs
+sparkle in the sunshine."</p>
+
+<p>"Far off to the west of this canal is the great Muir <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[Pg 82]</a></span>Glacier," said
+Foster Portney. "It is the largest glacier in the world. That island
+which we just passed is Douglas, and there is situated the great
+Treadwell Mine, one of the richest gold mines heretofore discovered in
+Alaska."</p>
+
+<p>"Have we got to climb mountains like that?" questioned Earl, as he
+pointed to the snow-capped summits to the eastward.</p>
+
+<p>"Have we got to climb 'em?" burst in Captain Zoss. "Why, them ain't an
+ant hill to the ones we're to crawl over, lad. Just wait till we get up
+into Dyea Inlet, and you'll catch sight o' mountains as will give you
+the yellow shakes, as the boys call it. Now I don't want to discourage
+ye," he went on, as he saw Earl take a deep breath. "I want to prepare
+ye for the wust, that's all. That pass&mdash;the Chilkoot&mdash;is the wust part
+o' the whole trip, being about three-quarters of a mile high and betwixt
+mountains twice that size."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, we can climb three-quarters of a mile, I guess, if the grade
+isn't too steep," said Randy.</p>
+
+<p>The captain turned away and smiled to himself. He was more than doubtful
+if the boys would ever get safely over to Lake Linderman, the first of
+the lakes on the other side of the mountain range.</p>
+
+<p>It was well that they had dressed themselves warmly; for, on account of
+the sun shining on the glaciers the air was filled with a mist which
+chilled them to the bone. The channel was filled with loose pieces of
+ice, and ever <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[Pg 83]</a></span>and anon the steamer would strike a miniature iceberg
+with a crash which was clearly heard by all on board.</p>
+
+<p>After a few hours of gazing at the monotonous presentation of glaciers
+and snow-covered hills and mountains, the boys turned their attention to
+those on board. It was a motley collection of people. Most of the men
+were Americans, but there was also a fair sprinkling of Canadians,
+Germans, and half a dozen Indians. The latter were of the Chilkoot
+tribe, and interested Randy more than anything else. They were a
+round-faced, stalwart set of fellows, and several of them had bands of
+black painted across the upper parts of their faces.</p>
+
+<p>"They paint the black around their eyes as a preventive of
+snow-blindness," explained Foster Portney. "As soon as either of you
+find your eyes hurting from the glare you had better put on a pair of
+the smoked goggles."</p>
+
+<p>Dinner on the steamer was served under the rather scanty shelter on the
+upper deck. But fifteen could be accommodated at once, and as there were
+over sixty people on board, it took some time to satisfy them all. The
+fare was principally beef stew, bread, coffee, and rice pudding, but the
+cold air gave every one a good appetite, and the boys did full justice
+to all that was offered them.</p>
+
+<p>At turning-in time there was more than one little row, for sleeping
+accommodations were limited. Berths were at a premium, and had been
+secured by <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[Pg 84]</a></span>the more fortunate ones when the steamer had landed at
+Juneau. Foster Portney gathered his party around him in the shelter of
+the wheelhouse, on deck, and here they slept huddled together like sheep
+in a cattle car.</p>
+
+<p>"Not like stopping at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco, is it?" said
+his uncle to Randy. "But never mind; as soon as we leave Dyea we'll have
+all the room we want, and more."</p>
+
+<p>"Sleeping like this keeps a fellow warm," said Randy, who felt somehow
+as if he was out for a lark. But by and by, when somebody passed over
+him in the dark and slipped on his chest, he did not think it quite so
+much fun.</p>
+
+<p>However, the night passed quickly enough, and at daybreak all were
+stirring, for they had reached Dyea Inlet, and a landing was expected
+before noon. A stiff breeze was blowing, and the Inlet, a long, narrow
+arm of Chilkoot Inlet and the canal, was filled with angry waves blowing
+from off shore. Presently the first sight of Dyea was gained, and half
+an hour later an anchor was dropped, and the voyage so far as the
+steamer was concerned was over.</p>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br /><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[Pg 85]</a></span>
+
+<hr />
+<br />
+<h2>CHAPTER XI.</h2>
+
+<h2>THE START FROM DYEA.</h2>
+
+
+<p>Randy and Earl found Dyea but a small settlement. There was one store
+which had been established for some time, and half a dozen others which
+had sprung up to accommodate the miners and adventurers who were pouring
+into the place. The total white population did not number a hundred, but
+there were a very large number of Indians,&mdash;men, women, and
+children,&mdash;all anxious to obtain employment as pack-carriers over the
+mountains.</p>
+
+<p>The steamer had anchored some distance from the beach, and it was no
+light work to get the packs ashore in the heavy sea that was running.
+Four small boats were employed for the purpose, and more than one bundle
+was lost overboard in making the transfer to land.</p>
+
+<p>"There goes one of my packs!" suddenly sang out Dr. Barwaithe, as a
+small boat loaded high above the gunwales capsized just as the shore was
+struck. A wild scramble by the miners was made to recover their goods.
+The doctor would have gone into the icy water also, but he could not
+swim.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[Pg 86]</a></span>Several Indians who were watching the scene rushed up to the medical
+man. "Get heem fo' one dolla!" said the largest of the redmen, and the
+doctor made the bargain on the spot. At once the Indian and his helper
+leaped into the surf and swam toward the pack, which contained the
+doctor's clothing and bedding, and was becoming rapidly water soaked.
+They reached the pack as it was about to sink, and after ten minutes of
+hard work brought it out on the pebbly shore.</p>
+
+<p>By the middle of the afternoon all hands found themselves encamped along
+the half-dried-up stream back of the settlement. Here there were nearly
+a hundred tents of miners and prospectors who were not quite ready to
+attempt the trip over Chilkoot Pass.</p>
+
+<p>The Indian who had rescued the doctor's pack stuck to the medical man
+for the job of transferring his goods over to Lake Linderman, stating he
+and his companions would do the work for fifteen cents a pound.</p>
+
+<p>"What do you think of that rate?" asked Dr. Barwaithe of Foster Portney,
+while Randy and Earl looked on with interest.</p>
+
+<p>"I don't know but that it's fair enough," was the reply.</p>
+
+<p>"But wouldn't it be better to take horses from here and use Indians only
+over the pass? You know we have about thirteen miles to travel before
+the pass is reached."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[Pg 87]</a></span>"We had better take the Indians from here," put in Captain Zoss. "Thar's
+no tellin' if we can git 'em further on, eh?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, and we might as well get used to walking it from here, too," added
+Mr. Portney. "It will do Randy and Earl some good, not but that I
+imagine they can tramp as well as any of us."</p>
+
+<p>"We've tramped for many a mile through the Maine woods, when we were out
+hunting," said Randy. "By the way," he went on, "I haven't seen any game
+yet, outside of a few birds."</p>
+
+<p>The big Indian, who rejoiced in the name of Salmon Head, was waiting for
+an answer, his squaw and two boys standing close by. The squaw was a
+tall, thin woman of forty, whose face was painted a greasy black down to
+the tip of her nose, the balance of her countenance being left its
+natural color, yellowish red. The boys were sturdy lads of perhaps ten
+and twelve, as used to carrying heavy burdens as their parents.</p>
+
+<p>The bargain was struck with Salmon Head to have the goods of the entire
+party packed over from that spot to the shore of Lake Linderman for
+fifteen cents a pound, the work to be accomplished within the next four
+days, weather permitting. The boys had expected to carry some of the
+goods, but at this Foster Portney shook his head.</p>
+
+<p>"You couldn't carry over forty or fifty pounds and maybe not that over
+the Pass," he said, "and I <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[Pg 88]</a></span>would rather pay the price and have you
+reserve your strength. You can each carry a knapsack filled with food,
+in case you wander from the trail, although don't let this happen if you
+can possibly avoid it. The best rule, in going over any pass, is to keep
+at least two other members of the party in sight constantly."</p>
+
+<p>In spite of the close proximity of the snow-capped mountains, the night
+was a comparatively warm one, and no inconvenience was experienced by
+the party in their tents. They had two, one belonging to Mr. Portney and
+the boys, the other being one Captain Zoss and Dr. Barwaithe had
+purchased at Juneau for mutual comfort. The tents were put up end to
+end, and being both water and wind tight were almost as good to sleep in
+as a cabin.</p>
+
+<p>The outfits had been carefully parcelled out to the Indians, Salmon Head
+carrying a load of over a hundred and twenty-five pounds, his squaw
+carrying a hundred pounds, and the sons loads of about half that weight.
+Relatives of these Indians carried the remainder of the loads; for these
+Chilkoot people, like other redmen, believed in keeping all they could
+in the family.</p>
+
+<p>Usually the journey to Lake Linderman was made in two stages, the first
+from Dyea to the entrance to Chilkoot Pass, and the second over the Pass
+itself and down to the lake, which may fairly be called the southern
+headwaters of the Yukon River. This course was <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[Pg 89]</a></span>to be pursued by the
+present party, and bright and early on the following morning they
+started out on what was destined to be the most perilous trip of their
+lives. Captain Zoss went ahead with the Indians, while the boys and
+their uncle and the doctor kept in a bunch behind.</p>
+
+<p>At the start, the trip was along the bottom of a deep ca&ntilde;on, on either
+side of which arose mountains and cliffs for the most part covered with
+snow and ice. Down in this ca&ntilde;on flowed what is called the Dyea River, a
+mere mountain torrent, dashing over rocks and crags and here and there
+broadening out into a shallow flow over sand and pebbles. Walking was
+rough, for at times they had to leap from one great rock to another or
+else let themselves down, to wade through water and sand up to their
+knees. The wind had calmed down, yet once in a while it sent upon them a
+flurry of fine snow from the distant mountain tops.</p>
+
+<p>"We are not getting ahead very fast!" puffed Randy, as he and the others
+came to a halt on a flat rock to rest. "We've been walking for three
+hours, and I doubt if we have covered more than five miles."</p>
+
+<p>"I heard at Dyea that the thirteen miles to the entrance to the Pass is
+considered a good day's journey," said Earl. "I'm rather glad I'm not
+carrying that load Salmon Head has strapped to his back."</p>
+
+<p>"It would take me a week to get that load up," said <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[Pg 90]</a></span>Randy. "I can't
+understand how those boys get along."</p>
+
+<p>"It's a matter of training," said Foster Portney. "I dare say either of
+you can cut down a tree in half the time that those Chilkoots can do
+it."</p>
+
+<p>On they went again, the trail now growing steeper and more barren. A few
+stunted firs lined the ca&ntilde;on, and here and there could be seen a
+half-dead vine twisted about the fir branches, and that was all, so far
+as vegetation went. And this was coming summer time!</p>
+
+<p>"It must be dreariness itself in winter," remarked Earl, to his uncle,
+as they trudged along side by side. "I never saw anything so desolate,
+not even in the wildest parts of Maine."</p>
+
+<p>"It is this desolate look which has kept men out of Alaska, Earl. Many
+have known of there being gold there, but they preferred to remain down
+in the States, where living, at least, was more certain and congenial.
+You'll find, my lad, that you will need all your nerve and backbone to
+withstand what is before you. Perhaps I did wrong in urging you to join
+me."</p>
+
+<p>"No, you didn't&mdash;I'm glad I came, and so is Randy, and we'll get
+through," answered Earl, hastily. "Oh, look!" he pointed to where a
+flock of birds were circling far overhead. "Shall I give them a shot?"</p>
+
+<p>"No! no!" cried Foster Portney, hastily. "I forgot to tell you. I
+arranged with the Indians that no <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[Pg 91]</a></span>shot should be fired on the trip
+excepting some one was in trouble and needed assistance. I'll inform the
+others." And he halted for the others to come up.</p>
+
+<p>Captain Zoss provided the dinner at about one o'clock, all hands taking
+it easy on some clear rocks in the sunshine. As may be supposed, the
+fare was a plain one, yet to Randy and Earl nothing had ever tasted
+better, for climbing and the bracing mountain air gave them enormous
+appetites. They could have eaten more than was provided but understood
+that from henceforth until further supplies were assured, rations would
+be dealt out with a sparing hand.</p>
+
+<p>As soon as the dinner dishes had been cleaned and repacked the journey
+to Sheep Camp, as the stopping-place was called, was renewed. The trail
+was now steeper than ever, and more than once the stream of water had to
+be crossed. Every one was suffering from wet feet, but as all had on
+several pairs of heavy socks, this did no further damage than to render
+them cold in their nether limbs. As the trail grew rougher the Indians,
+who knew every footstep, forged ahead, and the others were allowed to
+shift for themselves.</p>
+
+<p>It was about the middle of the afternoon that Randy and his uncle were
+walking one behind the other, with Captain Zoss and Dr. Barwaithe just
+in the rear. The captain had been relating one of his experiences in
+mountain climbing in Colorado, to which all had listened with interest.
+The story was finished, and they <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[Pg 92]</a></span>were congratulating themselves that
+the end of the day's tramp was close at hand, when Randy suddenly looked
+around in alarm.</p>
+
+<p>"Where is Earl?" he asked.</p>
+
+<p>"Earl!" exclaimed Mr. Portney. "Why, he is ahead, isn't he?"</p>
+
+<p>"No, he dropped behind, to fix his boot," was the quick reply. "Earl!
+Earl!"</p>
+
+<p>The cry was repeated, and the others also took it up. Then they waited
+for an answer, but none came. Earl had disappeared. They waited for five
+minutes for him to make his reappearance, but he did not come; and then
+they started on a search for him.</p>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br /><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[Pg 93]</a></span>
+
+<hr />
+<br />
+<h2>CHAPTER XII.</h2>
+
+<h2>EARL HAS AN ADVENTURE.</h2>
+
+
+<p>As Randy had explained, Earl had stopped on the trail to fix his boot.
+In crossing the mountain stream he had shipped a lot of water, and he
+sat down on a rock and held up his foot, to allow the water to run out
+on the ground.</p>
+
+<p>Unfortunately for the youth he had rested on a rock which was by no
+means secure on the bank of the stream, and now, as he leaned to one
+side, the rock slipped from its resting-place, and down went poor Earl
+into the water head first. As luck would have it, he struck in some
+loose sand, otherwise he would have been seriously injured. Even as it
+was he was stunned for the moment, and before he could turn he had
+gulped down a great deal of water. He was nearly blinded by some fine
+sand getting into his eyes and began to flounder around as though in the
+midst of an ocean instead of a watercourse less than fifty feet wide and
+five feet deep.</p>
+
+<p>It took several minutes for him to save himself by reaching a large rock
+in the centre of the stream. <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[Pg 94]</a></span>Collecting his scattered senses, he
+cleared his eyes as best he could and took a view of his situation.</p>
+
+<p>The rock was six feet in diameter and two feet above the top of the
+water. On either side flowed the stream at a rate which he knew would be
+quite sufficient to take him off his feet should he attempt to ford to
+shore. What was to be done in this emergency he did not at first know.
+The others had gone on ahead, and although he called to them, no one
+heard his cry.</p>
+
+<p>Had he had his gun he would have fired it, had the weapon been in
+condition. But less than quarter of an hour before he had passed the
+fowling-piece over to Captain Zoss, the captain having asked to inspect
+it. He must help himself, or go without assistance.</p>
+
+<p>Standing on the rock, he saw that escape to either side was out of the
+question, and escape up the stream was also cut off. Below, however,
+were a series of rocks running off to shore, and after some hesitation
+he dropped into the stream and allowed himself to be carried down to
+these rocks.</p>
+
+<p>Five minutes of struggling in the current found him safe on the opposite
+shore to that upon which the lower portion of the trail to Chilkoot Pass
+lay. The question now was, how to get back to the other side of the
+river.</p>
+
+<p>"I'll walk along on this side until I get a chance to cross over," he
+said, half aloud, and then the loneliness of his situation dawned upon
+him. He struck out <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[Pg 95]</a></span>without delay, determined to catch up with the
+others of the party as quickly as possible.</p>
+
+<p>For the first quarter of a mile Earl did very well, but soon he noted to
+his dismay that the stream was widening, and that, consequently, he was
+getting further and further away from the other side. He had been making
+his way along a cliff lined with short firs. Now the cliff came to an
+abrupt end, and beyond he beheld nothing but a mass of jagged rocks and
+a jungle of brush, to pass through which would be next to impossible.</p>
+
+<p>"Stumped now!" he muttered to himself, and his face fell as he surveyed
+his situation. The stream at this point was all of one hundred and fifty
+feet wide, and the trail opposite was not close to the water's edge, but
+wound in behind the rocks and fir trees.</p>
+
+<p>"I've got to get over to that trail, that's certain!" he went on, after
+a disagreeable pause. "Here goes to try the water again," and with
+extreme care he began the descent of the cliff, which was some twenty
+feet high. The bottom was reached in safety, and he found himself
+standing in water and sand half up to his knees.</p>
+
+<p>Because of the widening of the stream at this point the current was not
+so strong, and he began to wade in deeper and deeper, until one-quarter
+of the width had been passed and he found himself up to his waist. He
+shivered with the cold and felt like going back, but a few steps more
+brought him to a sand-bar, where the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[Pg 96]</a></span>water scarcely touched his knees.
+Overjoyed at this, he attempted to follow up the bar, soon reaching and
+passing the middle of the river. He was wading on more confidently than
+ever, when of a sudden the bar came to an end, and down he plunged into
+a pool over his head.</p>
+
+<p>The one thing to do now was to swim, and Earl struck out boldly for the
+shore, still thirty feet away. The weight of his heavy clothing was
+against him, and the current carried him on and on down the stream and
+toward a mass of jagged rocks fearful to behold. Had he been of a less
+rugged temperament the cold water might have given him both a chill and
+a cramp.</p>
+
+<p>Five minutes of fearful anxiety passed, and Earl was almost exhausted,
+when, putting his foot down, he struck bottom at a depth of four feet.
+This encouraged him, and he renewed his effort to reach the bank beyond.
+Yet another pool had to be crossed, and when finally he did pull himself
+out of the stream and safe up on a sloping rock he was too exhausted to
+do aught but lie down on his side and pant for breath.</p>
+
+<p>It was here that Randy and his uncle found him, just as he was making an
+effort to gain his feet and continue his search for them. They were
+overjoyed to learn that he had not suffered serious injury. They called
+to Captain Zoss and Dr. Barwaithe, who were close by, and soon all were
+together again.</p>
+
+<p>Captain Zoss had an extra shirt in his pack, and this <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[Pg 97]</a></span>Earl borrowed,
+along with a dry coat belonging to his uncle. Both articles of wearing
+apparel were too large for him, but he gladly exchanged them, for the
+time being, for his wet ones; and then the delayed journey toward Sheep
+Camp was continued.</p>
+
+<p>When the resting-place for the night was gained, it was found that all
+of the Indians had come in over an hour before and had sought out a
+comfortable camp for them under a large overhanging rock. A number of
+others had also arrived, and over a dozen tents had been pitched in
+addition to those already there. According to lot, it was Randy's turn
+to get a meal ready, and he set to work without delay, starting a
+roaring fire of pine branches and logs, that Earl might warm and dry
+himself. Dr. Barwaithe had brought with him a newly patented sheet-iron
+camp stove, and on this a pot of water was soon boiling, to be used in
+making coffee, while Randy also offered them fried potatoes and a
+deliciously cooked fish one of the Indians brought in.</p>
+
+<p>Outside of the doctor, who was not used to walking over such rough
+ground, no one felt any ill effects of the day's journey, although all
+were glad to turn in at the earliest possible moment. The doctor had
+worn a slight blister on his heel, and, in order to prevent this giving
+him serious concern later, he put some salve on it and bound it up
+before retiring.</p>
+
+<p>Ere they crawled into the tent, both boys took a look <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[Pg 98]</a></span>at the great,
+white mountains, which loomed up before them. Here was the entrance to
+Chilkoot Pass, and there, almost lost among the clouds, was the dreaded
+summit, with mountains still higher on either side of it. Randy drew
+closer to Earl as he surveyed the awe-inspiring scene.</p>
+
+<p>"Earl, we've got an everlasting hard climb before us," he whispered. "Do
+you think we'll make it?"</p>
+
+<p>"We must make it, Randy," was the low and earnest reply. "It won't do to
+show the white feather now. Uncle would never forgive us."</p>
+
+<p>"Some parts of it look like crawling up the side of a house," and Randy
+shuddered. "If a fellow should fall, he'd break his neck sure."</p>
+
+<p>"I guess you're right, Randy; although it may not be so bad when one is
+right on top of it. There is a sort of a trail, you know, although it's
+not much. I heard Salmon Head tell Uncle he hoped it would be cold
+to-morrow night, and that we should start for the Pass about four or
+five o'clock in the afternoon. I wonder what he meant by that."</p>
+
+<p>"I heard Captain Zoss speaking of it. They start toward evening so as to
+pass the deepest snows on the summit about midnight when a crust forms
+to walk on, for at this season of the year the deep snows are too soft
+to be trusted when the sun is shining."</p>
+
+<p>"And what happens to a fellow, I wonder, if he breaks through the
+snow?"</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[Pg 99]</a></span>"I don't know, I'm sure&mdash;I guess he goes to kingdom come," and Randy
+shuddered again. "We'll know all about it by this time to-morrow night."
+And then both boys retired, to dream of perilous climbs over the
+snow-clad mountains and fearful falls into gigantic crevasses, until
+both awoke in a fright and covered with cold perspiration.</p>
+
+<p>It was not until late that anybody was stirring the next day. It was
+Earl's turn to get breakfast, and he told them if they would wait he
+would treat them to freshly baked beans and hot bread; and all waited.
+While Earl was at work, with Randy helping him, two of the Indian boys
+came up, and their efforts at making themselves understood were
+laughable. Finally Randy made out that they wanted an old silk
+neckerchief he possessed, and he gave it to Tomablink, the older youth,
+who was as proud of the article as if it had been worth a small fortune.</p>
+
+<p>Under the advice of Foster Portney, all took it easy in camp that day,
+in order to reserve their strength for the struggle to come. Even the
+Indians seemed to grow a bit uneasy concerning what was before them;
+for, although they had climbed over the Pass a number of times, they
+well knew what a rough and highly dangerous proceeding each new trip was
+likely to be. On this terrible Pass more than one Indian and white man
+had been lost, never to be heard of again.</p>
+
+<p>At last, at exactly four o'clock in the afternoon, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[Pg 100]</a></span>Salmon Head
+announced his readiness to start. As chief of the Indian party, he had
+looked to it that each carrier's pack was properly adjusted, and now he
+gave several directions to the whites to the effect that they should
+keep together as much as possible and always in sight of his own people.</p>
+
+<p>"Don't think there be an easy this way or that," he said in broken
+English. "Indian know best way in the end&mdash;you follow him day and night,
+or you lost. Stick foot deep down when climb, and no let go with hands."</p>
+
+<p>His manner was so earnest, all promised to remember his words. Then the
+crowd of whites and Indians was gathered together, the tents were struck
+and packed; and the terrifying journey over the dreadful Chilkoot Pass
+was begun.</p>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br /><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[Pg 101]</a></span>
+
+<hr />
+<br />
+<h2>CHAPTER XIII.</h2>
+
+<h2>AT THE SUMMIT OF CHILKOOT PASS.</h2>
+
+
+<p>At Sheep Camp, which lay in something of a hollow, there had been a
+goodly collection of trees and brush, but now, as the little party
+started on the journey to the summit of Chilkoot Pass, all this was left
+behind, and nothing confronted them but immense beds or glaciers of
+snow, which crunched under their feet and gave forth a hollow sound. At
+certain points they could plainly hear the rushing of water far beneath.</p>
+
+<p>"Gracious, if a fellow went through this crust of snow what would happen
+to him?" said Randy, as he trudged on, with his uncle just ahead of him
+and Earl behind.</p>
+
+<p>"Let us hope that no such fate overtakes any of the party," replied Mr.
+Portney, gravely. "It is not likely that one can break through here," he
+added, "for the snow in the trail is pretty well packed down."</p>
+
+<p>The blinding glare of the sun had caused all to put on their smoked
+glasses, or goggles, but now, as the great orb of day was lost to sight
+behind the mountain <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[Pg 102]</a></span>tops, these protectors for the eyes were removed,
+that they might see their way clearer. The Alaskan twilight was creeping
+on them, causing all their surroundings to turn to a pale blue color.
+The mists of the mountains were also rising, and on every hand were
+weird, ghostlike shadows which enhanced this scene of wild desolation.</p>
+
+<p>On and on went the white members of the party, doing their best to keep
+the sturdy Indian pack-carriers well in sight. But the red people, with
+their hideously painted faces, knew every foot of the way, and made
+rapid progress, and it was all the others could do at times to keep up.</p>
+
+<p>By ten o'clock it began to grow colder, and even the boys could feel the
+crust of snow on which they were trudging becoming firmer beneath their
+feet. It was far from dark, a pale glimmer of light hanging on every
+mountain top. But now the trail became suddenly steeper, and they found
+themselves going straight up the side of a hill several hundred feet
+high.</p>
+
+<p>"Plant your feet firmly at every step," were Foster Portney's words of
+caution. "And remember, looking back will do you no good."</p>
+
+<p>This last warning was for Randy's benefit, for the lad had just looked
+back and shivered over the awful descent below him. A fall would mean a
+long roll, and a broken neck over a cliff below.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[Pg 103]</a></span>Captain Zoss had gone on ahead with the Indians and just before midnight
+he came back with a warning to watch out for several splits, or
+crevasses, in the glaciers they were now traversing.</p>
+
+<p>"Salmon Head says he heard a report of several new ones just before
+starting, and these are as yet unmarked," he said.</p>
+
+<p>"We'll be as careful as we can," said Dr. Barwaithe. "We can do no
+more."</p>
+
+<p>They now passed over a broad plain of snow where the mists hung more
+thickly than ever. They had almost reached the centre of the plain when
+a loud cry from the Indians ahead caused them to halt.</p>
+
+<p>"What can be the meaning of that?" questioned Earl. "Can they be in
+trouble?"</p>
+
+<p>Presently, from among the mists appeared the form of one of the Indian
+carriers, without his bundle. He soon explained in broken English that
+he had been sent back by Salmon Head to warn them of a split in the ice
+field just ahead. One of the Indian women had slipped in, and it was by
+mere good fortune that some of the men had rescued her.</p>
+
+<p>This Indian remained with them until the crack was reached, where he
+resumed his pack and went on. The opening was an irregular one, from
+four to eight feet wide and of unfathomable depth. Fortunately the sides
+were well defined and firm, so they had small trouble in leaping
+across.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[Pg 104]</a></span>"It was good of them to send a man back," said the doctor, as he paused
+to peer down into the crevasse. "Had we not been warned we might have
+slipped into that without knowing it."</p>
+
+<p>The trail now wound in and out among a number of small hills, and once
+again the party ahead was lost to sight. With the increasing cold came a
+stiff wind through the passes, bringing down upon their heads a
+veritable storm of snow, swept from the mountain tops above.</p>
+
+<p>"I can readily understand how impossible it would be to make one's way
+through this Pass during the winter," said Dr. Barwaithe. "A regular
+fall of snow would mean a blizzard down here and a snowing in from which
+there would be no escape until spring arrived."</p>
+
+<p>"And think of the cold!" said Earl. "Phew! the thermometer must go to
+about forty below zero!"</p>
+
+<p>"It does go as low as that at times," replied his uncle. "No; travelling
+through this Pass during the long Alaskan winter is entirely out of the
+question. The man to undertake it would be a madman."</p>
+
+<p>They had come to the end of the comparatively level portion of the
+trail, and now climbing so dangerous was at hand that little more was
+said. From one steep icy elevation they would crawl to the next, until
+several hundred feet up. Then came a turn around a cliff where the
+passageway was scarcely two feet wide, with a wall on one side and what
+appeared <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[Pg 105]</a></span>misty, bottomless space on the other. Here the Indians had
+fastened a hand-rope which each was glad enough to clutch as he wormed
+his way along to safer ground.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, I don't want any more of that!" said Earl, with a long sigh of
+relief. "A slip there, and it would be good-by, sure!"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, and I guess they would never even get your body," added Randy.</p>
+
+<p>There was no time left to halt, for the Indians were pressing on, their
+endurance, and especially the endurance of the women and the boys,
+proving a constant wonder to Randy and Earl, the latter declaring that
+they must be tougher than pine knots to stand it.</p>
+
+<p>"One more big climb, boys, and we'll be at the summit!" was the welcome
+announcement made by Captain Zoss; but when Earl and Randy looked at the
+climb he mentioned their hearts fairly sank within them and they
+wondered how in the world they were going to make it without its costing
+them their lives.</p>
+
+<p>An almost sheer wall of ice and snow confronted them, rising in an
+irregular form to a height of four hundred feet. This cliff, if such it
+might be called, was more light at its top than at the base, and
+consequently it appeared to stand out towards them as they gazed up at
+it. Along the face the Indian pack-carriers were crawling, like flies on
+a lumpy whitewashed wall.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[Pg 106]</a></span>"We can't do&mdash;" began Randy, when he felt his arm pinched by Earl.</p>
+
+<p>"We must do it, Randy," came back in a whisper. "The Indians are doing
+it, and so can we&mdash;if we'll put our grit into it."</p>
+
+<p>"Now take it slow and be sure of one foot before you move the next,"
+said Foster Portney, warning them again. "Dig as deeply into the ice and
+snow as you can. And above all things, Randy and Earl, <i>don't look
+back</i>!" And the uncle shook his fist to emphasize his words.</p>
+
+<p>A breathing spell was taken, and then they started slowly for the base
+of the cliff, where Captain Zoss got down on his knees to make sure that
+they were on the right trail, if trail it could be called. He soon
+announced that one party had gone up at one place and the others at a
+spot about thirty feet to the left.</p>
+
+<p>"I'll try my luck here," he said, and the doctor agreed to follow him.
+There was no telling which trail was the better, and the Portneys took
+the other, Mr. Portney going first, with Randy next and Earl last. The
+uncle wished to make sure of the footing before he allowed the boys to
+come after him.</p>
+
+<p>The first hundred feet up were not as difficult as Randy and Earl had
+imagined, but now every step had to be calculated, and when half way up
+Foster Portney came to a halt.</p>
+
+<p>"Here's a very steep place," he announced, without, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[Pg 107]</a></span>however, looking
+back. "Randy, when you reach it, catch hold of the spur of ice with your
+left hand and put your foot just beneath it. Tell Earl to do the same."</p>
+
+<p>"I will," answered Randy, but when the spot mentioned was reached poor
+Randy's heart leaped into his throat. The sheer wall before him was
+nearly as high as a house, and there was nothing to cling to but little
+lumps of ice which stuck out here and there. The lumps might crack off,
+and then&mdash;he did not dare to think further than that. He was strangely
+tempted to look below him, but his uncle's words of warning rang in his
+ears&mdash;"<i>Don't look back!</i>" and he did not.</p>
+
+<p>One step was taken, and then another, and Randy felt as if he was
+suspended in the air, with nothing above or beneath him. A brief vision
+of himself lying mangled far below flashed across his mind, and he
+wished himself safe back in the woods of Maine again. What was all the
+gold in Alaska worth alongside of such an agonizing risk of life as
+this?</p>
+
+<p>But he must go on; he could not remain where he was forever. The next
+step was even more difficult, and he held his breath as he took it. He
+had been climbing up the cliff for less than quarter of an hour, yet he
+felt a year older than when he had begun. Would the climb never come to
+an end?</p>
+
+<p>"Take it easy, boys; we are almost there," came the encouraging voice of
+Foster Portney, although the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[Pg 108]</a></span>uncle was almost as fearful as his
+nephews. "A little to the right now, and beware of those snow lumps;
+they are not firm enough to hold to. I can see the top just above my
+head. Ah, here I am. Now, Randy, another step and give me your hand.
+Now, Earl, take the same step Randy took. There you are. Thank God we
+are safe so far!"</p>
+
+<p>The two boys echoed their uncle's sentiment, with a deep feeling in
+their hearts which they never forgot. The summit of Chilkoot Pass had
+been reached at last.</p>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br /><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[Pg 109]</a></span>
+
+<hr />
+<br />
+<h2>CHAPTER XIV.</h2>
+
+<h2>BOAT-BUILDING AT LAKE LINDERMAN.</h2>
+
+
+<p>The Portneys, having reached the highest point of Chilkoot Pass, were
+presently joined by Captain Zoss and Dr. Barwaithe, who had gone through
+a similar experience to that just described. The doctor had once come
+very close to losing his footing, and he declared that he would not make
+the climb again for a million dollars.</p>
+
+<p>They stopped for a few minutes to view the scene from the edge of the
+cliff. On either side were the still taller mountains, while below them
+stretched that portion of the Pass just travelled, like a valley of
+glittering ice, thick with mist and wind-swept snow. An intense silence
+reigned, broken occasionally by the booming and crunching of some
+immense glacier in the distance.</p>
+
+<p>"A grand scene, but one not particularly suited to my feelings," said
+the doctor. "Let us go on."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes; the sooner we git out o' this yere Pass, the better I will be
+pleased," added the captain. "I've had enough climbin' ter last me two
+lifetimes, eh?" <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[Pg 110]</a></span>and he gave a grunt and strode off, and the others
+followed.</p>
+
+<p>"That is, I believe, the most perilous part of the trip to the gold
+fields," remarked Foster Portney. "Of course we have still a good bit of
+rough country to traverse and rapids in the rivers to shoot, but nothing
+quite so bad as that."</p>
+
+<p>The ice fields from the summit sloped gradually downward to a basin some
+distance below, called Crater Lake. This little lake was frozen solid
+from top to bottom and covered with snow. It was hemmed in on three
+sides by tall mountains, while on the fourth there was a ca&ntilde;on-like
+opening, where an ice-bound stream led the way over rocks and tiny
+cliffs to Lake Linderman, at the end of the Pass. Just before reaching
+the latter lake, they passed several large posts set up close to the
+trail, which was now once more clearly defined.</p>
+
+<p>"Those are surveyors' posts," said Foster Portney, in reply to a
+question from Earl. "We have just passed from United States into British
+territory."</p>
+
+<p>"This, then, is the Northwest Territory," said Earl.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, my boy; and the entire Klondike region, from Ogilvie to Belle
+Isle, is in that territory."</p>
+
+<p>As they descended to the lower level of the Pass, the solid ice gave way
+to rotten ice and slush, in which they frequently sank to their ankles.
+Here the stream broadened out into several ponds, and <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[Pg 111]</a></span>finally ended in
+a wide, marshy expanse, forming the upper end of Lake Linderman. Along
+the edge of this marsh they picked their way, first, however, stopping
+for dinner, for the night had passed and the forenoon had been consumed
+in the journey from Crater Lake. The Indians kept pressing on, and they
+followed.</p>
+
+<p>It was dark again when they came up at last with their pack-carriers
+encamped under some timber, which stood on a little bluff not over two
+hundred feet from the lake. Salmon Head's party had started a rousing
+fire, and this was a welcome sight, for it made all feel more at home.
+No time was lost in getting out the cooking utensils and the doctor's
+stove; and while they were preparing other things, the Indians brought
+several fish from the lake to be baked.</p>
+
+<p>"I guess we'll get our fill of fish before long," remarked Earl.</p>
+
+<p>"Don't you want any now?" smiled his uncle.</p>
+
+<p>"Want any, Uncle Foster? Indeed I do! Why, I'm so hungry I could almost
+eat horse meat!" was Earl's earnest reply; and he bustled around with
+the cups and plates, that they might not be delayed as soon as the
+coffee, biscuits, and fish were done.</p>
+
+<p>The Indians remained near by all night, and early in the morning a
+general reckoning-up took place, and the pack-carriers were paid off in
+gold and silver, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[Pg 112]</a></span>not caring to take the paper money which was offered.
+All had done very well, and Foster Portney, Captain Zoss, and Dr.
+Barwaithe did not dispute the amounts asked, although they were a trifle
+high. As soon as they were paid off, the Indians packed up their own
+articles, but a handful in number, and hurried away in the direction
+whence they had come.</p>
+
+<p>"Good gracious! are they going right back to Dyea?" exclaimed Randy, in
+amazement.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, my lad," was Captain Zoss's answer. "Salmon Head calculates to
+pilot another lot o' miners over as soon as possible. It's his hayin'
+time, ye see, an' he intends ter make the most o' it."</p>
+
+<p>At this Earl laughed. "I guess he's not going to let his legs get
+stiff," he cried. "I'm as stiff as an old mule this morning. What's to
+do to-day?"</p>
+
+<p>"We'll locate some timber for boat-building," said his uncle, "and get
+our traps into shape, and then rest. There is no use in killing
+ourselves all at once. We've got a matter of five hundred miles to
+journey yet."</p>
+
+<p>"If we go up into the timber, I suppose we can try our hand at shooting
+something if anything turns up," said Randy.</p>
+
+<p>"Certainly; shoot all the game you can, boys. We'll want it to help eke
+out our stores."</p>
+
+<p>There were numerous odds and ends to do about <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">[Pg 113]</a></span>the camp, and it was not
+until after dinner that they started into the timber to select some wood
+which might be used in boat-building. It was now that the boys'
+knowledge of timber stood them in good stead; and it took but a short
+while to pick out a tree which was close-grained and comparatively free
+from knots. They had brought their axes with them, and had the tree down
+in short order. Then they lopped off the branches and cut off the top,
+and left it in the sun to dry out as much as possible before attacking
+it with their boat-building tools.</p>
+
+<p>This accomplished, Earl and Randy set off, the former with the shot-gun
+and the other with his pistol, to stir up whatever might be around in
+the way of game. They followed the edge of the cliff to where it sloped
+down to the lake shore.</p>
+
+<p>Presently Earl thought he saw something in the brush along the water
+front, and, taking up a half-decayed stick, he threw it at the spot. At
+once there was a squawk, and half a dozen wild geese arose in the air.
+Bang! went the shot-gun, and crack! went Randy's pistol, and three of
+the geese were seen to throw back their heads and sink.</p>
+
+<p>"We hit 'em!" cried Randy, and ran down, followed by his brother. Two of
+the fowls were dead, and the other was speedily put out of its misery by
+Earl with a blow from the gun-stock. They had been cautioned not to
+waste their ammunition, so had <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[Pg 114]</a></span>not ventured a second round at the
+balance of the flock.</p>
+
+<p>"These ought to make good eating," observed Randy, as he picked up the
+game. "That is, if they don't taste too fishy. Here is my bullet hole,
+right through the neck. You killed the other two."</p>
+
+<p>With the dead geese over their shoulders, they continued their hunt for
+game, and presently stirred up a number of wild birds, at which Earl
+blazed away, bringing down five. The birds were small and hardly worth
+the trouble of cleaning and cooking, yet they took them along.</p>
+
+<p>"Geese, eh?" exclaimed Captain Zoss, as they entered camp. "Wall, that's
+not so bad! We kin have a goose pot-pie o' one, and stuff the other with
+bread an' beans, eh?" All hands agreed this would be an excellent plan,
+and the boys set about cleaning the game without delay, the captain
+assisting them at the work.</p>
+
+<p>Toward night they espied a band of Indians coming down the trail with
+their packs and followed by half a dozen miners, a hardy but not an
+evil-looking crowd. The miners had left Dyea twenty-four hours later
+than themselves and had brought with them the material for a
+flat-bottomed scow, fifteen feet long and four feet wide. The Indians
+had carried this material over the Pass, but how it had been
+accomplished was a mystery to the boys and the others.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[Pg 115]</a></span>"Hang me, if I don't reckon they have a secret way o' their own," was
+Captain Zoss's comment. "They couldn't cart them boards up that steep
+cliff, nohow!" And Randy and Earl were half inclined to believe the
+captain's suspicions to be true.</p>
+
+<p>The miners, who went by the name of the Idaho crowd, because they came
+from that State, encamped next to the doctor's crowd, as they were
+speedily termed, on account of having a medical man with them, and all
+became well acquainted before night. The Idaho crowd had just heard of
+an extra large find being made on Gold Bottom Creek, which flowed into
+the Klondike River, and they were anxious to get up there without delay,
+and consequently spent half the night in putting their boat together for
+an early start on the following morning.</p>
+
+<p>"You're the fust boys I've heerd tell on bound for the gold diggin's,"
+said one of the men to Randy and Earl. "I'm afeard ye'll find it kinder
+tough luck, for as far ez I kin understand it is tough even on a man.
+Whar are ye from? Californy?"</p>
+
+<p>"No, from the backwoods of Maine," answered Earl. "And we are used to
+roughing it."</p>
+
+<p>"Gee shoo! Didn't know the news had struck out so all-fired far ez thet.
+Wall, if you're from the backwoods, 'tain't likely you'll suffer ez much
+ez some of the tenderfoots wot's older. Wish ye the best o' luck." And
+the man turned away to his boat-building again.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[Pg 116]</a></span>Eight o'clock of the following morning found the Idaho crowd on its way
+down Lake Linderman. In the meantime the boys, Foster Portney, and
+Captain Zoss had started into the timber with their tools, leaving Dr.
+Barwaithe to watch camp and bake several days' supply of bread and
+biscuits, and also to parboil some beans for baking.</p>
+
+<p>The tree selected for cutting up had been allowed to fall over a large
+flat rock, and now the first work was to prop up the lower end. This
+done, both ends were sawed off even and a good portion of the bark was
+scaled off. Then Earl and Randy sharpened up several wedges and tried
+their hands at splitting up the trunk into a suitable size for
+whipsawing.</p>
+
+<p>This was no light work, and had they not had a knowledge of woodcraft it
+would have been next to impossible to do what the lads, aided by their
+uncle and the captain, accomplished. By nightfall the tree was split and
+sawed up into more than a dozen slabs, of varying thickness, and these
+were laid out for working up in the morning.</p>
+
+<p>When the party returned to the edge of the lake they found that three
+other crowds had come in over the Pass, and there was quite a settlement
+of tents alongshore. In one of the parties there was a young woman, the
+wife of a prospector, who had stood the arduous climb nearly as well as
+any one.</p>
+
+<p>"Hullo, Portney!" suddenly cried a voice to Earl, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[Pg 117]</a></span>as he was walking
+around among the tents. "I didn't know you had got this far."</p>
+
+<p>Earl turned swiftly, and was nearly dumfounded to find himself
+confronted by Tom Roland, while Jasper Guardley stood but a few feet
+away.</p>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br /><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[Pg 118]</a></span>
+
+<hr />
+<br />
+<h2>CHAPTER XV.</h2>
+
+<h2>ON TO LAKE BENNETT.</h2>
+
+
+<p>The face of Tom Roland wore a smile, but in his eyes was an anxious look
+which Earl did not fail to notice as he surveyed the two acquaintances
+from Basco. The young prospector was much taken aback by this sudden
+appearance, for he had not dreamed of meeting Roland and Guardley in
+this out-of-the-way spot.</p>
+
+<p>"Ain't you glad to see a feller from Maine?" went on Roland, as Earl did
+not speak; and he held out his hand, which the youth took rather coldly.
+Guardley had come up to shake hands too, but now he did not risk making
+the offer.</p>
+
+<p>"Are you two bound for the Klondike?" at length asked Earl.</p>
+
+<p>"Of course," was Roland's sharp reply. "What else would we be doing up
+here?"</p>
+
+<p>"What started you&mdash;the fact that we were going?"</p>
+
+<p>"Well, I allow as that had a little to do with it, Earl; but Guardley
+got a letter from a friend of his who is up there now&mdash;a man named
+Stephens. He <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[Pg 119]</a></span>said Guardley ought to come up at once, and as he didn't
+want to go alone, I came along. How are you making out?"</p>
+
+<p>"We are doing very well."</p>
+
+<p>"You and your brother came on with your uncle, didn't you?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes."</p>
+
+<p>"Any others in the party?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes; two men."</p>
+
+<p>Tom Roland's eyes dropped for a moment. "Me and Guardley have been
+havin' rather a hard road of it, all alone," he went on. "We've been
+thinking of joining forces with somebody."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, our crowd is complete," answered Earl, quickly.</p>
+
+<p>"Then you won't consider taking in two more, providing, of course, we do
+our share of work and pay our share of the expenses."</p>
+
+<p>"I don't think so, Roland."</p>
+
+<p>"Who is at the head of your party?"</p>
+
+<p>"Nobody in particular; we all work together."</p>
+
+<p>"Maybe you had better speak to the boy's uncle," put in Guardley. "Come
+on."</p>
+
+<p>He stalked off, and after some slight hesitation Tom Roland followed,
+with Earl at his side. Foster Portney was found mending a corner of the
+tent, which had become torn in packing. Randy was beside him and uttered
+a cry when he beheld the two men from Basco.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[Pg 120]</a></span>"Tom Roland and Jasper Guardley!" he whispered to his uncle. "Those are
+the fellows we thought got that money on a false identification!"</p>
+
+<p>"Is that so?" returned Foster Portney. "What can Earl be bringing them
+here for?"</p>
+
+<p>"This is Mr. Portney, I take it," said Guardley, after clearing his
+throat awkwardly. "I was thinking&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"He and his friend want to join us," put in Earl. "I told them that our
+party was complete."</p>
+
+<p>"Hullo, Randy!" broke in Roland, carelessly. "You'd like us to come into
+your crowd, wouldn't you?"</p>
+
+<p>Randy was staggered at the request, coming so unexpectedly. He glanced
+at Earl before replying. "No, I guess not," he said.</p>
+
+<p>"Why, what's the matter with you?" cried Roland, half angrily. "We are
+all Maine folks, and friends ought to stick together, seems to me."</p>
+
+<p>He turned to Foster Portney and introduced himself and Guardley, and
+stated his case, adding that he and his companion only wanted to join
+some party until Dawson City was reached. Mr. Portney listened quietly,
+and then turned to Captain Zoss, who stood near.</p>
+
+<p>"I don't believe we want any more in our crowd, do you?"</p>
+
+<p>"I reckon we've got a-plenty," was the captain's answer. "Still, if they
+are friends to the boys&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[Pg 121]</a></span>"But they are not," whispered Earl. "And what is more, we consider them
+doubtful characters."</p>
+
+<p>"Then we don't want 'em, nohow."</p>
+
+<p>"This camp is full," came from inside, where Dr. Barwaithe sat,
+examining his sore foot, which was neither better nor worse. "That boat
+we are building won't hold more than five people, along with our
+outfits."</p>
+
+<p>The faces of both Roland and Guardley grew dark. "All right; if you
+don't want us, we'll hook fast somewhere else," muttered Roland, and
+turned on his heel.</p>
+
+<p>"Maybe you'll regret throwing us off some day," came from Guardley, as
+he passed Earl; and then the two men were lost to sight among the tents
+up the lake shore.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, what cheek!" burst from Randy, when they were gone. "I wouldn't
+have Roland in the party for a farm."</p>
+
+<p>"I'd be afraid of Guardley's stealing everything we had," said Earl. "As
+if we didn't know his real character, and that he had been up before
+Judge Dobson lots of times!"</p>
+
+<p>"I reckon they'll stand watching, especially that last cur&mdash;from what he
+said to Randy," said Captain Zoss. "He's got a bad eye, he has, eh?"</p>
+
+<p>All hands slept soundly after their hard day's work in the timber, and
+it was not until they heard others stirring in the morning that they
+arose. As he was <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[Pg 122]</a></span>not working on the boat, Dr. Barwaithe took it upon
+himself to perform the "household duties," as he expressed it, and soon
+a well-cooked breakfast was arranged on a rude table Captain Zoss had
+stuck up. The doctor was an excellent cook, and Foster Portney could not
+help but ask him whence his knowledge had been derived.</p>
+
+<p>"It's easily explained," said the doctor. "I have an older sister who
+was once the head of a cooking school in Montreal. She insisted on it
+that every one should know how to cook, especially a bachelor like
+myself, and she used to deliver her lectures to me, at home, before
+delivering them at the school. I believe I was an apt pupil, but I never
+dreamed at that time of how useful the knowledge would become."</p>
+
+<p>"Which goes for to prove a feller can't know too much," remarked Captain
+Zoss. "But come on," he added, draining off his big tin cup of coffee,
+and springing up. "That ere boat ain't going to build itself." And off
+he hurried for the woods, carrying all of the tools he could carry. In a
+moment the boys and Foster Portney followed him.</p>
+
+<p>They found the rough slabs of lumber as they had left them, and sticking
+them up in convenient places, began the task of smoothing them off into
+boards, working first with their axes and then with the drawing-knife
+and the plane. It was no light labor, and night was again upon them by
+the time the boards were ready <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[Pg 123]</a></span>and hauled to the edge of the lake.
+After supper Foster Portney brought out a measuring-rule and marked off
+the different parts of the boat, which was to be a flat-bottom affair,
+with a blunt stern and rather a long-pointed bow.</p>
+
+<p>Another day at Lake Linderman saw the craft put together, false bottom,
+seats, and all. It was a clumsy affair, and they were glad that they had
+enough oakum and pitch along to make her fairly water-tight. The other
+parties in camp were also boat-building, and the scene in the clear and
+fairly warm weather was a busy one.</p>
+
+<p>Randy had cut down a small, straight tree for a mast, and this was
+easily set in place and held by guards running across from one gunwale
+to another. The yard and the boom of this mast were primitive affairs,
+to be put up whenever desired.</p>
+
+<p>As soon as the pitch had hardened, preparations for leaving the camp
+were made. All the goods and tools were packed up into the smallest
+possible space, and stored on board of the <i>Wild Goose</i>, as Randy had
+christened the craft, the eatables, clothing, and blankets being placed
+on top, so as not to be injured by the water which might get in. The
+last thing to be taken down was the tent, the fly of which was then
+adjusted for a sail.</p>
+
+<p>"All aboard!" cried Randy, as he leaped into the bow, with Earl behind
+him. Captain Zoss followed <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[Pg 124]</a></span>them, to help keep a lookout ahead, while
+Mr. Portney and Dr. Barwaithe took places in the stern, one to manage
+the rudder and the other with an oar ready for use, should they run upon
+a bar or mud-flat.</p>
+
+<p>Lake Linderman is but a few miles long, lying in the midst of snow-clad
+mountains, similar to those left behind, although not quite so high. At
+its lower end it connects with Lake Bennett by a short river where are
+situated the Homan Rapids. These rapids are among the most dangerous
+encountered in sailing along the headwaters of the Yukon, and are feared
+more by some miners than are the famous White Horse Rapids, which the
+party must pass through later on. To avoid the Homan Rapids many miners
+travelled straight from Chilkoot Pass to Lake Bennett before stopping to
+build their boats.</p>
+
+<p>But it was all new territory to our party, for even Foster Portney, in
+his previous trip to Alaska, had not passed in this direction. A stiff
+breeze sent them on their way down Lake Linderman, and all expressed
+themselves as well satisfied with the sailing qualities of the <i>Wild
+Goose</i>.</p>
+
+<p>"We're coming to the end of the lake," observed Earl, when scarcely an
+hour had passed. "There is the river, over to the right."</p>
+
+<p>In a few minutes more the sail was lowered, and they came to anchor at
+the mouth of the river. The water at this point was smooth enough, but
+some distance ahead could be seen the leaping and swirling whitecaps
+of the rapids leading to the lake below.</p>
+
+<div class="img"><a name="imagep125" id="imagep125"></a>
+<a href="images/imagep125.jpg">
+<img border="0" src="images/imagep125.jpg" width="40%" alt="The Water was Boiling on Every Side." /></a><br />
+<p class="cen" style="margin-top: .2em;">"<span class="smcap">The Water was Boiling on Every Side.</span>"&mdash;<i>Page
+125.</i></p>
+</div>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[Pg 125]</a></span>"I reckon we'll have to take a line ashore and haul her through,"
+observed Captain Zoss, after an examination of the situation. "We don't
+want to run no risk of bein' upsot so early in the game."</p>
+
+<p>This was agreed to, and the captain and Dr. Barwaithe took one line to
+the left shore and Foster Portney and Randy another to the right,
+leaving Earl to steer or use the rudder, as might be best.</p>
+
+<p>Some loose ice, floating along the lake shores, had partly choked the
+stream, but there was a clear place near the centre, and into this the
+<i>Wild Goose</i> drifted. It was not long before she was caught in the
+strong current, which sent the ice cakes crunching and banging along her
+sides and the spray flying up into Earl's face. He had started to use
+the rudder, but now saw this was useless, and sprang forward with the
+long oar.</p>
+
+<p>"Steady to the left! Not to the right! Swing her around a bit, you
+fellows over there! Easy now, easy! Shove off from that rock, Earl! Now
+then, let her down a few feet! That was a narrow shave, boys! There you
+go again! Steady now! steady! steady!"</p>
+
+<p>So the cries and directions ran on, as the boat proceeded on her
+perilous voyage. The water was boiling on every side, and the lines
+which held the craft were as tight as whipcords. Considerable water had
+been <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[Pg 126]</a></span>shipped, and Earl was wet from head to foot. But he kept his place
+and shoved off, this way and that, with might and main.</p>
+
+<p>"Hold hard!" suddenly shouted Foster Portney. "Look out, Earl; the line
+is going to break!"</p>
+
+<p>The words were hardly spoken when snap! went the line, the boat end
+hitting Earl a sharp crack in the neck. Thus released, the <i>Wild Goose</i>
+swung around and made straight for a series of rocks which all had been
+working hard to avoid. Should she strike she would become a total wreck,
+beyond a doubt, and all their outfits would be lost.</p>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br /><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[Pg 127]</a></span>
+
+<hr />
+<br />
+<h2>CHAPTER XVI.</h2>
+
+<h2>AN EXCITING NIGHT IN CAMP.</h2>
+
+
+<p>When the line parted, Foster Portney and Randy were thrown flat on their
+backs in the six inches of slush and water in which they had been wading
+along the edge of the rapids. But they did not care for this, the one
+thought of both was of Earl and how the boat would fare now that there
+was only one line by which to guide her.</p>
+
+<p>As for Earl, the shock also caused him to lose his balance, and he went
+down heavily on one of the packs with which the <i>Wild Goose</i> was
+freighted. But he recovered instantly, and sprang to the bow, oar in
+hand. The craft had swung around, as has been related, and was on the
+point of smashing on the rocks when he put out the oar and tried to
+sheer off.</p>
+
+<p>"Hold her! hold her!" roared Captain Zoss to Earl. "Take the line, but
+don't pull!" he added to the doctor, and the next instant he was in the
+icy water up to his waist. He could not reach the bow of the boat, but
+he gained the stern, and catching hold of the rudder he swung the <i>Wild
+Goose</i> in toward a rock and held her there.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[Pg 128]</a></span>"Throw the broken line to Earl and let him tie it, quick!" he shouted to
+Foster Portney; but the broken line was floating amid the loose ice, and
+it was several seconds before it could be secured. In that time the
+current again caught the boat from another direction, and sheering along
+the rocks in front, the craft made a wild plunge ahead and downward,
+dragging the captain in her wake.</p>
+
+<p>"Earl will be killed!" groaned Randy, and his heart leaped into his
+throat as the <i>Wild Goose</i> seemed swallowed up in the foaming and
+boiling waters below them. His uncle did not reply, but darted out of
+the water and down the bank of the river as fast as his feet could carry
+him. Dr. Barwaithe, who had been compelled to let go the line in order
+to save himself, was also running, and now Randy likewise took to his
+heels.</p>
+
+<p>Fortunately for Earl he kept his wits about him, even though he realized
+the great peril he was in. In previous years he had helped raft lumber
+in Maine during the spring freshets, so that the situation was not such
+a novel one. But there was a vast difference between steering logs which
+could not be harmed and navigating a boat loaded with all their
+possessions, and he felt the responsibility. He clung to the long oar
+and used it as best he could, whenever the opportunity offered, which
+was not often.</p>
+
+<p>In less than ten minutes the ride was over and the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[Pg 129]</a></span><i>Wild Goose</i> shot
+with a swish into Lake Bennett. By this time Captain Zoss had managed to
+crawl on board and give Earl a helping hand. The craft had struck a
+dozen times, twice rather sharply, but beyond a scraping on one side and
+a slight crack in the bow, which was speedily caulked up, she escaped
+injury. The two on board ran to one shore, to take Dr. Barwaithe on
+board, and then stood over to where Mr. Portney and Randy awaited them.</p>
+
+<p>"That was a providential escape!" were Foster Portney's words, when he
+saw that Earl was safe. "I wouldn't have you run such a risk again for a
+fortune!"</p>
+
+<p>"And I don't want to run such a risk again," replied Earl, with rather a
+sickly smile. He was greatly shaken up, and it was a long while before
+he felt like himself. Randy could hardly keep from hugging his brother
+because of the escape.</p>
+
+<p>"It was a fool move of ours from the start," said Captain Zoss, speaking
+plainly, for the icy bath had not improved his temper. "We should have
+packed our outfits along the river and let the boat take care of
+herself, with plenty of lines to guide her. I won't stand fer any such
+move as that ag'in; not much, eh?"</p>
+
+<p>"You are right, captain," said Foster Portney, gravely. "We'll be more
+cautious in the future."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes! yes!" broke in the doctor. "What should we have done had this
+young man been killed and all <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[Pg 130]</a></span>our traps been lost? It would have been
+better to have carried boat and all around from one lake to the next."</p>
+
+<p>It was a sober party which went into camp that night on the rather rocky
+shore of Lake Bennett, sober and rather out of sorts in the bargain. The
+captain insisted on building an immense fire, and while he sat drying
+himself by it he found fault with everything which came into view. Later
+on the others of the crowd found that the captain got these moods every
+once in a while and never meant all he said, but now they did not know
+this and it made the two boys, at least, unhappy.</p>
+
+<p>"Might have knowed it," grumbled Captain Zoss, "with two kids along,
+instead o' nothing but growed-up men as know their business. The next
+time I jine a crowd it will be o' those as has at least voted, eh?"</p>
+
+<p>"I can't agree with you that it was the boys' fault," replied Dr.
+Barwaithe. "The line broke, and that started the whole thing."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, boys is boys, and men wouldn't have let sech a thing happen!"
+snapped the captain. "See yere, I want my coffee hot!" he roared to
+Randy, who was preparing supper. "No lukewarm dishwater fer me, eh?"</p>
+
+<p>"I'll give it to you as hot as the fire will make it; I can't do any
+more," was Randy's short answer. He was as much out of sorts as any one.
+Then the captain <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[Pg 131]</a></span>turned to Earl, and found fault with the timber in the
+boat; and by the time they sat down to eat, all felt thoroughly put out.</p>
+
+<p>The doctor tried to enliven matters by relating some of his experiences
+in college, and he even gave them a song or two, for he was a good
+singer with a sweet tenor voice. All enjoyed the singing, but the
+captain looked as glum as ever.</p>
+
+<p>"I'm sorry we've got that old curmudgeon along," said Earl, as he and
+Randy turned in together, on the rubber blanket. "Gracious, I never
+imagined he could be so disagreeable!"</p>
+
+<p>"Nor I," grumbled his brother. "And to think that we have got to put up
+with him until we reach the gold diggings!"</p>
+
+<p>The tent had been pitched in the shelter of a number of high rocks and
+at some distance from the lake front. The <i>Wild Goose</i> rested in a tiny
+cove, secured by a painter attached to a stake driven deeply into the
+sandy shore. There was a little swell on the water, caused by the rising
+wind, but no one supposed this would prove sufficient to do the craft
+any harm.</p>
+
+<p>As they expected to remain in that camp but one night only, a single
+tent had been erected for the entire party, so all hands were huddled
+closely together. It was not long before they were all asleep.</p>
+
+<p>When Earl awoke it was still dark. He roused up with a start, to find
+the wind blowing violently. <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">[Pg 132]</a></span>Outside it was raining and snowing
+together, and it was some snow on his face which had caused him to
+awake. He was about to get up, when Randy called to him.</p>
+
+<p>"What's up?"</p>
+
+<p>"There's a storm on, snow and rain, and I guess we'll have to look to
+the fastenings of the tent," answered Earl.</p>
+
+<p>The talking awoke the others. The wind was increasing rapidly, and
+already the front left end of the tent was flapping violently, torn
+loose from its pegging. Earl donned his overcoat and ran outside to hold
+it down, while he called to Randy to bring the hammer with which to bury
+the pegs anew.</p>
+
+<p>"Fasten her tight; I'll take a look after the boat!" cried Captain Zoss,
+and rushed off in the darkness, followed by Foster Portney. By this time
+the doctor was also out, and he and the boys began the task of securing
+the shelter. A heavy gust of wind came on, and in a flash the canvas was
+sailing high in the air, held down only by the pegs on one side. To
+secure the cloth was no mean work, and they had to wait for fully a
+minute in the rain and snow, until the wind abated.</p>
+
+<p>"This is going to the gold diggings with a vengeance," murmured Dr.
+Barwaithe.</p>
+
+<p>"A fellow could 'most fly there in this wind!" panted Randy. "Earl, have
+you a peg handy?"</p>
+
+<p>"Not a one."</p>
+
+<p>"Neither have I, and it's as dark as pitch."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[Pg 133]</a></span>"Here are two pegs," said the doctor. "I wonder if I can stir up that
+fire," he added, starting to where the campfire had been. The fire was
+out, and the sheet-iron stove lay over on its side, with a mess of beans
+overturned in the oven. To light a new fire under existing circumstances
+was out of the question, and the medical man went back to assist the
+boys.</p>
+
+<p>The tent had hardly been secured when there came a great flurry of snow
+which almost blinded them. Randy had been for running down to the lake,
+but now he crawled under the canvas and hesitated. In the meantime Dr.
+Barwaithe set the stove up once more and tried to rescue such of the
+beans as were worth it.</p>
+
+<p>"The rain is giving way to snow&mdash;" began Earl, when he stopped short, as
+a faint shout reached them through the whistling wind. "It's Uncle's
+voice! We are wanted down there!" he added, and started off on a run. As
+the cry was repeated Randy followed. A minute's run and they reached the
+beach a hundred feet above where Captain Zoss and Foster Portney were
+standing.</p>
+
+<p>"What's the matter?" demanded Earl, quickly.</p>
+
+<p>"The boat is gone," was his uncle's alarming reply. "She has drifted off
+in the storm, and we can't catch sight of her anywhere!"</p>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br /><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[Pg 134]</a></span>
+
+<hr />
+<br />
+<h2>CHAPTER XVII.</h2>
+
+<h2>A HUNT FOR FOOD.</h2>
+
+
+<p>Randy and Earl were much dismayed by their uncle's announcement. The
+<i>Wild Goose</i> had disappeared! Where to? Ah, that was the question. In
+vain they tried to pierce the darkness of the night and the snow-squall.
+Nothing in the shape of a craft could be discerned upon the broad waters
+of Lake Bennett.</p>
+
+<p>"I told ye to mind how ye tied up that yere craft," growled Captain
+Zoss, wrathfully, to Earl. "Any lubber could have tied her up better
+than you did."</p>
+
+<p>"You expect me to do everything!" retorted Earl, beginning to lose his
+temper, too. "I did the best I could. Why didn't you look after it?"</p>
+
+<p>"He was too busy taking it easy by the fire," put in Randy, bound to
+stand up for his brother, as well as to put in a "shot" for himself.</p>
+
+<p>"None o' your impudence, boy!" roared the captain, and he turned as if
+to strike Randy. But now Foster Portney caught his arm and threw it
+back.</p>
+
+<p>"Stop it, all of you!" said he. "This is no time to <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">[Pg 135]</a></span>quarrel. The wind,
+and not Earl, is responsible for this, for I looked to the tying up
+myself, after he was done. We're all out of sorts, but we needn't act
+like children over it. Our duty is to find the boat, and that as quickly
+as possible."</p>
+
+<p>"I reckon she's gone down the lake," grumbled the captain, after an
+awkward pause. "The wind's that way."</p>
+
+<p>"We'll go down and see if we can't sight her," answered Foster Portney.</p>
+
+<p>Away they went on a run. Earl, who was tall and light in weight, easily
+outdistanced the rest and reached a rocky cliff, where the lake made a
+slight bend. He went up the cliff, to stumble headlong into a narrow
+gulch, cutting his chin and his left hand. Picking himself up, he
+started on, but soon stopped. "I ought to warn the others," was his
+thought, and he turned and hurried back.</p>
+
+<p>Captain Zoss was ahead of the others and was on top of the cliff when
+Earl shouted to him. "Stop, captain, stop, or you'll get hurt!" came at
+the top of his voice, and the captain halted just in time to save
+himself from a disastrous fall. He climbed down the gulch and up at the
+other side, and yelled a warning to those behind. Soon all four stood
+upon another level stretch of the lake shore.</p>
+
+<p>Nothing was to be seen&mdash;that is, nothing but the flying snowflakes
+dropping into the wind-swept and <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">[Pg 136]</a></span>white-capped waters beneath. They
+continued to walk on, until the cold chilled each to the marrow of his
+bones.</p>
+
+<p>"We might as well get back and wait till morning," said Foster Portney,
+with a heavy sigh. "We can do nothing in the darkness. Let us hope the
+boat will beach herself somewhere and remain right-side up."</p>
+
+<p>With chattering teeth they started on the return, Randy by his uncle's
+side and Earl behind Captain Zoss. Half the distance to the tent had
+been covered when the captain paused and ranged up beside Earl.</p>
+
+<p>"Earl, you mustn't mind me when I git in my tantrums," he said jerkily.
+"I git 'em every once in a while, see? It's nateral with me&mdash;allers was.
+But I ain't bad at heart, an' I shan't forgit ye for savin' me a dirty
+fall, mark that! And it's not your fault the boat is gone&mdash;anything
+would have torn loose in this yere gale." He paused for a moment. "An' I
+didn't mean ter hit Randy&mdash;it's only a way I have ter frighten folks&mdash;a
+poor way, too, as I acknowledge. Come on." And before Earl could reply
+he was stalking on, his head bent far down, to keep the snow from his
+eyes. Earl clung close to him, and from that night he and the captain
+were better friends than ever. Later on Randy received a like "apology,"
+and when he got to know the captain better voted him "all right, though
+a bit cranky at times."</p>
+
+<p>Dr. Barwaithe was as dismayed as any of them <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">[Pg 137]</a></span>had been, when the news
+was broken to him, but he agreed that nothing was to be accomplished
+while the darkness and the storm lasted. He had dragged the cooking
+stove up to the entrance to the tent and was trying to start a fire.
+Twice the tiny flames had flickered and gone out, but now, fanned
+vigorously, the wood caught, and soon the stove was red-hot, the top
+spluttering with the snowflakes which fell upon it. The fire warmed the
+air in the tent, and for the balance of the night the party rested
+comfortably in body if not in mind.</p>
+
+<p>With the coming of morning the storm abated, and by eight o'clock the
+sun was struggling to shine through the drifting clouds. The captain, as
+if to atone for his misdeeds, prepared breakfast, giving to Earl and
+Randy the best of the flap-jacks turned out. The captain was a great
+hand at these cakes, and the party was certain to get them whenever he
+was cook.</p>
+
+<p>"For all we know, the boat may have gone clear down to the entrance to
+Tagish Lake," remarked Foster Portney, while finishing the repast. "I
+see nothing for us to do but to walk along the lake shore and keep our
+eyes open."</p>
+
+<p>"Shall we take our traps along?" asked the doctor. "I can carry the cook
+stove if you can divide the rest of the stuff among you."</p>
+
+<p>A short discussion followed, and feeling certain the boat had gone down
+the lake, if anywhere, it was <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">[Pg 138]</a></span>decided by all hands to pack the outfit
+and take it along. The packing took some time, and when the start was
+made the storm had cleared away entirely, leaving the sky as bright as
+one could wish.</p>
+
+<p>A mile of the shore had been covered when Foster Portney called a halt
+and directed attention to an object floating in the direction from which
+they had come. "It's a boat!" he cried, a moment later.</p>
+
+<p>"Our boat?" questioned Randy, eagerly.</p>
+
+<p>"I can't say." Mr. Portney and the others watched the craft with
+interest. "No, it's not our boat, but another, and there are several
+people on board."</p>
+
+<p>"Let's hail 'em, and git 'em to search for the <i>Wild Goose</i>," said
+Captain Zoss, and they walked back, and after some trouble succeeded in
+attracting the attention of the party on the water. There were three men
+in the boat and a woman, the latter being the same they had met in camp
+at Lake Linderman. To all the newcomers Foster Portney told his story.</p>
+
+<p>"O' course we'll help you," said the miner who had his wife on board.
+"One o' you can git aboard here, and we'll cruise around the lake on a
+hunt. Ain't got room fer more 'n one," he went on; "and say, who's the
+doctor among ye?"</p>
+
+<p>"I am," responded Dr. Barwaithe.</p>
+
+<p>"Then you might ez well do the trick, fer Lizy here don't feel extry
+well, an' it will be fair play fer you to give her some medicine, I take
+it."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">[Pg 139]</a></span>"I'll do what I can for her," said the doctor. "But most of my medicines
+are on board of the lost boat."</p>
+
+<p>"Then we've got ter find her, sure pop, fer Lizy does feel most
+distressin' like, with a pain in her head an' a crick in her back," went
+on Wodley, the miner.</p>
+
+<p>The doctor hopped on board, and after a few words more the boat set off
+in search of the <i>Wild Goose</i>, and the hunt from the lake shore was
+continued. Slowly the forenoon wore away and still nothing was seen of
+the missing craft. The other boat with the doctor had long since been
+lost to view up the lake.</p>
+
+<p>It was getting toward supper time when Foster Portney turned to Earl,
+who, in addition to some of the camping outfit, carried the shot-gun. "I
+just caught a glance of something on legs up among yonder rocks," he
+said. "If you can, you might as well knock it over, for it won't be long
+before all of us will want something to eat."</p>
+
+<p>Earl was glad enough to try his hand at hunting, and turned over his
+traps to his companions. Soon he was climbing the rocks to which his
+uncle had pointed. He had not gone over five hundred feet when he beheld
+a small deer gazing at him in alarm. Before he could draw a bead on the
+animal the deer was gone behind a neighboring cliff.</p>
+
+<p>Feeling moderately sure that this was the animal his uncle had seen, and
+that the deer would not go far, but might even come back out of
+curiosity, Earl began <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">[Pg 140]</a></span>to climb the cliff. A profusion of brush grew
+among the rocks, and these afforded him a good hand-hold, and he was
+soon at the top.</p>
+
+<p>Although hemmed in on three sides by mountains, the way to the lake was
+clear, and looking in that direction he saw, far to the opposite shore,
+the boat containing Dr. Barwaithe and their newly made friends. He
+watched the boat for a minute, when a clatter of sharp hoofs on the
+cliff made him whirl around, just in time to catch a second sight of the
+deer. His gun came up quick enough now, and the charge took the animal
+full in the breast.</p>
+
+<p>Struck in this fashion, many an animal would have rolled over dead. But
+the deer of Alaska, which are growing more scarce every year, are a
+sturdy lot, and though terribly wounded, this specimen did not drop.
+Staggering for a brief moment, he turned and then fled in the direction
+from which he had come.</p>
+
+<p>Earl was amazed, but, determined not to lose his game after such a shot,
+he hastily reloaded and made after the game. Less than two score of
+steps brought him almost to the end of the cliff, and he discovered the
+deer crouched in the shelter of the rocks, its dark eyes glaring
+angrily. Up came his gun, and the weapon was discharged just as the
+animal sprang forward. The shot was a glancing one, doing little harm,
+and the next instant the wounded beast was upon the boy.</p>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br /><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">[Pg 141]</a></span>
+
+<hr />
+<br />
+<h2>CHAPTER XVIII.</h2>
+
+<h2>ON TO THE WHITE HORSE RAPIDS.</h2>
+
+
+<p>For a brief instant, as the deer rushed upon him, Earl was fairly
+paralyzed, having had no idea that the wounded animal might attack him.
+But as those glaring eyes came closer and the antlers were lowered, he
+realized that something must be done, and leaped to the inner side of
+the narrow cliff.</p>
+
+<p>Crash! the deer had struck him on the arm. It was a heavy blow, and only
+the sharp rock to one side of him saved the youth from serious injury.
+Then, as the animal bounded back for a second attack, Earl shoved out
+the gun, pressed it at the deer's breast, and sent the beast tumbling
+from the cliff into the gulch below. It was done so rapidly that the
+animal had no time to save itself. It went down with a crash and a dull
+thud, and, looking over the rocks, the boy saw that it lay on its back
+unable to run off on account of a broken leg. As soon as he could, he
+reloaded the shot-gun and put his game out of its misery.</p>
+
+<p>"That was a narrow escape, and no fooling!" he half muttered, as he
+looked about for some place where <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">[Pg 142]</a></span>he might descend to the bottom of the
+gulch. A quarter of an hour later he had the deer bound on top of a tree
+branch, and was dragging it toward the lake shore.</p>
+
+<p>"A deer!" cried Randy and Foster Portney, simultaneously, as they caught
+sight of the prize. "Well, that was well worth going after!" continued
+the latter.</p>
+
+<p>"You had a narrow escape!" exclaimed Randy, when Earl's story was told.
+"If you hadn't shoved him over, he would have gored you to death."</p>
+
+<p>It was quite dark by the time they went into camp. The deer was soon cut
+up, and they dined that evening on the choicest of venison steak. The
+remainder of the meat was hung up to dry, while a portion of it was
+thoroughly salted.</p>
+
+<p>In addition to the fire in the camp stove, a big blaze was lit on the
+shore, that Dr. Barwaithe and the others might be guided hither if they
+succeeded in finding the <i>Wild Goose</i>. But the night wore away without
+interruption, and by six o'clock the next morning the search for the
+missing craft was renewed.</p>
+
+<p>"We're most down to Tagish Lake, I reckon," remarked Captain Zoss. "I
+don't believe the <i>Wild Goose</i> could go through, 'ceptin' she was bottom
+side up and minus our traps, which I don't hope fer, eh?"</p>
+
+<p>The entrance to Tagish Lake was reached, and they were speculating on
+what to do next, when Randy <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[Pg 143]</a></span>shouted, "Here they come, and they have the
+<i>Wild Goose</i> in tow!"</p>
+
+<p>His announcement proved correct, and quarter of an hour later Wodley
+sent his own craft up to the bank with a swish through the water-grass
+and tundra, or moss, which was now beginning to show itself on every
+side. The <i>Wild Goose</i> was close behind, and they noted with
+satisfaction that she seemed to be in the same condition as they had
+left her.</p>
+
+<p>"We found her stuck in the mud on the other side," announced Dr.
+Barwaithe. "The wind had just sent her along and left her, and the only
+damage done is to some of the provisions which were soaked by the rain
+and snow."</p>
+
+<p>"We can be thankful it's not worse," replied Foster Portney. "If she had
+not turned up, I don't know what we would have done."</p>
+
+<p>Dr. Barwaithe had become well acquainted with the party, and had given
+Mrs. Wodley some medicine containing a large quantity of quinine, for
+the woman was suffering from chills and fever, something frequently met
+with in Alaska.</p>
+
+<p>It did not take long for both parties to haul their boats into Tagish
+Lake, and once on that broad sheet of water, all sail was set for the
+six miles of river which connects that body of water with Marsh Lake,
+called by many Mud Lake, on account of its shallowness and soft bottom.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">[Pg 144]</a></span>As they skimmed along, Earl and Randy, under the directions of their
+uncle, sorted over the provisions, putting aside for immediate use such
+as would not keep after being wet. This had scarcely been finished when
+the end of Tagish Lake appeared in sight.</p>
+
+<p>"There is some sort o' a camp ahead," announced Captain Zoss. "Don't
+look like er miner's strike, either. Injuns, I'll bet!"</p>
+
+<p>The captain was right. The camp was a rude one, consisting of half a
+dozen huts and dugouts. The Indians numbered about two score, and they
+were the most disagreeable Randy and Earl had yet beheld. Each was
+painted from forehead to chin with greasy black and red paint, and all
+wore filthy skin suits which could be smelt "further than you could see
+them," according to Randy's notion. The Indians tried to sell them some
+fish, but the members of the party declined, and pointed to the deer
+meat. Then one of the Indians begged Earl to let him have the deer's
+head and antlers for a string of beautiful pike, and the youth made the
+trade; for although he would have liked to keep the trophy, carrying it
+up into the gold regions was out of the question. The deer meat had been
+divided with the Wodley party, and now a similar disposition was made of
+the fish.</p>
+
+<p>The day was fine, with the wind in the right direction, and soon they
+came to the end of Marsh Lake, which is fifteen miles long, and heavily
+fringed on all <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">[Pg 145]</a></span>sides with timber and brush. On several occasions they
+ran in water so shallow they were in danger of going aground; but the
+sharp eyes of Captain Zoss saved them, and the second day saw them
+encamped within sight of the fifty-mile river which connects Marsh Lake
+with Lake Labarge, the last of the lakes they were to traverse on the
+way to the gold regions.</p>
+
+<p>"By day after to-morrow we'll strike the White Hoss Rapids," said
+Captain Zoss. "Then, I reckon we'll have jest sech a time as we had up
+ter Homan Rapids."</p>
+
+<p>"Excuse me!" rejoined Earl. "One such experience is enough in a
+lifetime."</p>
+
+<p>"I have been talking to Wodley," put in Foster Portney. "He has been
+through the rapids, and he says he will give us a hand when we get
+there. He advises taking the boats through almost empty."</p>
+
+<p>The captain "allowed" this would be safer, although, to be sure, it
+would also be far more laborious, for everything not left in the boat
+would have to be carried over the roughest kind of a trail, running some
+distance away from the stream.</p>
+
+<p>The two parties camped side by side, and it made each feel more at home
+to have the other at hand, for among these lofty and cold-looking
+mountains one was very apt to have a lonely feeling creeping over him if
+no companion were at hand.</p>
+
+<p>"How a man could attempt this trip all alone is <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">[Pg 146]</a></span>something I can't
+understand," observed Randy. "Imagine getting lost in those mountains
+over yonder! It makes a fellow shiver to think of it!"</p>
+
+<p>"Men have been lost out here," replied Dr. Barwaithe, gravely, "and lost
+so thoroughly they have never been heard of again. If a man gets lost in
+the mountains, and he is of a nervous temperament, the chances are that
+after a week or a month of it he will lose his mind and go crazy."</p>
+
+<p>"I guess that is what would happen to me," answered Randy. "Oh, what's
+that stung me? A mosquito, I declare! Who would expect to find one of
+those pests at this season of the year?"</p>
+
+<p>"You'll get mosquitoes enough presently," replied Foster Portney. "Don't
+you remember the mosquito netting I brought along? During the short
+summer here the insects are apt to worry the life out of a person."</p>
+
+<p>"I suppose they thrive in this moss that I see around," said Earl. "What
+did you say it was called, Uncle Foster? tundra?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, tundra, Earl. The moss is thicker than this up in the north and
+covers everything. If it wasn't for the moss, I think the ground might
+thaw out more in the summer, but as it is, the moss prevents the sun
+from striking in, and the ground is as hard as in midwinter six or eight
+feet below the surface."</p>
+
+<p>"The moss doesn't seem to have any effect on the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">[Pg 147]</a></span>berry bushes, though,"
+said Randy. "I see 'em everywhere. Do they bear fruit?"</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, yes, they have everything in the way of berries up here, Randy. But
+they are rather small, and they haven't the flavor of those at home. The
+berries have to take the place of larger fruits, such as apples, pears,
+and peaches, and the birds live on them."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, we won't starve as long as we have berries, birds, and fish,"
+said Earl. "I don't see where this cry of starvation comes in, I must
+say."</p>
+
+<p>"O' course ye don't&mdash;not now!" burst in Captain Zoss. "But wait till
+winter sets in. Then the berries will be gone, an' birds will be mighty
+scarce."</p>
+
+<p>"But we'll have the fish, captain. We can cut holes in the ice on the
+river and spear them, as we do down in Maine."</p>
+
+<p>"Wall, maybe, my lad. But ye don't catch me a-tryin' it when I kin git
+anything else&mdash;not with the ice eight or ten feet thick an' the mercury
+down to forty below nuthin' at all!"</p>
+
+<p>It was not long after that they turned in, and never did they sleep more
+soundly, although a number of mosquitoes visited them. Foster Portney
+was the first to get up, and by the time the boys followed, a delicious
+smell of frying fish and boiling coffee was floating through the air.</p>
+
+<p>A ten minutes' ride on the lake brought them close to the entrance of
+the river. Here the water was <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">[Pg 148]</a></span>broken up into a dozen currents, swirling
+this way and that and throwing the spray in every direction. On either
+side of this watercourse were high walls.</p>
+
+<p>"Now fer the tug o' war!" said Captain Zoss, and immediate preparations
+were made to shoot the ca&ntilde;on and the falls of which Randy and Earl had
+heard so much. Once past that dangerous spot, the remainder of the trip
+to the gold regions would be an easy one.</p>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br /><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">[Pg 149]</a></span>
+
+<hr />
+<br />
+<h2>CHAPTER XIX.</h2>
+
+<h2>NEARING THE END OF A LONG JOURNEY.</h2>
+
+
+<p>Both Earl and Randy had heard from the miner Wodley that it was only of
+late years that prospectors after gold in Alaska had had the daring to
+shoot the White Horse Rapids, of which even the Indians in their light
+canoes were afraid. Formerly white men had packed everything, even to
+their boats, round the dangerous runs of water, a task which to them
+looked herculean, when they gazed at the tall mountains, and at the
+crooked trail Wodley pointed out.</p>
+
+<p>After much talking by all hands, it was decided that Wodley's boat
+should go through first, loaded down only with the mining tools, which
+would not suffer from getting wet. Wodley was at first going to take the
+trip alone, leaving his wife and the other miners of the party to join
+the Portney crowd, but at the last moment Captain Zoss asked to be
+allowed to take a hand, and the offer was accepted.</p>
+
+<p>The sail was taken from the <i>Buster</i>, as Wodley had named his craft, a
+heavy-set affair, built to stand some rough usage, and, each armed with
+an oar and a heavy <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">[Pg 150]</a></span>pole, the two men shoved off from the rocky shore. A
+few strokes sufficed to send them into the current, and fairly caught,
+the boat swung around and started on her mad career through the ca&ntilde;on of
+rocks and water and flying spray.</p>
+
+<p>"She's off!" shouted Earl, and followed by Randy he sped alongshore and
+up to the edge of the ca&ntilde;on, where he might see what progress was made.
+But hardly had they reached a convenient spot when the <i>Buster</i> shot
+along far beneath them, and around a bend, and was hidden from view in
+the midst of a whirlpool of waters that threatened each instant to
+ingulf her.</p>
+
+<p>"If she isn't smashed up before she reaches the end of the ca&ntilde;on, then
+I'll miss my guess!" ejaculated Earl. "My, but how she did spin along!"</p>
+
+<p>"Wodley ought to know what he's doing," answered Randy. "If she is
+smashed up, I hope he and the captain come out alive."</p>
+
+<p>They returned to where the others had been left, and took up the heavy
+packs which had been assigned to them. All the things to be carried had
+been equally divided among the men and the boys, and it was calculated
+that three trips would be necessary to move the outfits.</p>
+
+<p>That day proved the hardest they had yet experienced, and by the time it
+was dark both Randy and Earl felt as if their backs were broken and
+their feet, to use Earl's expression, "walked off." They had <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">[Pg 151]</a></span>carried
+one-third of their traps to a beautiful spot just at the head of the
+worst of the White Horse Rapids, which, it may be well to add here, are
+many miles in extent.</p>
+
+<p>Contrary to the expectation of the boys, Wodley and Captain Zoss had
+brought the <i>Buster</i> through in safety. They had had only one alarm,
+just at the end of the ca&ntilde;on proper, when the boat had swung around on a
+hidden rock and shipped about half a barrel of water. They were wet to
+the skin, and this, along with the story they told, made Mrs. Wodley
+insist upon it that her husband allow the other men of the party to
+bring the <i>Wild Goose</i> through, on the day following.</p>
+
+<p>As Captain Zoss had made the trip once, it was decided that he and Earl
+should take the next trip, while the others made another tramp over the
+trail with more of the traps. They encamped at the White Horse Rapids,
+but started back toward Lake Marsh before sunrise.</p>
+
+<p>"It's easy enough, Earl," said the captain, on embarking on the <i>Wild
+Goose</i>. "All you've got to do is to keep your wits about you and your
+eyes on the rocks. Tie the pail fast to the seat, so it won't float away
+if the boat gives too much of a lurch. If we have to bail any, you had
+better do it."</p>
+
+<p>They were soon on the way, out of the brightness of the early sunshine
+into the gloom of the yawning ca&ntilde;on, which seemed to swallow them up.
+The roar <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">[Pg 152]</a></span>of the waters between the rocks was deafening, and the flying
+spray sent a shiver through Earl. Yet he stood to his post manfully,
+realizing that there was no turning back, now that the perilous trip was
+once begun.</p>
+
+<p>"To the left shore!" roared Captain Zoss, presently, and Earl scarcely
+heard him. The captain waved his elbow frantically, while using his
+pole, and Earl saw what was wanted. They were running close to some
+half-submerged rocks. A vigorous use of the pole, a slight grating which
+made the youth hold his breath, and that danger at least was past.</p>
+
+<p>But more were ahead, and they grew thicker and thicker as the <i>Wild
+Goose</i> leaped, turned, and twisted, first in one mad current and then
+another. Swish! came a huge wave into the craft, nearly taking Earl from
+his feet. Then, before he could make up his mind whether to begin
+bailing or not, the boat slid up almost on her stern's end, and most of
+the water went flying forth. "Now for the left shore, and mind the
+channel!" roared the captain, once more, and then the oars came into
+play, and on they bounded through a clear cut in the rocks not over
+twenty-five feet wide. The cut at an end, the captain threw down his oar
+with a deep breath of satisfaction.</p>
+
+<p>"The wust on it's over," he announced. "Jest pole her along easy-like
+now, and we'll be down to camp inside of half an hour."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">[Pg 153]</a></span>The strain on the <i>Wild Goose</i> had caused several of the seams to part,
+but it was decided to do nothing with these until after the worst of the
+White Horse Rapids had been passed. They must now take their crafts out
+of water and carry or ride them on rollers to the foot of the falls.</p>
+
+<p>This was a job lasting several days, for both the <i>Wild Goose</i> and the
+<i>Buster</i> were heavy, and it took all the men in both parties to move one
+boat at a time. But at last the greatest of the falls was passed, and
+then it was decided to draw the boats along through what remained, and
+after another hard day's labor they had the satisfaction of finding
+themselves free from further obstacles, and encamped midway between
+Tahkheena River and the head of Lake Labarge. That day was Sunday, and
+it was spent in perfect rest by all.</p>
+
+<p>Thus far since the snow-squall on Lake Bennett, fine weather had favored
+them, but now Monday set in cloudy and threatening. As soon as breakfast
+was over, the <i>Wild Goose</i> was patched up and pitched over, and all of
+the outfit placed on board. The <i>Buster</i> was already loaded, and with
+the wind from the westward they tacked down the river and into Lake
+Labarge, a clear sheet of water, some twenty odd miles in length, and
+varying from two to four miles in width. About midway from either end of
+the lake there was an island, and on this rocky shore they were
+compelled to seek shelter about the middle of the afternoon, for the
+wind <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">[Pg 154]</a></span>had increased to a good-sized blow, and to sail in such a boat
+was, consequently, out of the question.</p>
+
+<p>Both the <i>Wild Goose</i> and the <i>Buster</i> had hardly been drawn up out of
+harm's way than it began to rain. Seeing this, all lost no time in
+pitching the tents and in building fires to keep warm, for in this
+section of Alaska a rain even in the summer is sure to make one feel
+cold. The tents were pegged down with extra care, and this was a good
+thing, for by nightfall the wind had increased to a hurricane.</p>
+
+<p>The travellers to the gold regions were stormbound at Lake Labarge for
+two days. It did not rain all this time, but the wind blew too strongly
+to venture from shore. The time was spent inside the tent and hung
+rather heavily, although occasionally relieved by a song from the
+doctor, or a yarn told by Captain Zoss, or Wodley, who, along with his
+wife, and Crimmins and Johnson, the other two miners, made themselves
+quite at home with the Portney party.</p>
+
+<p>"The wind has moderated at last!" said Randy, who was the first out on
+the third morning. "Now let us make the most of the fine weather while
+it lasts."</p>
+
+<p>The others were more than willing, and the stove and camping outfit were
+taken down to the <i>Wild Goose</i> without delay. The Wodley party was also
+stirring, but did not start until some time later on; and the two
+parties did not see each other again until many a day later.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">[Pg 155]</a></span>The journey to the end of Lake Labarge was quickly made, and they
+entered the thirty-mile watercourse, at that time unnamed, which
+connects the lake with the Big Salmon and the Lewes rivers. Randy and
+Earl were in charge, the men taking it easy over their pipes, for the
+captain was an inveterate smoker, and Mr. Portney and the doctor
+indulged occasionally in the weed.</p>
+
+<p>A good many miles had been covered, when Earl, happening to glance at
+his pocket compass, announced that they were sailing almost due
+southward. "And that can't be right," he said to Randy. "We ought to be
+headed for the northwest."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, we're on the river all right," answered Randy. Nevertheless, he
+spoke to his uncle about it, who at once consulted his pocket map.</p>
+
+<p>"I'll tell you what you've done," he announced presently. "Instead of
+sticking to the river that flows northward, you have turned into the
+Teslin, which flows to the south. Swing the <i>Wild Goose</i> around at
+once."</p>
+
+<p>Much crestfallen over their mistake, the boys did as requested. They had
+to go back nearly four miles, as they calculated, before they saw the
+opening which had previously escaped their notice. But once right, they
+found the wind directly in their favor, and with the sail set to its
+fullest, they bowled along until the Big Salmon was reached, and they
+swept into the broad waters of the Lewes River.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">[Pg 156]</a></span>"And now for the Yukon and the gold regions!" cried Dr. Barwaithe. "How
+much further have we to go?" he questioned, turning to Foster Portney.</p>
+
+<p>"About three hundred and fifty miles," was the answer. "And with the
+exception of the Rink and Five Finger rapids, which don't amount to
+much, so I have heard, we'll have straight sailing. Ten days more ought
+to see us at Dawson City, ready to stake our claims."</p>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br /><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">[Pg 157]</a></span>
+
+<hr />
+<br />
+<h2>CHAPTER XX.</h2>
+
+<h2>THE GOLD FIELDS AT LAST.</h2>
+
+
+<p>On the following day the wind died down utterly, and no progress could
+be made in the <i>Wild Goose</i> excepting by the use of oars, and this was
+slow and laborious work. They took turns at rowing, two at a turn, with
+the others taking it easy on the blankets, for the river was now broad
+and deep and as smooth as a mill-pond.</p>
+
+<p>On the second day they seemed to leave the rocks behind, and emerged
+into a slightly hilly country. Here the banks of the stream were
+overgrown with bushes and flowers, the latter just starting to push
+forth their buds in countless profusion of variety and color. The
+transformation was almost magical and more than one spoke of it.</p>
+
+<p>"That's the way of things in Alaska," said Foster Portney. "There are no
+spring and autumn; just winter and summer, and that's all. The warm
+weather which is now coming on will last until September, and then
+winter will come almost before you know it."</p>
+
+<p>Earl had noticed the increase in heat since leaving <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">[Pg 158]</a></span>the lakes, and now
+he perspired freely while pulling at the long oar. Randy sat in the bow
+taking in the sights. A flock of wild geese came sweeping toward them,
+and he asked for permission to take a shot with the gun. His aim was a
+good one, and two of the creatures fell where they were readily picked
+up.</p>
+
+<p>"We'll have stuffed goose to-night," said the captain, with a grin.
+"It's a pity we ain't got sage an' onions ter stuff it with."</p>
+
+<p>"Perhaps I can find something to take the place of sage," said the
+doctor. "This variety of bushes and vines ought to produce some similar
+herb."</p>
+
+<p>During the past two days they had noted a number of islands in the
+river, and that night they made a landing on one of these, in preference
+to tying up on shore. Mosquitoes were more numerous than ever, but a
+smudge built by Foster Portney soon drove the most of the insects off.</p>
+
+<p>The island was several acres in extent, and while the captain busied
+himself in roasting a goose and frying some potatoes he had "traded in"
+from Wodley for a bit of bacon, Randy and Earl took a tramp around, to
+stretch their legs and prospect on the sly. One carried a pick and a
+shovel and the other a gold-washing pan, and coming to a hollow where
+they could work unobserved, they set about getting out some dirt from
+under a series of rocks. The pan was soon full, and then Earl started to
+wash by pouring water on top and <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[Pg 159]</a></span>giving it the rotary motion he had
+heard his uncle mention.</p>
+
+<p>The labor was harder than either of them had imagined, and four panfuls
+of dirt were washed out, leaving nothing but smooth stones behind. They
+were about to continue the process, when they heard their uncle calling
+them, and a moment later Foster Portney appeared. He started to laugh,
+but quickly checked himself.</p>
+
+<p>"Digging for gold, eh?" he said. "Well, I don't think you'll find any
+here. The formation of the ground isn't right. If there is any precious
+metal around at all, it's at the bottom of yonder river. Might as well
+give it up." And somewhat disgusted the boys returned to camp. It was
+the only time they tried prospecting until the regular gold fields were
+reached.</p>
+
+<p>Two days later found them at the Rink and Five Finger rapids. Owing to
+the melting of the snow and ice under the increasing heat of the sun,
+the river was very high now, and, consequently, both spots were passed
+with comparative ease, the dangerous rocks being covered to a depth of a
+yard or more. In consequence of this increase of water, the river had
+over-flowed its bank for miles, forming great lakes and marshes
+everywhere, and at times it was almost impossible for them to keep to
+the channel. Once they did make a false turn, only to find themselves,
+half an hour later, in a "blind pocket," as Dr. Barwaithe put it.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">[Pg 160]</a></span>The rapids and the Tachun River passed, it was almost a straight sail
+northwest to the ruins of old Fort Selkirk. But little could be seen of
+the former fort, the Indians having overturned the very foundations in
+their search for trinkets and articles of value. They encamped at the
+spot over-night and were joined on the following morning by two other
+parties who had crossed Chilkoot Pass two days after themselves.</p>
+
+<p>Of these parties Earl asked for news of Tom Roland and Jasper Guardley,
+and was informed that the men had joined a crowd of Irishmen from
+Portland, who were coming through on a large raft. "They're a tough
+crowd, too&mdash;all of 'em," said the speaker. "If they don't get into
+trouble before they leave the gold diggings, it will be mighty queer."</p>
+
+<p>From old Fort Selkirk to Dawson City is a distance of one hundred and
+sixty miles, through a country so varied that it is next to impossible
+to describe it. At times the voyagers found themselves sailing calmly
+along on a broad expanse of water dotted here and there with wooded
+islands, rich in new foliage and evergreen trees, and again the stream
+would narrow, with high and rocky hills on either side. Here the water
+would flow swiftly over and around jagged rocks, and the utmost care
+would have to be exercised in avoiding a smash-up. Once they did receive
+a severe shaking-up and had to run for a low island with all possible
+speed, to avoid becoming waterlogged. This happened in the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">[Pg 161]</a></span>forenoon,
+and it took the balance of the day to make the <i>Wild Goose</i> as seaworthy
+as before.</p>
+
+<p>A week and more had slipped by since leaving the Rink Rapids, and now
+all were on the watch for the first sight of the new gold fields. Every
+one was in a state of suppressed excitement. They had met half a dozen
+miners sailing back and forth on the river and from these had learned
+that everything was "booming," and that strikes were panning out big.
+The eyes of both Randy and Earl glistened when they heard these stories,
+and the hardships endured since leaving Dyea were forgotten.</p>
+
+<p>"Hurrah! there's a miner's tent!" suddenly shouted Randy, late one
+afternoon. "We've struck the diggings at last!"</p>
+
+<p>"There are half a dozen tents and a board cabin!" added Earl, pointing
+still further on. "I guess you're right, Randy. I wonder if that is the
+Klondike River over yonder. It looks mighty small."</p>
+
+<p>"That's only a creek," said Foster Portney. "We'll land and see how far
+we are from Dawson."</p>
+
+<p>The <i>Wild Goose</i> was easily beached, and they lost no time in hunting up
+the miners to whom the tents and the cabin belonged. They were a party
+of Frenchmen from Canada and could speak but little English. Dr.
+Barwaithe spoke to them in their native tongue and soon learned that the
+place was Baker's Creek and that Dawson City was about six miles further
+on. The <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">[Pg 162]</a></span>Frenchmen were very conservative, but admitted that they were
+doing very well at placer-mining, taking out an average of thirty
+dollars a day per man.</p>
+
+<p>"Thirty dollars a day!" cried Randy. "A fellow can get rich quick enough
+at that rate."</p>
+
+<p>"Hardly&mdash;with such a short season," answered his uncle. "Yet thirty
+dollars isn't bad by any means."</p>
+
+<p>"I'm up yere to strike a fortune," put in the captain. "No measly little
+thirty dollars a day fer me!"</p>
+
+<p>Both Randy and Earl wished to remain behind to see the Frenchmen wash
+out the gold dust, but the others were impatient to go on, and they were
+soon on the way once more.</p>
+
+<p>"If the claims are good around here, it won't be long before they are
+taken up," said Foster Portney. "For, as you can see, men are pouring in
+over the mountains every day, not to say anything of those who make the
+long trip by way of the ocean and up the Yukon."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, I'm just crazy to get to work," declared Randy. "Just think of
+the gold lying around ready to be picked up!"</p>
+
+<p>His uncle smiled. Poor Randy! Little did he dream of the many backaches
+and privations in store for him.</p>
+
+<p>To the left of the river there now arose a long chain of hills and
+mountains, sloping gradually to the water's edge; on the right were
+smaller hills and great marshes, fairly choked with bushes and wild
+growths of vines <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">[Pg 163]</a></span>and flowers. The tundra was everywhere, and over all
+circled flocks and flocks of wild birds, a few mosquitoes, and something
+they had not yet seen&mdash;horseflies. The horseflies were black and green
+in color, and a bite from one of them made Captain Zoss utter a mighty
+yell of pain. "It was like the stab of a dagger!" he declared
+afterwards, and so angry did the bite become, and so painful, that the
+doctor was called upon to treat it with a soothing lotion.</p>
+
+<p>It was after seven o'clock, but still daylight, when Dr. Barwaithe
+raised his hand for the others to become silent. "Listen!" he said. "I
+think I heard a steamboat whistle. Ah! I was right. A boat is on the
+river!"</p>
+
+<p>A few minutes passed, and they heard the whistle again. Then Earl
+pointed ahead excitedly. "There's the boat, and she is tied up to the
+river bank. There are half a dozen buildings and fifty tents or more.
+I'll wager it's Dawson!"</p>
+
+<p>With hearts which beat quickly they sailed forward, using the oars to
+make the <i>Wild Goose</i> move the faster. Another turn of the stream and
+the mining town could be seen quite plainly. Ten minutes later they ran
+up just behind the steamboat and tied fast. The long trip was at an end.
+The new diggings, with all their golden hopes, lay before them.</p>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br /><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">[Pg 164]</a></span>
+
+<hr />
+<br />
+<h2>CHAPTER XXI.</h2>
+
+<h2>A DAY IN DAWSON CITY.</h2>
+
+
+<p>At the time of which I write, Dawson City was little better than a rude
+mining camp, containing, as has been previously mentioned, a half dozen
+board buildings and fifty tents, strung along what was known as the
+principal "street." Back in the timber land a rude saw-mill had been set
+up, and this was beginning to get out lumber at the moderate price of
+one hundred and twenty-five dollars per thousand feet!</p>
+
+<p>A year before Dawson City had been unknown, but the rich finds of gold
+on Bonanza and Gold Bottom creeks had caused the miners to leave Circle
+City and Forty Mile Post and boom the new El Dorado, as it was termed,
+and the settlement grew as if by magic. From the wild rush to stake
+claims many rows resulted, but the cooler heads speedily took matters in
+hand, and each man was allowed a claim from five to fifteen hundred feet
+long and extending the width of the creek or gulch in which it was
+located.</p>
+
+<p>These claims were not located upon the Klondike River, which joins the
+Yukon at Dawson City, as has been often supposed, but upon the little
+watercourses <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">[Pg 165]</a></span>running into the Klondike. These gold-bearing diggings
+are, or were, variously called Bonanza, Gold Bottom, and Bear creeks,
+which flow into the Klondike direct, and Hunker, Last Chance, El Dorado,
+Adams, Shantantay, and other creeks and semi-wet gulches which are
+tributaries to the creeks first named. The names were arbitrary, and
+were often changed to suit the miners' tastes.</p>
+
+<p>To Randy and Earl, the camp presented the appearance of having "just
+moved in," as the younger brother termed it. On every side were miners'
+outfits stacked in little piles, while their owners were either at hand
+erecting tents, or off prospecting or buying supplies. There was but one
+store, a rude board building not over twenty by thirty feet, in which
+everything on hand was offered at most extravagant prices. Flour sold
+for sixty dollars per barrel, beans fifty cents per pound, bacon and
+canned meats seventy-five cents per pound, and other goods in
+proportion. There were no fresh meats excepting two sides of beef just
+brought in by the little flat-bottomed steamboat from Circle City, and
+which were rapidly disposed of at two dollars to five dollars per pound.
+A crate of eggs were at hand, to be purchased at one dollar per dozen,
+but as most of the eggs were stale, the contents of the crate went
+begging. Of miners' tools, a pick or a shovel brought ten dollars to
+fifteen dollars, while washing pans were not to be found, and had to be
+manufactured by the miners <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">[Pg 166]</a></span>themselves. Wearing apparel was also scarce,
+and Earl saw twenty dollars given for a flannel shirt, and five dollars
+for a pair of socks, both articles being paid for in gold dust.</p>
+
+<p>As it was evening, most of the miners had given up work and come into
+the camp to talk, trade, and learn the latest news. Every one was in a
+quiver of excitement, and the announcement that an extra good find had
+been made on Hunker Creek caused many to strike out during the night to
+make new claims in that vicinity.</p>
+
+<p>"Let us go, too!" cried Randy, and Earl joined in; but the men talked it
+over and decided to remain in Dawson City until they learned more about
+the "lay of the land." They pitched their tent as close to where their
+boat lay as possible, but it is doubtful if any of the party slept
+through that short night, which had hardly anything of darkness.</p>
+
+<p>All told, there were not over six hundred white men in camp, and, in
+addition, there were perhaps a hundred Indians, with their squaws,
+children, and dogs; for no Alaskan Indian family is complete without
+from one to a half-dozen canines attached. The Indians were there to
+sell fish and game, and to pick up odd jobs of pack-carrying. They took
+but little interest in the gold strikes, and it was but rarely that they
+could be found mining, and then never for themselves.</p>
+
+<p>One of the first lessons to be learned by the boys and the others, was
+that of keeping their outfits intact. <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">[Pg 167]</a></span>Hardly were they up in the
+morning than a dozen miners and prospectors came shuffling around
+offering them various prices for this and that. Had they been willing to
+sell, they could have disposed of all they possessed by noon, but,
+cautioned by Foster Portney, they were firm, and nothing was allowed to
+change hands but a small bottle of cough syrup which the doctor sold for
+an ounce of gold, worth sixteen dollars, to a poor fellow suffering with
+a slight attack of pneumonia. The doctor wanted no pay, but the miner
+insisted on giving it, saying he would pay a thousand dollars if the
+physician would make him as well and strong as ever again.</p>
+
+<p>After many careful inquiries, it was decided that the party should first
+try its luck on Gold Bottom Creek, at some spot near to where the
+watercourse was joined by Hunker and Last Chance creeks. They had
+learned that while Bonanza and El Dorado creeks were paying well, all
+the best claims in those localities were already staked out.</p>
+
+<p>Two days later found them encamped at the entrance to a tiny
+watercourse, which flowed into Gold Bottom Creek. They had come in from
+the Klondike with their outfits on their backs and half a dozen Indians
+to aid them, for the trail was over rough rocks and through lowlands of
+berry bushes and tundra,&mdash;a wearisome walk which to Randy, at least,
+seemed to have no end. Often they sank up to their knees in the muck and
+cold water, and once the doctor got "stuck" and had to be <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">[Pg 168]</a></span>hauled forth
+by main strength and minus one boot, which was afterward recovered. A
+promising spot was reached by nightfall, the Indians were paid and sent
+off, and they set about making themselves a home, temporary or
+permanent, as fortune might elect.</p>
+
+<p>A flat surface on the side of a small hill was selected, and the tents
+were placed end to end, as before, but tightened down to stay. Then a
+trench was dug around the sides and the back, so that when it rained the
+water might drain off. This done, the interior was carpeted with small
+branches of pine and evergreen.</p>
+
+<p>"A good, healthful smell," said the doctor, referring to the greens;
+"and one that will ward off many a cold. On the top of those branches
+one ought to sleep almost as comfortably as on a feather bed."</p>
+
+<p>The interior of the tents arranged, a fireplace was next in order, a
+semicircular affair of stone, in which the sheet-iron stove might be
+sheltered from the wind. Then came a cache for the provisions to be
+stored away; and their domestic arrangements were complete.</p>
+
+<p>It was bright and early on the day following that all hands set off to
+prospect along the bottom of the gulch, which the boys had named
+Prosper. They were divided into two parties, the doctor and the captain
+in one, and the boys and their uncle in the other. The latter turned up
+to the left arm of the gulch and presently came to a little hollow,
+where the tiny stream of water flowing along had deposited some coarse
+sand to a depth of eight to twenty inches.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">[Pg 169]</a></span>"Now we'll shovel up some of this sand in the pan and see what it
+amounts to," said Foster Portney. "Don't take what is right on top,
+boys. If there is any gold, it is down next to the bed rock. And don't
+fill the pan too full." The boys worked eagerly, and soon had the pan
+nearly full of the sand. Mr. Portney then carried it to a nearby pool
+and allowed the water to run over the top, then brushed off the surface
+and began to "wash down." This took several minutes, and Randy and Earl
+stood by almost breathless during the process.</p>
+
+<p>At last only a handful of sand and dirt remained at the bottom of the
+pan. All three examined it with care. Here and there could be seen a
+tiny grain of dull yellow.</p>
+
+<p>"That is gold," explained Foster Portney. "But there is hardly enough to
+pay; probably three or four cents' worth in all."</p>
+
+<p>"Is that all!" cried Randy, and his voice was full of disappointment.
+Earl said nothing, but gathered up the pick and shovel and moved on.</p>
+
+<p>In two days a dozen other spots had been tried with even worse success,
+and the three in the party began to imagine that the gulch was of no
+consequence, so far as staking a claim there was concerned. To add to
+their discomfiture a miner came along who said he had gone all over that
+locality a month previous.</p>
+
+<p>"Ain't nothin' thar," he announced; "nothin' wuth <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">[Pg 170]</a></span>over four or five
+cents a panful. Better try your luck elsewar, friends."</p>
+
+<p>"We'll put in another day over here," announced Foster Portney. "One day
+won't count very much, and ground is often gone over a dozen times
+before the right strike is made."</p>
+
+<p>They had brought a lunch with them, and now sat down on the edge of a
+small stony cliff to eat it. The boys were tremendously hungry and could
+have devoured twice as much as what was on hand, but they were beginning
+to learn that short rations would be something to look forward to for
+some time to come.</p>
+
+<p>Having eaten what was allotted to him, Randy began to poke around with
+the pick, while his uncle and Earl still rested. The cliff was divided
+into two sections, and between was a lot of rotten stone, dirt, muck,
+and rubbish. Striking the pick deeply into this, Randy loosened a
+portion of the stone, and out it rolled into the gulch, bringing the
+dirt and a good portion of the rubbish after it. He began to scatter the
+stuff to the right and the left when something shiny caught his eye, and
+stooping he picked it up, while his heart leaped into his throat.</p>
+
+<p>"Uncle Foster! Earl! Look at this!" he cried, and ran to them, holding
+up the object as he did so. It was larger than an egg and quite heavy.
+Foster Portney gave one glance and then leaped forward, dropping what
+food still remained in his hand.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">[Pg 171]</a></span>"Where did you find it, Randy?" he exclaimed.</p>
+
+<p>"Over yonder," was the hasty reply. "But is it gold, Uncle Foster?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, Randy, it's a nugget as sure as you're born&mdash;a nugget worth at
+least two hundred dollars. And what's better yet," went on Mr. Portney
+as Randy began to dance with delight, "the chances are that there are
+more where this came from!"</p>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br /><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">[Pg 172]</a></span>
+
+<hr />
+<br />
+<h2>CHAPTER XXII.</h2>
+
+<h2>DIGGING FOR GOLD.</h2>
+
+
+<p>A nugget worth two hundred dollars! Randy could scarcely believe his
+eyes and ears. He gazed at his uncle for a moment in open-mouthed
+wonder.</p>
+
+<p>"You're in luck, and no mistake!" broke in Earl, as he also examined the
+yellowish lump. "Say, but that's a strike to start on, isn't it!"</p>
+
+<p>He had hoped to make the first find himself, but he was too unselfish to
+begrudge his brother that pleasure. Leaving the lump in his uncle's
+possession, Randy led the way back to where the find had been made, and
+all three set to work without delay to empty the "pocket," as Foster
+Portney called it, and examine the contents.</p>
+
+<p>"Here's another!" cried Earl, presently. "It's not quite so large,
+though."</p>
+
+<p>"But it's worth at least a hundred dollars, Earl," answered his uncle.
+"And see, here are a number of little fellows worth from ten dollars to
+fifty each. Randy has struck a bonanza beyond a doubt. Don't scatter
+that dirt too much, for we must wash out every ounce of it for little
+nuggets and dust."</p>
+
+<p>"And maybe there is a vein of gold back there," <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">[Pg 173]</a></span>said Randy, proudly.
+"If there is, we can all work it, can't we?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, unless the captain and the doctor have struck something equally
+good. There, that seems to be the last of the nuggets. Let us count
+them. Fourteen in all, and worth at least four hundred dollars. It paid
+to stay over in spite of what that miner said, didn't it?" And Foster
+Portney laughed, and the boys joined in readily, for the discovery of so
+much gold had put all into the best of humor.</p>
+
+<p>The nuggets picked out, they set to work to wash out the sand and dirt.
+While Foster Portney filled the pan and washed, the two boys took turns
+in bringing up water from the pool, using for the purpose a rubber water
+bag the man had thoughtfully provided for just such an emergency. The
+washings continued until it was quite dark, and by that time half of the
+dirt had been gone over and something like two ounces of gold dust
+extracted.</p>
+
+<p>"Not so bad," said Mr. Portney. "Perhaps to-morrow we'll do even
+better."</p>
+
+<p>"I could keep on all night," declared Randy, who was loath to quit the
+locality. "Somebody may come in and take the claim away from us before
+morning."</p>
+
+<p>"We'll leave the pick and the shovel in it, and that will prevent them,"
+was the answer; and this was done. No miner dares to touch another's
+"prospect" so long as any tools remain in it.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">[Pg 174]</a></span>When they got back to camp they found the doctor and the captain already
+there. The two had tried half a dozen spots, but only one had yielded
+sufficient gold dust to warrant their continuing to work it. They
+listened with keen interest to the account of the find made by Randy,
+and were quite willing to take a hand at prospecting that locality the
+next day.</p>
+
+<p>Eight o'clock found all hard at work. While the captain and Earl washed,
+the others went into the opening of the cliff and brought out all that
+remained of the dirt and loose stones. There was not a great deal, and
+shortly after noon every shovelful was heaped up close to the artificial
+pool of water Dr. Barwaithe had constructed. While the washing
+continued, Foster Portney examined the sides and the bottom of the
+opening, and then moved forward through a tangled mass of brushwood and
+tundra until he came to the bed of a second gulch a hundred feet
+distance from the first.</p>
+
+<p>"There is nothing more in the pocket," he declared. "And if there is any
+more gold, it is either in that gulch or this, and I am half inclined to
+think it is over there, although we may as well prospect this gulch
+thoroughly first."</p>
+
+<p>By the morrow the washings from the pocket came to an end, with four
+more ounces of gold to the credit of the prospectors, making in all a
+find of about five hundred dollars. Previous to going into camp it had
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">[Pg 175]</a></span>been decided that for the present everything found should be divided
+into five parts, one to go to the captain, one to the doctor, and three
+to Foster Portney for himself and his nephews. The Portney share, as we
+know, was to be divided, one-half to Mr. Portney and one-quarter to each
+of the boys. Thus the boys received each three-twentieths of the entire
+amount found; not a large portion, but then they had nothing to pay out
+for expenses, which were bound to be considerable, and each was
+perfectly willing that his uncle should have the one-tenth extra of the
+whole amount on that account.</p>
+
+<p>"Three-twentieths of five hundred dollars is seventy-five dollars," said
+Randy to Earl, when they were alone. "We've each earned that, free and
+clear, so far. That's not bad."</p>
+
+<p>"If only we can continue, we'll make our fortunes," replied Earl,
+earnestly. "But the pocket's at an end, and now we've got to prospect
+elsewhere."</p>
+
+<p>The days went by, and they tried the first of the gulches from end to
+end, sometimes working together, and then each man and boy for himself.
+But though they struck gold often it was never in paying quantities, and
+the end of the week saw them somewhat discouraged.</p>
+
+<p>"It wouldn't be so bad, only we made such a fine start," grumbled Randy.
+"Now there's no telling when we shall find gold again."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">[Pg 176]</a></span>"That's the fortunes o' prospectin'," said the captain. "It may be we
+won't git a smell o' gold in the hull district ag'in!"</p>
+
+<p>"I move we try that other gulch on Monday," put in the doctor. "It's
+full of loose sand, isn't it?" he went on to Foster Portney.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, the sand and gravel are at least two feet thick," was the answer.
+"I believe there is gold there, as I said before, but to clear off the
+brush and moss will be no easy task."</p>
+
+<p>"We came out here for work," said Earl. "I didn't expect to sit around
+and sun myself." And all laughed at this remark.</p>
+
+<p>It was Sunday, and late on Saturday night a miner had been around
+announcing a religious meeting to be held over at the Bottom at noon.
+Mr. Portney, the boys, and the doctor walked over, nearly half a mile,
+leaving the captain in charge of the camp. They found about fifty miners
+collected around an improvised platform, where an earnest-looking young
+man was reading a chapter from his Bible. A song by three of the women
+present followed, and then came a short sermon on the brotherhood of man
+and the value of a faith which would carry a man above the temptation to
+do wrong, even in that desolate region. At the close of the service a
+collection was taken up, for the preacher's benefit, some of the miners
+giving ordinary money, and others pouring gold dust into <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">[Pg 177]</a></span>the little
+chamois bag the preacher had provided for that purpose.</p>
+
+<p>At this meeting the Portneys again met the Wodley crowd, who had located
+about a mile up Gold Bottom Creek, at a place called Rosebud, a name
+particularly inappropriate, since no roses were to be found in the
+vicinity. Wodley and his companions were doing fairly well, and thought
+the "doctor's flock" might do worse than to locate just above them.</p>
+
+<p>"We'll remember that," said Foster Portney. "But first we are going to
+try again over where we are."</p>
+
+<p>Wodley had heard again from Tom Roland and Guardley. He said the gang,
+as he termed it, which they had joined had gone up Hunker Creek and
+staked out three claims somewhere above Discovery, as the first claim on
+a creek or gulch is called. The claims had overlapped some already
+staked out, and the miners in that section had had several fights and
+had threatened to drive out all the newcomers if they did not do what
+was right.</p>
+
+<p>"I was going over to Hunker Creek myself," concluded Wodley. "But I
+don't want to quarrel with anybody."</p>
+
+<p>Monday morning found the entire Portney crowd over to Tangle Gulch, as
+Mr. Portney christened it. It was a name well chosen, for the tangle of
+bushes, vines, and moss was "simply out of sight," so Earl said,
+although as a matter of fact it was very much in <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">[Pg 178]</a></span>sight&mdash;that and
+nothing else. No one could move forward more than a yard before having
+to stop to loosen himself, either from the bushes and vines or the
+clinging moss, and muck under the moss. And to add to their discomfort
+they stirred up a legion of mosquitoes, gnats, and black flies, which
+hovered over their heads like a cloud.</p>
+
+<p>"Let us burn the brush first of all," said the doctor, when at last the
+middle of the gulch was reached. "That will clear the surface and
+scatter those pests overhead. Oh, my!" He broke off short as he went
+down into a concealed water hole which was several feet deep. "Here's
+another of the pleasures of hunting gold in Alaska!" and this was said
+so comically that everybody roared.</p>
+
+<p>Axes and knives had been brought along, and soon a large pile of the
+brush had been cut and piled in a heap and set on fire. As it was green,
+it burnt slowly and raised a large smoke, which made the mosquitoes
+scatter immediately. From that day until the end of the summer they kept
+a smudge fire for protection. The brush cleared from the sides of the
+gulch, which was very narrow, they went at the tundra, throwing the moss
+wherever it would be out of the way. This took a long time, and it was
+not until almost nightfall that they got down to the sand and gravel of
+the choked-up watercourse.</p>
+
+<p>"Now we'll see if there is anything in this gulch or <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">[Pg 179]</a></span>not," said the
+captain, as he scooped up the first panful off the bedrock. "If there
+isn't, then we've had most all-fired hard work fer nuthin', eh?" And he
+started in to wash up the sand, gravel, and dirt, while the others
+looked on in breathless interest.</p>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br /><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">[Pg 180]</a></span>
+
+<hr />
+<br />
+<h2>CHAPTER XXIII.</h2>
+
+<h2>GOOD LUCK AND BAD.</h2>
+
+
+<p>As the captain wanted to save every grain of gold in the pan, he washed
+very carefully, and it was fully five minutes before the last of the
+sand and dirt was disposed of and they could come to a calculation as to
+the value of the yellow metal left.</p>
+
+<p>For gold there was, true enough, shining brightly before their eyes&mdash;and
+there was more than this, too, for some of it was of a blackish color.
+The others could not believe in the value of this until Foster Portney
+assured them that he had frequently heard of black gold being turned up
+in the Yukon district.</p>
+
+<p>"Half an ounce at least," was the verdict arrived at by both the captain
+and Mr. Portney; "and that's eight dollars."</p>
+
+<p>"Then we had better stay, hadn't we?" said Earl.</p>
+
+<p>"Why, of course, Earl; you didn't expect to do much better than that,
+unless you struck nuggets."</p>
+
+<p>"One fellow over to Gold Bottom said he was taking out a hundred dollars
+to the panful," put in Randy.</p>
+
+<p>"Fairy stories, my lad," answered the captain. "A <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">[Pg 181]</a></span>claim as will turn
+out eight dollars to the pan is mighty good&mdash;as good as I'm a-lookin'
+fer just now."</p>
+
+<p>"And we haven't gone very far into this gulch," put in the doctor. "It
+may be better further up."</p>
+
+<p>"And it may be worse," said Foster Portney, "although I'm inclined to
+think it will be better. We had best stake out our claims without
+delay."</p>
+
+<p>This was readily agreed to, and before they went back to the tents they
+had staked out three claims, one for each of the men. Earl might have
+taken up a claim, too, being just old enough, but the three covered all
+the ground which the party thought of any account. Each claim was five
+hundred feet long and the upper one covered both gulches, which was an
+excellent thing, as it would give them a fair amount of water by which
+to do their washing. The posts firmly planted and marked, they walked
+slowly back to camp, talking over the prospects and mapping out their
+future work.</p>
+
+<p>It was decided to move the tents to a more convenient locality, and a
+spot was readily found at a point above where the two gulches joined, or
+rather where the one gulch split into two. The transfer to this new
+home-spot was made the next day by Earl, Randy, and the doctor, Mr.
+Portney and the captain going back to uncover several other portions of
+the claims, to ascertain, if possible, just what their values might be.</p>
+
+<p>The next week was a busy one. The camp removed and put into comfortable
+shape, the next work was to <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182">[Pg 182]</a></span>dam up the gulch where the pocket had been
+found, so that all the water might flow through Mosquito Hollow, as the
+doctor had facetiously dubbed the new diggings,&mdash;a name that stuck to
+it. This work was done by Randy and Dr. Barwaithe, while Earl joined the
+captain and his uncle in burning down the brush and getting rid of the
+tundra.</p>
+
+<p>Before turning the water from Prosper Gulch into Mosquito Hollow, Foster
+Portney advised sinking several holes along the latter gulch, that any
+gold washed along by the flow would be caught. The captain put these
+down, and then came the long labor of cleaning the sand and dirt from
+the bedrock below. As it would have taken all summer to clean out the
+entire bottom of the gulch, only the deeper part was attacked and here a
+runway for the water was made, a foot to two feet wide.</p>
+
+<p>The water had just been turned along Mosquito Hollow and washing begun
+when a party of prospectors from Forty Mile Post came along and espied
+the claims. They at once wished to know the particulars of the find
+made, and, assured that there was gold there, one of the men lost no
+time in putting up his stakes below them, while two others went above.
+Inside of a week after this the Hollow boasted of eight claims, and a
+little settlement sprung up at the Fork, as the miners named the spot
+where the Portney crowd had located.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">[Pg 183]</a></span>"We'll have a town here before the summer is over," said Earl; but he
+was not sorry to have company, especially as the newcomers were all
+hail-fellows-well-met and apparently honest to the core. Among them was
+a young lawyer from Dakota, and he and Dr. Barwaithe soon became the
+warmest of friends.</p>
+
+<p>The short Alaska summer was now reaching its height, and flowers and
+berries were growing everywhere in the wildest profusion, while during
+the middle of the day the sun beat down so fiercely that they were often
+compelled to seek the shade for hours at a time.</p>
+
+<p>"My gracious, the Hollow is like a pepper box!" said Randy one day, as
+he came into camp with his shirt wet through with perspiration. "Not a
+breath of air stirring."</p>
+
+<p>"And the hotter it is, the worse the flies are," added Earl. "I declare,
+they seem to bother me more than even the mosquitoes."</p>
+
+<p>Usually it cooled off toward seven or eight o'clock, even though the sun
+still shone well up in the sky, but this night proved as warm as the day
+had been, and most of the party went to sleep outdoors, unable to stand
+it inside of the close tents. Outside, they had to wind their heads and
+necks in mosquito netting and cover up their hands, to keep from being
+pestered to death. It was the most uncomfortable twenty-four hours they
+had yet put in.</p>
+
+<p>"The old Harry take Alaska!" burst out Dr. <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184">[Pg 184]</a></span>Barwaithe, finally. One
+mosquito had alighted on his nose, and two others on his neck. "It's
+worth all the gold you can get, and more, too, to stand these impudent
+pests. Oh!" And making half a dozen wild slashes he finally scrambled up
+and ran around the tents to throw his tormentors off.</p>
+
+<p>The captain was suffering from a slight attack of scurvy, brought on by
+eating so much salt food. The doctor had given him some medicine, but
+this did little good, and the captain was getting into a bad way when
+one of the old miners, who had just come in, came to his aid.</p>
+
+<p>"Eat tomatoes, cap'n," he said. "Best thing on airth fer scurvy. Bill
+Watson wuz down with it wust way an' nuthin' helped him but tomatoes. He
+eat 'most a bushel o' 'em, an' they made a new man o' him. Eat
+tomatoes."</p>
+
+<p>"Tomatoes may be very good," said the doctor. "They are a very strong,
+green vegetable, you know. You might try them."</p>
+
+<p>And the captain did try them, first using up some of the cans brought
+along, and then buying a quart of fresh tomatoes at Dawson City, for two
+dollars. Sure enough, the tomatoes helped wonderfully, and about a week
+later the scurvy left him.</p>
+
+<p>Nearly a month had now passed since the party had located at Mosquito
+Hollow, and in that time they had taken out three small nuggets worth
+probably fifty <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185">[Pg 185]</a></span>dollars apiece, and a little short of a hundred and
+fifty ounces of gold dust. Counting the gold dust as worth sixteen
+dollars an ounce, this gave them, in round figures, twenty-five hundred
+dollars for their labor.</p>
+
+<p>"Twenty-five hundred dollars!" said Earl. "That's a good deal more than
+we could earn at home."</p>
+
+<p>Captain Zoss gave a deep sigh and shook his head. "I ain't satisfied,"
+he said. "I didn't come up to Alaska to work fer no five hundred a
+month. I'm goin' elsewhar fer luck."</p>
+
+<p>"You won't stay here?" asked Randy, quickly. He had begun to like the
+captain very much.</p>
+
+<p>"No, lad; I'm yere to make a fortune or nuthin'. I quit the hollow
+ter-morrow."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, you have that right, captain, although I'm sorry to see you go,"
+said Foster Portney.</p>
+
+<p>"Which means thet you an' the boys stay," answered the captain, quickly.
+"I'm sorry ye won't go with me. I want ter try Hunker Creek."</p>
+
+<p>"I think I'll stay," said Foster Portney, quietly. "I'll give the gulch
+a few weeks longer, for the way I look at it we're making wages and have
+the chance to make a strike. What do you say, boys?"</p>
+
+<p>Randy was in for following the captain, but a look from Earl made him
+change the words on the end of his tongue. "I'll do as you think best,
+Uncle Foster."</p>
+
+<p>"And so will I," said Earl.</p>
+
+<p>Then they looked at the doctor, who was kicking the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_186" id="Page_186">[Pg 186]</a></span>toe of his boot
+against the tent pole in speculative way. It was several seconds before
+the medical man spoke.</p>
+
+<p>"I&mdash;I think I'll go with the captain," he said finally. "Not but that I
+hate to part company," he added hastily. "But I came up here to make a
+big hit, and if I wanted to work for what we've been making here, I
+could get it easier by going into Dawson City and hanging out my
+shingle&mdash;you all know that. I hope we part the best of friends."</p>
+
+<p>"We will," said Foster Portney. "We'll divide our gold as per agreement,
+and also the outfits."</p>
+
+<p>"And I'll give you my share of this gulch free," said the captain, and
+the doctor said the same.</p>
+
+<p>Of this, however, Foster Portney would not hear. He insisted on paying
+each of them a hundred dollars, and drawing up regular papers, which
+were signed in the presence of two of the outside miners. On the day
+following the doctor and the captain packed up their traps, hired four
+Indians to help them, and set off, first however, giving Mr. Portney and
+each of the boys a hearty handshake. In a few minutes they were out of
+sight.</p>
+
+<p>"And now to work the Hollow for all it is worth," said Foster Portney,
+when they were left alone. "And remember, from henceforth, whatever we
+turn up belongs to us and to nobody else."</p>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br /><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_187" id="Page_187">[Pg 187]</a></span>
+
+<hr />
+<br />
+<h2>CHAPTER XXIV.</h2>
+
+<h2>AN UNLOOKED-FOR ARRIVAL.</h2>
+
+
+<p>Although the boys missed Dr. Barwaithe and Captain Zoss greatly, there
+was much of satisfaction in the thought that their uncle had expressed;
+namely, that henceforth whatever was taken out of the three claims on
+Mosquito Hollow gulch would belong to them and to nobody else.</p>
+
+<p>"Of course, we can't expect to do as much work as was done before," was
+the way Earl reasoned. "But we are just as liable as ever to make a big
+strike."</p>
+
+<p>During the following week the weather turned off somewhat cooler, and
+this made work easier and more rapid. All three went at it with a will,
+and the six days brought in six hundred dollars in dust.</p>
+
+<p>"That's a hundred and fifty apiece for us, Earl," said Randy, after
+figuring up. "It beats lumbering down in Maine all hollow, doesn't it?"</p>
+
+<p>"I'll tell you better after we've gone through a winter up here, Randy.
+From all accounts the weather is something awful, and we've got to stand
+it, for getting away is out of the question after the first of
+September."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_188" id="Page_188">[Pg 188]</a></span>"Well, let's not anticipate trouble. I guess Uncle will see that we are
+as well provided for as possible," answered Randy, who could think of
+nothing but the gold dust brought in daily.</p>
+
+<p>So far they had done all their washing with hand pans. Foster Portney
+had tried to obtain a cradle, or a "Long Tom," but had failed. Now he
+announced his intention to go over to the saw-mill at Dawson and buy the
+necessary boards for several sluice boxes. He left on Friday, stating he
+would probably not return before Monday or Tuesday.</p>
+
+<p>The week had brought a number of newcomers to the vicinity, who had
+staked claims on other gulches within a radius of half a mile. Some of
+these late arrivals had come over the mountain pass, while the majority
+had taken the longer route up the Pacific Ocean and the Yukon. The Fork
+seemed to be a favorite camping ground, and there were times when as
+many as a score of tents were pitched there.</p>
+
+<p>One of the newcomers was from Hunker Creek, and he brought news of the
+doctor and the captain. The pair had staked two claims some distance
+above Discovery and were doing fairly well, although they had by no
+means struck it as rich as anticipated.</p>
+
+<p>It was on Saturday evening, when Randy and Earl were busy washing out
+some of their underwear&mdash;for they of course had to play their own
+washerwoman&mdash;that news was brought to them that there was a young
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189">[Pg 189]</a></span>fellow down at a camp below who had expressed a desire that Randy or
+Earl come to see him.</p>
+
+<p>"He ain't give no name, but he's a slim-built chap an' don't look like
+he was cut out fer roughing it," said the messenger. "He's half sick,
+and he was grub-struck when me and my pard picked him up."</p>
+
+<p>"A slim-built chap&mdash;" began Randy, when Earl broke in: "It's Fred
+Dobson, the crazy fool!"</p>
+
+<p>"Fred!" cried Randy. He turned to the messenger and asked the miner to
+give him a better description of the boy; but this was not forthcoming,
+and he hurried off with the man, leaving Earl in charge of the tent.</p>
+
+<p>The camp below was quarter of a mile away, over a hill thick with
+blackberry bushes. But something like a trail had been tramped down from
+the Fork, and it did not take the two long to cover the distance. They
+had just come over the hill in sight of several tents when Randy beheld
+somebody get up from a seat on a fallen log and totter toward him.</p>
+
+<p>"Randy Portney!" It was Fred Dobson's voice, but so thin and hollow
+Randy scarcely recognized it. "Oh, how glad I am to see somebody I
+know!"</p>
+
+<p>"Fred! How in the world did you get up here!" burst out Randy. He took
+the hand of the squire's son, and led the way back to the seat. "How
+thin and pale you look! I thought you had gone back to Basco!"</p>
+
+<p>Fred heaved a deep sigh. Then he looked Randy <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190">[Pg 190]</a></span>full in the face for a
+moment. His eyes were moist, and he tried in vain to keep back the
+tears. But it was impossible, and throwing his head on Randy's shoulder,
+he wept like a child.</p>
+
+<p>The tears touched Randy to the heart, and he caught the thin hands and
+pressed them warmly. "Never mind, Fred," he said. "Now you are up here
+I'll do what I can for you. So let up and tell me your story."</p>
+
+<p>It was several minutes before Fred could do this. "I came up by the way
+of the Chilkoot Pass," he said, when he felt able to speak. "I joined a
+party I met in Juneau, a crowd of men from Chicago, and they promised to
+see me through if I would do my share of work. But the work was too hard
+for me, and they treated me like a dog, and at Baker's Creek they kicked
+me out of camp and compelled me to shift for myself."</p>
+
+<p>"How long ago was this?"</p>
+
+<p>"A week ago. Since that time I've been knocking around from pillar to
+post, looking for something I could do, so as to earn at least enough to
+eat. I did get one job in Dawson City washing dishes in the restaurant,
+but even there the food the boss wanted me to eat was more than I could
+stand, as it was nothing but leavings."</p>
+
+<p>"And when did you hear of us?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yesterday. I struck a miner named Wodley and he gave me your
+directions. Oh, Randy, what a fool I <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191">[Pg 191]</a></span>was to come to Alaska! If only I
+had taken your advice and gone back to Basco!" And it was only by an
+effort that Fred Dobson kept himself from crying anew. He felt
+miserable, weak, and hungry, had had scarcely a kind word for weeks, and
+was on the point of giving up in despair.</p>
+
+<p>"Do your parents know where you are?" asked Randy, after another pause.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, I wrote to them just before leaving Juneau&mdash;I couldn't think of
+going so far away without doing that."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, that was at least one sensible move, Fred." Randy thought for a
+moment. "Our camp is about half a mile from here, over that hill. Can
+you walk that far?"</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, yes, Randy; I can walk a good way now I've found a friend." Fred
+arose as quickly as he could. "Are you and your friends all together
+yet?"</p>
+
+<p>"No; there are only my uncle, Earl, and myself now."</p>
+
+<p>The two were soon on the journey over the hill. Fred was still rather
+shaky, and Randy gave him his arm to help him at the difficult places.
+When they reached camp, Earl had all the washing out and everything
+tidied up.</p>
+
+<p>"So it is you, Fred?" he said, as he held out his hand. "I thought you
+back in Basco by this time."</p>
+
+<p>"I only wish I was! I made the biggest mistake <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_192" id="Page_192">[Pg 192]</a></span>of my life when I ran
+away, so there! and I don't care who knows it!" And Fred threw himself
+on a bench in front of the tent.</p>
+
+<p>"If there is any of that bean soup left, you had better give Fred some,"
+said Randy, with a knowing glance which did not escape Earl. "And I'm
+going to fry some of the fish I caught over in the river last night."</p>
+
+<p>Half an hour later the wanderer was sitting down to as appetizing a
+supper as he had tasted since leaving the States. While he ate he told
+his story in detail, to which Randy and Earl listened with much
+interest. That Fred had had a hard time of it there could be no doubt;
+and that he had learned a lesson he would never forget was also
+apparent.</p>
+
+<p>"If there was only some way of getting home, I'd start to-morrow," he
+said. "But I'm up here now, and I've got to do for myself&mdash;somehow." He
+looked wistfully at Earl and Randy. "Do you think I could make some kind
+of a deal with your uncle to keep me? I know I am not as strong and
+hardy as you, but I can do something, and I won't look for any pay."</p>
+
+<p>"I don't know what uncle will say," said Earl. "He has gone to Dawson,
+and won't be back before Monday or Tuesday. I guess you can stay here
+till that time."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes; and if he won't take you in, I'll help you <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_193" id="Page_193">[Pg 193]</a></span>some," added Randy.
+"We've been more fortunate than you."</p>
+
+<p>Fred was curious to know how they had made out, and Earl and Randy told
+him. He was amazed to think they had done so well; and his face
+brightened a good deal when he remembered how Randy had said he would
+help him.</p>
+
+<p>Sunday was spent in camp. Fred, who was completely tired out, slept the
+greater part of the day, although at meal times, weak as he was, he
+insisted on washing the dishes and the pots and kettles, just to show
+that he was in earnest about working. This made Earl and Randy smile to
+themselves.</p>
+
+<p>"Think of Fred washing dishes like that at home," whispered Earl to his
+brother. "If only the squire could see him now, I guess he'd almost
+forgive him for running away!"</p>
+
+<p>On Monday the two brothers went to work as usual in the Hollow. Fred
+followed them over and was much interested in their labors. Once he
+tried shovelling up the sand and dirt, but Earl told him he had better
+take it easy and get back his strength; and then he walked back to the
+tent, to spend the balance of the day in mending his clothing, which was
+sadly in need of repairs. When the boys came back, he had supper ready
+for them, and never had they had a meal in camp that was better cooked.</p>
+
+<p>"Cooking was the one thing I learned coming up <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194">[Pg 194]</a></span>here," Fred explained.
+"There was a negro in the party who had been a chef in a Chicago hotel;
+and he was the one soul in the crowd that treated me half decently."</p>
+
+<p>"Perhaps uncle will retain you as cook," said Randy, mischievously, and
+then he stopped short, for he did not wish to hurt Fred's feelings. The
+supper passed off pleasantly, and Fred announced that he felt a hundred
+times better than the day previous.</p>
+
+<p>It was around ten o'clock, and the sun had just set over the mountains
+to the westward, leaving the Hollow in an uncertain, pale-blue light,
+which would last until sunrise at four, when a messenger on mule-back
+dashed along the trail from Gold Bottom. "Thar's a lynchin' goin' on
+down to Smedley's!" he yelled, as he sped by. "They've caught a sneak
+thief by the name o' Guardley, an' they're goin' ter make him do er
+dance on nuthin'. Better be gittin' down thar, if ye want ter see
+justice done!"</p>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br /><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_195" id="Page_195">[Pg 195]</a></span>
+
+<hr />
+<br />
+<h2>CHAPTER XXV.</h2>
+
+<h2>MORE WORK IN THE GULCHES.</h2>
+
+
+<p>"They are going to lynch a fellow named Guardley!" ejaculated Earl. "I
+wonder if it can be Jasper Guardley."</p>
+
+<p>"It must be; it's not likely there is another Guardley up here&mdash;the name
+isn't as common as all that," returned Randy. "Shall we go?"</p>
+
+<p>Earl hesitated. There was something appalling in a lynching, to his
+mind. Yet he was curious to know more of the crime for which the
+prisoner was about to suffer.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, we might as well&mdash;if Fred will watch the camp," he answered.</p>
+
+<p>"I'll watch it as well as I can," answered Fred. The work he had been
+doing had tired him more than he would admit, and he was glad enough to
+take it easy. He knew Guardley, but took small interest in the man his
+father had sent up more than once for petty crimes.</p>
+
+<p>In less than five minutes Earl and Randy were off, stalking over the
+hills and along Gold Bottom Creek as rapidly as their tired limbs would
+carry them. <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196">[Pg 196]</a></span>Smedley's, a settlement of two-score of tents and one board
+cabin where a few odds and ends could be bought, was nearly two miles
+distance, yet they arrived there in less than half an hour&mdash;fast time
+when the state of the trails they had travelled was taken into
+consideration.</p>
+
+<p>They found that the prisoner had been bound, hands and feet, and placed
+in the storeroom of the board cabin, a little shed in the rear, scarcely
+eight feet by twelve and hardly high enough for a man to stand in. Two
+rough-looking miners were on guard, one with a gun, and the other with
+an old-fashioned horse-pistol over a foot long.</p>
+
+<p>"What do you want?" demanded one of the miners of Earl, as the latter
+pushed his way forward through the fast-gathering crowd. "This ain't no
+place fer a young rooster like you."</p>
+
+<p>"I would like to see the prisoner, please," answered Earl. "I think I
+know him."</p>
+
+<p>"You ain't the feller's pard, are ye?" demanded the second guard,
+suspiciously.</p>
+
+<p>"No. I am from Maine, and I knew a Guardley up there who came to these
+diggings. I wanted to find out if it was the same man."</p>
+
+<p>"Say, is that Earl Portney?" came from within, and both Earl and Randy
+recognized Jasper Guardley's voice. "If it is, I'd like to talk to him."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, Guardley," answered Earl. "What's the trouble?"</p>
+
+<div class="img"><a name="imagep196" id="imagep196"></a>
+<a href="images/imagep196.jpg">
+<img border="0" src="images/imagep196.jpg" width="40%" alt="I would like to see the prisoner, please" /></a><br />
+<p class="cen" style="margin-top: .2em;"> "<span class="smcap">I would like to See the Prisoner,
+Please.</span>"&mdash;<i>Page 196.</i></p>
+</div>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_197" id="Page_197">[Pg 197]</a></span>"Can't you come in and talk to me?"</p>
+
+<p>"I'll come in if the guards will allow it," and Earl looked at the men.</p>
+
+<p>"Go on in; but leave yer gun with me, if yer got one," was the reply,
+from the man who had first addressed Earl.</p>
+
+<p>"I haven't any pistol," said the youth, and passed into the shed. Randy
+was about to follow, but the guard stopped him. "One's enough, my lad;
+you wait outside." And Randy fell back into the crowd, which kept
+increasing every minute.</p>
+
+<p>From those around him, Randy learned that Guardley was being held for
+the theft of eighty ounces of gold dust, which had been buried by a
+miner, named Cozzins, under the flooring of his tent. Cozzins had missed
+his gold that morning, and three other miners had testified to seeing
+Guardley sneaking around the place, in company with another man,
+presumably Tom Roland. Roland and the gold were both gone, and Guardley
+had been "collared" just as he was about to leave for Dawson City. The
+miners around Smedley's had held a meeting, and it was likely that
+Guardley's crime would cost him his life.</p>
+
+<p>"For you see we ain't got no jails here," explained one miner. "An' to
+leave sech a measly critter run would be puttin' a premium on crime."</p>
+
+<p>When Earl came out of the shed his face was very pale, and he was on the
+point of passing the guards <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_198" id="Page_198">[Pg 198]</a></span>without a word, when they stopped him.
+"Well, wot did ye make out?" demanded one, laconically.</p>
+
+<p>"He says he didn't take the gold&mdash;that the robbery was planned and
+executed by his partner. It is awful to think of taking his life."</p>
+
+<p>"It's his own fault, lad&mdash;he should have thunk o' those things afore he
+consented to help on the job."</p>
+
+<p>"When will they&mdash;they&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Perform the ceremony? I reckon some time between now an' sunrise,
+onless the crowd changes its mind. They're goin' to talk it over agin ez
+soon as Cozzins comes back. He's huntin' fer thet other rascal."</p>
+
+<p>After this Earl joined Randy, who was anxious to hear what Guardley had
+had to say. The two walked some distance away.</p>
+
+<p>"I believe Tom Roland stole the gold," began Earl, "but Guardley was
+willing he should, and he remained on guard around the tent while Roland
+dug it up, so he's just as guilty."</p>
+
+<p>"But to take his life&mdash;" shuddered Randy.</p>
+
+<p>"I hope they change their minds about that. And, by the way, we were
+right about that money in Boston. Roland got that, and he had that lost
+letter, too. Guardley admitted it, although he didn't give me any
+particulars. He is trying to lay the blame of everything on Roland."</p>
+
+<p>A shout interrupted the conversation at this point. Cozzins had come
+back after an exciting but fruitless <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_199" id="Page_199">[Pg 199]</a></span>chase. At his appearance the scene
+took on a new activity, and the would-be lynching party moved to the
+front of the so-called store, where half a dozen flaring torches and two
+smoking kerosene lamps lit up the weird scene. Here Cozzins told his
+story, and then Guardley was brought out, trembling in every limb. He
+begged over and over again to be let go, and his earnestness had its
+effect even on the man who had been robbed. A talk lasting a quarter of
+an hour followed, and then Guardley was given his choice of two
+sentences,&mdash;the one being that already pronounced, and the other being a
+whip-lashing on his bare back, and a drumming out of the camp, with the
+warning that if he ever showed up there again, he was to be shot on
+sight. With a long sigh of relief he chose the latter punishment, and
+was ordered to strip, while Cozzins prepared for his part in the affair,
+by hunting up the hardest and strongest rawhide dog-whip to be found.</p>
+
+<p>"I don't want to see the whipping," whispered Randy; "let us go home.
+Poor Guardley! I guess Cozzins will make him suffer as he has never
+suffered before!"</p>
+
+<p>"I hope it teaches him a lesson to turn over a new leaf," answered Earl.
+"But I'm afraid there isn't any reform to Guardley. He hasn't even
+enough manliness to shoulder his share of the blame, but tries to put it
+all off on Roland. Come on." And they turned away without another word.
+Before they were out of <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_200" id="Page_200">[Pg 200]</a></span>hearing distance of the camp, a shriek rent the
+air, telling that Guardley's punishment had already begun.</p>
+
+<p>The boys had expected their uncle to come back by Tuesday as told; but
+in the afternoon one of the miners, working down Mosquito Hollow,
+brought word from Dawson City that Mr. Portney could not get his lumber
+for two or three days, and might be absent the remainder of the week in
+consequence. So there was nothing to do but to keep on working at the
+claims with the hand pans, and this Randy and Earl did, Fred helping
+them as far as he was able. The boy who had been so ill-treated and half
+starved was growing stronger rapidly, and he showed a willingness to do
+even the most disagreeable things which was as astonishing as it was
+gratifying.</p>
+
+<p>Friday found the trio working up along a little split in the rocks on
+the right bank of the gulch. The split was not over two feet wide by
+twelve feet long, and it was filled with gravel and muck, with here and
+there the nest of a field mouse among the tundra. Earl had suggested
+clearing out the split, and he had gone in first to loosen the gravel
+with his pick. About three loads of soil had been removed and carted
+down to the gulch stream, and now Earl found the balance of the split
+blocked by a huge rock.</p>
+
+<p>"Doesn't seem to amount to much," he said, throwing down his tools to
+mop the perspiration from his brow.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_201" id="Page_201">[Pg 201]</a></span>"Let me go in there," suggested Fred, and caught up the pick. Swinging
+the tool over his shoulder, he brought it down with all force at a spot
+where the rock showed a slight crack.</p>
+
+<p>"Look out, or you'll break that pick!" called out Randy, when the front
+half of the rock fell away, and Fred had to jump up to avoid having his
+feet crushed. As he made the leap, his eyes caught sight of a surface of
+yellow half hidden by muck and moss. He struck at it with the pick, and
+out came a nugget nearly as big as his fist. He grabbed it up in a
+transport of delight.</p>
+
+<p>"Look! look! A nugget! Oh, what a big fellow! How much do you think it's
+worth?" he cried; and rubbed the muck off with his coat sleeve. "It
+looks as if it was solid!"</p>
+
+<p>"It is almost solid," said Earl, weighing the find in his hand. "It's
+worth two or three hundred dollars at least." And then he added, by way
+of a caution, "You'll have to remember, Fred, that this is my uncle's
+claim."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, I know that. But it ought to be worth something for finding it,"
+said Fred, wistfully.</p>
+
+<p>"Certainly, we'll make it right."</p>
+
+<p>"Of course we will," added Randy. "Let us see if there are any more
+nuggets in there. This may be a pocket, like the one I found on Prosper
+Gulch." He went forward, but Earl was ahead of him, and was <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_202" id="Page_202">[Pg 202]</a></span>using the
+pick with all the speed and skill at his command. As the remainder of
+the rock came away, a mass of sand, gravel, and dirt followed.</p>
+
+<p>"Here are four small nuggets," said Randy, picking them up.
+"Fifty-dollar finds, every one of them."</p>
+
+<p>Earl said nothing, although he heard the talk. He had espied a gleam of
+dull yellow wedged in between the side of the split and a second rock.
+He tried to force the second rock out, and as it moved forward the gleam
+of yellow became larger and larger, until his hand could not have
+covered it. He worked on frantically, hardly daring to breathe. At last
+the rock fell and the face of the nugget lay revealed, shaped very much
+like the sole and heel of a large man's shoe.</p>
+
+<p>"What have you got?" asked Randy and Fred simultaneously, seeing
+something was up; but Earl kept right on, picking away below the find,
+and to both sides. It seemed to him the thing would never come out, and
+as he realized how large the nugget was, his hands trembled so he could
+scarcely hold the pick. "I've struck a fortune!" he muttered, at last,
+in a strangely hoarse voice. "See if anybody is looking, Randy." And
+then the nugget came loose, and he clutched it in both hands and held it
+up,&mdash;a dull, dirty, yellowish lump, worth at least three thousand
+dollars!</p>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br /><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_203" id="Page_203">[Pg 203]</a></span>
+
+<hr />
+<br />
+<h2>CHAPTER XXVI.</h2>
+
+<h2>SLUICE BOXES AND PREPARATIONS FOR WINTER.</h2>
+
+
+<p>A nugget worth three thousand dollars was, by far, the largest find yet
+made in that district, and the three young miners could scarcely believe
+it true, as they surveyed the lump in Earl's hands.</p>
+
+<p>"Do you suppose it's pure gold?" asked Randy, as he took it from his
+brother. "It's heavy enough."</p>
+
+<p>"I think it's almost pure," said Earl. "We've struck it rich this time.
+Be sure and keep your mouth shut, both of you, or we'll have all of Gold
+Bottom up here," he added. "We've got at least four thousand dollars'
+worth of stuff out of there, so far, and goodness only knows how much
+more there is."</p>
+
+<p>"Here come a couple of miners now," whispered Fred, happening to glance
+down the gulch. He dropped some of the smaller nuggets into his pockets,
+while Randy took care of the rest. Earl let the large lump fall into the
+dirt and covered it up with tundra muck.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, pards, how air ye makin' it?" asked one of the miners, as he
+halted on the edge of the gulch.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_204" id="Page_204">[Pg 204]</a></span>"Oh, we're doing fairly well," answered Earl, as coolly as he could,
+although still highly excited. "Where are you bound?"</p>
+
+<p>"Thought we'd try it over to Hunker Creek. Some good reports from there
+this week."</p>
+
+<p>"So I've heard," said Randy. "I wonder if it would pay us to go over."</p>
+
+<p>"It might&mdash;everybody has an equal chance, ye know," said the second
+miner. "Say, do ye calkerlate to git anything outer thet split?" he went
+on, with a look of disdain on his face.</p>
+
+<p>"I thought I would see what was in it," said Earl. "If a fellow don't
+try, he'll never find anything."</p>
+
+<p>"Ye won't git nuthin' out o' thar; the split don't lay right. Better go
+up to the top end o' your claim; ye'll stand more chance thar." And
+after a few words more the two miners moved off, and the boys breathed
+easier.</p>
+
+<p>"That shows what he knows about it," said Earl, when he dared to broach
+the subject. "Wouldn't he open his eyes if he knew the truth?"</p>
+
+<p>"And wouldn't he be in for squeezing a claim right on top of us?" added
+Randy. "No; we had best keep this find to ourselves, at least until
+we've found just what is in the split and how far away from the gulch it
+runs."</p>
+
+<p>"Throw all the nuggets into the hole over yonder," said Earl, "and cover
+them up. We'll take them to the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_205" id="Page_205">[Pg 205]</a></span>tent to-night, and bury them in some
+safe place. I'm going ahead." And he began to pick away as though his
+life depended upon it, while Randy and Fred went over the sand, gravel,
+and dirt with their shovels and hands, to pick out some small nuggets,
+which they found to the number of forty-three, some not larger than a
+grain of rice, and others the size of coffee beans.</p>
+
+<p>"Here is another lump," said Earl, presently, and brought out a thin
+sheet of gold, mixed with stone. "I shouldn't wonder if there is a layer
+of quartz rock somewhere along here, although I don't see anything of it
+yet. I guess this lump will produce thirty or forty dollars' worth of
+gold more. Pretty good for five minutes' work." And he went at it again
+with renewed vigor, scattering the sand and gravel behind him, like a
+mother hen looking for worms.</p>
+
+<p>An hour later the split was cleaned out so far as it could be
+accomplished with the tools at hand. There remained a small crack still,
+running downward three feet, as Earl ascertained by testing it with a
+berry-bush switch. What there might be at the bottom of the crack there
+was no telling, although it must contain some gold, if only in dust.
+Three additional nuggets had been unearthed, one as large as a pint
+measure and finer in appearance than any of the rest. Making sure they
+were not observed, the first nuggets were again brought forth, and each
+took a portion of them to carry home. The largest was tied up in Earl's
+coat, which <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_206" id="Page_206">[Pg 206]</a></span>he slung carelessly over his shoulder as he trudged along.</p>
+
+<p>"Worth five to six thousand dollars if they are worth a cent," said
+Earl, as he surveyed the lot in the privacy of their tent. "And we
+haven't begun to wash up yet nor tested that little crack. This is the
+best luck yet."</p>
+
+<p>Some of their findings had already been put down in a hole under the
+bedding in the tent. The hole was now opened and the new findings added,
+Earl first making a list of the nuggets, to give to his uncle. The
+ground was pounded down hard after this, so that if anybody wanted to
+dig the treasure up, he would find it a day's labor. Nearly all the
+miners buried their large finds, it being the only protection to be had.</p>
+
+<p>On Saturday Mr. Portney came back, bringing with him three Indians
+loaded down with lumber and hardware. He was much surprised to see Fred,
+and was on the point of giving the lad a good talking to when Randy
+called him aside and explained the situation. Earl, also, put in a good
+word for Fred; and then, when the Indians were paid off and discharged,
+the subject was dropped, by both boys telling of the wonderful find
+which had been made. Of course Foster Portney was greatly interested,
+and he smiled when Randy particularly mentioned how Fred had brought out
+the first nugget and caused Earl to investigate further.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_207" id="Page_207">[Pg 207]</a></span>"You certainly deserve credit for that, Dobson," he said. "You shall
+have your full share of whatever the nugget proves to be worth. As for
+that little split, the only thing we can do is to blow it open with
+dynamite, and, luckily, I brought a can of the stuff from Dawson for
+just such an emergency."</p>
+
+<p>Foster Portney had heard about Guardley, and had also heard that some
+Canadian mounted police, who had arrived at Dawson City, were on Tom
+Roland's trail. Guardley had turned up at Forty Mile Post whipped half
+to death, and it was doubtful whether he would get over his punishment.</p>
+
+<p>On Sunday the question of whether Fred Dobson should remain as one of
+the party or not was fully discussed. The lad offered to work for
+nothing if only given his board and such clothing as he needed, and
+Randy and Earl said Fred could certainly cook as well as any of them and
+was getting more used to using a pick and a shovel every day. Seeing
+that his nephews wanted the runaway to be taken in, Mr. Portney at last
+said he would "let it go at that."</p>
+
+<p>"I'll feed you and clothe you," he added, "and if we come out all right
+next spring I'll pay your passage back to Basco and give you a little
+extra in the bargain. But you've got to hustle the same as the rest of
+us; that is, as far as your strength and health will permit." And Fred
+said he understood and was thankful for the chance, and would do his
+level best. <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_208" id="Page_208">[Pg 208]</a></span>And he did do his level best from that hour forth. His
+experience had been a bitter one, but at the same time it had been the
+best in the world for him,&mdash;exactly what he needed.</p>
+
+<p>The days which followed were busy ones. With the lumber brought in,
+Foster Portney and the boys constructed three sluice boxes, which, after
+completion, were set up at convenient points in the gulch, where the
+water might easily be turned on and off in them. Each box was fifteen
+feet long and a foot square, open at each end and at the top, the latter
+having a few braces across to keep the sides stiff. At the bottom of the
+box small cleats about an inch high were placed at intervals of fifteen
+inches apart, the last cleat, at the lower end of the box, being a
+trifle higher than the rest.</p>
+
+<p>A sluice box done, it was carried to the spot selected for it and
+planted firmly, with its lower end in the stream and its upper end
+elevated from one to two feet. Then the upper end of the stream was run
+into it by means of a water trough. The box was now ready for use. By
+shovelling dirt in at the upper end and allowing the water to run
+through, the dirt was gradually washed down and out at the lower end,
+leaving the heavy gold to settle to the bottom and pile up along the
+upper sides of the cleats previously mentioned. At night the water was
+turned aside and the day's accumulation of gold was scraped away from
+the cleats.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_209" id="Page_209">[Pg 209]</a></span>"We can do a good deal more with the boxes than we can with the pans,"
+said Foster Portney. "And what washing we want to do must be done before
+cold weather sets in and the gulch freezes up."</p>
+
+<p>It must not be supposed that the slit in the rocks had been forgotten.
+To the contrary, all hands had often spoken of it, and as soon as the
+sluice boxes were finished every one in the claim turned to the place.
+Two sticks of dynamite were placed in the slit and set off, and the rock
+blown into a thousand fragments.</p>
+
+<p>The blast revealed an opening beneath the slit which was a yard wide and
+twice as deep. This opening was filled with loose sand and dirt, and at
+the bottom of all was a thick layer of gold dust, slightly mixed with
+silver. They scraped the dust up with great care, and found that it
+would very nearly fill a quart measure. They hunted eagerly for nuggets,
+but no more could be found, and the quartz rock Earl had hoped for
+failed to appear.</p>
+
+<p>"Never mind; we can't expect too much luck," said Mr. Portney. "A heap
+of dust like this is find enough for one day. Let us scrape the hole
+thoroughly and cart the dirt down to the nearest sluice box." This was
+done and they examined the vicinity carefully for another slit, but none
+appeared. This pocket, like that on Prosper Gulch, was now exhausted,
+and with a sigh Randy and Earl turned away to the regular work of
+washing for dust. Each had one of the boxes allotted <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_210" id="Page_210">[Pg 210]</a></span>to him, while
+Foster Portney took the third. Fred occupied his time between the three
+and in cooking the meals; and thus the balance of the summer slipped by
+until the day came when Mr. Portney announced that they must begin
+building a cabin and prepare for the long Alaskan winter which would
+speedily close in around them.</p>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br /><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_211" id="Page_211">[Pg 211]</a></span>
+
+<hr />
+<br />
+<h2>CHAPTER XXVII.</h2>
+
+<h2>THE END OF THE SUMMER SEASON.</h2>
+
+
+<p>Mr. Portney and the boys had long since decided where the cabin should
+be built, up against the side of a cliff, ten feet in height, which
+overlooked the head of the gulch. All the miners in the locality had
+agreed that this would be the best spot, and six cabins were to be
+placed there, for hospitality's sake if for no other reason. Mr. Portney
+had already ordered the dressed lumber needed from the saw-mill; but as
+this was costly stuff, and expensive to transport, Earl and Randy had
+declared their intention to go into the timber back of the cliff and get
+out whatever of rough wood could be made to do.</p>
+
+<p>"We're not going in for style," declared Earl. "You can get the window
+frames and glass, and the door and the finishing boards, and we'll get
+out the rest, won't we, Randy?" And his brother agreed with him.</p>
+
+<p>A week later found the party building in earnest. Over a hundred
+dollars' worth of lumber had been purchased, and it had cost as much
+again to bring it over. In the meantime Earl and Randy, aided by Fred,
+had brought out from the woods four sticks of timber for <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_212" id="Page_212">[Pg 212]</a></span>the corner
+posts of the cabin and had whip-sawed two-score of rough boards. With
+this material they went to work, and four pairs of willing hands soon
+caused the building to take definite shape. Seeing them at work, the
+other miners also got at it, and soon there was sawing and hammering all
+day long beneath the cliff.</p>
+
+<p>Of necessity the cabin was a simple affair. It was set partly on the
+flat rock and partly on the hard ground, and was twenty feet wide by
+twelve feet deep, the back resting almost against the cliff. In the
+front was a door and a window, and there was another window at the end
+nearest to the door. Inside, a spare blanket divided the space into two
+compartments, the first, the one having the door, being the general
+living-room, and the second being the sleeping-room. In the living-room
+was placed a cooking-stove, a rude table, and four home-made chairs,
+while the sleeping-room was provided with four bunks, ranged along the
+rear and end walls. Later on a closet was built for the
+cooking-utensils, but for the present these were piled up in a corner.</p>
+
+<p>Foster Portney was very particular that all the cracks in the side walls
+of the cabin should be filled in with mud, and the top, which was nearly
+on a level with the cliff, was also made water and wind tight, excepting
+where a circular hole was left for the upper section of a stovepipe.</p>
+
+<p>As soon as the cabin was in habitable shape, an <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_213" id="Page_213">[Pg 213]</a></span>account of all the
+provisions on hand was taken. It was found that the canned vegetables
+had run low and that they also needed more flour. A list of necessities
+was made out, and Earl and his uncle started away to Dawson City to
+purchase them, knowing that prices were advancing every day and that the
+goods on hand at the store were liable to give out long before the
+demand for them should cease.</p>
+
+<p>Fred had asked to go out into the woods to see what he could shoot, he
+being a fairly good shot and thoroughly familiar with the use of a gun.
+It was thought best not to let him go alone, and he and Randy went
+together, leaving the cabin in care of the miners who were building
+close at hand.</p>
+
+<p>The hunt in the woods was hardly a success. After tramping around for
+two hours they brought down several birds of a species unknown to them
+and one small deer, smaller than any Randy had ever seen in Maine.
+Otherwise the woods were bare of game, and by the middle of the
+afternoon they gave it up.</p>
+
+<p>"When Earl comes back I'll ask my uncle to let the three of us go over
+to the river," said Randy. "I've heard there are good chances there for
+wild goose, snipe, and plover."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, and we might put in a day fishing. Even salt and smoked fish
+wouldn't go bad during the winter," added Fred. He was growing hardy and
+strong and took a deep interest in all that was going on.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_214" id="Page_214">[Pg 214]</a></span>It was two days before Mr. Portney and Earl returned, bringing with them
+all they and two Indians could carry. The provisions included an extra
+hundred pounds of flour, for which they had paid fifty dollars, some
+canned peas and tomatoes, fifteen pounds of dried apples and California
+apricots, and some coffee, sugar, salt, and smoked bacon. In an extra
+package Earl also carried a beefsteak weighing two pounds and for which
+he had paid five dollars.</p>
+
+<p>"It's Randy's birthday to-morrow," he said, "and we're going to
+celebrate in a style I know you'll all admire." And every one laughed
+and agreed with him, for they had not had any fresh beef since leaving
+the steamboat at Dyea.</p>
+
+<p>Foster Portney was quite willing that the three boys should take a trip
+over to the Yukon to see what could be found in the way of fish and
+game, and it was arranged that they should be gone three days. The start
+was made on Monday morning.</p>
+
+<p>They travelled altogether by compass through the woods, managing on the
+way to knock over enough birds to serve them for their meals. On the
+morning of the second day they struck the Yukon about midway between
+Dawson City and Ogilvie. As they came in sight of the broad stream Earl
+halted the crowd and pointed straight ahead.</p>
+
+<p>"Look at the snipe!" he said. "Now is our chance. Let us all fire
+together!"</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_215" id="Page_215">[Pg 215]</a></span>Randy and Fred had borrowed shot-guns from their neighbors, and at the
+signal three reports rang out, and eight of the birds came down. A
+second shot from Randy, whose gun had a double barrel, brought down
+three more; and from that hour on the sport began, lasting until well
+into the evening, when they had twenty snipe, six plover, and eight wild
+geese to their credit.</p>
+
+<p>As late as it was, Earl determined to try his hand at fishing, and soon
+had his line out. There were a few minutes of waiting, then the bait was
+taken like a flash, and there followed a lively struggle between the
+youth and a salmon which weighed over fifteen pounds. Several times Earl
+thought he had lost his catch, but each time he recovered, and finally
+the salmon came in close enough to be swung on shore. Even then he
+flopped around so lively that Fred had to quiet him by a blow from the
+stock of his gun.</p>
+
+<p>Earl's success had fired the others, and soon they were fishing in the
+pale-blue twilight of the night. They kept it up until after twelve
+o'clock, when they turned in with a catch of three salmon, several
+whitefish, and a burbot, which Randy at first took for a codfish. They
+slept soundly, and early in the morning tried the sport again, starting
+for home at about noon, and arriving there with their burdens some time
+after midnight, worn out but happy.</p>
+
+<p>It was found that Foster Portney had not been idle <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_216" id="Page_216">[Pg 216]</a></span>during their
+absence. From time to time, as the canned eatables were disposed of,
+they had saved the tins, and now he had cleaned them out and filled some
+with such berries as still remained on the bushes about the gulch. To
+seal the cans up he had brought from Dawson City a stick of lead, and
+for an iron had used the end of a broken pick.</p>
+
+<p>"That will give us some fresh berries," he said. "And along with canned
+salmon, and salted and smoked whitefish, burbot, and wild goose, I
+reckon we'll get along fairly well, unless the winter proves an extra
+long one."</p>
+
+<p>As much as they felt the necessity of preparing for winter, Randy and
+Earl hated to lose the time when there was the chance to make so much
+money at the sluice boxes. So as soon as they were able, they got down
+to the gulch again, and never did two lads work harder. They were
+accompanied by Fred, and a day later their uncle also joined them.</p>
+
+<p>The dirt from the pocket had been cleaned up, and it had yielded over
+twenty ounces of gold. They were now working on the regular sand and
+gravel scraped from the bedrock of the gulch, and though this did not
+pay so well, yet it brought in enough to make them all satisfied. There
+was a good deal of excitement, too, when it came to cleaning out the
+sluice boxes, for almost every day one or another found a nugget,
+sometimes small, and then again as large as a walnut.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_217" id="Page_217">[Pg 217]</a></span>"How much do you think we are averaging?" asked Randy, one day, and his
+uncle replied that he could not figure very closely, but he would put it
+down as over a hundred dollars per day. This meant twenty-five dollars a
+day as the boy's share, and he felt more content than ever to slave
+along in the gulch.</p>
+
+<p>For it was slaving along, this constantly picking and digging and
+carting the dirt, sand, and gravel to the sluice boxes and throwing it
+in. Every night Randy's back ached, and sometimes he would come in with
+feet that were sopping wet, and covered up to his waist with mud and
+muck. And then he took a touch of the chills and fever, and was down on
+his back for a week with only Fred to wait on him. The chills and fever
+went the rounds, and Foster Portney and Earl were stricken at the same
+time. Fred was the last to catch it; and by the time he had recovered,
+winter was at hand.</p>
+
+<p>The first indication was a rawness in the air, which made them shiver
+when they turned out in the morning. Then the bushes and the trees
+quickly lost their leaves, and three days later ice formed in the
+marshes back of the gulch. The sun came up as usual, but it seemed to
+have lost its warmth, and all were glad enough to keep on their coats
+even when working.</p>
+
+<p>"Two more weeks will fetch it," observed Foster Portney. "We had better
+wash out as much dirt as possible before the water stops running."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_218" id="Page_218">[Pg 218]</a></span>Ten days later the thermometer went down with a rush, dropping from
+fifty-six to but twenty above zero. Going down to the gulch, they found
+the stream covered with ice, which was half an inch thick. By the next
+day there was no water to be found, only ice, and even the piles of
+sand, gravel, and dirt were frozen stiff. A heavy dulness, which
+oppressed them greatly, hung in the air. Winter had come, and gold
+washing for that season was a thing of the past.</p>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br /><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_219" id="Page_219">[Pg 219]</a></span>
+
+<hr />
+<br />
+<h2>CHAPTER XXVIII.</h2>
+
+<h2>SNOWED IN.</h2>
+
+
+<p>Although everything in the gulch was frozen up, it must not be supposed
+that mining there came to an end. While it was true no more washing
+could be done that season, there was dirt, gravel, and sand to be heaped
+in convenient spots, ready for the first run of water in the spring.</p>
+
+<p>At one end of the claims there was a bank which had been examined by
+Foster Portney and found to contain very rich pay dirt, and this bank
+was now attacked by all hands and the dirt brought out to the nearest
+sluice box. To thaw the ground a fire was built up against the bank
+every night and allowed to burn until morning. Even in extremely cold
+weather this thawed the bank to a depth of several feet, and when they
+had scooped out a hole which resembled a baker's oven the thawing-out
+process was still more effectual.</p>
+
+<p>But it was hard and bitter work at the best, and as the cold increased,
+Fred found he could not stand it, and had to remain in the cabin the
+greater part of the time, coming out only during the middle of the day.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_220" id="Page_220">[Pg 220]</a></span>"This cold gets into the marrow of a fellow's bones," he said to Randy.
+"I don't see how you can put up with it."</p>
+
+<p>"Earl and I were used to pretty tough weather up in the Maine woods, as
+you know," replied Randy. "I guess an out-and-out city chap would freeze
+stiff before he had been here a week. The thermometer was down to six
+below zero this morning."</p>
+
+<p>The cold had cut off their water supply, and every drop for drinking or
+cooking had to be obtained by melting ice on the stove. To keep them in
+fuel, all hands spent four days up in the woods cutting timber, which
+was allowed to dry out for two weeks, and was then hauled over to the
+edge of the cliff and tumbled down to a spot between their cabin and
+that of their nearest neighbor, two hundred feet away.</p>
+
+<p>By Foster Portney's advice another trip was made by him and Earl to the
+Yukon River in search of fish for winter use, for fish could now be kept
+by simply being frozen in a chunk of ice and laid away. The two found
+the ice on the Yukon over two feet thick, and had to cut fishing-holes
+with an axe they had brought along for that purpose. They spent a day on
+the river, fishing and spearing, and were rewarded with a catch of over
+fifty pounds. Earl had brought the shot-gun, and to the fish were added
+a dozen small sea-fowl, which were caught on the wing while flying
+southward.</p>
+
+<p>"We had better be getting back," observed Foster <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_221" id="Page_221">[Pg 221]</a></span>Portney, early on the
+following morning. "Unless I am greatly mistaken we shall have a heavy
+fall of snow by to-night."</p>
+
+<p>As they did not wish to be caught in a storm, they started on the return
+to the gulch as rapidly as their loads would permit. They were still in
+the woods when the first flakes began to fall. With the coming of the
+snow the wind began to rise, shaking the bare limbs above them savagely
+and causing a lively tumble of dead branches on every side. Not to
+become stormbound, they increased their pace, reaching the lower end of
+the gulch by six o'clock in the evening. They could hardly see before
+them, so thickly did the flakes come down, and both considered
+themselves fortunate in having struck familiar ground. By the time the
+cabin was reached the snow was six inches deep.</p>
+
+<p>"We thought you'd be snowed under!" cried Randy, as he opened the door
+to let them in. He had been watching anxiously since the snow began to
+fall. "It's going to be an awful night."</p>
+
+<p>He was right; it was an awful night&mdash;more so than any of them had
+anticipated. After a hot supper they retired to their bunks to sleep,
+only to be aroused about midnight by the roar of the wind as it tore
+through the woods and along the gulch with the force of a hurricane. The
+snow was coming down "in chunks," as Randy put it, and mingled with it
+were tree branches, small brush, and dried tundra. In one corner of the
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_222" id="Page_222">[Pg 222]</a></span>cabin the wind had found a crack about six inches long and less than a
+sixteenth of an inch wide, and through this crack the snow had sifted
+over the entire floor.</p>
+
+<p>"Jerusalem! the roof is coming down!" cried Earl, when they had been up
+a few minutes, and while his uncle was stuffing a piece of cloth in the
+crack mentioned. There was a great noise overhead as the hurricane tore
+away the top joint of the stovepipe. Through the opening poured a lot of
+snow, which, falling on the hot stove, sent up a cloud of steam. To stop
+the snow from coming in, Foster Portney climbed up on the top of the
+table and nailed a bit of a board over the hole.</p>
+
+<p>"We can't have that stovepipe up there, that's certain," he said. "We'll
+have to stick it out of the side window. It won't look very elegant, but
+I reckon we're not keeping house on looks up here." And by their united
+efforts the stove was swung around in front of the little window, and
+the upper end of what was left of the pipe was twisted around and
+pointed outside, after one of the small window panes had been taken out.
+Around the pipe Mr. Portney fitted a square sheet of tin, obtained from
+an empty tomato can. Then the floor was cleared of snow and the fire
+started up afresh.</p>
+
+<p>The hurricane, or blizzard, lasted until six o'clock in the morning, and
+during that time nobody thought of <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_223" id="Page_223">[Pg 223]</a></span>going to sleep again. The cabin
+shook and rocked, and had it not been for the shelter of the cliff would
+have gone to pieces. The snow kept piling higher and higher until it
+threatened to cut off the smokepipe again.</p>
+
+<p>"Perhaps we'll have to swing the stove around to the front," said Foster
+Portney. "We can let the pipe out near the roof, and build a little hood
+over it, so that the snow from the cliff can blow right over into the
+gulch." And later on this was done.</p>
+
+<p>"This will stop work in the gulch," said Randy. "It's too bad! What on
+earth are we going to do with ourselves from now until next spring?"</p>
+
+<p>"We'll try to keep alive and well, Randy," returned Mr. Portney,
+seriously. "Remember, from now on comes the tug-of-war, as the old
+saying goes."</p>
+
+<p>But work was not over, as Randy had surmised. To be sure, when the storm
+ceased at noon it was found the snow was nearly three feet deep on the
+level. But a day's labor sufficed to beat down a path to the bank in the
+gulch, and once again the fires were started and the work of getting the
+dirt to the sluice boxes resumed. The clearing of the storm had left it
+stinging cold, and all were glad enough to hustle lively in order to
+keep warm. They worked with their overcoats on and with their feet
+encased in several pairs of woollen socks, and even then spent much time
+around the fire, "thawing out," to use Randy's words.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_224" id="Page_224">[Pg 224]</a></span>The work in the bank, however, paid them well. Four days after the fall
+of snow, Foster Portney struck several rocks to one side of the rise and
+located another pocket of nuggets. They were all small fellows, the
+largest about the size of a hickory nut, but the nuggets numbered nearly
+half a hundred and caused a good deal of excitement.</p>
+
+<p>"It's another fifteen hundred or two thousand dollars to our credit,"
+said Mr. Portney. "And not only that, but this dirt is as rich as that
+taken from the pocket over yonder. We haven't struck a million, but we
+are doing remarkably well."</p>
+
+<p>"I wonder how Captain Zoss and Dr. Barwaithe are making out," said Earl.
+They had not heard from their former partners for nearly a month, when a
+miner had brought word to the effect that they had just located a claim
+on a gulch heading into Hunker Creek, the third strike since leaving
+Mosquito Hollow.</p>
+
+<p>"I imagine they are not doing any better than we are," replied his
+uncle. "If they were, we should have heard of it. It may pay to strike
+around, more or less, but I believe in giving a claim a fair trial
+before abandoning it."</p>
+
+<p>Less than a week later it began to snow again. The sky was heavy, and
+even at midday it did not brighten up. They had gone down to the gulch
+directly after breakfast, but now returned to the cabin, to fix up the
+stovepipe as previously mentioned, and <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_225" id="Page_225">[Pg 225]</a></span>to cut enough small wood to last
+for several weeks. All were hard at work when they saw two white men and
+two Indians approaching, the latter driving before them two dog teams
+attached to a pair of Alaskan sledges, piled high with miners' outfits.
+The two men were Dr. Barwaithe and Captain Zoss.</p>
+
+<p>"It's a sight good fer sore eyes to see ye ag'in!" exclaimed the
+captain, as he shook hands with Mr. Portney and the boys. "I couldn't
+keep away no longer. How are ye all?"</p>
+
+<p>"We are very well," said Foster Portney. "How have you been doing?"</p>
+
+<p>"Only fairly well," answered the doctor. "To tell the truth, I don't
+think it paid to strike out. We have a little dust, but no more, I
+imagine, than we should have had had we remained with you."</p>
+
+<p>The pair had come over to see if they could not arrange to remain at the
+cabin through the winter, fearing that they would find it very lonesome
+if they went off by themselves. They had brought along all their things,
+including a stock of provisions, and were willing to pay whatever was
+fair in addition. As their company would no doubt prove very acceptable
+during the long, cheerless days to come, they were taken in without
+question.</p>
+
+<p>"We can put up two more bunks somewhere," said Foster Portney. "And
+though we may be rather crowded, I reckon we'll manage it." He had taken
+a <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_226" id="Page_226">[Pg 226]</a></span>great fancy to the doctor, and was pleased to think he would not have
+to depend altogether on the boys for companionship. As for the boys,
+Randy declared that the presence of the jovial captain would make every
+day seem several hours shorter. Fred, whose story had been told in
+secret, also took to the newcomers, and all together they formed a happy
+family.</p>
+
+<p>But the height of the winter was now on them, and it was destined to
+keep its grip for many long weeks and months to come. The storm that had
+started on the day the doctor and the captain arrived kept up with more
+or less vigor for a week, and by that time they found themselves snowed
+in completely. The thermometer kept going down steadily, registering as
+low as fifteen degrees below zero, and on more than one occasion the
+pail of water standing up against the side of the stove was frozen
+solid. To keep thoroughly warm was impossible, even though they wrapped
+themselves in all the clothing and blankets their outfits afforded.</p>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br /><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_227" id="Page_227">[Pg 227]</a></span>
+
+<hr />
+<br />
+<h2>CHAPTER XXIX.</h2>
+
+<h2>WAITING AND WATCHING FOR SPRING.</h2>
+
+
+<p>"Perhaps it isn't cold! I never felt so frozen up in my life!"</p>
+
+<p>It was Randy who uttered the words, as he danced around the floor of the
+living-room, almost on top of the stove. The fire had burned low during
+the night, and he had just shoved in some fresh wood and opened the
+draughts. Going to the little window of the sleeping-apartment, he
+looked through the single pane of glass at the thermometer, which hung
+on the casement outside. The mercury registered twenty-two degrees below
+zero.</p>
+
+<p>"Twenty-two degrees below, and this is Christmas morning!" he went on,
+with another shiver. "The best thing Santa Claus can bring us is warmer
+weather."</p>
+
+<p>"Merry Christmas!" cried Fred, tumbling out of his bunk, and his cry
+awoke the others, and the greeting went the whole round. The fire was
+now blazing with a vigor which threatened to crack the stove, yet as
+they talked they could see each other's breath. Every one was stamping
+around to get his blood in circulation.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_228" id="Page_228">[Pg 228]</a></span>"I'll give ye some hot coffee and Christmas flap-jacks!" said the
+captain; and soon a smell which was most appetizing was floating through
+the air, and they sat down at the table, which had been placed as close
+to the fire as possible. Indeed, "hugging the stove" was a common trick
+all day long, and Fred often grumbled because he could not take the
+stove to bed with him. The boys were waking up to the fact that an
+Alaskan winter was "two winters in one," as Earl said, when compared
+with those experienced at home.</p>
+
+<p>It had been snowing again; indeed, it snowed about half the time now,
+and even in the middle of the day it was so dark they could scarcely
+see, excepting right in front of the windows. Some time previous several
+Indians had appeared with fish oil and some dried fat fish to sell, and
+they had purchased a quantity of both for lighting purposes. The oil was
+used in a lamp made of a round tin having a home-made wick hanging over
+the side. The fat fish, dried very hard, were slit in strips and set up,
+to be lighted and burnt as tallow candles. Many of the Indians and the
+Esquimaux have no lights but these dried-fish candles. The smell from
+them is far from pleasant, but they are certainly better than nothing.</p>
+
+<p>As it was a holiday, the boys felt they must do something. But what to
+do was the question, until Fred suggested they try their hand at making
+some candy. They were allowed just a pound of sugar by the men, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_229" id="Page_229">[Pg 229]</a></span>and
+worked themselves half sick over the wood fire until noon, when the
+candy was declared done. It was a sort of taffy; and although it would
+not have added to the reputation of a skilled confectioner, all hands
+partook of their share of it, and declared it excellent.</p>
+
+<p>Just before being snowed in Mr. Portney had become the possessor of two
+newspapers and a magazine, and much of the time was spent by one or
+another over these. The magazine was rather a heavy one, yet the boys
+read it through from cover to cover, including all the advertisements.
+It contained among other stories one which was continued, and to pass
+away the time they tried to invent a conclusion. This self-imposed task
+amused the doctor also, and he took a hand and finished the tale in a
+manner which took three evenings to tell.</p>
+
+<p>And so New Year's Day came and went, and still they found themselves
+housed up with the thermometer continually at fifteen to twenty degrees
+below. Once it went down to twenty-six below, and everything fairly
+cracked with the cold. To keep from being frozen, one and another stood
+guard during the night, that the fire might not go down. During that
+time they received but scant news from their neighbors, although the
+cabins along the under side of the cliff were less than seventy yards
+apart. Nobody cared to venture out, and even opening the door was
+something <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_230" id="Page_230">[Pg 230]</a></span>to be considered, although the doctor insisted on having a
+little fresh air.</p>
+
+<p>"Providence help the poor chaps who are not well provided for this
+winter," said Mr. Portney, one day. "I shouldn't wonder if some of them
+are found dead in the spring."</p>
+
+<p>"To be sure," answered the captain. "I looked ter somethin' putty bad
+myself, but I didn't expect nuthin' like this. Why, we might jest as
+well be a-sittin' on the top o' the North Pole. Hain't been a blessed
+streak o' sunshine fer eight days, an' every time it snows the stuff
+piles up a foot or so more! It must be nigh on to thirty feet deep in
+yonder gulch."</p>
+
+<p>"We'll have to economize with our store before long," put in the doctor.
+"Flour is running pretty low. Captain, you'll have to give us less
+flap-jacks&mdash;they're too toothsome."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, we'll have to come down to plain bread," said Foster Portney. "And
+maybe eat it stale too," he added.</p>
+
+<p>Economizing began that day, after Mr. Portney had taken an account of
+the provisions still left to them. Whatever they had must be made to do
+for three months yet, and three months meant ninety days, a goodly
+number for which to provide.</p>
+
+<p>Slowly the days wore on, every one so much like the others that it
+seemed impossible to tell them apart. Sunday was the one day they
+observed through it all. On <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_231" id="Page_231">[Pg 231]</a></span>the morning of that the doctor invariably
+read a chapter out of the Bible he carried, and one or another of the
+rest offered prayer. "It's right an' proper," said the captain, speaking
+of this. "We don't want ter live like no heathens, even if we are cast
+away in an ocean o' snow!"</p>
+
+<p>February proved the worst month of all. It snowed nearly the whole time,
+and it was so dark that they kept the lights lit as long as they dared
+to consume the fish oil and the dried fish. During that time they saw or
+heard nothing of their neighbors, who might have died of starvation
+without their being any the wiser. The snow against the door was five
+feet high and water was obtained by shovelling this into the pot instead
+of ice and melting it.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, it's a dog's life and that's the truth," said Earl one day, in
+the middle of March. "It's worth all the gold we've found&mdash;that's my
+opinion." It was the first time Earl had grumbled since winter set in,
+but as he had not had what he called a square meal for a month he can
+well be pardoned for the speech.</p>
+
+<p>"If I thought I could get there and back, I would try for some extra
+provisions from Dawson," said Foster Portney; but none of the others
+would hear of his attempting such a trip, feeling certain he would lose
+his way and perish.</p>
+
+<p>"We'll make out with what we have," said the doctor. "Divide the rations
+so they'll hold out until <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_232" id="Page_232">[Pg 232]</a></span>the middle of April. I fancy by that time
+this winter siege will about end." His advice was followed out, and they
+waited with all the patience possible for the coming of spring.</p>
+
+<p>The fish and game had long since come to an end, and they were now
+living on plain bread, beans, and bacon or pork, and half a can of fresh
+vegetables per day, with an occasional taste of stewed dried apples or
+apricots as a side dish. They were all tired of the beans, especially
+Fred and the doctor, who had been used to good living all their lives.</p>
+
+<p>"They're too much for me," said Fred, one day, as he pushed his small
+plateful back. "I'd rather eat a crust of bread and drink snow water."
+And the beans remained untouched for two days, when he was forced, out
+of sheer hunger, to go at them again.</p>
+
+<p>They had also reached the last half pound of coffee, and by a general
+vote this was reserved for dinner each Sunday. As the amount on hand
+decreased they made the beverage weaker and weaker, until the doctor
+laughingly declared that the snow flavored the water more than the
+coffee did. The lack of coffee hit the captain more than the others, for
+he loved his cupful, strong, black, and without sugar.</p>
+
+<p>It was on the last day of March that they heard a noise outside and then
+came a faint hammering on their door. All leaped up and ran to open the
+barrier. When it had been forced back a distance of a foot, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_233" id="Page_233">[Pg 233]</a></span>they beheld
+two miners there, so weak they could scarcely stand, much less speak.
+"Sumthin' to eat!" whispered one of them hoarsely, and the other echoed
+the word "Eat!" as being all he could say.</p>
+
+<p>The two were taken into the cabin and warmed up, while Earl prepared a
+thin vegetable soup for them, that being best for their stomachs,
+according to the doctor. They could hardly swallow at first, and it was
+not until the following morning that they were strong enough to sit up
+and tell their stories. They had been wintering back of the woods, but
+starvation had driven them forth in an attempt to reach Dawson City for
+supplies. Their strength had failed them, they had lost their way, and
+here they were.</p>
+
+<p>"Take care of us, and we'll pay you well," said one of the miners.
+"We've got over a thousand dollars in gold dust with us and ten thousand
+in dust and nuggets hidden up at the camp."</p>
+
+<p>"I'm afraid your money won't count up here," replied Foster Portney,
+sadly. "We're almost as badly off ourselves. Yet I am willing to share
+what I have." A vote was taken, and the miners remained; and that made
+two more mouths to feed out of their scanty store.</p>
+
+<p>The first week in April saw them reduced to next to nothing. The flour
+was gone, so was the bacon and the canned goods, and it was pork and
+beans and stewed dried apples twice a day and nothing more. <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_234" id="Page_234">[Pg 234]</a></span>Every one
+looked haggard, and all felt that something must happen soon. Would
+spring ever come?</p>
+
+<p>"Pork and beans enough to last about three days yet," said Foster
+Portney, as he surveyed the scanty store, with the others standing
+around. "Three days, and after that&mdash;" He did not finish, and a silence
+fell on the crowd. Were they to suffer the pangs of actual starvation,
+after all?</p>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br /><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_235" id="Page_235">[Pg 235]</a></span>
+
+<hr />
+<br />
+<h2>CHAPTER XXX.</h2>
+
+<h2>LAST WASHINGS FOR GOLD.</h2>
+
+
+<p>Just one day before their provisions gave out the skies brightened as if
+by magic and the sun came out warmly. They could scarcely believe their
+eyes, so sudden was the change. The snow was cleared away from the door,
+and every one lost no time in rushing out into the fresh air.</p>
+
+<p>"This is living again!" cried Earl. And then he added: "Let us beat down
+a path to Wompole's cottage and see how he is faring."</p>
+
+<p>The others agreed, and soon they had a trail to the next cabin, where an
+old Alaskan gold hunter had gone into quarters all by himself. Wompole
+was also out, and they shook hands. When questioned he said he had run
+out of everything but beans, dried peas, and some smoked salmon, and he
+agreed to let them have enough of his stores to last them three days
+longer.</p>
+
+<p>"Winter is broke up now," he remarked. "An' I reckon thar ain't no doubt
+but wot ye kin git ter Dawson an' back, if ye try."</p>
+
+<p>"And I shall try," said Foster Portney; and an hour later he and Captain
+Zoss started off on snowshoes which <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_236" id="Page_236">[Pg 236]</a></span>they had made during their many
+idle hours. Randy and Earl saw their uncle depart with much anxiety, but
+did nothing to detain him, for food they must have, and that appeared
+the only manner in which to obtain it.</p>
+
+<p>"If we could only bring down a bird or something with the gun," said
+Earl, some time later, and then he climbed the cliff and beat a path to
+the first belt of timber. But though he thrashed around three hours, not
+a sign of game was to be discovered anywhere.</p>
+
+<p>The night was cold, but not nearly as much so as other nights had been,
+and on the following day the mercury when held in the sun actually
+crawled up to ten degrees above zero. And so it kept gradually becoming
+warmer, until the snow started to melt and they knew for a certainty
+that the long and tedious winter was a thing of the past.</p>
+
+<p>It took Foster Portney and Captain Zoss five full days to find their way
+to Dawson City and back again. The return for the larger portion of the
+way was made on dog sledges driven by Indians. They had found provisions
+very scarce and high in price in Dawson City, but had brought back
+enough to last a month. One of the Indians had also brought provisions
+for the two miners, this commission having been executed through Mr.
+Portney, and the next day the miners set off for their own cabin with
+many sincere thanks for the assistance which had been rendered them.</p>
+
+<p>On the day the provisions came in, they celebrated by <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_237" id="Page_237">[Pg 237]</a></span>having what Dr.
+Barwaithe called "a round, square meal." To be sure there was nothing
+but the plainest kind of food, but there was enough, and that was of
+prime importance.</p>
+
+<p>After this they watched eagerly for the day to come when they might get
+to work again. A bargain had been struck all around, whereby the doctor
+and the captain were to work the single sluice box on the upper claim
+and have four-fifths of the findings, the other fifth going to Foster
+Portney for keeping them&mdash;the contract to hold good so long as the pair
+were content to remain in the present camp.</p>
+
+<p>"The water is running in the gulch!" was the welcome announcement made
+by Earl one day, and all went down to see the thin stream, which soon
+became stronger. The snow was almost gone now, and the sand, gravel, and
+dirt which was exposed to the sun was quite free from frost. The picks,
+shovels, and other tools were brought out and cleaned up, and two days
+later found them at work as during the previous summer. It was
+marvellous how the seasons changed when once there was a start.</p>
+
+<p>Before the end of the month Mr. Portney made another trip to Dawson
+City, and this time he took with him both Randy and Earl. They had
+settled that they should remain in the gulch until the first of August,
+and now they took back, by Indian carriers, enough provisions to last
+the camp until that time.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_238" id="Page_238">[Pg 238]</a></span>The stop in Dawson lasted two days, and the boys had a chance to walk
+about the town and see how it had improved. There were now at least
+two-score of buildings, and several of them were quite pretentious. At
+the dock were two steamboats, both nearly free of the ice which had held
+them fast all winter.</p>
+
+<p>In the town there was much news to be heard of the many wonderful
+strikes which had been made. Several had taken out over a hundred
+thousand dollars in dust and nuggets, and were waiting for navigation to
+open on the Yukon, that they might sail for home with their riches. No
+one who had accumulated a pile cared to remain in that forsaken country.</p>
+
+<p>Just before they were to start for the gulch, Mr. Portney brought news
+of Tom Roland. The man had been captured at Circle City two months
+before, and the gold stolen from Cozzins taken from him. He had escaped
+from his temporary jail and fled to the mountains, and now his dead body
+had been found at the foot of a lofty ca&ntilde;on, down which he had most
+likely tumbled during the snowstorm which was then raging. It was a sad
+ending to a misspent life, and the boys could not help but shudder as
+they heard the story. They wondered what had become of Jasper Guardley,
+but nothing further was ever heard of that cowardly rascal.</p>
+
+<p>By the first of June the gulch was as active as it had ever been during
+the previous summer, and the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_239" id="Page_239">[Pg 239]</a></span>mosquitoes and flies were just as numerous
+and troublesome. No more finds of nuggets of large size were made, but
+the sluice boxes yielded heavy returns of dust, and all were very well
+content, and Dr. Barwaithe and Captain Zoss gave up all thoughts of
+leaving.</p>
+
+<p>"We know what we have here," said the doctor, "and I am convinced that
+too much prospecting does not pay."</p>
+
+<p>"An' besides, it's something ter be in company which is congenial,"
+added the captain. "Over to the other claim it was nuthin' but fight the
+whole day long with yer neighbors about stake lines."</p>
+
+<p>By the end of July the sand and gravel taken from the bedrock of
+Mosquito Hollow gulch had been disposed of, and now a month was given to
+a general clearing up of the dirt taken from half a dozen little hollows
+which lay on either side. It was terribly hot again, but the workers
+took their time over what they did, and often rested during the middle
+of the day. Three days before the first of September they were done.</p>
+
+<p>"There, that settles it!" cried Foster Portney, as he flung down his
+shovel. "No more work for me until I have paid a visit to the States."</p>
+
+<p>"Hurrah!" shouted Randy, and he gave his pick a whirl which sent it
+thirty feet off. "I'm just aching for a sight of civilization."</p>
+
+<p>"And for an old-fashioned meal," added Earl.</p>
+
+<p>Fred's eyes glistened, but he said nothing. He was <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_240" id="Page_240">[Pg 240]</a></span>wondering what sort
+of a reception he would receive when he got home. He had sent on two
+letters from the gulch, but no answer had come back and there was no
+telling if the communications had reached their destination.</p>
+
+<p>The next day was spent in the delightful task of counting up the
+proceeds of their venture. Of course it was impossible to calculate
+closely, yet they were conservative in their estimates, and in the end,
+when their nuggets and dust were turned over to the United States mint
+in San Francisco, they were not disappointed as to the check received in
+return.</p>
+
+<p>The upper claim during the time it was worked by Dr. Barwaithe and
+Captain Zoss in the spring had yielded five thousand dollars. Of this,
+as per agreement, two thousand dollars went to the doctor, a like sum to
+the captain, and one thousand dollars to Foster Portney. Added to what
+they had made previously, the doctor and the captain now held a matter
+of nine thousand dollars' worth of gold between them. Not a fortune, but
+still a tidy sum, all things considered.</p>
+
+<p>The Portneys, of course, had fared much better. The total yield of gold
+to them from start to finish footed up to fifty-two thousand dollars. Of
+this amount, as we know, one-half went to Earl and Randy, which gave the
+lads exactly thirteen thousand dollars apiece. Twenty-six thousand
+dollars was Foster Portney's share, but out of this he had been
+compelled to spend <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_241" id="Page_241">[Pg 241]</a></span>three thousand dollars in bringing the party up and
+keeping them, and he would have to spend nearly another thousand in
+getting them home.</p>
+
+<p>During the early summer of the present year, Earl, Randy, and Foster
+Portney had held a private talk concerning the amount to be granted to
+Fred, and it had been decided that he should have an even thousand
+dollars, one half to come from the two boys' share and the other from
+their uncle. Fred's fare was also to be paid clear through to Basco. The
+lad, when told of this decision, said he was more than satisfied, as the
+amount of work he had been able to do had really been very small on
+account of frequent attacks of sickness.</p>
+
+<p>"I can't stand the climate," he said. "And I shan't attempt to come up
+here again. If father will let me, I'll go to college and become a
+lawyer."</p>
+
+<p>The doctor was going on to Dawson City to give up mining and establish
+himself in his profession, having become satisfied that he could do
+better at this than he could in working a claim. But the captain decided
+to remain where he was.</p>
+
+<p>"I'm bound ter strike it rich some day," he said. "An' I'm goin' ter
+rustle till I do."</p>
+
+<p>"I certainly hope you strike it rich," said Randy; for the pair were now
+greater friends than ever.</p>
+
+<p>It was a warm, clear day when the party of five left the gulch, with
+their faces set toward Dawson City. <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_242" id="Page_242">[Pg 242]</a></span>The Portneys had decided to return
+to the States by the way of the Yukon and the Pacific Ocean, and a
+voyage of five thousand miles still lay before them. They carried all
+their findings with them, and now the question arose,&mdash;having found so
+much gold, would they be able to get it out of this wild country in
+safety?</p>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br /><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_243" id="Page_243">[Pg 243]</a></span>
+
+<hr />
+<br />
+<h2>CHAPTER XXXI.</h2>
+
+<h2>DOWN THE YUKON AND HOME.</h2>
+
+
+<p>Foster Portney knew that the regular terminus of travel on the Yukon
+steamboats was Fort Cudahy, which was situated forty-eight miles below
+Dawson City. But owing to the rush to the new gold fields, which was now
+stronger than ever, two small boats were making regular trips between
+these two points.</p>
+
+<p>When the party reached Dawson City, now the scene of great activity, it
+was found they would have to wait a week before they could secure
+passage to Fort Cudahy, as the tickets for the two following trips were
+all sold. This wait, when they were impatient to get home, was not an
+agreeable one, yet it gave them a chance to look around the settlement
+and become better acquainted with the various persons who were there.</p>
+
+<p>"Dawson is bound to grow," said the doctor, who had hired a room at the
+so-called hotel and hung out his sign on the day he arrived. "See, there
+are actually three streets already, two stores, three saloons, a barber
+shop, and a reading and pool room; and I <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_244" id="Page_244">[Pg 244]</a></span>understand that a fellow has
+just arrived who is going to open a clothing store, and another is on
+his way with medicines for a drug store. We are bound to boom!"</p>
+
+<p>"'We' is good!" said Earl, with a laugh. "I guess you had better strike
+up a partnership with that druggist when he arrives."</p>
+
+<p>"Not much, Earl! I'll put him in the way of getting the gold fever, and
+when he is ready to strike out, I'll buy his outfit and run the whole
+thing myself. I'm bound to make money." And it looked as if the doctor
+was right, for during their stay in Dawson City he had eleven calls for
+his services, for which he charged the fee of five dollars per call,
+which was moderate for that place.</p>
+
+<p>At last came the day to part, and with a hearty handshake from the
+doctor the Portneys and Fred boarded the little side-wheeler <i>Alice</i>,
+and the long homeward trip was begun. The boat was crowded with
+returning miners, and as nearly all of them had struck gold, it was a
+happy congregation which spent the time in eating, drinking, smoking,
+playing cards, and "swapping yarns." "Swapping yarns" went on
+continually, and many were the wonderful stories told of great finds,
+perilous climbs, and escapes from starvation during the awful winter.</p>
+
+<p>"I've made seventy thousand dollars, boys," said one elderly miner. "But
+I never did so much <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_245" id="Page_245">[Pg 245]</a></span>starving in my life, an' ten hosses couldn't drag
+me back to put in another such winter&mdash;hear me!"</p>
+
+<p>"I'm with ye," said another; "leas'wise, I think I am. But thar's no
+tellin' wot I might do ef the gold fever struck me ag'in," he added
+reflectively.</p>
+
+<p>Fort Cudahy was a small settlement on the Yukon, at the mouth of Clinton
+Creek. Just above the creek was another settlement, called Forty Mile.
+Between the stores in the two settlements there was a fierce rivalry,
+and consequently prices here were more reasonable than at Dawson City.</p>
+
+<p>The party was fortunate in obtaining immediate passage to Fort Get
+There, on St. Michael's Island, which is situated sixty miles above the
+entrance to the Yukon. An offer was also made by the agent of the
+transportation company to take charge of their gold from there right on
+through to San Francisco, but as the commission for doing this would be
+fifteen per cent, this offer was declined.</p>
+
+<p>"I think we can get it through," said Foster Portney. "At any rate, I am
+willing to risk it." And the boys agreed with him.</p>
+
+<p>The next stop of importance was Circle City, of which the boys had heard
+through Mr. Portney. In former days Circle City had been the banner
+mining town on the upper Yukon, but now its glory was departed, for over
+three-quarters of its inhabitants had pulled up stakes and moved on to
+the Klondike district.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_246" id="Page_246">[Pg 246]</a></span>From Circle City the river, already broad, widened out to such an extent
+that it looked more like a lake than anything else. It was dotted with
+numerous islands, and the pilot of the boat had his head full with
+keeping track of the proper channel to pursue. The run was north to the
+ruins of Fort Yukon, the highest point gained by the mighty river upon
+which they were sailing.</p>
+
+<p>From Fort Yukon the run was mostly to the southwestward, past the
+settlements of Shaman's, We Are, Nulato, and a dozen similar places,
+Indian villages, the home of fur traders, missionaries, and of fishers.
+At many of the places the main things to be seen were the totem poles
+stuck up in front of the Indian huts&mdash;poles of wood, curiously carved
+with hideous-looking images and undecipherable hieroglyphics.</p>
+
+<p>At last St. Michael's Island was gained, and here they found themselves
+again in luck, for an ocean steamer was in waiting to take the
+passengers from the river boat. The transfer was made before nightfall,
+and at dawn of the day following the steamer started on her long voyage
+down Norton Sound, Bering Sea, and the Pacific Ocean to Seattle. But one
+stop was made, that at Dutch Harbor, on one of the Aleutian Islands, and
+then one glorious afternoon early in the fall they steamed through the
+Straits of San Juan de Fuca and swept into the grand harbor at Seattle.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_247" id="Page_247">[Pg 247]</a></span>"The United States at last!" cried Randy. "Oh my, how good civilization
+does look!"</p>
+
+<p>"We don't know what we have at home until we miss it," said Fred, but in
+such a low tone that nobody heard him.</p>
+
+<p>They stopped in Seattle two days, and then took steamer direct for San
+Francisco. The trip down the coast was an uneventful one. They were
+impatient to finish it, and a glad cry rang everywhere through the
+vessel when land was sighted and they ran through the Golden Gate.</p>
+
+<p>A crowd was at the wharf to receive the latest news from the gold
+fields. "How are the diggings up there?" "Is there any show for a fellow
+staking a good claim?" "How much did you bring along?" "Is it true about
+provisions being scarce?" These and a hundred other questions went the
+rounds, as the fortunate ones came ashore. Foster Portney managed to
+keep the boys together and get them through the jam, and quarter of an
+hour later found them on the way to the mint with their precious
+burdens. Here they were given receipts for their nuggets and dust, and
+then they turned away with a big load lifted off their minds, for they
+knew that their fortunes were now safe.</p>
+
+<p>And here properly ends the tale of the fortune hunters of the Yukon. How
+Fred Dobson returned home a penitent runaway, and how he was readily
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_248" id="Page_248">[Pg 248]</a></span>forgiven and later on allowed to study for college, I will leave my
+readers to imagine. As for Earl and Randy, there was nothing which
+called for their return to Basco, and they remained with their uncle in
+San Francisco until their gold was reduced to coin and they received a
+check on the treasurer of the United States for its value. Then they
+paid a visit to Colorado, remaining there until the following spring.
+During the winter a company was organized to work their claims by
+machinery, and early spring found them again in the land of gold. And
+there we will leave them, wishing them all the success that their pluck
+and industry deserve.</p>
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<hr class="full" />
+<p>***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TO ALASKA FOR GOLD***</p>
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+The Project Gutenberg eBook, To Alaska for Gold, by Edward Stratemeyer,
+Illustrated by A. B. Shute
+
+
+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: To Alaska for Gold
+       The Fortune Hunters of the Yukon
+
+
+Author: Edward Stratemeyer
+
+
+
+Release Date: April 14, 2010  [eBook #31989]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII)
+
+
+***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TO ALASKA FOR GOLD***
+
+
+E-text prepared by Barbara Kosker, David Edwards, and the Project
+Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from
+page images generously made available by Internet Archive
+(http://www.archive.org)
+
+
+
+Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this
+      file which includes the original illustrations.
+      See 31989-h.htm or 31989-h.zip:
+      (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/31989/31989-h/31989-h.htm)
+      or
+      (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/31989/31989-h.zip)
+
+
+      Images of the original pages are available through
+      Internet Archive. See
+      http://www.archive.org/details/toalaskaforgoldo00strarich
+
+
+
+
+
+TO ALASKA FOR GOLD
+
+
+      *      *      *      *      *      *
+
+[Illustration: TO ALASKA FOR GOLD
+
+EDWARD STRATEMEYER
+
+BOUND TO SUCCEED SERIES]
+
+
+
+  EDWARD STRATEMEYER'S BOOKS
+
+
+  Old Glory Series
+
+  _Cloth Illustrated Price per volume $1.25._
+
+  UNDER DEWEY AT MANILA Or the War Fortunes of a Castaway.
+
+  A YOUNG VOLUNTEER IN CUBA Or Fighting for the Single Star.
+
+  FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS Or Under Schley on the Brooklyn.
+
+  UNDER OTIS IN THE PHILIPPINES Or A Young Officer in the Tropics. (_In
+    Press._)
+
+
+  The Bound to Succeed Series
+
+  _Three volumes Cloth Illustrated Price per volume $1.00._
+
+
+  RICHARD DARE'S VENTURE Or Striking Out for Himself.
+
+  OLIVER BRIGHT'S SEARCH Or The Mystery of a Mine.
+
+  TO ALASKA FOR GOLD Or The Fortune Hunters of the Yukon.
+
+
+  The Ship and Shore Series
+
+  _Three volumes Cloth Illustrated Price per volume $1.00._
+
+
+  THE LAST CRUISE OF THE SPITFIRE Or Larry Foster's Strange Voyage.
+
+  REUBEN STONE'S DISCOVERY Or The Young Miller of Torrent Bend.
+
+  TRUE TO HIMSELF Or Roger Strong's Struggle for Place. (_In Press._)
+
+
+      *      *      *      *      *      *
+
+
+[Illustration: "UNCLE FOSTER! EARL! LOOK AT THIS!"--_Page 170._]
+
+
+TO ALASKA FOR GOLD
+
+Or
+
+The Fortune Hunters of the Yukon
+
+by
+
+EDWARD STRATEMEYER
+
+Author of "Under Dewey at Manila," "A Young Volunteer in Cuba,"
+"Fighting in Cuban Waters," "Richard Dare's Venture,"
+"Oliver Bright's Search," Etc., Etc.
+
+Illustrated by A. B. Shute
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+Boston
+Lee and Shepard Publishers
+1899
+
+Copyright, 1899, by Lee and Shepard.
+All Rights Reserved.
+
+TO ALASKA FOR GOLD.
+
+Norwood Press
+J. S. Cushing & Co.  Berwick & Smith
+Norwood Mass. U.S.A.
+
+
+
+
+PREFACE.
+
+
+"TO ALASKA FOR GOLD" forms the third volume of the "Bound to
+Succeed" Series. Like the preceding tales, this story is complete in
+itself.
+
+The rush to the far-away territory of Alaska, when gold in large
+quantities was discovered upon Klondike Creek, was somewhat similar to
+the rush to California in years gone by. The gold fever spread to even
+the remotest of our hamlets, and men, young and old, poured forth, ready
+to endure every hardship if only the much-coveted prize might be
+secured. That many succeeded and that many more failed is now a matter
+of history, although of recent date.
+
+In this story are related the adventures of two Maine boys who leave
+their home among the lumbermen, travel to California, there to join
+their uncle, an experienced miner, and several other men, and start on
+the long trip to the Klondike by way of Dyea, Chilkoot Pass, and the
+lakes and streams forming the headwaters of the mighty Yukon River.
+After many perils the gold district is reached, and here a summer and
+winter are passed, the former in hunting for the precious metal and the
+latter in a never ending struggle to sustain life until the advent of
+spring.
+
+In writing the description of this new El Dorado the author has
+endeavored to be as accurate as possible, and has consulted, for this
+purpose, the leading authorities on Alaska and its resources, as well as
+digested the sometimes tedious, but, nevertheless, always interesting,
+government reports covering this subject. Regarding the personal
+experiences of his heroes he would add that nearly every incident cited
+has been taken from life, as narrated by those who joined in the
+frenzied rush to the new gold fields.
+
+  EDWARD STRATEMEYER.
+
+  NEWARK, N. J.,
+  April 1, 1899.
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS.
+
+
+  CHAPTER                                               PAGE
+
+       I. A LETTER FROM THE WEST                           1
+
+      II. THE BOYS REACH A DECISION                        9
+
+     III. A FALSE IDENTIFICATION                          18
+
+      IV. A SERIOUS SET-BACK                              27
+
+       V. A NIGHT IN NEW YORK                             36
+
+      VI. PREPARATIONS FOR DEPARTURE                      44
+
+     VII. BUYING THE OUTFITS                              52
+
+    VIII. ON THE WAY TO JUNEAU                            61
+
+      IX. THE FATE OF A STOWAWAY                          69
+
+       X. UP THE LYNN CANAL                               77
+
+      XI. THE START FROM DYEA                             85
+
+     XII. EARL HAS AN ADVENTURE                           93
+
+    XIII. AT THE SUMMIT OF CHILKOOT PASS                 101
+
+     XIV. BOAT-BUILDING AT LAKE LINDERMAN                109
+
+      XV. ON TO LAKE BENNETT                             118
+
+     XVI. AN EXCITING NIGHT IN CAMP                      127
+
+    XVII. A HUNT FOR FOOD                                134
+
+   XVIII. ON TO THE WHITE HORSE RAPIDS                   141
+
+     XIX. NEARING THE END OF A LONG JOURNEY              149
+
+      XX. THE GOLD FIELDS AT LAST                        157
+
+     XXI. A DAY IN DAWSON CITY                           164
+
+    XXII. DIGGING FOR GOLD                               172
+
+   XXIII. GOOD LUCK AND BAD                              180
+
+    XXIV. AN UNLOOKED-FOR ARRIVAL                        187
+
+     XXV. MORE WORK IN THE GULCHES                       195
+
+    XXVI. SLUICE BOXES AND PREPARATIONS FOR WINTER       203
+
+   XXVII. THE END OF THE SUMMER SEASON                   211
+
+  XXVIII. SNOWED IN                                      219
+
+    XXIX. WAITING AND WATCHING FOR SPRING                227
+
+     XXX. LAST WASHINGS FOR GOLD                         235
+
+    XXXI. DOWN THE YUKON AND HOME                        243
+
+
+
+
+LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
+
+  "'Uncle Foster! Earl! look at this'"                 _Frontispiece_
+
+                                                                 PAGE
+
+  "With a final kick the stowaway was run off the gang-plank"      72
+
+  "The water was boiling on every side"                           125
+
+  "'I would like to see the prisoner, please'"                    196
+
+
+
+
+TO ALASKA FOR GOLD.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+A LETTER FROM THE WEST.
+
+
+"It is not a question of what we should like to do, Randy; it is a
+question of what we must do."
+
+"I know it, Earl. One thing is certain: the way matters stand we can't
+pay the quarter's rent for this timber land to-morrow unless we borrow
+the money, and where we are going for it I haven't the least idea."
+
+"Nor I. It's a pity the Jackson Lumber Company had to go to pieces. I
+wonder where Jackson is."
+
+"In Canada most likely. They would put him in jail if they could catch
+him, and he knows it."
+
+"He ought to be put in jail!" burst out Earl, who was the elder of the
+two Portney brothers. "That two hundred dollars he cheated us out of
+would just put us on our feet. But without it we can't even pay bills
+now owing; and Caleb Norcross is just aching to sell this land to Dan
+Roland."
+
+"If we have to get out, what are we to do?" questioned Randy, soberly.
+"I don't believe we can get work, unless we go into the woods as mere
+ choppers."
+
+"We shall have to do something," was Earl's unsatisfactory response.
+
+The Portney brothers lived upon a small timber claim in the state of
+Maine. Their parents had died three years before, from injuries received
+in a terrible forest fire, which had at that time swept the locality.
+The family had never been rich, and after the sad affair the boys were
+left to shift for themselves. The father had owned an interest in a
+timber claim, and this had been sold for three hundred dollars, and with
+the proceeds the two brothers had rented another claim and gone to work
+to get out lumber for a new company which had begun operations in the
+vicinity.
+
+Earl was now eighteen years of age, and Randolph, or Randy, as he was
+always called, was nearly seventeen. Both lads were so tall, well-built,
+and muscular, that they appeared older. Neither had had a real sickness
+in his life, and the pair were admirably calculated, physically, to cope
+with the hardships which came to them later.
+
+The collapse of the new lumber combination, and the running away of its
+head man, Aaron Jackson, had proved a serious blow to their prospects.
+As has been intimated, the company owed them two hundred dollars for
+timber, and, as not a cent was forthcoming, they found themselves in
+debt, not only for the quarter's rent for the land they were working,
+but also at the general supply store at the village of Basco, three
+miles away. The boys had worked hard, early and late, to make both ends
+meet, and it certainly looked as if they did not deserve the hard luck
+which had befallen them.
+
+It was supper time, and the pair had just finished a scanty meal of
+beans, bread, and the remains of a brook trout Randy had been lucky
+enough to catch before breakfast. Randy threw himself down on the
+doorstep, while Earl washed and dried the few dishes.
+
+"I wonder if we can't get something out of the lumber company," mused
+the younger brother, as he gazed meditatively at his boots, which were
+sadly in need of soling and heeling. "They've lots of timber on hand."
+
+"All covered by a mortgage to some Boston concern," replied Earl. "I
+asked Squire Dobson about it. He said we shouldn't get a penny."
+
+"Humph!" Randy drew a deep breath. "By the way, has Squire Dobson
+learned anything about Fred, yet?"
+
+"He's pretty sure Fred ran away to New York."
+
+"I can't understand why he should run away from such a good home, can
+you? You wouldn't catch me doing it."
+
+"He ran away because he didn't want to finish studying. Fred always was
+a wild Dick. I shouldn't wonder if he ended up by going out West to hunt
+Indians." Earl gave a short laugh. "He'll have his eye-teeth cut one of
+these days. Hullo, here comes Caleb Norcross now!"
+
+Earl was looking up the winding road through the woods, and, gazing in
+the direction, Randy saw a tall, lean individual, astride a bony horse,
+riding swiftly toward the cabin.
+
+"Well, boys, what's the best word?" was the sharp greeting given by
+Caleb Norcross, as he came to a halt at the cabin door.
+
+"I don't know as there is any best word, Mr. Norcross," replied Earl,
+quietly.
+
+"I was over to Bill Stiger's place and thought if I could see you
+to-night about the rent money, it would save you a three miles' trip
+to-morrow."
+
+"You know we can't pay you just at present, Mr. Norcross," went on Earl.
+"The suspension of the lumber company has left us in the lurch."
+
+The face of the tall, lean man darkened. "How much did they stick you
+for?" he asked abruptly.
+
+"Two hundred dollars."
+
+"Two hundred dollars! You were fools to trust 'em that much. I wouldn't
+have trusted 'em a cent--not a penny."
+
+"They were well recommended," put in Randy. "Even Squire Dobson trusted
+them."
+
+"That don't make no difference. I don't trust folks unless I know what
+I'm doing. Although I did trust you boys," added Caleb Norcross,
+hastily. "Your father was always a straight man."
+
+"And we are straight, too," burst out Randy, stung by the insinuation.
+"You shall have your money, if only you will give us a little time."
+
+"How are you going to get it?"
+
+"We'll earn it," said Earl. "I am sure we can get out enough timber by
+fall to square accounts."
+
+"That won't do for me--not at all. If you can't pay up to-morrow, you
+can consider your claim on the land at an end."
+
+"You won't give us any time?"
+
+"No. I can sell this whole section to Dan Roland, and I'm going to do
+it."
+
+"You are very hard-hearted, Mr. Norcross," began Randy, when a look from
+his elder brother silenced him.
+
+"I ain't hard-hearted--I'm only looking after my own," growled Caleb
+Norcross. "If I let things run, I'd do as the lumber company did--bust
+up. So you can't pay, nohow?"
+
+"No, we can't pay," answered Earl.
+
+"Then I'll expect you to quit by to-morrow noon."
+
+Without waiting for another word, Caleb Norcross turned around his bony
+steed and urged him forward. In less than a minute he had disappeared in
+the direction whence he had come. With sinking hearts the boys watched
+him out of sight.
+
+The blow they had dreaded had fallen, and for several seconds neither
+spoke. Then Randy, who had pulled off one boot, flung it across the
+kitchen floor.
+
+"I don't care, he can have his old place," he cried angrily. "We'll
+never get rich here, if we stay a hundred years. I'm sick and tired of
+cutting timber just for one's meals!"
+
+"It's all well enough to talk so, Randy," was the elder brother's
+cautious response. "But where are we to go if we leave here?"
+
+"Oh, anywhere! We might try our luck down in Bangor, or maybe Boston."
+
+Earl smiled faintly. "We'd cut pretty figures in a city, I'm thinking,
+after a life in the backwoods."
+
+"A backwoods boy became President."
+
+"Do you wish to try for the presidency?"
+
+"No; but it shows what can be done; and I'm tired of drudging in the
+woods, without any excitement or anything new from one year's end to
+another. Father and mother gave us pretty good educations, and we ought
+to make the most of that."
+
+"I knew he wanted to sell this land to Dan Roland," went on Earl, after
+a pause. "I fancy he is going to get a good price, too."
+
+"If Roland pays over five hundred dollars he will get cheated. The
+timber at the south end is good for nothing."
+
+The boys entered the cabin, lit the lamp, and sat down to discuss the
+situation. It was far from promising, and, an hour later, each retired
+to bed in a very uneasy frame of mind. They were up before daybreak, and
+at breakfast Earl announced his intention to go to Basco and see what
+could be done.
+
+"You might as well stay at home," he continued. "It may be Norcross will
+come back and reconsider matters."
+
+"Not he!" exclaimed Randy; nevertheless, he promised to remain and look
+over some clothing which needed mending, for these sturdy lads were in
+the habit of doing everything for themselves, even to sewing up rents
+and darning socks. Such are the necessities of real life in the
+backwoods.
+
+It was a bright sunny morning, well calculated to cheer any one's
+spirits, yet Randy felt far from light-hearted when left alone. He could
+not help but wonder what would happen next.
+
+"We've got just twenty-eight dollars and a half in cash left," he mused,
+as he set to work to replace some buttons on one of Earl's working
+shirts. "And we owe about six dollars at the general store, three
+dollars and a quarter for those new axes and the coffee mill, and twenty
+to Norcross. Heigh-ho! but it's hard lines to be poor, with one's nose
+continually to the grindstone. I wonder if we shouldn't have done better
+if we had struck out, as Uncle Foster did six years ago? He has seen a
+lot of the world and made money besides."
+
+Earl had expected to be gone the best part of the forenoon, and Randy
+was surprised, at half-past nine, to see his elder brother returning
+from the village. Earl was walking along the road at the top of his
+speed, and as he drew closer, he held up a letter.
+
+"It's a letter from Uncle Foster!" he cried, as soon as he was within
+speaking distance. "It's got such wonderful news in it that I thought I
+ought to come home with it at once."
+
+"Wonderful news?" repeated Randy. "What does he say?"
+
+"He says he is going back to Alaska,--to some new gold field that has
+just been discovered there,--and he wants to know if we will go with
+him."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+THE BOYS REACH A DECISION.
+
+
+"Uncle Foster is going back to Alaska?" said Randy, slowly.
+
+"Yes; he is going to start almost immediately, too," added his elder
+brother. "He says the new gold diggings are something immense, and he
+wants to stake a claim at the earliest possible date."
+
+Randy drew a long breath. To Alaska! What a tremendous trip that would
+be--five thousand miles at least! And going to such an almost unknown
+region would be very much like starting for the north pole.
+
+He remembered well that his Uncle Foster had paid a visit to Alaska
+three years previous, sailing from San Francisco to St. Michael's Island
+and then taking a Yukon River steamboat to a trading camp known as Fort
+Cudahy. They had received several letters from him while he was up
+there, working for the Alaskan Transportation Company part of the time
+and hunting for gold whenever the opportunity offered. The letters had
+told of the intense cold and the suffering, and of numerous unsuccessful
+attempts to strike a paying claim around Fort Cudahy and at another
+camp, known as Circle City. His uncle had taken up several claims, but
+they had not panned out very well, and Mr. Portney had finally returned
+to the United States, to interest himself in a Colorado silver mine.
+
+"Let me see the letter," said Randy, and Earl handed it over. "I don't
+see how we are to pay our way to Alaska or anywhere else," added the
+younger boy, ruefully, as he opened the epistle.
+
+"You will see presently," rejoined Earl. "Read it aloud. Uncle writes
+such a twisted hand, I want to make sure I read aright." And Randy
+started at once:--
+
+"CREEDE, COL., April 5.
+
+"MY DEAR NEPHEWS:--I suppose you have been looking for a letter
+from me all winter, but the fact is I have been away from this vicinity
+since last December. A man from British Columbia wanted me to buy an
+interest in a gold mine at a settlement called Dunbar's, and I went with
+him. The mine proved to be worthless, and I left Dunbar's, and went to
+Victoria, and stayed there until three weeks ago.
+
+"While I was in Victoria, I ran across two miners whom I had met while
+at Fort Cudahy in Alaska. They reported that a new gold field had been
+discovered farther up the Yukon River, at a place known as Klondike
+Creek. There had been an exodus from Circle City and Fort Cudahy to this
+new region, and a camp known as Dawson City had been started. They said
+that there were about a dozen small creeks flowing into the Klondike and
+into the Yukon at this point, and that it was reported and proved that
+the entire district was rich with gold.
+
+"I was chary of believing the men at first, for I know only too well how
+many wild-cat reports start up in every mining camp. But a couple of
+days later I heard another report from Juneau, Alaska, to the effect
+that several miners had come down from this same territory by way of the
+lakes and Chilkoot Pass, and had brought with them over thirty-five
+thousand dollars in nuggets and gold dust, taken out of a place called
+Hunker's Creek, which runs into the Klondike.
+
+"From these reports, and from others which are floating around, I am
+convinced that they have at last struck the rich vein of yellow metal
+which I always believed would be located there, and I am now making
+preparations to try my luck again in that territory, and if you two boys
+want to go along and think you can stand the climate, which is something
+awful for nine months in the year, I'll see you through. I do not know
+how you are fixed for cash, but I have been lucky in Colorado, and I
+will pay all expenses, providing you will agree to remain with me for
+two years, working as I work, for a one-half interest in all our
+discoveries--that is, a one-quarter interest to each of you and a
+one-half interest to myself. The expense of a year's trip to Alaska by
+the route we shall take, over the mountain pass, will be between six
+and eight hundred dollars each, for we shall have to take nearly all our
+outfits--clothing, tools, and provisions--along.
+
+"I am now on the point of starting for San Francisco, and shall arrive
+there probably before this letter reaches you. My address will be the
+Palace Hotel, and I wish you to telegraph me immediately, at my expense,
+if you will go or not. Do not attempt to accept my offer unless both of
+you are perfectly well and strong and willing to stand great hardships,
+for the sake of what we may have the good luck to find. And if you do
+go, don't blame me if we are all disappointed, and come home poorer than
+we went.
+
+"If you accept the offer, I will telegraph you sufficient money to
+Messrs. Bartwell & Stone, Boston, to pay your fare to San Francisco, and
+I shall expect to see you at the latter city before the 20th of the
+month, for I am going to start for the new gold fields, even if I have
+to go with strangers, as soon as possible. With love to you both, I
+remain,
+
+"Your affectionate uncle,
+
+"FOSTER C. PORTNEY."
+
+"Oh, Earl, let's go!" burst from Randy's lips as he finished the long
+letter. "This is just what I've been waiting for. Let's go to Alaska and
+make our fortunes!"
+
+"Go to Alaska and be frozen to death, you mean," replied Earl; yet he
+smiled even as he spoke. "Do you know that the thermometer goes down to
+forty degrees below zero out there in winter?"
+
+"Well, we're used to roughing it out here in these woods."
+
+"These woods can't hold a candle to Alaska for barrenness, Randy. Think
+of a winter nine months long and ice all the year round! Uncle said in
+one of his other letters, that the ground never thawed out more than a
+few feet, excepting in favored localities."
+
+"Do you mean to say you'll let such a splendid chance slip by?" demanded
+the younger lad, straightening up and looking his brother full in the
+face. "And let it slip, too, when we're in such trouble here?"
+
+"No, I didn't say that, Randy. But we ought to consider the matter
+carefully before we make up our minds. According to the letter we'll
+have to spend at least two years in the gold fields."
+
+"I'll spend ten if I can make money."
+
+"Uncle said in that other letter that no one seemed to care to stay in
+the upper portion of Alaska more than two or three years at a time."
+
+"Well, I'm in for the trip, heart and soul. Hurrah for the--what's the
+name of that creek?--Klondike! Hurrah for the Klondike! I wonder if it's
+on the map."
+
+Randy rushed over to the little shelf which contained all the
+school-books the family had ever possessed, and brought forth a large
+geography, much the worse for wear. There was no separate map of Alaska,
+but there was one of North America, and this he scanned with interest.
+
+"Here's the Yukon and here's the Porcupine and the Pelly rivers, but I
+don't see any Klondike," he said seriously. "I wonder where it can be."
+
+"You can't expect to find a little creek on a map that shows up the
+Yukon River as less than two inches long," said Earl. "Why, the Yukon is
+between two and three thousand miles long. Circle City must be up
+there," he continued, pointing to where the Yukon touched the 144 deg. of
+longitude, "and if that's so, this new gold field can't be so very far
+off, although in such a great territory a few hundred miles this way or
+that are hardly counted."
+
+"But you'll go, won't you, Earl?" pleaded Randy, as he restored the
+geography to the shelf. "We'll never make more than our pork and beans
+out here in the woods."
+
+Earl picked up a small stick from the fireplace and brought out his
+pocket-knife. He always had to go to whittling when he wanted to do some
+hard thinking. "If we accepted Uncle Foster's invitation to come to San
+Francisco, there would be no turning back," he remarked, after a moment
+of silence.
+
+"We shouldn't want to turn back as soon as that."
+
+"And we couldn't turn back after we once got into Alaska. There is no
+such thing as travelling back and forth between the months of October
+and May. The rivers freeze up, and everything is snow and ice."
+
+"Well, we'd have plenty of provisions--Uncle would be sure to see to
+that. We've got to vacate here, you must remember, in a day or two."
+
+Again Earl was silent. He had sharpened up one end of the stick, and now
+he turned to the other. "I wonder where we could telegraph from best,"
+he said at last.
+
+Randy's eyes lit up instantly, and he caught his big brother by the
+shoulder. "Good for you, Earl; I knew you would say yes!" he cried.
+"Why, we can telegraph from Spruceville, can't we?"
+
+"We can if they'll trust us for the telegram."
+
+"If they won't, I'll pay for it. I'm not going to let such a chance
+slide by. The thing of it is," Randy added, sobering down suddenly, "how
+are we to get to Boston to get the money Uncle intends to send on?"
+
+"We'll have to sell off our things here. They'll bring in something,
+although not much."
+
+"Good! I never thought of that."
+
+For two hours the boys talked matters over, and in the excitement dinner
+was entirely forgotten. Then a telegram was prepared which ran as
+follows:--
+
+      "Will sell out and come on as soon as possible."
+
+It was agreed that Earl should send the message from Spruceville, a town
+four miles beyond Basco. This was a seven miles' tramp, but he did not
+mind it, having walked the distance many times previously. He procured a
+bite to eat, and with the letter from his uncle in his pocket he started
+off. He intended to show the letter to the telegraph operator in case
+the man should hesitate to send the message with charges to be paid at
+the other end.
+
+At Basco, Earl met a number of workmen of the district, among whom was
+Tom Roland, the brother of the lumberman who intended to buy the timber
+land from Caleb Norcross. Roland was a man whom nobody liked, and Earl
+passed him without a word, although it was evident from Roland's manner
+that the latter desired to stop for a talk. With Tom Roland was a fellow
+named Guardley, a ne'er-do-well, who had been up before the squire on
+more than one occasion for drinking and stealing. The reader will do
+well to remember both Tom Roland and Guardley, for they are destined to
+play a most important part in the chapters which follow.
+
+The middle of the afternoon had passed before Earl struck the outskirts
+of Spruceville and made his way to the little railroad station where was
+located the telegraph office. His errand was soon explained to the
+young man in charge, and he felt in his pocket to bring forth the slip
+of paper Randy had written out, and his uncle's letter.
+
+To his consternation both were missing. He remembered well where he had
+placed them, yet to make sure he searched his clothing thoroughly. His
+search was useless. The message and the letter were gone.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+A FALSE IDENTIFICATION.
+
+
+"Gone!"
+
+That was the single word which dropped from Earl's lips as he stood at
+the window of the telegraph office at Spruceville and hunted for the
+missing letter from his Uncle Foster. He cared nothing for the
+message,--that could easily be rewritten,--but the letter was highly
+important.
+
+Not finding it about his person, he commenced to retrace his steps with
+his eyes on the ground. An hour was spent in this manner, and then he
+returned slowly to the office.
+
+"I want to send a message to San Francisco, and I had a letter with me
+to show that it was all right," he explained. "Will you send the message
+anyhow and collect at the other end? The man who is to receive the
+message wanted it sent that way."
+
+The telegraph operator mused for a moment. Then he asked Earl who he was
+and where he lived, and finally said he guessed it would be all right.
+The message was again written out, and ten minutes later it was on its
+long journey westward, by way of Boston. The business finished, Earl
+thanked the operator and started on his return home.
+
+He was very much out of sorts with himself, and wondered what his
+younger brother would think of him. "I needn't find fault with Randy for
+being careless after this," he sighed, almost bitterly. "I'm as bad as
+he is, and worse. One thing is a comfort, though: I remember the name of
+that Boston firm that is to provide us with our money--Bartwell & Stone.
+I had better make a note of that." And he did.
+
+The evening shadows were beginning to fall when Basco was again reached.
+On the main street of the little town Earl halted to think matters over.
+Why wouldn't it be a good thing to let folks know that they wanted to
+sell out their household goods and their tools and other things? He made
+his way to the general store.
+
+"Well, Portney, I heard you had been put off your place," was the
+greeting received from the general storekeeper.
+
+"We have not been put off--we are going to leave it, Mr. Andrews."
+
+"Oh! Where are you going?"
+
+"To Alaska."
+
+"Alaska? You must be joking."
+
+"No, sir. My uncle, Foster Portney, has sent for Randy and me to come to
+San Francisco, and the three of us are going to some new gold fields."
+
+"Well, what about my bill?" asked the storekeeper, anxiously. He was
+interested in but little outside of his business. "Of course that has
+got to be settled before you leave."
+
+"We will pay up, never fear. But we want to sell off all our stuff
+first. Will you let me write out a notice to that effect and post it
+outside?"
+
+"Yes, you can do that. Going to sell off, eh? What have you got?"
+
+Earl enumerated the various articles he and Randy had listed to sell.
+They were not of great value, and the storekeeper smiled grimly.
+
+"They won't bring much."
+
+"They ought to bring thirty or forty dollars."
+
+"You'll be lucky to get ten."
+
+"Ten dollars won't see us through. We have got to get enough to pay our
+bills and secure our passage down to Boston."
+
+"And how much will that be?" questioned Peleg Andrews, cautiously. Earl
+made a rapid calculation. With the money already on hand and that owing
+for tools and groceries, twenty-five dollars ought to see them through.
+
+"We must have thirty dollars for the stuff."
+
+Peleg Andrews said no more, but turned away to wait on a customer that
+had just come in. Procuring sheets of paper, Earl set to work and penned
+two notices, both alike, stating that the goods and chattels of the
+Portney brothers would be sold within the next three days, to the
+highest bidders, and a list of the articles followed. One of the notices
+was tacked up in front of the store and the other in front of the hotel,
+and then Earl returned home.
+
+As the big brother had expected, Randy was much put out about the loss
+of the letter, but he was glad that Earl had gone ahead, nevertheless,
+and before he retired that night, he brought forth some of the articles
+to be sold, and mended and cleaned them up.
+
+The two were eating breakfast when the first prospective buyer rode up
+in a farm wagon. It was a lumberman from over the ridge behind Basco,
+who was thinking of settling down to cabin life by himself. He made an
+offer of fifteen dollars for everything in sight, but Earl held out for
+forty dollars.
+
+The man was about to drive away, when a second lumberman drove up,
+followed by Peleg Andrews in his store wagon. Both of the newcomers were
+eager to buy, although they affected indifference. Bidding became rather
+lively, and at last the goods were split up between the first comer and
+the storekeeper, the former paying thirty dollars and the latter twenty
+dollars for what they got. This made fifty dollars in all, and out of
+this amount Earl settled with Peleg Andrews on the spot.
+
+It was while the men were loading the goods preparatory to taking them
+away, that Caleb Norcross appeared. He had expected to make a cheap
+purchase, and was keenly disappointed to find he was too late.
+
+"Getting out, eh?" he ventured.
+
+"Yes," answered Earl, briefly. "You can have your keys in a couple of
+hours. Here is your money."
+
+"I ain't in any hurry," grumbled the landlord.
+
+"Isn't Dan Roland going to take the property?" asked Randy, curiously.
+
+"No, he backed out last night," answered Caleb Norcross, and to avoid
+being questioned further he moved away.
+
+Fortunately for the two boys, there was an old trunk in the cabin, and
+also a small wooden box which could be made to hold clothing, and these
+they packed with such effects as they intended to take along. A bargain
+was struck with the man who had failed to purchase any of the other
+goods, and the two boxes were placed in his wagon, and then the lads
+were ready to leave the spot which had been their home for many years.
+
+"Well, I'm sure I wish you success," said Peleg Andrews, as he shook
+each by the hand. "But it looks foolhardy to me--going away off to
+Alaska."
+
+"You'll be glad enough to come back home, see if you don't," put in
+Caleb Norcross. He did not offer to shake hands, at which the boys were
+just as well satisfied. In a minute more the brothers were up beside the
+lumberman on the wagon seat, the whip cracked, and the horse started;
+and the long trip to Alaska could be said to have fairly begun.
+
+A stop was made at Basco, where Earl settled up such bills as still
+remained unpaid, and then the horse set off on a trot for Spruceville,
+which was reached less than three-quarters of an hour later. At the
+latter place a way train for Bangor was due, and they had barely time to
+procure tickets and get their baggage checked before it came along and
+took them on board.
+
+"We've made a flying start and no mistake," was Randy's comment, as he
+leaned back in the cushioned seat. "Two days ago we never dreamed of
+going to Alaska or anywhere else."
+
+"I hope we haven't any cause to regret our hasty action," answered Earl,
+gravely. Then he immediately brightened up. "But we've started now, so
+let us make the most of it."
+
+The ride over the rough roads had made them hungry, but they had to wait
+until Bangor was reached before they could obtain anything to eat. It
+was late in the evening when the train rolled into the station and they
+alighted. Both boys had been in Bangor several times, so they did not
+feel quite like strangers. Having obtained supper at a restaurant, they
+made their way to the river docks and asked concerning the boat for
+Boston, having decided to make that trip by water. The boat was in, and
+having procured their passage, they were privileged to go on board and
+sleep there over-night.
+
+The trip to Boston was an uneventful one, although full of novelty to
+Earl and Randy, who had never taken such a voyage before. They might
+have enjoyed it still more had they not been so anxious concerning what
+was before them. Alas! little did they dream of all the grave perils the
+future held in store.
+
+"We don't want to look too green," said Earl, when the steamboat was
+tying up at her wharf and the passengers were preparing to go ashore.
+
+"Oh, I guess we'll pass in a crowd," said Randy, laughing. "All we want
+to look out for is that we are not robbed, or something like that."
+
+Leaving their baggage on check, the two boys started from Foster's wharf
+up into the city. They had no idea where the firm of Bartwell & Stone
+were located, but Earl was certain they could easily be found by
+consulting a directory.
+
+The elder brother was on the point of entering a large store in quest of
+the book mentioned when Randy pulled his arm and pointed down the
+street. "There goes a fire engine, Earl!" he cried. "Let's follow it. I
+should like to see how they manage a fire in a city."
+
+Earl was willing, and away they went, easily keeping up with the engine,
+which had to proceed slowly through the crowded thoroughfare. The fire
+was in a paint and oil works, and burnt fiercely for over an hour
+before it was gotten under control. The boys lingered around, watching
+the movements of the firemen with keen interest, and it was two hours
+later before Earl caught Randy by the shoulder and hauled him out of the
+mob of people.
+
+"Remember, we're bound for Alaska," he said. "We can't afford to stop at
+every sight on the way."
+
+A few blocks further on a directory was found in a drug store and the
+address of Bartwell & Stone jotted down. They lost no further time in
+hunting up the firm of bankers and brokers, who occupied the ground
+floor of a substantial business structure.
+
+"I am Earl Portney," explained Earl, to the clerk who asked them what
+they wanted. "This is my brother Randolph. Our uncle, Foster Portney,
+said he would send on some money for us from San Francisco. Has it
+arrived yet?"
+
+"I'll see. Was it a telegraph order?"
+
+"I suppose so."
+
+The clerk disappeared into an inner apartment, to be gone several
+minutes. When he came out he was accompanied by a tall, sharp-eyed man
+in rusty black.
+
+"These are not the young men who called for the money," said the man in
+rusty black. "There must be some mistake here."
+
+"Were the other men identified, Mr. Stone?" questioned the clerk, while
+both Randy and Earl pricked up their ears.
+
+"Oh, yes; a clerk from Johnston's restaurant identified them as Earl and
+Randolph Portney. Besides, they held the original letter which had been
+sent by their uncle, Foster Portney, from San Francisco."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+A SERIOUS SET-BACK.
+
+
+Earl and Randy could scarcely believe their ears. What was this
+gentleman in rusty black saying, that two men had been identified as
+themselves and had called for the money sent on by their Uncle Foster?
+
+"There is a mistake somewhere," said the clerk, turning to the brothers.
+"You say you are Earl and Randolph Portney?"
+
+"We are," both replied, in a breath.
+
+"Two men were here not two hours ago and were identified as the ones to
+receive the money. They had a letter from their uncle, in which he
+wanted them to come to San Francisco and join him in a trip to Alaska."
+
+"That letter was ours!" burst out Earl. "I lost it a couple of days
+ago."
+
+The clerk turned to the elderly gentleman, who looked more serious than
+ever.
+
+"Have you any idea who those men were?" asked the gentleman.
+
+"They were a couple of thieves, that's certain," said Randy, bluntly.
+"The money was to come to us and nobody else."
+
+"Where did you lose that letter?"
+
+"I lost it on the road between Naddy Brook and Spruceville," replied
+Earl, and gave some of the particulars. The full story of his uncle's
+offer to Randy and himself followed, to which Mr. Stone listened
+closely. He was a fair judge of human nature, and saw at once that the
+two boys were no sharpers and that their story was most likely true.
+
+"Well, if you are the real Portney brothers, we are out exactly three
+hundred dollars," he said, after considerable talking. "I paid over that
+money in good faith, too, on the strength of the letter and the
+identification."
+
+"We had nothing to do with that," answered Earl, stoutly, feeling he
+must stand up for his rights.
+
+"Of course not, but--Just wait here a few minutes, and I'll try to find
+that clerk from the restaurant who identified the rascals."
+
+Mr. Stone put on a silk hat and went out, to be gone nearly or quite
+half an hour. He returned accompanied by another man--a police
+official--to whom the particulars of the occurrence had been given.
+
+"That identification was also part of the swindle," the broker
+explained. "I could not find the clerk at the restaurant, and I am
+convinced now that he was not the man he made me believe he was."
+
+"But what about our money?" said Earl, coldly, thinking the broker might
+try to shift the responsibility of the affair.
+
+"If you can find some reliable party known to us to identify you, I will
+pay the sum to you," was the answer. "But I've got to be sure of the
+identification this time--and you can't blame me for that," added the
+broker, with a short laugh.
+
+"No, we can't blame you for that," repeated Earl, yet at the same time
+wondering who there was in that strange city who knew them.
+
+"I don't know of any one here who knows us," put in Randy, reading his
+elder brother's thought. "I wish Uncle had sent the money in some other
+way."
+
+"See here," put in the police official. "Since those swindlers had the
+letter that was lost up near where you come from, perhaps you know the
+men. Mr. Stone, can't you describe them?"
+
+As well as he was able the broker did so. But the description was so
+indefinite that both Earl and Randy shook their heads.
+
+"I know a dozen men who look a good deal like that description," said
+the older brother. "It's possible they were lumbermen like ourselves."
+
+"Yes, they did look like lumbermen," replied Mr. Stone. "That is why I
+was not so particular about their identification."
+
+For another half hour the matter was talked over, and then as it was
+getting time to close up the office for the day, Earl and Randy left, to
+find some one to identify them, were such a thing possible. At the
+corner of the block both halted.
+
+"I'm blessed if I know what to do," were Randy's words. "I can't think
+of a soul who knows us here."
+
+"There used to be a man named Curtis Gordon who once lived at Basco--he
+owned the feed mill there. He came to Boston and started a flour
+business. But whether he would remember me is a question. He hasn't seen
+me in about eight years."
+
+"We might try him--it would be better than nothing!" cried Randy,
+eagerly. "Let us hunt him up in the directory."
+
+This was done, and they found Mr. Curtis Gordon's place of business
+after a search lasting over an hour. Several clerks were in attendance
+who supplied the information that Mr. Gordon had gone to New York, and
+would not be back for two days.
+
+"Stumped again," murmured Randy, dismally. "Did you ever see such luck!"
+
+"Never give up," answered Earl, as cheerfully as he could. "I wonder if
+Mrs. Gordon lives in town."
+
+"What if she does?"
+
+"I'd call on her, and perhaps she can help us out. She used to know me."
+
+From the clerks in the store they received the Gordons' home address.
+It was a fine place on the Back Bay, and it was nightfall by the time
+the boys reached it. They were ushered into the waiting-hall by a
+servant, who immediately went off to notify her mistress, who was at
+dinner.
+
+From the dining-room came a murmur of talking, and one of the voices
+sounded strangely familiar to Earl. "Hark, Randy," he whispered. "Isn't
+that Squire Dobson speaking?"
+
+"It is!" ejaculated Randy. "We are saved at last!"
+
+Mrs. Gordon came to them a minute later, having excused herself to her
+guest. The boys' mission was soon explained, Earl at the same time
+offering an excuse for calling at the meal hour. He mentioned Squire
+Dobson, and that individual was called from the table.
+
+"Well, well!" exclaimed the squire of Basco, a short, stout, and rather
+jolly type of a country official. "I didn't expect to see you in Boston,
+although I heard yesterday that you were bound for Alaska or some such
+place. Mrs. Gordon, these are Daniel Portney's boys,--you must remember
+Daniel Portney,--the one who lost his life in that dreadful forest fire
+up our way some years ago."
+
+Mrs. Gordon did remember, and she gave both lads a warm greeting. It was
+several minutes before Earl could get down to business, and then the
+matter of identification was left to Squire Dobson, who said he would
+see them through in the morning, as soon as the Bartwell & Stone offices
+were open.
+
+"I don't know them," he said, "but I know some bankers on the same
+block, and we can introduce each other."
+
+Mrs. Gordon was glad enough to see some folks from the district which
+had once been her home, and asked the brothers to partake of dinner with
+the squire and her family of boys and girls. After some hesitation, the
+invitation was accepted, and two hours were spent at the mansion.
+
+During the course of this time it was learned by Earl and Randy that
+Squire Dobson had come down from Maine in search of his son, a
+happy-go-lucky lad, who had run away from home, as previously mentioned.
+The squire had heard from a friend that Fred had been seen near the
+docks in Boston, but he had been unable so far to locate the wayward
+youth.
+
+"I'm afraid he has either gone to New York or on some long ocean trip,"
+said the squire to Earl. "He's a foolish boy and is causing me no end of
+trouble. If you ever run across him, send him home at once."
+
+"I will--if he'll go," answered Earl; but neither he nor Randy ever
+dreamed of meeting Fred Dobson where they did.
+
+The visit over, the brothers left, to hunt up some cheap hotel at which
+to stop for the night. This was an easy matter, and at ten o'clock they
+retired. A sound sleep, however, was out of the question, for both were
+anxious concerning the outcome of their dealings with Bartwell & Stone.
+
+Promptly at the hour appointed they met the squire at the office of the
+brokers and bankers. Another banker, well known to both Squire Dobson
+and to Mr. Stone, was introduced all around, and thus Randy and Earl's
+identification was established beyond a doubt. This accomplished, Earl
+received three hundred dollars in cash, for which he and Randy signed a
+receipt; and the transaction was over.
+
+Just outside of the office, the boys separated from the squire of Basco,
+and the former lost no time in making their way to the depot of the New
+York & New England Railroad.
+
+"I don't know what route is best to take to San Francisco," said Earl.
+"I guess we had better buy tickets as far as New York first." And this
+was done; and a few hours later saw them safe on board a train, with
+their baggage in the car ahead. At the depot Earl had obtained a number
+of folders of different routes to the west, and these he intended to
+study while on his way to the great metropolis.
+
+"Oh, but railroad travelling is fine!" cried Randy, enthusiastically, as
+the long train sped on its way through hills and valleys, and past
+numerous pretty towns and villages, all alive with the hum of a thousand
+industries. "One feels as if he would like to ride forever!"
+
+"I'm afraid you'll be tired of riding by the time we reach San
+Francisco," said Earl, who, nevertheless, also enjoyed the journey.
+"This is only a little trip of six or seven hours. The next will be one
+of many days and nights."
+
+"I wonder how they sleep on a train," went on Randy, curiously.
+
+"We'll learn soon enough, Randy. Only don't let every one see how green
+we are," added Earl, in a whisper.
+
+At one of the stations in Connecticut, where a ten minutes' stop was
+made, the two lads alighted to stretch their legs and take a look
+around. They had been seated in the last car, and now they walked
+forward along the broad platform.
+
+Suddenly Randy caught his brother's arm. "Earl! Earl! look!" he
+ejaculated, and pointed to a window of the smoking-car. "There are Tom
+Roland and Jasper Guardley! What can they be doing on this train?"
+
+Earl glanced to where Randy pointed and saw that his brother was right.
+At the same instant Tom Roland saw them, and he drew back and motioned
+for his companion to do the same. Earl noted the movement and stood
+stock-still.
+
+"Randy, I wonder--" he began, and stopped short.
+
+"What, Earl? Isn't it queer they should be on this train from Boston?"
+
+"Yes. Randy, do you think it is possible that Tom Roland would be so
+dishonest as to--to--"
+
+"To get that money, Earl?" broke in the younger boy. "He might be--and
+yes, Mr. Stone's description of the two swindlers fits Roland and
+Guardley exactly!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+A NIGHT IN NEW YORK.
+
+
+"The description certainly does fit these two men," said Earl, with some
+hesitation. "And it is queer that Roland should be down here, when only
+a few days ago he was in Basco. Guardley, I know, is not above
+cheating--he's been up before Squire Dobson several times for it."
+
+"Let us go and have a talk with them," said Randy, impulsively. "If they
+stole that money, I want to know it."
+
+"It's not our business to hunt those swindlers up," answered Earl,
+hesitatingly; yet he followed Randy to the platform of the smoking-car,
+and they were soon inside, and making their way to where Roland and
+Guardley sat, pulling away at two black-looking cigars.
+
+"How do you do, Earl?" said Tom Roland, familiarly, as soon as the boys
+appeared. "It's queer we should be on the same train, isn't it?"
+
+"It is queer," answered Earl, stiffly, taken aback by the greeting.
+"Where are you bound?"
+
+"Guardley and I are going to try our luck in the West. Say, I heard you
+boys were bound for Alaska. Is that true?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"It costs a heap to go there--didn't know you had so much money," put in
+Guardley, with a smile that neither Earl nor Randy appreciated.
+
+"And I didn't know you had any money for a Western trip," returned the
+older brother, rather sharply.
+
+"Oh, Tom here is seeing me through," answered Guardley; but both Randy
+and Earl noted that he appeared somewhat confused for the moment.
+
+"Guardley has done me several good turns, and it wouldn't be fair for me
+to turn my back on him," finished Tom Roland. "We are going right
+through to San Francisco. How about yourselves?"
+
+"We stop off at New York," said Randy.
+
+"It's a pity we can't travel together--" began Roland, when Earl cut him
+short.
+
+"Roland, did you pick up a letter belonging to me?" asked the boy.
+
+The man's eyes dropped, but only for the fraction of a second. "A letter
+belonging to you?" he repeated. "No. Where did you lose it?"
+
+"Somewhere around Basco. Did you see it, Guardley?"
+
+The second man shook his head. "Was it important?" he asked.
+
+"Very," said Earl, laconically, and then, as the train began to move
+again he motioned to Randy, and the two started back for their seat in
+the last car.
+
+"What do you think?" questioned Randy, when they were seated.
+
+"I don't know what to think. It's mighty queer the pair should leave
+Basco in such a hurry."
+
+"We left in a hurry. But we had a good reason."
+
+"And they may have--a reason most folks don't look for."
+
+"Do you think they left on account of some crooked work?" cried Randy.
+
+"That would probably be Jasper Guardley's reason for getting away. But
+it's not our affair, and we have enough other matters to think of,"
+concluded Earl, after a pause. "When we get to New York we'll be like
+stray cattle in a hundred-acre lot. We must look out not to get lost,
+and above all things not to lose our money."
+
+"And engage the cheapest and quickest passage to San Francisco," said
+Randy. "Let us look over those folders before it gets too late. It's too
+dark to see much outside."
+
+The lamps were lighted in the car, and they lost no further time in
+digesting the contents of the folders of the railroad companies and
+pouring over the maps of the various routes to the Golden Gate.
+
+"One looks about as good as another on paper," remarked Earl, at last.
+"I think we had best take the New York Central Railroad to Chicago, then
+the Rock Island & Chicago to Rock Island, and then the Southern Pacific.
+We'll find out about that route when we reach New York."
+
+It was exactly ten o'clock in the evening that the train rolled into the
+Grand Central Depot at Forty-second Street and Randy and Earl alighted.
+The crowd was very thick, and though both looked for Roland and
+Guardley, the two men could not be discovered. The coming and going of
+so many people confused them, and the many cries which greeted them as
+they emerged on the street did not tend to set them at ease.
+
+"Cab, sir? Coupe? This way for the Broadway Central Hotel! Evening
+papers, _Post_ or _Telegram_! _Mail and Express_!"
+
+Several came up to the two boys, offering them cab rides and the like,
+but both Randy and Earl shook their heads. Then Earl remembered that the
+ticket office was close at hand, and he and his brother went inside
+again. A long talk with the ticket clerk followed, and they concluded to
+take the New York Central road to Chicago, and from there as previously
+intended. The train would start at ten in the morning, and Earl bought
+two tickets, paying an amount which brought their cash balance down
+quite low once more.
+
+"Never mind; that pays for about all we'll need," said Randy. "Let us
+leave the tickets to be called for, and then they'll be safe."
+
+"No indeed!" said Earl. "Some one may call for them just as the money
+was called for. I'll carry my ticket in an inside pocket, and you had
+best do the same."
+
+This settled, the brothers strolled out once more. It was rather late,
+but they could not resist the temptation to a walk down Broadway, of
+which they had heard so often. They trudged as far as the Post-office,
+took a look at Park Row and the numerous newspaper buildings, and the
+Brooklyn Bridge all lit up in a blaze of electric lights, and then Earl
+happened to glance at the clock on St. Paul's Church.
+
+"Half-past twelve, Randy!" he ejaculated. "Gracious! we'll never find a
+hotel open as late as this! Let us get back to the vicinity of the depot
+again!"
+
+"I guess the hotels are open all night here," answered the younger
+brother. "Let us ride up Broadway on that street car." And they boarded
+a cable car, which speedily took them back to Forty-second Street. A
+convenient hotel was found close to the railroad station, and they lost
+no time in retiring. The constant rumble and roar of the elevated trains
+disturbed them not a little, and it was well into the morning hours
+before both dropped off into dreamland, not to awaken until a bell boy
+aroused them at seven o'clock.
+
+After a hasty breakfast another look was taken around the city. Finding
+they had the time, they took an elevated train to the Battery and back,
+staying long enough at the lower end of the city to catch a glimpse of
+Castle Garden with its aquarium, and the statue of Liberty out in the
+bay.
+
+"One could spend a month in sight-seeing here," sighed Randy. "I wish we
+had had the time to do Boston and New York thoroughly."
+
+Ten o'clock found them on the train which was to take them through to
+Chicago without change of cars. The cars were comfortably filled, but
+there was no crowding. Again they looked for Roland and Guardley, but
+without success.
+
+"I guess they remained in New York," said Earl; but for once the young
+fellow was mistaken.
+
+Leaving the vicinity of the metropolis, the train began its long journey
+up the beautiful Hudson. But the journey northward did not last long.
+Soon the train branched to the westward and plunged into the hills and
+rolling lands of the Mohawk Valley. City after city were left behind
+with a whir and a rush that almost took Randy's breath from him. At noon
+a stop was made for lunch, then on they went again. Supper was served in
+a dining-car, and both boys voted it about the best meal they had ever
+tasted.
+
+After the lamps were lit it was not long before the passengers began to
+think of going to bed. Both Randy and Earl watched the porter closely
+as he drew out the beds from the narrow closets in the sloping roof of
+the car, set up the little wooden partitions, and otherwise arranged the
+sleeping-apartments. The boys had a section to themselves and concluded
+to sleep together in the lower berth, so the upper berth was left out.
+
+"A sleeping-car is a great institution," said Earl, as they turned in.
+"Why, a train like this is just a moving house and nothing else!"
+
+Shortly after noon of the day following Chicago was reached. Here they
+had a three hours' stop and spent the time in a ride on State Street,
+and a trip to the roof of the great Masonic Temple, where a grand
+bird's-eye view of the entire city was to be seen, spread out far below
+them.
+
+And so the long trip westward continued. To tell of all the places
+stopped at would be impossible. All day long for nearly a week they sat
+at their car window taking in the sights of cities, towns, prairies, and
+mountains. There were wonderful bridges to cross and perilous turns to
+make, at which both held their breath, expecting each moment to be
+dashed to pieces. In the mountains a severe storm was encountered, and
+the rolling of the thunder was awe-inspiring, so long was it kept up.
+
+But all journeys, long and short, must come to an end, and one fine
+morning the boys found themselves safe and sound in San Francisco, and
+on their way to the Palace Hotel. The trip overland had brightened them
+a good bit, and they no longer looked as green as when they had started.
+
+They had just stepped from a Market Street car in front of the hotel
+when they saw a youth coming down the hotel steps who looked strangely
+familiar, in spite of the somewhat ragged clothing he wore.
+
+"Randy, who is that fellow?" questioned Earl, quickly, as he caught his
+brother by the elbow.
+
+"Why, if it isn't Fred Dobson!" burst from Randy's lips. "How in the
+world did he get away out here? Fred Dobson! Fred Dobson! Stop, we want
+to talk to you!" he called out, as the youth in question was on the
+point of hurrying off.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+PREPARATIONS FOR DEPARTURE.
+
+
+"Randy Portney!" came from the lips of the boy addressed, as he turned
+to stare at the person who had called out his name. "And Earl, too!
+Where--where did you come from?"
+
+"From Basco, of course," returned Randy. "How did you get away out
+here?"
+
+"I--I came out on a train from Chicago," stammered Fred Dobson, but he
+did not add that the train had been a freight, and that the stolen ride
+had been both uncomfortable and full of peril.
+
+"We met your father in Boston," put in Earl. "He said if we should ever
+run across you to tell you to come home."
+
+"I'm not going back," was the reply of the squire's son. "I came out
+here to make my fortune."
+
+"I'm afraid you'll find it rather hard work," ventured Randy, and he
+glanced at Fred's shabby suit. Around Basco the youth had dressed better
+than any one else.
+
+"I've been playing in hard luck lately," was the slangy reply. "But
+say, what are you two fellows doing out here?"
+
+"We came on to join our uncle," said Randy. "He is going to take us to
+Alaska with him."
+
+"Alaska! To those new gold fields a fellow reads about in the daily
+papers?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"I'd like to go there myself," said the runaway, readily.
+
+"It costs a good deal of money to go, Fred," remarked Earl. He rather
+liked the squire's son, in spite of his wild ways. "A fellow must take
+along a year's provisions."
+
+"So I've heard. I wonder if I couldn't work my way up on one of the
+boats."
+
+"I wouldn't advise you to go," said Randy. "Why, you are not used to
+hard work, and they say work up there is of the hardest kind."
+
+"Oh, I can work if I have to. Where is your uncle?"
+
+"He's stopping at this hotel." Randy turned to Earl. "Let us see if
+Uncle Foster is in, and we can talk to Fred some time later."
+
+This was decided upon, and the squire's son walked off, promising to be
+back in a few hours.
+
+"He puts on a pretty good face, but I fancy he is homesick,
+nevertheless," remarked Earl, as he and Randy made their way to the
+hotel office. They were just about to ask for their uncle when a hand
+was laid on Earl's shoulder.
+
+"Earl! Randy! How are you, my boys! Just as fresh and hearty as when I
+saw you last. And how both of you are growing! Why, Earl, you are almost
+a man! I'm glad to see you, yes, I am!" And Foster Portney beamed at
+both from a pair of brown eyes set in a round, ruddy face, which was
+half covered with a long beard. He was a large and rugged man, and his
+open manner had made him many friends.
+
+"What a beard you've got, Uncle Foster!" were Randy's first words, as he
+winced at the close grip Foster Portney gave his hand. "You look like
+all the rest of the Westerners around here!"
+
+"I'm glad we had no trouble in finding you," put in Earl, whose hand
+also tingled from the grip given it. He remembered now that his uncle
+had always been considered an unusually strong man. "I know he'll stand
+the Alaskan climate well enough, even if we don't," he thought.
+
+"Didn't have any trouble getting here, did you?" questioned Foster
+Portney. "Your message came on time?"
+
+"We had a little set-back in Boston," answered Earl, and told of the
+trouble about the money. His uncle listened with a sober look on his
+broad face.
+
+"That was too bad, truly, lads. But it's the loss of that firm of
+bankers and brokers. They ought to have been sure of the identification.
+And you think the thieves were two men named Roland and Guardley? They
+must be thorough rascals."
+
+"We are not sure," broke in Randy, hastily. "It only looks that way."
+
+"I see." Foster Portney mused for a moment. "Well, we can't lose time in
+trying to investigate. I was hoping you two boys would turn up to-day or
+to-morrow. Day after to-morrow a boat sails for Juneau, and if I rustle
+around I think I can secure passage for ourselves and our traps. If we
+don't catch this boat, we'll have to wait two weeks, or else take a
+train for Portland and wait ten days."
+
+"But we haven't a thing, Uncle Foster," cried Randy. "That is, outside
+of our clothing, which is in our trunks, on check at the railroad
+station."
+
+"And that clothing, for the most part, will have to be left behind,
+Randy. For a country like Alaska one must be differently dressed than
+here. Each of you will have to have a suit of furs and plenty of
+flannels and all that sort of thing."
+
+"And where shall we get them?"
+
+"There is a regular outfitting store not far from here. But the first
+thing to be done, now you have turned up, is to secure those passage
+tickets to Juneau. The Alaskan fever is setting in strong here, and
+we'll not be alone on our trip over Chilkoot Pass and along the
+headwaters of the Yukon."
+
+"I'm in the dark about this trip, I must confess," said Earl. "Where is
+this pass you mention, and where is the Klondike Creek, or River?"
+
+"I'll show you the route to-night, boys, on a map just issued by our
+government, the best map out so far. But come along to that steamboat
+office, or we'll get left."
+
+Five minutes later saw the boys and their uncle on a street car which
+ran close to the dock at which the steamboat lay, taking in her cargo,
+which consisted mainly of the outfits of miners and prospectors. The
+boat, which was named the _Golden Hope_, had been chartered especially
+for this trip, and a temporary shipping office had been established
+close at hand. Around this office was congregated a motley collection of
+men, all eager to obtain passage to Juneau as cheaply as it could be
+had.
+
+Through this crowd Foster Portney shoved his way, with Randy and Earl
+close behind him. It was some minutes before they could get to the
+ticket office.
+
+"I want three tickets," said Mr. Portney. "How much freight will you
+carry on them?"
+
+"Six hundred pounds, and not a pound more for anybody," was the quick
+reply.
+
+"And when do you sail?"
+
+"Wednesday, at twelve o'clock sharp. What are the names? We don't want
+any mix-up in this rush."
+
+The names were put down, and the money for the passage paid over, and
+with their tickets in their pockets the three struggled to get out of
+the crowd, which was growing more dense every minute. Close at hand was
+a big bill-board on which was posted a large circular headed in big
+black letters:--
+
+  THE GOLD FIELDS OF ALASKA!
+
+  _Direct Route via Juneau and Over Chilkoot Pass!
+  Now is the Time to Go and Stake Your Claim!_
+
+"That circular is enough to set almost any one crazy," said Earl, as he
+read it over. "Well, I hope we strike a bonanza."
+
+"The reports are very encouraging," replied Foster Portney, who, in
+spite of his usual cool headedness had the gold fever nearly as badly as
+any one in San Francisco. "You see," he went on, "the sooner we get
+there the better: for we won't have much time left after arriving before
+the long and terribly cold winter sets in."
+
+Earl had imagined that the six hundred pounds of freight must be divided
+between the three, but soon learned that six hundred pounds was the
+limit for each person.
+
+"We'll never carry that much, will we?" he queried. "Why, how are we
+going to get all that stuff over the pass you mentioned?"
+
+"We'll get Indians to pack it over. They'll charge twenty or thirty
+cents a pound, but it's the best that can be done. Some hire pack mules
+and dog teams, but my experience has been that Indians are the most
+reliable."
+
+Dinner was now had, and then the three proceeded to the outfitting store
+Foster Portney had previously mentioned. On the way their uncle asked
+the boys what they had in their trunks, that nothing not needed might be
+purchased.
+
+Two hours were spent in buying clothing, and both Earl and Randy thought
+their uncle would never get done adding to the pile. First came a dozen
+suits of flannel underwear, and with them a dozen pairs of heavy socks
+and half a dozen of light ones. Then came two suits of woollen clothing,
+strongly made and with large pockets, two pairs of strong shoes and a
+pair of arctics, and two pairs of walrus-hide boots--heavy, it is true,
+but strong as iron. Finally came a suit of furs and two caps, each with
+a guard which could be pulled down to the neck, leaving only two holes
+for the eyes.
+
+"I reckon you've got handkerchiefs and such extras," said Mr. Portney.
+"So now all you want, so far as wearing is concerned, is a few pairs of
+smoked glasses, to prevent snow-blindness."
+
+The general outfitter was also able to supply these, and he suggested
+they take along about ten yards of mosquito netting.
+
+"Mosquito netting!" cried Randy. "What for?"
+
+"During the short summer mosquitoes are exceedingly thick in Alaska,"
+said his uncle; and made the purchase suggested.
+
+It was now getting late, and Foster Portney said they had best wait
+until the following morning before buying the camping-out things,
+bedding, and other necessities. "I'll make a careful list to-night," he
+added.
+
+They returned to the Palace Hotel, where Randy and Earl found Fred
+Dobson awaiting them.
+
+"Say!" was the greeting of the squire's son. "Is half of Basco moving
+out to San Francisco?"
+
+"What do you mean?" questioned Earl, with a puzzled look.
+
+"Why, I was down at the railroad station about an hour ago, and I saw a
+train come in from Chicago with Tom Roland and Jasper Guardley on
+board."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+BUYING THE OUTFITS.
+
+
+"You saw Tom Roland and Jasper Guardley?" burst from the lips of the
+Portney brothers simultaneously.
+
+"Yes," replied Fred Dobson. "I couldn't believe my eyes at first, but
+when I felt sure I was right I ran up to speak to Roland."
+
+"And what did he say?" queried Earl.
+
+"He didn't give me a chance to speak to him. He and Guardley disappeared
+in the crowd like a flash. I rather think they saw me and avoided me."
+
+Earl and Randy exchanged glances. Tom Roland and Jasper Guardley had
+followed them to San Francisco. What could it mean?
+
+"I shouldn't wonder if they are bound for Alaska, too!" burst out Randy.
+"Oh, Earl, supposing they got that letter--"
+
+"It's more than likely they did," said the elder youth, quickly. "I'll
+wager both of them are going to try their fortunes in the new gold
+fields. Well, they had a cheap trip West," he concluded bitterly.
+
+"If we could prove they got the money, we could have them locked up."
+
+"But we can't prove it, Randy; we haven't time, so we'll just have to
+let matters stand where they are. For my part I never want to see either
+of them again," said Earl, decidedly.
+
+Fred Dobson had listened to the latter part of the conversation with
+interest, and now he wished to know what it all meant.
+
+"They must be guilty," he said, after Randy had recited the facts.
+"Guardley is a bad egg. You know he was up before my father several
+times. But say, Randy," he went on, as Earl turned away with Foster
+Portney to secure extra accommodations at the hotel for the two
+following nights, "can't you fix it up with your uncle so that I can go
+to Alaska with him? I'll work like a slave for the chance to go."
+
+Randy had expected something of this sort and had talked the matter over
+with Earl, and now he shook his head.
+
+"I don't believe I can, Fred. My uncle is only taking us along because
+we are related and because he knows we are both strong and used to hard
+work. I really don't believe you could stand it in the new gold fields.
+He has warned us that the exposure is something awful."
+
+"Oh, I know, but I can stand more than you think," pleaded Fred.
+
+"Besides that, it wouldn't be right," added Randy. "You ran away from
+home, and it's your duty to go back."
+
+"Oh, don't preach. My father doesn't care where I am."
+
+"Yes, he does, Fred; he cares a good deal. And then your mother must be
+worried, too."
+
+At the mention of his mother, Fred Dobson's face changed color for a
+moment, and when next he spoke there seemed to be a suspicious lump in
+his throat.
+
+"I--I'm going to send mother a letter; I'll write it to-night."
+
+"You should have written long ago, Fred."
+
+"Oh, don't preach. Then you won't speak to your uncle?" And the squire's
+son looked into Randy's face wistfully.
+
+"Yes, I'll speak to him; but it won't do any good, Fred."
+
+It was not long after this that Foster Portney and Earl came back,
+having hired an extra room for the time desired. The uncle had been
+introduced to Fred, and now he invited the runaway to take supper with
+them.
+
+It was not until the meal was nearly over that Fred urged Randy to
+broach the subject next his heart. Foster Portney listened patiently to
+all Randy had to say and also gave ear to Fred's pleadings. But his
+face did not brighten up into anything like an encouraging look.
+
+"No, Dobson, I can't take you," was his reply. "In the first place, Earl
+and Randy are all the companions I wish to take along, that is, and grub
+stake, as we term it in mining slang--pay their way, that means; and in
+the second place, it wouldn't be right. You are a minor and have run
+away from home, and, if anything, it is my duty to see that you go back.
+Besides this, you do not look strong, and, I believe, you have never
+done any real hard work, and that won't do for Alaska. Only those who
+know how to rough it stand any show whatever of getting along there. My
+advice to you is, to go back where you belong."
+
+As may be surmised, this plain speech did not suit Fred Dobson at all,
+and he felt more than ill at ease for the remainder of the repast. As
+soon as he could do so gracefully he arose to go.
+
+"I don't suppose I'll see you again for a long while," he said, as he
+held out his hand to Earl and to Randy. "Well, good luck to you,
+anyway."
+
+Randy caught Earl by the arm and gave it a little pinch. "How are you
+off for cash, Fred?" he asked, in a low tone.
+
+"Oh, I've got a little money with me," answered Fred, quietly, but did
+not add that the sum-total of his fortune amounted to exactly sixty-five
+cents.
+
+"Perhaps we can help you a little," put in Earl, who understood the
+pinch Randy had given him. "We haven't much, but if a few dollars will
+do any good--"
+
+"Will you let me have two dollars?" asked the squire's son, eagerly.
+
+"Yes."
+
+"And I'll let you have two more," added Randy, and the amounts were
+passed over on the spot, and Fred thanked them very profusely. A few
+minutes later he had thanked Foster Portney for the supper, bade all
+good-by, and was gone.
+
+"Not a half bad boy," was the comment of Mr. Portney. "His one fault is,
+I reckon, that he has been allowed to have his own way too long.
+Roughing it out here will most likely make a man of him, unless he gets
+into bad company and goes to the dogs."
+
+"I am going to write to his folks and let them know where he is," said
+Earl; and the letter was penned and mailed before he went to bed.
+
+The three were on their way early on the following morning to complete
+the purchase of their outfits, for all must be packed up and on the
+steamboat deck by seven o'clock the next morning, to insure being stored
+on board of the _Golden Hope_.
+
+The first purchases made were those of a good tent, bedding, woollen
+blankets, rubber sleeping-bags, a large piece of oiled canvas, and
+several lynx-skin robes.
+
+"Now for our tools with which to cut down trees, build boats, and the
+like," said Foster Portney. "Remember, we are almost like pioneers in a
+new land."
+
+For boat-building purposes they purchased a good whip-saw, a cross-cut
+saw, a jack plane, and a draw knife, a large and a small axe, a hammer,
+brace and bits, six pounds of assorted nails, several pounds of oakum
+for calking, and some pitch. To this outfit was added fifty yards of
+three-quarter-inch rope.
+
+"Don't we want some canvas for sail?" asked Randy, who was intensely
+interested, and who felt somewhat as if he was going out to play at
+Robinson Crusoe.
+
+"No, the other bits of canvas will do for that," responded Foster
+Portney. "Now for the camping-out things," he went on, and had soon
+procured a good-sized water kettle, a frying-pan, broiler, bean pot, tin
+measure, extra baking and cooking tins, three tin plates and cups, three
+sets of knives and forks, coffee pot and strainer, salt and pepper
+shakers, and a strong paper-fibre water pail.
+
+"That about ends that," he said, when each article bought had been
+carefully scrutinized to see that it was perfect. "Now for food and
+medicines, and then we'll be about done."
+
+The food list made Randy smile grimly. "No luxuries there," he whispered
+to Earl. "We are going to live as plain as we did up in Maine, or
+plainer."
+
+The list consisted of the following: A hundred pounds of flour, with
+baking-powder, twenty pounds of smoked ham and bacon, two dozen cans of
+tomatoes, a dozen cans of other vegetables, a small sack of potatoes, a
+dozen cans of condensed milk, twenty pounds of sugar, ten pounds of
+salt, twenty pounds of coffee, a sack of beans, pepper and other spices,
+and mustard. To these were added a few cans of fruit by way of
+delicacies.
+
+The food packed, they made their way to a drug store and procured a
+small family chest of various medicines, and added to this several
+bottles of liquor, which, however, were to be used only for medicinal
+purposes, for none of the party were drinkers.
+
+Foster Portney already had a serviceable pistol, and he now procured for
+this weapon a sufficient supply of cartridges. He also bought a pistol
+for Randy and a shot-gun for Earl. "The gun will be the most useful
+weapon," he said, "for it will help put lots of game into our
+eating-pot, and that is what we shall want."
+
+"Won't we want a fishing-line or two?" asked Earl. "I have one in my
+trunk, but it is not of much account."
+
+"Yes, we'll buy several first-class ones, and a book of flies. Fish to a
+hungry man are as acceptable as any other game," answered his uncle, and
+the articles mentioned were purchased without delay.
+
+The list was now filled, yet Foster Portney spent nearly an hour more in
+picking up such odds and ends as pins, needles, spools of thread, three
+good pocket compasses, and burning-glasses, a pocket notebook for each,
+with pencils and some writing-paper and envelopes. Finally he took them
+to a little shop on a side street, where each procured a monstrous
+knapsack of oiled canvas, having straps to be placed over the shoulders
+and an extra strap to come up over the front part of the head.
+
+"What an affair!" said Randy, with a laugh. "I never saw a knapsack with
+a head-piece before."
+
+"You'll find it an easy thing to carry," said his uncle. "Try it," and
+Randy did so, and was astonished to learn how much the head-strap
+improved the carrying powers.
+
+The best part of the evening was spent in packing the things they had
+purchased, and it was not until after ten o'clock that the last of the
+bundles were ready and duly tagged.
+
+"Now we have only a few more things to get," said Foster Portney, "the
+most important of the whole outfit;" and as Randy and Earl looked at him
+blankly, he smiled in an odd way. "What could three gold hunters do
+without picks, shovels, and pans?"
+
+"To be sure!" shouted Randy, and Earl reddened over the idea that he had
+not thought of the things before.
+
+"We'll get them in the morning, for they won't have to be packed," said
+the uncle. "We have done enough for to-day."
+
+And Randy, who was tired out, agreed with him that it had been a busy
+day, indeed. He went to bed with his head in a whirl about Alaska and
+how they were to get there, and of the wonderful finds of gold which
+awaited all hands. He was full of the brightest of hopes, and the
+hardships so soon to be encountered did not bother him.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+ON THE WAY TO JUNEAU.
+
+
+"Get up, Randy! Don't you know we are to start for Alaska to-day?" cried
+Earl, at six o'clock on the following morning. "Come now, turn out."
+
+"Oh my, but I'm tired still!" grumbled Randy, as he stretched himself.
+Nevertheless, he hopped out of bed a moment later and was dressed almost
+as soon as his brother. They had barely finished when their uncle came
+to summon them to breakfast.
+
+"We'll hunt up those tools and then I have a little private business to
+attend to," announced Foster Portney. "So we must move lively."
+
+Breakfast, the last meal to be eaten in San Francisco, was quickly
+disposed of, and then followed a half-hour's inspection of various
+picks, shovels, and gold-washing pans at a hardware store that made a
+specialty of miners' tools. The boys were greatly interested, and, as
+Earl said, it made them feel more like prospectors to own a pick and a
+shovel each. The final bundle was made and shipped to the steamboat
+dock, and Foster Portney left them.
+
+"Meet me at the dock at eleven o'clock," he said, as he hurried away.
+
+The boys had still several private matters to be settled. Their trunks
+were to be sold, also some old clothing. At the hotel they obtained the
+addresses of several dealers in second-hand goods, and they had one of
+the dealers call and look at the stuff. He offered ten dollars for the
+lot; and, as they did not see their way to doing better, they accepted
+his terms, and the goods were removed without delay.
+
+"Let us take a walk around while we have the chance," said Earl. "It is
+only ten o'clock."
+
+Randy was willing, and off they started up Market Street to the City
+Hall, and then back and into Montgomery and Kearney streets, taking in
+all the sights as they went. Almost before they knew it, it was time to
+go to the wharf.
+
+"We don't want to keep Uncle Foster waiting," said Earl; but when they
+reached the wharf their uncle was nowhere in sight.
+
+The crowd which had collected to see the gold seekers off was a large
+one, and more people kept coming every moment. The almost magic name,
+Klondike, was on every tongue, and there were hundreds who expressed the
+wish that they were going along.
+
+"Alaska is full of gold!" one man declared. "Full of gold! All you've
+got to do is to locate it."
+
+"That's just it," said Earl to his brother. "If you can locate it you're
+all right; if not--" and he finished by a shrug of his broad shoulders.
+
+"You're not sorry we're going, are you?" demanded Randy, quickly.
+
+"Sorry? Not a bit of it. But it doesn't pay to be too sanguine, Randy,
+my boy."
+
+Quarter of an hour passed, and the jam on the dock began to become
+uncomfortable. Brawny men predominated, but there were also many others
+there,--wives to bid good-by to their husbands, girls to wish their
+lovers good-luck, and children to catch a last embrace from their
+parents. Many of the women were in tears, and a number of other eyes
+were moist, and altogether the scene was rather a sober one.
+
+"What can be keeping Uncle Foster?" asked Randy, as the minutes to the
+time for sailing slipped by. "I don't see him anywhere, do you?"
+
+Earl did not, and he was as anxious as his brother. Back and forth they
+pushed their way, but without success. Then Earl looked at the silver
+watch he carried. "Ten minutes to twelve!" he ejaculated.
+
+"Let us go on board and stand where Uncle Foster can see us," suggested
+Randy, in a tone of voice which was far from steady. Supposing their
+uncle should not turn up, what should they do? To go alone on that trip
+seemed out of the question.
+
+Luckily they had their tickets, so getting on board was not difficult.
+A number of the passengers glanced at them curiously.
+
+"Goin' ter Alaska?" asked one brawny fellow whose face was almost
+entirely concealed by his tangled beard. "Well, well! Ain't yer most
+afraid ye'll git done up?"
+
+"We'll try to keep on top," answered Earl. The fellow wished to continue
+the conversation, but both Earl and Randy were too impatient just then
+to listen to him, and moved off to another part of the boat.
+
+Five minutes more had passed and an officer was going around shouting:
+"All ashore that's going! We sail in five minutes!" Those to be left
+behind began to pass over the gang-plank--it was a hasty handshake and a
+last good-by on every side. The boys looked at each other doubtfully.
+
+"If he doesn't come--" began Earl, when his quick eye caught sight in
+the crowd of a hat that he recognized. "Uncle Foster! Uncle Foster
+Portney! Come on board!" he yelled, at the top of his sturdy lungs.
+
+Mr. Portney, in the jam of people below, heard and looked up. In a
+moment he had caught sight of his nephews and he shook his hand at them.
+Soon he was mounting the gang-plank, the last of the passengers to come
+on board. He was out of breath and gave the boys an odd smile.
+
+"I suppose I gave you a scare," he said. "I didn't mean to be so late,
+but those business matters took longer than I intended, and then there
+was a blockade of street cars and I had to walk it. But we're all right
+now, I reckon," he added, gazing around. "Good-by to San Francisco! When
+we see her again may our pockets be lined with gold!" And he took off
+his soft felt hat and waved it at the crowd on shore.
+
+The boat was now swinging clear of the wharf and thousands of hats and
+handkerchiefs were waving. "There she goes!" "Hurrah for Alaska!" "If
+you strike it rich, let us know!" "God be with you!" These and a hundred
+other cries rang out, and they were kept up until the steamer was far
+out in the stream and on her way up the bay to the Golden Gate.
+
+The run to the Gate did not take long, and by the middle of the
+afternoon the steamer was standing out boldly into the Pacific Ocean, on
+her way almost due north. It had been rather muggy, and now a heavy mist
+set in, and by evening the boys were glad enough to leave the deck and
+arrange their stateroom. It contained four berths, two for themselves,
+one for Mr. Portney, and the last for a stranger who was down on the
+ship's list as Captain Luke Zoss.
+
+"I wonder who Captain Zoss can be?" said Randy to Earl, when the door of
+the stateroom was suddenly flung open, and the bushy-bearded man who had
+spoken to them on deck came in. He stared at them in surprise for a
+second, then burst into a hearty fit of laughter.
+
+"Wall! wall! So it's you as are goin' ter be my messmates on this yere
+trip!" he exclaimed. "All right, lads, glad ter have ye." He held out a
+brawny hand. "My handle is Luke Zoss, but most of the boys know me as
+Cap'n Luke. May I be so inquisitive as to ask your names?"
+
+"My name is Earl Portney, and this is my brother Randy," answered Earl.
+The hearty way of the stranger pleased him, and he was sure he should
+like Zoss.
+
+"Portney, eh? I used ter know a man by thet name--Foster Portney, o'
+Colorady."
+
+"Why, he's our uncle, and he is with us!" cried Randy, and just then his
+uncle came in, and he and Captain Zoss shook hands. They had met in
+Creede, where Zoss had once been a mining superintendent, and knew each
+other quite well.
+
+"All bound fer the Klondike!" exclaimed the captain. "Hooray! We're sure
+to strike it, eh, Portney? I know you wouldn't be a-goin' thar unless
+gold was to be picked up. Goin' over Chilkoot Pass, I take it." Foster
+Portney nodded. "Then we might as well stick together, eh? It will be
+better than pairing off with somebody as might be wuss nor a hoss thief,
+eh? O' course it would!"
+
+Again the captain shook hands. Then he asked the boys where they came
+from and was pleased to learn they were used to a life in the open air.
+
+"I was a lumberman myself onct--up in Michigan," he said. "But thar
+wasn't enough excitement, so I gave it up to seek gold and silver.
+Minin' and prospectin' just suit me--leas'wise so long as the grub holds
+out. One thing is in our favor--scarcity o' men up in them new gold
+fields. Now, down in Colorady it's different--all overrun with men, eh,
+Portney?"
+
+"Yes, we'll have rather an open field," answered Foster Portney. And
+then followed a long discussion about the new gold fields and what might
+be expected when Dyea was reached and the terrible climb over the
+mountains began. The discussion lasted until ten o'clock, and the boys
+listened with interest and picked up many stray bits of information.
+Both concluded that the overland trip to the mines would prove every bit
+as rough and dangerous as they had pictured it.
+
+The distance from San Francisco to Juneau, Alaska, is, in round figures,
+one thousand miles. The _Golden Hope_ was not as large as a regular
+ocean liner, yet she was a fast boat, and it was expected that she would
+cover the distance inside of four days. Much, of course, would depend
+upon the weather encountered, for she was heavily loaded with both
+passengers and freight. The freight had given even the owners concern,
+for much of it was piled high on the outer decks.
+
+On the second day out, and some time after Cape Blanco had been sighted
+through the glass, the sky to the westward began to darken, and the
+sailors announced an approaching storm. Soon the sun went under a heavy
+bank of clouds and a stiff breeze sprung up which threw the long, heavy
+swells of the ocean into millions of whitecaps, dancing and skipping on
+every side as far as eye could reach.
+
+"We are in for it now," was the announcement which went the rounds.
+Presently it began to rain, and all endeavored to seek the shelter of
+the cabin, which speedily became crowded to suffocation. The boys, their
+uncle, and Captain Zoss were in the forward part of the boat, and they
+saw the course changed, so that the _Golden Hope_ stood out straight to
+meet the blow.
+
+"We are going to have no fun of this," said Foster Portney, with a grave
+shake of his head. "If I know anything about matters, that storm will be
+an extra heavy one." And the events of the next hour proved that he was
+right.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+
+THE FATE OF A STOWAWAY.
+
+
+"My gracious! We're going to the bottom sure!"
+
+It was Randy who made the observation. The storm had struck the steamer
+in all its fury, and the pitching of the vessel made it almost
+impossible for a person to keep his feet. Randy clutched a handrail
+fastened near by, and Earl did the same; while Mr. Portney and Captain
+Zoss braced up against a ceiling post. The only thing that kept many
+from falling was the fact that there was no vacant floor space. "They
+were in it like sardines in a tin," as Randy expressed it.
+
+"Some of the outside freight is bound to go," remarked Foster Portney, a
+minute later. "Ah, as I thought--the captain has ordered it cut away.
+There goes some poor fellows' outfits! Too bad!"
+
+"I hope our stuff isn't among it!" cried Earl. "But they'll be
+responsible, won't they?"
+
+"Yes, they'll be responsible, Earl. But we don't want their money--we
+want our goods, for it may be difficult, if not impossible, to duplicate
+the things at Juneau. But I imagine our goods are in the hold."
+
+"Our clothing and provisions are," said Randy. "I saw them put down just
+before we started. But the tools may be out there."
+
+"If they--" began Captain Zoss, but broke off short as a mighty crash
+was heard from the rear deck. The crash was followed by the jingle of
+broken glass and sharp cries of pain and alarm.
+
+There was every evidence of a panic, but the cooler heads restored
+order, and then it was found that a miner's outfit had caused all the
+trouble. It had been loosened from the deck, but before it could be
+thrown overboard a lurch of the steamer had sent it sailing through the
+air straight through a cabin window. The miner to whom the outfit
+belonged had been one of those to be most scared by its unceremonious
+entrance.
+
+For three hours the storm raged in all its fury, and during that time no
+one but the officers and crew were allowed on deck. Nearly all the
+outside freight was thrown away, a loss which amounted to several
+thousand dollars. At last the wind and the rain gradually abated, and by
+nightfall the _Golden Hope_ was again proceeding on her journey
+northward.
+
+On the following day they ran by Vancouver Island, and it was calculated
+that they would reach Juneau by noon of the day following. All were
+anxious concerning the outfits which had been lost overboard, and the
+miners and officers tried to make out a list of them. The work
+proceeded all day, and it was not until nightfall that it was learned
+positively that the goods belonging to the Portneys and to Captain Zoss
+were safe.
+
+The first sight of Juneau was rather disappointing to the boys, who had
+expected to see a much larger place. Juneau is but a small town, lying
+on the western coast of a peninsula formed by the Lynn Canal and the
+wide mouth of the Taku River. Directly opposite is Douglas Island. The
+town lies on a small patch of flat ground, backed up by several high
+mountains. It is principally a trading centre. The harbor is a fairly
+good one, and, on account of the rush to the gold fields, the stores
+were increasing constantly.
+
+As soon as the steamer reached her landing place a wild rush for shore
+ensued, and then began a hunt for some vessel which might take the party
+up to Dyea, where the journey by water would, for the present, come to
+an end. The water up the Lynn Canal, as it is termed, although it is not
+at all a canal as we know them, and through Dyea Inlet, is shallow, and,
+consequently, ocean steamers do not go beyond Juneau.
+
+"I'll hunt up passage on some boat," said Foster Portney to the boys.
+"You remain here and watch our goods. Those fellows who lost their
+outfits are angry enough, and some of them would like nothing better
+than to appropriate ours and let us look to the steamboat company for
+redress."
+
+While he was gone, the task of bringing the goods from the steamer's
+hold was started, for no one wanted to be delayed in Juneau any longer
+than was necessary. Randy and Earl watched the work closely, and as soon
+as their things appeared they claimed them and had the lot transferred
+to a spot at the end of the rather rotten and shaky dock.
+
+Presently, as they stood waiting for the reappearance of their uncle and
+Captain Zoss, who had gone with Mr. Portney, they noticed a commotion on
+board the _Golden Hope_. A stowaway had been found in the hold of the
+vessel, and the sailors and stevedores had brought the fellow out more
+dead than alive.
+
+"Get off of here!" cried the captain of the steamer, in a rage, as he
+booted the fellow not once, but half a dozen times. "Get out, I say! If
+we were down in San Francisco I'd have you locked up in a minute. It's a
+pity I didn't find you out when we were on the trip--I'd a-made you work
+your passage, and more! Go, before I heave you overboard!"
+
+And with a final kick the stowaway was run off the gang-plank, to fall
+in a heap on the dock, too weak from the confinement and want of proper
+food to stand.
+
+"It's Fred Dobson!" ejaculated Randy. "Oh, Earl, look!"
+
+"It is Fred, true enough!" replied Earl, as much surprised as his
+brother. Forgetful of their outfits for the time being, both ran forward
+and picked up the son of the squire of Basco. Fred's eyes were closed,
+his face was as white as chalk, and they saw at a glance that he had
+fainted.
+
+[Illustration: "WITH A FINAL KICK THE STOWAWAY WAS RUN OFF THE
+GANG-PLANK."--_Page 72._]
+
+"Get some water, Randy," said Earl, as he began to work over the
+prostrate figure. "I wonder if there is a doctor handy. He looks as if
+he was half starved to death."
+
+As Randy ran off, a crowd began to collect, a few to sympathize, but the
+majority to look on merely in curiosity or to make audible comments that
+it served the boy right, since he had no business to steal a trip.
+
+"Got a crazy notion to go to the gold fields, I reckon," said one
+bystander. "He ought to be home where his mamma could spank him."
+
+At this there was a coarse laugh, which was quickly hushed when another
+man, a young fellow of not more than twenty-three, stepped forward, and
+announced that he was a doctor. He soon succeeded in bringing Fred
+around.
+
+"He wants something to eat as much as anything," said the newcomer.
+"There is a restaurant over yonder. Better take him there and get him
+some soup and stale bread--his stomach isn't strong enough to bear a
+regular meal."
+
+Randy and Earl thanked the doctor and did as advised, while the crowd
+gradually melted away to tend to its own affairs. Fred was ravenously
+hungry, yet he ate with difficulty when the food was set before him.
+
+"I've had nothing to eat for about forty hours," he said, when he felt
+strong enough to talk. "I spent that four dollars you two gave me in
+buying provisions, crackers, cheese, and the like, but on the second day
+out the rats got at the crackers and cheese and ate nearly the whole of
+them. Then one of my bottles of water was smashed during that storm, and
+though it was as close as pepper down there I hadn't a mouthful to
+drink. I thought I was going to die just before they opened the hold and
+began to remove the cargo."
+
+"But, Fred, what made you do it?" asked Earl, reproachfully. "It was the
+height of foolishness."
+
+"I'm bound to go to the gold fields, Earl. You two are going there to
+make a fortune, and why can't I make a fortune, too?"
+
+"Because you are not fit for life out there, that's why. You suffered a
+good deal in coming this far, but let me tell you that I expect to
+suffer a good deal more than that before the Klondike River is reached
+and we have endured the hardships of an Alaskan winter. Supposing you
+succeed in getting away up in Alaska and are taken sick, who is going to
+care for you, and how are you going to get back home? Now I don't want
+to preach, but my advice is, to go back to Basco at once."
+
+"And that's my advice, too, Fred," broke in Randy. "I know you are as
+old as I am, but you know you never did such work as Earl and I are used
+to, and some of the experienced miners even laugh at us. If Uncle
+Foster hadn't known that we were used to hard work out in the open, in
+midwinter at that, he would never have dreamed of asking us to go with
+him; he told us so."
+
+Randy and Earl both spoke earnestly, and it was not their fault that
+what they had to say did not take effect. But Fred Dobson was both wild
+and reckless, and he shook his head.
+
+"I'm bound to go if I have to walk the rest of the way," he said. "I
+thought I would strike your uncle again when we reached the place, but
+if you are so dead set against me I'll not say another word, but try to
+paddle my own canoe, as the saying is. Of course I'm much obliged for
+what you did for me in San Francisco and here, and some day I'll make it
+up to you, see if I don't."
+
+"We don't want you to make it up, Fred; only act sensible and steer for
+home when you next strike out," said Earl. He was about to go on, when
+the entrance of his uncle and Captain Zoss into the restaurant caused
+him to stop.
+
+"Humph! so you've turned up again!" were Foster Portney's words. "I
+heard there had been a stowaway on board of the _Golden Hope_. It was
+the most foolish move you could make, lad." The prospector turned to his
+youngest nephew. "Randy, where are our outfits?"
+
+"Oh my!" burst out Randy, leaping to his feet. "Earl, we forgot all
+about them!"
+
+Earl said nothing, but he reached the door of the restaurant almost as
+quickly as his brother. There was a crowd in the roadway outside, but
+they quickly forced a passage through, and ran for the steamer dock. A
+large number of outfits were spread here, there, and everywhere, but the
+spot where they had left those belonging to their own party was vacant.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X.
+
+UP THE LYNN CANAL.
+
+
+Randy and Earl gazed about them in hopeless bewilderment. The outfits
+belonging to themselves, their uncle, and to Captain Zoss were gone. Who
+had taken them, and was there any chance of recovery?
+
+"We should have looked after them," said Earl, bitterly. "It was
+foolishness to leave the stuff, especially after Uncle Foster had warned
+us."
+
+"I wonder if any of those miners who lost their outfits from the steamer
+are guilty," said Randy, as they started on another tour of the Juneau
+wharf. "I remember one fellow with a red beard and a scar on his nose
+who looked at the stuff rather closely when we came ashore."
+
+"Let us start to make inquiries, Randy. We must get our outfits back. If
+we don't, Uncle Foster will never forgive us."
+
+"Yes, and we'll be in a pickle besides," groaned the younger brother.
+"By the look of things in this settlement mining outfits are rather
+scarce."
+
+"Yes, I heard one man saying that about everything worth having had been
+gobbled up several weeks ago and the storekeepers were awaiting new
+consignments from San Francisco, Portland, and Seattle."
+
+With anxious hearts they walked around the wharf and along a side road,
+also piled high with miners' goods and steamer freight. Presently a man
+joined them. It was Captain Zoss.
+
+"Well, whar's our packs?" he questioned, and looked glum when told of
+what had occurred. "By the boots, lads, we must find 'em--ain't no two
+ways about that! Why, to go to the mines without tools would be wuss nor
+a hen sittin' on a nest without eggs. Been all over the dock, yer say?"
+He paused an instant. "I'll make a round o' the saloons. If the things
+was stolen, like as not the thieves would want to git 'em out of sight
+in quick order, eh?"
+
+He was about to leave them, when they were hailed by a man standing near
+the entrance to a new store that was going up on the opposite side of
+the way. It was the doctor who had so kindly come to Fred Dobson's
+assistance.
+
+"What's up?" he called out. "Looking for your traps? They're all right.
+I had them brought up here for safe keeping when you went off with the
+sick lad. I knew they wouldn't be secure down on the wharf. There are
+half a dozen quarrels on down there over lost and mixed-up baggage."
+
+Randy and Earl felt much relieved, and so did the captain. They ran over
+to the new store, and sure enough, everything was there in a heap,
+alongside of the packs owned by the doctor. They thanked the medical man
+for his kindness, and a short talk followed. The doctor's name was
+Kenneth Barwaithe, and he was an Englishman who had practised for a year
+in Victoria. He, too, was bound for the new gold fields, either for
+mining purposes, or to set himself up in business.
+
+"The hundreds of miners going up there will need doctoring," he
+explained. "And I am all prepared to dose them with medicine, set a
+broken leg, amputate an arm, or pull an aching tooth."
+
+"Thar'll be work for you," said Captain Zoss, with a laugh. "But the
+wust disease up thar will be one ye can't touch nohow."
+
+"Indeed! And what is that?" questioned Kenneth Barwaithe, with interest.
+
+"Starvation," was the solemn reply.
+
+In order to relieve their uncle of further anxiety, Randy and Earl
+returned to where they had left Mr. Portney. They found him in earnest
+conversation with Fred Dobson. The face of the squire's son was very red
+and his eyes were downcast.
+
+"I'll write home at once," they heard Fred say, in a low voice. "I'm
+glad Earl wrote from San Francisco. My folks will at least know I am
+alive and well--that is, as well as a fellow can be who was half starved
+to death," he added ruefully.
+
+"And you ought to go home, lad--it's the proper place for you."
+
+"Well, maybe I will--after I have earned enough around here to take me,
+Mr. Portney."
+
+Foster Portney's hand was in his pocket, and Earl and Randy saw him hand
+Fred a ten-dollar bill. "Pay me back whenever you feel rich enough to do
+so," he said, and the squire's son gave him a ready promise to that
+effect.
+
+Foster Portney and Captain Zoss had been fortunate enough to secure
+passage up to Dyea, on a little steamboat, which was to leave early the
+next day. The craft was a freight boat, but carried passengers whenever
+she could get them. No time was lost in transferring their goods to this
+craft, Fred Dobson helping them carry their loads. Doctor Barwaithe had
+also secured passage in the craft, and soon became one of the party.
+Later on, matters were talked over by him and the others, and it was
+agreed that the five should stick together until the Klondike region was
+reached. The forming of little parties of five or more was popular among
+those who travelled by the overland route into Alaska. By such means
+there was less danger of a man getting lost in the mountains, and the
+preparation of meals along the way was easier, for each man of a party
+took his turn at feeding the rest, so that only one set of packs had to
+be unstrapped and packed again, instead of the lot. Besides this, the
+building and sailing of a boat down the lakes and through the rapids by
+one man was next to impossible.
+
+It was very difficult to obtain accommodations at any of the so-styled
+hotels in Juneau, so all hands encamped for the night on the deck of the
+freighter, Fred Dobson managing to smuggle himself in with the regular
+party. In the morning Fred approached the captain of the boat for a
+situation, but was turned off in language far from fit to transcribe to
+these pages.
+
+"Got more on board than we want now, boy, so git ashore in a hurry, for
+we're on the point of sailing," and with a wistful good-by to Randy,
+Earl, and the others, the squire's son leaped to the dock. Five minutes
+later the lines were cast off, and the wheezy, overloaded craft started
+northward on the Lynn Canal.
+
+The distance from Juneau to Dyea is a hundred and eighteen miles, past
+Berner's Bay and Katsehan River into Chilkoot Inlet and finally up Dyea
+Inlet. The run for the most part is past gigantic glaciers on one side
+and mountains covered with snow and ice on the other.
+
+"Gracious, this is a touch of winter and no mistake!" ejaculated Randy,
+as the steamboat ploughed steadily on her way, and they stood by the
+rail taking in the desolate sight. "See how those little icebergs
+sparkle in the sunshine."
+
+"Far off to the west of this canal is the great Muir Glacier," said
+Foster Portney. "It is the largest glacier in the world. That island
+which we just passed is Douglas, and there is situated the great
+Treadwell Mine, one of the richest gold mines heretofore discovered in
+Alaska."
+
+"Have we got to climb mountains like that?" questioned Earl, as he
+pointed to the snow-capped summits to the eastward.
+
+"Have we got to climb 'em?" burst in Captain Zoss. "Why, them ain't an
+ant hill to the ones we're to crawl over, lad. Just wait till we get up
+into Dyea Inlet, and you'll catch sight o' mountains as will give you
+the yellow shakes, as the boys call it. Now I don't want to discourage
+ye," he went on, as he saw Earl take a deep breath. "I want to prepare
+ye for the wust, that's all. That pass--the Chilkoot--is the wust part
+o' the whole trip, being about three-quarters of a mile high and betwixt
+mountains twice that size."
+
+"Well, we can climb three-quarters of a mile, I guess, if the grade
+isn't too steep," said Randy.
+
+The captain turned away and smiled to himself. He was more than doubtful
+if the boys would ever get safely over to Lake Linderman, the first of
+the lakes on the other side of the mountain range.
+
+It was well that they had dressed themselves warmly; for, on account of
+the sun shining on the glaciers the air was filled with a mist which
+chilled them to the bone. The channel was filled with loose pieces of
+ice, and ever and anon the steamer would strike a miniature iceberg
+with a crash which was clearly heard by all on board.
+
+After a few hours of gazing at the monotonous presentation of glaciers
+and snow-covered hills and mountains, the boys turned their attention to
+those on board. It was a motley collection of people. Most of the men
+were Americans, but there was also a fair sprinkling of Canadians,
+Germans, and half a dozen Indians. The latter were of the Chilkoot
+tribe, and interested Randy more than anything else. They were a
+round-faced, stalwart set of fellows, and several of them had bands of
+black painted across the upper parts of their faces.
+
+"They paint the black around their eyes as a preventive of
+snow-blindness," explained Foster Portney. "As soon as either of you
+find your eyes hurting from the glare you had better put on a pair of
+the smoked goggles."
+
+Dinner on the steamer was served under the rather scanty shelter on the
+upper deck. But fifteen could be accommodated at once, and as there were
+over sixty people on board, it took some time to satisfy them all. The
+fare was principally beef stew, bread, coffee, and rice pudding, but the
+cold air gave every one a good appetite, and the boys did full justice
+to all that was offered them.
+
+At turning-in time there was more than one little row, for sleeping
+accommodations were limited. Berths were at a premium, and had been
+secured by the more fortunate ones when the steamer had landed at
+Juneau. Foster Portney gathered his party around him in the shelter of
+the wheelhouse, on deck, and here they slept huddled together like sheep
+in a cattle car.
+
+"Not like stopping at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco, is it?" said
+his uncle to Randy. "But never mind; as soon as we leave Dyea we'll have
+all the room we want, and more."
+
+"Sleeping like this keeps a fellow warm," said Randy, who felt somehow
+as if he was out for a lark. But by and by, when somebody passed over
+him in the dark and slipped on his chest, he did not think it quite so
+much fun.
+
+However, the night passed quickly enough, and at daybreak all were
+stirring, for they had reached Dyea Inlet, and a landing was expected
+before noon. A stiff breeze was blowing, and the Inlet, a long, narrow
+arm of Chilkoot Inlet and the canal, was filled with angry waves blowing
+from off shore. Presently the first sight of Dyea was gained, and half
+an hour later an anchor was dropped, and the voyage so far as the
+steamer was concerned was over.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI.
+
+THE START FROM DYEA.
+
+
+Randy and Earl found Dyea but a small settlement. There was one store
+which had been established for some time, and half a dozen others which
+had sprung up to accommodate the miners and adventurers who were pouring
+into the place. The total white population did not number a hundred, but
+there were a very large number of Indians,--men, women, and
+children,--all anxious to obtain employment as pack-carriers over the
+mountains.
+
+The steamer had anchored some distance from the beach, and it was no
+light work to get the packs ashore in the heavy sea that was running.
+Four small boats were employed for the purpose, and more than one bundle
+was lost overboard in making the transfer to land.
+
+"There goes one of my packs!" suddenly sang out Dr. Barwaithe, as a
+small boat loaded high above the gunwales capsized just as the shore was
+struck. A wild scramble by the miners was made to recover their goods.
+The doctor would have gone into the icy water also, but he could not
+swim.
+
+Several Indians who were watching the scene rushed up to the medical
+man. "Get heem fo' one dolla!" said the largest of the redmen, and the
+doctor made the bargain on the spot. At once the Indian and his helper
+leaped into the surf and swam toward the pack, which contained the
+doctor's clothing and bedding, and was becoming rapidly water soaked.
+They reached the pack as it was about to sink, and after ten minutes of
+hard work brought it out on the pebbly shore.
+
+By the middle of the afternoon all hands found themselves encamped along
+the half-dried-up stream back of the settlement. Here there were nearly
+a hundred tents of miners and prospectors who were not quite ready to
+attempt the trip over Chilkoot Pass.
+
+The Indian who had rescued the doctor's pack stuck to the medical man
+for the job of transferring his goods over to Lake Linderman, stating he
+and his companions would do the work for fifteen cents a pound.
+
+"What do you think of that rate?" asked Dr. Barwaithe of Foster Portney,
+while Randy and Earl looked on with interest.
+
+"I don't know but that it's fair enough," was the reply.
+
+"But wouldn't it be better to take horses from here and use Indians only
+over the pass? You know we have about thirteen miles to travel before
+the pass is reached."
+
+"We had better take the Indians from here," put in Captain Zoss. "Thar's
+no tellin' if we can git 'em further on, eh?"
+
+"Yes, and we might as well get used to walking it from here, too," added
+Mr. Portney. "It will do Randy and Earl some good, not but that I
+imagine they can tramp as well as any of us."
+
+"We've tramped for many a mile through the Maine woods, when we were out
+hunting," said Randy. "By the way," he went on, "I haven't seen any game
+yet, outside of a few birds."
+
+The big Indian, who rejoiced in the name of Salmon Head, was waiting for
+an answer, his squaw and two boys standing close by. The squaw was a
+tall, thin woman of forty, whose face was painted a greasy black down to
+the tip of her nose, the balance of her countenance being left its
+natural color, yellowish red. The boys were sturdy lads of perhaps ten
+and twelve, as used to carrying heavy burdens as their parents.
+
+The bargain was struck with Salmon Head to have the goods of the entire
+party packed over from that spot to the shore of Lake Linderman for
+fifteen cents a pound, the work to be accomplished within the next four
+days, weather permitting. The boys had expected to carry some of the
+goods, but at this Foster Portney shook his head.
+
+"You couldn't carry over forty or fifty pounds and maybe not that over
+the Pass," he said, "and I would rather pay the price and have you
+reserve your strength. You can each carry a knapsack filled with food,
+in case you wander from the trail, although don't let this happen if you
+can possibly avoid it. The best rule, in going over any pass, is to keep
+at least two other members of the party in sight constantly."
+
+In spite of the close proximity of the snow-capped mountains, the night
+was a comparatively warm one, and no inconvenience was experienced by
+the party in their tents. They had two, one belonging to Mr. Portney and
+the boys, the other being one Captain Zoss and Dr. Barwaithe had
+purchased at Juneau for mutual comfort. The tents were put up end to
+end, and being both water and wind tight were almost as good to sleep in
+as a cabin.
+
+The outfits had been carefully parcelled out to the Indians, Salmon Head
+carrying a load of over a hundred and twenty-five pounds, his squaw
+carrying a hundred pounds, and the sons loads of about half that weight.
+Relatives of these Indians carried the remainder of the loads; for these
+Chilkoot people, like other redmen, believed in keeping all they could
+in the family.
+
+Usually the journey to Lake Linderman was made in two stages, the first
+from Dyea to the entrance to Chilkoot Pass, and the second over the Pass
+itself and down to the lake, which may fairly be called the southern
+headwaters of the Yukon River. This course was to be pursued by the
+present party, and bright and early on the following morning they
+started out on what was destined to be the most perilous trip of their
+lives. Captain Zoss went ahead with the Indians, while the boys and
+their uncle and the doctor kept in a bunch behind.
+
+At the start, the trip was along the bottom of a deep canyon, on either
+side of which arose mountains and cliffs for the most part covered with
+snow and ice. Down in this canyon flowed what is called the Dyea River,
+a mere mountain torrent, dashing over rocks and crags and here and there
+broadening out into a shallow flow over sand and pebbles. Walking was
+rough, for at times they had to leap from one great rock to another or
+else let themselves down, to wade through water and sand up to their
+knees. The wind had calmed down, yet once in a while it sent upon them a
+flurry of fine snow from the distant mountain tops.
+
+"We are not getting ahead very fast!" puffed Randy, as he and the others
+came to a halt on a flat rock to rest. "We've been walking for three
+hours, and I doubt if we have covered more than five miles."
+
+"I heard at Dyea that the thirteen miles to the entrance to the Pass is
+considered a good day's journey," said Earl. "I'm rather glad I'm not
+carrying that load Salmon Head has strapped to his back."
+
+"It would take me a week to get that load up," said Randy. "I can't
+understand how those boys get along."
+
+"It's a matter of training," said Foster Portney. "I dare say either of
+you can cut down a tree in half the time that those Chilkoots can do
+it."
+
+On they went again, the trail now growing steeper and more barren. A few
+stunted firs lined the canyon, and here and there could be seen a
+half-dead vine twisted about the fir branches, and that was all, so far
+as vegetation went. And this was coming summer time!
+
+"It must be dreariness itself in winter," remarked Earl, to his uncle,
+as they trudged along side by side. "I never saw anything so desolate,
+not even in the wildest parts of Maine."
+
+"It is this desolate look which has kept men out of Alaska, Earl. Many
+have known of there being gold there, but they preferred to remain down
+in the States, where living, at least, was more certain and congenial.
+You'll find, my lad, that you will need all your nerve and backbone to
+withstand what is before you. Perhaps I did wrong in urging you to join
+me."
+
+"No, you didn't--I'm glad I came, and so is Randy, and we'll get
+through," answered Earl, hastily. "Oh, look!" he pointed to where a
+flock of birds were circling far overhead. "Shall I give them a shot?"
+
+"No! no!" cried Foster Portney, hastily. "I forgot to tell you. I
+arranged with the Indians that no shot should be fired on the trip
+excepting some one was in trouble and needed assistance. I'll inform the
+others." And he halted for the others to come up.
+
+Captain Zoss provided the dinner at about one o'clock, all hands taking
+it easy on some clear rocks in the sunshine. As may be supposed, the
+fare was a plain one, yet to Randy and Earl nothing had ever tasted
+better, for climbing and the bracing mountain air gave them enormous
+appetites. They could have eaten more than was provided but understood
+that from henceforth until further supplies were assured, rations would
+be dealt out with a sparing hand.
+
+As soon as the dinner dishes had been cleaned and repacked the journey
+to Sheep Camp, as the stopping-place was called, was renewed. The trail
+was now steeper than ever, and more than once the stream of water had to
+be crossed. Every one was suffering from wet feet, but as all had on
+several pairs of heavy socks, this did no further damage than to render
+them cold in their nether limbs. As the trail grew rougher the Indians,
+who knew every footstep, forged ahead, and the others were allowed to
+shift for themselves.
+
+It was about the middle of the afternoon that Randy and his uncle were
+walking one behind the other, with Captain Zoss and Dr. Barwaithe just
+in the rear. The captain had been relating one of his experiences in
+mountain climbing in Colorado, to which all had listened with interest.
+The story was finished, and they were congratulating themselves that
+the end of the day's tramp was close at hand, when Randy suddenly looked
+around in alarm.
+
+"Where is Earl?" he asked.
+
+"Earl!" exclaimed Mr. Portney. "Why, he is ahead, isn't he?"
+
+"No, he dropped behind, to fix his boot," was the quick reply. "Earl!
+Earl!"
+
+The cry was repeated, and the others also took it up. Then they waited
+for an answer, but none came. Earl had disappeared. They waited for five
+minutes for him to make his reappearance, but he did not come; and then
+they started on a search for him.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII.
+
+EARL HAS AN ADVENTURE.
+
+
+As Randy had explained, Earl had stopped on the trail to fix his boot.
+In crossing the mountain stream he had shipped a lot of water, and he
+sat down on a rock and held up his foot, to allow the water to run out
+on the ground.
+
+Unfortunately for the youth he had rested on a rock which was by no
+means secure on the bank of the stream, and now, as he leaned to one
+side, the rock slipped from its resting-place, and down went poor Earl
+into the water head first. As luck would have it, he struck in some
+loose sand, otherwise he would have been seriously injured. Even as it
+was he was stunned for the moment, and before he could turn he had
+gulped down a great deal of water. He was nearly blinded by some fine
+sand getting into his eyes and began to flounder around as though in the
+midst of an ocean instead of a watercourse less than fifty feet wide and
+five feet deep.
+
+It took several minutes for him to save himself by reaching a large rock
+in the centre of the stream. Collecting his scattered senses, he
+cleared his eyes as best he could and took a view of his situation.
+
+The rock was six feet in diameter and two feet above the top of the
+water. On either side flowed the stream at a rate which he knew would be
+quite sufficient to take him off his feet should he attempt to ford to
+shore. What was to be done in this emergency he did not at first know.
+The others had gone on ahead, and although he called to them, no one
+heard his cry.
+
+Had he had his gun he would have fired it, had the weapon been in
+condition. But less than quarter of an hour before he had passed the
+fowling-piece over to Captain Zoss, the captain having asked to inspect
+it. He must help himself, or go without assistance.
+
+Standing on the rock, he saw that escape to either side was out of the
+question, and escape up the stream was also cut off. Below, however,
+were a series of rocks running off to shore, and after some hesitation
+he dropped into the stream and allowed himself to be carried down to
+these rocks.
+
+Five minutes of struggling in the current found him safe on the opposite
+shore to that upon which the lower portion of the trail to Chilkoot Pass
+lay. The question now was, how to get back to the other side of the
+river.
+
+"I'll walk along on this side until I get a chance to cross over," he
+said, half aloud, and then the loneliness of his situation dawned upon
+him. He struck out without delay, determined to catch up with the
+others of the party as quickly as possible.
+
+For the first quarter of a mile Earl did very well, but soon he noted to
+his dismay that the stream was widening, and that, consequently, he was
+getting further and further away from the other side. He had been making
+his way along a cliff lined with short firs. Now the cliff came to an
+abrupt end, and beyond he beheld nothing but a mass of jagged rocks and
+a jungle of brush, to pass through which would be next to impossible.
+
+"Stumped now!" he muttered to himself, and his face fell as he surveyed
+his situation. The stream at this point was all of one hundred and fifty
+feet wide, and the trail opposite was not close to the water's edge, but
+wound in behind the rocks and fir trees.
+
+"I've got to get over to that trail, that's certain!" he went on, after
+a disagreeable pause. "Here goes to try the water again," and with
+extreme care he began the descent of the cliff, which was some twenty
+feet high. The bottom was reached in safety, and he found himself
+standing in water and sand half up to his knees.
+
+Because of the widening of the stream at this point the current was not
+so strong, and he began to wade in deeper and deeper, until one-quarter
+of the width had been passed and he found himself up to his waist. He
+shivered with the cold and felt like going back, but a few steps more
+brought him to a sand-bar, where the water scarcely touched his knees.
+Overjoyed at this, he attempted to follow up the bar, soon reaching and
+passing the middle of the river. He was wading on more confidently than
+ever, when of a sudden the bar came to an end, and down he plunged into
+a pool over his head.
+
+The one thing to do now was to swim, and Earl struck out boldly for the
+shore, still thirty feet away. The weight of his heavy clothing was
+against him, and the current carried him on and on down the stream and
+toward a mass of jagged rocks fearful to behold. Had he been of a less
+rugged temperament the cold water might have given him both a chill and
+a cramp.
+
+Five minutes of fearful anxiety passed, and Earl was almost exhausted,
+when, putting his foot down, he struck bottom at a depth of four feet.
+This encouraged him, and he renewed his effort to reach the bank beyond.
+Yet another pool had to be crossed, and when finally he did pull himself
+out of the stream and safe up on a sloping rock he was too exhausted to
+do aught but lie down on his side and pant for breath.
+
+It was here that Randy and his uncle found him, just as he was making an
+effort to gain his feet and continue his search for them. They were
+overjoyed to learn that he had not suffered serious injury. They called
+to Captain Zoss and Dr. Barwaithe, who were close by, and soon all were
+together again.
+
+Captain Zoss had an extra shirt in his pack, and this Earl borrowed,
+along with a dry coat belonging to his uncle. Both articles of wearing
+apparel were too large for him, but he gladly exchanged them, for the
+time being, for his wet ones; and then the delayed journey toward Sheep
+Camp was continued.
+
+When the resting-place for the night was gained, it was found that all
+of the Indians had come in over an hour before and had sought out a
+comfortable camp for them under a large overhanging rock. A number of
+others had also arrived, and over a dozen tents had been pitched in
+addition to those already there. According to lot, it was Randy's turn
+to get a meal ready, and he set to work without delay, starting a
+roaring fire of pine branches and logs, that Earl might warm and dry
+himself. Dr. Barwaithe had brought with him a newly patented sheet-iron
+camp stove, and on this a pot of water was soon boiling, to be used in
+making coffee, while Randy also offered them fried potatoes and a
+deliciously cooked fish one of the Indians brought in.
+
+Outside of the doctor, who was not used to walking over such rough
+ground, no one felt any ill effects of the day's journey, although all
+were glad to turn in at the earliest possible moment. The doctor had
+worn a slight blister on his heel, and, in order to prevent this giving
+him serious concern later, he put some salve on it and bound it up
+before retiring.
+
+Ere they crawled into the tent, both boys took a look at the great,
+white mountains, which loomed up before them. Here was the entrance to
+Chilkoot Pass, and there, almost lost among the clouds, was the dreaded
+summit, with mountains still higher on either side of it. Randy drew
+closer to Earl as he surveyed the awe-inspiring scene.
+
+"Earl, we've got an everlasting hard climb before us," he whispered. "Do
+you think we'll make it?"
+
+"We must make it, Randy," was the low and earnest reply. "It won't do to
+show the white feather now. Uncle would never forgive us."
+
+"Some parts of it look like crawling up the side of a house," and Randy
+shuddered. "If a fellow should fall, he'd break his neck sure."
+
+"I guess you're right, Randy; although it may not be so bad when one is
+right on top of it. There is a sort of a trail, you know, although it's
+not much. I heard Salmon Head tell Uncle he hoped it would be cold
+to-morrow night, and that we should start for the Pass about four or
+five o'clock in the afternoon. I wonder what he meant by that."
+
+"I heard Captain Zoss speaking of it. They start toward evening so as to
+pass the deepest snows on the summit about midnight when a crust forms
+to walk on, for at this season of the year the deep snows are too soft
+to be trusted when the sun is shining."
+
+"And what happens to a fellow, I wonder, if he breaks through the
+snow?"
+
+"I don't know, I'm sure--I guess he goes to kingdom come," and Randy
+shuddered again. "We'll know all about it by this time to-morrow night."
+And then both boys retired, to dream of perilous climbs over the
+snow-clad mountains and fearful falls into gigantic crevasses, until
+both awoke in a fright and covered with cold perspiration.
+
+It was not until late that anybody was stirring the next day. It was
+Earl's turn to get breakfast, and he told them if they would wait he
+would treat them to freshly baked beans and hot bread; and all waited.
+While Earl was at work, with Randy helping him, two of the Indian boys
+came up, and their efforts at making themselves understood were
+laughable. Finally Randy made out that they wanted an old silk
+neckerchief he possessed, and he gave it to Tomablink, the older youth,
+who was as proud of the article as if it had been worth a small fortune.
+
+Under the advice of Foster Portney, all took it easy in camp that day,
+in order to reserve their strength for the struggle to come. Even the
+Indians seemed to grow a bit uneasy concerning what was before them;
+for, although they had climbed over the Pass a number of times, they
+well knew what a rough and highly dangerous proceeding each new trip was
+likely to be. On this terrible Pass more than one Indian and white man
+had been lost, never to be heard of again.
+
+At last, at exactly four o'clock in the afternoon, Salmon Head
+announced his readiness to start. As chief of the Indian party, he had
+looked to it that each carrier's pack was properly adjusted, and now he
+gave several directions to the whites to the effect that they should
+keep together as much as possible and always in sight of his own people.
+
+"Don't think there be an easy this way or that," he said in broken
+English. "Indian know best way in the end--you follow him day and night,
+or you lost. Stick foot deep down when climb, and no let go with hands."
+
+His manner was so earnest, all promised to remember his words. Then the
+crowd of whites and Indians was gathered together, the tents were struck
+and packed; and the terrifying journey over the dreadful Chilkoot Pass
+was begun.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII.
+
+AT THE SUMMIT OF CHILKOOT PASS.
+
+
+At Sheep Camp, which lay in something of a hollow, there had been a
+goodly collection of trees and brush, but now, as the little party
+started on the journey to the summit of Chilkoot Pass, all this was left
+behind, and nothing confronted them but immense beds or glaciers of
+snow, which crunched under their feet and gave forth a hollow sound. At
+certain points they could plainly hear the rushing of water far beneath.
+
+"Gracious, if a fellow went through this crust of snow what would happen
+to him?" said Randy, as he trudged on, with his uncle just ahead of him
+and Earl behind.
+
+"Let us hope that no such fate overtakes any of the party," replied Mr.
+Portney, gravely. "It is not likely that one can break through here," he
+added, "for the snow in the trail is pretty well packed down."
+
+The blinding glare of the sun had caused all to put on their smoked
+glasses, or goggles, but now, as the great orb of day was lost to sight
+behind the mountain tops, these protectors for the eyes were removed,
+that they might see their way clearer. The Alaskan twilight was creeping
+on them, causing all their surroundings to turn to a pale blue color.
+The mists of the mountains were also rising, and on every hand were
+weird, ghostlike shadows which enhanced this scene of wild desolation.
+
+On and on went the white members of the party, doing their best to keep
+the sturdy Indian pack-carriers well in sight. But the red people, with
+their hideously painted faces, knew every foot of the way, and made
+rapid progress, and it was all the others could do at times to keep up.
+
+By ten o'clock it began to grow colder, and even the boys could feel the
+crust of snow on which they were trudging becoming firmer beneath their
+feet. It was far from dark, a pale glimmer of light hanging on every
+mountain top. But now the trail became suddenly steeper, and they found
+themselves going straight up the side of a hill several hundred feet
+high.
+
+"Plant your feet firmly at every step," were Foster Portney's words of
+caution. "And remember, looking back will do you no good."
+
+This last warning was for Randy's benefit, for the lad had just looked
+back and shivered over the awful descent below him. A fall would mean a
+long roll, and a broken neck over a cliff below.
+
+Captain Zoss had gone on ahead with the Indians and just before midnight
+he came back with a warning to watch out for several splits, or
+crevasses, in the glaciers they were now traversing.
+
+"Salmon Head says he heard a report of several new ones just before
+starting, and these are as yet unmarked," he said.
+
+"We'll be as careful as we can," said Dr. Barwaithe. "We can do no
+more."
+
+They now passed over a broad plain of snow where the mists hung more
+thickly than ever. They had almost reached the centre of the plain when
+a loud cry from the Indians ahead caused them to halt.
+
+"What can be the meaning of that?" questioned Earl. "Can they be in
+trouble?"
+
+Presently, from among the mists appeared the form of one of the Indian
+carriers, without his bundle. He soon explained in broken English that
+he had been sent back by Salmon Head to warn them of a split in the ice
+field just ahead. One of the Indian women had slipped in, and it was by
+mere good fortune that some of the men had rescued her.
+
+This Indian remained with them until the crack was reached, where he
+resumed his pack and went on. The opening was an irregular one, from
+four to eight feet wide and of unfathomable depth. Fortunately the sides
+were well defined and firm, so they had small trouble in leaping
+across.
+
+"It was good of them to send a man back," said the doctor, as he paused
+to peer down into the crevasse. "Had we not been warned we might have
+slipped into that without knowing it."
+
+The trail now wound in and out among a number of small hills, and once
+again the party ahead was lost to sight. With the increasing cold came a
+stiff wind through the passes, bringing down upon their heads a
+veritable storm of snow, swept from the mountain tops above.
+
+"I can readily understand how impossible it would be to make one's way
+through this Pass during the winter," said Dr. Barwaithe. "A regular
+fall of snow would mean a blizzard down here and a snowing in from which
+there would be no escape until spring arrived."
+
+"And think of the cold!" said Earl. "Phew! the thermometer must go to
+about forty below zero!"
+
+"It does go as low as that at times," replied his uncle. "No; travelling
+through this Pass during the long Alaskan winter is entirely out of the
+question. The man to undertake it would be a madman."
+
+They had come to the end of the comparatively level portion of the
+trail, and now climbing so dangerous was at hand that little more was
+said. From one steep icy elevation they would crawl to the next, until
+several hundred feet up. Then came a turn around a cliff where the
+passageway was scarcely two feet wide, with a wall on one side and what
+appeared misty, bottomless space on the other. Here the Indians had
+fastened a hand-rope which each was glad enough to clutch as he wormed
+his way along to safer ground.
+
+"Well, I don't want any more of that!" said Earl, with a long sigh of
+relief. "A slip there, and it would be good-by, sure!"
+
+"Yes, and I guess they would never even get your body," added Randy.
+
+There was no time left to halt, for the Indians were pressing on, their
+endurance, and especially the endurance of the women and the boys,
+proving a constant wonder to Randy and Earl, the latter declaring that
+they must be tougher than pine knots to stand it.
+
+"One more big climb, boys, and we'll be at the summit!" was the welcome
+announcement made by Captain Zoss; but when Earl and Randy looked at the
+climb he mentioned their hearts fairly sank within them and they
+wondered how in the world they were going to make it without its costing
+them their lives.
+
+An almost sheer wall of ice and snow confronted them, rising in an
+irregular form to a height of four hundred feet. This cliff, if such it
+might be called, was more light at its top than at the base, and
+consequently it appeared to stand out towards them as they gazed up at
+it. Along the face the Indian pack-carriers were crawling, like flies on
+a lumpy whitewashed wall.
+
+"We can't do--" began Randy, when he felt his arm pinched by Earl.
+
+"We must do it, Randy," came back in a whisper. "The Indians are doing
+it, and so can we--if we'll put our grit into it."
+
+"Now take it slow and be sure of one foot before you move the next,"
+said Foster Portney, warning them again. "Dig as deeply into the ice and
+snow as you can. And above all things, Randy and Earl, _don't look
+back_!" And the uncle shook his fist to emphasize his words.
+
+A breathing spell was taken, and then they started slowly for the base
+of the cliff, where Captain Zoss got down on his knees to make sure that
+they were on the right trail, if trail it could be called. He soon
+announced that one party had gone up at one place and the others at a
+spot about thirty feet to the left.
+
+"I'll try my luck here," he said, and the doctor agreed to follow him.
+There was no telling which trail was the better, and the Portneys took
+the other, Mr. Portney going first, with Randy next and Earl last. The
+uncle wished to make sure of the footing before he allowed the boys to
+come after him.
+
+The first hundred feet up were not as difficult as Randy and Earl had
+imagined, but now every step had to be calculated, and when half way up
+Foster Portney came to a halt.
+
+"Here's a very steep place," he announced, without, however, looking
+back. "Randy, when you reach it, catch hold of the spur of ice with your
+left hand and put your foot just beneath it. Tell Earl to do the same."
+
+"I will," answered Randy, but when the spot mentioned was reached poor
+Randy's heart leaped into his throat. The sheer wall before him was
+nearly as high as a house, and there was nothing to cling to but little
+lumps of ice which stuck out here and there. The lumps might crack off,
+and then--he did not dare to think further than that. He was strangely
+tempted to look below him, but his uncle's words of warning rang in his
+ears--"_Don't look back!_" and he did not.
+
+One step was taken, and then another, and Randy felt as if he was
+suspended in the air, with nothing above or beneath him. A brief vision
+of himself lying mangled far below flashed across his mind, and he
+wished himself safe back in the woods of Maine again. What was all the
+gold in Alaska worth alongside of such an agonizing risk of life as
+this?
+
+But he must go on; he could not remain where he was forever. The next
+step was even more difficult, and he held his breath as he took it. He
+had been climbing up the cliff for less than quarter of an hour, yet he
+felt a year older than when he had begun. Would the climb never come to
+an end?
+
+"Take it easy, boys; we are almost there," came the encouraging voice of
+Foster Portney, although the uncle was almost as fearful as his
+nephews. "A little to the right now, and beware of those snow lumps;
+they are not firm enough to hold to. I can see the top just above my
+head. Ah, here I am. Now, Randy, another step and give me your hand.
+Now, Earl, take the same step Randy took. There you are. Thank God we
+are safe so far!"
+
+The two boys echoed their uncle's sentiment, with a deep feeling in
+their hearts which they never forgot. The summit of Chilkoot Pass had
+been reached at last.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV.
+
+BOAT-BUILDING AT LAKE LINDERMAN.
+
+
+The Portneys, having reached the highest point of Chilkoot Pass, were
+presently joined by Captain Zoss and Dr. Barwaithe, who had gone through
+a similar experience to that just described. The doctor had once come
+very close to losing his footing, and he declared that he would not make
+the climb again for a million dollars.
+
+They stopped for a few minutes to view the scene from the edge of the
+cliff. On either side were the still taller mountains, while below them
+stretched that portion of the Pass just travelled, like a valley of
+glittering ice, thick with mist and wind-swept snow. An intense silence
+reigned, broken occasionally by the booming and crunching of some
+immense glacier in the distance.
+
+"A grand scene, but one not particularly suited to my feelings," said
+the doctor. "Let us go on."
+
+"Yes; the sooner we git out o' this yere Pass, the better I will be
+pleased," added the captain. "I've had enough climbin' ter last me two
+lifetimes, eh?" and he gave a grunt and strode off, and the others
+followed.
+
+"That is, I believe, the most perilous part of the trip to the gold
+fields," remarked Foster Portney. "Of course we have still a good bit of
+rough country to traverse and rapids in the rivers to shoot, but nothing
+quite so bad as that."
+
+The ice fields from the summit sloped gradually downward to a basin some
+distance below, called Crater Lake. This little lake was frozen solid
+from top to bottom and covered with snow. It was hemmed in on three
+sides by tall mountains, while on the fourth there was a canyon-like
+opening, where an ice-bound stream led the way over rocks and tiny
+cliffs to Lake Linderman, at the end of the Pass. Just before reaching
+the latter lake, they passed several large posts set up close to the
+trail, which was now once more clearly defined.
+
+"Those are surveyors' posts," said Foster Portney, in reply to a
+question from Earl. "We have just passed from United States into British
+territory."
+
+"This, then, is the Northwest Territory," said Earl.
+
+"Yes, my boy; and the entire Klondike region, from Ogilvie to Belle
+Isle, is in that territory."
+
+As they descended to the lower level of the Pass, the solid ice gave way
+to rotten ice and slush, in which they frequently sank to their ankles.
+Here the stream broadened out into several ponds, and finally ended in
+a wide, marshy expanse, forming the upper end of Lake Linderman. Along
+the edge of this marsh they picked their way, first, however, stopping
+for dinner, for the night had passed and the forenoon had been consumed
+in the journey from Crater Lake. The Indians kept pressing on, and they
+followed.
+
+It was dark again when they came up at last with their pack-carriers
+encamped under some timber, which stood on a little bluff not over two
+hundred feet from the lake. Salmon Head's party had started a rousing
+fire, and this was a welcome sight, for it made all feel more at home.
+No time was lost in getting out the cooking utensils and the doctor's
+stove; and while they were preparing other things, the Indians brought
+several fish from the lake to be baked.
+
+"I guess we'll get our fill of fish before long," remarked Earl.
+
+"Don't you want any now?" smiled his uncle.
+
+"Want any, Uncle Foster? Indeed I do! Why, I'm so hungry I could almost
+eat horse meat!" was Earl's earnest reply; and he bustled around with
+the cups and plates, that they might not be delayed as soon as the
+coffee, biscuits, and fish were done.
+
+The Indians remained near by all night, and early in the morning a
+general reckoning-up took place, and the pack-carriers were paid off in
+gold and silver, not caring to take the paper money which was offered.
+All had done very well, and Foster Portney, Captain Zoss, and Dr.
+Barwaithe did not dispute the amounts asked, although they were a trifle
+high. As soon as they were paid off, the Indians packed up their own
+articles, but a handful in number, and hurried away in the direction
+whence they had come.
+
+"Good gracious! are they going right back to Dyea?" exclaimed Randy, in
+amazement.
+
+"Yes, my lad," was Captain Zoss's answer. "Salmon Head calculates to
+pilot another lot o' miners over as soon as possible. It's his hayin'
+time, ye see, an' he intends ter make the most o' it."
+
+At this Earl laughed. "I guess he's not going to let his legs get
+stiff," he cried. "I'm as stiff as an old mule this morning. What's to
+do to-day?"
+
+"We'll locate some timber for boat-building," said his uncle, "and get
+our traps into shape, and then rest. There is no use in killing
+ourselves all at once. We've got a matter of five hundred miles to
+journey yet."
+
+"If we go up into the timber, I suppose we can try our hand at shooting
+something if anything turns up," said Randy.
+
+"Certainly; shoot all the game you can, boys. We'll want it to help eke
+out our stores."
+
+There were numerous odds and ends to do about the camp, and it was not
+until after dinner that they started into the timber to select some wood
+which might be used in boat-building. It was now that the boys'
+knowledge of timber stood them in good stead; and it took but a short
+while to pick out a tree which was close-grained and comparatively free
+from knots. They had brought their axes with them, and had the tree down
+in short order. Then they lopped off the branches and cut off the top,
+and left it in the sun to dry out as much as possible before attacking
+it with their boat-building tools.
+
+This accomplished, Earl and Randy set off, the former with the shot-gun
+and the other with his pistol, to stir up whatever might be around in
+the way of game. They followed the edge of the cliff to where it sloped
+down to the lake shore.
+
+Presently Earl thought he saw something in the brush along the water
+front, and, taking up a half-decayed stick, he threw it at the spot. At
+once there was a squawk, and half a dozen wild geese arose in the air.
+Bang! went the shot-gun, and crack! went Randy's pistol, and three of
+the geese were seen to throw back their heads and sink.
+
+"We hit 'em!" cried Randy, and ran down, followed by his brother. Two of
+the fowls were dead, and the other was speedily put out of its misery by
+Earl with a blow from the gun-stock. They had been cautioned not to
+waste their ammunition, so had not ventured a second round at the
+balance of the flock.
+
+"These ought to make good eating," observed Randy, as he picked up the
+game. "That is, if they don't taste too fishy. Here is my bullet hole,
+right through the neck. You killed the other two."
+
+With the dead geese over their shoulders, they continued their hunt for
+game, and presently stirred up a number of wild birds, at which Earl
+blazed away, bringing down five. The birds were small and hardly worth
+the trouble of cleaning and cooking, yet they took them along.
+
+"Geese, eh?" exclaimed Captain Zoss, as they entered camp. "Wall, that's
+not so bad! We kin have a goose pot-pie o' one, and stuff the other with
+bread an' beans, eh?" All hands agreed this would be an excellent plan,
+and the boys set about cleaning the game without delay, the captain
+assisting them at the work.
+
+Toward night they espied a band of Indians coming down the trail with
+their packs and followed by half a dozen miners, a hardy but not an
+evil-looking crowd. The miners had left Dyea twenty-four hours later
+than themselves and had brought with them the material for a
+flat-bottomed scow, fifteen feet long and four feet wide. The Indians
+had carried this material over the Pass, but how it had been
+accomplished was a mystery to the boys and the others.
+
+"Hang me, if I don't reckon they have a secret way o' their own," was
+Captain Zoss's comment. "They couldn't cart them boards up that steep
+cliff, nohow!" And Randy and Earl were half inclined to believe the
+captain's suspicions to be true.
+
+The miners, who went by the name of the Idaho crowd, because they came
+from that State, encamped next to the doctor's crowd, as they were
+speedily termed, on account of having a medical man with them, and all
+became well acquainted before night. The Idaho crowd had just heard of
+an extra large find being made on Gold Bottom Creek, which flowed into
+the Klondike River, and they were anxious to get up there without delay,
+and consequently spent half the night in putting their boat together for
+an early start on the following morning.
+
+"You're the fust boys I've heerd tell on bound for the gold diggin's,"
+said one of the men to Randy and Earl. "I'm afeard ye'll find it kinder
+tough luck, for as far ez I kin understand it is tough even on a man.
+Whar are ye from? Californy?"
+
+"No, from the backwoods of Maine," answered Earl. "And we are used to
+roughing it."
+
+"Gee shoo! Didn't know the news had struck out so all-fired far ez thet.
+Wall, if you're from the backwoods, 'tain't likely you'll suffer ez much
+ez some of the tenderfoots wot's older. Wish ye the best o' luck." And
+the man turned away to his boat-building again.
+
+Eight o'clock of the following morning found the Idaho crowd on its way
+down Lake Linderman. In the meantime the boys, Foster Portney, and
+Captain Zoss had started into the timber with their tools, leaving Dr.
+Barwaithe to watch camp and bake several days' supply of bread and
+biscuits, and also to parboil some beans for baking.
+
+The tree selected for cutting up had been allowed to fall over a large
+flat rock, and now the first work was to prop up the lower end. This
+done, both ends were sawed off even and a good portion of the bark was
+scaled off. Then Earl and Randy sharpened up several wedges and tried
+their hands at splitting up the trunk into a suitable size for
+whipsawing.
+
+This was no light work, and had they not had a knowledge of woodcraft it
+would have been next to impossible to do what the lads, aided by their
+uncle and the captain, accomplished. By nightfall the tree was split and
+sawed up into more than a dozen slabs, of varying thickness, and these
+were laid out for working up in the morning.
+
+When the party returned to the edge of the lake they found that three
+other crowds had come in over the Pass, and there was quite a settlement
+of tents alongshore. In one of the parties there was a young woman, the
+wife of a prospector, who had stood the arduous climb nearly as well as
+any one.
+
+"Hullo, Portney!" suddenly cried a voice to Earl, as he was walking
+around among the tents. "I didn't know you had got this far."
+
+Earl turned swiftly, and was nearly dumfounded to find himself
+confronted by Tom Roland, while Jasper Guardley stood but a few feet
+away.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV.
+
+ON TO LAKE BENNETT.
+
+
+The face of Tom Roland wore a smile, but in his eyes was an anxious look
+which Earl did not fail to notice as he surveyed the two acquaintances
+from Basco. The young prospector was much taken aback by this sudden
+appearance, for he had not dreamed of meeting Roland and Guardley in
+this out-of-the-way spot.
+
+"Ain't you glad to see a feller from Maine?" went on Roland, as Earl did
+not speak; and he held out his hand, which the youth took rather coldly.
+Guardley had come up to shake hands too, but now he did not risk making
+the offer.
+
+"Are you two bound for the Klondike?" at length asked Earl.
+
+"Of course," was Roland's sharp reply. "What else would we be doing up
+here?"
+
+"What started you--the fact that we were going?"
+
+"Well, I allow as that had a little to do with it, Earl; but Guardley
+got a letter from a friend of his who is up there now--a man named
+Stephens. He said Guardley ought to come up at once, and as he didn't
+want to go alone, I came along. How are you making out?"
+
+"We are doing very well."
+
+"You and your brother came on with your uncle, didn't you?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Any others in the party?"
+
+"Yes; two men."
+
+Tom Roland's eyes dropped for a moment. "Me and Guardley have been
+havin' rather a hard road of it, all alone," he went on. "We've been
+thinking of joining forces with somebody."
+
+"Well, our crowd is complete," answered Earl, quickly.
+
+"Then you won't consider taking in two more, providing, of course, we do
+our share of work and pay our share of the expenses."
+
+"I don't think so, Roland."
+
+"Who is at the head of your party?"
+
+"Nobody in particular; we all work together."
+
+"Maybe you had better speak to the boy's uncle," put in Guardley. "Come
+on."
+
+He stalked off, and after some slight hesitation Tom Roland followed,
+with Earl at his side. Foster Portney was found mending a corner of the
+tent, which had become torn in packing. Randy was beside him and uttered
+a cry when he beheld the two men from Basco.
+
+"Tom Roland and Jasper Guardley!" he whispered to his uncle. "Those are
+the fellows we thought got that money on a false identification!"
+
+"Is that so?" returned Foster Portney. "What can Earl be bringing them
+here for?"
+
+"This is Mr. Portney, I take it," said Guardley, after clearing his
+throat awkwardly. "I was thinking--"
+
+"He and his friend want to join us," put in Earl. "I told them that our
+party was complete."
+
+"Hullo, Randy!" broke in Roland, carelessly. "You'd like us to come into
+your crowd, wouldn't you?"
+
+Randy was staggered at the request, coming so unexpectedly. He glanced
+at Earl before replying. "No, I guess not," he said.
+
+"Why, what's the matter with you?" cried Roland, half angrily. "We are
+all Maine folks, and friends ought to stick together, seems to me."
+
+He turned to Foster Portney and introduced himself and Guardley, and
+stated his case, adding that he and his companion only wanted to join
+some party until Dawson City was reached. Mr. Portney listened quietly,
+and then turned to Captain Zoss, who stood near.
+
+"I don't believe we want any more in our crowd, do you?"
+
+"I reckon we've got a-plenty," was the captain's answer. "Still, if they
+are friends to the boys--"
+
+"But they are not," whispered Earl. "And what is more, we consider them
+doubtful characters."
+
+"Then we don't want 'em, nohow."
+
+"This camp is full," came from inside, where Dr. Barwaithe sat,
+examining his sore foot, which was neither better nor worse. "That boat
+we are building won't hold more than five people, along with our
+outfits."
+
+The faces of both Roland and Guardley grew dark. "All right; if you
+don't want us, we'll hook fast somewhere else," muttered Roland, and
+turned on his heel.
+
+"Maybe you'll regret throwing us off some day," came from Guardley, as
+he passed Earl; and then the two men were lost to sight among the tents
+up the lake shore.
+
+"Oh, what cheek!" burst from Randy, when they were gone. "I wouldn't
+have Roland in the party for a farm."
+
+"I'd be afraid of Guardley's stealing everything we had," said Earl. "As
+if we didn't know his real character, and that he had been up before
+Judge Dobson lots of times!"
+
+"I reckon they'll stand watching, especially that last cur--from what he
+said to Randy," said Captain Zoss. "He's got a bad eye, he has, eh?"
+
+All hands slept soundly after their hard day's work in the timber, and
+it was not until they heard others stirring in the morning that they
+arose. As he was not working on the boat, Dr. Barwaithe took it upon
+himself to perform the "household duties," as he expressed it, and soon
+a well-cooked breakfast was arranged on a rude table Captain Zoss had
+stuck up. The doctor was an excellent cook, and Foster Portney could not
+help but ask him whence his knowledge had been derived.
+
+"It's easily explained," said the doctor. "I have an older sister who
+was once the head of a cooking school in Montreal. She insisted on it
+that every one should know how to cook, especially a bachelor like
+myself, and she used to deliver her lectures to me, at home, before
+delivering them at the school. I believe I was an apt pupil, but I never
+dreamed at that time of how useful the knowledge would become."
+
+"Which goes for to prove a feller can't know too much," remarked Captain
+Zoss. "But come on," he added, draining off his big tin cup of coffee,
+and springing up. "That ere boat ain't going to build itself." And off
+he hurried for the woods, carrying all of the tools he could carry. In a
+moment the boys and Foster Portney followed him.
+
+They found the rough slabs of lumber as they had left them, and sticking
+them up in convenient places, began the task of smoothing them off into
+boards, working first with their axes and then with the drawing-knife
+and the plane. It was no light labor, and night was again upon them by
+the time the boards were ready and hauled to the edge of the lake.
+After supper Foster Portney brought out a measuring-rule and marked off
+the different parts of the boat, which was to be a flat-bottom affair,
+with a blunt stern and rather a long-pointed bow.
+
+Another day at Lake Linderman saw the craft put together, false bottom,
+seats, and all. It was a clumsy affair, and they were glad that they had
+enough oakum and pitch along to make her fairly water-tight. The other
+parties in camp were also boat-building, and the scene in the clear and
+fairly warm weather was a busy one.
+
+Randy had cut down a small, straight tree for a mast, and this was
+easily set in place and held by guards running across from one gunwale
+to another. The yard and the boom of this mast were primitive affairs,
+to be put up whenever desired.
+
+As soon as the pitch had hardened, preparations for leaving the camp
+were made. All the goods and tools were packed up into the smallest
+possible space, and stored on board of the _Wild Goose_, as Randy had
+christened the craft, the eatables, clothing, and blankets being placed
+on top, so as not to be injured by the water which might get in. The
+last thing to be taken down was the tent, the fly of which was then
+adjusted for a sail.
+
+"All aboard!" cried Randy, as he leaped into the bow, with Earl behind
+him. Captain Zoss followed them, to help keep a lookout ahead, while
+Mr. Portney and Dr. Barwaithe took places in the stern, one to manage
+the rudder and the other with an oar ready for use, should they run upon
+a bar or mud-flat.
+
+Lake Linderman is but a few miles long, lying in the midst of snow-clad
+mountains, similar to those left behind, although not quite so high. At
+its lower end it connects with Lake Bennett by a short river where are
+situated the Homan Rapids. These rapids are among the most dangerous
+encountered in sailing along the headwaters of the Yukon, and are feared
+more by some miners than are the famous White Horse Rapids, which the
+party must pass through later on. To avoid the Homan Rapids many miners
+travelled straight from Chilkoot Pass to Lake Bennett before stopping to
+build their boats.
+
+But it was all new territory to our party, for even Foster Portney, in
+his previous trip to Alaska, had not passed in this direction. A stiff
+breeze sent them on their way down Lake Linderman, and all expressed
+themselves as well satisfied with the sailing qualities of the _Wild
+Goose_.
+
+"We're coming to the end of the lake," observed Earl, when scarcely an
+hour had passed. "There is the river, over to the right."
+
+In a few minutes more the sail was lowered, and they came to anchor at
+the mouth of the river. The water at this point was smooth enough, but
+some distance ahead could be seen the leaping and swirling whitecaps
+of the rapids leading to the lake below.
+
+[Illustration: "THE WATER WAS BOILING ON EVERY SIDE."--_Page 125._]
+
+"I reckon we'll have to take a line ashore and haul her through,"
+observed Captain Zoss, after an examination of the situation. "We don't
+want to run no risk of bein' upsot so early in the game."
+
+This was agreed to, and the captain and Dr. Barwaithe took one line to
+the left shore and Foster Portney and Randy another to the right,
+leaving Earl to steer or use the rudder, as might be best.
+
+Some loose ice, floating along the lake shores, had partly choked the
+stream, but there was a clear place near the centre, and into this the
+_Wild Goose_ drifted. It was not long before she was caught in the
+strong current, which sent the ice cakes crunching and banging along her
+sides and the spray flying up into Earl's face. He had started to use
+the rudder, but now saw this was useless, and sprang forward with the
+long oar.
+
+"Steady to the left! Not to the right! Swing her around a bit, you
+fellows over there! Easy now, easy! Shove off from that rock, Earl! Now
+then, let her down a few feet! That was a narrow shave, boys! There you
+go again! Steady now! steady! steady!"
+
+So the cries and directions ran on, as the boat proceeded on her
+perilous voyage. The water was boiling on every side, and the lines
+which held the craft were as tight as whipcords. Considerable water had
+been shipped, and Earl was wet from head to foot. But he kept his place
+and shoved off, this way and that, with might and main.
+
+"Hold hard!" suddenly shouted Foster Portney. "Look out, Earl; the line
+is going to break!"
+
+The words were hardly spoken when snap! went the line, the boat end
+hitting Earl a sharp crack in the neck. Thus released, the _Wild Goose_
+swung around and made straight for a series of rocks which all had been
+working hard to avoid. Should she strike she would become a total wreck,
+beyond a doubt, and all their outfits would be lost.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI.
+
+AN EXCITING NIGHT IN CAMP.
+
+
+When the line parted, Foster Portney and Randy were thrown flat on their
+backs in the six inches of slush and water in which they had been wading
+along the edge of the rapids. But they did not care for this, the one
+thought of both was of Earl and how the boat would fare now that there
+was only one line by which to guide her.
+
+As for Earl, the shock also caused him to lose his balance, and he went
+down heavily on one of the packs with which the _Wild Goose_ was
+freighted. But he recovered instantly, and sprang to the bow, oar in
+hand. The craft had swung around, as has been related, and was on the
+point of smashing on the rocks when he put out the oar and tried to
+sheer off.
+
+"Hold her! hold her!" roared Captain Zoss to Earl. "Take the line, but
+don't pull!" he added to the doctor, and the next instant he was in the
+icy water up to his waist. He could not reach the bow of the boat, but
+he gained the stern, and catching hold of the rudder he swung the _Wild
+Goose_ in toward a rock and held her there.
+
+"Throw the broken line to Earl and let him tie it, quick!" he shouted to
+Foster Portney; but the broken line was floating amid the loose ice, and
+it was several seconds before it could be secured. In that time the
+current again caught the boat from another direction, and sheering along
+the rocks in front, the craft made a wild plunge ahead and downward,
+dragging the captain in her wake.
+
+"Earl will be killed!" groaned Randy, and his heart leaped into his
+throat as the _Wild Goose_ seemed swallowed up in the foaming and
+boiling waters below them. His uncle did not reply, but darted out of
+the water and down the bank of the river as fast as his feet could carry
+him. Dr. Barwaithe, who had been compelled to let go the line in order
+to save himself, was also running, and now Randy likewise took to his
+heels.
+
+Fortunately for Earl he kept his wits about him, even though he realized
+the great peril he was in. In previous years he had helped raft lumber
+in Maine during the spring freshets, so that the situation was not such
+a novel one. But there was a vast difference between steering logs which
+could not be harmed and navigating a boat loaded with all their
+possessions, and he felt the responsibility. He clung to the long oar
+and used it as best he could, whenever the opportunity offered, which
+was not often.
+
+In less than ten minutes the ride was over and the _Wild Goose_ shot
+with a swish into Lake Bennett. By this time Captain Zoss had managed to
+crawl on board and give Earl a helping hand. The craft had struck a
+dozen times, twice rather sharply, but beyond a scraping on one side and
+a slight crack in the bow, which was speedily caulked up, she escaped
+injury. The two on board ran to one shore, to take Dr. Barwaithe on
+board, and then stood over to where Mr. Portney and Randy awaited them.
+
+"That was a providential escape!" were Foster Portney's words, when he
+saw that Earl was safe. "I wouldn't have you run such a risk again for a
+fortune!"
+
+"And I don't want to run such a risk again," replied Earl, with rather a
+sickly smile. He was greatly shaken up, and it was a long while before
+he felt like himself. Randy could hardly keep from hugging his brother
+because of the escape.
+
+"It was a fool move of ours from the start," said Captain Zoss, speaking
+plainly, for the icy bath had not improved his temper. "We should have
+packed our outfits along the river and let the boat take care of
+herself, with plenty of lines to guide her. I won't stand fer any such
+move as that ag'in; not much, eh?"
+
+"You are right, captain," said Foster Portney, gravely. "We'll be more
+cautious in the future."
+
+"Yes! yes!" broke in the doctor. "What should we have done had this
+young man been killed and all our traps been lost? It would have been
+better to have carried boat and all around from one lake to the next."
+
+It was a sober party which went into camp that night on the rather rocky
+shore of Lake Bennett, sober and rather out of sorts in the bargain. The
+captain insisted on building an immense fire, and while he sat drying
+himself by it he found fault with everything which came into view. Later
+on the others of the crowd found that the captain got these moods every
+once in a while and never meant all he said, but now they did not know
+this and it made the two boys, at least, unhappy.
+
+"Might have knowed it," grumbled Captain Zoss, "with two kids along,
+instead o' nothing but growed-up men as know their business. The next
+time I jine a crowd it will be o' those as has at least voted, eh?"
+
+"I can't agree with you that it was the boys' fault," replied Dr.
+Barwaithe. "The line broke, and that started the whole thing."
+
+"Well, boys is boys, and men wouldn't have let sech a thing happen!"
+snapped the captain. "See yere, I want my coffee hot!" he roared to
+Randy, who was preparing supper. "No lukewarm dishwater fer me, eh?"
+
+"I'll give it to you as hot as the fire will make it; I can't do any
+more," was Randy's short answer. He was as much out of sorts as any one.
+Then the captain turned to Earl, and found fault with the timber in the
+boat; and by the time they sat down to eat, all felt thoroughly put out.
+
+The doctor tried to enliven matters by relating some of his experiences
+in college, and he even gave them a song or two, for he was a good
+singer with a sweet tenor voice. All enjoyed the singing, but the
+captain looked as glum as ever.
+
+"I'm sorry we've got that old curmudgeon along," said Earl, as he and
+Randy turned in together, on the rubber blanket. "Gracious, I never
+imagined he could be so disagreeable!"
+
+"Nor I," grumbled his brother. "And to think that we have got to put up
+with him until we reach the gold diggings!"
+
+The tent had been pitched in the shelter of a number of high rocks and
+at some distance from the lake front. The _Wild Goose_ rested in a tiny
+cove, secured by a painter attached to a stake driven deeply into the
+sandy shore. There was a little swell on the water, caused by the rising
+wind, but no one supposed this would prove sufficient to do the craft
+any harm.
+
+As they expected to remain in that camp but one night only, a single
+tent had been erected for the entire party, so all hands were huddled
+closely together. It was not long before they were all asleep.
+
+When Earl awoke it was still dark. He roused up with a start, to find
+the wind blowing violently. Outside it was raining and snowing
+together, and it was some snow on his face which had caused him to
+awake. He was about to get up, when Randy called to him.
+
+"What's up?"
+
+"There's a storm on, snow and rain, and I guess we'll have to look to
+the fastenings of the tent," answered Earl.
+
+The talking awoke the others. The wind was increasing rapidly, and
+already the front left end of the tent was flapping violently, torn
+loose from its pegging. Earl donned his overcoat and ran outside to hold
+it down, while he called to Randy to bring the hammer with which to bury
+the pegs anew.
+
+"Fasten her tight; I'll take a look after the boat!" cried Captain Zoss,
+and rushed off in the darkness, followed by Foster Portney. By this time
+the doctor was also out, and he and the boys began the task of securing
+the shelter. A heavy gust of wind came on, and in a flash the canvas was
+sailing high in the air, held down only by the pegs on one side. To
+secure the cloth was no mean work, and they had to wait for fully a
+minute in the rain and snow, until the wind abated.
+
+"This is going to the gold diggings with a vengeance," murmured Dr.
+Barwaithe.
+
+"A fellow could 'most fly there in this wind!" panted Randy. "Earl, have
+you a peg handy?"
+
+"Not a one."
+
+"Neither have I, and it's as dark as pitch."
+
+"Here are two pegs," said the doctor. "I wonder if I can stir up that
+fire," he added, starting to where the campfire had been. The fire was
+out, and the sheet-iron stove lay over on its side, with a mess of beans
+overturned in the oven. To light a new fire under existing circumstances
+was out of the question, and the medical man went back to assist the
+boys.
+
+The tent had hardly been secured when there came a great flurry of snow
+which almost blinded them. Randy had been for running down to the lake,
+but now he crawled under the canvas and hesitated. In the meantime Dr.
+Barwaithe set the stove up once more and tried to rescue such of the
+beans as were worth it.
+
+"The rain is giving way to snow--" began Earl, when he stopped short, as
+a faint shout reached them through the whistling wind. "It's Uncle's
+voice! We are wanted down there!" he added, and started off on a run. As
+the cry was repeated Randy followed. A minute's run and they reached the
+beach a hundred feet above where Captain Zoss and Foster Portney were
+standing.
+
+"What's the matter?" demanded Earl, quickly.
+
+"The boat is gone," was his uncle's alarming reply. "She has drifted off
+in the storm, and we can't catch sight of her anywhere!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII.
+
+A HUNT FOR FOOD.
+
+
+Randy and Earl were much dismayed by their uncle's announcement. The
+_Wild Goose_ had disappeared! Where to? Ah, that was the question. In
+vain they tried to pierce the darkness of the night and the snow-squall.
+Nothing in the shape of a craft could be discerned upon the broad waters
+of Lake Bennett.
+
+"I told ye to mind how ye tied up that yere craft," growled Captain
+Zoss, wrathfully, to Earl. "Any lubber could have tied her up better
+than you did."
+
+"You expect me to do everything!" retorted Earl, beginning to lose his
+temper, too. "I did the best I could. Why didn't you look after it?"
+
+"He was too busy taking it easy by the fire," put in Randy, bound to
+stand up for his brother, as well as to put in a "shot" for himself.
+
+"None o' your impudence, boy!" roared the captain, and he turned as if
+to strike Randy. But now Foster Portney caught his arm and threw it
+back.
+
+"Stop it, all of you!" said he. "This is no time to quarrel. The wind,
+and not Earl, is responsible for this, for I looked to the tying up
+myself, after he was done. We're all out of sorts, but we needn't act
+like children over it. Our duty is to find the boat, and that as quickly
+as possible."
+
+"I reckon she's gone down the lake," grumbled the captain, after an
+awkward pause. "The wind's that way."
+
+"We'll go down and see if we can't sight her," answered Foster Portney.
+
+Away they went on a run. Earl, who was tall and light in weight, easily
+outdistanced the rest and reached a rocky cliff, where the lake made a
+slight bend. He went up the cliff, to stumble headlong into a narrow
+gulch, cutting his chin and his left hand. Picking himself up, he
+started on, but soon stopped. "I ought to warn the others," was his
+thought, and he turned and hurried back.
+
+Captain Zoss was ahead of the others and was on top of the cliff when
+Earl shouted to him. "Stop, captain, stop, or you'll get hurt!" came at
+the top of his voice, and the captain halted just in time to save
+himself from a disastrous fall. He climbed down the gulch and up at the
+other side, and yelled a warning to those behind. Soon all four stood
+upon another level stretch of the lake shore.
+
+Nothing was to be seen--that is, nothing but the flying snowflakes
+dropping into the wind-swept and white-capped waters beneath. They
+continued to walk on, until the cold chilled each to the marrow of his
+bones.
+
+"We might as well get back and wait till morning," said Foster Portney,
+with a heavy sigh. "We can do nothing in the darkness. Let us hope the
+boat will beach herself somewhere and remain right-side up."
+
+With chattering teeth they started on the return, Randy by his uncle's
+side and Earl behind Captain Zoss. Half the distance to the tent had
+been covered when the captain paused and ranged up beside Earl.
+
+"Earl, you mustn't mind me when I git in my tantrums," he said jerkily.
+"I git 'em every once in a while, see? It's nateral with me--allers was.
+But I ain't bad at heart, an' I shan't forgit ye for savin' me a dirty
+fall, mark that! And it's not your fault the boat is gone--anything
+would have torn loose in this yere gale." He paused for a moment. "An' I
+didn't mean ter hit Randy--it's only a way I have ter frighten folks--a
+poor way, too, as I acknowledge. Come on." And before Earl could reply
+he was stalking on, his head bent far down, to keep the snow from his
+eyes. Earl clung close to him, and from that night he and the captain
+were better friends than ever. Later on Randy received a like "apology,"
+and when he got to know the captain better voted him "all right, though
+a bit cranky at times."
+
+Dr. Barwaithe was as dismayed as any of them had been, when the news
+was broken to him, but he agreed that nothing was to be accomplished
+while the darkness and the storm lasted. He had dragged the cooking
+stove up to the entrance to the tent and was trying to start a fire.
+Twice the tiny flames had flickered and gone out, but now, fanned
+vigorously, the wood caught, and soon the stove was red-hot, the top
+spluttering with the snowflakes which fell upon it. The fire warmed the
+air in the tent, and for the balance of the night the party rested
+comfortably in body if not in mind.
+
+With the coming of morning the storm abated, and by eight o'clock the
+sun was struggling to shine through the drifting clouds. The captain, as
+if to atone for his misdeeds, prepared breakfast, giving to Earl and
+Randy the best of the flap-jacks turned out. The captain was a great
+hand at these cakes, and the party was certain to get them whenever he
+was cook.
+
+"For all we know, the boat may have gone clear down to the entrance to
+Tagish Lake," remarked Foster Portney, while finishing the repast. "I
+see nothing for us to do but to walk along the lake shore and keep our
+eyes open."
+
+"Shall we take our traps along?" asked the doctor. "I can carry the cook
+stove if you can divide the rest of the stuff among you."
+
+A short discussion followed, and feeling certain the boat had gone down
+the lake, if anywhere, it was decided by all hands to pack the outfit
+and take it along. The packing took some time, and when the start was
+made the storm had cleared away entirely, leaving the sky as bright as
+one could wish.
+
+A mile of the shore had been covered when Foster Portney called a halt
+and directed attention to an object floating in the direction from which
+they had come. "It's a boat!" he cried, a moment later.
+
+"Our boat?" questioned Randy, eagerly.
+
+"I can't say." Mr. Portney and the others watched the craft with
+interest. "No, it's not our boat, but another, and there are several
+people on board."
+
+"Let's hail 'em, and git 'em to search for the _Wild Goose_," said
+Captain Zoss, and they walked back, and after some trouble succeeded in
+attracting the attention of the party on the water. There were three men
+in the boat and a woman, the latter being the same they had met in camp
+at Lake Linderman. To all the newcomers Foster Portney told his story.
+
+"O' course we'll help you," said the miner who had his wife on board.
+"One o' you can git aboard here, and we'll cruise around the lake on a
+hunt. Ain't got room fer more 'n one," he went on; "and say, who's the
+doctor among ye?"
+
+"I am," responded Dr. Barwaithe.
+
+"Then you might ez well do the trick, fer Lizy here don't feel extry
+well, an' it will be fair play fer you to give her some medicine, I take
+it."
+
+"I'll do what I can for her," said the doctor. "But most of my medicines
+are on board of the lost boat."
+
+"Then we've got ter find her, sure pop, fer Lizy does feel most
+distressin' like, with a pain in her head an' a crick in her back," went
+on Wodley, the miner.
+
+The doctor hopped on board, and after a few words more the boat set off
+in search of the _Wild Goose_, and the hunt from the lake shore was
+continued. Slowly the forenoon wore away and still nothing was seen of
+the missing craft. The other boat with the doctor had long since been
+lost to view up the lake.
+
+It was getting toward supper time when Foster Portney turned to Earl,
+who, in addition to some of the camping outfit, carried the shot-gun. "I
+just caught a glance of something on legs up among yonder rocks," he
+said. "If you can, you might as well knock it over, for it won't be long
+before all of us will want something to eat."
+
+Earl was glad enough to try his hand at hunting, and turned over his
+traps to his companions. Soon he was climbing the rocks to which his
+uncle had pointed. He had not gone over five hundred feet when he beheld
+a small deer gazing at him in alarm. Before he could draw a bead on the
+animal the deer was gone behind a neighboring cliff.
+
+Feeling moderately sure that this was the animal his uncle had seen, and
+that the deer would not go far, but might even come back out of
+curiosity, Earl began to climb the cliff. A profusion of brush grew
+among the rocks, and these afforded him a good hand-hold, and he was
+soon at the top.
+
+Although hemmed in on three sides by mountains, the way to the lake was
+clear, and looking in that direction he saw, far to the opposite shore,
+the boat containing Dr. Barwaithe and their newly made friends. He
+watched the boat for a minute, when a clatter of sharp hoofs on the
+cliff made him whirl around, just in time to catch a second sight of the
+deer. His gun came up quick enough now, and the charge took the animal
+full in the breast.
+
+Struck in this fashion, many an animal would have rolled over dead. But
+the deer of Alaska, which are growing more scarce every year, are a
+sturdy lot, and though terribly wounded, this specimen did not drop.
+Staggering for a brief moment, he turned and then fled in the direction
+from which he had come.
+
+Earl was amazed, but, determined not to lose his game after such a shot,
+he hastily reloaded and made after the game. Less than two score of
+steps brought him almost to the end of the cliff, and he discovered the
+deer crouched in the shelter of the rocks, its dark eyes glaring
+angrily. Up came his gun, and the weapon was discharged just as the
+animal sprang forward. The shot was a glancing one, doing little harm,
+and the next instant the wounded beast was upon the boy.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII.
+
+ON TO THE WHITE HORSE RAPIDS.
+
+
+For a brief instant, as the deer rushed upon him, Earl was fairly
+paralyzed, having had no idea that the wounded animal might attack him.
+But as those glaring eyes came closer and the antlers were lowered, he
+realized that something must be done, and leaped to the inner side of
+the narrow cliff.
+
+Crash! the deer had struck him on the arm. It was a heavy blow, and only
+the sharp rock to one side of him saved the youth from serious injury.
+Then, as the animal bounded back for a second attack, Earl shoved out
+the gun, pressed it at the deer's breast, and sent the beast tumbling
+from the cliff into the gulch below. It was done so rapidly that the
+animal had no time to save itself. It went down with a crash and a dull
+thud, and, looking over the rocks, the boy saw that it lay on its back
+unable to run off on account of a broken leg. As soon as he could, he
+reloaded the shot-gun and put his game out of its misery.
+
+"That was a narrow escape, and no fooling!" he half muttered, as he
+looked about for some place where he might descend to the bottom of the
+gulch. A quarter of an hour later he had the deer bound on top of a tree
+branch, and was dragging it toward the lake shore.
+
+"A deer!" cried Randy and Foster Portney, simultaneously, as they caught
+sight of the prize. "Well, that was well worth going after!" continued
+the latter.
+
+"You had a narrow escape!" exclaimed Randy, when Earl's story was told.
+"If you hadn't shoved him over, he would have gored you to death."
+
+It was quite dark by the time they went into camp. The deer was soon cut
+up, and they dined that evening on the choicest of venison steak. The
+remainder of the meat was hung up to dry, while a portion of it was
+thoroughly salted.
+
+In addition to the fire in the camp stove, a big blaze was lit on the
+shore, that Dr. Barwaithe and the others might be guided hither if they
+succeeded in finding the _Wild Goose_. But the night wore away without
+interruption, and by six o'clock the next morning the search for the
+missing craft was renewed.
+
+"We're most down to Tagish Lake, I reckon," remarked Captain Zoss. "I
+don't believe the _Wild Goose_ could go through, 'ceptin' she was bottom
+side up and minus our traps, which I don't hope fer, eh?"
+
+The entrance to Tagish Lake was reached, and they were speculating on
+what to do next, when Randy shouted, "Here they come, and they have the
+_Wild Goose_ in tow!"
+
+His announcement proved correct, and quarter of an hour later Wodley
+sent his own craft up to the bank with a swish through the water-grass
+and tundra, or moss, which was now beginning to show itself on every
+side. The _Wild Goose_ was close behind, and they noted with
+satisfaction that she seemed to be in the same condition as they had
+left her.
+
+"We found her stuck in the mud on the other side," announced Dr.
+Barwaithe. "The wind had just sent her along and left her, and the only
+damage done is to some of the provisions which were soaked by the rain
+and snow."
+
+"We can be thankful it's not worse," replied Foster Portney. "If she had
+not turned up, I don't know what we would have done."
+
+Dr. Barwaithe had become well acquainted with the party, and had given
+Mrs. Wodley some medicine containing a large quantity of quinine, for
+the woman was suffering from chills and fever, something frequently met
+with in Alaska.
+
+It did not take long for both parties to haul their boats into Tagish
+Lake, and once on that broad sheet of water, all sail was set for the
+six miles of river which connects that body of water with Marsh Lake,
+called by many Mud Lake, on account of its shallowness and soft bottom.
+
+As they skimmed along, Earl and Randy, under the directions of their
+uncle, sorted over the provisions, putting aside for immediate use such
+as would not keep after being wet. This had scarcely been finished when
+the end of Tagish Lake appeared in sight.
+
+"There is some sort o' a camp ahead," announced Captain Zoss. "Don't
+look like er miner's strike, either. Injuns, I'll bet!"
+
+The captain was right. The camp was a rude one, consisting of half a
+dozen huts and dugouts. The Indians numbered about two score, and they
+were the most disagreeable Randy and Earl had yet beheld. Each was
+painted from forehead to chin with greasy black and red paint, and all
+wore filthy skin suits which could be smelt "further than you could see
+them," according to Randy's notion. The Indians tried to sell them some
+fish, but the members of the party declined, and pointed to the deer
+meat. Then one of the Indians begged Earl to let him have the deer's
+head and antlers for a string of beautiful pike, and the youth made the
+trade; for although he would have liked to keep the trophy, carrying it
+up into the gold regions was out of the question. The deer meat had been
+divided with the Wodley party, and now a similar disposition was made of
+the fish.
+
+The day was fine, with the wind in the right direction, and soon they
+came to the end of Marsh Lake, which is fifteen miles long, and heavily
+fringed on all sides with timber and brush. On several occasions they
+ran in water so shallow they were in danger of going aground; but the
+sharp eyes of Captain Zoss saved them, and the second day saw them
+encamped within sight of the fifty-mile river which connects Marsh Lake
+with Lake Labarge, the last of the lakes they were to traverse on the
+way to the gold regions.
+
+"By day after to-morrow we'll strike the White Hoss Rapids," said
+Captain Zoss. "Then, I reckon we'll have jest sech a time as we had up
+ter Homan Rapids."
+
+"Excuse me!" rejoined Earl. "One such experience is enough in a
+lifetime."
+
+"I have been talking to Wodley," put in Foster Portney. "He has been
+through the rapids, and he says he will give us a hand when we get
+there. He advises taking the boats through almost empty."
+
+The captain "allowed" this would be safer, although, to be sure, it
+would also be far more laborious, for everything not left in the boat
+would have to be carried over the roughest kind of a trail, running some
+distance away from the stream.
+
+The two parties camped side by side, and it made each feel more at home
+to have the other at hand, for among these lofty and cold-looking
+mountains one was very apt to have a lonely feeling creeping over him if
+no companion were at hand.
+
+"How a man could attempt this trip all alone is something I can't
+understand," observed Randy. "Imagine getting lost in those mountains
+over yonder! It makes a fellow shiver to think of it!"
+
+"Men have been lost out here," replied Dr. Barwaithe, gravely, "and lost
+so thoroughly they have never been heard of again. If a man gets lost in
+the mountains, and he is of a nervous temperament, the chances are that
+after a week or a month of it he will lose his mind and go crazy."
+
+"I guess that is what would happen to me," answered Randy. "Oh, what's
+that stung me? A mosquito, I declare! Who would expect to find one of
+those pests at this season of the year?"
+
+"You'll get mosquitoes enough presently," replied Foster Portney. "Don't
+you remember the mosquito netting I brought along? During the short
+summer here the insects are apt to worry the life out of a person."
+
+"I suppose they thrive in this moss that I see around," said Earl. "What
+did you say it was called, Uncle Foster? tundra?"
+
+"Yes, tundra, Earl. The moss is thicker than this up in the north and
+covers everything. If it wasn't for the moss, I think the ground might
+thaw out more in the summer, but as it is, the moss prevents the sun
+from striking in, and the ground is as hard as in midwinter six or eight
+feet below the surface."
+
+"The moss doesn't seem to have any effect on the berry bushes, though,"
+said Randy. "I see 'em everywhere. Do they bear fruit?"
+
+"Oh, yes, they have everything in the way of berries up here, Randy. But
+they are rather small, and they haven't the flavor of those at home. The
+berries have to take the place of larger fruits, such as apples, pears,
+and peaches, and the birds live on them."
+
+"Well, we won't starve as long as we have berries, birds, and fish,"
+said Earl. "I don't see where this cry of starvation comes in, I must
+say."
+
+"O' course ye don't--not now!" burst in Captain Zoss. "But wait till
+winter sets in. Then the berries will be gone, an' birds will be mighty
+scarce."
+
+"But we'll have the fish, captain. We can cut holes in the ice on the
+river and spear them, as we do down in Maine."
+
+"Wall, maybe, my lad. But ye don't catch me a-tryin' it when I kin git
+anything else--not with the ice eight or ten feet thick an' the mercury
+down to forty below nuthin' at all!"
+
+It was not long after that they turned in, and never did they sleep more
+soundly, although a number of mosquitoes visited them. Foster Portney
+was the first to get up, and by the time the boys followed, a delicious
+smell of frying fish and boiling coffee was floating through the air.
+
+A ten minutes' ride on the lake brought them close to the entrance of
+the river. Here the water was broken up into a dozen currents, swirling
+this way and that and throwing the spray in every direction. On either
+side of this watercourse were high walls.
+
+"Now fer the tug o' war!" said Captain Zoss, and immediate preparations
+were made to shoot the canyon and the falls of which Randy and Earl had
+heard so much. Once past that dangerous spot, the remainder of the trip
+to the gold regions would be an easy one.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX.
+
+NEARING THE END OF A LONG JOURNEY.
+
+
+Both Earl and Randy had heard from the miner Wodley that it was only of
+late years that prospectors after gold in Alaska had had the daring to
+shoot the White Horse Rapids, of which even the Indians in their light
+canoes were afraid. Formerly white men had packed everything, even to
+their boats, round the dangerous runs of water, a task which to them
+looked herculean, when they gazed at the tall mountains, and at the
+crooked trail Wodley pointed out.
+
+After much talking by all hands, it was decided that Wodley's boat
+should go through first, loaded down only with the mining tools, which
+would not suffer from getting wet. Wodley was at first going to take the
+trip alone, leaving his wife and the other miners of the party to join
+the Portney crowd, but at the last moment Captain Zoss asked to be
+allowed to take a hand, and the offer was accepted.
+
+The sail was taken from the _Buster_, as Wodley had named his craft, a
+heavy-set affair, built to stand some rough usage, and, each armed with
+an oar and a heavy pole, the two men shoved off from the rocky shore. A
+few strokes sufficed to send them into the current, and fairly caught,
+the boat swung around and started on her mad career through the canyon
+of rocks and water and flying spray.
+
+"She's off!" shouted Earl, and followed by Randy he sped alongshore and
+up to the edge of the canyon, where he might see what progress was made.
+But hardly had they reached a convenient spot when the _Buster_ shot
+along far beneath them, and around a bend, and was hidden from view in
+the midst of a whirlpool of waters that threatened each instant to
+ingulf her.
+
+"If she isn't smashed up before she reaches the end of the canyon, then
+I'll miss my guess!" ejaculated Earl. "My, but how she did spin along!"
+
+"Wodley ought to know what he's doing," answered Randy. "If she is
+smashed up, I hope he and the captain come out alive."
+
+They returned to where the others had been left, and took up the heavy
+packs which had been assigned to them. All the things to be carried had
+been equally divided among the men and the boys, and it was calculated
+that three trips would be necessary to move the outfits.
+
+That day proved the hardest they had yet experienced, and by the time it
+was dark both Randy and Earl felt as if their backs were broken and
+their feet, to use Earl's expression, "walked off." They had carried
+one-third of their traps to a beautiful spot just at the head of the
+worst of the White Horse Rapids, which, it may be well to add here, are
+many miles in extent.
+
+Contrary to the expectation of the boys, Wodley and Captain Zoss had
+brought the _Buster_ through in safety. They had had only one alarm,
+just at the end of the canyon proper, when the boat had swung around on
+a hidden rock and shipped about half a barrel of water. They were wet
+to the skin, and this, along with the story they told, made Mrs. Wodley
+insist upon it that her husband allow the other men of the party to
+bring the _Wild Goose_ through, on the day following.
+
+As Captain Zoss had made the trip once, it was decided that he and Earl
+should take the next trip, while the others made another tramp over the
+trail with more of the traps. They encamped at the White Horse Rapids,
+but started back toward Lake Marsh before sunrise.
+
+"It's easy enough, Earl," said the captain, on embarking on the _Wild
+Goose_. "All you've got to do is to keep your wits about you and your
+eyes on the rocks. Tie the pail fast to the seat, so it won't float away
+if the boat gives too much of a lurch. If we have to bail any, you had
+better do it."
+
+They were soon on the way, out of the brightness of the early sunshine
+into the gloom of the yawning canyon, which seemed to swallow them up.
+The roar of the waters between the rocks was deafening, and the flying
+spray sent a shiver through Earl. Yet he stood to his post manfully,
+realizing that there was no turning back, now that the perilous trip was
+once begun.
+
+"To the left shore!" roared Captain Zoss, presently, and Earl scarcely
+heard him. The captain waved his elbow frantically, while using his
+pole, and Earl saw what was wanted. They were running close to some
+half-submerged rocks. A vigorous use of the pole, a slight grating which
+made the youth hold his breath, and that danger at least was past.
+
+But more were ahead, and they grew thicker and thicker as the _Wild
+Goose_ leaped, turned, and twisted, first in one mad current and then
+another. Swish! came a huge wave into the craft, nearly taking Earl from
+his feet. Then, before he could make up his mind whether to begin
+bailing or not, the boat slid up almost on her stern's end, and most of
+the water went flying forth. "Now for the left shore, and mind the
+channel!" roared the captain, once more, and then the oars came into
+play, and on they bounded through a clear cut in the rocks not over
+twenty-five feet wide. The cut at an end, the captain threw down his oar
+with a deep breath of satisfaction.
+
+"The wust on it's over," he announced. "Jest pole her along easy-like
+now, and we'll be down to camp inside of half an hour."
+
+The strain on the _Wild Goose_ had caused several of the seams to part,
+but it was decided to do nothing with these until after the worst of the
+White Horse Rapids had been passed. They must now take their crafts out
+of water and carry or ride them on rollers to the foot of the falls.
+
+This was a job lasting several days, for both the _Wild Goose_ and the
+_Buster_ were heavy, and it took all the men in both parties to move one
+boat at a time. But at last the greatest of the falls was passed, and
+then it was decided to draw the boats along through what remained, and
+after another hard day's labor they had the satisfaction of finding
+themselves free from further obstacles, and encamped midway between
+Tahkheena River and the head of Lake Labarge. That day was Sunday, and
+it was spent in perfect rest by all.
+
+Thus far since the snow-squall on Lake Bennett, fine weather had favored
+them, but now Monday set in cloudy and threatening. As soon as breakfast
+was over, the _Wild Goose_ was patched up and pitched over, and all of
+the outfit placed on board. The _Buster_ was already loaded, and with
+the wind from the westward they tacked down the river and into Lake
+Labarge, a clear sheet of water, some twenty odd miles in length, and
+varying from two to four miles in width. About midway from either end of
+the lake there was an island, and on this rocky shore they were
+compelled to seek shelter about the middle of the afternoon, for the
+wind had increased to a good-sized blow, and to sail in such a boat
+was, consequently, out of the question.
+
+Both the _Wild Goose_ and the _Buster_ had hardly been drawn up out of
+harm's way than it began to rain. Seeing this, all lost no time in
+pitching the tents and in building fires to keep warm, for in this
+section of Alaska a rain even in the summer is sure to make one feel
+cold. The tents were pegged down with extra care, and this was a good
+thing, for by nightfall the wind had increased to a hurricane.
+
+The travellers to the gold regions were stormbound at Lake Labarge for
+two days. It did not rain all this time, but the wind blew too strongly
+to venture from shore. The time was spent inside the tent and hung
+rather heavily, although occasionally relieved by a song from the
+doctor, or a yarn told by Captain Zoss, or Wodley, who, along with his
+wife, and Crimmins and Johnson, the other two miners, made themselves
+quite at home with the Portney party.
+
+"The wind has moderated at last!" said Randy, who was the first out on
+the third morning. "Now let us make the most of the fine weather while
+it lasts."
+
+The others were more than willing, and the stove and camping outfit were
+taken down to the _Wild Goose_ without delay. The Wodley party was also
+stirring, but did not start until some time later on; and the two
+parties did not see each other again until many a day later.
+
+The journey to the end of Lake Labarge was quickly made, and they
+entered the thirty-mile watercourse, at that time unnamed, which
+connects the lake with the Big Salmon and the Lewes rivers. Randy and
+Earl were in charge, the men taking it easy over their pipes, for the
+captain was an inveterate smoker, and Mr. Portney and the doctor
+indulged occasionally in the weed.
+
+A good many miles had been covered, when Earl, happening to glance at
+his pocket compass, announced that they were sailing almost due
+southward. "And that can't be right," he said to Randy. "We ought to be
+headed for the northwest."
+
+"Well, we're on the river all right," answered Randy. Nevertheless, he
+spoke to his uncle about it, who at once consulted his pocket map.
+
+"I'll tell you what you've done," he announced presently. "Instead of
+sticking to the river that flows northward, you have turned into the
+Teslin, which flows to the south. Swing the _Wild Goose_ around at
+once."
+
+Much crestfallen over their mistake, the boys did as requested. They had
+to go back nearly four miles, as they calculated, before they saw the
+opening which had previously escaped their notice. But once right, they
+found the wind directly in their favor, and with the sail set to its
+fullest, they bowled along until the Big Salmon was reached, and they
+swept into the broad waters of the Lewes River.
+
+"And now for the Yukon and the gold regions!" cried Dr. Barwaithe. "How
+much further have we to go?" he questioned, turning to Foster Portney.
+
+"About three hundred and fifty miles," was the answer. "And with the
+exception of the Rink and Five Finger rapids, which don't amount to
+much, so I have heard, we'll have straight sailing. Ten days more ought
+to see us at Dawson City, ready to stake our claims."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX.
+
+THE GOLD FIELDS AT LAST.
+
+
+On the following day the wind died down utterly, and no progress could
+be made in the _Wild Goose_ excepting by the use of oars, and this was
+slow and laborious work. They took turns at rowing, two at a turn, with
+the others taking it easy on the blankets, for the river was now broad
+and deep and as smooth as a mill-pond.
+
+On the second day they seemed to leave the rocks behind, and emerged
+into a slightly hilly country. Here the banks of the stream were
+overgrown with bushes and flowers, the latter just starting to push
+forth their buds in countless profusion of variety and color. The
+transformation was almost magical and more than one spoke of it.
+
+"That's the way of things in Alaska," said Foster Portney. "There are no
+spring and autumn; just winter and summer, and that's all. The warm
+weather which is now coming on will last until September, and then
+winter will come almost before you know it."
+
+Earl had noticed the increase in heat since leaving the lakes, and now
+he perspired freely while pulling at the long oar. Randy sat in the bow
+taking in the sights. A flock of wild geese came sweeping toward them,
+and he asked for permission to take a shot with the gun. His aim was a
+good one, and two of the creatures fell where they were readily picked
+up.
+
+"We'll have stuffed goose to-night," said the captain, with a grin.
+"It's a pity we ain't got sage an' onions ter stuff it with."
+
+"Perhaps I can find something to take the place of sage," said the
+doctor. "This variety of bushes and vines ought to produce some similar
+herb."
+
+During the past two days they had noted a number of islands in the
+river, and that night they made a landing on one of these, in preference
+to tying up on shore. Mosquitoes were more numerous than ever, but a
+smudge built by Foster Portney soon drove the most of the insects off.
+
+The island was several acres in extent, and while the captain busied
+himself in roasting a goose and frying some potatoes he had "traded in"
+from Wodley for a bit of bacon, Randy and Earl took a tramp around, to
+stretch their legs and prospect on the sly. One carried a pick and a
+shovel and the other a gold-washing pan, and coming to a hollow where
+they could work unobserved, they set about getting out some dirt from
+under a series of rocks. The pan was soon full, and then Earl started to
+wash by pouring water on top and giving it the rotary motion he had
+heard his uncle mention.
+
+The labor was harder than either of them had imagined, and four panfuls
+of dirt were washed out, leaving nothing but smooth stones behind. They
+were about to continue the process, when they heard their uncle calling
+them, and a moment later Foster Portney appeared. He started to laugh,
+but quickly checked himself.
+
+"Digging for gold, eh?" he said. "Well, I don't think you'll find any
+here. The formation of the ground isn't right. If there is any precious
+metal around at all, it's at the bottom of yonder river. Might as well
+give it up." And somewhat disgusted the boys returned to camp. It was
+the only time they tried prospecting until the regular gold fields were
+reached.
+
+Two days later found them at the Rink and Five Finger rapids. Owing to
+the melting of the snow and ice under the increasing heat of the sun,
+the river was very high now, and, consequently, both spots were passed
+with comparative ease, the dangerous rocks being covered to a depth of a
+yard or more. In consequence of this increase of water, the river had
+over-flowed its bank for miles, forming great lakes and marshes
+everywhere, and at times it was almost impossible for them to keep to
+the channel. Once they did make a false turn, only to find themselves,
+half an hour later, in a "blind pocket," as Dr. Barwaithe put it.
+
+The rapids and the Tachun River passed, it was almost a straight sail
+northwest to the ruins of old Fort Selkirk. But little could be seen of
+the former fort, the Indians having overturned the very foundations in
+their search for trinkets and articles of value. They encamped at the
+spot over-night and were joined on the following morning by two other
+parties who had crossed Chilkoot Pass two days after themselves.
+
+Of these parties Earl asked for news of Tom Roland and Jasper Guardley,
+and was informed that the men had joined a crowd of Irishmen from
+Portland, who were coming through on a large raft. "They're a tough
+crowd, too--all of 'em," said the speaker. "If they don't get into
+trouble before they leave the gold diggings, it will be mighty queer."
+
+From old Fort Selkirk to Dawson City is a distance of one hundred and
+sixty miles, through a country so varied that it is next to impossible
+to describe it. At times the voyagers found themselves sailing calmly
+along on a broad expanse of water dotted here and there with wooded
+islands, rich in new foliage and evergreen trees, and again the stream
+would narrow, with high and rocky hills on either side. Here the water
+would flow swiftly over and around jagged rocks, and the utmost care
+would have to be exercised in avoiding a smash-up. Once they did receive
+a severe shaking-up and had to run for a low island with all possible
+speed, to avoid becoming waterlogged. This happened in the forenoon,
+and it took the balance of the day to make the _Wild Goose_ as seaworthy
+as before.
+
+A week and more had slipped by since leaving the Rink Rapids, and now
+all were on the watch for the first sight of the new gold fields. Every
+one was in a state of suppressed excitement. They had met half a dozen
+miners sailing back and forth on the river and from these had learned
+that everything was "booming," and that strikes were panning out big.
+The eyes of both Randy and Earl glistened when they heard these stories,
+and the hardships endured since leaving Dyea were forgotten.
+
+"Hurrah! there's a miner's tent!" suddenly shouted Randy, late one
+afternoon. "We've struck the diggings at last!"
+
+"There are half a dozen tents and a board cabin!" added Earl, pointing
+still further on. "I guess you're right, Randy. I wonder if that is the
+Klondike River over yonder. It looks mighty small."
+
+"That's only a creek," said Foster Portney. "We'll land and see how far
+we are from Dawson."
+
+The _Wild Goose_ was easily beached, and they lost no time in hunting up
+the miners to whom the tents and the cabin belonged. They were a party
+of Frenchmen from Canada and could speak but little English. Dr.
+Barwaithe spoke to them in their native tongue and soon learned that the
+place was Baker's Creek and that Dawson City was about six miles further
+on. The Frenchmen were very conservative, but admitted that they were
+doing very well at placer-mining, taking out an average of thirty
+dollars a day per man.
+
+"Thirty dollars a day!" cried Randy. "A fellow can get rich quick enough
+at that rate."
+
+"Hardly--with such a short season," answered his uncle. "Yet thirty
+dollars isn't bad by any means."
+
+"I'm up yere to strike a fortune," put in the captain. "No measly little
+thirty dollars a day fer me!"
+
+Both Randy and Earl wished to remain behind to see the Frenchmen wash
+out the gold dust, but the others were impatient to go on, and they were
+soon on the way once more.
+
+"If the claims are good around here, it won't be long before they are
+taken up," said Foster Portney. "For, as you can see, men are pouring in
+over the mountains every day, not to say anything of those who make the
+long trip by way of the ocean and up the Yukon."
+
+"Well, I'm just crazy to get to work," declared Randy. "Just think of
+the gold lying around ready to be picked up!"
+
+His uncle smiled. Poor Randy! Little did he dream of the many backaches
+and privations in store for him.
+
+To the left of the river there now arose a long chain of hills and
+mountains, sloping gradually to the water's edge; on the right were
+smaller hills and great marshes, fairly choked with bushes and wild
+growths of vines and flowers. The tundra was everywhere, and over all
+circled flocks and flocks of wild birds, a few mosquitoes, and something
+they had not yet seen--horseflies. The horseflies were black and green
+in color, and a bite from one of them made Captain Zoss utter a mighty
+yell of pain. "It was like the stab of a dagger!" he declared
+afterwards, and so angry did the bite become, and so painful, that the
+doctor was called upon to treat it with a soothing lotion.
+
+It was after seven o'clock, but still daylight, when Dr. Barwaithe
+raised his hand for the others to become silent. "Listen!" he said. "I
+think I heard a steamboat whistle. Ah! I was right. A boat is on the
+river!"
+
+A few minutes passed, and they heard the whistle again. Then Earl
+pointed ahead excitedly. "There's the boat, and she is tied up to the
+river bank. There are half a dozen buildings and fifty tents or more.
+I'll wager it's Dawson!"
+
+With hearts which beat quickly they sailed forward, using the oars to
+make the _Wild Goose_ move the faster. Another turn of the stream and
+the mining town could be seen quite plainly. Ten minutes later they ran
+up just behind the steamboat and tied fast. The long trip was at an end.
+The new diggings, with all their golden hopes, lay before them.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI.
+
+A DAY IN DAWSON CITY.
+
+
+At the time of which I write, Dawson City was little better than a rude
+mining camp, containing, as has been previously mentioned, a half dozen
+board buildings and fifty tents, strung along what was known as the
+principal "street." Back in the timber land a rude saw-mill had been set
+up, and this was beginning to get out lumber at the moderate price of
+one hundred and twenty-five dollars per thousand feet!
+
+A year before Dawson City had been unknown, but the rich finds of gold
+on Bonanza and Gold Bottom creeks had caused the miners to leave Circle
+City and Forty Mile Post and boom the new El Dorado, as it was termed,
+and the settlement grew as if by magic. From the wild rush to stake
+claims many rows resulted, but the cooler heads speedily took matters in
+hand, and each man was allowed a claim from five to fifteen hundred feet
+long and extending the width of the creek or gulch in which it was
+located.
+
+These claims were not located upon the Klondike River, which joins the
+Yukon at Dawson City, as has been often supposed, but upon the little
+watercourses running into the Klondike. These gold-bearing diggings
+are, or were, variously called Bonanza, Gold Bottom, and Bear creeks,
+which flow into the Klondike direct, and Hunker, Last Chance, El Dorado,
+Adams, Shantantay, and other creeks and semi-wet gulches which are
+tributaries to the creeks first named. The names were arbitrary, and
+were often changed to suit the miners' tastes.
+
+To Randy and Earl, the camp presented the appearance of having "just
+moved in," as the younger brother termed it. On every side were miners'
+outfits stacked in little piles, while their owners were either at hand
+erecting tents, or off prospecting or buying supplies. There was but one
+store, a rude board building not over twenty by thirty feet, in which
+everything on hand was offered at most extravagant prices. Flour sold
+for sixty dollars per barrel, beans fifty cents per pound, bacon and
+canned meats seventy-five cents per pound, and other goods in
+proportion. There were no fresh meats excepting two sides of beef just
+brought in by the little flat-bottomed steamboat from Circle City, and
+which were rapidly disposed of at two dollars to five dollars per pound.
+A crate of eggs were at hand, to be purchased at one dollar per dozen,
+but as most of the eggs were stale, the contents of the crate went
+begging. Of miners' tools, a pick or a shovel brought ten dollars to
+fifteen dollars, while washing pans were not to be found, and had to be
+manufactured by the miners themselves. Wearing apparel was also scarce,
+and Earl saw twenty dollars given for a flannel shirt, and five dollars
+for a pair of socks, both articles being paid for in gold dust.
+
+As it was evening, most of the miners had given up work and come into
+the camp to talk, trade, and learn the latest news. Every one was in a
+quiver of excitement, and the announcement that an extra good find had
+been made on Hunker Creek caused many to strike out during the night to
+make new claims in that vicinity.
+
+"Let us go, too!" cried Randy, and Earl joined in; but the men talked it
+over and decided to remain in Dawson City until they learned more about
+the "lay of the land." They pitched their tent as close to where their
+boat lay as possible, but it is doubtful if any of the party slept
+through that short night, which had hardly anything of darkness.
+
+All told, there were not over six hundred white men in camp, and, in
+addition, there were perhaps a hundred Indians, with their squaws,
+children, and dogs; for no Alaskan Indian family is complete without
+from one to a half-dozen canines attached. The Indians were there to
+sell fish and game, and to pick up odd jobs of pack-carrying. They took
+but little interest in the gold strikes, and it was but rarely that they
+could be found mining, and then never for themselves.
+
+One of the first lessons to be learned by the boys and the others, was
+that of keeping their outfits intact. Hardly were they up in the
+morning than a dozen miners and prospectors came shuffling around
+offering them various prices for this and that. Had they been willing to
+sell, they could have disposed of all they possessed by noon, but,
+cautioned by Foster Portney, they were firm, and nothing was allowed to
+change hands but a small bottle of cough syrup which the doctor sold for
+an ounce of gold, worth sixteen dollars, to a poor fellow suffering with
+a slight attack of pneumonia. The doctor wanted no pay, but the miner
+insisted on giving it, saying he would pay a thousand dollars if the
+physician would make him as well and strong as ever again.
+
+After many careful inquiries, it was decided that the party should first
+try its luck on Gold Bottom Creek, at some spot near to where the
+watercourse was joined by Hunker and Last Chance creeks. They had
+learned that while Bonanza and El Dorado creeks were paying well, all
+the best claims in those localities were already staked out.
+
+Two days later found them encamped at the entrance to a tiny
+watercourse, which flowed into Gold Bottom Creek. They had come in from
+the Klondike with their outfits on their backs and half a dozen Indians
+to aid them, for the trail was over rough rocks and through lowlands of
+berry bushes and tundra,--a wearisome walk which to Randy, at least,
+seemed to have no end. Often they sank up to their knees in the muck and
+cold water, and once the doctor got "stuck" and had to be hauled forth
+by main strength and minus one boot, which was afterward recovered. A
+promising spot was reached by nightfall, the Indians were paid and sent
+off, and they set about making themselves a home, temporary or
+permanent, as fortune might elect.
+
+A flat surface on the side of a small hill was selected, and the tents
+were placed end to end, as before, but tightened down to stay. Then a
+trench was dug around the sides and the back, so that when it rained the
+water might drain off. This done, the interior was carpeted with small
+branches of pine and evergreen.
+
+"A good, healthful smell," said the doctor, referring to the greens;
+"and one that will ward off many a cold. On the top of those branches
+one ought to sleep almost as comfortably as on a feather bed."
+
+The interior of the tents arranged, a fireplace was next in order, a
+semicircular affair of stone, in which the sheet-iron stove might be
+sheltered from the wind. Then came a cache for the provisions to be
+stored away; and their domestic arrangements were complete.
+
+It was bright and early on the day following that all hands set off to
+prospect along the bottom of the gulch, which the boys had named
+Prosper. They were divided into two parties, the doctor and the captain
+in one, and the boys and their uncle in the other. The latter turned up
+to the left arm of the gulch and presently came to a little hollow,
+where the tiny stream of water flowing along had deposited some coarse
+sand to a depth of eight to twenty inches.
+
+"Now we'll shovel up some of this sand in the pan and see what it
+amounts to," said Foster Portney. "Don't take what is right on top,
+boys. If there is any gold, it is down next to the bed rock. And don't
+fill the pan too full." The boys worked eagerly, and soon had the pan
+nearly full of the sand. Mr. Portney then carried it to a nearby pool
+and allowed the water to run over the top, then brushed off the surface
+and began to "wash down." This took several minutes, and Randy and Earl
+stood by almost breathless during the process.
+
+At last only a handful of sand and dirt remained at the bottom of the
+pan. All three examined it with care. Here and there could be seen a
+tiny grain of dull yellow.
+
+"That is gold," explained Foster Portney. "But there is hardly enough to
+pay; probably three or four cents' worth in all."
+
+"Is that all!" cried Randy, and his voice was full of disappointment.
+Earl said nothing, but gathered up the pick and shovel and moved on.
+
+In two days a dozen other spots had been tried with even worse success,
+and the three in the party began to imagine that the gulch was of no
+consequence, so far as staking a claim there was concerned. To add to
+their discomfiture a miner came along who said he had gone all over that
+locality a month previous.
+
+"Ain't nothin' thar," he announced; "nothin' wuth over four or five
+cents a panful. Better try your luck elsewar, friends."
+
+"We'll put in another day over here," announced Foster Portney. "One day
+won't count very much, and ground is often gone over a dozen times
+before the right strike is made."
+
+They had brought a lunch with them, and now sat down on the edge of a
+small stony cliff to eat it. The boys were tremendously hungry and could
+have devoured twice as much as what was on hand, but they were beginning
+to learn that short rations would be something to look forward to for
+some time to come.
+
+Having eaten what was allotted to him, Randy began to poke around with
+the pick, while his uncle and Earl still rested. The cliff was divided
+into two sections, and between was a lot of rotten stone, dirt, muck,
+and rubbish. Striking the pick deeply into this, Randy loosened a
+portion of the stone, and out it rolled into the gulch, bringing the
+dirt and a good portion of the rubbish after it. He began to scatter the
+stuff to the right and the left when something shiny caught his eye, and
+stooping he picked it up, while his heart leaped into his throat.
+
+"Uncle Foster! Earl! Look at this!" he cried, and ran to them, holding
+up the object as he did so. It was larger than an egg and quite heavy.
+Foster Portney gave one glance and then leaped forward, dropping what
+food still remained in his hand.
+
+"Where did you find it, Randy?" he exclaimed.
+
+"Over yonder," was the hasty reply. "But is it gold, Uncle Foster?"
+
+"Yes, Randy, it's a nugget as sure as you're born--a nugget worth at
+least two hundred dollars. And what's better yet," went on Mr. Portney
+as Randy began to dance with delight, "the chances are that there are
+more where this came from!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII.
+
+DIGGING FOR GOLD.
+
+
+A nugget worth two hundred dollars! Randy could scarcely believe his
+eyes and ears. He gazed at his uncle for a moment in open-mouthed
+wonder.
+
+"You're in luck, and no mistake!" broke in Earl, as he also examined the
+yellowish lump. "Say, but that's a strike to start on, isn't it!"
+
+He had hoped to make the first find himself, but he was too unselfish to
+begrudge his brother that pleasure. Leaving the lump in his uncle's
+possession, Randy led the way back to where the find had been made, and
+all three set to work without delay to empty the "pocket," as Foster
+Portney called it, and examine the contents.
+
+"Here's another!" cried Earl, presently. "It's not quite so large,
+though."
+
+"But it's worth at least a hundred dollars, Earl," answered his uncle.
+"And see, here are a number of little fellows worth from ten dollars to
+fifty each. Randy has struck a bonanza beyond a doubt. Don't scatter
+that dirt too much, for we must wash out every ounce of it for little
+nuggets and dust."
+
+"And maybe there is a vein of gold back there," said Randy, proudly.
+"If there is, we can all work it, can't we?"
+
+"Yes, unless the captain and the doctor have struck something equally
+good. There, that seems to be the last of the nuggets. Let us count
+them. Fourteen in all, and worth at least four hundred dollars. It paid
+to stay over in spite of what that miner said, didn't it?" And Foster
+Portney laughed, and the boys joined in readily, for the discovery of so
+much gold had put all into the best of humor.
+
+The nuggets picked out, they set to work to wash out the sand and dirt.
+While Foster Portney filled the pan and washed, the two boys took turns
+in bringing up water from the pool, using for the purpose a rubber water
+bag the man had thoughtfully provided for just such an emergency. The
+washings continued until it was quite dark, and by that time half of the
+dirt had been gone over and something like two ounces of gold dust
+extracted.
+
+"Not so bad," said Mr. Portney. "Perhaps to-morrow we'll do even
+better."
+
+"I could keep on all night," declared Randy, who was loath to quit the
+locality. "Somebody may come in and take the claim away from us before
+morning."
+
+"We'll leave the pick and the shovel in it, and that will prevent them,"
+was the answer; and this was done. No miner dares to touch another's
+"prospect" so long as any tools remain in it.
+
+When they got back to camp they found the doctor and the captain already
+there. The two had tried half a dozen spots, but only one had yielded
+sufficient gold dust to warrant their continuing to work it. They
+listened with keen interest to the account of the find made by Randy,
+and were quite willing to take a hand at prospecting that locality the
+next day.
+
+Eight o'clock found all hard at work. While the captain and Earl washed,
+the others went into the opening of the cliff and brought out all that
+remained of the dirt and loose stones. There was not a great deal, and
+shortly after noon every shovelful was heaped up close to the artificial
+pool of water Dr. Barwaithe had constructed. While the washing
+continued, Foster Portney examined the sides and the bottom of the
+opening, and then moved forward through a tangled mass of brushwood and
+tundra until he came to the bed of a second gulch a hundred feet
+distance from the first.
+
+"There is nothing more in the pocket," he declared. "And if there is any
+more gold, it is either in that gulch or this, and I am half inclined to
+think it is over there, although we may as well prospect this gulch
+thoroughly first."
+
+By the morrow the washings from the pocket came to an end, with four
+more ounces of gold to the credit of the prospectors, making in all a
+find of about five hundred dollars. Previous to going into camp it had
+been decided that for the present everything found should be divided
+into five parts, one to go to the captain, one to the doctor, and three
+to Foster Portney for himself and his nephews. The Portney share, as we
+know, was to be divided, one-half to Mr. Portney and one-quarter to each
+of the boys. Thus the boys received each three-twentieths of the entire
+amount found; not a large portion, but then they had nothing to pay out
+for expenses, which were bound to be considerable, and each was
+perfectly willing that his uncle should have the one-tenth extra of the
+whole amount on that account.
+
+"Three-twentieths of five hundred dollars is seventy-five dollars," said
+Randy to Earl, when they were alone. "We've each earned that, free and
+clear, so far. That's not bad."
+
+"If only we can continue, we'll make our fortunes," replied Earl,
+earnestly. "But the pocket's at an end, and now we've got to prospect
+elsewhere."
+
+The days went by, and they tried the first of the gulches from end to
+end, sometimes working together, and then each man and boy for himself.
+But though they struck gold often it was never in paying quantities, and
+the end of the week saw them somewhat discouraged.
+
+"It wouldn't be so bad, only we made such a fine start," grumbled Randy.
+"Now there's no telling when we shall find gold again."
+
+"That's the fortunes o' prospectin'," said the captain. "It may be we
+won't git a smell o' gold in the hull district ag'in!"
+
+"I move we try that other gulch on Monday," put in the doctor. "It's
+full of loose sand, isn't it?" he went on to Foster Portney.
+
+"Yes, the sand and gravel are at least two feet thick," was the answer.
+"I believe there is gold there, as I said before, but to clear off the
+brush and moss will be no easy task."
+
+"We came out here for work," said Earl. "I didn't expect to sit around
+and sun myself." And all laughed at this remark.
+
+It was Sunday, and late on Saturday night a miner had been around
+announcing a religious meeting to be held over at the Bottom at noon.
+Mr. Portney, the boys, and the doctor walked over, nearly half a mile,
+leaving the captain in charge of the camp. They found about fifty miners
+collected around an improvised platform, where an earnest-looking young
+man was reading a chapter from his Bible. A song by three of the women
+present followed, and then came a short sermon on the brotherhood of man
+and the value of a faith which would carry a man above the temptation to
+do wrong, even in that desolate region. At the close of the service a
+collection was taken up, for the preacher's benefit, some of the miners
+giving ordinary money, and others pouring gold dust into the little
+chamois bag the preacher had provided for that purpose.
+
+At this meeting the Portneys again met the Wodley crowd, who had located
+about a mile up Gold Bottom Creek, at a place called Rosebud, a name
+particularly inappropriate, since no roses were to be found in the
+vicinity. Wodley and his companions were doing fairly well, and thought
+the "doctor's flock" might do worse than to locate just above them.
+
+"We'll remember that," said Foster Portney. "But first we are going to
+try again over where we are."
+
+Wodley had heard again from Tom Roland and Guardley. He said the gang,
+as he termed it, which they had joined had gone up Hunker Creek and
+staked out three claims somewhere above Discovery, as the first claim on
+a creek or gulch is called. The claims had overlapped some already
+staked out, and the miners in that section had had several fights and
+had threatened to drive out all the newcomers if they did not do what
+was right.
+
+"I was going over to Hunker Creek myself," concluded Wodley. "But I
+don't want to quarrel with anybody."
+
+Monday morning found the entire Portney crowd over to Tangle Gulch, as
+Mr. Portney christened it. It was a name well chosen, for the tangle of
+bushes, vines, and moss was "simply out of sight," so Earl said,
+although as a matter of fact it was very much in sight--that and
+nothing else. No one could move forward more than a yard before having
+to stop to loosen himself, either from the bushes and vines or the
+clinging moss, and muck under the moss. And to add to their discomfort
+they stirred up a legion of mosquitoes, gnats, and black flies, which
+hovered over their heads like a cloud.
+
+"Let us burn the brush first of all," said the doctor, when at last the
+middle of the gulch was reached. "That will clear the surface and
+scatter those pests overhead. Oh, my!" He broke off short as he went
+down into a concealed water hole which was several feet deep. "Here's
+another of the pleasures of hunting gold in Alaska!" and this was said
+so comically that everybody roared.
+
+Axes and knives had been brought along, and soon a large pile of the
+brush had been cut and piled in a heap and set on fire. As it was green,
+it burnt slowly and raised a large smoke, which made the mosquitoes
+scatter immediately. From that day until the end of the summer they kept
+a smudge fire for protection. The brush cleared from the sides of the
+gulch, which was very narrow, they went at the tundra, throwing the moss
+wherever it would be out of the way. This took a long time, and it was
+not until almost nightfall that they got down to the sand and gravel of
+the choked-up watercourse.
+
+"Now we'll see if there is anything in this gulch or not," said the
+captain, as he scooped up the first panful off the bedrock. "If there
+isn't, then we've had most all-fired hard work fer nuthin', eh?" And he
+started in to wash up the sand, gravel, and dirt, while the others
+looked on in breathless interest.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIII.
+
+GOOD LUCK AND BAD.
+
+
+As the captain wanted to save every grain of gold in the pan, he washed
+very carefully, and it was fully five minutes before the last of the
+sand and dirt was disposed of and they could come to a calculation as to
+the value of the yellow metal left.
+
+For gold there was, true enough, shining brightly before their eyes--and
+there was more than this, too, for some of it was of a blackish color.
+The others could not believe in the value of this until Foster Portney
+assured them that he had frequently heard of black gold being turned up
+in the Yukon district.
+
+"Half an ounce at least," was the verdict arrived at by both the captain
+and Mr. Portney; "and that's eight dollars."
+
+"Then we had better stay, hadn't we?" said Earl.
+
+"Why, of course, Earl; you didn't expect to do much better than that,
+unless you struck nuggets."
+
+"One fellow over to Gold Bottom said he was taking out a hundred dollars
+to the panful," put in Randy.
+
+"Fairy stories, my lad," answered the captain. "A claim as will turn
+out eight dollars to the pan is mighty good--as good as I'm a-lookin'
+fer just now."
+
+"And we haven't gone very far into this gulch," put in the doctor. "It
+may be better further up."
+
+"And it may be worse," said Foster Portney, "although I'm inclined to
+think it will be better. We had best stake out our claims without
+delay."
+
+This was readily agreed to, and before they went back to the tents they
+had staked out three claims, one for each of the men. Earl might have
+taken up a claim, too, being just old enough, but the three covered all
+the ground which the party thought of any account. Each claim was five
+hundred feet long and the upper one covered both gulches, which was an
+excellent thing, as it would give them a fair amount of water by which
+to do their washing. The posts firmly planted and marked, they walked
+slowly back to camp, talking over the prospects and mapping out their
+future work.
+
+It was decided to move the tents to a more convenient locality, and a
+spot was readily found at a point above where the two gulches joined, or
+rather where the one gulch split into two. The transfer to this new
+home-spot was made the next day by Earl, Randy, and the doctor, Mr.
+Portney and the captain going back to uncover several other portions of
+the claims, to ascertain, if possible, just what their values might be.
+
+The next week was a busy one. The camp removed and put into comfortable
+shape, the next work was to dam up the gulch where the pocket had been
+found, so that all the water might flow through Mosquito Hollow, as the
+doctor had facetiously dubbed the new diggings,--a name that stuck to
+it. This work was done by Randy and Dr. Barwaithe, while Earl joined the
+captain and his uncle in burning down the brush and getting rid of the
+tundra.
+
+Before turning the water from Prosper Gulch into Mosquito Hollow, Foster
+Portney advised sinking several holes along the latter gulch, that any
+gold washed along by the flow would be caught. The captain put these
+down, and then came the long labor of cleaning the sand and dirt from
+the bedrock below. As it would have taken all summer to clean out the
+entire bottom of the gulch, only the deeper part was attacked and here a
+runway for the water was made, a foot to two feet wide.
+
+The water had just been turned along Mosquito Hollow and washing begun
+when a party of prospectors from Forty Mile Post came along and espied
+the claims. They at once wished to know the particulars of the find
+made, and, assured that there was gold there, one of the men lost no
+time in putting up his stakes below them, while two others went above.
+Inside of a week after this the Hollow boasted of eight claims, and a
+little settlement sprung up at the Fork, as the miners named the spot
+where the Portney crowd had located.
+
+"We'll have a town here before the summer is over," said Earl; but he
+was not sorry to have company, especially as the newcomers were all
+hail-fellows-well-met and apparently honest to the core. Among them was
+a young lawyer from Dakota, and he and Dr. Barwaithe soon became the
+warmest of friends.
+
+The short Alaska summer was now reaching its height, and flowers and
+berries were growing everywhere in the wildest profusion, while during
+the middle of the day the sun beat down so fiercely that they were often
+compelled to seek the shade for hours at a time.
+
+"My gracious, the Hollow is like a pepper box!" said Randy one day, as
+he came into camp with his shirt wet through with perspiration. "Not a
+breath of air stirring."
+
+"And the hotter it is, the worse the flies are," added Earl. "I declare,
+they seem to bother me more than even the mosquitoes."
+
+Usually it cooled off toward seven or eight o'clock, even though the sun
+still shone well up in the sky, but this night proved as warm as the day
+had been, and most of the party went to sleep outdoors, unable to stand
+it inside of the close tents. Outside, they had to wind their heads and
+necks in mosquito netting and cover up their hands, to keep from being
+pestered to death. It was the most uncomfortable twenty-four hours they
+had yet put in.
+
+"The old Harry take Alaska!" burst out Dr. Barwaithe, finally. One
+mosquito had alighted on his nose, and two others on his neck. "It's
+worth all the gold you can get, and more, too, to stand these impudent
+pests. Oh!" And making half a dozen wild slashes he finally scrambled up
+and ran around the tents to throw his tormentors off.
+
+The captain was suffering from a slight attack of scurvy, brought on by
+eating so much salt food. The doctor had given him some medicine, but
+this did little good, and the captain was getting into a bad way when
+one of the old miners, who had just come in, came to his aid.
+
+"Eat tomatoes, cap'n," he said. "Best thing on airth fer scurvy. Bill
+Watson wuz down with it wust way an' nuthin' helped him but tomatoes. He
+eat 'most a bushel o' 'em, an' they made a new man o' him. Eat
+tomatoes."
+
+"Tomatoes may be very good," said the doctor. "They are a very strong,
+green vegetable, you know. You might try them."
+
+And the captain did try them, first using up some of the cans brought
+along, and then buying a quart of fresh tomatoes at Dawson City, for two
+dollars. Sure enough, the tomatoes helped wonderfully, and about a week
+later the scurvy left him.
+
+Nearly a month had now passed since the party had located at Mosquito
+Hollow, and in that time they had taken out three small nuggets worth
+probably fifty dollars apiece, and a little short of a hundred and
+fifty ounces of gold dust. Counting the gold dust as worth sixteen
+dollars an ounce, this gave them, in round figures, twenty-five hundred
+dollars for their labor.
+
+"Twenty-five hundred dollars!" said Earl. "That's a good deal more than
+we could earn at home."
+
+Captain Zoss gave a deep sigh and shook his head. "I ain't satisfied,"
+he said. "I didn't come up to Alaska to work fer no five hundred a
+month. I'm goin' elsewhar fer luck."
+
+"You won't stay here?" asked Randy, quickly. He had begun to like the
+captain very much.
+
+"No, lad; I'm yere to make a fortune or nuthin'. I quit the hollow
+ter-morrow."
+
+"Well, you have that right, captain, although I'm sorry to see you go,"
+said Foster Portney.
+
+"Which means thet you an' the boys stay," answered the captain, quickly.
+"I'm sorry ye won't go with me. I want ter try Hunker Creek."
+
+"I think I'll stay," said Foster Portney, quietly. "I'll give the gulch
+a few weeks longer, for the way I look at it we're making wages and have
+the chance to make a strike. What do you say, boys?"
+
+Randy was in for following the captain, but a look from Earl made him
+change the words on the end of his tongue. "I'll do as you think best,
+Uncle Foster."
+
+"And so will I," said Earl.
+
+Then they looked at the doctor, who was kicking the toe of his boot
+against the tent pole in speculative way. It was several seconds before
+the medical man spoke.
+
+"I--I think I'll go with the captain," he said finally. "Not but that I
+hate to part company," he added hastily. "But I came up here to make a
+big hit, and if I wanted to work for what we've been making here, I
+could get it easier by going into Dawson City and hanging out my
+shingle--you all know that. I hope we part the best of friends."
+
+"We will," said Foster Portney. "We'll divide our gold as per agreement,
+and also the outfits."
+
+"And I'll give you my share of this gulch free," said the captain, and
+the doctor said the same.
+
+Of this, however, Foster Portney would not hear. He insisted on paying
+each of them a hundred dollars, and drawing up regular papers, which
+were signed in the presence of two of the outside miners. On the day
+following the doctor and the captain packed up their traps, hired four
+Indians to help them, and set off, first however, giving Mr. Portney and
+each of the boys a hearty handshake. In a few minutes they were out of
+sight.
+
+"And now to work the Hollow for all it is worth," said Foster Portney,
+when they were left alone. "And remember, from henceforth, whatever we
+turn up belongs to us and to nobody else."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIV.
+
+AN UNLOOKED-FOR ARRIVAL.
+
+
+Although the boys missed Dr. Barwaithe and Captain Zoss greatly, there
+was much of satisfaction in the thought that their uncle had expressed;
+namely, that henceforth whatever was taken out of the three claims on
+Mosquito Hollow gulch would belong to them and to nobody else.
+
+"Of course, we can't expect to do as much work as was done before," was
+the way Earl reasoned. "But we are just as liable as ever to make a big
+strike."
+
+During the following week the weather turned off somewhat cooler, and
+this made work easier and more rapid. All three went at it with a will,
+and the six days brought in six hundred dollars in dust.
+
+"That's a hundred and fifty apiece for us, Earl," said Randy, after
+figuring up. "It beats lumbering down in Maine all hollow, doesn't it?"
+
+"I'll tell you better after we've gone through a winter up here, Randy.
+From all accounts the weather is something awful, and we've got to stand
+it, for getting away is out of the question after the first of
+September."
+
+"Well, let's not anticipate trouble. I guess Uncle will see that we are
+as well provided for as possible," answered Randy, who could think of
+nothing but the gold dust brought in daily.
+
+So far they had done all their washing with hand pans. Foster Portney
+had tried to obtain a cradle, or a "Long Tom," but had failed. Now he
+announced his intention to go over to the saw-mill at Dawson and buy the
+necessary boards for several sluice boxes. He left on Friday, stating he
+would probably not return before Monday or Tuesday.
+
+The week had brought a number of newcomers to the vicinity, who had
+staked claims on other gulches within a radius of half a mile. Some of
+these late arrivals had come over the mountain pass, while the majority
+had taken the longer route up the Pacific Ocean and the Yukon. The Fork
+seemed to be a favorite camping ground, and there were times when as
+many as a score of tents were pitched there.
+
+One of the newcomers was from Hunker Creek, and he brought news of the
+doctor and the captain. The pair had staked two claims some distance
+above Discovery and were doing fairly well, although they had by no
+means struck it as rich as anticipated.
+
+It was on Saturday evening, when Randy and Earl were busy washing out
+some of their underwear--for they of course had to play their own
+washerwoman--that news was brought to them that there was a young
+fellow down at a camp below who had expressed a desire that Randy or
+Earl come to see him.
+
+"He ain't give no name, but he's a slim-built chap an' don't look like
+he was cut out fer roughing it," said the messenger. "He's half sick,
+and he was grub-struck when me and my pard picked him up."
+
+"A slim-built chap--" began Randy, when Earl broke in: "It's Fred
+Dobson, the crazy fool!"
+
+"Fred!" cried Randy. He turned to the messenger and asked the miner to
+give him a better description of the boy; but this was not forthcoming,
+and he hurried off with the man, leaving Earl in charge of the tent.
+
+The camp below was quarter of a mile away, over a hill thick with
+blackberry bushes. But something like a trail had been tramped down from
+the Fork, and it did not take the two long to cover the distance. They
+had just come over the hill in sight of several tents when Randy beheld
+somebody get up from a seat on a fallen log and totter toward him.
+
+"Randy Portney!" It was Fred Dobson's voice, but so thin and hollow
+Randy scarcely recognized it. "Oh, how glad I am to see somebody I
+know!"
+
+"Fred! How in the world did you get up here!" burst out Randy. He took
+the hand of the squire's son, and led the way back to the seat. "How
+thin and pale you look! I thought you had gone back to Basco!"
+
+Fred heaved a deep sigh. Then he looked Randy full in the face for a
+moment. His eyes were moist, and he tried in vain to keep back the
+tears. But it was impossible, and throwing his head on Randy's shoulder,
+he wept like a child.
+
+The tears touched Randy to the heart, and he caught the thin hands and
+pressed them warmly. "Never mind, Fred," he said. "Now you are up here
+I'll do what I can for you. So let up and tell me your story."
+
+It was several minutes before Fred could do this. "I came up by the way
+of the Chilkoot Pass," he said, when he felt able to speak. "I joined a
+party I met in Juneau, a crowd of men from Chicago, and they promised to
+see me through if I would do my share of work. But the work was too hard
+for me, and they treated me like a dog, and at Baker's Creek they kicked
+me out of camp and compelled me to shift for myself."
+
+"How long ago was this?"
+
+"A week ago. Since that time I've been knocking around from pillar to
+post, looking for something I could do, so as to earn at least enough to
+eat. I did get one job in Dawson City washing dishes in the restaurant,
+but even there the food the boss wanted me to eat was more than I could
+stand, as it was nothing but leavings."
+
+"And when did you hear of us?"
+
+"Yesterday. I struck a miner named Wodley and he gave me your
+directions. Oh, Randy, what a fool I was to come to Alaska! If only I
+had taken your advice and gone back to Basco!" And it was only by an
+effort that Fred Dobson kept himself from crying anew. He felt
+miserable, weak, and hungry, had had scarcely a kind word for weeks, and
+was on the point of giving up in despair.
+
+"Do your parents know where you are?" asked Randy, after another pause.
+
+"Yes, I wrote to them just before leaving Juneau--I couldn't think of
+going so far away without doing that."
+
+"Well, that was at least one sensible move, Fred." Randy thought for a
+moment. "Our camp is about half a mile from here, over that hill. Can
+you walk that far?"
+
+"Oh, yes, Randy; I can walk a good way now I've found a friend." Fred
+arose as quickly as he could. "Are you and your friends all together
+yet?"
+
+"No; there are only my uncle, Earl, and myself now."
+
+The two were soon on the journey over the hill. Fred was still rather
+shaky, and Randy gave him his arm to help him at the difficult places.
+When they reached camp, Earl had all the washing out and everything
+tidied up.
+
+"So it is you, Fred?" he said, as he held out his hand. "I thought you
+back in Basco by this time."
+
+"I only wish I was! I made the biggest mistake of my life when I ran
+away, so there! and I don't care who knows it!" And Fred threw himself
+on a bench in front of the tent.
+
+"If there is any of that bean soup left, you had better give Fred some,"
+said Randy, with a knowing glance which did not escape Earl. "And I'm
+going to fry some of the fish I caught over in the river last night."
+
+Half an hour later the wanderer was sitting down to as appetizing a
+supper as he had tasted since leaving the States. While he ate he told
+his story in detail, to which Randy and Earl listened with much
+interest. That Fred had had a hard time of it there could be no doubt;
+and that he had learned a lesson he would never forget was also
+apparent.
+
+"If there was only some way of getting home, I'd start to-morrow," he
+said. "But I'm up here now, and I've got to do for myself--somehow." He
+looked wistfully at Earl and Randy. "Do you think I could make some kind
+of a deal with your uncle to keep me? I know I am not as strong and
+hardy as you, but I can do something, and I won't look for any pay."
+
+"I don't know what uncle will say," said Earl. "He has gone to Dawson,
+and won't be back before Monday or Tuesday. I guess you can stay here
+till that time."
+
+"Yes; and if he won't take you in, I'll help you some," added Randy.
+"We've been more fortunate than you."
+
+Fred was curious to know how they had made out, and Earl and Randy told
+him. He was amazed to think they had done so well; and his face
+brightened a good deal when he remembered how Randy had said he would
+help him.
+
+Sunday was spent in camp. Fred, who was completely tired out, slept the
+greater part of the day, although at meal times, weak as he was, he
+insisted on washing the dishes and the pots and kettles, just to show
+that he was in earnest about working. This made Earl and Randy smile to
+themselves.
+
+"Think of Fred washing dishes like that at home," whispered Earl to his
+brother. "If only the squire could see him now, I guess he'd almost
+forgive him for running away!"
+
+On Monday the two brothers went to work as usual in the Hollow. Fred
+followed them over and was much interested in their labors. Once he
+tried shovelling up the sand and dirt, but Earl told him he had better
+take it easy and get back his strength; and then he walked back to the
+tent, to spend the balance of the day in mending his clothing, which was
+sadly in need of repairs. When the boys came back, he had supper ready
+for them, and never had they had a meal in camp that was better cooked.
+
+"Cooking was the one thing I learned coming up here," Fred explained.
+"There was a negro in the party who had been a chef in a Chicago hotel;
+and he was the one soul in the crowd that treated me half decently."
+
+"Perhaps uncle will retain you as cook," said Randy, mischievously, and
+then he stopped short, for he did not wish to hurt Fred's feelings. The
+supper passed off pleasantly, and Fred announced that he felt a hundred
+times better than the day previous.
+
+It was around ten o'clock, and the sun had just set over the mountains
+to the westward, leaving the Hollow in an uncertain, pale-blue light,
+which would last until sunrise at four, when a messenger on mule-back
+dashed along the trail from Gold Bottom. "Thar's a lynchin' goin' on
+down to Smedley's!" he yelled, as he sped by. "They've caught a sneak
+thief by the name o' Guardley, an' they're goin' ter make him do er
+dance on nuthin'. Better be gittin' down thar, if ye want ter see
+justice done!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXV.
+
+MORE WORK IN THE GULCHES.
+
+
+"They are going to lynch a fellow named Guardley!" ejaculated Earl. "I
+wonder if it can be Jasper Guardley."
+
+"It must be; it's not likely there is another Guardley up here--the name
+isn't as common as all that," returned Randy. "Shall we go?"
+
+Earl hesitated. There was something appalling in a lynching, to his
+mind. Yet he was curious to know more of the crime for which the
+prisoner was about to suffer.
+
+"Yes, we might as well--if Fred will watch the camp," he answered.
+
+"I'll watch it as well as I can," answered Fred. The work he had been
+doing had tired him more than he would admit, and he was glad enough to
+take it easy. He knew Guardley, but took small interest in the man his
+father had sent up more than once for petty crimes.
+
+In less than five minutes Earl and Randy were off, stalking over the
+hills and along Gold Bottom Creek as rapidly as their tired limbs would
+carry them. Smedley's, a settlement of two-score of tents and one board
+cabin where a few odds and ends could be bought, was nearly two miles
+distance, yet they arrived there in less than half an hour--fast time
+when the state of the trails they had travelled was taken into
+consideration.
+
+They found that the prisoner had been bound, hands and feet, and placed
+in the storeroom of the board cabin, a little shed in the rear, scarcely
+eight feet by twelve and hardly high enough for a man to stand in. Two
+rough-looking miners were on guard, one with a gun, and the other with
+an old-fashioned horse-pistol over a foot long.
+
+"What do you want?" demanded one of the miners of Earl, as the latter
+pushed his way forward through the fast-gathering crowd. "This ain't no
+place fer a young rooster like you."
+
+"I would like to see the prisoner, please," answered Earl. "I think I
+know him."
+
+"You ain't the feller's pard, are ye?" demanded the second guard,
+suspiciously.
+
+"No. I am from Maine, and I knew a Guardley up there who came to these
+diggings. I wanted to find out if it was the same man."
+
+"Say, is that Earl Portney?" came from within, and both Earl and Randy
+recognized Jasper Guardley's voice. "If it is, I'd like to talk to him."
+
+"Yes, Guardley," answered Earl. "What's the trouble?"
+
+[Illustration: "I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE PRISONER, PLEASE."--_Page 196._]
+
+"Can't you come in and talk to me?"
+
+"I'll come in if the guards will allow it," and Earl looked at the men.
+
+"Go on in; but leave yer gun with me, if yer got one," was the reply,
+from the man who had first addressed Earl.
+
+"I haven't any pistol," said the youth, and passed into the shed. Randy
+was about to follow, but the guard stopped him. "One's enough, my lad;
+you wait outside." And Randy fell back into the crowd, which kept
+increasing every minute.
+
+From those around him, Randy learned that Guardley was being held for
+the theft of eighty ounces of gold dust, which had been buried by a
+miner, named Cozzins, under the flooring of his tent. Cozzins had missed
+his gold that morning, and three other miners had testified to seeing
+Guardley sneaking around the place, in company with another man,
+presumably Tom Roland. Roland and the gold were both gone, and Guardley
+had been "collared" just as he was about to leave for Dawson City. The
+miners around Smedley's had held a meeting, and it was likely that
+Guardley's crime would cost him his life.
+
+"For you see we ain't got no jails here," explained one miner. "An' to
+leave sech a measly critter run would be puttin' a premium on crime."
+
+When Earl came out of the shed his face was very pale, and he was on the
+point of passing the guards without a word, when they stopped him.
+"Well, wot did ye make out?" demanded one, laconically.
+
+"He says he didn't take the gold--that the robbery was planned and
+executed by his partner. It is awful to think of taking his life."
+
+"It's his own fault, lad--he should have thunk o' those things afore he
+consented to help on the job."
+
+"When will they--they--"
+
+"Perform the ceremony? I reckon some time between now an' sunrise,
+onless the crowd changes its mind. They're goin' to talk it over agin ez
+soon as Cozzins comes back. He's huntin' fer thet other rascal."
+
+After this Earl joined Randy, who was anxious to hear what Guardley had
+had to say. The two walked some distance away.
+
+"I believe Tom Roland stole the gold," began Earl, "but Guardley was
+willing he should, and he remained on guard around the tent while Roland
+dug it up, so he's just as guilty."
+
+"But to take his life--" shuddered Randy.
+
+"I hope they change their minds about that. And, by the way, we were
+right about that money in Boston. Roland got that, and he had that lost
+letter, too. Guardley admitted it, although he didn't give me any
+particulars. He is trying to lay the blame of everything on Roland."
+
+A shout interrupted the conversation at this point. Cozzins had come
+back after an exciting but fruitless chase. At his appearance the scene
+took on a new activity, and the would-be lynching party moved to the
+front of the so-called store, where half a dozen flaring torches and two
+smoking kerosene lamps lit up the weird scene. Here Cozzins told his
+story, and then Guardley was brought out, trembling in every limb. He
+begged over and over again to be let go, and his earnestness had its
+effect even on the man who had been robbed. A talk lasting a quarter of
+an hour followed, and then Guardley was given his choice of two
+sentences,--the one being that already pronounced, and the other being a
+whip-lashing on his bare back, and a drumming out of the camp, with the
+warning that if he ever showed up there again, he was to be shot on
+sight. With a long sigh of relief he chose the latter punishment, and
+was ordered to strip, while Cozzins prepared for his part in the affair,
+by hunting up the hardest and strongest rawhide dog-whip to be found.
+
+"I don't want to see the whipping," whispered Randy; "let us go home.
+Poor Guardley! I guess Cozzins will make him suffer as he has never
+suffered before!"
+
+"I hope it teaches him a lesson to turn over a new leaf," answered Earl.
+"But I'm afraid there isn't any reform to Guardley. He hasn't even
+enough manliness to shoulder his share of the blame, but tries to put it
+all off on Roland. Come on." And they turned away without another word.
+Before they were out of hearing distance of the camp, a shriek rent the
+air, telling that Guardley's punishment had already begun.
+
+The boys had expected their uncle to come back by Tuesday as told; but
+in the afternoon one of the miners, working down Mosquito Hollow,
+brought word from Dawson City that Mr. Portney could not get his lumber
+for two or three days, and might be absent the remainder of the week in
+consequence. So there was nothing to do but to keep on working at the
+claims with the hand pans, and this Randy and Earl did, Fred helping
+them as far as he was able. The boy who had been so ill-treated and half
+starved was growing stronger rapidly, and he showed a willingness to do
+even the most disagreeable things which was as astonishing as it was
+gratifying.
+
+Friday found the trio working up along a little split in the rocks on
+the right bank of the gulch. The split was not over two feet wide by
+twelve feet long, and it was filled with gravel and muck, with here and
+there the nest of a field mouse among the tundra. Earl had suggested
+clearing out the split, and he had gone in first to loosen the gravel
+with his pick. About three loads of soil had been removed and carted
+down to the gulch stream, and now Earl found the balance of the split
+blocked by a huge rock.
+
+"Doesn't seem to amount to much," he said, throwing down his tools to
+mop the perspiration from his brow.
+
+"Let me go in there," suggested Fred, and caught up the pick. Swinging
+the tool over his shoulder, he brought it down with all force at a spot
+where the rock showed a slight crack.
+
+"Look out, or you'll break that pick!" called out Randy, when the front
+half of the rock fell away, and Fred had to jump up to avoid having his
+feet crushed. As he made the leap, his eyes caught sight of a surface of
+yellow half hidden by muck and moss. He struck at it with the pick, and
+out came a nugget nearly as big as his fist. He grabbed it up in a
+transport of delight.
+
+"Look! look! A nugget! Oh, what a big fellow! How much do you think it's
+worth?" he cried; and rubbed the muck off with his coat sleeve. "It
+looks as if it was solid!"
+
+"It is almost solid," said Earl, weighing the find in his hand. "It's
+worth two or three hundred dollars at least." And then he added, by way
+of a caution, "You'll have to remember, Fred, that this is my uncle's
+claim."
+
+"Oh, I know that. But it ought to be worth something for finding it,"
+said Fred, wistfully.
+
+"Certainly, we'll make it right."
+
+"Of course we will," added Randy. "Let us see if there are any more
+nuggets in there. This may be a pocket, like the one I found on Prosper
+Gulch." He went forward, but Earl was ahead of him, and was using the
+pick with all the speed and skill at his command. As the remainder of
+the rock came away, a mass of sand, gravel, and dirt followed.
+
+"Here are four small nuggets," said Randy, picking them up.
+"Fifty-dollar finds, every one of them."
+
+Earl said nothing, although he heard the talk. He had espied a gleam of
+dull yellow wedged in between the side of the split and a second rock.
+He tried to force the second rock out, and as it moved forward the gleam
+of yellow became larger and larger, until his hand could not have
+covered it. He worked on frantically, hardly daring to breathe. At last
+the rock fell and the face of the nugget lay revealed, shaped very much
+like the sole and heel of a large man's shoe.
+
+"What have you got?" asked Randy and Fred simultaneously, seeing
+something was up; but Earl kept right on, picking away below the find,
+and to both sides. It seemed to him the thing would never come out, and
+as he realized how large the nugget was, his hands trembled so he could
+scarcely hold the pick. "I've struck a fortune!" he muttered, at last,
+in a strangely hoarse voice. "See if anybody is looking, Randy." And
+then the nugget came loose, and he clutched it in both hands and held it
+up,--a dull, dirty, yellowish lump, worth at least three thousand
+dollars!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVI.
+
+SLUICE BOXES AND PREPARATIONS FOR WINTER.
+
+
+A nugget worth three thousand dollars was, by far, the largest find yet
+made in that district, and the three young miners could scarcely believe
+it true, as they surveyed the lump in Earl's hands.
+
+"Do you suppose it's pure gold?" asked Randy, as he took it from his
+brother. "It's heavy enough."
+
+"I think it's almost pure," said Earl. "We've struck it rich this time.
+Be sure and keep your mouth shut, both of you, or we'll have all of Gold
+Bottom up here," he added. "We've got at least four thousand dollars'
+worth of stuff out of there, so far, and goodness only knows how much
+more there is."
+
+"Here come a couple of miners now," whispered Fred, happening to glance
+down the gulch. He dropped some of the smaller nuggets into his pockets,
+while Randy took care of the rest. Earl let the large lump fall into the
+dirt and covered it up with tundra muck.
+
+"Well, pards, how air ye makin' it?" asked one of the miners, as he
+halted on the edge of the gulch.
+
+"Oh, we're doing fairly well," answered Earl, as coolly as he could,
+although still highly excited. "Where are you bound?"
+
+"Thought we'd try it over to Hunker Creek. Some good reports from there
+this week."
+
+"So I've heard," said Randy. "I wonder if it would pay us to go over."
+
+"It might--everybody has an equal chance, ye know," said the second
+miner. "Say, do ye calkerlate to git anything outer thet split?" he went
+on, with a look of disdain on his face.
+
+"I thought I would see what was in it," said Earl. "If a fellow don't
+try, he'll never find anything."
+
+"Ye won't git nuthin' out o' thar; the split don't lay right. Better go
+up to the top end o' your claim; ye'll stand more chance thar." And
+after a few words more the two miners moved off, and the boys breathed
+easier.
+
+"That shows what he knows about it," said Earl, when he dared to broach
+the subject. "Wouldn't he open his eyes if he knew the truth?"
+
+"And wouldn't he be in for squeezing a claim right on top of us?" added
+Randy. "No; we had best keep this find to ourselves, at least until
+we've found just what is in the split and how far away from the gulch it
+runs."
+
+"Throw all the nuggets into the hole over yonder," said Earl, "and cover
+them up. We'll take them to the tent to-night, and bury them in some
+safe place. I'm going ahead." And he began to pick away as though his
+life depended upon it, while Randy and Fred went over the sand, gravel,
+and dirt with their shovels and hands, to pick out some small nuggets,
+which they found to the number of forty-three, some not larger than a
+grain of rice, and others the size of coffee beans.
+
+"Here is another lump," said Earl, presently, and brought out a thin
+sheet of gold, mixed with stone. "I shouldn't wonder if there is a layer
+of quartz rock somewhere along here, although I don't see anything of it
+yet. I guess this lump will produce thirty or forty dollars' worth of
+gold more. Pretty good for five minutes' work." And he went at it again
+with renewed vigor, scattering the sand and gravel behind him, like a
+mother hen looking for worms.
+
+An hour later the split was cleaned out so far as it could be
+accomplished with the tools at hand. There remained a small crack still,
+running downward three feet, as Earl ascertained by testing it with a
+berry-bush switch. What there might be at the bottom of the crack there
+was no telling, although it must contain some gold, if only in dust.
+Three additional nuggets had been unearthed, one as large as a pint
+measure and finer in appearance than any of the rest. Making sure they
+were not observed, the first nuggets were again brought forth, and each
+took a portion of them to carry home. The largest was tied up in Earl's
+coat, which he slung carelessly over his shoulder as he trudged along.
+
+"Worth five to six thousand dollars if they are worth a cent," said
+Earl, as he surveyed the lot in the privacy of their tent. "And we
+haven't begun to wash up yet nor tested that little crack. This is the
+best luck yet."
+
+Some of their findings had already been put down in a hole under the
+bedding in the tent. The hole was now opened and the new findings added,
+Earl first making a list of the nuggets, to give to his uncle. The
+ground was pounded down hard after this, so that if anybody wanted to
+dig the treasure up, he would find it a day's labor. Nearly all the
+miners buried their large finds, it being the only protection to be had.
+
+On Saturday Mr. Portney came back, bringing with him three Indians
+loaded down with lumber and hardware. He was much surprised to see Fred,
+and was on the point of giving the lad a good talking to when Randy
+called him aside and explained the situation. Earl, also, put in a good
+word for Fred; and then, when the Indians were paid off and discharged,
+the subject was dropped, by both boys telling of the wonderful find
+which had been made. Of course Foster Portney was greatly interested,
+and he smiled when Randy particularly mentioned how Fred had brought out
+the first nugget and caused Earl to investigate further.
+
+"You certainly deserve credit for that, Dobson," he said. "You shall
+have your full share of whatever the nugget proves to be worth. As for
+that little split, the only thing we can do is to blow it open with
+dynamite, and, luckily, I brought a can of the stuff from Dawson for
+just such an emergency."
+
+Foster Portney had heard about Guardley, and had also heard that some
+Canadian mounted police, who had arrived at Dawson City, were on Tom
+Roland's trail. Guardley had turned up at Forty Mile Post whipped half
+to death, and it was doubtful whether he would get over his punishment.
+
+On Sunday the question of whether Fred Dobson should remain as one of
+the party or not was fully discussed. The lad offered to work for
+nothing if only given his board and such clothing as he needed, and
+Randy and Earl said Fred could certainly cook as well as any of them and
+was getting more used to using a pick and a shovel every day. Seeing
+that his nephews wanted the runaway to be taken in, Mr. Portney at last
+said he would "let it go at that."
+
+"I'll feed you and clothe you," he added, "and if we come out all right
+next spring I'll pay your passage back to Basco and give you a little
+extra in the bargain. But you've got to hustle the same as the rest of
+us; that is, as far as your strength and health will permit." And Fred
+said he understood and was thankful for the chance, and would do his
+level best. And he did do his level best from that hour forth. His
+experience had been a bitter one, but at the same time it had been the
+best in the world for him,--exactly what he needed.
+
+The days which followed were busy ones. With the lumber brought in,
+Foster Portney and the boys constructed three sluice boxes, which, after
+completion, were set up at convenient points in the gulch, where the
+water might easily be turned on and off in them. Each box was fifteen
+feet long and a foot square, open at each end and at the top, the latter
+having a few braces across to keep the sides stiff. At the bottom of the
+box small cleats about an inch high were placed at intervals of fifteen
+inches apart, the last cleat, at the lower end of the box, being a
+trifle higher than the rest.
+
+A sluice box done, it was carried to the spot selected for it and
+planted firmly, with its lower end in the stream and its upper end
+elevated from one to two feet. Then the upper end of the stream was run
+into it by means of a water trough. The box was now ready for use. By
+shovelling dirt in at the upper end and allowing the water to run
+through, the dirt was gradually washed down and out at the lower end,
+leaving the heavy gold to settle to the bottom and pile up along the
+upper sides of the cleats previously mentioned. At night the water was
+turned aside and the day's accumulation of gold was scraped away from
+the cleats.
+
+"We can do a good deal more with the boxes than we can with the pans,"
+said Foster Portney. "And what washing we want to do must be done before
+cold weather sets in and the gulch freezes up."
+
+It must not be supposed that the slit in the rocks had been forgotten.
+To the contrary, all hands had often spoken of it, and as soon as the
+sluice boxes were finished every one in the claim turned to the place.
+Two sticks of dynamite were placed in the slit and set off, and the rock
+blown into a thousand fragments.
+
+The blast revealed an opening beneath the slit which was a yard wide and
+twice as deep. This opening was filled with loose sand and dirt, and at
+the bottom of all was a thick layer of gold dust, slightly mixed with
+silver. They scraped the dust up with great care, and found that it
+would very nearly fill a quart measure. They hunted eagerly for nuggets,
+but no more could be found, and the quartz rock Earl had hoped for
+failed to appear.
+
+"Never mind; we can't expect too much luck," said Mr. Portney. "A heap
+of dust like this is find enough for one day. Let us scrape the hole
+thoroughly and cart the dirt down to the nearest sluice box." This was
+done and they examined the vicinity carefully for another slit, but none
+appeared. This pocket, like that on Prosper Gulch, was now exhausted,
+and with a sigh Randy and Earl turned away to the regular work of
+washing for dust. Each had one of the boxes allotted to him, while
+Foster Portney took the third. Fred occupied his time between the three
+and in cooking the meals; and thus the balance of the summer slipped by
+until the day came when Mr. Portney announced that they must begin
+building a cabin and prepare for the long Alaskan winter which would
+speedily close in around them.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVII.
+
+THE END OF THE SUMMER SEASON.
+
+
+Mr. Portney and the boys had long since decided where the cabin should
+be built, up against the side of a cliff, ten feet in height, which
+overlooked the head of the gulch. All the miners in the locality had
+agreed that this would be the best spot, and six cabins were to be
+placed there, for hospitality's sake if for no other reason. Mr. Portney
+had already ordered the dressed lumber needed from the saw-mill; but as
+this was costly stuff, and expensive to transport, Earl and Randy had
+declared their intention to go into the timber back of the cliff and get
+out whatever of rough wood could be made to do.
+
+"We're not going in for style," declared Earl. "You can get the window
+frames and glass, and the door and the finishing boards, and we'll get
+out the rest, won't we, Randy?" And his brother agreed with him.
+
+A week later found the party building in earnest. Over a hundred
+dollars' worth of lumber had been purchased, and it had cost as much
+again to bring it over. In the meantime Earl and Randy, aided by Fred,
+had brought out from the woods four sticks of timber for the corner
+posts of the cabin and had whip-sawed two-score of rough boards. With
+this material they went to work, and four pairs of willing hands soon
+caused the building to take definite shape. Seeing them at work, the
+other miners also got at it, and soon there was sawing and hammering all
+day long beneath the cliff.
+
+Of necessity the cabin was a simple affair. It was set partly on the
+flat rock and partly on the hard ground, and was twenty feet wide by
+twelve feet deep, the back resting almost against the cliff. In the
+front was a door and a window, and there was another window at the end
+nearest to the door. Inside, a spare blanket divided the space into two
+compartments, the first, the one having the door, being the general
+living-room, and the second being the sleeping-room. In the living-room
+was placed a cooking-stove, a rude table, and four home-made chairs,
+while the sleeping-room was provided with four bunks, ranged along the
+rear and end walls. Later on a closet was built for the
+cooking-utensils, but for the present these were piled up in a corner.
+
+Foster Portney was very particular that all the cracks in the side walls
+of the cabin should be filled in with mud, and the top, which was nearly
+on a level with the cliff, was also made water and wind tight, excepting
+where a circular hole was left for the upper section of a stovepipe.
+
+As soon as the cabin was in habitable shape, an account of all the
+provisions on hand was taken. It was found that the canned vegetables
+had run low and that they also needed more flour. A list of necessities
+was made out, and Earl and his uncle started away to Dawson City to
+purchase them, knowing that prices were advancing every day and that the
+goods on hand at the store were liable to give out long before the
+demand for them should cease.
+
+Fred had asked to go out into the woods to see what he could shoot, he
+being a fairly good shot and thoroughly familiar with the use of a gun.
+It was thought best not to let him go alone, and he and Randy went
+together, leaving the cabin in care of the miners who were building
+close at hand.
+
+The hunt in the woods was hardly a success. After tramping around for
+two hours they brought down several birds of a species unknown to them
+and one small deer, smaller than any Randy had ever seen in Maine.
+Otherwise the woods were bare of game, and by the middle of the
+afternoon they gave it up.
+
+"When Earl comes back I'll ask my uncle to let the three of us go over
+to the river," said Randy. "I've heard there are good chances there for
+wild goose, snipe, and plover."
+
+"Yes, and we might put in a day fishing. Even salt and smoked fish
+wouldn't go bad during the winter," added Fred. He was growing hardy and
+strong and took a deep interest in all that was going on.
+
+It was two days before Mr. Portney and Earl returned, bringing with them
+all they and two Indians could carry. The provisions included an extra
+hundred pounds of flour, for which they had paid fifty dollars, some
+canned peas and tomatoes, fifteen pounds of dried apples and California
+apricots, and some coffee, sugar, salt, and smoked bacon. In an extra
+package Earl also carried a beefsteak weighing two pounds and for which
+he had paid five dollars.
+
+"It's Randy's birthday to-morrow," he said, "and we're going to
+celebrate in a style I know you'll all admire." And every one laughed
+and agreed with him, for they had not had any fresh beef since leaving
+the steamboat at Dyea.
+
+Foster Portney was quite willing that the three boys should take a trip
+over to the Yukon to see what could be found in the way of fish and
+game, and it was arranged that they should be gone three days. The start
+was made on Monday morning.
+
+They travelled altogether by compass through the woods, managing on the
+way to knock over enough birds to serve them for their meals. On the
+morning of the second day they struck the Yukon about midway between
+Dawson City and Ogilvie. As they came in sight of the broad stream Earl
+halted the crowd and pointed straight ahead.
+
+"Look at the snipe!" he said. "Now is our chance. Let us all fire
+together!"
+
+Randy and Fred had borrowed shot-guns from their neighbors, and at the
+signal three reports rang out, and eight of the birds came down. A
+second shot from Randy, whose gun had a double barrel, brought down
+three more; and from that hour on the sport began, lasting until well
+into the evening, when they had twenty snipe, six plover, and eight wild
+geese to their credit.
+
+As late as it was, Earl determined to try his hand at fishing, and soon
+had his line out. There were a few minutes of waiting, then the bait was
+taken like a flash, and there followed a lively struggle between the
+youth and a salmon which weighed over fifteen pounds. Several times Earl
+thought he had lost his catch, but each time he recovered, and finally
+the salmon came in close enough to be swung on shore. Even then he
+flopped around so lively that Fred had to quiet him by a blow from the
+stock of his gun.
+
+Earl's success had fired the others, and soon they were fishing in the
+pale-blue twilight of the night. They kept it up until after twelve
+o'clock, when they turned in with a catch of three salmon, several
+whitefish, and a burbot, which Randy at first took for a codfish. They
+slept soundly, and early in the morning tried the sport again, starting
+for home at about noon, and arriving there with their burdens some time
+after midnight, worn out but happy.
+
+It was found that Foster Portney had not been idle during their
+absence. From time to time, as the canned eatables were disposed of,
+they had saved the tins, and now he had cleaned them out and filled some
+with such berries as still remained on the bushes about the gulch. To
+seal the cans up he had brought from Dawson City a stick of lead, and
+for an iron had used the end of a broken pick.
+
+"That will give us some fresh berries," he said. "And along with canned
+salmon, and salted and smoked whitefish, burbot, and wild goose, I
+reckon we'll get along fairly well, unless the winter proves an extra
+long one."
+
+As much as they felt the necessity of preparing for winter, Randy and
+Earl hated to lose the time when there was the chance to make so much
+money at the sluice boxes. So as soon as they were able, they got down
+to the gulch again, and never did two lads work harder. They were
+accompanied by Fred, and a day later their uncle also joined them.
+
+The dirt from the pocket had been cleaned up, and it had yielded over
+twenty ounces of gold. They were now working on the regular sand and
+gravel scraped from the bedrock of the gulch, and though this did not
+pay so well, yet it brought in enough to make them all satisfied. There
+was a good deal of excitement, too, when it came to cleaning out the
+sluice boxes, for almost every day one or another found a nugget,
+sometimes small, and then again as large as a walnut.
+
+"How much do you think we are averaging?" asked Randy, one day, and his
+uncle replied that he could not figure very closely, but he would put it
+down as over a hundred dollars per day. This meant twenty-five dollars a
+day as the boy's share, and he felt more content than ever to slave
+along in the gulch.
+
+For it was slaving along, this constantly picking and digging and
+carting the dirt, sand, and gravel to the sluice boxes and throwing it
+in. Every night Randy's back ached, and sometimes he would come in with
+feet that were sopping wet, and covered up to his waist with mud and
+muck. And then he took a touch of the chills and fever, and was down on
+his back for a week with only Fred to wait on him. The chills and fever
+went the rounds, and Foster Portney and Earl were stricken at the same
+time. Fred was the last to catch it; and by the time he had recovered,
+winter was at hand.
+
+The first indication was a rawness in the air, which made them shiver
+when they turned out in the morning. Then the bushes and the trees
+quickly lost their leaves, and three days later ice formed in the
+marshes back of the gulch. The sun came up as usual, but it seemed to
+have lost its warmth, and all were glad enough to keep on their coats
+even when working.
+
+"Two more weeks will fetch it," observed Foster Portney. "We had better
+wash out as much dirt as possible before the water stops running."
+
+Ten days later the thermometer went down with a rush, dropping from
+fifty-six to but twenty above zero. Going down to the gulch, they found
+the stream covered with ice, which was half an inch thick. By the next
+day there was no water to be found, only ice, and even the piles of
+sand, gravel, and dirt were frozen stiff. A heavy dulness, which
+oppressed them greatly, hung in the air. Winter had come, and gold
+washing for that season was a thing of the past.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVIII.
+
+SNOWED IN.
+
+
+Although everything in the gulch was frozen up, it must not be supposed
+that mining there came to an end. While it was true no more washing
+could be done that season, there was dirt, gravel, and sand to be heaped
+in convenient spots, ready for the first run of water in the spring.
+
+At one end of the claims there was a bank which had been examined by
+Foster Portney and found to contain very rich pay dirt, and this bank
+was now attacked by all hands and the dirt brought out to the nearest
+sluice box. To thaw the ground a fire was built up against the bank
+every night and allowed to burn until morning. Even in extremely cold
+weather this thawed the bank to a depth of several feet, and when they
+had scooped out a hole which resembled a baker's oven the thawing-out
+process was still more effectual.
+
+But it was hard and bitter work at the best, and as the cold increased,
+Fred found he could not stand it, and had to remain in the cabin the
+greater part of the time, coming out only during the middle of the day.
+
+"This cold gets into the marrow of a fellow's bones," he said to Randy.
+"I don't see how you can put up with it."
+
+"Earl and I were used to pretty tough weather up in the Maine woods, as
+you know," replied Randy. "I guess an out-and-out city chap would freeze
+stiff before he had been here a week. The thermometer was down to six
+below zero this morning."
+
+The cold had cut off their water supply, and every drop for drinking or
+cooking had to be obtained by melting ice on the stove. To keep them in
+fuel, all hands spent four days up in the woods cutting timber, which
+was allowed to dry out for two weeks, and was then hauled over to the
+edge of the cliff and tumbled down to a spot between their cabin and
+that of their nearest neighbor, two hundred feet away.
+
+By Foster Portney's advice another trip was made by him and Earl to the
+Yukon River in search of fish for winter use, for fish could now be kept
+by simply being frozen in a chunk of ice and laid away. The two found
+the ice on the Yukon over two feet thick, and had to cut fishing-holes
+with an axe they had brought along for that purpose. They spent a day on
+the river, fishing and spearing, and were rewarded with a catch of over
+fifty pounds. Earl had brought the shot-gun, and to the fish were added
+a dozen small sea-fowl, which were caught on the wing while flying
+southward.
+
+"We had better be getting back," observed Foster Portney, early on the
+following morning. "Unless I am greatly mistaken we shall have a heavy
+fall of snow by to-night."
+
+As they did not wish to be caught in a storm, they started on the return
+to the gulch as rapidly as their loads would permit. They were still in
+the woods when the first flakes began to fall. With the coming of the
+snow the wind began to rise, shaking the bare limbs above them savagely
+and causing a lively tumble of dead branches on every side. Not to
+become stormbound, they increased their pace, reaching the lower end of
+the gulch by six o'clock in the evening. They could hardly see before
+them, so thickly did the flakes come down, and both considered
+themselves fortunate in having struck familiar ground. By the time the
+cabin was reached the snow was six inches deep.
+
+"We thought you'd be snowed under!" cried Randy, as he opened the door
+to let them in. He had been watching anxiously since the snow began to
+fall. "It's going to be an awful night."
+
+He was right; it was an awful night--more so than any of them had
+anticipated. After a hot supper they retired to their bunks to sleep,
+only to be aroused about midnight by the roar of the wind as it tore
+through the woods and along the gulch with the force of a hurricane. The
+snow was coming down "in chunks," as Randy put it, and mingled with it
+were tree branches, small brush, and dried tundra. In one corner of the
+cabin the wind had found a crack about six inches long and less than a
+sixteenth of an inch wide, and through this crack the snow had sifted
+over the entire floor.
+
+"Jerusalem! the roof is coming down!" cried Earl, when they had been up
+a few minutes, and while his uncle was stuffing a piece of cloth in the
+crack mentioned. There was a great noise overhead as the hurricane tore
+away the top joint of the stovepipe. Through the opening poured a lot of
+snow, which, falling on the hot stove, sent up a cloud of steam. To stop
+the snow from coming in, Foster Portney climbed up on the top of the
+table and nailed a bit of a board over the hole.
+
+"We can't have that stovepipe up there, that's certain," he said. "We'll
+have to stick it out of the side window. It won't look very elegant, but
+I reckon we're not keeping house on looks up here." And by their united
+efforts the stove was swung around in front of the little window, and
+the upper end of what was left of the pipe was twisted around and
+pointed outside, after one of the small window panes had been taken out.
+Around the pipe Mr. Portney fitted a square sheet of tin, obtained from
+an empty tomato can. Then the floor was cleared of snow and the fire
+started up afresh.
+
+The hurricane, or blizzard, lasted until six o'clock in the morning, and
+during that time nobody thought of going to sleep again. The cabin
+shook and rocked, and had it not been for the shelter of the cliff would
+have gone to pieces. The snow kept piling higher and higher until it
+threatened to cut off the smokepipe again.
+
+"Perhaps we'll have to swing the stove around to the front," said Foster
+Portney. "We can let the pipe out near the roof, and build a little hood
+over it, so that the snow from the cliff can blow right over into the
+gulch." And later on this was done.
+
+"This will stop work in the gulch," said Randy. "It's too bad! What on
+earth are we going to do with ourselves from now until next spring?"
+
+"We'll try to keep alive and well, Randy," returned Mr. Portney,
+seriously. "Remember, from now on comes the tug-of-war, as the old
+saying goes."
+
+But work was not over, as Randy had surmised. To be sure, when the storm
+ceased at noon it was found the snow was nearly three feet deep on the
+level. But a day's labor sufficed to beat down a path to the bank in the
+gulch, and once again the fires were started and the work of getting the
+dirt to the sluice boxes resumed. The clearing of the storm had left it
+stinging cold, and all were glad enough to hustle lively in order to
+keep warm. They worked with their overcoats on and with their feet
+encased in several pairs of woollen socks, and even then spent much time
+around the fire, "thawing out," to use Randy's words.
+
+The work in the bank, however, paid them well. Four days after the fall
+of snow, Foster Portney struck several rocks to one side of the rise and
+located another pocket of nuggets. They were all small fellows, the
+largest about the size of a hickory nut, but the nuggets numbered nearly
+half a hundred and caused a good deal of excitement.
+
+"It's another fifteen hundred or two thousand dollars to our credit,"
+said Mr. Portney. "And not only that, but this dirt is as rich as that
+taken from the pocket over yonder. We haven't struck a million, but we
+are doing remarkably well."
+
+"I wonder how Captain Zoss and Dr. Barwaithe are making out," said Earl.
+They had not heard from their former partners for nearly a month, when a
+miner had brought word to the effect that they had just located a claim
+on a gulch heading into Hunker Creek, the third strike since leaving
+Mosquito Hollow.
+
+"I imagine they are not doing any better than we are," replied his
+uncle. "If they were, we should have heard of it. It may pay to strike
+around, more or less, but I believe in giving a claim a fair trial
+before abandoning it."
+
+Less than a week later it began to snow again. The sky was heavy, and
+even at midday it did not brighten up. They had gone down to the gulch
+directly after breakfast, but now returned to the cabin, to fix up the
+stovepipe as previously mentioned, and to cut enough small wood to last
+for several weeks. All were hard at work when they saw two white men and
+two Indians approaching, the latter driving before them two dog teams
+attached to a pair of Alaskan sledges, piled high with miners' outfits.
+The two men were Dr. Barwaithe and Captain Zoss.
+
+"It's a sight good fer sore eyes to see ye ag'in!" exclaimed the
+captain, as he shook hands with Mr. Portney and the boys. "I couldn't
+keep away no longer. How are ye all?"
+
+"We are very well," said Foster Portney. "How have you been doing?"
+
+"Only fairly well," answered the doctor. "To tell the truth, I don't
+think it paid to strike out. We have a little dust, but no more, I
+imagine, than we should have had had we remained with you."
+
+The pair had come over to see if they could not arrange to remain at the
+cabin through the winter, fearing that they would find it very lonesome
+if they went off by themselves. They had brought along all their things,
+including a stock of provisions, and were willing to pay whatever was
+fair in addition. As their company would no doubt prove very acceptable
+during the long, cheerless days to come, they were taken in without
+question.
+
+"We can put up two more bunks somewhere," said Foster Portney. "And
+though we may be rather crowded, I reckon we'll manage it." He had taken
+a great fancy to the doctor, and was pleased to think he would not have
+to depend altogether on the boys for companionship. As for the boys,
+Randy declared that the presence of the jovial captain would make every
+day seem several hours shorter. Fred, whose story had been told in
+secret, also took to the newcomers, and all together they formed a happy
+family.
+
+But the height of the winter was now on them, and it was destined to
+keep its grip for many long weeks and months to come. The storm that had
+started on the day the doctor and the captain arrived kept up with more
+or less vigor for a week, and by that time they found themselves snowed
+in completely. The thermometer kept going down steadily, registering as
+low as fifteen degrees below zero, and on more than one occasion the
+pail of water standing up against the side of the stove was frozen
+solid. To keep thoroughly warm was impossible, even though they wrapped
+themselves in all the clothing and blankets their outfits afforded.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIX.
+
+WAITING AND WATCHING FOR SPRING.
+
+
+"Perhaps it isn't cold! I never felt so frozen up in my life!"
+
+It was Randy who uttered the words, as he danced around the floor of the
+living-room, almost on top of the stove. The fire had burned low during
+the night, and he had just shoved in some fresh wood and opened the
+draughts. Going to the little window of the sleeping-apartment, he
+looked through the single pane of glass at the thermometer, which hung
+on the casement outside. The mercury registered twenty-two degrees below
+zero.
+
+"Twenty-two degrees below, and this is Christmas morning!" he went on,
+with another shiver. "The best thing Santa Claus can bring us is warmer
+weather."
+
+"Merry Christmas!" cried Fred, tumbling out of his bunk, and his cry
+awoke the others, and the greeting went the whole round. The fire was
+now blazing with a vigor which threatened to crack the stove, yet as
+they talked they could see each other's breath. Every one was stamping
+around to get his blood in circulation.
+
+"I'll give ye some hot coffee and Christmas flap-jacks!" said the
+captain; and soon a smell which was most appetizing was floating through
+the air, and they sat down at the table, which had been placed as close
+to the fire as possible. Indeed, "hugging the stove" was a common trick
+all day long, and Fred often grumbled because he could not take the
+stove to bed with him. The boys were waking up to the fact that an
+Alaskan winter was "two winters in one," as Earl said, when compared
+with those experienced at home.
+
+It had been snowing again; indeed, it snowed about half the time now,
+and even in the middle of the day it was so dark they could scarcely
+see, excepting right in front of the windows. Some time previous several
+Indians had appeared with fish oil and some dried fat fish to sell, and
+they had purchased a quantity of both for lighting purposes. The oil was
+used in a lamp made of a round tin having a home-made wick hanging over
+the side. The fat fish, dried very hard, were slit in strips and set up,
+to be lighted and burnt as tallow candles. Many of the Indians and the
+Esquimaux have no lights but these dried-fish candles. The smell from
+them is far from pleasant, but they are certainly better than nothing.
+
+As it was a holiday, the boys felt they must do something. But what to
+do was the question, until Fred suggested they try their hand at making
+some candy. They were allowed just a pound of sugar by the men, and
+worked themselves half sick over the wood fire until noon, when the
+candy was declared done. It was a sort of taffy; and although it would
+not have added to the reputation of a skilled confectioner, all hands
+partook of their share of it, and declared it excellent.
+
+Just before being snowed in Mr. Portney had become the possessor of two
+newspapers and a magazine, and much of the time was spent by one or
+another over these. The magazine was rather a heavy one, yet the boys
+read it through from cover to cover, including all the advertisements.
+It contained among other stories one which was continued, and to pass
+away the time they tried to invent a conclusion. This self-imposed task
+amused the doctor also, and he took a hand and finished the tale in a
+manner which took three evenings to tell.
+
+And so New Year's Day came and went, and still they found themselves
+housed up with the thermometer continually at fifteen to twenty degrees
+below. Once it went down to twenty-six below, and everything fairly
+cracked with the cold. To keep from being frozen, one and another stood
+guard during the night, that the fire might not go down. During that
+time they received but scant news from their neighbors, although the
+cabins along the under side of the cliff were less than seventy yards
+apart. Nobody cared to venture out, and even opening the door was
+something to be considered, although the doctor insisted on having a
+little fresh air.
+
+"Providence help the poor chaps who are not well provided for this
+winter," said Mr. Portney, one day. "I shouldn't wonder if some of them
+are found dead in the spring."
+
+"To be sure," answered the captain. "I looked ter somethin' putty bad
+myself, but I didn't expect nuthin' like this. Why, we might jest as
+well be a-sittin' on the top o' the North Pole. Hain't been a blessed
+streak o' sunshine fer eight days, an' every time it snows the stuff
+piles up a foot or so more! It must be nigh on to thirty feet deep in
+yonder gulch."
+
+"We'll have to economize with our store before long," put in the doctor.
+"Flour is running pretty low. Captain, you'll have to give us less
+flap-jacks--they're too toothsome."
+
+"Yes, we'll have to come down to plain bread," said Foster Portney. "And
+maybe eat it stale too," he added.
+
+Economizing began that day, after Mr. Portney had taken an account of
+the provisions still left to them. Whatever they had must be made to do
+for three months yet, and three months meant ninety days, a goodly
+number for which to provide.
+
+Slowly the days wore on, every one so much like the others that it
+seemed impossible to tell them apart. Sunday was the one day they
+observed through it all. On the morning of that the doctor invariably
+read a chapter out of the Bible he carried, and one or another of the
+rest offered prayer. "It's right an' proper," said the captain, speaking
+of this. "We don't want ter live like no heathens, even if we are cast
+away in an ocean o' snow!"
+
+February proved the worst month of all. It snowed nearly the whole time,
+and it was so dark that they kept the lights lit as long as they dared
+to consume the fish oil and the dried fish. During that time they saw or
+heard nothing of their neighbors, who might have died of starvation
+without their being any the wiser. The snow against the door was five
+feet high and water was obtained by shovelling this into the pot instead
+of ice and melting it.
+
+"Well, it's a dog's life and that's the truth," said Earl one day, in
+the middle of March. "It's worth all the gold we've found--that's my
+opinion." It was the first time Earl had grumbled since winter set in,
+but as he had not had what he called a square meal for a month he can
+well be pardoned for the speech.
+
+"If I thought I could get there and back, I would try for some extra
+provisions from Dawson," said Foster Portney; but none of the others
+would hear of his attempting such a trip, feeling certain he would lose
+his way and perish.
+
+"We'll make out with what we have," said the doctor. "Divide the rations
+so they'll hold out until the middle of April. I fancy by that time
+this winter siege will about end." His advice was followed out, and they
+waited with all the patience possible for the coming of spring.
+
+The fish and game had long since come to an end, and they were now
+living on plain bread, beans, and bacon or pork, and half a can of fresh
+vegetables per day, with an occasional taste of stewed dried apples or
+apricots as a side dish. They were all tired of the beans, especially
+Fred and the doctor, who had been used to good living all their lives.
+
+"They're too much for me," said Fred, one day, as he pushed his small
+plateful back. "I'd rather eat a crust of bread and drink snow water."
+And the beans remained untouched for two days, when he was forced, out
+of sheer hunger, to go at them again.
+
+They had also reached the last half pound of coffee, and by a general
+vote this was reserved for dinner each Sunday. As the amount on hand
+decreased they made the beverage weaker and weaker, until the doctor
+laughingly declared that the snow flavored the water more than the
+coffee did. The lack of coffee hit the captain more than the others, for
+he loved his cupful, strong, black, and without sugar.
+
+It was on the last day of March that they heard a noise outside and then
+came a faint hammering on their door. All leaped up and ran to open the
+barrier. When it had been forced back a distance of a foot, they beheld
+two miners there, so weak they could scarcely stand, much less speak.
+"Sumthin' to eat!" whispered one of them hoarsely, and the other echoed
+the word "Eat!" as being all he could say.
+
+The two were taken into the cabin and warmed up, while Earl prepared a
+thin vegetable soup for them, that being best for their stomachs,
+according to the doctor. They could hardly swallow at first, and it was
+not until the following morning that they were strong enough to sit up
+and tell their stories. They had been wintering back of the woods, but
+starvation had driven them forth in an attempt to reach Dawson City for
+supplies. Their strength had failed them, they had lost their way, and
+here they were.
+
+"Take care of us, and we'll pay you well," said one of the miners.
+"We've got over a thousand dollars in gold dust with us and ten thousand
+in dust and nuggets hidden up at the camp."
+
+"I'm afraid your money won't count up here," replied Foster Portney,
+sadly. "We're almost as badly off ourselves. Yet I am willing to share
+what I have." A vote was taken, and the miners remained; and that made
+two more mouths to feed out of their scanty store.
+
+The first week in April saw them reduced to next to nothing. The flour
+was gone, so was the bacon and the canned goods, and it was pork and
+beans and stewed dried apples twice a day and nothing more. Every one
+looked haggard, and all felt that something must happen soon. Would
+spring ever come?
+
+"Pork and beans enough to last about three days yet," said Foster
+Portney, as he surveyed the scanty store, with the others standing
+around. "Three days, and after that--" He did not finish, and a silence
+fell on the crowd. Were they to suffer the pangs of actual starvation,
+after all?
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXX.
+
+LAST WASHINGS FOR GOLD.
+
+
+Just one day before their provisions gave out the skies brightened as if
+by magic and the sun came out warmly. They could scarcely believe their
+eyes, so sudden was the change. The snow was cleared away from the door,
+and every one lost no time in rushing out into the fresh air.
+
+"This is living again!" cried Earl. And then he added: "Let us beat down
+a path to Wompole's cottage and see how he is faring."
+
+The others agreed, and soon they had a trail to the next cabin, where an
+old Alaskan gold hunter had gone into quarters all by himself. Wompole
+was also out, and they shook hands. When questioned he said he had run
+out of everything but beans, dried peas, and some smoked salmon, and he
+agreed to let them have enough of his stores to last them three days
+longer.
+
+"Winter is broke up now," he remarked. "An' I reckon thar ain't no doubt
+but wot ye kin git ter Dawson an' back, if ye try."
+
+"And I shall try," said Foster Portney; and an hour later he and Captain
+Zoss started off on snowshoes which they had made during their many
+idle hours. Randy and Earl saw their uncle depart with much anxiety, but
+did nothing to detain him, for food they must have, and that appeared
+the only manner in which to obtain it.
+
+"If we could only bring down a bird or something with the gun," said
+Earl, some time later, and then he climbed the cliff and beat a path to
+the first belt of timber. But though he thrashed around three hours, not
+a sign of game was to be discovered anywhere.
+
+The night was cold, but not nearly as much so as other nights had been,
+and on the following day the mercury when held in the sun actually
+crawled up to ten degrees above zero. And so it kept gradually becoming
+warmer, until the snow started to melt and they knew for a certainty
+that the long and tedious winter was a thing of the past.
+
+It took Foster Portney and Captain Zoss five full days to find their way
+to Dawson City and back again. The return for the larger portion of the
+way was made on dog sledges driven by Indians. They had found provisions
+very scarce and high in price in Dawson City, but had brought back
+enough to last a month. One of the Indians had also brought provisions
+for the two miners, this commission having been executed through Mr.
+Portney, and the next day the miners set off for their own cabin with
+many sincere thanks for the assistance which had been rendered them.
+
+On the day the provisions came in, they celebrated by having what Dr.
+Barwaithe called "a round, square meal." To be sure there was nothing
+but the plainest kind of food, but there was enough, and that was of
+prime importance.
+
+After this they watched eagerly for the day to come when they might get
+to work again. A bargain had been struck all around, whereby the doctor
+and the captain were to work the single sluice box on the upper claim
+and have four-fifths of the findings, the other fifth going to Foster
+Portney for keeping them--the contract to hold good so long as the pair
+were content to remain in the present camp.
+
+"The water is running in the gulch!" was the welcome announcement made
+by Earl one day, and all went down to see the thin stream, which soon
+became stronger. The snow was almost gone now, and the sand, gravel, and
+dirt which was exposed to the sun was quite free from frost. The picks,
+shovels, and other tools were brought out and cleaned up, and two days
+later found them at work as during the previous summer. It was
+marvellous how the seasons changed when once there was a start.
+
+Before the end of the month Mr. Portney made another trip to Dawson
+City, and this time he took with him both Randy and Earl. They had
+settled that they should remain in the gulch until the first of August,
+and now they took back, by Indian carriers, enough provisions to last
+the camp until that time.
+
+The stop in Dawson lasted two days, and the boys had a chance to walk
+about the town and see how it had improved. There were now at least
+two-score of buildings, and several of them were quite pretentious. At
+the dock were two steamboats, both nearly free of the ice which had held
+them fast all winter.
+
+In the town there was much news to be heard of the many wonderful
+strikes which had been made. Several had taken out over a hundred
+thousand dollars in dust and nuggets, and were waiting for navigation to
+open on the Yukon, that they might sail for home with their riches. No
+one who had accumulated a pile cared to remain in that forsaken country.
+
+Just before they were to start for the gulch, Mr. Portney brought news
+of Tom Roland. The man had been captured at Circle City two months
+before, and the gold stolen from Cozzins taken from him. He had escaped
+from his temporary jail and fled to the mountains, and now his dead body
+had been found at the foot of a lofty canyon, down which he had most
+likely tumbled during the snowstorm which was then raging. It was a sad
+ending to a misspent life, and the boys could not help but shudder as
+they heard the story. They wondered what had become of Jasper Guardley,
+but nothing further was ever heard of that cowardly rascal.
+
+By the first of June the gulch was as active as it had ever been during
+the previous summer, and the mosquitoes and flies were just as numerous
+and troublesome. No more finds of nuggets of large size were made, but
+the sluice boxes yielded heavy returns of dust, and all were very well
+content, and Dr. Barwaithe and Captain Zoss gave up all thoughts of
+leaving.
+
+"We know what we have here," said the doctor, "and I am convinced that
+too much prospecting does not pay."
+
+"An' besides, it's something ter be in company which is congenial,"
+added the captain. "Over to the other claim it was nuthin' but fight the
+whole day long with yer neighbors about stake lines."
+
+By the end of July the sand and gravel taken from the bedrock of
+Mosquito Hollow gulch had been disposed of, and now a month was given to
+a general clearing up of the dirt taken from half a dozen little hollows
+which lay on either side. It was terribly hot again, but the workers
+took their time over what they did, and often rested during the middle
+of the day. Three days before the first of September they were done.
+
+"There, that settles it!" cried Foster Portney, as he flung down his
+shovel. "No more work for me until I have paid a visit to the States."
+
+"Hurrah!" shouted Randy, and he gave his pick a whirl which sent it
+thirty feet off. "I'm just aching for a sight of civilization."
+
+"And for an old-fashioned meal," added Earl.
+
+Fred's eyes glistened, but he said nothing. He was wondering what sort
+of a reception he would receive when he got home. He had sent on two
+letters from the gulch, but no answer had come back and there was no
+telling if the communications had reached their destination.
+
+The next day was spent in the delightful task of counting up the
+proceeds of their venture. Of course it was impossible to calculate
+closely, yet they were conservative in their estimates, and in the end,
+when their nuggets and dust were turned over to the United States mint
+in San Francisco, they were not disappointed as to the check received in
+return.
+
+The upper claim during the time it was worked by Dr. Barwaithe and
+Captain Zoss in the spring had yielded five thousand dollars. Of this,
+as per agreement, two thousand dollars went to the doctor, a like sum to
+the captain, and one thousand dollars to Foster Portney. Added to what
+they had made previously, the doctor and the captain now held a matter
+of nine thousand dollars' worth of gold between them. Not a fortune, but
+still a tidy sum, all things considered.
+
+The Portneys, of course, had fared much better. The total yield of gold
+to them from start to finish footed up to fifty-two thousand dollars. Of
+this amount, as we know, one-half went to Earl and Randy, which gave the
+lads exactly thirteen thousand dollars apiece. Twenty-six thousand
+dollars was Foster Portney's share, but out of this he had been
+compelled to spend three thousand dollars in bringing the party up and
+keeping them, and he would have to spend nearly another thousand in
+getting them home.
+
+During the early summer of the present year, Earl, Randy, and Foster
+Portney had held a private talk concerning the amount to be granted to
+Fred, and it had been decided that he should have an even thousand
+dollars, one half to come from the two boys' share and the other from
+their uncle. Fred's fare was also to be paid clear through to Basco. The
+lad, when told of this decision, said he was more than satisfied, as the
+amount of work he had been able to do had really been very small on
+account of frequent attacks of sickness.
+
+"I can't stand the climate," he said. "And I shan't attempt to come up
+here again. If father will let me, I'll go to college and become a
+lawyer."
+
+The doctor was going on to Dawson City to give up mining and establish
+himself in his profession, having become satisfied that he could do
+better at this than he could in working a claim. But the captain decided
+to remain where he was.
+
+"I'm bound ter strike it rich some day," he said. "An' I'm goin' ter
+rustle till I do."
+
+"I certainly hope you strike it rich," said Randy; for the pair were now
+greater friends than ever.
+
+It was a warm, clear day when the party of five left the gulch, with
+their faces set toward Dawson City. The Portneys had decided to return
+to the States by the way of the Yukon and the Pacific Ocean, and a
+voyage of five thousand miles still lay before them. They carried all
+their findings with them, and now the question arose,--having found so
+much gold, would they be able to get it out of this wild country in
+safety?
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXI.
+
+DOWN THE YUKON AND HOME.
+
+
+Foster Portney knew that the regular terminus of travel on the Yukon
+steamboats was Fort Cudahy, which was situated forty-eight miles below
+Dawson City. But owing to the rush to the new gold fields, which was now
+stronger than ever, two small boats were making regular trips between
+these two points.
+
+When the party reached Dawson City, now the scene of great activity, it
+was found they would have to wait a week before they could secure
+passage to Fort Cudahy, as the tickets for the two following trips were
+all sold. This wait, when they were impatient to get home, was not an
+agreeable one, yet it gave them a chance to look around the settlement
+and become better acquainted with the various persons who were there.
+
+"Dawson is bound to grow," said the doctor, who had hired a room at the
+so-called hotel and hung out his sign on the day he arrived. "See, there
+are actually three streets already, two stores, three saloons, a barber
+shop, and a reading and pool room; and I understand that a fellow has
+just arrived who is going to open a clothing store, and another is on
+his way with medicines for a drug store. We are bound to boom!"
+
+"'We' is good!" said Earl, with a laugh. "I guess you had better strike
+up a partnership with that druggist when he arrives."
+
+"Not much, Earl! I'll put him in the way of getting the gold fever, and
+when he is ready to strike out, I'll buy his outfit and run the whole
+thing myself. I'm bound to make money." And it looked as if the doctor
+was right, for during their stay in Dawson City he had eleven calls for
+his services, for which he charged the fee of five dollars per call,
+which was moderate for that place.
+
+At last came the day to part, and with a hearty handshake from the
+doctor the Portneys and Fred boarded the little side-wheeler _Alice_,
+and the long homeward trip was begun. The boat was crowded with
+returning miners, and as nearly all of them had struck gold, it was a
+happy congregation which spent the time in eating, drinking, smoking,
+playing cards, and "swapping yarns." "Swapping yarns" went on
+continually, and many were the wonderful stories told of great finds,
+perilous climbs, and escapes from starvation during the awful winter.
+
+"I've made seventy thousand dollars, boys," said one elderly miner. "But
+I never did so much starving in my life, an' ten hosses couldn't drag
+me back to put in another such winter--hear me!"
+
+"I'm with ye," said another; "leas'wise, I think I am. But thar's no
+tellin' wot I might do ef the gold fever struck me ag'in," he added
+reflectively.
+
+Fort Cudahy was a small settlement on the Yukon, at the mouth of Clinton
+Creek. Just above the creek was another settlement, called Forty Mile.
+Between the stores in the two settlements there was a fierce rivalry,
+and consequently prices here were more reasonable than at Dawson City.
+
+The party was fortunate in obtaining immediate passage to Fort Get
+There, on St. Michael's Island, which is situated sixty miles above the
+entrance to the Yukon. An offer was also made by the agent of the
+transportation company to take charge of their gold from there right on
+through to San Francisco, but as the commission for doing this would be
+fifteen per cent, this offer was declined.
+
+"I think we can get it through," said Foster Portney. "At any rate, I am
+willing to risk it." And the boys agreed with him.
+
+The next stop of importance was Circle City, of which the boys had heard
+through Mr. Portney. In former days Circle City had been the banner
+mining town on the upper Yukon, but now its glory was departed, for over
+three-quarters of its inhabitants had pulled up stakes and moved on to
+the Klondike district.
+
+From Circle City the river, already broad, widened out to such an extent
+that it looked more like a lake than anything else. It was dotted with
+numerous islands, and the pilot of the boat had his head full with
+keeping track of the proper channel to pursue. The run was north to the
+ruins of Fort Yukon, the highest point gained by the mighty river upon
+which they were sailing.
+
+From Fort Yukon the run was mostly to the southwestward, past the
+settlements of Shaman's, We Are, Nulato, and a dozen similar places,
+Indian villages, the home of fur traders, missionaries, and of fishers.
+At many of the places the main things to be seen were the totem poles
+stuck up in front of the Indian huts--poles of wood, curiously carved
+with hideous-looking images and undecipherable hieroglyphics.
+
+At last St. Michael's Island was gained, and here they found themselves
+again in luck, for an ocean steamer was in waiting to take the
+passengers from the river boat. The transfer was made before nightfall,
+and at dawn of the day following the steamer started on her long voyage
+down Norton Sound, Bering Sea, and the Pacific Ocean to Seattle. But one
+stop was made, that at Dutch Harbor, on one of the Aleutian Islands, and
+then one glorious afternoon early in the fall they steamed through the
+Straits of San Juan de Fuca and swept into the grand harbor at Seattle.
+
+"The United States at last!" cried Randy. "Oh my, how good civilization
+does look!"
+
+"We don't know what we have at home until we miss it," said Fred, but in
+such a low tone that nobody heard him.
+
+They stopped in Seattle two days, and then took steamer direct for San
+Francisco. The trip down the coast was an uneventful one. They were
+impatient to finish it, and a glad cry rang everywhere through the
+vessel when land was sighted and they ran through the Golden Gate.
+
+A crowd was at the wharf to receive the latest news from the gold
+fields. "How are the diggings up there?" "Is there any show for a fellow
+staking a good claim?" "How much did you bring along?" "Is it true about
+provisions being scarce?" These and a hundred other questions went the
+rounds, as the fortunate ones came ashore. Foster Portney managed to
+keep the boys together and get them through the jam, and quarter of an
+hour later found them on the way to the mint with their precious
+burdens. Here they were given receipts for their nuggets and dust, and
+then they turned away with a big load lifted off their minds, for they
+knew that their fortunes were now safe.
+
+And here properly ends the tale of the fortune hunters of the Yukon. How
+Fred Dobson returned home a penitent runaway, and how he was readily
+forgiven and later on allowed to study for college, I will leave my
+readers to imagine. As for Earl and Randy, there was nothing which
+called for their return to Basco, and they remained with their uncle in
+San Francisco until their gold was reduced to coin and they received a
+check on the treasurer of the United States for its value. Then they
+paid a visit to Colorado, remaining there until the following spring.
+During the winter a company was organized to work their claims by
+machinery, and early spring found them again in the land of gold. And
+there we will leave them, wishing them all the success that their pluck
+and industry deserve.
+
+
+
+***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TO ALASKA FOR GOLD***
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