naturally the route over which the little party of gold-seekers were journeying steadily improved. the yukon, like many other great rivers of the world, comes into being a lusty, vigorous infant, the junction of the lewis and pelly making it a stream of considerable proportions from the moment it takes its name.
other gold-hunters were seen from time to time, and there were pleasant exchanges and greetings with most of them. it was the custom of jeff graham to keep going so long as daylight lasted, when the raft was worked into shore and an encampment made. for a time the old miner kept his winchester within immediate reach, hoping to gain sight of some deer or wild game, but as day after day and night after night passed without the first glimpse of anything of the kind, he gave up in disgust.
"it's the most villainous country on the face of the earth," he said, as he lit his pipe at the evening fire. "if it wasn't for the gold that we know is here, no decent man would stay over night in it. frank, tell me something about the confounded country."
"me!" replied the boy, with a laugh. "i don't know half as much as you and tim."
"yes, you do. tim don't know anything more than the best way to travel through the mountains and across the lakes."
the irishman took his pipe from between his lips to offer protest against this slur, but changed his mind, and resumed smoking, though his eyes twinkled.
"a man that takes a lot of gold out of the ground and then lets a thief steal it isn't fit to go alone."
"which is why i've provided mesilf with a chap that knows it all," said tim, not the least offended, though hardman scowled, for the remark was a pointed reflection upon him; but he held his peace.
"what about the injins here?" pursued jeff, addressing the boys; "they're different from ours in californy."
frank had no wish to air his knowledge, but he replied:
"i have read that the natives belong to the red and yellow races—that is, the indian and mongolian. there are two stocks of indians—the thlinkets and the tenneh. there are only a few thlinkets, and they live along the coast. that old indian who ferried us over lake lindeman is a tenneh, as are the natives of the interior. you may not think they are much like our indians, but they belong to the chippewayan family, the same as the apaches, who have caused so much trouble in mexico and arizona."
"that has been my 'pinion," said tim, who now heard the fact for the first time; "and the raison why the alaska redskins ain't as bad as the apaches is 'cause the weather is so cold it freezes up all the diviltry in them."
"roswell," continued jeff, who was proud to show off the learning of his young friends, "why do they call the eskimos that name?"
"the name, which means those who eat raw flesh, was given to them by the indians. they call themselves aleuts, or innuits. the innuits are the same as the eskimos of greenland and the arctic regions, while the aleuts belong to alaska, the long, narrow peninsula which extends southwesterly from the mainland and the aleutian islands, that look like a continuation of the peninsula. as for the climate, temperature, and size of alaska, you and tim know as much as we do," said roswell, who disliked as much as his cousin to seem to display his knowledge.
"why not be modest," gravely asked tim, "and say that ye knows almost as much as mr. mccabe, leaving mr. graham out of the quistion, be the token that he knows nothing at all, and i'm afeard will niver larn?"
"as you please," replied roswell; "you and jeff may settle that between you."
"and ther's nothing to sittle, as me mither used to obsarve whin she looked into the impty coffee-pot; jiff won't pretind that he knows anything of this country so long as he is in the prisence of mesilf."
"very true," gravely replied the old miner; "but if i do scoop in any gold, i think i'll know 'nough to shoot any man that tries to steal it."
as he spoke he darted a glance at hardman, who was sitting a little back from the fire, also smoking, but glum and silent. the boys wondered why jeff should make these pointed references, when he had never hinted anything of the kind before, but the old miner had a purpose in mind. while not seeming to pay any special attention to hardman, he had studied him closely for the past few days, and felt little doubt that he was planning mischief. the words, therefore, that jeff uttered were meant as a warning to the rogue of what he might expect if he attempted any crooked work.
no further reference was made to the unpleasant subject, although jeff and tim chaffed each other for a long time, even after the boys had wrapped themselves in their blankets and lain down to sleep. no watch was set, as would have been the case had they been journeying through a wild part of their own country, for there was nothing to be feared from wild animals or indians. the only being whom jeff and the boys distrusted was a member of their own company, and they did not believe he would do anything wrong until after the party had secured something worth the risk on his part.
deprived of many of the comforts of home and a mother's care, it did not take the boys long, under the tutelage of the older ones, to attend to their own wants. roswell and frank soon learned how to sew on a button and do the mending which their garments occasionally required. they washed their clothing and kept themselves in better form than do many men when placed in a similar situation.
with the weather growing more summery and hardly a bit of ice in the river, the raft glided down the upper yukon. ninety-eight miles from the head of the yukon, the craft passed the mouth of the milk river, and in this case the party saw the appropriateness of the name, for its water has a perceptible whitish color.
a goodly distance remained to be passed, for it was ten miles to stewart river, and twenty-five more to fort ogilvie, where they spent the night. they were now nearing their journey's end, and all showed a peculiar agitation, such as is natural when we feel ourselves close upon the solution of a problem that has baffled us for a long time.
one form of this emotion was the impatience to get forward faster than before. there was nothing of the feeling when leaving seattle or juneau or dyea, nor did they experience it to any degree while toiling through the hundreds of miles from lake to lake and down the upper waters of the streams which help to form the yukon.
roswell and frank were grateful for one blessed fact—they were stronger and in more rugged health than ever in their lives. when making their way through the passes and helping to drag the sleds, they felt more than once like giving up and turning back, though neither would have confessed it; but now they were hopeful, buoyant, and eager. they had sent the last letter which they expected to write home for a long time upon leaving dyea, where they bade good-by to civilization.
the afternoon was young when the raft drifted into a portion of the yukon which expanded into a width of two miles, where it was joined by another large stream. on the eastern shore loomed a straggling town of considerable proportions.
"tim," said frank, suspecting the truth, "what place is that?"
"frinds," replied tim, vainly trying to conceal his agitation, "that town is dawson city, and the river flowing into ours is the klondike. ye have raiched the goold counthry, which, being the same, i rispictfully asks ye all to jine mesilf in letting out a hurrah which will make the town trimble and the payple open their eyes so wide that they won't git them shet agin for a wake to come. are ye riddy? altogither!"
and the three cheers were given with a will.
and the three cheers were given with a will.
and the cheers were given with a will.
