.% IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) / y ^ A O <" WJ.. ^/ ^%^ "^ - III 1.8 11-25 11.4 IIIIII.6 V] <^ /] ^a A ^ >> o / /A CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHM/ICMH Collection de microfiches. M Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques 1980 Technical Notes / Notes techniques The Institute has attennpted to obtain the best original cop\' available for filming. Physical features of tois copy which may alter any of the images in the reproduction are checked below. Coloured covers/ Couvertures de couleur Coloured maps/ Cartes gdographiques en couleur L'Institut a microfilm^ le meilleur exempiaire qu'il lui a 6t6 possible de se procurer. Certains ddfauts susceptibles de nuire d la quality de la reproduction sont notds ci-dessous. 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The following diagrams illustrate the method: Les cartes ou les planches trop grandes pour dtre reproduites en un seul cliche sont film6es d partir de Tangle sup6rieure gauche, de gauche d droite et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images n^cessaire. Le diagramme suivant illustre la mdthode : 1 2 3 1 f ' t i 4 5 6 li w ^k 7 /.- ■■■■ THE GOLD-FIELDS OF ALASKA PKINTI'D UY SPOTTISWOOPF- AND CO., Nh\V-STRF.F:T SQUARr l.OiNDON ^ d 4 { f J t' , 1 • ♦♦♦♦»• 1 ,/v- -^ '♦♦♦♦♦' //.«.^ *. ' w '^W r^_ V||H • -m littjlliy , *■,. .-■■ f Tin: Ari'iKiit in iciUKTcm nisKss HE ALASKA ^' JTS i^'. I •■ ^v \'i\\ V iir,:-^ I >% jiBCKlV' Stbr,KI.-> .4S I? in' CIX. ,"^5»i(i^, f ■p WiTH A MAr AND 3^ ILLl-TK -^TIONS \ ^i ■ -5'i LONDON r H ATTO *^ \\ i :^ l/l ^ SI i T c THK. ffflUUR IV Ti Bi THROUGH riHi: GOLD-FIELDS OF ALASKA TO BERING STRAITS BY HARKV DI-: WIXDT, I'.KG.S. ALTIIOK or 'IT.KIN TO TALAIS FlV LANo' 'A KIPE TO INMMA TIIK NEW SIDEKI.V 'SIBICRIA AS IT IS' ETC. WITH A MAP AXn 33 ILLUSTRATIONS /> LONDON C H A 'I' T U ^ W 1 X I) V S i8y8 /f 137207 Copyright in the United Stales by Haribr & Bkothers, 1P9S All riffils resented I ^ TO H. C. THIS VOLUMK IS DEDICATED »l ^ P R E F A C E Hid my original ^iclicme succeeded, this work would heave borne the alluring title of 'New York to Paris by Land ' : a journey which, so far as I know, has iiovcr yet l)'^en accomplished, though I do not, for one moment, suggest that it never will be. My cloud, however, has its silver lining, seeing that the first pa)-t of our voyage lay through a region then known by nanje t<,) perhaps a dozen white men, but now a byword thro'igbout tlie civilised world : Klon- dike. I may add that llaidiug and T were the iirst Europeans to reside foj' any length of time alone and unprotected among the Tchuktchis of Siberia. But for these facts this book might well have been entitled ' The Record of a Failure.' HAEEY DE WINDT. r.utia : Christmas Daij. 1H97. i > ■«pwu«fiiiiv* ' CONTENTS CHAPTEn I'AGli I. Juneau — Dyea 1 II. Sheep Camp— The Chilkoot Pass .... 19 III. The Lakes 42 IV. The Eapids 63 V. Lake Le Barge — Five Fingers — Fort Selkirk . 76 VI. Klondike 98 VII. Forty-Mile City — Circle City — Koseukfski — Fort St. Michael 139 VIII. Among the Eskimo— The ' Bear '—King's Island . 171 IX. Oumwaidjik 194 X. Oumwaidjik (ii) 21.5 XI. 0UMWAID.TIK (ill) 235 XII. Our Rescue — The ' Belvedere ' — San Francisco . 267 APPENDICES A. Outfit for One Man for a Journey from Juneau TO Dawson City 291 B. Table of Distances from Dyea to Circle City . 292 C. Canadian Eoute to Klondike 293 D. Mr. Joseph Ladue's Directions for Staking out a Mining Claim 294 E. The Murder of Lieutenant Barnard, E.N. . . 296 F. Meteorological Fieport, Fort St. Michael, Alaska, for May, June, July, and August, 1896 298 G. Prices of Furs in London exported from Alaska 298 H. Glossary of Tciiuktchi Language spoken at Village of Oumwaidjik, Cape Tciiaplin, N.E. Siberia, Bering Sea 299 I. The Icebound Whalers 302 Index. 303 a wmm "W ■^T" N ILLUSTRATIONS 'i The Author in Tchuktchi Dress. Map or Alaska and the Yukon Gold-fields Juneau, Alaska— Looking North A Fur Store, Alaska Indian Totem Poles . Miners on the Road to Klondike, Chilkoot Pass • • • • • • • A. Doo-TEAM AT Stonehouse, Chilkoot Pass, Alaska The Gateway of Alaska— Nearino the Summit OF the Chilkoot The Grand Canon, or ' Miner's Grave,' Alaska ErvER Travel in Summer on the Yukon. The Yukon River and its Tributaries The Alaska Commercial Company's Agency, Forty-mile City, N.W.T 'Arctic Summer,' near Forty-mile City . . Break-up of Ice on the Yukon River . The Alaska Commercial Company's Steamer ' Alice ' •Charley,' Indian Chief, Forty-mile City Circle City, Alasija— A Gold-mining Camp within the Arctic Circle .... Circle City, Alaska Fort St. Michael, Bering Sea, Alaska . King's Island, Bering Sea Tchuktchis, East Cape, Bering Straits . Frontispiece To face p. 1 >» 4 1) 14 II 16 »i 26 )i 84 t) 38 II 66 )) 96 i> 106 )) 140 11 142 )i 144 )i 148 )i 152 II 158 11 162 II 172 190 192 •mr THE GOLD-FIELDS OF ALASKA OUMWAID.IIK, BeKINO StUAITS, WHERE THE Author was kept by the Tchuktchis till RESCUED BY THE WHALEK ' BeLVEDEUE ' . TcHUKTCHi Natives, Oumwaidjik, N.E. Siheria, Bering Straits A Native Hut of Walrus-hide- Oumwaidjik . A Herd of Eeindeer, at East Cape, N.E. BinERiA, Bering Straits The 'Kamitok,' Oumwaid.hk, ]5erino Straits, N.E. Siberia The 'Shamans,' or 'Medicine-men,' stilling THE Waves, Oumwaidjik, Bering Straits, N.E. Siberia A TCHUKTCHI'S EeTUEN FROM SeAL-SHOOTING— The Day's Bag Tciiuktciiis Walrus-iiunting in Bering Straits T.AinARAS' OFF THE SIBERIAN CoAST, BERING Ska Original Drawing of a Steam Whaler by a TcHUKTCHi Boy, aged 16 . . • • A ]lEAR-HUNT OFF OUMWAIDJIK . . . ■ Ounalaska, and the Bevenue Cutter 'Bear'. Plan of the Whaler ' liELVEOERE ' . To face 11. 194 '200 204 21G 224 22G 228 232 240 246 254 '286 '278 Vlll l-tl /' "" ' 17.". ''"'If,, ,., ^ / /■ ^ ^^- -/"^i: '■■■ '\/! II / Knit I i.*i«y„ ^ "^ / / / / / H.iH- r' ■V .s J' h: / • ■ii- ''A / \ MillljifHi- / * » \\\\u y \ :' s / / / •''♦•1 i.,.>'''^ ' -Tf"\.,,'*' .. / '*■'/<"../.. r. I . vOj*.,*! ,,.1!^ ^^ /•'^ 5n^ii7. ^ '^ /y . I^r-ov'>"*Vv,irJ'" „;■"/.*,,;.,„,., / ;»«»i- InS'. / '^.^ I ■'"•iiiiili j> / II. I" ('-/«,„„„1 ii3 / THE A () It r II A r L A N r . I.„„.i.:uj,- »<••.( (' I ..,..|.,M ( lu.tin ,V Whi.Iu iMi^ IW. im I. Id ' It* ^ '* I .'M.I..I. ( lu.lln ,V Wiii.lu ItaAi \ ! h ' ,^% ^sL&' /^iJr ''">• / <": v^ ■ ^ _ L ^^ 165* lonffttitde, West cf Greenwich THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF ALASKA TO BERING STRAITS CHAPTEK I JUNEAU — DYEA Southern Alaska is the Norway of America. Juneau, to-day, is thronged with gaily dressed tourists disgorged by the steamer that has brought us from Victoria : a two days' journey through fjords of indescribable beauty, past tower- ing peaks of granite, densely wooded valleys, and glaciers of clear blue crystal washed by the waves of the sea. It is the tenth day of June, but although the sky is cloudless, and the little town bathed in sunshine, snow still lies deep on the hill- sides, and a keen breeze blows down from an amphitheatre of snowy mountains a short distance inland. Here, in the hotel B ^ 'V THUOUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF f veranda, all is bustlo and commotion. Partiea are being orf,'ani.sed to explore the town, an operation which the steep tortuous alleys and miry streets render somewhat diflicult. The local photographer is driving a brisk trade, while a number of filthy Indians, in gaudy rags, are disposing of ' curios ' at prices that would startle Port Said or Colombo. For time is short. In three or four hours, at most, the ' Queen ' will have weighed anchor ; and her visits are few and far between. The tourists will return to civilisation vaguely satisfied that they have ' done Alaska,' and probably unmindful of the fact that theii' Alaska bears about as much relation to the entire country as the county of Kent to the rest of England. I left New York for Paris, by land (accom- panied by my servant, George Harding, an old fellow-traveller), on May 26, 1896. Our proposed route lay from New York to Juneau via Victoria, E.G. ; from Juneau across the Chilkoot Pass to a chain of lakes at the head of the Great Yukon river, and dowm the Yukon to Fort St. Michael, on Bering Sea. The crossing of Bering Straits ALASKA TO BERING STIIAIT8 was, if possible, to bu accoiuplisiied over the ice. Should this prove impracticable, the American revenue cutter ' Bear ' was placed at my disposal by the authorities at Washington to convi'y us from Fort St. Michael to the Asiatic coast. In Siberia our objective point was the remote settlement of Anadyrsk, where theie is bi-yearly connuunication with St. Petersburg, about 0,000 miles distant. From Anadyrsk we hoped to gain the city of Irkoutsk (via Okhotsk and Yakoutsk), and proceed thence to Europe by road and railway. This journey was not undertaken on the spur of the moment. I was over a year making my preparations. The Great Sahara itself is not more sterile than the Arctic deserts we were to cross. Everything had to be thought of — provisions, arms and ammunition ; especially the first named, for Alaska produces absolutely nothing in the way of food. A guide, too, was essential. We were, therefore, fortunate in securing the services of one Joe Cooper, an old-timer, who was returning to the Yukon gold-fields, and who agreed (for a consideration) B 2 li ■■ f ■l '' I THPiOIIGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF to pilot us over the dreaded Chilkoot Pass, and down the lakes and rapids to Forty-Mile City. A few finishing touches to our outfit neces- sitated a two days' delay at Juneau, a picturesque little town of Alpine appearance. Juneau con- tains perhaps 3,000 inhabitants, and was founded in 1881. This so-called ' city ' consists of wooden houses laid out with regularity, but the streets are generally knee-deep in mud during the summer on account of the incessant rainfall. It is a busy place, with two hotels, good shops, innumerable drinking saloons, and electric light everywhere. Miners fit out here for the Yukon region, and it may be well to advise the in- experienced contemplating a visit to Klondike to do likewise ; for there are storekeepers here who thoroughly understand the business, and who do nothing else.' On Douglas Island near here is the famous Treadwell Mine, where the largest quartz mill in the world crushes 600 tons in the tw^enty-four hours. This mine has already yielded more gold than was paid for the whole of Alaska ! ' For outfit for Alaska seo Appendix A. i I ho lere est in ■■'k^ M H o y. o y. o o < y. (i — ALASKA TO BERING STRAITS I The population of Juneau appeared to consist mainly of store- and saloon-keepers, miners on their way to the Yukon, and a few flashily dressed ladies of doubtful reputation. Many of the latter were attired in ' bloomers,' a garb that rendered them, if possible, more unattractive than nature had already done. Labour should be cheap in Juneau, for the streets are generally crowded with loafers from the Pacific slope, who land here almost penniless, with the vague intention of working their way to the gold-fields. Oddly enough, with such a riff-raff population, crime is rare. The majority of the gold-seekers are stcf ^' industrious men with sufficient capital to make a good start, and evil-doers are summarily dealt with. Notwithstanding its innnunity from rowdiness, the place has much in connnon with the old Californian mining camps, and there are plenty of sharks of both sexes to waylay itnd lleece the lucky digger on his way back to the Golden Gates. Sounds of revelry are heard on every side throughout the brief summer night, for THEOUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF i « i i II ' * !* Jiinoau is a blaze of olertric light from dusk till dawn, and never seems to sleep. Joe Cooper arrived on the second day of our stay, and preparations were made for a start the same evening for Dyea, at the head of Lynn Canal — the end of salt-water navigation. The distance from Juneau to this point is about 100 miles, and could in a well-found vessel be accomplished with comfort in very few hours ; but I would not willingly cross the Serpentine in the crazy little craft upon which we embarked that night. The ' liustler ' was a revelation (even for Alaska) in dirt and discomfort. She measured perhaps forty-five feet in length and was covered from stem to stern by a kind of wooden shed entered by a doorway, which, when closed, entirely excluded light and air. The space below the filthy deck was reserved for baggage, so that the rickety plank structure afore-mentioned formed the sole accommodation. As it also contained the boiler and engines, the heat, stench, and noise may be better imagined than described, There was only one bunk, in a tiny wheelhouse forward, 6 ALASKA TO BEEING STRAITS for the use of the Captcam. The 'Eustler,' licensed to carry twenty-five persons, contained on this occasion sixty-seven, most of whom were intoxicated, which did not improve matters. Anticipations of a pleasant voyage completely vanished when, upon leaving harbour, a n amber of passengers (stationed on the roof) crossed to the port side to wave a last farewell, and the little tub heeled over till water came pouring in over the low gunwale. The night w\^s fine and still, however, which compensated for loss of sleep. By midnight men overcome by drink had fallen in all directions, and the place looked hke a Texan saloon after a free fight. One could not step across the filthy den for human faces or turn without touching some prostrate form. Towards morning a breeze crept up from the southward and raised a ripple that necessi- tated the closing of the door. The heat and stench occasioned by the engines now h com- ing unbearable, I struggled forward to the wheel- house, where Captain Donald Campbell cour- teously offered me half his camp stool, and I managed to get a mouthful of fresh air. 7 v^ r THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF :i 1 A: t i The morning Wcis bright and pleasant, but a rapidly freshening wind somewhat detracted from my enjoyment of the glorious scenery. Lynn Canal is the grandest fjord on the coast, and its western shores present a magnificent panorama of snow-clad mountains fringed by dark pine forest to the water's edge. Towards midday the Davidson Glacier was passed, and near enough to distinguish the strange and beautiful effects produced upon it by cloud and sunshine. The Davidson Glacier is fan-shaped and second only in size and grandeur to the Muir Glacier, which lies to the west of it. Both are visited by hundreds of tourists every summer, which perhaps accounts for the exist- ence of the now famous ' Silent City.' The latter is simply a ' mirage ' over the Muir Glacier, but a mirage so perfect that the dis- coverer (an enterprising American) returned to Juneau with a marvellous story. The city he had seen contained not only great public build- ings, lofty spires, and well-defined streets, and parks, but even j^^ojde ivalhing about ! This occurred about four years ago ; but, although 8 ALASKA TO BERING STRAITS thousands have since visited the spot, the mysterious vision has obstinately refused to reappear. The ' discovery ' of the city had some good results, for it swelled the receipts of the Tourist Steamship Company, while the 'dis- coverer ' made hundreds of dollars by the sale of a photograph he had been fortunate enough to obtain of the phenomenon. A sceptical Eng- lish tourist has since also made the ' discovery ' that his own house figures in the picture, which (he says) is simply a poor negative of his native city : Bristol, in England. But Englishmen are proverbially incredulous ! No food of any kind being provided for passengers on board the ' Rustler,' I gladly accepted Captain Campbell's invitation to share his mid-day meal, which was brought up by a grimy youth of uncertain ago. ' Hootchinoo ' and ' Alaskan strawberries,' said the skipper jocosely, as we fell to, and I learnt, for the first time, the local vernacular for whisky and beans. During this repast the grimy youth (who constituted the entire crew) took the helm. There was a hght-hearted abandon Eibout -^-rtrri"! ■ ,. rr rii THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OV 'N Donald Campbell's navigation that was any- thing but roasRnring, especially as parts of the Lynn Canal are notoriously dangerous. But this caused my friend little anxiety, and the boat was frequently left in my charge while he went aft to visit his friends and refresh himself. I learnt at Dyea that seamanship was a comparatively recent phase in his career, and that he had formerly driven a milk-cart in San Francisco. Towards G p.m. we entered Dyea Inlet, but the wind had gradually increased since morning and it was now blowing half a gale. We could luckily run before it^ but great white rollers more than once threatened to poop the wretched little cockboat as she floundered helplessly about at the mercy of the waves. A dull lower- ing sky and rapidly falling barometer presaged a dirtier night, and even Donald Campbell looked uneasy. The ex-milkman finally resolved to run for Skagway Bay, where there is good anchorage, and proceed, if possible, to Dyea (which is merely an open roadstead) in the morning. It seemed, more than once, as though lO ALASKA TO BETTING STPiAITS we should never reach Skagway, or indeed, any- where else, for the launch was leaking badly. Eight o'clock, however, found us at anchor in fairly smooth water, and though our cable con- sisted of a flimsy rope, and a rocky lee-shore would have made short work of the ' Rustler,' I slept soundly enough that night, undisturbed by the revels of our fellow-passengers, who were evi- dently bent on making another night of it. When I awoke the sun was shining brightly, the wind had fallen, and we had reached our destination. Although there are at the present time several loates into Alaska under the considera- tion of the Canadian and United States Govern- ments, there were in 1894 but two recognised means of reaching the Yukon Valley. One (which is still largely used) is by sea from San Francisco to Fort St. Michael, on Bering Sea, a distance of about 2,500 miles, which takes from eighteen to thirty days (according to weather) to accomplish. At St. Michael passengers and freight are trans- shipped to flat-bottomed steamers, which carry them about 1,800 miles more up the Yukon river (past Circle City, in U. S. territory) to II ri |) li :( • THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF Forty-Mile City, in British territory. Klondike is situated only a short distance above this point. This route is only practicable from the end of June to the middle of September, as the Yukon is at other times blocked by ice, while St. Michael is, for the same reason, unapproach- able by "o^a. The other route, via Dyea and the Chilkoot, is, as the reader will see, considerably shorter, though much less easily accomplished.^ Other routes into the country which have attracted attention since the gold-rush are the ' White Pass,' the ' Taku Pass,' * Jack Daulton's Trail,' and the ' Stickine route.' Recent events have not confirmed the favourable opinion I once formed of the first-named pass, which seems to be only second to the Chilkoot in impractica- bility. There can be little doubt, however, that Daulton's Trail has much to recommend it, especiall}' as over 800 head of cattle have been driven across it this year (1897) without the ' Sea route via St. Michael Land „ via Dyea . 4,350 Eng. miles . 1,650 Fare from San Francisco to Forty-Mile City by sea route, Silo. 12 ALASKA TO BERING STRAITS slightest difficulty. But it would be premature to come to any conclusion until the spi-ing of 1898, when the surveyors now at wovk on the coast will have sent in their reports, and a practicable road into Alaska wJH no doubt have been discovered.' A foretaste of the pleasures of Alaskan travel awaits us at Dyea, where we are compelled, owing to the shelving beach, to wade ashore for over half a mile. The crowd splashing to land from the ' Hustler ' looks like an invading army. The water is scarcely knee-deep, but an oc- casional hole lets one in over the waist, which adds to the general hilarity of the proceedings, but does not improve the temper or the pro- visions we carry. Alaska is no place for the fastidious. If you want a thing done, you must do it yourself, or ' get left ! ' The name of Dyea is derived from an Indian word signifying ' a carrying place.' The village is picturesquely situated in a valley surrounded by thickly wooded hills. One might be in Switzerland. Horses and cattle graze on the ' See Appendix C. 13 !i r THKOUGH 'J'lIK (J OLD-FIELDS OF I 1 •'\) •I ,li luwlciucls, while, hiv uwiiy on the horizon, ii succeHsion of snowy peaks <,'htter u^'aiust a cloudless blue sky. The settlement consists of a larf.fc wooden storehouse, and perhaps half a dozen Iol;- huts inhai)ited by Indiarxs. These are generally surrounded by the white tents of diggers bound inland, or 'getting out' of the country. A Yukon miner never talks of • leaving ' Alaska. lie ' gets out ' of this Arctic ice-trap, which has already entombed so many of those who have ventured within its treacherous gates. A delay of two or three days is generally unavoidable liei-e, while Indians are procured to carry tents and baggage over the Chilkoot Pass to the lakes, twenty-four miles distant. Leaving Joe and Harding to pitch the tent, I strolled over to the store, where the proprietor, a brawny Scotchman, in gum-boots and shirt sleeves, was sunning himself at his doorway. Mr. Heron was inclined to be taciturn, and as he has (or had) the monopoly of Indians, horses, and everything else one happened to want, considerable tact was necessary to bring him into a more genial frame of mind. This took 14 eft U O H c/1 ^ jv ALASKA TO BEEING STEAITS some time ; for Heron at Dyea is monarch of all he surveys. In justice, let me add that success was attained more by the fact that we were fellow-countrymen than by the aid of the almighty dollar. Also, my big friend's bark was worse than his bite. Indian packers and horses were promised for the morrow, and at mid-day my party were doing justice to an excellent meat pie and vegetables in the storekeeper's back parlour. This may seem an unnecessary detail. I mention it, as this happened to be the one decent meal we got between Juneau and Forty-Mile City, a distance of nearly 700 miles ! Towards evening I walked out with a gun, but saw nothing, with the exception of a couple of large eagles and some sea-gulls. There is very little sport to be had down the Yukon. Moose used to be plentiful, but the continual crack of the miner's rifle has scared them away from the riverside, and one must now go far inland to find them. At Fort St. Michael, on Bering Sea, I got plenty of duck and ptarmigan ; but, for all we saw elsewhere, both ritie and fowling-piece might, with advantage, have been left at home. 15 T THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF 1 i ! i.i I returned to caiiip to find all made snug for the ni^4it. Joe Cooper and Harding had lost no time, for immy of our ' Rustler ' fi'iends had not even connnenced to encamp or to sort the con- fused mass of Hour-bags, Yukon stoves and mining implements that had been thrown down anyhow, and that, even now, were still being dragged wearily ashore from the steamer. Many of the parties had brought huge American ban- ners that iloated proudly where tents should have been, but the only \isible symbol of far- away England was the tiny Union Jack that fluttered over our heads. I don't think I met half a dozen Englishmen between Dyea and the shores of Bering Sea. The chief topic of conversation in camp that night was the condition of the Chilkoot Pass. No mother ever watched a sick child with greater care and anxiety than do the Indians the now famous peak that rears its ugly head midway between Dyea and the lakes. Every change of temperature, wind, or weather is carefully noted ; for even during the summer months snow^ flurries are frequent, and the summit is frequently veiled i6 ^ ' > INDIAN TUTK.M I'OLES m w w th fo . .Ul ■• 1' ^u 1 i i 1 i! N ar T] th ra th t: fii pi an te; dii th Tl m( in is \ ALASKA TO BEKING STRAITS in dense mist for days together. But the Indians who crowded our camp to-night prophesied good weather, at any rate for the morrow, although the actual ascent would not be made until the following day. The Alaskan Indian is not prepossessing, judging from the specimens we met with at Dyea. Natives are very rarely seen in the interior, and from Lake Lindemann to the village of Thron-Diuck (Klondike) we came across less than a score. There are many tribes, however, ranging from the Thlinkits of the coast range to the Eskimo on the shores of the Arctic Ocean. The Thlinkits, who number about 7,000, are a fine muscular race, but the laziest and most im- pudent scoundrels I have ever met with. Lying and theft may be said to be their chief charac- teristics. Their once picturesque dress is now discarded for twet's and trousers which render them even more unattractive than formerly. The Thlinkit women are under-sized, and, for the most part, repulsive, their appearance not being improved by a black, oily preparation which is smeared thickly over the face as a protection 17 i ' ^ . 1 ^ 3 \i 1 i A i . • 1 !( THPxOUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF against mosquito bites. Only tiny children are exempt from ' packing ' outfits over the Chilkoot. The women, and even the dogs, must do their share of the work. Some of the latter have been known to carry as much as twenty pounds to the lakes in canvas bags, slung, pannier-fashion, over their backs. There is no actual night in these regions at this season of the year, but the hewing of timber and hammering of tent pegs around kept us out of the blankets until twilight was merging into day, and it was almost time to light a lire for our morning meal. :i OF ALASKA TO BERING STEAITS trodden world of ice, which few dare to penetrate until the return of spring, or during the brief summer when roses 1)loom, jind the coarse luxuriant grass is plentifully sprinkled with daisies and other wild llowers. In Central Alaska the ground is perpetually frozen a few inches below the surface, while in the north, wells have been sunk through forty feet of solid ice. For those who take care of themselves Alaska is fairly healthy, notwithstanding that the thermometer ranges from 98° Fahr. in the shade to 70° and even 80° below zero. May, June, and July are the best months for the interior, for the days are generally bright and pleasant, and the heat tempered by cool breezes. On the coast rain and fog prevail. Occasionally, in June and July, the sun is visible for a few hours, but there are on an average only sixty-six fine days through- out the year. In 1884 a rainfall of 155 inches was registered at Ounalaska. The rain seldom pours down, but falls in a kind of steady drizzle from a leaden sky, while the grey sodden land- scape presents a picture of utter dreariness and desolation. But this damp cheerlessness has 91 'f*' \ r \h W m m ■Hi 111 !;« I ii THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF its advantages. The incessant humidity sheds a perpetual verdure over the coast districts, and the temperature rarely falls to zero. Winter only sets in with severity about the 1st of December, and snow has vanished, except on the mountains and hillsides, by the end of May. The heat in July rarely exceeds 75° Fahr. The soil is rich and root crops are prolific, while horses and cattle do well. Above all, the ports of Juneau, Dyea, and Sitka are open to the world all the year round. Perhaps, taking all these facts into consideration, the coast settleTiiei:»ts are prefer- able, as a permanent residence, to those of the interior. Alaska was discovered by a Russian expedi- tion led by Bering in 1741, and settlements established along its coasts for the fish and fur trades. A charter granted to a Russo-American Fur Company by the Emperor Paul in 1799 was renewed in 1839, when bitka became the principal settlement. Gold was then undreamt of, and I imagine that, even ten years ago, few^ people in England were aware of its existence west of the Caribou district. Alaska was suggestive of 22 % ' in* ALASKA TO BEEING STEAITS I Eskimo skin-boats, wolves and walrus, but cer- tainly not of the precious metal. Taking Sitka as a starting-point, the Ilusso- American Company established about twenty smaller stations, and an importanu trade was carried on in furs and walrus tusks. About 30,000 skins of the seal and sea-otter were exported annually, besides a considerable quan- tity of ivory. But the privileges of this company expired in 1863, and in 1867 the whole of Eussian America was acquired by the United State ;r the sum of ^7,200,000. Secretary Seward, who was chiefly responsible for the purchase, was blamed at the time for what wvas looked upon by many as a foohsh blunder. No one then imagined that ' Seward's Ice Box ' would, in a very few years, repay its purchase price many times over ; for, indeed, time alone can reveal the boundless resources of this great country. During the first five years of American possession the new province made a return of eight per cent, on the investment. The gold mines (not including that taken out this year, 1897) have produced ^8,000,000, and in six 23 T THilOUGH THE (lOLD-FIELDS OF ,1 1 ' Hi!! I' I h I ■' i" ' ; J years the hiiIiikjii industry yielded ,i^7, 500,000. The coinnierce of Ahiska was, in 18G7, ^2,500,000. It is now ten times as great. In seals, it?;]5,000,000 have been (ixporttid in thirty years, and ;^53,000,000 in furs alone. The industries so far developed pertain mostly to the coast, but who can tell what riches the opening up of the Yukon Valley may not reveal ? Coal, copper, lead, and petroleum are kno .1 to exist in large quantities, while the timber supply is not only practically inexhaus- tible, but of great value. It is sad to think that the much-maligned statesman who acquired this priceless territory did not live to see his golden dream realised. One of poor Seward's last speeches was prophetic. A few days before his death, the Secretary was asked by a friend what he considered the most rtant measure of his political career? xiie purchase of Alaska,' w^as the reply ; ' but it will take the people a generation to find it out!' Glorious weather favoured our departure from Dyea. About 7 a.m. Heron and the Indians 24 I ALASKA TO BEHING STKAITS appeared, leading the three sorry-looking screws that were to carry onr outfit as fjir us Sheep ('amp, twelve miles distant, beyond which there is no foothold for liorses. ' Fl:ip-Jacks " and coffee were discussed while the packs were ad- justed, and by nine o'clock all was ready for a start, my party consisting of our three selves and the four Indians who were to accompany us as guides and packers as far as Lake Lindemann. The first part of the trail after leaving Dyea follows the bed of the Dyea River, which in spring-time is a roaring torrent, but which dwin- dles down in summer to a narrow stream, partly concealed by huge boulders. There is no path of any kind, and the rough rocky ground made walking so laborious, that frequent halts were necessary, and we travelled barely two miles an hour. The horses slipped and slithered painfully over the smooth worn rocks, and often fell he ivily, which entailed further tedious delays, while their burthens were set straight. I did not regret having refused Heron's kind offer of a mount ! ' The Yukon miner's name for a kind of small pancake, mailoof flour and M'ater, like the Australian ' Damper.' 25 r '1 ! ' '1 THEOUCtH TflE GOLD-FIELDS OF Three hours of this work brougnt us to a spot where the trail turns off abruptly to the right, and where the actual ascent, through a dense forest, conniiences. The path here was very bad and in many places almost impassable ; partly on "count of roots and tree stumps, but chiefly because it is laid across a succession of deep morasses which cannot be avoided without making a detour of several miles. In one of these bogs, where the mire was quite waist deep, a horse lost his footing and fell. More than an hour was occupied in extricating him, and indeed it looked at one time as though he would dis- appear altogether, packs and all. Two swift mountain torrents, several yards across, fed by a large glacier this side of the Chilkoot, were then forded. This was only accomplished with difficulty, for the poor jaded nags were exhausted by their struggles in the swamps, and the swift rush of the icy cold water nearly carried them off their legs. At some seasons of the year these fords constitute a very dangerous feature of this portion of the journey, and several men have been drowned while crossing them. Near one 26 f1^ V. 1/ i ', ' j 1 ' * i Ui 'i ALASKA TO BERING STRAITS of these streams we found a party of gold-seekers camped, who were returning to Juneau, having failed (owing to lack of provisions) to reach the lakes. Towards mid-day the heat became intense, and I drank more than once from the clear brooklets that, fringed with cool green ferns and wild flowers, came rippling down the mountain side. But I paid dearly for my rashness by suffering for many hours after from the raging thirst that snow and glacier water invariably create. Joe Cooper informed me that this is one of the chief discomforts of Alaskan travel, especially in winter. A small pebble kept in the mouth will afford relief, while cold tea is the best thirst-quencher that exists. Water (in Alaska) only increases the evil. Sheep Camp was reached about i'.:m., both men and horses being pretty well done up after the trudge over what Joe Cooper described as ' a pretty easy trail.' The place was deserted, though a smouldering camp fire showed that a party had only recently left for the summit. The camp is a circular clearing in the forest, a; n THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF where trees have been felled for perhaps fifty yards around. We encamped on the banks of a swift shallow stream that bisects the circle. It is a sheltered, picturesque spot, and the bright sunshine, fragrant grass and flowers and brawling brook would have reminded one of a bit of Devonshire scenery, had it not been for a range of rocky precipitous mountains that barred the way a few miles ahead. From here also can be seen the huge Sheep Camp Glacier suspended so insecurely between two granite peaks that it looks as though a child's touch would send it crashing into the valley below. The face of this glacier is about 300 feet high. Loud reports like the distant roar of heavy guns are continually heard issuing from it, and these were at times so deafening that on one occasion we rushed out of the tent expecting to find that the whole mass had fallen from its precarious perch.^ The ever-changing effects of light and shade that passed over this glacier were indescribably beautiful. In dull weather the surface would ' I am informed that a portion of this glacier became detached in the snmmer of 1897 and flooded Sheep Camp, killing a number of people. 28 m •1 ALASKA TO BEEING STEAITS be of a turquoise blue, and its crevasses the colour of a sapphire ; on sunny days the entire expanse would be white, bright, and dazzling as a huge diamond ; while, during the twilight hours the most delicate shades of ^ink, mauve, and the tenderest green wo'i- a.veep like a movable rainbow over the icy wilderness, that seemed so near and yet was unapproachable. One could stand for hours and watch this natural kaleidoscope. And, indeed, there were plenty of opportunit". ^for studying the beauties of nature, for a delay of four days occurred here. Some Indians returning from the summit came into camp about 4 a.m. the day after our arrival. They looked worn out and exhausted, and, after some food, told us that no outfits could be got over for a couple of days at least. The trail beyond Stonehouse (the tree Hmit) was in a shocking condition, and the snow in many parts waist deep. It was, therefore, decided that Cooper push on alone, if possible, to Lake Lindemann the next morning, and commence building our boat. Harding and I were to follow with the Indians and outfit on 29 THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF ' :(■ ' < l\ the first favourable opportunity; but as travellers are sometimes detained here for a fortnight, waiting for fair weather, the date of our de- parture seemed rather uncertain. It was weary work waiting, for there was absolutely nothing to do. Books do not form part of an Alaskan traveller's kit, for owing to the barren nature of the country, every ounce nuist be sacviliced to the food supply. On the second day two parties arrived from Dyea and encamped on the other side of the stream. We recognised some of our ' Eustler ' friends, who greeted us cordially, and were not in the least surprised to find that we had come to a full stop so early in the journey. Towards evening, a spare elderly man clad in a red jersey, moccasins and a blue cricketing cap walked into my tent. A glance sufficed to show that this motley garb was worn by a gentleman, but I was scarcely prepared to find that the stranger was no less a personage than the Rev. Father Barnum, a Catholic missionary who has lived for many years on the Yukon, and whose name 30 \ i ALASKA TO BERING STRAITS and good deeds are a byword throughout Alaska. The poor Father, who was returning from a six months' visit to the States, was in a sorry phght. A certain American Transportation Company (newly formed) had undertaken to convey him to his mission on the Lower Yukon for a considerable sum of money, which was to include packing over the Chilkoot, boat-building, food, and all other expenses. But the company had promised more than they could perform, and this, their first expedition, was now stranded a short distance below Sheep Camp, and likely to remain there. Hearing of my party, the Father had left his companions and pushed ahead on the chance of being able to join us. Otherwise he must, he said, return to San Francisco and proceed by sea to his destination, if indeed it was not already too late. Seeing that we had plenty of provisions and a fairly large tent, I acceded to Father Barnum's re- quest, and he was soon comfortably installed in our camp, with, as he laughingly remarked, at any rate ' some chance of getting to his journey's 31 ?1 THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF M;' m I « i end ! ' The Father was a truly welcome ad- dition to our trio. No better traveller or more genial companion ever sat over a camp fire, and I was indeed glad before many days elapsed that Fate had sent hhn our way. A letter was brought in by one Daniel, an Indian, early on the third morning, from Joe Cooper. Joe had safely reached Lake Linde- mann, and had begun to build the boat. Ho had been overtaken by a heavy snowstorm on the summit, which made the trail on the downward side very bad, and more risky than usual. Joe begged us to send food at once, having finished the bag of biscuits with which he started. Several parties w^ere camped on the lake, boat- building, but provisions were very scarce. The weather being favourable, I resolved to move on that night with the outfit, and dis- patched Daniel in the meantime with a small quantity of flour and some bacon. Hearing of my intention, our Dyea Indians slouched into the tent and obstinately refused to pack one ounce to the lake unless they were paid SIQ, for every 100 lbs. They had agreed at Dyea to 32 It '! n ALASKA TO BERING STRAITS take ^9, but the scoundrels knew, as we did, how helpless we were up here. Our ' Rustler ' friends had foolishly promised to pay ^11, so there was nothing for it but to do likewise. Besides, another day's delay might have meant another week's bad weather. The passage of the Chilkoot is generally made by night, as the soft deep snow is then in firmer condition. The outfit was despatched at 3 P.M. to aw^ait us at Stonehouse, about 2,000 feet below the summit, where a halt is made to gather strength for the real struggle. I muBt admit that when I saw the crushing weights carried by the Indians, and the perilous trail over which they were borne, I ceased to wonder that the Dyea men had struck for higher wages. A Thlinkit Indian will pack 120 lbs. with ease up places where an unencumbered white man would be toiling on his hands and knees. One of the Chilkat tribe has even packed a piano-organ weighing 220 lbs. over to the lakes, alone and unassisted. And yet these natives subsist almost entirely on dried fish. They are terrible drunkards, but as a severe 33 D J I 1'! 'I'lIKOUdll 'ITIK GOLD-FIELDS OF penalty awjiits those found selling them whisky, they can seldom indulge in their favourite vice. By 10 P.M. all is ready for a start. We have no mountaineering paraphernalia, and are armed sim[)ly with tln-ee stout wooden staffs cut that afternoon, but these are discarded long before the summit is reached. Passing the silent white tents of our sleeping companions, we enter a dark and narrow defile that becomes steeper and steeper as the Pass is approached. The trail is rough and stony and intersected by numberless streams, while tree stumps, gnarled roots, and tangled brushwood occasionally bring us down headlong. Presently the forest becomes less dense and patches of snow appear on either hand. An hour later we take our first rest, drenched with perspiration, at Stonehouse, a rocky ledge overhanging the first of seven or eight snowy ' plateaus ' that must be crossed to reach the foot of the actual peak, which is itself nearly 1,000 feet high. The Chilkoot cannot really be called ' a Pass.' It w^ould be considered a dangerous mountain in Switzerland, and a question of guides, ropes, and ice-axes. 34 •!.^ e (1 it 'e it 3r 3r le >y 5d ig 38 ') a Dr f bt id a Hi I , 3 1 i i ALASKA TO BEKL\a STUAITS r> Stonoliouso m tlio limit of trees. A hugo graiiito mck, shaped soinethiiig like u liuiiuiii dwelling, suggested the name. We found our Indians huddled up uiuler this, sheltered from an icy wind tliat whistled through my fur jaelvet as though it were niuslin. After a hrief halt we pushed on, descending a steep ridge until we stood on the first iee-plateau. The travelling here was much easier and we went cautiously ahead in Indian file, two ' Siwashes ' ' in front, two in the rear, and ourselves in the centre. And yet this portion of the ascent is, perhaps, the most perilous. This ' plateau,' like all the others, was broken away beneath by numerous watercourses, and was simply a kind of crust suspended 15 to 20 feet above the ground. Had there been fir-trees below we should have been standing on the upper branches ! There was absolutely no path or trail to guide one, and huge crevasses where the snow had fallen in upon some foaming torrent appeared at frequent intervals. We progressed but slowly, for our guides probed the snow carefully at every step. ' The Alaskan term for Indians. 35 D 2 ! • THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF n :\ > '( They knew that a break through would mean certain death. These plateaus increased in steepness until, midway up the last, we had thrown away our sticks and were scrambling painfully on hands and knees. It was necessary to scratch holes in the snow with our fingers to gain any ground. The Indians, with their heavy packs, used short knives for this purpose, but stopped every few moments to regain their breath, for which I was not sorry. It was im- possible to rest for more than a few moments, for to let go would have meant a fall of perhaps a couple of hundred feet to the foot of the slope. The Bishop of Alaska has described this portion of the ascent as ' hair-raising ' work, and he does not exaggerate. To make matters worse, a thin drizzling rain now fell, which chilled us to the bone and made the going even worse than before. These plateaus appeared to be oval in shape. Each terminates in a kind of narrow antechamber formed by enormous boulders. These gloomy portals, which were passed with some difficulty, recalled Dore's pictures of the ' Inferno,' and the outlook, ^^ hen we emerged from 36 1 i' il' ) I \ ALASKA TO BERING STRAITS them on to another almost perpendicular wall of ice, was not a cheerful one. The scene was one of utter desolation. Here and ^here, below us, masses of black rock dotted the white expanse, like islands on a sea of snow; while overhead towered the grim spectral peak of the Chilkoot, rendered still more vague and terrible by a rapidly rising mist. This presently grew so dense that further progress became impossible. Scaling tlio rocky ridge that encloses the last * plateau,' we descended into a kind of cavern, which, though open to the rain, afforded some protection from the cutting blast. Here we man- aged to light a smoky, spluttering fire, over which we shivered until the grey dawn partly dispelled the fog and enabled us to resume our journey. We soon reached the actual base of the Chilkoot, and here hard work commenced in grim earnest up the granite face of the moun- tain. The distance from our camping ground to the summit is barely 1,000 feet, but the ascent occupied nearly two hours. There is of course no path, nor would it be possible to make one; for f rocks are loose and insecure and 37 ilr : m TTTEOUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF I ; ( ilic |)iissas'e of a mim will often send a bonldev cnishino- down, to the deadly peril of those below. In some places it was necessary to squeeze round the wall of the precipice on narrow ledges of rock that trembled under foot and threatened to dislodge and send one whirling through space into eternity. The last 300 feet was like scaling the walls of a house. With ropes and proper appliances, the passage of this mountain could be made far easier ; but it was, under the circumstances, such exhausting, heart-breaking work that I more than once had serious thoughts of turning back. Finally, however, at about 4 a.m., we stood on the summit, breathless, bleeding, and ragged, but safe. ]\Ty aneroid gave the altitude at 3,G20 feet above sea level. Lake Lindemann is now about nine miles distiint. The downward trail from the summit is conijiarativcly easy. We accomplish it by simply sitting down on the snow and coasting down the steep declivity for about 500 feet, at a furious rate, to Crater Lake, one of the sources of the Yukon Eiver. Crater Lake retains ice 38 ■f^} r '!'/'■ iiii; cMKuw i)i \i.\^,k\ m;\i;iN(i iiii; nimmii iii- iiii. i nil. knur I ff ] if 1 !■• ill f ) < » ALASKA TO BERING STRAITS throughout the year, but the summer sunshine has covered it with a layer of shish knee-deep that considerably retards our progress. A bHnding snow-storm now adds to our discomfort, but we trudge steadily on, with numbed limbs and tinghng faces, and are presently rewarded by the. sight of a strip of blue sky: the herald of fairer weather ahead. Some deep snow-drifts are crossed before we reach timber-Hne. I notice here a pecuhar phenomenon : our foot- prints leaving a luminous, greenish impression as bright as electric hght, which only fades after two or three seconds. I beheve that the same effect has been noticed by explorers in North- eastern Siberia during certain seasons of the year. The trail becomes worse as we near the plain, and we now splash through mud and snowy slush, occasionally waist-deep, with intervals of icy cold water to wade through. Towards 9 a.m. a halt is made for breakfast, consisting of some biscuits, a cake of chocolate,' I I have found the ' Kola Chocolate ' made by Christy, of Lime Street, E.G., invaluable on these occasions. 39 );, 1 1 I i j \ \ 1 ! \ 1 THliOUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF and a nip of whisky apiece. We are dripping with rain and perspiration, aching in every limb, and ready to drop with fatigue ; but another four miles lies between us and our destination : four miles of mud and morass (for ice and snow have disappeared), also a broad swift stream, where Harding is nearly swept away by the force of the current, and across which Father Barnum is borne, like some patriarch of old, by an Lidian. Another steep ascent of about 800 feet brings us to the summit of a range of hills covered with dense brushwood. Here the fog lifts and at last reveals the blue w^aters of Lake Lindemann sparkling in the sunshine at our feet. A tiny cluster of white tents is visible on the shores of the lake, and we can now dispense with our guides, who have already dropped far behind, weighed down by the heavy packs. At midday we reach camp (after a walk of nearly fourteen consecutive hours), so exhausted that one foot will scarcely follow the other, and are made welcome in a friendly tent until our own comes up. I have roughed it in most parts of 40 1 ALASKA TO BERING STRAITS the world— among others, Borneo, Siberica, and Chinese Tartary— but I can safely describe that chmb over the Chilkoot as the severest physical experience of my life. i ii' 41 Hi THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF CHAPTER III THE LAKES 1 \ w Irli ■1^ ■' I * 1 Y 'P Lalie Lifuleuuuui to LaJce Marsh Alaska is one of the few countries in the world where, so far as travelling facilities are concerned, money goes for nothing. Here all grades are equal, from the Government official to the San Francisco ' tough.' At Lake Lindemann, for instance, a boat must be built. There is no hired labour procurable. Every man, be he millionaire or miner, must turn to, and not only fell the timber for its construction, but also saw it into planks — a by no means easy or agreeable opera- tion if the novice is afflicted with weak eyes and gets the lower berth in a sawpit. There is no attempt at shape or symmetry, or, in many cases, even safety. Our own skiff, which was rapidly approaching completion, and which Cooper dis- played with pardonable pride, gave me the 42 1 1 ♦ Hi 'V ALASKA TO BEEING STRAITS impression of being as crank as a Thames canoe, an impression which her launch verified. Joe contended that, being unaware of the addition to our party, he had built his boat for three men, and not for four ; and poor Father Barnum was the innocent and unconscious cause of many heated arguments, which, as the Father barely weighed ten stone, were— on Cooper's side- scarcely tenable. At any rate, our craft compared favourably with some of those launched by the miners, who frequently set out from the lakes only to find a watery grave in the rapids below. Some steaming hot coffee and ' flap-jacks ' were at once produced by the Good Samaritan who gave us shelter : one Mr. Ash, a dramatic agent travelling to Circle City with the nucleus of a theatrical company, consisting of a massive golden-haired lady of pleasing presence in bloomer costume. The other artists were on their way to the same place via St. Michael's. Mr. and Mrs. Ash had been here for some time, their numerous belongings having entailed the construction of a ' scow,' a kind of barge capable of carrying from ten to fifteen tons. A large and 43 *fi' THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF (I i! I'ji ■ill carefully packed roulette board suggested that Mr. Ash's energies were not to be wholly confined to the production of plays on arrival at his destination. The outfit did not arrive for several hours, and we sat smoking and chatting with our amus- ing hostess the greater part of the day, occasion- ally strolling down to the beach to see how the boat was progressing. She was so nearly com- pleted that there was no work for us to do. Quite thirty people were encamped here, nearly all miners bound for the gold-fields. Every species of boat was in course of construction, the less skilful travellers contenting themselves with rudely built, rickety rafts.' The day was cloud- less, and the sun so powerful that when the Indians came up our saturated clothes had dried on us. We felt no ill effects, oddly enough, but woke the next morning as fresh as larks. At 11 A.M. we resumed our journey. Lake Lindemann is the smallest of a series of five lakes that must be crossed before the upper waters of the Yukon River are reached. ' The timber used is spruce or pine. 44 "Ih ALASKA TO BERING STRAITS This lake is about six miles long, with an average width of one mile. Its shores consist of low granite cliffs but sparsely wooded in places, on account of the quantity of timber that has been felled by travellers for boat-building. The lower end of the lake terminates in a bad river passage (about three-quarters of a mile long, with a fall of twenty-two feet), which would be called a rapid in any other country. This entails a ' portage ' or carrying of the outfit overland, from the foot of one lake to the head of the next. The boat thus lightened is then either ' run through ' by one or two men, or drifted down with a rope into smooth water. Lake Lindemann was now quite clear of ice, but it is generally frozen from November until May. It is fortunate that a still clear day favoured the trial trip of our skiff down Lake Lindemann, for otherwise I doubt (being a poor swimmer) whether these pages would ever have seen the light. Our boat displayed (when packed with men and baggage) a freeboard of exactly two inches, and the slightest movement brought the water rippling over the gunwale. Joe had 45 Il jf If !» 1 1 ' THROUOH THE GOT.D-FTELDS OF thou^'htfully provided her with a sail ; but as a sudden puff of wind would have meant a certain upset, we refniined from usin^' it. It was scarcely p(3ssil)lo to use a paddle, much less an oar, with- out capsizing. Our departure was watched with interest from the bank, where odds were freely laid on our not getting a hundred yards. It was ticklish work, but Father Barnum displayed his usual coolness under the trying circumstances. ' I can't swim,' sala the Father, smiling com- placently, and taking his seat with mathematical precision on tbe centre of a pile of baggage, ' but we certainly can't walk ! ' But although progression was naturally slow, the foot of the lake was safely reached in under three hours, and I have seldom felt more relieved to find myself on terra firma. Having landed our outfit, the Father, Harding, and I proceeded to portage it to the second lake, while Joe ran the boat through — an operation that, even to Joe's surprise, was safely accomplished. Portages are one of the many curses of Alaskan travel. It is hard work for a ' tender-foot ' to trail through sand and struggle through brushwood 46 ii ALASKA TO BEKING STRAITS with a blitzing sun overhead and 60 or 70 lbs. to carry. The portage was over a mile in length, and as the (lujintity of l)aggage entailed three journeys, n-u cainped for the night near a saw- njill at tJK^ liead of Lake Bennett. The men in charge of the mill were willing to sell their boat— a stoutly built, shapely little craft— for ^00, and I gladly closed the bargain. Our new purchase was christened ' Maijorie,' Cooper's discarded chef-cVceuvre receiving the not in- appropriate name of the ' Slug.' The outfit was stowed in the hitter, which enabled us to travel the 600 odd miles to Forty-Mile City in com- parative comfort— and safety. We are now approaching British territory, the boundary hne crossing a few miles below the head of Lake Bennett, which is about twenty-six miles long by live or six miles broad, and is famous for its violent storms. Our first day's experience verified this fact. The lake is surrounded by steep rugged cliffs and its rocky shores render it very difficult in bad weather, to run for shelter or effect a landing. The suddenness with which gales 47 ^ f ' THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF I i> If spring up here is truly remarkable. Bennett may be as calm and placid as a looking-glass one moment, and in less than half an hour a mountainous sea may be running. This was not quite so in our case, for when we started it was blowing a stiff breeze and the saw-mill people warned us that it would probably turn into a gale before long. The wind was favourable, however, so we hoisted the little ' Marjorie's ' huge square sail and were presently flying through the water, the ' Slug ' towing astern with Harding at the tiller. Had the wind kept steady, we must have run the length of the lake in three or four hours, but it came in squalls, which in- creased in violence, while a grey lurid sky, flecked with ragged, flying clouds, looked anything but reassuring. There was soon a heavy sea on, but the * Marjorie ' rode the billows like a duck, although the heavy, lumbering ' Slug ' kept pull- ing her under water, so much so that it became necessary at last to cut the latter adrift. At thvj same moment a furious gust tore the sheet out of my hand, and our boat, losing headway, shipped a tremendous sea that set all hands 48 ALASKA TO BERING 8T11AITS baling for dear life. There was now nothing for it but to run for a sandy spit about two miles distant, and about nine miles from our starting point. We made this welcome haven after a hard pull of nearly two hours, for a sail would have been torn Lo ribbons. Harding did not get in till we had camped for the night, having been blown away nearly to the opposite shore, and having twice narrowly escaped shipwreck. We hauled the boats up on the tiny beach, for it was useless to think of setting out again until the gale abated, which appeared unhkely for at least twenty-four hours. The sandy spit upon which we landed was already occupied by another traveller driven to it, like ourselves, by the gale. This was a queer-looking little fellow, an Austrian, with tangled flaxen hair and wild- looking blue eyes. He seemed pleased to see us, and no wonder, stranded in this lonely, desolate spot with very little food and no tent. ' Dutchy ' (as Cooper called him) was travelling alone, and in such a crank little tub that we marv^Ued how he had managed to get even thus far on his journey, for his boat was like a ' coracle,' almost circular. 49 K !l I I > ;<' 'rriROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF Thcat night, while my companions slept, we had a long chat over the stove and a glass of grog, while the tempest raged outside and threatened at times to carry away the tent. My friend was a native of Wagram, and had served through the Herzegovinian campaign. He had, on the ex- piration of his service, emigrated to the States, and, like many others, had drifted on to Alaska, allured by the tempting offers of shipping com- panies on the Pacific coast. ' Dutchy ' informed me that five men had already been drowned on Lake Bennett this year, and that two of his acquaintances, who had crossed the Chilkoot in January to get a good start of their companions, had perished near here of starvation. Their bodies were found by the first party in the ensuing spring. The poor fellows had eaten their sleigh- dogs, and even part of their gum boots as a last resource. Towards morning we took advantage of a temporary lull to get afloat again, although there was still a sea on that would have been called rough in the Eng ish Channel. The wind was still aft, so we cut down our large square- 50 ALASKA TO BERING STRAITS sail to a 'le^^ of mutton,' and, lengthening the ' Slug's ' tow-rope, shoved off, and for a time made fair progress. Dutchy disconsolately watched our preparations, not daring as yet to venture out in his cockle-shell. Poor little Dutchy ! I have often wondered if he reached his destination. I fear not, for we made many inquiries at Circle City, and news travels fast down river. But we never heard of him again. The lull was unfortunately only temporary. We had scarcely run a couple of miles before it came on to blow quite as hard, if not harder, than yesterday. Reefing the sail, we took to the oars, but made scarcely any headway, for the ' Marjorie ' was continually swept by heavy seas, that also dashed the ' Slug ' against her, and threatened to knock a hole through her side. We eagerly scanned the shores of the lake with glasses to find a place of shelter, but nothing met the eye on every side but a foaming im- passable barrier of breakers. The ' Slug ' after her performance of yesterday could not be left to her own devices, and as it was now a question 51 K2 i . r, THEOUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF ■ I '\ I of ' sink or swim,' we resolved to risk it and run for the land. How we ever reached it remains a njy story, for both boats were oftener under than on the water, and both were waterlogged when the last breaker dashed us, with an omin- ous crash of splintering wood, against the rocks. Joe, with a long line, made a dash for the shore and had the rope round a tree in a second. The outfit was drenched of course, but the boats were not actually stove in, so, all things considered, we \vere not so badly off — for Alaska ! Our camping place is not an improvement on the Sandspit, which is still dimly visible through a blur of mist and flying scud. The boats are hauled up mto safety with difficulty, for the ledge of rock on which we stand is fully nine feet above the water, but only about thirty feet by twenty in area, The tent is pitched by means of two oars and many loose rocks, and the re- mainder of the day is devoted to drying our kit — no easy task at a tiny ' Yukon stove.' Late in the afternoon we are startled by the sound of voices raised above the roaring of the wind. 52 :M ALASKA TO BERING STEAITS n They proceed from Mr. Ash's huge scow, which is making fairly good weather of it under a reefed square-sail, though the seas occasion- ally break heavily over her bows. Mrs. Ash is seated in the stern (' like Cleopatra in her barge of state,' murmurs the Father), and gracefully waves us a farewell. The scow is doing a good eight knots, and in less than half an hour they have disappeared. The day drags miserably away. Conversa- tion is impossible (one must shout to be heard) and we have no books, so silent solace is foimd in tobacco. During the evening the tent is blown down bodily, enveloping us like a huge winding sheet, and is nearly set alight by the smouldering embers of the lire. We do not attempt to re-pitch it, for the sky seems a tritle clearer, and the gale less violent. We therefore roll up in our blankets on the hard slippery rocks, ready to start at a moment's notice. But the tent is up again by breakfast-time, for it is now blowing a hurricane. Another day goes by. We turn in that night fully piepared to undergo a week in 53 '•i^'i^i:^ Ti ■> r lili m^i THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF this dreary prison. But this ^Yild northern land is one of extremes — for good and e^'ih I am a^Yoke about 3 a.m. by Joe. The boats are ah'eady in the water, which is lazily lapping against the rocks, and presents as unruffled a surface as the Thames at Marlow on a fine summer's day, and this although the wind only dropped about mid- night. There is now not a breath of air, but by 10 A.M. we have covered a good ten miles at the oars, and the foot of the lake is already in sight. The glorious sunshine now reveals a landscape that for the past three days has been shrouded in dense driving mist. The shores of the lake are of a limestone formation, and its lower end broadens out mto a lovely valley trending northwards. The scenerj^ here closel}' resembles parts of Switzerland. Bennett is fringed with well-timbered slopes alternating with stretches of meadowland. Away on the horizon snowy peaks 8,000 to 10,000 feet high glitter on every side against the cloudless blue, and form a picturesque background to a panorama of sunlit desolation. The air is cool and delicious, the mid-day heat tempered by a soft breeze. One 54 mm ALASKA TO BERING 8TIUITS can scarcely realise that a few short weeks will convert this siiiimiery scene into a howl- ing ice-bound waste with the thermometer at 70° below zero. A hard pull of four hours from here brought us to Caribou Crossing, which connects Lake Bennett with Lake Tagish, the third of the chain. The glorious uncertainty of Alaskan travel is shown by the fact that our journey across Lake Bennett has occupied four days, and we con- fidently expected to accomplish it in as many hours. Caribou Crossing, a broad sluggish stream, is three and a half miles long, and so shallow in places that we could scarcely get the boats through. There are, however, deep channels where scows may pass, but these can only be found by sounding and after considerable trouble and difficulty. The Crossing derives its name from the fact that large herds of caribou are said to migrate across the stream at certain seasons. At 3 P.M. we entered Lake Tagish, and a halt was made for dinner. The meal was hurriedly despatched, for Lake Bennett had inspired us 55 l"i :\. rv THKOUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF 1 I witli II wliolosoine dread of bad weather and an equally e.'iger desire to get clear of the lakes. And yet I could willingly have lingered for ni.'iny hours in this beautiful spot. Nature seemed to wish to compensate for her past bad behaviour by treating us to an absolutely perfect day. The sky, as blue as a sapphire, was unllecked by the tiniest cloud, not a breath of air stirred the flowers and foliage at our feet, while the smell of the grass, song of birds, and drowsy hum of insects combined to render our camp a veritable oasis of rest and comfort, seldom met with in this inhospitable land, which seems to resent the presence of man by refusing him the very means of existence. Tagish Lake, about seventeen miles in length, is, from a picturesque point of view, the finest of the chain. It has several long and narrow extensions, and one of these, which is known as ' Windy- Arm,' is a source of dread to travellers, for it is nearly always swept by a gale. As far back as Juneau we had heard Windy-Arm Sj^)oken of with bated breath, and at this point everyone was expecting a inau- 56 U ■w* ALASKA TO BERING STRAITS > vais quart d' /ten re. As a rule, few pass this spot without having good cause to remember it ; but to-day the lake was hke a mirror, and the water so clear and phicid that it made one giddy to look over the side of the boat. Gold has been found at Windy- Arm. A quartz ledge with a few dollars to the ton was once located, but afterwards abandoned on account of the difficulty of bringing machinery into the country. The marble deposits here may one day be valuable, for they are numerous and the marble of excellent quality. About midway down Tagish a huge arm or tributary comes in from the south. This sheet of water can be traced for a considerable distance, and is over a mile wide at the junction. Indians say that the Taku runs back for fifty miles and that other lakes lie beyond, but this country is quite unexplored. Lake Tagish is connected with Lake Marsh by a broad, sluggish stream, about five miles long, bordered by low, swampy banks covered by spruce and cotton-wood trees. About midway is an Indian settlement — a collection of ruined huts— known as ' Tagish Houses,' and practically 57 ( I » < ■ 'it I I;' r ;( in •► ij TV THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF deserted. The Tagisli Indians are even of a more de^ifraded type than the ThHnkits, and are now principally found on the coast, where they find it easier to live than in the interior. The half-dozen or so who were prowling about were a ragged miserable-looking set of wretches, very unlike one's preconceived ideas of the ' Child of the Forest ' as depicted by Aimard and Mayne Reid. The huts were mostly nailed up, for there is generally not a soul in the place. We landed to try to purchase some caribou meat or fresh fish, and, if possible, utilise a hut as a camping place ; but the filth and stench in the one dwelling available soon drove us back to the boat. On the door of one tumbledown shanty the following inscription, scrawled in pencil on a dirty piece of paper, was nailed : — First Charlies House. i go to 60 mile river. White man pleas no tak anything. i come bak in 2 year. ' First Charlie ' was probably of a facetious turn of mind, for there was, apparently, nothing to take. With the exception of Thron-Duick 58 ^ .«) ?1 ALASKA TO BERING STRAITS (now known as Klondike), this is the only Indian settlement of any size between the coast and Forty-Mile City. We encamped towards 10 r.M. on Lake Marsh, a short distan^i-e from the mouth of the river, making for a spot where a white tent showed that there was a piece of sound ground ; for this is scarce enough on the shores of this swampy lake. It was named Marsh after a celebrated professor of that name by the explorer Schwatka, but the Yukon miners, ascribing the derivation to a more practical source, usually call it ' Mud Lake,' and this is no misnomer. We had to anchor the boats and wade for some distance to land, and had no sooner reached it than the mosquitos swarmed about us in myriads. Those who have not visited Alaska in summer-time can form no conception of the sufferings inflicted by these pests, who now attacked us for the first time and continued to do so incessantly, night and day, until Bering Sea was reached. For the first few days after this, and until we got more or less accustomed to the annoyance, conversation, sleep, and even eating, were quite out of the question. I have camped 59 il IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) Y /. % Wj. 1.0 I.I 11.25 H lis Hil 2^ li£ IIIIIIO i.8 U IIIIII.6 V] <^ /i 7 "^ / V ^e] //. V .m^ I THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF i ' I'll t 'H.i, out after a hard day's woi'k, famished with hunger, and yet unable to raise a mouthful to my lips, owing to the persistent onslaughts of these pests, who are indeed one of the greatest curses of this great northern land. Even the Indians suffer tortures from May until September, but their bodies are smeared with rancid oil, and the smell affords them a protection denied to the white man. A Yukon mosquito will torture a dog to death in a few hours, and frequently drive bear and deer into the water. There is no remedy. We kept a damp rag smouldering all night in the tent, which nearly suffocated us, but had no effect whatever on our tiny enemies. An Irish miner, who occupied the tent we had seen, was lying prone on the ground, face downwards, his supper untouched beside him. The man had been here only two hours, but his hands and features were swollen to twice their natural size ; for he had come unprovided with mosquito netting, of which we were fortunately able to spare him a piece. From this day until we reached St. Michael, it was impossible to move a yard without gloves and a veil, and even these only afforded a very slight 60 f ALASKA TO BERING STRAITS protection. There was no rest to-night till a strong breeze set in about 4 a.m. and blew our tormentors away. We then, like the poor Irish- man, turned, supperless, into our blankets. But a still sultry morning brought back the foe in overpowering swarms, which compelled us to pull out on to the lake at a very early hour. While breakfast (which cons?sted largely of mosquitos) was being hurriedly despatched, a large scow appeared at the mouth of the river, and presently anchored off our camp. This, much to our surprise, contained the Ash party, who had passed us so gaily on Lake Bennett, but had, almost immediately afterwards, met with disaster. The stearing gear had broken, and the scow, rendered unmanageable, had gone ashore on the rocks about four miles below our camp. But for the delay caused by the accident and necessary repairs, they would by now have reached the rapids. Poor ' Cleopatra ' looked sadly fatigued and travel-stained, and I regret to add that her language was, on this occasion, far from classical. A pleasant sail of a few hours brings us, 4i w Jl' S't, ,f 1 !i; THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF without mishap, to the foot of Lake Marsh, which is about nineteen miles long. We now enter the Fifty-Mile River, where two awkward rapids must be negotiated before Lake Le Barge is reached. The ' Grand Canon ' and ' White Horse ' Rapids are generally looked upon as the chief stumbling-blocks on the river journey from Dyea to the Yukon gold-fields, and, as such, p erhaps deserve a chapter to themselves. r; 6i Hit ! M M. ALASKA TO BERING STRAITS CHAPTER IV THE KAPIDS Tlie ' Grand Carton '—The ' White Horse ' * Look out ! There's the rag,' cries Joe Cooper from the bows. In an instant everyone is on the alert, for there is no time to be lost. It takes a sharp pair of eyes to make out a small weather-stained piece of red calico, that some philanthropic miner has nailed to a tree to warn travellers that they are nearing the dreaded ' Grand Canon.' This primitive danger signal, almost concealed by foliage, is placed, in the usual happy-go-lucky Alaskan style, about 100 yards above the fall, which is invisible, owing to a sharp bend of the river. Once past this bend, a boat is swept headlong into the Canon, and, if heavily loaded, nothing can save her. A black notice-board, with ' Danger,' in large white letters, prominently 63 THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF fixed, say, 200 yards above this spot, would have saved many lives; but in this country fatal accidents are seldom taken into consideration until they occur. Many a lonely grave on the banks of the Fifty-Mile River bears witness to this fact ; for during this portion of the journey scarcely a day passed that we did not see some cairn or rude wooden cross marking the last resting-place of some drowned pilgrim to the land of gold. We have lazily drifted here from Lake Marsh, for the force of the current renders a sail useless and rowing unnecessary. The Fifty- Mile River is fringed by steep banks of sand and cement, where millions of martins have built their nests, and appear to subsist entirely (much to our satisfaction) on our hetes noires, the mosquitos. The Grand Canon is about thirty miles from Marsh Lake. Camping about five miles above the fall on the first night, we reach it early the following day. There is nothing but the afore- mentioned rag to herald the approach of danger. The roar of the rapid is only heard a few yards off. Only an old experienced hand can detect the 64 ALASKA TO BERING STRAITS increasing velocity of the boat, or note, here and there, an ominous 'riffle.' The river has an average width of 200 feet, but narrows here to about 70 feet, with perpendicular walls of red volcanic rock. Midway down the rapid is broken by a perilous whirlpool caused by a circular en- largement of the channel. The bodies of those drowned here are never recovered. Some quote this as a proof that there is a subterranean passage for part of the water, but this is purely theoretical. We make a landing with some difficulty, and only just in time, on the right-hand bank, where several miners are already encamped awaiting fresh arrivals before they run through, for help at the head and foot of the Cailon is almost essential. Lightening the boats, we secure a shady nook for the mid-day meal, for the tem- perature of 90° in the shade is more suggestive of Aden than Alaska. During dinner, Joe Cooper entertains us with such graphic accounts of the disasters that have occurred here that no one seems anxious to dispute his proposi- tion that he (Joe) and an * old-timer ' friend 65 f "W^ > i Jfl' M s- TPTEOIIGPT TPIE 00L1)-FIELDS OF from the nei^dibouring camp shall run the boats through. Indcod, it is unanimously agreed that our guide's preference for an experienced ship- mate is, under the circumstances, only natural, and the alacrity with which we fall in with his plan is as spontaneous as it is sincere. Nor does anyone evince keen disappointment on hearing that only two men are required for the job. There is a portage here of over a mile. Shouldering our packs, Father Barnum, Harding and I set out first for the foot of the rapid over- land. A stiff climb of twenty minutes brings us to the edge of a cliff immediately overhanging the mass of roaring breakers and seething foam, and here the noise is so deafening that one must shout to be heard. Cooper and his mate are still visible at our camping place, preparing to embark, so we lay down our packs to rest awhile and watch the run through. There is something terrific in the way the tori'ent rushes through the place. One wonders not that accidents happen, but that anyone ever reaches smooth water in safety. The force of the current through the dark narrow 66 •^ ,<-^' fcijM^^ ■■■ —1^ ■ TUK GHAND CANON, OK * MINF.R'S GKAVE,' ALASKA > n ,f 111, Pi [I : J ^^! *: THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF the fragile skiff (by one of those unaccountable freaks occasionally indulged in by Nature) was seen to draw clear of the eddy, and the men were eventually landed, half-dead with fright, but safe, at the foot of the fall. The ' Marjorie ' has sprung a slight leak which necessitates calking. Leaving Joe to perform this operation, we cross in the ' Slug ' to the left bank, and carrying the tent and a few provisions, set out through the woods for the head of the White Horse rapid, Joe following with the boats and outfit. The distance is under two miles by the river, which runs like a mill- race, but nearer three by land. The trail lies through a dense swampy forest, and half the distance is barely covered when we are literally driven back by clouds of mosquitos. The air is black with the pests, which attack us with almost alarming ferocity. For the first time I no longer doubt Cooper's assertion that the strongest men sometimes break down and give way to tears under their sufferings. Veils and gloves are absolutely useless. They bite clean through dogskin, while a thick sweater and flannel shirt 70 ALASKA TO BERING STRAITS might be of muslin for all the protection they afford. The torture at last becom.cs insupportable, and we fly for the open, splashing through morasses at a run, and painfully bruising legs and feet against roots and tree-stumps in the process. Even an ' old-timer ' with us confesses that our tormentors are of unusual size and virulence, and on reaching the clearing describes them as being ' as big as rabbits and biting at both ends ! ' This I can readily believe, for our faces are swollen and disfigured beyond recog- nition.' The tent is soon pitched, and a good fire gives us some relief, although it is neces- sary to sit right in the blinding, stifling smoke to obtain it. This was perhaps the worst camp during the whole journey for mosquitos. Supper was cooked and eate^^ only with the greatest difficulty, and as sleep was out of the question, a start was made at five o'clock the following morning. ' Klik-Hfis,' '-^ or ' very bad,' is the Indian name ' In Siberia, I have found the essential oil of cloves an admir- able preventive against mos(iuitos, but in Alaska it is, like every- thing else as yet tried, quite useless. - Travellers to tjio Yukon Valley after next year will probably 71 r ■mn 11 .;J ! tit* I, J ■ THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF for the White Horse rapids, which are never run through in small boats except by accident. The river below the Grand Canon runs through a flat country until it is crossed at right angles by a chain of hills and again forced through the narrow channel forming the rapids. The latter are barely half a mile in length, and so narrow in places that one may almost throw a ball of paper from bank to bank. We drifted our boats doAvn from a rocky ledge, which, covered with sheet ice,* made the operation neither an easy nor agree- able one. No one knows (till they have tried it) what strain can be got, under the circumstances, on a 200-foot rope by a light empty boat. The first plunge into the White Horse is much more abrupt and dangerous than that into the Canon, and the water dashes down with a terrific roar. The foaming crest of the wave avoid these rapids altogether, for it would be quite feasible to build a good road or tramway along the eastern bank of the river from above the Grand Canon to below the White Horse. This will probably be done in the summer of 1898 to connect with the steamers that will then no doubt bo plying above and below the rapids. ' This extended for some distance down from this point in the backwaters, where it had been washed in great masses, by the strength of the stream. 72 ALASKA TO BERING STRAITS following the first downward sweep is supposed to resemble a white horse's mane, and this cir- cmnstance has christened the fall, but I failed to see the resemblance. The White Horse is also known as the ' Miner's Grave,' which, seeing that a yearly average of twenty men are engulfed here, seems a far more suitable title. When we pushed off the ' Marjorie ' she shot into the fall with the speed of an express train, and we trembled for her safety. At one point where there is a sudden drop between two rocks, and the water rushes through like a cataract, she stuck fast for two or three seconds, and began to heel over, but a frantic haul at the line set her straight again and a few moments later she had reached safety in the pool below. The ' Slug ' was then lowered down in a similar manner ; and, after five hours of this work, under a blazing sun with a temperature of 94'' in the shade, no one was sorry to indulge in a few hours' interval for rest and refreshment.^ A late start was made next morning, for all hands were pretty well tired out after the exer- ' The total fall iu the Caiion and succeeding rapids is 82 feet. 72> If ::'} y (i'l I f .(I ''I i IH I I, h)'* THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF tions of the previous day. Fur some distance below White Horse rapids the current is swift and the river wide, with many gravel bars, the distance to Lake Le Barge being under twenty- eight miles. This was perhaps the pleasantest part of the journey, for the weather was bright and pleasant, as we glided swiftly through a region of rolling hills and under bluffs of sand a hundred feet high, down which the loose material was continually rolling in little landslides. The latter presented a very curious appearance, as of puffs of white smoke issuing from the side of the cliffs, and for a time we took them to be of volcanic origin. About midway down this stretch the Takheena river flows in from the west. The Takheena, which rises in Lake Askell, derives its name from the native w 'ds ' Taka,' mosquito, and ' Heena,' a river. It is aptly named, as we discovered when we camped that night on a sandy spit at the junction of the two streams. The Takheena has no rapids of any importance, and is easy of ascent as far as the lake whence it flows. To-day, for the first time, we saw plenty of geese and duck, though far out of range. 74 ' ^] ALASKA TO BERING STRAITS The river here teems with fish. During the evening Harding successfully lands a huge monster of weird appearance which Cooper calls a ' Losh,' and pronounces excellent eating. It is therefore duly prepared for breakfast, but we find it coarse and oily, although Joe assures us that the Hver, fried, is considered a great delicacy. Father Barnum hkens it to a piece of mouldy 'flap-jack,' fried in tallow, which description is, if not appetising, correct. Whitefish and grayling also abound here, and the river above the rapids is famed for its trout, which are both fine and numerous. At 9 A.M. on July 29, having struck camp at 7 A.M., we enter Lake Le Barge, the last of the chain of five lakes separating the mountain ranges of the coast from the great Yukon river, and reahse, with no httle satisfaction, that the first and most arduous portion of our journey through Alaska is at an end. 75 Iili THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF CHAPTER V LAKE LE BARGE — FIVE FINGEES — FORT SELKIRK \i\ , I i: I Lake Le Barge ' is thirty-one miles long, and lies nearly north and south. It is situated over 2,000 feet above sea level, and is surrounded by precipitous mountains, densely wooded to timber- line, with curiously crenelated limestone sum- mits. Towards the outlet the mountains recede, and the foot of the lake is fringed by pictur- esque valleys, formed partly of pine forest and partly of meadowland. Le Barge (like Bennett and Windy- Arm) has an evil reputation for storms, and travellers are sometimes detained here for days by stress of weather. To-day, however, everything looked in favour of a quick ' Lake Le Barge was named after Mike Le Barge, an employ^ of the Western LTnion Telegraph Company, who was employed in constructing the overland telegraph lino from America to Europe (via Boring Straits) in 1867. The completion of the Atlantic Cahle in 18G6 put an-end to this project. 76 11. ALASKA TO BEIIING STEAITS 1 and pleasant passage. The sky was cloiidless, the bhie waters just ruffled by a cool steady breeze that kept the sail full, and took us through the water (the * Slug ' in tow) at a very fair rate of speed. On portions of Lake Le Barge a curiously loud and resonant echo may be heard. A cry would be repeated quite a dozen times, clearly and distinctly, and when a rifle was fired, it awakened a perfect salvo of artillery in the adjacent valleys. Towards 5 P.M. we landed for a while on an island half-way down the lake. This island (about four miles long) is, for some obscure reason, shown on the American explorer Schwatka's maps as a peninsula. Lie even went so far as to name it the ' Eichtofen Rocks.' The nearest point of the island to the western shore is quite half a mile distant, and as the extreme width of the lake is only five miles, one can scarcely conceive how the error arose. ^ A large scow was moored off the island, ' In the slate cliffs that project into Lake Le Barge near this spot there are many quartz ledges that look favonrable for gold. When the countrj' reaches the vein-mining stage, it is probable that many good mines will be opened up in this locality. 11 'h ?l f I n ^'i < (i ;'! THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF where a gradiuilly shelving pebbly beach afforded an excellent landing. Making our way to where a thin colunni of smoke was rising from a clump of fir trees, we found a party of miners, bound for Circle City, seated round a camp fire. They had been here, weather-bound, for three days, and invited us to share their supper before re- suming their journey. This meal is engraven on my memory, for it consisted of some delicious moose meat, which was a pleasant change from the pork and beans of everyday life. But even as we were discussing the first palatable repast enjoyed since leaving Dyea, a cloud of mosquitos suddenly darkened the air, and the wind dropped as if by magic. The crew of the ' Marjorie ' were sorely tempted to trust to luck and indulge in a square night's sleep in these pleasant quarters. But wiser counsel, in the person of Father Barnum, prevailed. The treachery of Le Barge weather is notorious, and it was re- solved to push on and pull all night if necessary, to reach river water. Our unfortunate hosts (being dependent on the wind) were of course unable to proceed, and were therefore as badly 78 ALASKA TO BERING STRAITS off as ever. Their langu-'>,ge as they watched us embark, and rehictantly bade us farewell, was quite unfit for publication. It was just past six o'clock in the evening when we left the island, and I took the first trick at the sculls. We arranged to row in watches of an hour throughout the so-called night ; for, as the reader is aware, there is no actual darkness, during the summer, in these regions. The incessant daylight was terribly irksome and wearying after a time ; so much so that at Forty-Mile City Father Barnum and I would close the shutters sometimes, and light a cardie to escape it, if only for an hour or two. We pull steadily on over the smooth glassy surface of the lake till about 1 a.m., when the clear twilit sky suddenly darkens, and a terrific thunderstorm, accompanied by the most vivid hghtning I have ever seen, alters the complexion of affairs. A thunderstorm in Central Alaska is, like rain, such a ' rara avis' that we are not wholly unprepared for the strong gale that immediately follows. The wind is fortunately favourable ; but, no sooner do I hoist the sheet, 79 i 1\ lii V n I !'i ill' I THKOUGH THE GOLU-FIELDS OF than it is torn out of my havulH. The waves are rising so rapidly that while there is yet time Joe and Hardin r f fr •■I f!i Hi THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF miles from the mouth, uiid this is the only work that was then being done on this stream. About twenty miles below the Stewart Sixty- Mile Creek enters from the west. This so-called ' Creek ' is about a hundred miles long and very winding, with a swift dangerous current and many rapids. Very rich gold discoveries have been made here, and there is a claim on Miller Creek (a tributary of Sixty- Mile) from which over 30,000^. has been taken by a single individual. Glacier, Gold, and Bed Bock Creeks are other tributaries of Sixty-Mile which continue to show admirable results. There is a store and sawmill at the mouth of Sixty-Mile, and here we halted for the midday meal. We found a few miners lounging about on the bank. They had come down from the Sixty- Mile diggings to await the arrival of the steamer w4iich makes (or then made) one trip a year to this point with a year's supplies. The arrival of the boat creates the wildest excitement ; and no wonder, for these men were reduced to the verge of starvation, and had received no news of any kind from the outer world for many weary months. 94 B^ T ALASKA TO BI^IUN(; 8TKAITS We had hoped to replenish our larder here, but were ourselves compelled to part with a portion of our scanty store. The storekeeper, a wiry- looking fellow, with keen eyes and a pleasant smile, attired in ra-s and gum-boots, was chafing at the tardy arrival of his yearly consignment of pork, Hour, and other luxuries. We dined in his parlour, a bare, comfortless room, furnished with a rickety bench and table, and embellished with newspaper woodcuts pinned to the grimy walls. Our host opined that the ' Ahce ' might arrive before our departure, but ten days were destined to elapse before her white hull rounded the dreary, pine-fri)iged river. We waited till evening, how- ever, and then re-embarked to drift down to a place then known to perhaps a score of white men, but now a byword throughout the civihsed world. ' So long, mates ! ' cried the disconsolate storekeeper, with a friendly wave of the hand ; and I saw him slouch back to his dismal abode with a feehng of pity for one whose life must be passed amid such cheerless, desolate surroundings. My pity was, perhaps, misplaced ; but who could then foretell the dazzhng discoveries of t next 95 iiMi:i---Vi' rv Ml I! lit i: 11^ H" M w \n THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF few months, or picture tho f^^okleii Valhalla which this lonely biickwoodsnmn was unconsciously nearing ? For our dejected friend no loii'^er relies upon the sale of beans and i)!icon as a means of existence. He is now known as the ' Klondike Millionaire,' and his name is Joseph Ladue. We paddle lazily down-stream throu-^h the steely grey twilight until a spot apparently clear of mosquitos is descried. We are no sooner en- eami)ed, however, than the pests descend upon us in myriads. The tent is hermetically closed and a ' smudge ' ' kindled, but its fumes gradually become unbearable, and although the Father and Harding are peacefully slumbering, I am forced to quit the noxious atmosphere. Outside it is cool and pleasant, although the air resounds with the song of venomous legions. Cooper has preceded me and is down by the river, where I presently join him. The ' old-timer ' is busy with a gold-pan, even at this midnight hour, and is so absorbed that my approach is unheeded. ' A piece of Viv; btecpetl in oil luiil Icfl to \>nvn slowly away under a eovtiiug ul'ilanii) uiuiis. 96 I '■■"ill -J n , liiii i I ! kl 'HI f , » ,i a* !i 1^1 ALASKA TO BERING STEAITS Joe starts at my touch, and looks up with an eager anxious expression, very unlike his usual Phcdity of feature. < Do you ,ee that ? ' he whispers excitedly, pointing to some tiny particles of shnnng metal at the bottom of the pan-' That wgoUr 97 B THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF \'7t J CHAPTER VI i ^ KLONDIKE wi m About noon on July 5, the sight of human habitation once more gladdens the eye, and a low line of log shanties appears on the right bank of the river. x±ere, Joe informs us, we may possibly succeed in replenishing our meagre stock of provisions. The natives of this village subsist almost entirely on salmon, which during certain seasons abound in the vicinity ; so much so that ' Plenty of fish ' is the literal translation of the name given to this settlement by its Indian founders. The current is so strong that we land only with difTiculty and the help of a couple of men in a birch-bark canoe — the first of these graceful but rickety craft yet encountered. Just below the village a small river flows into the Yukon from the east. The water looks so deliciously 98 I \ iBgaMfciaPillyi ii 1 1 1 I — •- " ALASKA TO BERING STRAITS clear and pure that we fill the water-bucket and then proceed in search of food, which indeed is our primary object for landing. In one of the huts a piece of moose meat is found, in another some dried salmon (for the latter have not yet appeared this year), while a third furnishes (wonders will never cease !) a tiny sack of flour. There is an air of clean pros- perity about the dwelHngs which contrasts strangely with the filthy wigwams up-river. Most of the young * braves ' are away hunting and fishing, but we are soon surrounded by a ring of old men and maidens eager for news from the coast. Here the sole topic of interest seems to be, not nuggets, but fish, and, strange as it may seem, the name of Thron-Duick is chiefly associated in my mind with clean Indians and a good square meal. For the beauty of the place was then unmarred by the squahd white settlement across the stream, which, like most Alaskan mining camps,' suggests a bit of Shadwell or LimehousJ dropped into the midst of sylvan scenery, and which is now known throughout the world as 99 ui ST t 1' I M ll THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF Dawson City — chief town of the district of Klondike.^ When the ' Excelsior ' steamed into the Golden Gate on the morning of July 14, 1897, San Francisco was at first inclined to regard as a * fake ' the reports she brought of fabulous gold discoveries in the far North-West. The thirty odd miners the ship contained were set down by many as disciples of Ananias. Their tales of fortunes made in a day, of pans of .^500 and of mushroom cities, were looked upon as fairy-tales, until the golden spoil was actually displayed at Selby's smelting works and found to be worth half a million dolUrs. Even after this ocular demonstration some were sceptical enough to discredit the statement that greater riches were on the way down from the north. i •; ■M I . fr ' It is curious, in view of recent events, to read Mr. O'Gilvie, the Dominion Surveyor's report of this place in 1887. He says : ' Six and a half miles above Reliance the Thion-Duick River of the Indians (Deer River of Schwatka) enters from tlie east. It is a small river aboiit forty yards wide at the mouth and shallow ; the water is clear and transparent and of a beautiful blue colour. The Indians catch great numbers of salmon here. A miner had prospected up this river for an estimated distance of forty miles in 1887. I did not see him.' Mil IQO of ALASKA TOjBERING STEAITS Three days later, however, the arrival of the 'Portland' at Seattle, with over a million dollars, changed douht into certainty, and the wonderful news was flashed over the world. Then followed a stampede the like of which has not been witnessed since the days of '49. First San Francisco, then New York, and finally London, caught the fever, and caught it so badly that time seems to increase rather than diminish the virulence of the disease. The fact that the gold was found in a primitive fashion, and brought down anyhow : in oil-cans, jam-tins,' and even wrapped in old newspapers, seemed to offer a special Rttraction to men of moderate means. The lack of capital and proper mining apphances seemed to point to a poor man's ' El Dorado.' Consequently a large percentage of those who went in with the first batch of gold-seekers are tradesmen, office clerks and others whose sedentary occupation utterly unfits them for a life of privation in the frozen land where Nature guards her treasure so well. On the Pacific slope last summer, however, no one thought of the dangers attendant on a journey lOI ^ r r ' 'U THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF into Alaska, dangers which, for many years past, have associated the name of ' Yukon ' with an ugly sound in Western America. Everyone, from the prosperous merchant to the penniless loafer, was ' gold-mad.' Warnings from the ex- perienced as to perilous passes and treacherous waterways were lightly ignored, w^ith (as time has shown) deplorable results. So great was the rush from San Francisco and Seattle, that homeward-bound passengers from St. Michael were scarcely able to land owing to the press of those struggling to take their places on the outgoing steamers. Li the interior of Alaska the excitement was even more intense. The two principal settlements, Forty-Mile City and Circle City, were practically deserted. Men who had been in a chronic state of drunkenness for weeks were pitched into boats as ballast and taken up to stake themselves a claim. Valuable claims in other parts of Alaska were abandoned by experienced ' old-timers,' who should have known better, and who have perhaps already lived to regret the day when the magic word of Klondike was carried into camp ; for in the great I02 I T.'^Vrtfi MTftg "OTAMP- '. Jg 1 ' ' »M If ALASKA TO BERING STKAITS North- West, as in other lands, ' A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.' When news of the Klondike gold-strike reached me in an obscure French village, through the medium of that somewhat dreary and depressing journal the Paris 'New York Herald,' I was inchned to disbeHeve the whole story, not only on account of its American origin but also because the suddenness of the gold- finds has been truly remarkable. When I travelled through the country in 1896, a man who had scraped together 6,000Z. or 7,000^. after four or five years' hard work was looked upon as a ' rara avis,' and the largest nugget then found weighed under thirty ounces. The atten- tion of prospectors was mainly centred on Circle City (in American territory), and, while Klondike had no meaning in the ears of the civihsed world, there were not 10,000 white men to be found in the entire Yukon district from Fort Selkirk to Bering Sea. Everyone knew there was plenty of gold. The difficulty was to locate it in sufficient quantity to repay others than the poor grub-staker, who digs hterally for his daily 103 ^ ^ jf'l M-|| THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF bread, and is satisfied with just enough to keep body and soul together. Up to the summer of 1896, quite two-thirds of the Yukon prospectors belonged to this class. The presence of fine float-gold in the river sands of Alaska was discovered by the Hudson Bay Company ofiicials many years ago, but no mining was done till about the year 1873. In 1880 important finds took place near Juneau, and from this period up to the present day gold has cropped up in all directions both in the interior and on the coast. In 1886, Cassiar Bar, on the Lewes river, was opened, and a party of four took out 1,2001. in thirty days, while other neighbouring bars did fairly well. Stewart river was also first prospected about this time, and it is estimated that in 1885 and 1886 this river yielded over 25,000Z. In 1886 coarse gold was reported on Forty-Mile Creek. Three or four hundred miners were collected there in 1887, and all did well, although no extraordinary finds are recorded.^ Some fair-sized nuggets were found, however, and also gold-bearing ' About 30,000?. was taken out during this year. 104 ALASKA TO BEKING STEAITS qucartz, which resulted in the estabhshment of the trading port now known as Forty-Mile City. It must not, therefore, for a moment be imagined that Klondike is the only place hi Alaska where gold is found. It is all over .he country, from Sitka to the Arctic Ocean, and from Mackenzie river to the Bering Sea. Up to now, however, the Yukon basin has been the centre of attraction, and, indeed, there is scarcely a spot upon its upper waters where you can wash a pan out without finding some deposit. The Yukon river may (from a mining point of view) be divided into three parts: (1) The upper section (in British territory), containing the Lewes, Stewart, and Klondike rivers, and Forty- Mile City; (2) the middle section, from the American boundary to the Tanana river, com- prising Birch Creek, other tributaries of varying importance, and Circle City ; and (3) the lower section (also in American territory), down to Bering Sea. The gold taken from the three sections amounted in 1894 to about 75,000Z. In 1897, from January to April 1, the Klondike dis- 105 1^ t f \ I . I ■ ^iK' ' ^' THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF trict alone yielded 1,000,000/. sterling, and this although under five hundred men were at work. The Klondike gold-fields are in British territory, fully sixty miles east of the American boundary, so that, notwithstanding the ravings of New York ' Jingoes,' there need be little fear of international complications. The first important discovery in the Klondike region was made in 1896 by one George Cor- mack, a miner, and an ' old-timer ' on the river. Cormack formerly kept a store just above Five Finger Rapids, where he traded with the Indians and worked at developing a coal-vein in the vicinity. Just prior to his great ' strike ' Cormack was living at the village of Klondike, fishing and drying salmon for a living. He had married a ' squaw,' and by this means had attained a certain position among the natives, who first led him to the scene of his success. Cormack had only a very defective apparatus to wash the gravel with. The gravel itself he had to carry in a box on his back from thirty to a hundred feet. Notwithstanding this, '240Z. was obtained in eight days, and Cormack says that io6 .r THE YIKON KIVEU AND ITS THIBUTARIES (Reduced from a Jrup drawn liy Mr. SteAftirt Metiziea tt Fort Selkitk iu October 1893) llausoii Citu U sihia'nl on the Riifr Yukuii^iuslbelow the iiaiiii- Klondikf, Siai/iiaij Hay is iit the head o'' the Lynn Canal, ami the White I'ass starts from that point m m I '> ,1 n • 1 f i 1 1 If 1. i 1 J 111 . ; 1 : ALASKA TO BERING STRAITS with proper appliances he coiilcl have ^'ot 1,000/. Cormack's first rich strike was made on Bonanza Creek, a tributary of the Klondike river, which latter is a swift stream about 150 miles in length.' About four hundred claims have been staked on Bonanza, which is about twenty-five miles long, and joins the Klondike a couple of miles from its mouth. El Dorado, an affluent of Bon<'inza, about seven miles long, has been magnificently prospected, and the richness of these placers arc truly marvellous. According to Mr. W. O'Gilvie, the Dominion Surveyor, three pans'' on El Dorado have yielded 41/., 42/., and 43/. respec- tively, while many others ran up around 10/. 11. to 11. lO-s. was an average result. Other tributaries of the Klondike — ' Hunker,' ' Gold Bottom,' ' Bear,' and ' Last Chance ' creeks — are all staked out, and will probably prove to be of great value. They have already yielded 8/. to 10/. to the pan, and on Hunker Creek 51. was ' There are, as yet, no mines nctnallj' on the Klondike river, which is too large and deep (o admit of placer mining. - A ' pan ' is of sheet iron, abont eifjhtcon inches in circiimference and four or five inches deep. It cossts j^H at Junean. In ordinary placer mines ten to fifteen cents a pan is considered fair pay. 107 i( r- ] If I 'I ¥>■' 111 i ,! THKOUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF panned in a few hours from the surface, taking a handful here and there. About forty miles up the Klondike ' Too Much Gold Creek ' has been staked out. According to latest advices from Dawson City, reports of fabulous wealth were received from this remote creek, but it would be prematura uo place too much credence in them until next spring. A quartz lode, however, showing free gold in paying quantities has been located on one of the creeks. The quartz has been tested over 201. to the ton. The lode appears to run from three to eight feet in thick- ness, and is about nineteen miles from the Yukon. Another quartz mine known as the ' Four-Leaf Clover,' on the west side of the Yukon, opposite the mouth of the Klondike, also promises to yield excellent results.' Mr. O'Gilvie, the Dominion Surveyor, is a personal friend of mine, and a thoroughly practical man, not given to exaggeration. The ' Both f^olil ami silver bearing quartz have been discovered near Sixty-Mile River, and a specimen oi" gold-bearing quartz found near White Eiver assayed the enormous value of 3,000/. to ihc ton. It ws taken from a seam nearly 2,000 feet above the Yukon water-level. 1 08 11 ,► t ij ALASKA TO BERING STRAITS following extract from one of his latest reports may therefore be relied upon. Mr. O'Gilvie says : ' Since my last the prospects on Bonanza Creek and tributaries are increasing in richness and extent, until now it is certain milhons will be taken out of the district in the next few years. On some of the claims prospected the pay dirt is of great extent and very rich. One man told me yesterday that he washed out a single pan of dirt on Bonanza Creek and found ^14.2.') in it. Five to seven dollars per pan is the average on that claim, it is reported, with five feet pay-dirt and the width yet undeter- mined, but known to be thirty feet; even at that figure the result at nine to ten pans to the cubic foot, and 500 feet long, is ^4,000,000 at SI) per pan. One-fourth of this would be enormous. Enough prospecting has been done to show that there are at least fifteen miles of this extraordinary richness, and the indications are that we shall have three or four times that extent, if not all equal to the above, at least very rich.' But this is not all. I have it (on the same 109 M T1 h ,1 ■,'>. 1,1 ( i. I *,ul i ^ THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF authority) that as much as ^560 was washed out of one pan at Klondike, and that this marvellous gold zone extends for quite 500 miles. ' One thing is certain,' concludes O'Gilvie ; ' we have one of the richest mining areas ever found, with a fair prospect that we have not yet discovered its limits.' It is satisfactory to note how completely Mr. O'Gilvie's predictions regarding Alaska and the North- West provinces have been realised. No less than nine years ago he wrote : * I think it may with confidence be asserted that rich finds will yet be made of both coarse gold and gold-bearing quartz. It is not likely, in the nature of things, that such a vast extent of country should have all its fine gold deposited as sediment, brought from a distance in past ages of the world's development. If this is not the case, the matrix from which all gold on these streams has come, must still exist, in part at least, and will no doubt be discovered, and thus enrich this otherwise gloomy and desolate region.' ^ ' A large creek called Indian Creek joins the Yukon midway no > ■MIMHHIiaHi ALASKA TO BERING STRAITS It is probably unnecessary to explain that, with one or two exceptions, the gold in Alaska is obtained by 'placer mining.' This consists simply in making a shaft to bedrock » and then tunnelling in various directions. The pay-dirt is handed out by a small hand-windlass and piled up until it is washed out. I am indebted to my friend Mr. Joseph Ladue for the follow- ing description of the various processes that follow excavation : * The miner lifts a little of the finer gravel or sand in his pan. He then fills the latter with water and gives it a few rapid whirls and shakes. This tends to bring the gold to the bottom on account of its greater specific gravity. The pan is then shaken and held in such a way that the sand and gravel are gradually washed out, care being taken as the process nears completion to avoid letting out the finer and heavier parts that have settled to the bottom. Finally, all that is left in the pan is gold and some black sand between tlie Klondike and Stewart rivers, and all along this creek good pay has been found. It would yield about five or six hundred claims. ' The depth to bedrock varies from four to twenty feet. II J T 'y J' i< P; i', i *'■ jfil Hi t i s 1, 1 11 , i THEOUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF which ahnost invariably accompanies it. This black sand is pulverised magnetic iron ore. Should the gold thus found be fine, the contents of the pan are thrown into a barrel containing water and a pound or two of mercury. As soon as the gold comes in contact with the mercury it combines with it and forms an amalgam. The process is continued until enough amal- gam has been formed to pay for " roasting " or " firing." ' It is then squeezed through a buckskin bag, all the mercury that comes through the bag being put into the barrel to serve again, and what remains in the bag is placed in a retort, if the miner has one, or, if not, on a shovel, and heated until nearly all the mercury is vapourised. The gold then remains in a lump with some mercury still held in combination with it. ' This is called the " pan " or " hand " method, and is never, on account of its laboriousness, employed when it is possible to procure a "rocker " or to make and work sluices. ' A " rocker " is a box about three feet long by two wide, made in two parts, the top part being U2 « ALASKA TO BERING STRAITS or shallow, with a heavy sheet-iron bottom, which is punched full of quarter-inch holes. The other part of the box is filled with an inclined shelf about midway in its depth, which is six or eight inches lower at its lower end than its upper. Over this is placed a piece oi '^^ v woollen blanket. The whole is then mouaced on two rockers, resembhng those of an ordinary cradle ; and when in use they are placed on two blocks, so that the whole may b- readily rocked. After the miner has selected his claim, he looks for the best place to set up his " rocker," which must be near a good supply of water. He then clears away all the stones and coarse gravel, gathering the finer gravel and sand in a heap near the rocker. The shallow box on top is filled with this, and with one hand the miner rocks it, while with the other he ladles in water. The finer matter with the gold falls through the holes on to the blanket, which checks its progress, and retains the fine particles of gold, while the use- less matter passes over it to the bottom of the box, which is sloping, so that what comes through is washed downwards and finally out of the box. 113 I ! I i ,'i ii ii. ' ' * I l:i'! ^ m iir THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF Across the bottom of the latter are placed thin slats, behind which some mercury is placed to catch any particles of gold that may escape the blanket. If the gold is nuggetty, the large nuggets are fc^ nd in the upper box, their weight retaining them until all the lighter stuff has passed through. Smaller ones are held by a deeper slat at the outward end of the bottom of the box. The piece of blanket is occasionally rinsed into a barrel, and, if the gold is fine, mercury is placed at the bottom of the barrel, as already mentioned.' ' Sluicing ' is the best method of placer mining and is always employed where possible. It re- quires a good supply of water, with sufficient head or falls. The process is as follows : — ' Planks are procured and made into a box of suitable depth and width. Slats are fixed across the bottom of the box at intervals, or holes bored in the bottom in such a way as to preclude the escape of any particle of gold. Several of these boxes are then set up with a considerable slope, and are fitted into one another at the ends like a stove-pipe. A stream of water is then thrown 114 ALASKA TO BERING STRAITS 4 into the upper end of the highest box, the dirt being shovelled in and washed downwards at the same time. The gold is detained by its weight, and is held by the slats or in the holes afore- mentioned. If it be fine, mercury is placed behind the slats or in these holes to catch it. In this way about three times as much dirt can be washed as by the rocker, and consequently three times as much gold may be secured in a given time. Aiter the boxes are done with they are burned, and the ashes washed for the gold held in the wood.' These methods seem simple enough, and no doubt would be in more temperate regions ; but it should be mentioned that the mines of the Yukon are of a class by themselves, and it is necessary to follow entirely new methods for getting the gold. It was formerly considered impossible, on account of climatic conditions, to work after the month of September, but it is now conclusively proved that much may be accompHshed during the dark sunless winter. The working year is, therefore, three times as long as it used to be, and the time formerly devoted to drink and 115 i2 THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF debauchery is dow profitably employed. The difficulty of winter mining is, of course, enor- mously increased by the fact that the ground is frozen. Every foot of it must be thawed, either in sinking or drifting, by small fires. The shallower mines are worked during the summer in the open air, but when the gravel is more than six feet deep, a shaft is sunk and dirt enough removed to allow space to work in. Thus the gold-seeker with a log hut close to the mouth of his shaft, and provided with plenty of fuel, may pass a whole winter (if food be forthcoming) in comparative comfort. About a ton of dead ground can be dumped daily, and a few hundred pounds of pay-gravel. The latter is piled up until the spring when the thaw comes. It is then ' panned ' or ' rocked ' without difficulty ; for here, unlike Western Australia, there is no lack of water. The winter in Alaska usually sets in very suddenly. In 1896 the Yukon was blocked by ice as early as September 28, and one of the river steamers was unable to regain the port of St. Michael, where these vessels are generally laid up. ii6 \l T ALASKA TO BEliING STRAITS North of the Klondike river at its junction with the Yukon, and on the right bank of the latter, stands the now world-famed city of Dawson. The shanty which formed the nucleus of the Klondike metropolis v.'as erected by Mr. Joseph Ladue on September 1, 1896, and was destined by that gentleman as a kind of annexe to his store at Sixty-Mile. When the gold-strike followed, and within a few weeks five hundred i| dwellings sprang up as if by magic, no one was more surprised than the storekeeper himself. To be ' on the ground ' meant everything in this case, for there is no other eligible site for miles. Thus Mr. Ladue holds 178 acres and the Govern- ment the remaining twenty-two, and as town lots now fetch from 20?. to 2,000?. each, the lucky backwoodsman is likely to ' remember the 1st of September ' for some time to come ! Dawson City is named after Dr. Dawson, who first established the boundary between Alaska and the North-West Territory, this being due north from Mount St. Elias to Point Demarcation to the 141st meridian. In gene- ral appearance Dawson much resembles most 117 »yi\ I I' ' /: :iit 1.1: H> THIKJUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF Alaskan settlements, although it wears a more prosperous air, and is perhaps better laid out, than its poorer neighbours Forty-Mile and Circle Cities. There are the usual ' Stores,' ' Hotels,' * Restaurants,' and ' Saloons ' to be found in everj^ mining camp, from Coolgardie to Cripple Creek. Here these establishments are perhaps more squalid than usual, and would pass unnoticed but for the flaming banner that invariably floats over the low roof and proclaims, in large white letters, the proprietor's business. There is at present but one store of any impor- tance at Dawson, that of the ' Alaska Commer- cial Company,' who have, up till now, practically controlled the entire trade of the country. On this store all who go to Dawson without provisions must mainly rely, and many will probably do so before the year is out, with disastrous results. Last June Dawson con- tained a population of over 3,000, but this is now largely increased. There seems to be an impression in England that the diggings are quite close to the settlement ; but this is Incorrect. The richer creeks are fully fifteen ii8 ALASKA TO BERING STRAITS miles away and a hard day's journey from the city. Although the climate of Dawson is naturally severe, a man may live, with proper precautions, comfortably enough through a winter in Alaska. I know at least a dozen ' old-timers ' who have spent six consecutive years in the country ; for the cold has been greatly exaggerated. Eighty degrees (Fahr.) below zero is about the severest yet experienced ; but this is very rare, and here, unhke Canada, there is seldom the wind which makes even 20° below zero unbearable. Mr. Ladue has chopped wood in his shirt sleeves at 70° below zero and has experienced no great discomfort, and I am acquainted with two men (who, I believe, are now at Dawson) who wintered on the Yukon in a thin canvas tent.^ Winter generally commences in October (but often much earlier), and the Yukon is usually clear of ice by the middle of May ; but this is also uncertain. The snow-fall is not excessive, * The greatest continuous cold yet registered in Central Alaska was in February 1890, when the daily mean for five consecutive days was 47° Fahr. below zero. 119 1 If THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF IH[.'^. m ' € three feet beiiifjf considered deep. The winter da3's are very short, there bein^ but two hours between the rising and setting of the sun; but it is never pitch darlc, and the lovely Northern Lights are common. In summer the tempera- ture often roaches 80° (Fahr.), but the nights are cool and pleasant. The days are then twenty hours long, with twilight the remaniing four. Mosquitos are as bad at Dawson as anywhere on the river, with, perhaps, the exception of Fort Yukon. Little credence need be placed in the sensational stories that have been circulated regarding the insalubrity of Klondike. One English newspaper reported over 2,000 deaths in the district during the winter of 1896-1897, when, as a matter of fact, there were not 1,200 people there to die ! That there mil be — nay, has already been — terrible suffering at the gold-fields during the winter of 1897-1898, no one can doubt. I am informed, by the highest authority in Washington, that the last sack of flour was sold in Daivson City on September 10 last. Since that date no I20 i\ ALASKA TO BERING STRAITS supplies linv(^ reached the phice (owin^' to the <,'roiindinf,' of two new steiiniers), and Dawson is now unapproachable until next spring, when even the most san^^uine Canadian and American otiicials expect to i-eceive news of a nature too terrible to contemplate. There is nothing to be done lor the present, and we can only hope for the best, and thank Providence that (accord- ing to the latest advices) most of the women and all the children have been moved down to Fort St. Michael, where there is no lack of food or lodging. The only women now in Dawson City refused to leave, and belong to a class with which mining camps are, unfortunately, only too familiar. Starvation and hardship, however, can scarcely be classed as actual disease, which latter is responsible for only two deaths at Klondike up to August 1897. Both were from natural causes. In the burial-ground at Forty- Mile City (which has served for the whole section for years past) I saw only thirty odd graves, which shows that (from a health point of 121 it ; u I' :! < 'i i. •'. Ifc III, li j 1 i' , 1 ;:•■■, ff^ THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF view) Central Alaska is by no means an unde- sirable residence. On the other hand, no person with weak lungs or subject to rheumatism should think of wintering in the country. According to my friend Surgeon Wills, of the Canadian Mounted Police (who has a large and varied experience), the commonest complaints are bronchitis and pneumonia, arising from exposure ; debility and dyspepsia, caused by improperly cooked food ; and scurvy,' brought on by want of fresh meat and vegetables, and unventilated, over-heated dwellings. There are only too many of the latter ; for the regulation miner's hut is only about four- teen feet by twelve feet and six feet high, and is occupied by three, and often four men. Fevers and infectious diseases are practically unknown. Only one case of typhoid occurred at Forty-Mile City during the year 1896, and this was traced to impure drinking water.- The following ex- * Liine juice is always very dear and often unobtainable in the Yukon settlements. It is therefore well to take at least a pound of citric acid crystals and two or three ounces of oil of lemons. Tliis makes an excellent anti-scorbutic drink. '^ Since the above was written some dozen cases of typhoid 122 fi : .i.r ^ ALASKA TO BERING STRAITS tract from Surgeon Wills's last report may prove of interest to those contemplating a visit to Klondike. The Doctor says : ' Men should be sober, strong end healthy. They should be practical men, able to adapt themselves quickly to their surroundings. Special care should be taken to see that their lungs are sound, that they are free from rheumat- ism and rheumatic tendency, and that their joints, especially knee-joints, are strong and have never been weakened by injury, synovitis, or other disease. It is also very important to consider their temperaments. Men should be of cheerful, hopeful dispositions, and willing workers. Those of sullen morose natures, although they may be good workers, are very apt, as soon as the novelty of the country wears off, to become dis- satisfied, pessimistic, and melancholy.' For men of frugal mind, who eschew the drink and gambling saloons, Dawson City is by no means so expensive a residence as might be imagined. T speak, of course, of last fever have occurred at Dawson City, owing to defective sanitation and overcrowded dwellings. 123 il );i |i I !i lie : il ! ,V V •ii t if ( 'jl ^-1 '{ THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF summer, when provisions were obtainable, not of the present time. The cost of Hving was then from 11. to 30s. per day, although even then luxuries were expensive. A ten-cent cigar cost a dollar, which was also the price of a shave, while a small drink of villainous whisky fetched 2s. Some of the saloons were taking 400/. a day ; and I may here mention that Joe Cooper, my old traveUing companion, had up to last August realised over 5,000Z. by the sale of refreshments — chiefly of an alcoholic nature. Wages are proportionately high to the price of necessaries. An ordinary labourer can easily earn his 3Z. or 41. a day ; and many of those who came in penniless worked steadily for a few weeks until they could purchase a claim of their own, and have since ' struck it rich.' I am indebted to Mr. Ladue for the following scale of prices in Dawson City, which, I repeat, applies only to the summer of 1897 : ' A Store Price Lint ' Dawson City, July 1897. £. s. d. Flour (per 10 lbs.) 2 10 Moose ham (per lb.) 4 124 ALASKA TO BEKING STRAITS r s. (I. Caribou meat (per lb.) 3 Beans (per lb.) 10 Kice (per lb.) 1 G Sugar (per lb.) 16 Bacon (per lb.) 2 Butter (per lb.) Eggs (per dozen) 8 Salmon (each) Potatoes (per lb.) 16 Turnips (per lb.) 10 Tea (per lb.) 10 Coffee (per lb.) 3 6 Dried fruits (per lb.) 3 Canned meats (per can) . . . .040 Lemons (each) 10 Oranges (each) 2 Tobacco (per lb.) 7 Liquors (per drink) . . . . .020 Shovels 10 Picks 1 -) Coal oil (gallon) 5 Overalls 7 Underwear (per suit) 2 10 Shoes 10 Rubber boots 3 Dawson City, like Juneau, is not wanting in so-called amusements at night-time. There are already two theatres there, to say nothing of numerous dancing saloons, gambhng hells, and dens of a worse description. The saloons are of the true mining-camp type, with a bar at one end, flanked by the inevitable gold-scales. 125 i\ 1 1 . / 1 1 THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF '\'i\ m ^ii ;i' liin \^i iiil^ ^ li : lit I ;! ■ Money is not used here, only gold-dust, which fetches about 3^. 86'. an ounce. The space in front of the bar is surrounded by benches and used for dancing, but behind, in a dingy stuffy den, the gambling ' lay-out ' is generally to be found. ' Poker ' and ' Faro ' are the favourite games, but ' Roulette ' is also very popular. Two and three hundred pounds are often staked on a single turn of the wheel, and the loss of a couple of thousand pounds in a night is (or was) of common occurrence. The ' Dance-hall fairies,' as they are called, who frequent these establishments, are women of the lowest class, the very sweepings of the Pacific slope; but here, unlike Circle City, they are kept well within the bounds of decency by the Canadian Mounted Police. An edict issued by Inspector Constantino to discard ' bloomers ' and wear skirts created great indignation amongst these Alaskan ' houris,' and it was necessary in some cases to carry out the order by forcible means. Notwithstanding these unavoidable excep- tions, Dawson City is probably the most orderly and well-governed mining camp in the world. 126 ¥'■■ ALASKA TO BEKING STBAITS I There are many towns of boasted civilisation in the Western States of America where life and property are far less secure than at Klondike. This is chieHy owing to the exertions of the Canadian Mounted Pohce, whose arrival in camp was resented by the raffish element, but heartily welcomed by the more reputable portion of the community. There is little chance now for evil- doers. The rule against carrying fire-arms is rigidly enforced, and to this law is probably due the fact that, since the founding of Dawson, there has only been one serious shooting affray ; and, mdeed, there is really no necessity for a revolver in or out of the city. A kind of freemasonry, chiefly engendered by the precarious life in a land where mankind and nature are ever at war, exists amongst the miners of the Yukon. The latter are as unhke the typical gold-digger, bristhng with oaths and revolvers, as they can well be. The Alaskan prospector is, like his placer mines, of a class by himself ; reckless of danger possibly, inured to privation without a doubt, but outwardly as quiet, orderly, and well-behaved as a Sunday School teacher. Murder and theft are 127 M If [tp i. H J ili I h' 1 !:■ THEOUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF practically unknown in the Yukon Valley. Thousands of pounds' worth of gold dust may be lying about, but no one ever dreams of locking a cabin door. When a thief is caught he is given twenty-four hours to leave the settlement, failing which he is hanged to the nearest tree ; but, for obvious reasons, there are not many thieves, for miner's law, on the Yukon, is seldom tempered with mercy. One rarely hears of the shooting scrapes that have made famous California and the Wild West, from the days of '49 to Cripple Creek. In Alaska, a man may go on the spree, indulge in too much ' tanglefoot,' ^ and shoot a comrade by accident, but ' guns ' are rarely used in earnest except for game. There is a camaraderie among the Y ukoners, a kind of brotherly affection, which was well exemplified by an old miner I met this year at Montreal. We were discussing the chances of those who had succeeded in crossing the Chilkoot and White Passes this summer, and I observed that, at any rate, a third of the prospectors were sup- plied with food enough to ward off starvation. ' Eye whisky. 128 i 5 i ALASKA TO BERING STRAITS I i ' What is the good of that ? ' growled my old friend (he hailed from Forty-Mile City) ; ' they will have to share what they have got with the others ! ' It nay be well, before concluding this chapter, to give a few instances of lucky ' strikes ' made in Klondike, for ivhich I can vouch. English people have come to regard news transmitted from New York as exaggerated, and not unreasonably so ; for the unreliable trash, published by most American newspapers is justly proverbial, and only to be equalled by the aggressive impertinence of the so-called journalists who compile it, and who render life a burthen to the unhappy stranger in the United States. The following instances, however, have been verified for me by competent authorities at Ottawa, and I do not, therefore, hesitate to place them, with absolute confidence, before the reader. It is a curious fact, although one I believe not peculiar to Klondike, that during the past year more rich strikes have been made by * tender-feet ' — or new-comers in the country — than by the more experienced miners. Indeed, 129 K T1 'if HI r I ' >: ril' ijl-i f/ it »«! Ilii: I (! !!'!« I 'I! i I if THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF in many cases, the latter have been guided by the former to some of the best paying claims. Many of the older prospectors (men who had been in the country for several years) were of opinion that Bonanza Creek was too wide and deep to be of much account, but their theories have been entirely upset by the results. * You can't tell any- thing about gold,' said one grizzled old veteran, after one of the marvellous ' clean-ups ' from this creek had electrified the world ; * you're just as likely to find it where it ain't as where it are ! ' It is no exaggeration to say that everyone who has staked out a claim on either Bonanza or El-Dorado this year has turned out over 2,000/., the majority of course much more. Thus far Mr. Clarence Berry is the Barnato of the Klondike. Berry was earning a modest livelihood as a fruit-raiser in California. Three years ago wonderful stories of the riches of Alaska reached Berry's ears — riches only to be obtained by those brave enough to risk a terrible death from cold and starvation. Berry had nothing to lose and everything to gain. His capital was only 8Z., but he managed to 130 \ ALASKA TO BEIUNG STKAITS I * A borrow another 12/. from a man who was afraid to go with him, but who advanced the money at a fabulous rate of interest. Berry started with forty companions, but the timid turned back, and by the time the party reached Lake Bennett they had dwindled down to three. When Berry reached Forty-Mile City he was alone, the others having died on the way. While at Forty-Mile Berry heard reports of the marvellous gold deposits that have since been brought to light. But there was a girl, far away in California, who had promised to be his wife within a certain time. A letter was there- fore written telling his ' fiancee ' of the bound- less possibilities of Alaska, and without a moment's hesitation, but much against the wish of her parents. Miss Ethel Bush travelled by sea and up the Yukon river to Forty-Mile City, where the pair were married. Berry and his wife were among the first to reach Klondike. They took 26,000Z. from only one of his claims. The first prospect gave 8s., then 126'., to the pan ; and this rose suddenly to 51. and 101. the pan. One day Mr. and Mrs. Berry 131 K I' ii^' [li! ' 14 '' it ^M- ll ■'Hi 'I I I '»i »' ^^ n n si 1 n i| :;' THKOUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF took no less than 120/. from a single jpan of earth. Mrs. Berry herself lifted out 10,000/. from her husband's claim in her spare moments. Thi^i was her amusement during perhaps the strangest honeymoon that has ever been recorded. Mr. Berry has many claims on the Klondike, and it is confidently anticipated by competent judges that he will one day be one of the richest men in the world.' Alexander MacDonald, on Claim^ No. 30, El-Dorado, started drifting with four other men. The five together took out 19,000/. in twenty-eight days. The ground dug up measured but forty square feet. William Leggatt, on Claim No. 13, El-Dorado, together with two other men, purchased a claim for 9,000/. They could not pay the whole amount in cash, but made a deposit of 400/. and ' I learn from Mr. Ladue that Mrs. Lippy (whose husband has a claim valued at 200,000Z.) and Mrs. Berry picked out of a dump 1,200/. each, in a few days after their arrival. Tliey found the metal by poking around in the dirt with sticks. I cite this instance to show how much valuable material was discarded in the wild rush for Bonanzas. ^ Creek aiid river claims are .'500 feet long and extend in width from base to base of the hill or bench on each side, but a discoverer is entitled to 150 additional feet. 132 m f Mr. ] ALASKA TO BEKING STRAITS agreed to pay the balance of 8,600/. before July 1, 1897. This was agreed to. They sank a shaft, and at once took out at the rate of 200/. per day. By May 15, 1897, they had netted 12,400/., and the space of the claim worked was only twenty-four square feet. A young man (a friend of Mr. Ladue's), who went to the Klondike during the summer of 1897, writes that for seven consecutive days he took 360/. a day from his claim. Of other authentic cases, I may mention that of a San Francisco man and his wife who have this year taken out 27,000/. and have not worked half their single claim, and that of a stoker on board one of the river steamers, who when I met him on the Yukon was earning 10/. a month. He is now worth 30,000/. T. S. Lippy, who, when I knew him at Forty- Mile in 1896, was living a hand-to-mouth exis- tence as a day labourer, brought down 1,300/. in the ' Portland,' and has claims valued at 200,000/. as yet untouched. F. G. Bowker, who came with him, brought 18,000/., while his claims also unworked are said to be worth 100,000/. Over 133 I I <^ I m \i\ m ill' lit ■If jl F:i 'I m li 1 i« ». f ( ■1' V t W.M TITROUGH THE (40TiD-FTELT)S OF a Hcore of others cleaned up over 10,000/. between September 1896 and July 1897. T could cite many more instances of this kind, but enough has been shown to prove that (judging from the fact that the soil at Klondike has oiily been, so to speak, scratched) Dawson City is one day destined to rival, if not surpass, Coolgardie and Johannesburg in the history of mining operations. I have found it quite impossible to reply to the numberless letters that have reached me during the past few months, from unknown correspondents p^'^'ing for advice as to the best means of reaching Klondike. I will therefore conclude this chapter with a few remarks upon the subject. There is no use disguising the fact that, to quote an ' old-timer's ' expression, ' Alaska is no soft snap.' Unless a man is prepared to face daily, almost hourly, hardships and difficulties, he had far better remain at home. There is probably no country in the world so replete with discomforts and annoy- ances of every kind, and I would strongly urge those projecting a visit to the gold-fields 134 I I 1 ALASKA TO BILKING STKAITS i to take into serious consideration the immense distances to bo traversed — distances that must be covered by dint of sheer hard labour. In time, travelHng facihties will no doubt be greatly increased, but le can scarcely hope to find much improvement next spring when the great rush will take place. A definite route into the country has not even yet been fixed upon. The most direct route from England is from Liverpool to New York or Montreal, thence by Canadian Pacific Railway to Victoria, B.C., whence small steamers run frequently to Juneau and Skagway. For those who intend to brave the passes the middle or end of February will be the best time to start from this country. Those going by sea via St. Michael need not think of leaving until April. Bering Sea is closed by ice and St. Michael unapproachable by water until the middle of June (and some- times later), and one can scarcely concp ';^e how the public can be gulled into securing passages by steamers advertised to leave the Pacific ports for Klondike in March, when navigation 135 Ill i-i; ) 'I' w i'i Ik > .1 I' r ' ■ < II i ^ i ivS i * n • 'i! H 1 { 4t; if Ir )' ^ 1 THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF beyond the Aleutian Islands only opens (at the earliest) about the middle of May. As regards outfit, do not take anything that is not absolutely necessary. Remember, also, that everything you require can be procured at Juneau from men who do nothing but fit out prospectors for the Yukon, and therefore thoroughly understand the business. A couple of large oilskin bags, such as sailors use, will be found useful ; two or three thick tweed suits, plenty of flannel underwear, six pairs of wading stockings, and a good strong hunting knife had better be got in London ; also a couple of pairs of hair {snoiu) goggles, to be obtained from Silver & Co., Cornhill, E.G. The latter are light and unbreakable, and infinitely more comfortable than glass or wire. Fire-arms are absolutely useless for all the game you will see on the Yukon, and will only load you up unnecessarily. Recollect that on this journey every pound is of importance. It is forbidden to carry a revolver at Klondike, nor is one needed at any of the mining settlements in Alaska. 136 h I ALASKA TO BEEING STKAITS No one should think of travelling alo..e. Three is the best number, for it just fits a comfortably sized boat, and there is always a spare man in case of accident or sickness. Four is not too many, but this number is quite sufficient for one party. The best route into Alaska is a very vexed question. There is so much difference of opinion, that, until next spring, it would be premature to offer any advice on the subject. The White Pass is now said to be worse than the dreaded Chilcoot, and no man should attempt the passage of the latter unless he be endowed with steady nerves and inured to the severest fatigue and privations. It would, perhaps, be wise for those who have led sedentary lives, or are not blessed with the strongest constitu- tions, to make up their minds to lose a few weeks' time and travel round to Klondike by sea and river — via St. Michael's. Two new routes, nowever, one over the Daulton trail, and the other via the Stikine river and Glenora to Teslin Lake, have been favourably reported on by Canadian surveyors, and one of these ^37 "^ i » 1 (I . THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF may possibly be opened up by the late spring of 1898. In conclusion, no man should dream of venturing into Alaska who cannot land on the scene of operations with at least a clear lOOZ., after paying his passage money, outfit, and all incidental expenses. In other words, a capital of at least 3001. is needed by everyone who intends to try his luck at the New Eldorado, and, in the words of Joe Ladue, ' Double that sum is better still, if he can raise it ! ' ll^l 1 4 1 ,» I m II T I I' I 138 ;;JL._.. ALASKA TO SEEING STEAITS CHAPTER VII FOKTY-MILE CITY— CHICLE ClTY—KOSEiiEFyKI— FOliT ST. MICHAEL Any pleasant visions of civilised comforts which its imposing title had inspired were rudely dis- pelled on arrival at Forty-Mile City. The latter is situated about forty miles below Dawson, on the left bank on the Yukon, and consists (hke most Alaskan ' cities ') of a collection of eighty or ninety dismal-looking log huts on a mud- bank. The shanties are scattered about any- how, with no attempt at regularity, the marshy intervening spaces being littered with wood shavings, empty tins, and other rubbish, while numerous tree- stumps show the recent origin of this northern mining camp, which is, however, the parent settlement of the interior, having been founded in 1887. Huge placards with the 139 M I •{■ M I': I I. ! 1! i I I / THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF words * Hotel,' ' Saloon,' and even ' Opera House ' (the latter a ' dive ' of the lowest description) adorn some of the larger dwellings, where, though bread is often lacking, whisky is never scarce. Forty-Mile City is in British territory. It is populated (or was, at the time of my visit) by a few hundred gold-miners, a detachment of the Canadian Mounted Police (who, I need hardly say, are ;/?anounted here), the 'employes ' of the Alaska Connnercial Company, a score of saloon keepers, and a few ladies of doubtful reputation, who make things pretty lively during the dark sunless winter. The gold-seekers then return with their clean-up of the precious metal, which is only too often squandered in drink and debauchery until empty pockets herald the return of spring. Since ' winter mining ' has come into fashion, however, the profits of the gambling saloons and similar establish- ments have shown a marked decrease, and the ' Forty-Miler ' is more provident than formerly. But even men of frugal mind find it hard to make both ends meet here, where provisions 140 '■f ^ I \ U' I ilH .H'» i fi'l ^ ill M i !^ ii'i: : ^ mm ALASKA TO BERING STRAITS cost half their weight in silver, and often fetch more than ten times their value in gold. The Alaska Commercial Company has an agency here, a two-storied wooden building, where we were welcomed by the Agent, and made as comfortable as circumstances and the scarcity of provisions would permit. For the first up-river steamer had not yet made her appearance, and the little food remaining from the winter's store was necessarily, even at our host's hospitable board, jealously doled out. Thanks to Father Barnum, the Catholic mission, a tiny log house, about thirty-five feet by eighteen feet, offered us sleeping accommodation, and, the priest in charge being absent on a tour of inspection, there was plenty of space to stretch our weary limbs and revel in the temporary absence of mosquitos, which, although they swarm in the adjacent woods, seldom trouble the settlement to any great extent. Forty-Mile is a city of roof-gardens ; not of the fashionable kind usually associated with female beauty, electric light, and Hungarian bands ; but gardens of a more practical, if less 141 kl m II '. >. ■ I >• 1, THKOUGH THE GULD-FIELDb OF ornamental, nature. The Yukon roof-garden was invented to keep out the cold, and effectually does so. Moss is generally used for caulking the sides of a Forty-]\Iile residence, and a thin layer of it laid all over the Hat roof. About a foot of loose dirt is placed over this, which, when the dwelling is more than a year old, is covered with a rank growth of weeds. A facetious American newspaper man that I met at Forty-Mile prophesied that, in the prosperous days to come, the mowing of the roof will be one of a householder's regular duties. Forty-Mile was long tlit^ chief town of the Upper Yukon in the palmy days of the ' Hudson Bay Company,' when furs rather than gold attracted the white man to these desolate regions. In 1888 the number of diggers on Forty-Mile Creek (a river about two hundred miles long that enters the Y^'ukon just below the town) and its tributaries became sufficiently great to induce the ' Alaska Commercial Com- pany ' to establish a trading post. In the summer of 1892 the ' North American Trading Company ' followe«J suit and founded a settle- 142 ^, :d. the I AUnlC sCM.MKH, NKAK lOUIV-MII.K ( IIV ii 11 i ': i ■ u. i# • 1 i i^f41 ALASKA TO 13EKING STKAITS ment about three-quarters of a mile down stream, which was named after Mr. John Cudahy, the well-known Chicago merchant, and one of the directors of the compari}'. A fort was erected here in 1805, and is occupied by twenty- five men of the Canadian Mounted Police, under the command of a captain ' (who acts as governor of the district), two subordinate officers and a surgeon. The fort is of wood, and surrounded by a stockade surmounted by the Union Jack, which floats at Fort Cudahy, over the most northerly garrison of the British Empire. Time passed drearily enough at Forty-Mile, for there was nothing to do during the long sunny days but to wander wearily up and down the bank watching in vain for the steamer, and varying the proceedings with occasional shots with a revolver at bottles thrown into the stream. Some of the riverside huts were literally torn up and thrown on their sides by ice, which, when it breaks up in May is swept down the Yukon at a terrible pace. At this season the ' This officer's salary of 24Z. per month, to mclude everything, Beams a scarcely adequate one, considering his onerous duties, and the ruinous cost of provisions. . t, 4 ff w n /a '^ 1:^"^^ > .V ^%10 ^ "^^ ^ /A IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-S) 1.0 1^ 1 2.8 ■ 50 "•^ lU m 2.5 IIIIM I.I 11.25 S lis IIIIIM 1.4 ill 1.6 A / - 4% 4< "t <;° y. ^ f/u & ^ rv '^x-^^ V ^9) ; HIilM M ; i 9 k THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF 1 i) mt nv Fv' lii (I 1.1 H , shores are generally flooded to a depth of several feet, and the huge blocks, some of them many feet high, come tearing down with an irresistible force that detaches whole acres of forest, and carries death and destruction into many a mining settlement. The sight is described as one of wild and terrible grandeur, but few who have witnessed it at close quarters ever care to repeat the experiment. All nationalities are represented at Forty-Mile — Americans, French, Germans, Russians, and Swedes — but I saw only one Englishman, the brother of a well-known barrister, who had given up mining for a while and taken to photography with much success.^ Most of the miners were away on their claims, but it was amusing at times to enter a saloon and listen to the babel of tongues. As news from the outer world was quite eight months old, the conversation was generally restricted to two subjects : the scarcity of provisions and the abundance of gold. Heated arguments were frequently evoked by the latter, but the former ' The illustration depicting ' An Arctic Summer ' is from a photograph taken near Forty-Mile by this gentleman, 144 IF sveral many stible i, and lining )ne of I have ire to 3S are ^rench, ,w only •known a while iccess.^ claims, saloon s news months cted to and the s were former ia from a a s o us a H X O M u o 1 !» >ri I ) II ALASKA TO BEEING STRAITS (for obvious reasons) created little discussion. Although, towards the small hours, men were frequently the worse for liquor, in these establishments I never once witnessed a brawl of any description, and during my whole journey down the Yukon never saw a blow struck in anger. Forty-Mile ' Creek ' is about one hundred and fifty yards wide at its mouth, and its current is strong with many small rapids. One of the latter, about eight miles from the Yukon, has drowned many miners. The distance from shore is trifling, and the fall not very great ; but there are many sunken rocks, and most of the fataHties occurred on account of the icy cold water, which renders a man helpless in -a very few seconds. The diggings are distant fifty to one hundred miles up the valley, and the method of reaching them is by ' tracking ' or ' poling,' or by both methods together. In ' tracking ' the boat is towed by one man, while another, walk- ing near the beach, keeps the boat well out from shore with a long pole ; or a man may stand in the boat and propel it by pushing 145 L i t t;<} I 1^ I 1^' fl'^li^' %ii 1 if 1 '■ 1' ' |i J THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF against the bottom. Poling is generally em- ployed in travelling up-stream, and so adept do the men become that they sometimes cover fifteen or twenty miles a day against a swift current. Forty-Mile and its tributaries have been mined with fair success for the past ten years ; but, although there are still many valuable claims to be had for the asking, the recent rush to Klondike has almost depopulated the district. The latter, however, cannot fail to become one of the utmost importance, for it contains large quantities of gold-bearing quartz. The follow- ing extract from a recent report of the Dominion Surveyor, Mr. W. O'Gilvie (who was residing at Forty-Mile City during my visit, and from whom I obtained much useful information) bears witness to this fact : — ' Gold-bearing quartz has been found in Cone Hill, which stands midway in the valley of the Forty-Mile river, a couple of miles above its junction with the Yukon. The quantity in sight rivals that of the Treadwell mine on the coast, and the quality is better, so much so that 146 ALASKA TO BEEING STEAITS it is thought it will pay well to work it even under the conditions existing here. Indications in sight point to the conclusion that the whole hill is composed of this metalliferous rock.' A later report says : — 'Assays of the Cone Hill quartz are very satisfactory, and the quantity good for genera- tions of gold ; were it on the coast the Treadwell mine would be diminutive beside it. If it starts and proves successful, there are scores of other places that may yield as well. An expert here who prospects for the North American Trading and Transportation Company found a ledge last spring on the Chandindu river of Schwatka^ (known as Twelve-Mile Creek here), and located two full claims on it. He told me the assay he made of many specimens of it was much more satisfactory than that of Cone Hill, and this ledge, he claims, is where a commencement should be made in quartz-milling in this country. There would be no fear of the result.' ' This stream flows into the Yukon (about thirty miles above Forty-Mile) from the westward. Good specimens of coal in fairly large quantities have been found on Twelve- Mile Creek. 147 h 2 THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF It » I: ti'i We had heard, while at Juneau, of a mountain of gold near Forty-Mile City, and, not unnaturally, dismissed the story as a pure fabrication. The existence of Cone Hill, how- ever, proves that the tale was not altogether without foundation.' Five, six days passed away without signs of the steamer, which was now nearly three weeks overdue. Grave doubts as to her safety were expressed by the Alaska Company's Agent, and the jests that had been made on our arrival as to the probability of sacrificing the weaker members of the community for food began to fall rather flat. For provisions were getting dangerously scarce, and matters were growing really serious, when on the morning of the seventh day a thin column of grey smoke appeared above the fir-fringed horizon, and a few hours later the ' Alice ' had reached her destination. No sooner ' In 1886 few of the men in Forty-Mile Creek were content with (ground yielding less than 3?. per diem, and several had taken out nearly '20Z. a day for a short time. With the few men at work, and their exceedingly limited facilities, this little stream, in 1887, gave up about 80,000/. in gold. At this time the total number of miners in the entire territory of the Upper Yukon was less than two hundred and lil'ty, and none of them wintered there. 148 OF of a ad, not I pure I, how- ogether dgns of 3 weeks ty were ent, and arrival weaker )egan to getting growing seventh d above ater the sooner [crc content keveral had pie few men stream, in atal number pn was less there. ?! o ( I ^1 n ; ' i ALASKA TO BERING STRAITS was the ungainly vessel moored to the steep muddy bank than her decks were thronged with an eager crowd of both sexes, almost as anxious to obtain news from the outside world as the more substantial necessaries of life. The steamer had been delayed by heavy ice on the Lower Yukon — a most unusual occurrence so late in the year. The river is generally quite clear for navigation by the end of June, but in Alaska one can never depend on the regularity of the seasons. The river steamers of Alaska are not luxuri- ous. Their accommodation would savour of actual hardship to one fresh from civilisation ; but the coarse lodging and coarser fare on board the 'Alice 'were very acceptable after a month in the open, passed under circumstances compared to which the roughest work in other wild lands is mere child's play. Nevertheless I would gladly, after the first two or three days, have exchanged my stuffy malodorous quarters on board the ' Alice ' for a six-foot space under the flimsy canvas tent we had discarded at Forty- Mile City. A crowd was, of course, 149 THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF ii unavoidable under the circumstances ; but much of the discomfort and all the dirt might have been avoided with little trouble and less ex- pense. The so-called ' state-rooms,' comfortless dens, swarmed with vermin, while it was neces- sary at meal-times to fight for a place at a greasy deal table strewn with the remnants of past meals, from which a famishing dog would have turned in disgust. I am grateful to the Alaska Commercial Company for many favours. Their hospitality to the stranger in that lone northern land is justly proverbial, and my journey from the Pacific Ocean to Bering Sea was not only successfully but rapidly accom- plished under their kindly auspices. I cannot, however, refrain from pointing out an evil in their otherwise admirable administration, which, I feel sure, were it known at the head office in San Francisco, would be quickly remedied. The ' Alice ' was, like all Yukon steamers, a broad flat-bottomed stern-wheeler of very light draught, for near Fort Yukon and towards the Delta there is frequently only three to four feet 150 IF ALASKA TO BERING STRAITS much have is ex- )rtles8 neces- I at a mants g dog rateful many in that bnd my ng Sea accom- cannot, in their |h, I feel in San imers, a ^ry Ught irds the lour feet ii of water, even in the deepest channels. A ' first- class ' fare from Forty-Mile to St. Michael's costs 20/., and as freight is 30/. a ton, the Alaska Commercial Company, who own four out of the five boats on the river, have no cause to com- plain. The season no doubt is short, and each vessel can only make, under the most favourable circumstances, three round trips throughout the year ; but they are generally so crammed with passengers and cargo that the Company's receipts must be enormous. About fifteen miles below Forty- Mile we pass a large mass of rock on the left bank. Schwatka called this ' Roquette Rock,' but it is known to miners and others as the ' Old Woman,' a very similar mass on the west bank being known as the ' Old Man.' I am indebted to Mr. W. O'Gilvie for particulars of the following Indian legend from which these curious landmarks derive their names : — * In remote ages there lived a powerful " Shaman," this being the local name for what is known as " Medicine man " among the Indians 151 I' THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF W !'i '! • Ma farther south and east.* The Shaman holds a position and exercises an influence among the people he lives with so?^ewhat akin to the wise men or magi of olden times in the East. In this powerful being's locality there lived a poor man who had the great misfortune to have as wife an inveterate scold. He bore the infliction for a long time without murmuring, in hopes that she would relent, but time seemed only to increase the affliction. At length, growing weary of the unceasing torment, he complained to the Shaman, who comforted him, and sent him home with the assurance that all would soon be well. ' Shortly after this he went out to hunt, and remained away for many days endeavouring to get some provisions for home use, but without avail. He therefore returned, weary and hungry, only to be met by his wife with a more than usually violent outburst of scolding. This so provoked him that he gathered all his strength and energy, and gave her a kick that sent her ' Medicine men are also known as 'Shamans' throughout Northern and North-Eastern Hiberia. OF lolds a Qg the le wise st. In a poor lave as fliction hopes id only [rowing plained 3nt him 30on be nt, and iring to A^ithout tiungry, re than This so trength ient her I IIAIIMOV, IMHAN ( IllEi', lUIITV-MII.K (IT' f V tir hroughont ! ■ ii i^ m ''f ■i • » / ■ i "3^ 1 : M ,' 1 : 1 i -i '' m ! ,1?; Iff ' - Vi il J f > ''*i , , !\__* - -i ALASKA TO BEEING STEAITS clean across the river. On landing she was converted into the mass of rock which remains to this day a memorial of her viciousness and a warning to all future scolds. The metamor- phosis was effected by the Shaman ; but how the necessary force was acquired to send her across the river (here about half a mile wide), or whether the kick was administered partly by the Shaman and partly by the husband, history does not relate.' No river of any size joins the Yukon between Forty- Mile City and the boundary line that separates the British and American pos- sessions. There is only one stream, Coal Creek, about five miles below Fort Cudahy, which enters from the east, and upon which extensive coal seams have been found. The international complications and discussions that have attended the partition of the Alaska boundary are now a matter of history. Anent this subject Mr. O'Gilvie (the British represen- tative on the Boundary Commission) was good enough to furnish me with a few facts, which i I) 153 THEOUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF i' lii' ! from such an undeniable authority can scarcely fail to interest the reader. It would appear, according to the Dominion Surveyor, that the partition has been attended with the greatest difficulty. That portion of the boundary running across the noj th-western part of the North American continent, from the Pacific to the Arctic Ocean, is simply a geo- graphical line defined in the Anglo-Eussian treaty of 1825 as the 141st meridian of longitude west of Greenwich. This would, therefore, seem to be clearly defined; but it has been found necessary to fix more accurately this portion of the international boundary by means of astrono- mical observations, which are precluded, by the high altitude, for more than six months in the year. During the spring summer, and autumn the continuous twilight (j;t midsummer almost daylight) renders the necessary number of stars requisite for observation invisible. Were tele- graphic communication established with the south and east, this portion of the meridian could be laid down with a probable error of, say, eight or ten feet ; but with the only means at present available 154 y if • ALASKA TO BEEING STEAITS 1 1 the result of a season's observations by two of the most experienced observers may differ many hundred yards. ^ Unfavourable meteorological conditions are also a serious obstacle to the work in hand. The first attempt at defining the Alaskan boundary was made by Lieutenant Schwatka, of the United States army, who, in 1883, made a rough and necessarily crude survey of the Lewes and Pelly -Yukon rivers from their head to Fort Yukon, situated at the mouth of the Porcupine river, a distance of about live hundred miles. Lieutenant Schwatka determined the position of the boundary from this survey, and located it at the mouth of what is now known as Mission Creek, naming a high rock bluff at this point Boundary Butte. But in consequence of numer- ous representations to the Canadian Government, and British demands for claims in tho gold-fields of the Yukon Basin, it was determined to send in a joint Geographical and Geological Survey to examine thoroughly that portion of the ^' ii ' There can be no doubt as to the position of the Klondike gold-fields, which are 55 miles at least from the American frontier. THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF ( « I i ^i / i Yukon region lying in British territory. For this purpose Dr. G. M. Dawson, Director of the Geological Survey of Canada, was deputed to make the Geological, and Mr. William O'Gilvie the Geographical Survey. Dr. Dawson's opera- tions were confined to the Pelly and Lewes rivers, but Mr. O'Gilvie carefully examined the entire country from Pyramid Island and Chilkat Inlet (at the head of Lynn Canal) to the head of Dyea Inlet, thence over the Chilkoot Pass, and down the lakes and rapids of the Lewes and Yukon rivers, to the vicinity of the 141st meridian. Mr. O'Gilvie arrived here on September 14, 1887. Winter quarters were erected and an astronomical observatory built. The result of Mr. O'Gilvie's astronomical observations was recorded some fifteen miles higher up the Yukon river, and nine miles farther east, than Lieutenant Schwatka's determination, which latter, however, is not, from the nature of the survey, entitled to much consideration. In 1889 the United States Government decided to verify Mr. O'Gilvie's determinations, and despatched two members of the Coast i5<^ ALASKA TO BERING STRAITS dies bion, re of pent Ions, oast Survey Staff, Messrs. Mai^rath and Turner, to Alaska to determine by astronomical observa- tions the position of the 141st meridian on the Yukon and Porcupine rivers. The result of these observations was at first in favour of Canada as against Mr. O'Gilvie's determination, and located the boundary considerably farther west than the latter gentleman had done. Lately, however, a revision of Mr. Magrath's computations locates the disputed line at a point far east of Mr. O'Gilvie, which circumstance has largely contributed to the present difficulty. The matter still remains in abeyance, chiefly owing to the dilatoriness of the United States Government, which does not appear at all anxious to come to a settlement on this vexed question. On the dull drizzly morning of July 16 we reach Circle City (in American territory), which, wrapped in a mantle of grey mist, presents a truly dismal and depressing appearance. The ' Alice ' is made fast to a mudbank, opposite the store of one Jack McQuesten, well known as the ' Father of the Yukon.' A corrugated iron shed 157 THROUGH THE GOLD FIELDS OF close to the landing-place is the property of this gentleman, and is looked upon with much curiosity, foi it is the only one on the river. Circle City derives its name from its proximity to the Arctic Circle, and was founded in 1894, shortly after gold had been discovered by some half-breed Indians in its vicinity. The ' lind ' attracted the usual rush of white men, and in 1896 the settlement contained over 1,200 inhabitants. About four hundred log buildings line the wide straggling thoroughfares. The pre- vailing style of architecture resembles that of Forty-Mile City, but the streets are laid out with greater regularity, and there are fewer tree-stumps and morasses than in the English settlement up-river. Circle City is now practically deserted, although, at the time of our visit, it was a busy thriving place ; for many of the creeks around are rich, and would under other circumstances never have been abandoned. But ' Klondicitis ' (as the Alaskan gold fever has been facetiously named) raged so violently at Circle City some months ago that men who were comfortably turning out 158 led) iths out H U ■J o I 3 a u I i * v 1 * 1 ' 1: ' lit M 'h ALASKA TO BEBING STRAITS their 200Z. and 300/. a month deserted their claims without a moment's hesitation, and have probably, ere now, regretted their rashness. The most important diggings near here are situated on Birch Creek; but Mastodon and Eagle Creeks have also turned out a large amount of gold. Several gold claims have also been partly worked on Boulder, Deadwood, and Harrison Creeks. These are now all lying idle, but will probably be in full swing again before the end of 1898. A curious fact in connection with the un- usual mining conditions at Klondike was brought to my notice while at Circle City. An old miner there (who had been in Alaska eight or ten years) told a friend of mine that hitherto experienced miners about Circle City had sunk their shafts, and followed what was supposed to be an infallible rule in placer mining— viz. that when they struck the clay they abandoned their claims, considering them to be valueless. Since then, he added, ignorant ' tender-feet ' had gone into the Klondike, and, not knowing when to stop digging, dug right through the clay, and ^59 } > ' i ; > THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF ' I Mi'i ifi; i; ]\i 4 \f,_ I'f ;i ; had thus come upon the richest strikes. The old fellow and his mates had thereupon returned to their old digp^ings near Circle City, to work through the clay, in the hopes of finding the same conditions as at Klondike.' Circle City has been called by enthusiastic ' Yukoners ' the ' Paris of Alaska,' but I failed to trace the slightest resemblance to the beautiful French city as I wandered disconsolately about on the morning of our airival, splashing about in the rain among the motley collection of sodden dwellings and dripping roofs. There was certainly more gaiety, or life, of a tawdry, disreputable description than at Forty-Mile, for every tenth house was either a gambling or drinking saloon, or a den of an even worse de- scription. There are (or were) two theatres, and a (so-called) Music Hall. One of the theatrical ' This circumstance is explained l»y the fact that at Klondike there has been found what is called a false bedrock. It would appear that, in the glacial action, the gold was deposited on true bedrock, and subsequently, by either volcanic action or extraordinary glacial action, y hat appeared to be another bedrock was deposited on top of this gold deposit, and parties who have gone through this false bedrock have found rich pay-streaks between it and true bedrock (O'Gilvie's Ken.irt. 1897.) I I 60 ALASKA TO BERING STIUITS M companies which visited the phice last winter was composed of six youn^' women und five men, of whom all the women had managed to stru<,'gle over the Chilkoot Pass, and down the lakes and rapids to their destination. But, although legiti- mate drama of the hlood-curdling type found many arlmirers, the dancing-saloons were in- finitely more popular. A ball is given nightly at one or other of these establishments, and half a dozen if a fortunate miner returns with plenty of *dust.' I attended one of these entertain- ments in a long low apartment, festooned with American, Gerrnan, and Swedish flags (the Union Jack was conspicuous by its absence), with a drinking-bar at one end. The orchestra consisted of a violin and guitar — almost drowned by a noisy crowd at the bar, where a wrangle took place, on an average, every five minutes. It was past midnight, but the Arctic twilight still revealed a number of mud-stained men and painted women, slowly circling round to the strains of the ' Donau-Wellen,' execrably played ; $1 is charged by the saloon-keeper for the privilege of one dance with a lady, who i6i M t ;»'■' THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF receives twenty-five cents as her share in the transaction. The guests numbered about sixty, and quite a third that number of dogs had strayed in through the open doorway from the street. The dogs appeared to excite no surprise initil the master of the ceremonies (in shirt sleeves) proceeded to walk round and sprinkle the boards with powdered resin ; the dancers then gave way to their delight with shrieks of laughter and the shrillest cat-calls, for a hungry cur was closely following him, and greedily devouring every atom as it fell. It is said that, even in its palmiest days, Circle City contained more dogs than people, and this I can readily believe, for one could scarcely walk along the streets without stum- b^nig over one at every step. The Yukon dog is a terrible thief, and will carry of! anything, from a piece of bacon to a pair of boots. Everything of an edible nature in a settlement is therefore ' cached ' in small sheds, built on poles eight or ten feet high, and entered by a movable ladder. A good sleigh dog in Alaska costs from $lh to (^'200, and sometimes more. Nearly all the dogs 162 I ■.' \ \ ^'' log IS from |thing -efore Iht or idder. 175 to dogs do '5 r '/ r » ALASKA TO BEBING STRAITS from Circle City and Forty-Mile are now at Klondike, and many will probably be used for food there during the coming winter. Notwithstanding the rowdy element, crime is rare in Circle City. There is no police, as on the Canadian side, and practically no govern- ment. The place is ruled by miner's law, repre- sented by a society called the ' Yukon Pioneers.' Everything, from a mining dispute to a broken head, is settled by this tribunal. There is no appeal, the law being carried out if necessary by physical force, and, strange to say, this rough and ready mode of administering justice has so far been found satisfactory. There are no regular banks at Circle City. Gold dust at Sll an ounce is legal tender, and deposited, as a rule, with Jack McQuesten, in whose safe there are frequently 20,000?. worth of nuggets and dust. Jack's honesty and integrity are well known from Dyea to St. Michael, and no receipt is e ^,ked for or, indeed, needed. For the big- hearted Irishman has too often assisted the poor and needy miner with funds from his own store not to be far above suspicion. But robbery of rl 16' ji :j 1 i M. Ill ■ 1 1 : t (■ i i. f: Jj t\ liv!i'f '[< s\' fci I :!| (,' THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF any kind is a rarity in Alaska, where the gold- seekers are more like members of one large family than anything else — a family which contains but few black sheep, judging by the hearty and affectionate welcome which Father Barnum received from one and all upon his reappearance at the mining stations en route. On these occasions the familiar red jersey was discarded for garments of a sable hue, and the clerical garb was donned with such celerity that a facetious passenger one day suggested that the wearer had mistaken his vocation, and should have been a ' quick change ' artist. ' Profit by my example, Joe,' was the bland rejoinder. ' Cleanliness is next to godliness, as I have always told you, and I am quite sure you have not had that old " Jumper " off for the last three years ! ' The shaft hit the mark, for Joe's aversion to water (in any shape) was a byword on the Yukon. But few ever ' took on ' our good priest at repartee and went unscathed away. Shortly after leaving Circle City the Yukon widens into a kind of huge lake, perhaps eighty to a hundred miles in circumference, covered 164 ill l.:-l . ALASKA TO BERING STRAITS with islands, which render navigation both tedious and difficult. Fort Yukon (within the Arctic circle) is the next station of any import- ance, and the most northerly point on the river, which now trends away to the south-west. Fort Yukon is an abandoned trading-post of the Hudson Bay Company, and was once, owing to its position near the mouth of the Porcupine river, a place of considerable import- ance. It is now deserted but for one white man, who occupies a rough wooden shanty, and carries on a trade in furs and fish with the Indians north and south of his station. Ten or twelve tents near the landing-place were occupied by Indians from the Porcupine and its tribu- taries, who contrasted favourably both in size and appearance with their brethren of the Yukon. A short distance below this point the steamer * Arctic,* on her way up-river, passed the ' Alice,' and following a practice borrowed fiom whalers, and known as ' gamming,' both vessels moored alongside each other for an hour to exchange news. I was surprised to see many of 165 s'i if. THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF T ;■ ri ■(>'. i' , I the miners who had left Circle City but twenty- four hours ago suddenly shake hands with their comrades, shoulder their belongings, and embark on the up-river boat, some of the Forty-Mile passengers following their example. I learnt that this is a common occurrence on the Yukon, and it only serves to show the feverish restless habits engendered by the search for gold in even the most practical men. ' Old Pete,' an old- timer, who left us with the rest to go back to his claim, had already made three ineffectual attempts to leave the country. Several tribu- taries join the Yukon between the Porcupine river and the settlement of Nulato (which was reached on July 18), but with the exception of the Tanana and Koyukuk ^ rivers, none of any great importance. Nulato is a fair-sized village, which bears the unenviable notoriety of having been the scene of many tragedies connected with white settlers. Among others. Lieutenant Barnard - was murdered here by Indians in 1851 ; v ' The Koynknk river, which enters the Yukon near Nulato, was proBpectetl in 189o 94, nnd indications of good placers found. - See Appendix E. i66 n w\ ALASKA TO BERING STRAITS Mrs. Beane, wife of an employe in the Alaska Commercial Company, was shot by natives in 1879 ; while, at a spot not far distant, Archbishop Seghers, of the Catholic Church, was treacher- ously murdered by his white servant in 1886. Nulato is also famed for the size and virulence of its mosquitoes ; but, although it is an established fact that nine dogs were actually killed by these pests during the month preceding our arrival, we did not suffer so much here as at many places up-river. There are no places of interest on the Lower Yukon, although, owing to the fur trade, settle- ments become more numerous as we near the sea. The pleasantest memory that I retain of the dreary journey from Circle City to St. Michael is the Catholic mission of the Holy Cross at Koserefski, which is prettily situated in a grassy valley formed by low, undulating hills. The ' Alice ' remained here for a few hours, which enabled me to visit the mission. The latter consists of several neat wooden buildings, comprising dwelling-houses for the sisters, a priest's house, a pretty chapel, a school for the 167 THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF ;m Hi ('■'•! native children, and a vegetable garden, where potatoes and cabbages had been grown with doubtful success. Here too was the first and last flower-garden that we came across in Alaska. It was pathetic to see the care that had been lavished on the flowers — poor things at best — but which infused a touch of warmth and colour even into this lonely waste. One of the sisters pointed with pride to some mignon- ette that during the first few days of the brief summer had been carefully taken indoors every night, and as carefully replanted every morning, for fear of the frost ! At one end of the garden was a statue of Our Lady, enshrined in a tiny chapel of pine boughs, while a large white cross near the mission marked the resting-place of a poor sister who had died just before our arrival. The climate of Koserefski is very trying, and many deaths have already occurred here, al- though the mission was only founded some ten years ago. Before leaving we visited the schools, models of neat cleanliness, where twenty or thirty children of both sexes were at work. French is the language spoken, and it seemed 1 68 ■ ALASKA TO SEEING STEAITS strange to hear the crisp clean accent again in this out-of-the-way corner of creation. But the whole place wore an air of peace and homeliness so different to the squalid settlements up-river that one might almost have imagined oneself in some quiet village in far-away France. Father Barnum, our good friend and com- panion during many weary days of travel, left us at Koserefski, and it was with sincere regret that we bade him farewell. Few human beings are endowed with the courage, geniality, and supreme unselfishness that characterised one whom I shall alwavs be proud to remember as a fellow- traveller, and whose acquaintance I sincerely hope some day to renew in more civilised regions. A new world awaits us a few hours below Koserefski. Trees are no longer visible. Vast plains of grey ■ tundra ' roll away to the horizon on every side, and the monotony, as the steamer churns her way through the muddy stream, becomes wearisome in the extreme. The un- savoury Indian and his birch-bark canoe are now things of the past. We have reached the land of the queer-looking fur-clad Eskimo, who 169 THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF 'fr 11 darts alongside in his tiny skin ' kyak,' with a smile on his honest brown features, a con- trast to the sullen, vicious faces we have left behind us. Nor is this the only sign that the Alaskan part of our Journey is drawing to an end, for a sharp bite in the air towards evening warns us that w^e are rapidly nearing Bering Sea and the confines of the Great Frozen Ocean. On July 20 we reach the Aphoon, one of the many mouths of the Yukon, and anchor off Kutlik, a tiny settlement in the midst of an Arctic desert, composed, in summer, of soaking impassable prairie, in winter, of an unbroken plain of ice and snow stretching drearily away to the Arctic Ocean. From here a sea journey of sixty odd hours separates us from our destination, a passage which strong and frequent gales and a heavy sea occasionally render very unpleasant, if not dangerous, in a flat-bottomed river boat. But fortune favours us. The treacherous waters of Bering Sea are, for a wonder, smooth and sunlit, and at midday, on July 21, we anchor off Fort St. Michael, the journey here from New York having occupied exactly fifty-six days. 170 \k 4 ALASKA TO BEIUNG STEAITS CHAPTEE VIII AMONG THE ESKIMO— THE ' BEAR '— KING's ISLAND Webe I condemned to live in Alaska (which Heaven forbid ! ) I should certainly select St. Michael as a place of residence ; for, although the inhabitants are practically prisoners during nine months of the year, it is a bright clean little place, a contrast to the dirty slipshod towns of the interior. First and foremost, there are few mosquitoes, which is in itself an incalculable blessing. Moreover, the cold, which inland sometimes registers 80° (Fahr.) below zero, seldom falls here below 55'' below zero (see Appendix F) ; and, although rain and fog are prevalent in autumn, and mid-winter brings down terrific blizzards from the north, the short wintry days are generally bright, still, and pleasant. Plenty of sport is obtainable on the mainland. Caribou, wild-geese, duck, and 171 !• jili ('■' ?: Nl If, !l I: i.f II III I! i THROUGPI THE GOLD-FIKLDS OF ptarmigan abound ; but, although sahnon are numerous, they will not rise to a fly. The agent of this branch of the Alaska Connnercial Com- pany (who controls a district rather larger in area than Germany) has known them lo scale as high as 100 lbs. Fort St. Michael, which has, under American rule, become a place of considerable importance, is separated from the mainland of Alaska by a narrow strait four or live miles broad. The island is composed of ' tundra ' ; a swampy plain like those beyond the tree-limit in Siberia, impassable in summer, but admirably adapted for sleighing purposes. The settlement consists chiefly of warehouses and dweUings erected by the Alaska Commercial Company, which form one long street, neatly paved with wood, and kept scrupulously clean in wot or dusty weather. There is also a large barn-like building dignilied by the name of * Hotel,' for the use of miners and others entering or leaving the country, who frequently have to wait here several days (if not weeks) for an ocean or river steamer. Natives are forbidden to reside in the settlement; but 172 i I I " . ft fi'M ■ I m ij ■'K' ili ALASKA TO BEEING STRAITS the low green hills around are dotted with the white tents of the Eskimo, who, during the summer, travel here with furs from great distances. A neat green-roofed church, an old bastion, and some rusty cannon are the sole remaining rehcs of the time when grey-coated Cossacks garrisoned the island, and rifles were more plentiful than the almighty dollar. A Russian priest also resides here ; for the Greek Church has still many missions throughout the country, largely subsidised by the Russian Government.' I have generally found in my wanderings that, whether an Englishman be roasting on the sands of an African desert or freezing on the floes of the Arctic, he generally manages to make his immediate surroundings as comfortable (if not as luxurious) as circumstances will permit. I have starved with a French regiment three miles from a railway in Algeria, and eaten ice cream with a Scotch planter in the wilds of Borneo; but I was scarcely prepared for th3 • The ' Redonte St. Michael,' as it was formerly called, was founded by Lieut. Tebeiikoff, of the Russian service, in 1835. ^7^ ■ laipiui THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF 1 1, I i t ■■fill :( ■ i| reception awaiting me at the house of my fellow- coiuitryman, Mr. Wilson, of the Alaska Com- mercial Company, and his charming wife, who had surromided themselves with all the refine- ment and comforts of an English home. I was resigned to a more or less lengthened sojourn at the barn-like building aforementioned, but was rescued by Mr. Wilson, who carried me off to his cosy dwelling, with a hearty invitation to ' stop as long as I liked, and the longer the better.' So I was r'^^'^ installed in a pretty bedroom with chintz curtains under the agent's hospitable roof, wondering whether this were not all a dream, from which I should presently awake on the wrong side of the Grand Canon, or in my grimy cabin on board the ' Alice.' For it seemed all too good to be true. A warm bath was, in itself, an undreamt-of luxury, the excellent dinner that followed it a revelation in this northern wilderness. These, and the cigars and whisky-and-soda that preceded a ' Nirvana ' of pillows and clean sheets, remain to this day engraven on my memory, undimmed by subsequent miseries on the western shores of 174 ALASKA TO BERING STRAITS Bering Straits, that might well have effaced a less pleasurable reminiscence. Notwithstanding its cheerful surroundings, a gloomy interest is attached to St. Michael from the fact that it is the last port generally visited by Arctic expeditions before entering the frozen region that enshrines the world's great mystery. It was from here that the ill-fated * Jeannette ' set out in August 1879 on a voyage destined to furnish a record of suffering unpar- alleled even in Arctic annals.^ Two years later the U.S. ' Rodgers ' called here for the last time on her way north, to be afterwards totally destroyed by fire in St. Lawrence Bay, Siberia. I also retain unpleasant memories, from a travelling point of view, of St. Michael ; for it was here that my projected ice-journey across Bering Straits received its final coup de grace. My original intention upon . leaving New York w^as to proceed to St. Michael, remain there until winter set in, and then travel on by ' ' This is a miserable place,' wrote poor De Long in his journal of St. Michael. ' Desolate and cheerless as the place is, we may j'et look back upon it as a kind of earthly paradise.' Tlie words were indeed prophetic I il THEOUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF : :( = I):' I .;,, )!(■■ / ih! dog-sleigh to Cape Prince of Wales, on the American shores of Bering Straits. There is a reindeer station near here (established a few years ago by the United States Government), where I proposed to procure natives, dogs, and sledges, and await a favourable moment for crossing to the neighbourhood of East Cape, in Asia, a distance of about forty miles, over the ice. It was by no means certain, however, that the latter extended the entire distance from shore to shore. I had ransacked the library of the Royal Geographical Society in vain for information on this important point, to say nothing of perhaps a score of v > ks by Russian and Swedish Arctic explorers, but with no result. Even experienced whaling men in San Francisco differed as to the possibility of the sleigh Journey across Bering Straits. As a matter of fact, however, few of them had ever seen the latter between the months of November and July, when the whaling ships are either winter- ing far away in the ice off Herschel Island, summering in southern seas, or snugly reposing on the mud inside the Golden Gate. For the 176 ALASKA TO BERING STIUITS iigh r of the and iter- land, ^sing the same reason the Eskimo around St. Michael could tell me nothing ; for, although many of them were in the habit of trading up and down the Straits in skin boats during the open season, they knew no more about the condition of the ice than a Margate excursionist. Fortunately, however, shortly after my arrival a party of SiberiPxi natives landed here from East Cape, the most easterly point of Asia, about 250 miles distant, in a ' baidar^ ' ^ laden with furs, deer-skins, and other trading goods. They encamped just outside the settlement, and I immediately visited them, accompanied by a Russian half-breed as interpreter, to gain, if possible, some information whereon to form plans for the future. I was then unacquainted with the amiable qualities of the Tchuktchi, but was at once struck with their sullen, ill-favoured appearance and manners. The crew numbered about twenty, of whom perhaps a third were women and children. It was difficult, at first, to overcome the shyness and suspicion aroused by our appearance, and the nervousness engen- ' A skin boat. 177 N THKOUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF dered by the crowd of Eskimo around ; for a Tchuktchi away from his own home and people becomes as timid as a child. Trading, too, was their object, and they would not discuss other subjects until I produced a tin of English tobacco. Tongues then wagged more freely, and the spokesman, a sulky beetlebrowed giant, even relaxed into a grim smile when he heard of my intention, which was retailed, evidently as an excellent joke, to his companions. The Straits, we were assured, are never crossed except when a man has been carried away by accident on a floe from the ' foot-ice.' * On these occasions only both Eskimo and Tchuktchi had occasionally been swept away and landed on the opposite coast, but this was a very rare occurrence. The majority perished, for the simple reason that Bering Straits are never, even during the severest winter, entirely frozen over from shore to shore. An ice-jam of a few hours may, and does, occur at intervals ; but there is a channel halfway across, where huge ice-floes are con- tinually on the move, crushing and grinding ^ Ice securely fastened to the coast. 178 ''3 ALASKA TO BEEING STRAITS :or a eople , was other iglish 'reely, giant, iard of itly as The crossed vay by n these hi had on the irrence. reason mg the shore ay, and ihannel •e con- rinding their way into and out of the Pohir Sea. This channel is (so far as we could roughly ascertain by measuring on a paddle) about ten miles broad, or a quarter of the distance over. The Tchuktchi added that a sleigh journey is sometimes made to the American coast by natives of the Diomede Islands, about fifteen miles distant from Cape Prince of Wales, but even this was only attempted in cases of extreme urgency, such as starvation, (fee. Our informant, however, and the whole boat's crew, emphatically denied the possibility of a winter journey from America to Asia, across Bering Straits.^ It was a terrible disappointment, but one cannot achieve impossibilities. There was, there- fore, nothing to be done but to await the arrival of the U.S. Revenue cutter ' Bear,' which, through the kindly mediation of Sir Julian Pauncefote, the British Ambassador at Washington, had been placed at my disposal by the American authori- ties in the event of a difficulty of this kind. The ' Bear ' was patrolling the Arctic, and did * Bering Straits have an average depth of twenty-six fathoms, and are closed by ice-floes from the middle or end of October till the first or second week in Jimo— souietiiues later. 179 N 2 THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF ■! ;i not turn up for five weeks, which gave me plenty of time and opportunity for studying (under exceptionally comfortable circumstances) the habits and customs of that strange being the Alaskan Eskimo. The Alaskan Eskimo have been estimated by the Russian explorer Ivan Petroff ^ to number about 18,000. They inhabit the whole coast-line of Alaska west of the 141st meridian, with the exception of the northern part of Cook's Inlet, that portion of Alaska west of the 157th meridian, and the Shumagin and Aleutian group of islands. It is curious that, although only forty miles apart, the American and Asia- tic shores of Bering Straits should be peopled by tribes so utterly dissimilar in disposition, customs, and language. The Siberian Tchuktchi is engrained with every vice compatible with his isolated position. The Alaskan Eskimo are honest, good-tempered, and invariably friendly towards strangers. And yet, notwithstanding their widely different natures, the Eskimo ' A special agent deputed ]>y the United States Government to report upon the population, industries, and resources of Alaska. i8o i !.' ALASKA TO BERING STRAITS Iment to resembles the Tchuktchi in his habits. Both subsist ahnost entirely upon fish, and are equally repulsive in their daily life. Physically speaking, however, the Tchuktchi is superior to his neighbour. The average height of an Eskimo is about 5 feet 6 inches ; that of a Tchuktchi, at least two inches more. Neither race, however, are devoid of courage, and at sea, in the most tempestuous weather, they know no fear. The Eskimo woman ages rapidly, but when young is not repellent, and sometimes even good-looking. They dress, like the men, in the ' parka ' (a long loose garment reaching to the knee, made of musk-rat or reindeer's skin) and fur-seal boots and breeches. It was puzzling at first to distinguish the sexes, for the Eskimo are a smooth-faced race ; but the fair sex are generally adorned with small tattoo marks upon the chin. An Eskimo woman is treated more or less as a beast of burthen, as among the Tchuktchis, but is taken better care of in Alaska than among the Siberian natives. The winter dwellings of the Eskimo are simply pits in the ground roofed over with i8i I rv THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF logs, with a piece of fish-skin or walrus entrail for a window.' The hut is entered by a kind of antechamber, on the top of which is a hole just large enough to admit the body of a man. A step-ladder is descended to a narrow passage or tunnel which leads to the principal room, fifteen or twenty feet away. The sole furniture of an Eskimo residence is a seal-oil lamp for cooking and heating purposes, which is lit in the autumn and burns incessantly until the following spring. The hut is generally about six to eight feet high and thirty or forty feet in circumference. It is sometimes occupied by ten or fifteen persons, and during stormy weather, when every aperture is closed, the stench and vitiated air become almost un- bearable. The summer dwellings were formerly constructed aboveground, of light poles roofed over with skins ; but these have been almost entirely superseded by tents of American drill, which are cheaper, and to a stranger infinitely preferable to the old-fashioned huts. ' A hut I saw near St. Michael was covered with bear, walrus, and dog skulls, but this was a rarity. 182 )F ALASKA TO BEEING STKAITS ntrail kind is a y of a larrow ncipal e sole jeal-oil hich is y until nerally ir forty scupied stormy d, the st un- rmerly roofed almost n drill, finitely lar, walruB, Every Eskimo settlement has its * kashga,' a kind of council house, usually of much larger dimensions than the surrounding huts. The kashga is also used as a kind of club or residence for the youths and unmarried men -^f the village. Guests from a distance are always lodged, and matters of public importance discussed, in this establishment, which sometimes measures sixty or seventy feet square and twenty to thirty feet high. According to the explorer Elliott, the ' kashga is the theatre for the absurd masked dances and mummery of the festivals, and above .11 is the spot chosen for that vile ain- moniacal bath of the Eskimo, the most popular of all their recreations.' I w^as not privileged to witness the bathing process, which is thus graphically described by an eyewitness : — 'At some time in the afternoon the fire is drawn from the hot stones on the hearth, and the water and a kantag of chamber-lye poured over them, which, arising in dense clouds of vapour, gives notice (by its presence and its horrible ammoniacal odour) to the delighted T83 "•^^™ THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF :r itmV I I nu inmates that the bath is on. The " kashga " is heated to suffocation, it is full of smoke, and the outside men run in from their huts, with wisps of dry grass for towels, and bunches of alder-twigs to Hog their naked bodies. They throw oil their garments ; they shout and dance and whip them- selves into profuse perspiration as they caper in the hot vapour. More of their disgusting substitute for soap is rubbed on, and produces a lather, which they rince off with cold water ; and, to cap the full enjoyment of this Satanic bath, these naked actors rush out and roll in a snow-bank or plunge into the icy flood of some lake or river adjoining, as the season warrants. This is the most enjoyable occasion of an Eskimo's existence, so he solemnly affirms. Nothing else affords him a tithe of the infinite pleasure which this orgie gives him. To us, however, there is nothing so offensive about y . that stench which such a performance ^ases.' ^ The daily fare of these people is not enticing. The staple food is boiled seal-meat, and in ' An Arctic Province, by Henry Elliott. 184 ALASKA TO BEIiING STRAITS 1 >) 18 Ithe ;ps of twigs their liem- caper isting duces vater ; atanic I in a [ some rrants. of an ffirms. nfinite o us, about mance ^ticing. md in sunimor-tiiiie the sahnon and utlier fish that abound in the rivers and on the sea-coast. But the Eskimo is a gourmet in his way, and there are certain dishes invariably placed before an honoured guest with ostentation. A very favourite one is the ' triplicherat,' made during the warm season. A hole is dug and tilled with raw salmon-heads. After ten days' exposure to the sun the upper layer of heads is (for obvious reasons) in a state of constant motion. A portion of the putrid mass is tlien heaped upon a wooden platter and greedily devoured. Kotten goose eggs, and the ' kama- mok,' a kind of mayonnaise of stale fish-roe mashed up with salmon-berries and flavoured with seal oil, are also favourite delicacies, which, though they may not sound appetising to the reader, are as carefully prepared and appreciated in this Arctic wilderness as the most delicate i^lats in London, at the Savoy or Berkeley Restai. rants. The Eskimo are expert and daring fishermen. The tiny ' kyak ' is used in smooth water and the larger ' baidanl ' on long sea journeys. The former is merely a seal-skin canoe, with i«5 THKOUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF . I I ;. '1 ' , lit -I ;ii .1 ,. , circular hatches for one to three men ; but the ' baidar^ ' is of walrus-hide, about forty feet long, and carries from twenty to thirty persons. ' baidar^s ' will live in a heavy sea, but are rather trying to the nervous novice, in constant dread of breaking through the flimsy fabric. The water oeneath is plainly visible ; but the natives walk boldly about, and depress the skin a couple of inches with unconcern, being well aware that the spot they stand on would probably sustain a ton or more. The Eskimo are also skilful hunters, and thousands of skins are stored in the Alaska Commercial Company's warehouses, which at the time of our visit contained enough material to stock one side of Bond Street.^ Tobacco is smoked and chewed indiscrimi- nately by both sexes and all ages. The Eskimo failing for alcohol is proverbial, but fortunately seldom indulged in ; for an Eskimo becomes, like the Tchuktchi, a mad, ungovernable beast under the influence of drink. Most of the vile whisky illegally traded by whalers goes to ' See Appendix G. 1 86 U-f !l!i ALASKA TO BERING STRAITS the Siberian coast, where there is less risk in landing it, and the Eskimo has to fall back upon tobacco as his only solace. There is no waste, for the supply is extremely limited. A plug is sucked at for days, until every particle of flavour has vanished. It is then carefully dried, and eventually smoked in a tiny brass or stone pipe that holds barely a thimbleful. The days shp quickly away at St. Michael's, for the weather is bright and pleasant, and time seldom hangs heavy on one's hands. MiUions of geese, duck, and waterfowl are to be found within easy distance of the place, and capital sport is to be had by walking a mile or so. Enjoyment, however, is somewhat marred by the mosquitoes, which, although they seldom visit the settlement, swarm in the ' tundra,' and one hundred yards across the latter, on account of its swampy nature, about equals a mile over ordinary ground. A young English missionary, temporarily located here, and an ardent shot (thr igh somewhat unversed in sporting vernacu- lar), opines that the ' bands ' ' of grouse (ptarmi- ' Presumably ' coveys.' 187 1; I L' *' I. m [; ( h ' |il;«|! 1 : ' ' 1 i;., -M v\ '^1 THRO UGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF gan) amply compensate for the labour involved in reaching them ; but I do not quite share his opinion. Still, there is plenty to do in fine 'veather, strollnig about the busy, bustling settlement, or inspecting the Esldmo encamp- ment, while a goodly collection of books and the latest papers render even rainy days in the agent's quarters anything but dull. On still, fine evenings I generally stroll down after dinner to the wharf, to watch the Eskimo fish for rock- cod, which they pull out with a hne, at the rate of about twenty to the minute. A solitary sailing vessel is generally anchored in the bay, and I sometimes embark in a ' kayak ' to pay her a visit, sure of a welcome from the lor ^^ly skipper impatiently awaiting sailing orders, which, however, will generally not long be delayed. For by the end o September most of the shipping has cleared for the south. A stray whaler may look in on her way down from the Arctic, but the last days of November will convert the blue waters of Norton Souixd into an icy waste, stretching its dreary length far away, almost to the shores of Asia. Music or a game at cards i88 ii-ii, ALASKA TO BERING STRAITS often winds up the day ; for our pcarty before my departure is increased by the arrival of Messrs. Sloss and Neumann, of the Alaska Commercial Company— a couple of thorough Bohemians, not- withstanding their mercantile calling, and as familiar with brighter Paris as the darkest regions of the great mysterious land they have explored and exploited so well. So there is no lack of conversation on the most varied topics, and the former is frequently carried on till the small hours, much to the detriment of our good host's cellar and cigar-box ! The Revenue cutter 'Bear' did not arrive off St. Michael until the morning of September 4, when I at once boarded her, and obtained the permission of Captain Tuttle, her genial com- mander, to cross on her to the Siberian coast. The word ' cutter ' is somewhat a misnomer (if literally taken) for the Government vessels that patrol these northern waters. The 'Bear,' for instance, is a three-masted screw-steamer of over six hundred tons. She was built in Dundee, and originally intended for whaling purposes, but was purchased by the United States Govern- 189 ii 1 ? r 1 * i 1 1 1 1 ■ i: : ■ f i I : .h '?• fl' ii 11 nil THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF ment for the Greely expedition. The ' Bear ' is said to be the best and strongest ship in the Revenue cutter service for Arctic work, and has certainly rendered more services, and saved more lives, than nny other three ships in the fleet.' Time was precious, for heavy ice was already reported as far south as Cape Prince of Wales. A few hours, however, sufficed to embark our stores and a few bulky packages containing articles of barter for the Siberian natives of the far north, amongst whom money is unknown. At nine o'clock on the evening of September 4 we weighed anchor, having taken leave of our kind hosts, and put to sea, a parting salute from the rusty old Russian guns at the agency herald- ing our departure for the unknown. Bering Sea is noted for its intricate navigation and violent storms, and on this occasion did not ' The ' Bear ' was despatched from Seattle, U.S.A., to the rescue of the imprisoned whalers in November 1897 {see Appen- dix I). The intention is to get as far north as the ice will permit, and sleigh on with provisions to the ice-bound ships. The journey (at this season of the year) is one fraught with the greatest peril, and the return of the stout little ship and her gallant crew is anxiously awaited throughout the United States. 190 j::d r. r. y. 2 I1 4\l h,\' >">': I ^ . M i il In "^1 ii n'S li> ALASKA TO BERING STRAITS I belie its character. Although a blue sky and light breezes favoured us during the first day, the next morning found us hove to in a moun- tainous sea. Towards sundown, however, the weather moderated, and enabled us to proceed to our first destination. King's Island, one of the most curious and interesting places it has ever fallen to my lot to visit. King's Island is simply a mass of rock about a mile long and nearly six hundred feet high. On approaching it are noticed what at first appear to be a number of swallows' nests, stuck like limpets to the sheer face of the cliff. These are the suimner huts of the King's Islanders — walrus- hide dwellings lashed to the side of the cliff ; for the terrible tempests that sweep over this barren rock would make short work of any hut on its summit. These natives subsist entirely on walrus, for there is not a blade of grass or spoonful of soil in the place. In 1890 the ' Bear ' found the 300 inhabitants reduced to a third of that number by starvation. Walrus had been scarce, and for eight months in the year com- munication with the mainland (more than forty 191 i i t: , 1 1 ■ I ( '• i'^ I* \ . t \ i i IliiP h"& THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF miles distcant) is entirely cut off by the ice. The survivors had eaten all their dogs, and had l)een living for sever.al months on seaweed. Had the ' Bear ' not rescued them, all must have perished before the following sunnner. W' anchored about three hundred yards off shore, but a heavy swell did not prevent several of the islanders, both men and women, from paying us a visit. They were a merry, pleasant- looking lot of fellows, allied to the Alaskan Eskimo in language and appearance. Many of the men wore labrets, or pieces of stone or ivory, thrust into the lower lip, which gave them a sinister look that belied their kindly, hospitable nature, and all the married women carried their lateoC born slung round tbeir necks by a piece of walrus thong. The King's Islanders are skilful at carving, and several of our visitors had brought walrus tusks most beautifully fashioned, to exchange for tobacco and, if possible, whisky; but the latter is a luxury sternly denied them on board the ' Bear.' Captain Tuttle originally intended to land us at East Cape, Siberia. There is a Tchuktchi 192 1 ill I '•J bill It; • 'n if I ALASKA TO BERING STllAITS settlement there, whence we might reasonably have hoped to reach the Siberian settlement of Nijni-Kolymsk — a two months' journey by dog-sleigh, according to Colonel Gilder, the American traveller, who accomplished it a few years ago. From Nijni-Kolymsk all would have been fairly plain sailing (under the circum- stances) to St. Petersburg. But East Cape was, it now appeared, completely blocked by ice and unapproachable. So there was nothing for it but to make for a harbour about a hundred miles farther south — known to whalers as Indian Point. This place is marked Cape Tchaplin on most maps ; Cape Tchukotskoi on others ; but its native name is Oumwaidjik, and the natives know no other. Here we were landed on September 8, 1896, when the snowy landscape and severe cold were more suggestive of mid-winter than early autumn. We said good-bye to our kind American shipmates with genuine regret, and not without some apprehen- sion. For when the trim white ship finally disappeared beneath the horizon, we felt indeed that our last link with civilisation was severed — for good and all ! 193 p I i^f ''I Mii il i / 'i 'i^ THROUGH TJIE (JOLD-l^KLDS Ob' CHAPTEK IX OUMWAIDJIK Our new residence might fitly be described as ' the end of the end ' of the world. Nearly one thousand miles north of Kamchatka and within a day's journey of the Polar Sea, Oumwaidjik stands on a narrow reef, fully exposed in summer to the huge breakers of Bering Sea, but protected in winter by precipitous mountains from the furious bli/zards that sweep over Arctic Siberia. One wonders how human beings can exist in this gloomy region, utterly devoid of fuel and the barest necessaries of life. For eight months of the year the place is ice-locked, but even during the brief summer a sail very rarely breaks the sky-line. The sudden change from a snug ward-room to a filthy hut is not a pleasant experience at any time. It was rendered doubly disagreeable in our case by the fact that two months at least 194 I If ijy I r I I I II 3 X i « a; •>! > ii MM ! 1 : f •; t J' i I .) ■ ' r'l m M; !.' roi ALASKA TO BEKING STKAITS must elapse before we could hope to continue our journey ; for here, as in Northern Alaska, it is quite impossible to travel except in winter- time by dog-sleigh over the frozen ' tundra.' One Koari, a tall, strapping fellow about fifty years of age, was chief of Oumwaidjik, or rather headman, for there are no chiefs among the Tchuktchis. Koari had amassed more whalebone, furs, and walrus tusks than his fellows, and was thus leader of the community. He was therefore selected by Captain Tuttle to be our ' guide, philosopher, and friend ' during our lengthened stay in the dreary settlement, and was also deputed to see that dog-sleighs were forthcoming to convey us to Anadyrsk as soon as the ground was fit for travel. Anadyrsk, a tiny settlement situated on the river of that name, is the Ultima Thule of Kussian civilisa- tion in Siberia, but is yet a good four hundred miles south of Oumwaidjik. According to Koari, the journey was as easy as falling of! a log. ' White men, plenty flour, plenty calico, give Koari. Koari give good dog, good sled — catch-um ten slee^)s easy : ' which, being 195 v2 I! ! 'IV: i i IHI THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF interpreted, meant that our friend would, on payment of the above-mentioned stores, transport us to the white settlement in ten days at most. The eagerness with which our outfit was seized and securely housed by this self-crowned King of Oumwaidjik awakened, at the time, no suspicion in my mind, nor did I attach much importance to the fact that the word ' Anadyrsk ' seemed to convey nothing to our Tchuktchi host or any of his followers. That village, I reasoned, was probably known among them by another name. ' Me know, catch-um plenty house, plenty white man, ten sleep,' was the sole but somewhat vague information that we could gleam anent our journey and destination, and with this we were forced to be content. Subsequent events have convinced me that Koari was one of those plausible smooth-faced scoundrels that would inspire confidence in a Scotland Yard detective, for as a ' Chevalier d'Industrie,' he would certainly have made his mark in a more civilised sphere. I have never met his equal for cruelty, cunning, and duplicity, characteristics rendered the more deadly by the fine intellectual face and frank 196 I ^ ALASKA TO BEEING STRAITS genial manner that masked them. The man, in short, was a born actor, and we landed in his cursed village firmly convinced that we possessed one staunch friend at least among the crowd of scowling faces that greeted our arrival on the beach. The dwelling first assigned to us by Koari was not the ordinary Tchuktchi habitation, which consists of walrus-hides stretched over a whale- rib framework. On landing we looked around in vain for traces of our stores ; but our baggage was quickly placed on a dog-sleigh and dragged perhaps three hundred yards to a kind of shed, which, small as it was, towered over the low circular huts around it. The structure was of rough deal planks, and had originally been intended for a refuge at Point Hope, on the Arctic Ocean. Heavy ice having rendered the latter unapproachable, the house was eventually traded to Koari, and, the boards being numbered, was easily run up by the crew of the trading schooner that had failed to reach her destination. Thus a mere accident enabled us to live in com- parative seclusion for the first few weeks; for, 197 li ill f i ! 1 M I THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF '■r \i '' Si 1 ',: I IB 1 although our residence was barely 11 feet by 8 feet, reeked with damp, and (having been nihabited by Tchuktchis) swarmed with vermin, it was at any rate provided with a window, a watertight roof, and a door with a stout padlock. Our hut had no chimney, which, as we had no coal, mattered little. A couple of small coal-oil stoves, however, were speedily set going ; and with the additional aid of a kerosene lamp the place soon began to look more habitable. But, although we had already adopted the native dress of furs and seal-skin boots, we suffered a good deal from cold the first two or three nights, and were glad to crawl into our sleeping bags long before sunset. Fuel was a source of constant anxiety for the future. There is not a splinter of wood to be had for many hundred miles from here, and our supply of coal-oil was necessarily limited. But Captain Tuttle had kindly left us a small table, and a couple of empty cases furnished us with chairs. We were also provided with perhaps a dozen books and a pack of playing cards, so that, everything considered, we w^ere even better off (as regards comfort) than we had imagined it 198 ALASKA TO BERING STRAITS possible to be on the bleak barren shores of Bering Straits. The hut was soon crowded to suffocation by natives, and the stench (for reasons which I shall presently explain) becoming unbearable, I left the place in charge of Harding, and started off, followed by a small crowd of men and boys, to inspect our new surroundings. The village of Oumwaidjik consists of perhaps fifty walrus-hide huts, inhabited by about three hundred souls. The settlement stands at the extremity of a long low spit (about three miles long by two broad), composed in the centre of marshland surrounded by deep shingle down to the sea. The spit is but a few feet above sea- level, and undulating ridges of shingle far inland denote that this dreary patch was once almost entirely submerged. Two or three large salt- water lakes some distance from the sea bear out this theory. A number of grassy mounds in the centre of the village give it somewhat the appearance of an old Roman encampment. These were formerly the underground winter dwellings of the Tchuktchis, the old whale-ribs 199 H li i ■r 21 I ! ■ i; u iml ,„ THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF remarked, ' would be far better in his keeping ; ' and he added, signilicantly, ' Plenty bad man Oumwaidjik — steal — kill white man — no kill — steal Koari ! ' So saying, this wily old gentleman takes his departure, closely followed by his hangers- on, who are evidently grinning in their sleeves at our discomfiture — not to say rage. Reta- liation, even expostulation, are of course out of the question ; but it now seems pretty clear that we have received all w^e shall ever get of our own provisions, find that we are in the power of a scoundrel who, if so minded, can do away with us without the slightest fear of detection or punishment. But 'hope springs eternal in the human breast,' and a spoonful of good hot soup is some- times better than volumes of human sympathy and encouragement. A supper of tinned ox- tail followed by canned beef may not sound appetising to the dyspeptic Londoner; bat it suffices to shed a rosier glow over our gloomy thoughts ; so much so that despondency is gradually succeeded by a resigned if not cheerful 212 ALASKA TO BERING STRAITS confidence in the future. Indeed, a last pipe convinces me that Koari (although somewhat offensive under the influence of alcohol) is not, in the main, a bad fellow. A drunken man is never accountable for his actions, and his anxiety to protect our property may, after all, be only a proof that he is kindly disposed towards ourselves. Besides, has he not assured me only this afternoon that dogs have alreaay been sent for, far away into the interior, to take us to Anadyrsk within ' two moons ' ? ' This fact, at any rate, is a distinct point in my inebriated host's favour. The reverse side of the medal, however, is not so pleasant, and shows me only too plainly that life at Oumwaidjik is not going to be a bed of roses. To-night, as I he awake and shivering in the cold and darkness, I cannot help recalling how a certain friend of mine in England (who has occasionally ' roughed it ' in a comfortable shooting-box and braved the stormy deep in a 500-ton yacht) predicted that this overland journey would be ridiculously easy. ' There would be no hardships and very I! ' ' A moon,' a month. 213 THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF little discomfort. It would be a pleasure trip — a regular picnic,' and so forth. And as I knock the ashes from my pipe, and dive into a sleeping- bag to shut out the stench that pervades our hut, I picture my friend, clad in purple and fine linen, and dining at his ease in some luxurious club or ghttering restaurant. And I may, per- haps, under the circumstances, be forgiven for wishing that, if only for a few moments, he could lie here by my side — and appreciate the wisdom of his prophecy. For, as Eudyard Kipling truly remarks : — Tlie toad beneatli the harrow knows Exactly where each tooth point goes. The bi;ttcrtiy upon the road Preaches contentment to that toad ! in 214 ALASKA TO BEIIING STRAITS CHAPTER X OUMWAIDJIK (n) Our life, during the first few days at Oiimwaidjik, was bearable enough. The day following our arrival Koari atoned for his misdeeds of the previous day by appearing at dawn with a lai-ge piece of deer-meat— a very acceptable gift— which lasted us for some days. The meat had just arrived from Kee-eeni,' an island to the north, where our host kept a small herd of reindeer, and where his wife Siwunga, his eldest son Oyur^pok, and a few retainers lived throughout the summer to tend them. We found the venison dehcious, but it was the first and last piece we ever received ! Some more was brought down by Siwunga when she returned to Oumwaidjik for the winter a few weeks ' Marked ' Kajne Island ' on most nmps. 'fl ' !f| 111 IPII i ,:1 t> IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) // 4. A f/. 1.0 ^1^ IIM s ^ Ilia I.I ■UUi- ^ III— 11.25 111.4 iilili.6 V] o A />i %' V /^ THEOUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF 1 1 ! U ' ' ",t V I I ^ I , later, but it was almost putrid. The Tchuktchis prefer it thus, and rarely eat it when fresh. Few of the coast Tchuktchis are possessed of reindeer, but Koari had, by trading, amassed sufficient wealth to enable him to purchase and drive down a few hundred of these animals from the interior. He and his family could thus look with equanimity on a scarcity of seals and walrus, upon which the coast tribes mainly subsist. The usefulness of reindeer in these Arctic deserts can scarcely be overestimated, and is well demonstrated by the comparative welfare enjoyed by the wandering Tchuktchis when compared to their brethren of the sea. Starvation and scurvy may be raging on the coast, but inland these disasters are rendered impossible by an abundance (thanks to the reindeer) of clothing, meat, and milk. Mr. George Kennan has stated that the Tchuktchis never utilise the latter,* but this can scarcely be correct, for perhaps a dozen deer were kept at Oumwaidjik, and I frequently saw the operation ' See Ttnt Life in Siberia, by George Kennan. 2l6 'li 1 1^ It il f 1 1 IV I ALASKA TO BEEING STKAITS of milking performed by the women — and in a very peculiar manner. The hands are never used, the milk being sucked from the animal and spat into a bowl. It is rarely drunk, however, but made into a kind of cheese and consumed in various stages of decomposition. When a deer is killed, nothing is wasted. Even the bones are crushed, and the marrow, flavoured with seal oil, is eaten raw. A cupful of this preparation was sent to us by Koari as a honne-houclie} The disposal of our time at Oumwaidjik was not an easy matter. The days dragged away terribly slowly. We looked back to the depar- ture of the ' Bear,' at the expiration of a week, through an imaginary vista of many weary months, and the remaining fifty odd days before us became too appalling to contemplate. More ' To appreciate the varied uses of the reindeer, we need go no farther than Lapland, which, with 400,000 deer, supplies Northern Europe with smoked reindeer hams at (Sd, a pound, smoked tongues at Qd. each, dried hides at &om 58. to la. each, tanned hides at from 8s. to 128. each, and with 28,000 carcasses to the butchers' shops in addition to what is consumed by the Lapps themselves. Reindeer hair is largely used, on account of its buoyancy, for stuffing life- saving apparatus, while the strongest and best glue is made from the horns. 217 * THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF II 1 .. 1 :■ than two-thirds of the twenty-four hours were devoted to sleep (or as much of it as we could get), and our day commenced late in the fore- noon, to terminate (in a sleeping-bag) at an hour when most civilised beings are thinking about dressing for dinner. Food (cooked by Harding over a coal-oil stove) was partaken of twice a day, and, though extremely limited in quantity, was dawdled over to kill time. A fortnight exhausted our library, and cards then became our sole relaxation during the hour that elapsed between the conclusion of the evening meal and bed-time. An almost daily visitation of heavy rain, alternating with furious gales, rendered out- door exercise anything but attractive; but a wholesome dread of scurvy drove us out of doors for a couple of hours every day. We took the opportunity on one occasion of trying to reach the snow-clad mountains at the back of the settlement, about five miles distant, and were not surprised to hear, on our return, that no native had ever succeeded in making the journey during the summer. The distance we travelled was probably under two miles, which 218 ALASKA TO BERING STRAITS took over four hours to accomplish, and which partly deprived us of the use of our nether limbs for forty-eight hours afterwards. Sport would have been some consolation, but the little there was scarcely repaid the trouble of carrying a gun. We managed at first to bag a few duck, which formed a welcome addition to our menu, but these disappeared towards the end of September. It was not safe, either, to st.ray far away from the settlement, on account of the dense fogs that, even on the brightest day, would descend as if by magic, and render objects a few feet off quite invisible. We were hope- lessly lost on one occasion, not a mile from the village, and did not regain it for some hours. Experience warned us, after a time, of the approach of these mists, for they were usually preceded by a curious meteorological state of the atmosphere. A tiny sandpiper would assume the dimensions of a large bird, and a skin * baidar^ ' on the beach appear the size of a good-sized vessel cast ashore by the sea. Near the lakes we occasionally saw a few snipe and a quantity of enormous white owls that, 219 i I •I % t THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF unlike the English species, appeared to be en- dowed with sight during the day-time. One we shot measured 4 ft. 9 in. between the wing ex- tremities. These are considered a great delicacy by the natives, but we found them musty and uneatable. During one of our rambles an incident occurred which might have been attended with unpleasant consequences. Harding had picked up an old paddle on the beach — a bleached, broken thing, that had apparently lain there rotting for years — and used it as a walking-stick on our return home. While passing one of the huts, a ragged old native darted out, wrenched the paddle from my companion's hands, and threw it on the ground, jabbering vociferously as he did so, and foaming with rage. A menac- ing crowd began to assemble, and I was not sorry to see Koari emerge from a dwelling hard by and hurry to the scene of the disturbance. The aged and irate gentleman in rags was, it appeared, a ' Shaman ' or ' Medicine-man,' and we had, according to this worthy, grossly violated the laws of the country by desecrating a grave. 220 19B ALASKA TO BERING STRAITS Koari, to do him justice, did all he could to appease our accuser, but seemed himself some- what uneasy when the latter slunk back, with a curse, into his hut. No one would touch or even look at the paddle. Finally the chief took Harding quietly aside, and advised him to return at once to the spot where it was found and re- place it. This was done notwithstanding the darkness and a drizzling rain, for we had no wish to cross swords with the ' Shamans,' who, among the Tchuktchis, are all-powerful. Indeed Koari had already told me that they strongly resented our presence in Oumwaidjik. Seeing, however, that a Tchuktchi is generally torn up and devoured by the dogs within an hour of his burial, I failed to see the object of carefully placing his property by his side for use in another world. One could not walk for twenty yards in any direction at Oumwaidjik without kicking against skulls or portions of human skeletons that had been strewn about by these animals. But even Koari himself, although a shrewd, sensible man in other respects, lived in perfect terror of the ' Shamans.' He fre- 221 H I ' ir, THUOUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF quently warned me of the danger of giving them offence, and assured me of their power to create or avert storms, and even kill men, by the sheer exercise of their will. A Tchuktchi is fearless enough in moments of real danger, but is as nervous regarding his bodily ailments as the veriest hypochondriac at Vichy or Carlsbad. The ' Shamans,' therefore, reap a rich harvest in the way of medical fees, and frequently become rich in furs and whale- bone, for money is of course unknown. The ' Shamans ' were our worst and most vindictive enemies, their enmity being largely due to my small medicine chest, the contents of which were in daily demand. The Tchuktchis are very reticent about their religion, and when this subject was touched upon Koari invariably changed the conversation. I gleaned, however, that a man who dies a violent death insures eternal happiness, but an easy lingering dissolution is generally followed by torment in the next world. ^ This, perhaps, ' Baron Maidel, the traveller, relates the following legend (told him by a Tchuktchi in 1869) anent the creation of the world : — * A Good Spirit created human beings, but the latter and their 222 ■J:^ ALASKA TO BERING STRAITS accounts for the cheerfulness with which a Tchuktchi will risk his life at sea or in mortal combat, and the terror with which a malady (which we should consider trifling) inspires him. But death, under any shape, is lightly looked upon by most Tchuktchis, who seldom mourn a lost one, even for an hour. Many perished from starvation and other causes while we were at Oumwaidjik. Every third day, on an average, Koari would laughingly advise me not to walk in a certain direction unless I wished to see a corpse, and, when a young mother murdered her child in an adjacent hut to ours, no more notice was taken of the occurrence than if she had merely chastised it. The most weird and terrible Tchuktchi ceremony is undoubtedly the * kamitok.' This is the putting to death (with their free consent) bid Bir posterity were very wicked. The Good Spirit, therefore, sent violent storms over the world, by which America, Wrangel Land (in the Arctic Ocean), and the Tchuktchi country were torn apart and the islands and Kolyutchin Bay were formed. The tempest carried the people in various directions, and thus formed the different races represented to-day by the Ostiaks, Yakoutes, Tchuktchis, Eskimos, and Russians.' ' A remarkable resemblance,' adds the author, * to the Biblical accounts of the Deluge and the Tower of Babel I * i/n" THBOIIGII THE GOLD-FIELDS OF of the ui?ed or useless members of the commu- nity. When a Tchuktchi's powers have decreased to an appreciable extent (from age, accident, or disease), a family council is held and a day fixed for the victim's departure for another world. Perhaps the most curious feature of the whole affair is the indifference shown by the doomed one, who takes a lively interest in the proceedings, and often assists in the prepara- tions for his own death. The execution is always preceded by a feast, where seal and walrus meat are greedily devoured, and whisky consumed until all are intoxicated. A sponta- neous burst of singing and the muffled roll of walrus-hide h-ums then herald the fatal moment. At a given signal a ring is formed by the rela- tives and friends, the entire settlement looking on in the background. The executioner (usually the victim's son or brother) then steps forward, and, placing his right foot against the back of the condemned, slowly strangles him to death with a walrus-thong. A ' kamitok ' took place during the latter part of our stay at Oum- waidjik, but as most of the spectators had 224 death place Oum- had I 4> l-feV. ;V ALASKA TO BERING STRAITS drunk themselves into a state of frenzy we deemed it prudent to remain concealed until it was over. Women are never put to death by this means, and the origin of the custom is as obscure as it is ancient. Its institution is probably due to the barren nature of this land, where every mouthful of food is precious and where men must Hterally ' work to live.' According to Captain Healey (late commander of the ' Bear'), the ' kamitok ' is practised, under another name, by the Eskimo tribes inhabiting the Alaskan shores of the Arctic Ocean. The following anecdote will show that the Alaskan Eskimo looks upon death with as little indiffer- ence as his Siberian neighbour. Captain Healey after a year's absence from the Arctic, inqaired of an Eskimo near Point Barrow whether one * Charhe,' an old native he had known the previous year, was still alive and in good health. * Oh no ! ' was the cool reply ; ' Charlie's dead. I killed him.' * Killed him ? ' inquired Healey, taken aback ; ' what for ? ' * Oh, poor Charhe was very sick with pains all over, and asked me 225 Q THEOUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF to shoot him. And I did so with his own gun, which he gave me to keep afterwards ! ' Evil spirits apparently predominate in the Tchuktohi religion, and all the ceremonies we saw performed appeared to be of a propitiatory nature. When a long sfea voyage was contem- plated, the Shamans would precede the departure of its crew by strange antics on the beach pre- sumably for the purpose of insuring fine weather. I noticed, however, that on these occasions it generally blew harder than usual. A mountain at the back of the settlement was spoken of by Koari with bated breath, as the abode of devils, and I was gravely informed that any one approaching it within a certain distance was seized, and strangled, by invisible hands. Even the poorest natives weie sometimes seen casting pieces of seal-meat (which they could ill spare) into the waves, not only to avert storms, but also to induce their gods to send them food in the shape of bear or walrus ; for the practice was continued long after the ice had come down, and when there was but little open water. The yearly catch at Oumwaidjik generally 226 'i^ii-mif,-. IF gun, [1 the Bs we iatory ntem- arture 1 pre- sather. ons it untain ken of ode of ny one e was Even asting spare) ut also in the je was m, and [lerally X o y. t. 'A 'A If:! w 'I f i ALASKA TO BERING STRAITS averages from two to three whales, twenty to thirty walrus, and any number of hair-seals, which latter form the staple food of the Tchuktchi, and provide him with the garments for his nether limbs. The hair-seal must not be confounded with the fur-seal (which is seldom if ever found north of the Pribilov Islands in Bering Sea) ; but although the skin of the former is practically worthless, the flesh is far preferable as an article of food to that of the more valuable animal. Indeed it is not at all bad eating, after a time, though somewhat too oily at first for a white man's taste. The fur of the hair-seal is a kind of dirty grey flecked with dark spots, and is short and bristly. It is warm and durable, and therefore well adapted for breeches and foot- wear ; for in these latitudes it is of course im- possible to wear boots of European make and material. The hair-seal is found in immense numbers between Greenland and Labrador, where an average of 300,000 are taken every season, chiefly on account of the oil ; for, as I have said, the skins have little or no commercial import- ance in the European and American markets. 227 %)) THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF Hair-seals are shot nearly every day at Oumwaidjik throughout the winter, and a Tchuktchi takes up a rifle and goes out for one very much as we in England go out, for amuse- ment, for a brace of birds. But walrus are very much scarcer, and their capture involves a considerable amount of trouble and skill, to say nothing of danger. The beach was lined night and day by the poorer natives, who eke out a miserable existence by watching for these animals and giving notice of their approach. As soon as one appeared within reasonable distance, four or five ' baidaris ' were at once launched (for the small ' kayak ' is never used here), and set out at a terrific pace ; for the crew of the first boat up gets the lion's share of the spoil. The old-fashioned harpoon is now discarded for the Winchester rifle, so that accidents are rare, although a boat is sometimes upset. The walrus is a disgusting brute to look at — a distorted, shapeless mass of discoloured flesh, covered in places with many bristles. The one we saw brought ashore measured about 10 feet long and had quite that girth. It looked to weigh at least 228 U ttl A TCHUKTL'Ul's liKTUHN' KliOM SEAL-SHOOTING THK HAY's 11A(} )^^ -rii Hpi < il ALASKA TO BERING STRAITS a ton. Walrus-meat is absolutely sickening, but the Tchuktchis devour it greedily, both cooked and raw. These animals may be heard blowing a long distance off, and in foggy weather have many a time saved a ship by their timely warning of the proximity of land. Notwithstanding their huge bulk and formidable tusks, they are shy, wary animals, and we were directed by Koari to carefully screen our lamp at night for fear of driving them away from the coast. Anent this, Elliott relates that they resort to a very singular method of keeping guard when sleeping on land or on drifting floes. The explorer writes :— ' In this herd of three or four hundred male walrus that were beneath my vision, though nearly all were sleeping, yet the movement of one would disturb the other, which would raise its head in a stupid manner for a few moments, grunt once or twice, and before lying down to sleep again it would strike the slumbering form of its nearest companion with its tusks, causing that animal to rouse up in turn for a few moments also, grunt, and pass the blow on to the next lying 229 '1 :11 THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF i I down in the same manner. Thus the word was transferred, as it were, constantly and unceasingly around, always keeping some one or two aroused, which consequently were more alert than the rest.' The same traveller's graphic description of the walrus coincides with my own impressions. ' Sitting as I did ' (he writes) ' to the leeward of them, with a strong wind blowing in at the same time from seaward, which, ever and anon, fairly covered many of them with foaming surf spray, therefore they took no notice of me during the three or more hours of my study. I was first astonished at observing the raw, naked appearance of the hide. It was a skin covered with multitudes of pustular-looking warts and large boils or pimples, without hair or fur save scattered and almost invisible hairs ; it was wrinkled in deep, flabby seam folds and marked by dark red venous lines, which showed out in strong contrast through the thicker and thinner yellowish brown cuticle that in turn seemed to be scaling off in places as if with leprosy ; indeed, a fair expression of this walrus-hide complexion, 230 ftih ALASKA T0 5BERING STRAITS if I may use the term, can be understood by the inspection of the human countenances in the streets and on the highways of our cities which are designated as the faces of "bloats." ' As the reader may, therefore, imagine, a minute examination of the * ayivak ' ^ did not tend to increase the appetite, or arouse any desire to partake of the flesh of this animal, although a quantity of it was invariably placed at our disposal after a ' kill.' Were it not for seal and walrus, however, the Tchuktchi race would in a very few years be entirely extinct. It is not easy to picture a spot so utterly desolate that even drinldng water is scarce and brackish, and vegetation is repre- sented by seaweed on the shore and a few tufts of wiry grass ; but this is the case at Oumwaidjik. On the Alaskan shore poppies, daisies, and anemones bloom luxuriantly throughout the summer, and I counted no less than twenty kinds of wild flowers within a radius of a mile from St. Michael. The flowers were poor scentless things, but imparted an air of gaiety to ' Tchuktohi, 'walrus.' TIIKOUGII THE GOLD-FIELDS OF ' ' il^iiliEi^ Tfi the landscape^that one may seek in vain on the gloomy fog-laden coast of North-eastern Siberia. It was curious to note how their sterile surround- ings had developed the inventive faculties of the Tchuktchis. Wood is entirely lacking, save when the timbers of some wrecked whaler are washed up by the sea ; but whalebone clHciently replaces it for beams and supports for the huts, while seal oil and broken deer bones are used as fuel. Walrus-hides are substituted as timber for boats and the walls and roofs of buildings ; thongs, made of the same material, form strong serviceable ropes ; the skin of the hair-seal supplies clothing and shoe leather, and so on, ad ififinitum ; but there is scarcely an article in daily nse which does not owe its origin to one of those three useful animals : the deer, the walrus, or the seal. Nothing is wasted, which is perhaps scarcely surprising in a region where there is so little to waste. The reader will no doubt ask, 'How can these people mauage to exist at all under such miserable conditions, especially the poorer por- tion of the community ? ' 1 can only reply that I 232 Mm •seal on, le in one the lich lere •J V. n \ "y — — — ALASKA TO BEKING STRAITS have never seen the principle of ' the survival of the fittest ' more graphically portrayed than at Oumwaidjik. The poorer class suffer there in the same degree that they do in London or Paris, probably more so, for parochial relief does not as yet enter into the Tchuktchi method of government. Koari and another man (whose inferior position, as compared to the chief, was demonstrated by the middl and little fingers of the latter) had collected a stock of flour (to say nothing of our own stores !) that placed them beyond the reach of actual starvation. This they had done by trading furs and whalebone with the San Francisco whalers and receiving in exchange flour, molasses, caHco, Winches- ter rifles, ammunition, tobacco, and whisky. Koari's deer would have sufficed to feed the whole settlement for a year, but that wily old chief would sooner have lost his eyesight than part with a pound of venison without adequate payment. His greed and obduracy were a byword among the poorer natives, who could of course afford none of the aforementioned luxuries. They v/ere repaid for many weary hours of walrus- 233 '.'i I' . ■ I i , LI THEOUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF watching at all seasons, and in all weathers, by scraps of noisome food, cast-off raiment, and (very rarely) a tiny screw of tobacco, and lived, so far as we could see, to a large extent on raw seaweed. A species of the latter that I frequently saw them eating was of a red colour, and, in shape, some- thing like a large radish. It contained a soft greenish pulp with a sickly fishy flavour. But these poor starving wretches would eat almost anything. One day I threw a piece of putrid deer-meat to the dogs, and a walrus-watcher who happened to be standing by rushed forward and devoured it before my very eyes. A dead dog was invariably skinned and its hide used for clothing at Oumwsidjik, but the carcass was seldom allowed to lie long upon the ground. I have seen men and dogs fighting, on more than one occa- sion, for the ghastly meal. It is terrible to think of the sufferings these poor people must undergo during the long dark winter, and I was therefore surprised to learn from Koari that, notwithstand- ing his almost unbearable existence, a Tchuktchi pauper is rarely driven to take his own life. 23 + 'nI ALASKA TO BERING STRAITS CHAPTER XI OUMWAIDJIK (III) The first days of October were ushered in by bright clear weather, and fogs and raw humidity were ow succeeded by a dry intense cold which we found infinitely preferable. Snow now covered the ground to the depth of several inches, and the ice had made its first appearance in the Straits as early as September 20. The floes were loose and drifting, however, and quickly dispersed by strong winds, for soHd sea ice only forms here towards the end of October. We were now favoured, nearly every day, with sun- shine and a Mediterranean sky, which would have brightened a less dreary spot, but only intensified the hideous squalor of Oumwaidjik. I ha^/e seldom, however, experienced more per- fect weather in any part of the world, and the 235 THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF ( I ) I •'; his' pure delicious air seemed to inspire one with new life. It also made one ravenously hungry, which, under the circumstances, was rather a drawback ; for Koari was adamant as regards our stores, and neither threats nor entreaties would induce him to dole out more than a couple of tins of preserved meat a day — little enough for two hungry men. There was, however, plenty of seal-meat to be had, and to this we gradually became accustomed ; but it was galling enough to think of the good things hidden away so near us, and the filthy food we were compelled to eat. We searched, at first, high and low, to try to discover where the old scoundrel had hidden our provisions, and only ascertained towards the latter part of our stay that they had been care- fully buried the day after our arrival.* But this glorious weather during the first week in October atoned for many evils, and the knowledge that nearly a month of our period of probation had passed away enabled us almost to enjoy outdoor exercise. Bering Straits, on still ' A part of our stores was recovered by the United States Kevenue cutter Bear during the summer of 1897. Koari had tied into the interior. o -< A ALASKA TO BERING STRAITS clear days, would be covered with floating ice, and present the appearance of a vast white plain, with here and there a lake of sapphire where the floes had broken away. A fusillade of rifles was generally kept up all day by the sealers, and bullets at times whistled unpleasantly close ; for the Tchuktchi shoots at random, and in all directions, utterly regardless of consequences. At other times a gale of wind would spring up in the night and carry the ice far away, so that by morning a summer sea would again ripple lazily at our feet, until a sohtary berg would come sailing down again from the Arctic, spark- ling, hke an enchanted island, in the sunshine, and heralding the return of the pack. The latter, towards sunset, would present a marvel- lous variety of colour, ranging from dazzling white to the tenderest shades of amber, rose, and tur- quoise, which, towards evening, deepened to violet and grey, and gradually merged into dense mist as night fell and froze the stars into a sky of inky black. I often Hngered, cold as it was, after dark to watch the constellations burning^ like great lamps, in the clear rarefied atmosphere ; 237 T iip)ii"P"«^^"'^iwi!w^w""^iwr- ! • :|iri (%*• if:y THEOUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF the Great Bear sprawling his awkward shape overhead, the little Pole-star twinkling dimly among the greater lights, and the beautiful Pleiades glittering far away like a cluster of brilliants against a patch of dark velvet. Occasionally, however, the heavens would suddenly become overcast, and the bright sunlit landscape darken so suddenly that one barely had time to run for shelter before a furious hurricane, accompanied by sleet or rain, was sweeping over the settlement. The coming winter showed its teeth on October 3 with a furious ' poorga ' (as the storm-laden gales of North-E astern Siberia are called), and gave us a graphic foretaste of what we might expect later on. On these occasions the Straits, though a dream of placid beauty in fine weather, were not pleasant to look upon. The deafening roar of the surf rendered sleep impossible, and our hut was violently shaken by every billow that broke upon the beach at least two hundred yards distant. I have never seen such enormous breakers, and I often lay awake throughout the night fully expecting that the waters would overwhelm us 238 ■HMMM ALASKA TO BEEING STRAITS before morning. During stormy weather it was a common occurrence for sea-birds to be caught unawares on the crest of a huge wave and dashed to pieces against the rocky shore, where natives were generally on the look-out to secure them for food. I have seen gulls plucked of their plumage, there and then, and devoured raw and still warm by the poor walrus-watchers, who were thus en- abled to obtain a few hours' respite from the hard labour for life to which fate has condemned them. But even the more prosperous Tchuktchis are by no means idle. One may euter their huts at any hour of the day and yet find them usefully employed. The men are generally out fishing or hunting all day during the summer months, but the women will be busily engaged cooking and sewing, or cleaning and pohshing spears and firearms. Some of their needlework was really very fine. The patterns were graceful and in- tricate, and the blending of colours, in many cases, distinctly artistic. Great excitement was caused on October 5 by the arrival of Koari's wife and family from Kee-eeni Island. Five 'baidar^s,' loaded down 239 THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF '■ ' to the water's edge with putrid deer-meat, were first unloaded. A meal was then discussed in the centre of an admiring crowd on the beach. After, the party proceeded en masse to our hut, most of them slightl}' (but luckily genially) under the influence of liquor. It was a dull, wet day, and the Kee-eeni men were clad in garments made of walrus entrails (which I had not seen before) to keep out the rain. They are as light as a featiier and quite waterproof. One man wore a jacket composed entirely of the breasts of eider ducks, which had a marvellously pretty effect. These are made only on St. Lawrence Island, the largest island in Bering Sea, which lies about forty miles south-east of Oumwaidjik. On a clear day it was plainly visible. Koari's wife, Siwunga, was a short, stout old lady, of about sixty years of age, with the most evil countenance I ever beheld. She was ac- companied by two girls— Tingana, a daughter, and Mouga, the wife of Noo-oona, Koari's second son. Oyurapok, the hope of Koari's house, was a sulky, stupid fellow, whom I mis- trusted, and with reason, from the first ; but 240 M f ^1 I ALASKA TO SEEING STRAITS Noo-oona was, with the exception of his father the most civilised and intelhgent Tchuktchi with whom we can,e in contact. His wife Mouga, although only seventeen years old, was a year h.s senior; but Tingana, a girl about the same age, was as yet „ ,married-as a matter of fact, there is no recognised marriage ceremony among these people. A man may have as many so-called ^ives as he chooses, provided he can afford to buy them and keep them. Koari had restricted himself to one, and on one occasion I inquired he reason of this moderation. ' ' Cape Prince of W^ales, which forms the extreme narrowing of Berring Straits, is a high rugged promontory with walls on the south side that are abrupt precipices of a full thousand feet, while the uplands rise, culmumtiiig in a snowy crown that is twenty-five hundred feet above the level of the sea. Deep gulches seam these vertical walls, and are the paths of numerous tiny rivulets that trickle and run in cascades down from the spongy moorlands above. When, however, you stand into the Straits, homeward bound from the Arctic Ocean, this cape on that side presents a wholly different outline. It slopes up gradually from the beaches, and presents the appciirance of a tundra gently rising to a small ridge-like summit. This lowland on the north side is projected under the sea for a 242 ALASKA TO BERING STRAITS been enticed from her home by the rascally mate of a small trading schooner, who had promised to take her to San Francisco, but had landed her alone and friendless at Oumvvaidjik, where she was perhaps less acquainted with the dialect than we ourselves. Siwunga had, however, taken pity upon her helpless condition, and received her, in a meiiial capacity, into her own household. It seemed strange tha c a native of a place only about a hundred miles distant should be unable to converse with the Oumwaidjik people ; but I learnt from Koari that there are many dialects spoken on the Siberian shores of Bering Straits. The languages of the Alaskan Eskimo and Siberian Reindeer and coast natives not un- naturally differ, but there are also dialects peculiar to small settlements almost as dissimilar to the Tchuktchi tongue as French is to English. For example, at Oumwaidjik the word ' kamiyak ' distance of over eight miles in a northerly direction, making an exceedingly dangerous shore, and justly di-eadeil hy the mariner. ' The Siberian side and opposite headland is the bold and lofty East Cape, and is connected with the mainland by a low neck of rolling tundra, which is characteritilic of Cape I'riiice of Wales also. Both of these outposts of two mi/hty continents present, at a small distance, the resemblance of islands.' — Elliott. 243 E 2 THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF !■: I signifies a sleigh and * kamit ' snow. At Tcherenuk, a settlement not twentv miles off to the north-west, snow is called ' pingaigen ' and a sleigh ' orogosh.' The inhabitants of the two places can only converse by signs. It was pretty clear from my host's subdued manner in her presence that Siwunga, to use a vulgar term, wore the breeches in the Koari 'menage.' For a few days I cherished the idea that we might win over the old lady to our side, and thereby accomplish two objects : the re- covery of our stores, and the hastening of our departure for Anadyrsk. But although Siwunga spoke not a word of English, her unfriendly demeanour and sour looks speedily shattered my hopes, and convinced me that we now had two enemies, instead of one, to deal with. I should perhaps say three, for the lout Oyurapok, a few days after his arrival, burst open the padlocked door of our hut, and swaggered in co inquire, in an impudont tone, 'if we were not afraid of our lives with so many Tchuktchis around us.' The insult was evidently intentional, but the cool reply that Englishmen feared nothing, 244 f .^V.±: ALASKA TO BEEING STEAITS and that if anything befell us he, and every man in Oumwaidjik, would be killed by our country- men before the next year had expired, seemed to quell this offensive youth's ardour, and he left the hut, to return no more for many days, much to Noo-oona's delight, who was watching the proceedings from outside. There was httle love lost between the brothers, for Noo-oona was a quiet, well-mannered lad, who to the last re- mained our firm friend and ally. He would spend hours with us trying to master a few words of English which I taught him, and thus myself managed to pick up a smattering of the Tchuktchi language. The latter is harsh and guttural, and, for a stranger, almost impossible to pronounce with accuracy. ^ But Noo-oona soon became more proficient than his father in the EngHsh tongue, and when we left Oumwaid- jik could talk quite fluently. He possessed, however, brains far above the average, for the majority of the natives here were of the lowest grade of intelligence, and could no more realisu the appearance of a great city or large concourse ' See Appendix H. 245 THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF ! (■ • Mi ■ III of people than we can — space. Other natives would invariably look at pictures shown them upside down, but Noo-oona not only avoided this mistake, but contrived to make, without assist- ance, a very fair sketch of a ship (which is here reproduced) on the back of a playing card that we gave him. Noo-oona was a famous athlete, and was generally to be found every afternoon in the village playground, a large ring in the centre of the settlement formed by shingle from the beach, stamped into the marshy ground, and devoted to wrestling, running, jumping, and other sports. Most of the games were distinguished by rough horseplay, notably a kind of 'Blind Man's Buff,' from which a lad would sometimes return badly disabled ; and another game, when one of the players was flogged with walrus thongs until he yelled, in sober earnest, for mercy. Noo-oona informed us that an athletic contest is held here yearly, which is attended by many of the natives from neighbouring settlements. The sports last several days, and, as large quantities of whisky are consumed on this occasion, I was relieved 246 N w J OHIOINAL DRAWING OF A STEAM WHALER BY A TCHUKTCHI nOY, AGKI) 1() (Drawn on Ihe hack of a / Inuitnj eaid yireii In him lnj Ihe Anl/ior) i M i^ 5 ' .'''.'*. I ti ALASKA TO BEEING STRAITS to hear that they would not again be held until the following summer. The Tchuktchis are generally slim, wiry, and extremely powerful, and I have seen a boy fourteen years old pick up a 100-lb. sack of flour and walk away with it with ease. The men are generally fair in their methods of fighting among themselves. Knives are rarely used in disputes, which are generally settled with fists ; but they have little idea of sparring, and there is no science what- ever about their boxing. They are, however, marvellous marksmen, and as expert with a rifle as with spear or harpoon, while mere children ' hought nothing of bringing down a bird thirty yards off with a stone thrown from a walrus-hide sling. Mouga and Tingana were kind merry Httle souls, and they and Noo-oona were certainly our best friends during that dreary time. Some- times they would sing and dance for our amuse- ment — especially when they saw us more de- pressed than usual. Their dancing was not graceful. It consisted of turning round and round on the same spot, and slowly swaying the 247 ! I THKOUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF u ■V upper part of the body after the manner of the ' Dance du Ventre.' Singing and a fish-skin tambourine beaten by Noo-oona furnished the music, which was monotonous and utterly devoid of harmony. Their voices were too excruciating, and as shrill and harsh as an unoiled crank ; but, like most amateurs of limited powers, they re- quired little pressing, and often sang me fairly out of the hut and into the snow outside. The intervals between song and dance were generally devoted to the consumption of tobacco, and it seemed strange to see the two girls place a plug in their pretty mouths and chew away with all the nonchalance and complacency of an old * Shell-back.' The conversation, so far as the ladies were concerned, was not spirited. It chiefly consisted of deep-drawn sighs occasionally varied by the whispered ' Ho-ho ' which a Tchuk- tchi employs to express satisfaction with his entertainer and surroundings. Afternoon tea was sometimes brought to us by Tikara in the shape of cold water and flour mixed into a kind of paste in a vessel of walrus-hide. Oddly enough the Tchuktchis, though very partial to the 248 u ALASKA TO BEEING STRAITS bread they occasionally get from whalers, are unaware that it is made with an ingredient that enters so largely into their trading operations- flour. The women of this race must be as hardy as the men. Both Tingana and Mouga would often leave my hut streaming with perspiration, and upon reaching the open air strip naked to the waist, although snow might be falling and the temperature register only a few degrees above zero. And yet pulmonary diseases are rare among the Tchuktchis, where the death-rate is chiefly due to scurvy and the diseases attending insuffi- cient nourishment. Epidemics are practically unknown on the Siberian coast, although small- pox decimates whole settlements among the Eskimo.^ The Tchuktchis are frightened to death by a * Kodak.' It was only with the greatest care and difficulty that I managed to secure snapshots of the women when the latter were quite un- aware of my presence or intention. Noo-oona affected an indifference when posing which was 1838 ' The scourge was first brought to Alaska by the Russians in 249 THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF hi; 'i f i-i^ clearly assumed, and I questioned him closely regarding the strange antipathy evinced by his people towards the photographic apparatus. The lad feigned ignorance at first, but finally admitted that the ' Shamans ' had always warned him against sitting for his picture, which, they averred, would be carried far away across the seas and probably be lost. In this case Noo- oona's destruction, body and soul, would surely and rapidly follow. T ;nanaged, however, to re- assure my young friend (who, to do him justice, was not an ardent disciple of ' Shamanism '), and afterwards sent him a couple of his own photo- graphs by the first whaler from San Francisco in the spring of 1897. I doubt, however, whether Noo-oona ever received these, for the ship by which they were despatched is now (Jan. 1898) hard and fast in the pack 70 miles north of Point Barrow, with a crew of forty doomed men ; and Koari and his family had probably left Oum- waidjik for the interior before the * Belvedere ' ^ * Most of the photographs of Tchuktchis that appear in this vohime were taken by an officer of the Kevemxe cutter ' Bear,' during her vearly patrol criiisf of 1894. 250 ALASKA TO BERING STRAITS touched these on her way north to the Arctic Ocean and — destruction.' The dayhght was fast leaving us. By October 6 we were Hving by lampHght quite eighteen hours out of the twenty-four. We had up till this time kept a bright look-out for the Andr^e Polar balloon, which we should have greeted with open arms ; but I think we should have welcomed anybody if they only brought some decent food and a screw of smokable tobacco, for our supply of the latter was now almost exhausted. Talking of Herr Andr^e, a rather amusing incident occurred here connected with his aerial expedition. While in New York we had been furnished by an American Geographical Society with a number of handbills, bearing a picture of the balloon and its occupants, for distribution among the Tchuktchis of Arctic Siberia. The bills were intended to prepare the natives for the aeronaut's advent, and to prevent any attack upon him caused by enmity or fear. I gave aw^ay, at Oumwaidjik, about a hundred of these leaflets, and one day saw a Tchuktchi ' See Appendix I. 251 i i THEOUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF b ' i w f Ji, V'l > II youth (celebrated for his skill as a marksman) intently studying the picture of the balloon. I asked him (in his own language) what he would do if he saw it suddenly appear in the sky. ' Shoot it, of course ! ' was the immediate reply. I fear, therefore, that the well-meant efforts of the American geographers have been in vain (so far as North-Eastern Siberia is concerned), and can only trust that if, as I sincerely hope, the ' Eagle ' and its intrepid inmates have crossed the Pole in safety, they may have given Oum- waidjik and its adjacent settlements a wide berth. Two days after the above occurrence, or on October 8, the miserable monotony of our life was, for a few hours, relieved. Four polar bears — a mother and three cubs — were carried down on an ice floe from the Arctic, and washed ashore not three hundred yards from our hut. The whole village — men, women, children, and dogs — turned out, and a really exciting chase re- sulted in the shooting of the bears. They were then borne in triumph to Koari's house. Here their jaws were prised open with bits of seal-bone, 252 ALASKA TO BERING STRAITS and their mouths adorned with beads and strips of bright-coloured cloth. This is done to give the slain animal an air of gaiety, and thereby appease the evil spirit that may come to avenge its death. A ' Shaman ' performed the operation. Bear-flesh was a very pleasant change in our daily menu, but the allowance sent to us by Koari was very limited. Polar bears are common enough around Oumwaidjik during the winter, and the year pre- ceding our visit a woman was fiercely attacked by one of the brutes which was prowling around her hut at night-time. The animal mauled her severely about the scalp and shoulders; but, although nearly dead from fright and loss of blood, she eventually recovered. Bears are plentiful enough here, but there is an island far south of this, in Bering Sea, where they swarm like rats in a sewer. St. Matthew's Island is uninhabited by natives, but a winter's sojourn there would not only afford rare sport, but prob- ably prove extremely remunerative to any one bold and hardy enough to undertake it. The following description of a comparatively recent 253 !' I TFTROUGH THE GOLD-FIRLDS OF ;M I t. 'r I visit to this island by the explorer Elliott may, therefore, perhaps tempt some ardent sportsman to abandon India and Africa for a season, and try his luck (as I believe a party of Russians did a year or two ago) on this lone'.y, ice-girt hunting- ground. ' xVn old Russian record p' pared us, on land- ing, to find bears here ; but it did not cause us to be equal to the sight we saw, for we met bears — yea, hundreds of them. I was going to say that I saw bears here as I had seen seals to the south, but that, of course, will not do, unless as a mere figure of speech. During the nine days that we were busy in surveying this island we never were one moment, while on land, out of sight of a bear or bears ; their white forms in the distance always answered to our search, though they ran from our innnediate presence with a wild celerity, travelling in a swif shambling gallop, or trotting off like elep^ Whether due to the fact that they wer( ^ed with food, or that the warmer weather of summer subdued their temper, we never could cause one of these animals to show light. Its first impulse, and its 254 -I '■\ i I-' m n.» ALASKA TO BEEING STEAITS last one, while within our influence, was flight — males, females, and cubs — all, when surprised by us, rushing with one accord right, left, and in every direction, over the hills and far away. ' After shooting half a dozen we destroyed no more, for we speedily found that we had made their acquaintance at the height of their shedding season, and their snowy and highly prized winter dress was a very different article from the dingy, saffron-coloured, greyish fur that was flying Hke downy feathers in the wind, whenever rubbed or pulled by our hands. They never growled, or uttered any sound whatever, even when shot or wounded. We could not have observed less than two hundred and fifty or three hundred of these animals while we were there. At our landing on Hall Island (a small islet close to St. Matthew) there were sixteen in full sight at one sweep of our eyes, scampering up and off from the approach of the ship's boat.' The long weary nights and darkening days would have been bad enough to endure without additional anxiety from other causes ; but we were now menaced by a danger that after sun- 255 ^H|I?M } IP 1 I V' ( lip ; ^■[f 1 'l ii||i|iii! ^ij,' 1 ; .' Hi ■ ■ I'll- iiK III "1 .'■;• i ii ii ( |j|. p: 4||i: yftJ i^;: THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF down, and sometimes before, entailed constant vigilance. One night we were sleeping soundly, tired out after a hard day's seal shooting, when the door of our hut was burst open with a crash that sent the padlock flying, and Oyurapok, his face streaming with blood, staggered into the room. A deep cut over the head had evidently sobered him, but the man was still in an advanced state of intoxication. When able to speak (for he was breathless with running), Oyurapok told us that he had been set upon by the friends of a man whom he had killed the winter before, and who, had he not escaped, would undoubtedly have murdered him. Cour- age was clearly not this man's strong point, for he trembled like a leaf as I gave him a drink of water, and then walked to the door of the hut to try to replace the broken staples and bar out objectionable visitors. Just outside, to my sur- prise, Tingana and Mouga were crouching close against the wall, pale as ghosts and shaking with terror ; but, as I was about to address them, the loud report of a rifle sent them scuttering like little rabbits into my hut, where Oyurapok 256 [ OF nstant eeping 8 seal 1 burst flying, blood, vev the le man ication. ss with Deen set .d killed escaped, Cour- oint, for drink of the hut bar out my sur- ng close shaking ss them, uttering )yurapok ALASKA TO BERING STRAITS was ruefully bathing his swollen and disfigured countenance. To my great relief, Noo-oona pre- sently rushed in and explained the situation. Koari and some friends who had come in that day from a neighbouring village had drunk themselves into a state of frenzy, during which a Winchester rifle had been seized by one of his boon companions and discharged at the chief's head, happily missing him, but grazing a woman's arm. Noo-oona (who never indulged in whisky) begged us to extinguish the lamp, which had been relit on Oyurapok's entry, and remain per- fectly silent. Thus we listened for some moments of painful suspense, when the sound of angry voices was again raised, and a second shot rang through the darkness. Oyur^pok and his brother then rushed back to Koari 's hut, leaving the women to our care. Half an hour later Noo-oona returned with the welcome tidings that no harm had been done, and that quiet had been restored, the proceedings having terminated with the helpless insensibility of his father, mother, and all their guests. We did not, however, feel much inclined for sleep until 257 S : I !- THEOUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF i .1 i .,' : r T' n r ^ I' daybreak, and, as a repetition of this performance (without the shooting) took place the following night, it was agreed to set a watch for the future, and rest by turns. This, indeed, was only the first of many drinking-bouts that took place before our rescue. Noo-oona informed us that one of Koari's guests had suggested rifling us while we slept, for white men always carried gold. Meeting this worthy next morning look- ing very sheepish and evidently suffering from severe headache, I deputed Noo-oona to inform him that he would find plenty of lead whenever he cared to pay us a visit, but that we were for the present unprovided with the precious metal, which was, in fact, the truth. We carried only Eussian rouble notes, which are, like other paper money, useless to a Tchuktchi. A Tchuktchi when drunk is more like a fiend than a human being. Our only safeguard at Oumwaidjik lay in the fact that the poorer portion of the community could not afford to buy whisky, and these men protected us, more or less, from the attacks of their drunken neighbours. Tingana and Mouga, too, always warned us 258 T OF Drmance ollowing e future, only the 3k place us that ifling us 3 carried ing look- ing from :o inform enever he were for )us metal, e carried like other ke a fiend eguard at le poorer 3rd to buy ore or less, eighbours. earned us ALASKA TO BERING STEAITS when an orgie was about to take place, and latterly we concealed ourselves in some friendly hut until it was over. Noo-oona, too, would have been a firm ally in case of need, and as we were well armed there was in reality but little to fear. The dangerous character of the Tchuktchi when under the influence of drink is shown by the experiences of Captain Cogan, a well-known whaling skipper, who spent a winter among these people in St. Lawrence Bay, a short distance north of Oumwaidjik, on his ship the ' Kohola,' a few years ago. I am able, thanks to Mr. Aldrich, of New Bedford, Mass., to give the captain's story in his own words. He says : — * I came up as first mate to the Arctic in the whaler " Kohola " of Honolulu, to winter under the charge of Captain Brummerhoff. We win- tered about a quarter of a mile from the northern shore, in St. Lawrence Bay, Siberia. Soon after we anchored the sailors went ashore, stole some whisky from a native hut, got drunk, and came aboard resolved to take the ship. The Tchuktchi from whom they stole the liquor came aboard afterwards, and remained two or three days. I i 259 b2 -^r^ THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF • ii UK: v; n \ ;|. Meanwhile a strong gale sprang up. Some of the sailors jokingly told the native that they had seen the wind carry off his hut and destroy everything. This set the fellow crazy, and he insisted upon going ashore. We knew that it would be quite impossible to land him, and tried in vain to dissuade him from his purpose ; but one day, w^hile we were at dinner, he jumped overboard and started to swim ashore. I threw a line to him, but he brushed it away and made for the land. He had almost reached it, when he encountered young ice, lost his strength, and was drow^ned, his body never being seen again. After the gale subsided, his father and his two brothers came aboard to inquire for him. I, as mate, told them the truth ; but the sailors, who sought revenge on the captain for fancied wrongs, told the Tchuktchis that the captain had stabbed their relative and thrown his body into the sea. They believed this, and ignored my story, and also told the captain that, if they ever caught him ashore, they would immediately kill him. * Shortly after this I got together a dog-team and made some little expeditions, two to East 260 S OF Some of they had I destroy ■f, and he ^ that it and tried pose ; but e jumped I threw and made b, when he ti, and was in. After brothers mate, told 10 sought fongs, told d stabbed the sea. story, and rer caught :ill him. L dog-team to East ALASKA TO BERING STEAITS Cape and one down to Plover Bay. While I was away on one of these trips the captain traded for six reindeer. The natives took their trade — a keg of rum — in advance, and went ashore to get the deer, which were inland. I returned at this juncture, and the captain ordered me to go and get the deer ; but when I learnt what trade he had given them, I suggested that we wait until the liquor and its effects had disappeared. But the captain was impatient, and said he would go himself, and, in spite of warning from the rest of us and one or two friendly natives, he rowed ashore and started off. We followed him with the glass, and soon saw that there was going to be trouble. We could see the deer returning and a crowd following and surrounding the skipper. We learnt afterwards that the friends of the drowned Tchuktchi, incensed at what they con- sidered the captain's cruelty, followed him as soon as he landed and insulted and then assaulted him. The captain fired at them with his revolver, then threw it away and lied towards the ship, but was soon overtaken, pierced by an arrow, and then stabbed to death. 261 1: ^h li i1 ;-.f) THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF ' Each year afterwards as I returned north I renewed my reward for a shot at one of the murderers, simply for effect, in case it should be necessary for other white men to winter there. After some years had elapsed, I went ashore at St. Lawrence, but had no sooner landed than the two brothers of the drowned man came running towards me with knives, but I kept them back with a revolver till I reached the boat. A year or two later these men sent word to me asking that peace should be declared. I agreed, and they came aboard the next day. Shortly after one of them went through the settlement while drunk with a rifle, and fired into every hut as he passed it. Li one he narrowly missed killing a little girl, and her twelve-year-old brother seized a gun and shot him dead.' ^ It was only on October 9 that I learnt by accident that the misery and monotony of the past five weeks had all been endured for nothing, and that we had no more chance of reaching our ' A hatred of white men is evidently not confined to the Tchuktchis, for a missionary was murdered by Eskimos as re- cently as 1895 at the Protestant Mission at Cape Prince of Wales, the murderers being, on this occasion, sober. 262 ALASKA TO BEKING STRAITS destination than the two monks, mentioned by St. Ger6me, who undertook to reach the spot where the earth and sky were supposed to meet. An old walrus-watcher, named Lew, who had once shipped on a whaler, and could therefore speak a few words of English, was in the habit of paying us daily visits at the conclusion Cx his day's work. It is perhaps characteristic of Tchuktchi craftiness that, so long as our tobacco lasted, Lew held his peace. But the fatal day arrived when we received our visitor empty- handed, and he then imparted a piece of in- formation so calmly and logically that it bore the unmistakable impress of truth. The land journey to Anadyrsk was, he told us, quite impossible. If not, why did not the Oumwaidjik natives ever travel there by sleigh? During the summer many baidar^s sailed with furs and ivory to the Russian settlement by sea and river. Two of these boats had not even yet returned from this year's summer trip, and would now stay over at Anadyrsk until the following year, for it was quite impossible for their crews to return until navigation reopened. There was 263 ! Ml i! : . 1 THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF , I .' li f' i :„, M!l 'i I! Ii. iy I ■ ] I »T no way by land. In the first place, no dog would face the terrible storms, and still less the terrific cold, for a month in the open without a scrap of firewood or fuel of any description. ' Man, dog, everyting die,' concluded Lew ; adding, ' You get out of this or you die too,' as he took his departure. We quite saw the force of our friend's kindly suggestion, but entirely failed to see how it was to be carried out. My first impulse was to seek out Koari and call him to account for his abominable treachery ; but on second thoughts I abandoned this course, which would not only have been useless, but perhaps have subjected us to insults and annoyances that we had hitherto escaped by showing civility and good temper. I resolved, however, to test the accuracy of Lew's statements, and a few hours later carelessly ques- tioned Koari as to the date of our departure for the interior. * Byme-by you look,' was the im- perturbable reply ; ' no go now, plenty cold — no fire— man, dog— all die. Byme-by warm ; six, seven moons stop Koari. Then all right — go.' ' By baidara ? ' I asked, as urbanely as my feel- 264 \ OF ALASKA TO BERING STKAITS ig would s terrific a scrap ' Man, adding, he took 's kindly iw it was i to seek for his thoughts not only )jectedus hitherto 3mper. I of Lew's ssly ques- arture for 3 the im- cold — no arm ; six, ight— go.' s my feel- ings would permit. ' Yes, by baidar^ — seven moon more — all right.' And I could have struck the scoundrel in the face as the nameless horrors of an imprisonment in filth and darkness for seven or eight endless months were revealed in all their hideous reality. It was now plainly evident that this rascally Tchuktchi had never from the very first intended to carry out his contract. What was to be done ? Harding and I returned to the hut to gaze blankly at each other for a few moments, and then to set about rack- ing our brains to find a way, however intricate, out of the dilemma ; but the crucial question remained unanswered. We looked hopelessly through the grimy window at the mournful poverty-stricken huts looming through the dusk, and cursed the scheme that had landed us among them and their foul inmates. We turned our eyes seawards, where the foot ice, already over a mile in breadth, had come to stay, and our hearts sank within us at the thought that another ten days at the most would entomb us securely and hopelessly as a vault in Kensal Green 265 .; i\ :\ : i i I, . ["■i; ( 1 1 11 THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF Cemetery. It was almost dark when an idea struck Harding?, who silently tore down the fla^ that was hanging by the window. I watched him as he walked through the gathering gloom to the beach, and fixed it to an old whale rib that had once formed part of a hut. And, as the Union Jack fluttered gaily out on the evening breeze, I wondered whether the lady who had given it me in far-away England had ever realised that the lives of two men would one day depend upon that tiny bit of bunting. For one spark only (and a very dim one) now smouldered amid the ashes of our hopes — ' The Whalers.' iM.< 266 ALASKA TO j^j^RING STRAITS CHAPTER XII OUR RESCUE THE ' BELVEDERE ' — SAN FRANCISCO Our hope of escape was a faint one, for the whahng ships had probably all left the Arctic Ocean by now ; but a drowning man will clutch at a straw. Lew informed us by way of conso- lation that, out of the twelve or fifteen ships that annually went north, at least two or three were inva,riably (as he expressed it) ' broken,' or lost, which fact reduced our chance of rescue to infinitesimal proportions. In fact, the outlook could not well have been worse. It is truly providential, however, that the whaling catas- trophe of 1897 did not occur the preceding year, for in that case nothing could have saved us from protracted hardships of a terrible descrip- tion, if not from death itself.' To make matters worse, the damp in our hut had become so ' See Appendix I. 267 .(■ THKOUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF p'' II >\ t. intolerable, and we suffered so severely from rheumatism, that we were compelled to move into Koari's walrus-hide hut, which, although infinitely worse as regarded pure air and seclu- sion, was at any rate weather-tight and always warm, at times even to suffocation. Koari at first evinced some suspicion at a prominent dis- play of the Union Jack ; but when I explained that our object was simply to attract the atten- tion of some ship passing southward, in order to send a final letter home to our friends, the chief merely shrugged his shoulders and remarked that many moons must elapse before a vessel could possibly approach Oumwaidjik, which fact, judging from the condition of the ice, appeared unpleasantly probable. • Then followed a period of mental and phy- sical suffering that I cannot even now look back upon without a shudder. There were days when it seemed as though one would never look upon civilised faces or hear a friendly voice again. Minutes seemed like hours in that foul, dark dwelling, which, towards night-time, assumed the appearance of a veritable Inferno, with its 268 ' i,iT r.r.i < 1 OF ly from ,0 move although .d seclu- i always Koari at .ent dis- splained e atten- order to bhe chief ■emarked a vessel lich fact, appeared and phy- ook back ays when ook upon oe again, oul, dark assumed with its ALASKA TO BERING STRAITS naked occupants of both sexes, and its sicken- ing odour of unwashed humanity, only less re- pellent to the senses than the nameless obsceni- ties we were constantly compelled to witness to the eye. Here we lay for nearly a week, facing by turns the icy blast, in order to struggle to the beach and scan, with eager eyes, the cruel grey sea for a friendly sail, only to return more hopelessly each day to our grim resting- place, where a night of torture was generally in prospect on account of the vermin that now swarmed over us. About this time my troubles were greatly increased by a painful skin eruption which covered my entire body. I had suffered from it ever since September 20, but the irrita- tion had gradually increased, and was now so intense that sleep, by night or day, was out of the question, save for a few minutes at a time. We had no remedy, and I honestly believe that another month without relief would have driven me out of my mind. I ascribed the complaint to poorness of blood, arising from our un\»holesome diet ; but it arose from a very different cause, and is a malady common enough among the 269 i! I S !»/'} EH! 11! 'M THKOUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF Tchuktchis, which I need not offend the reader's sense of refinement by mentioning. It is known as ' la gale ' in the French language. The weather got worse and worse as October crept slowly away, and the sun was now seldom visible, even during its brief presence, on account of dense fogs alternating with snowstorms. We eventually discontinued our visits to the beach, for they were, after all, useless, and a thorough wetting only increased our misery, if that were possible. There was absolutely nothing to think about, and still less to hope for, as we lay dozing under our filthy furs during tho daytime, or tossed restlessly about after dark, watching for the sickly dawn that would bring us as wretched a day as the past night. Perhaps not quite, for the movement of men, the sound of human voices, were something to look at, and to listen to. Anything was better than to lie awake through those dark miserable nights, listening to the moaning of the wind, and the dull roar of the ice, as it gathered slowly and surely on the coast, and, hour by hour, im- mured us more hopelessly in this Arctic prison. 270 OF jader's known )ctober seldom iccount 8. We beach, lorough lat were to think we lay lay time, matching y us as laps not ound of at, and Hn to lie nights, and the 3wly and our, im- 3 prison. ALASKA TO BEEING STEAITS The daylight was now fast leaving us, and we had almost abandoned all hope of escape. When deliverance did come, it came, as usual, unex- pectedly. It was about noon on the 18th of October, and a furious ' poorga ' had been raging ever since the dawn. Even the natives preferred remaining in their huts to facing the cutting north-easter and blinding snow. I remember that day so well ! I have cause to, for every trifling incident that took place is engraven on my memory. Only that morning I recollect saying to Harding : ' Well, it's all over now ; we must make the best of it ! ' It cannot have been an hour after I made the remark that we heard, above the roaring of the gale, the sound of voices on the beach. They were raised as if in excite- ment, and, as the poor walrus-watchers are there in all weathers, two of the men jumped up, seized a rifle apiece, and dashed out of the hut. Presently one of them returned, his eyes ablaze with excitement. ' Amakpawit ! ' ^ he yelled, and throwing down his weapon rushed out again, followed by every soul in the hut. Then we knew, ' Tcluiktchi, ' A steamer I ' 271 H. ^ .♦ i wrn i-i< nl': A\' li) in I. THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF and thanked a divine providence that we were saved. But many hours of terrible suspense still lay before us. The wind was so tempestuous that we could scarcely make our way against it to the beach, where a crowd of natives had already assembled to watch the strange vessel as she laboured heavily along under steam and close- reefed topsails. It was a wild, weird scene. Before us stretched a rugged barrier of silvery ice, divided by a blue-black strip of open water, flecked with white billows, from the sullen grey sky. One could hear nothing but the howling of the gale, and the deafening roar of the ice as the floes dashed against each other in a mountainous sea. It seemed, for a few minutes of intense anxiety, as though the stranger would hold on her course, due south through Bering Straits. But when I saw the Stars and Stripes run up to the masthead, I knew that our rag of a Union Jack had been seen, and felt sure that we should not be Is ft to our fate. For three long anxious hours we stood and watched that stout little vessel as she struggled 272 OF e were till lay that we to the already as she d close- L scene. : silvery n water, len grey )wling of ?,e as the ntainous intense hold on Straits. ■un up to a Union ve should tood and struggled ALASKA TO BERING STRAITS for the bay, where there was certainly anchorage, but by no means safety. Safety lay in the open sea. The skipper of that ship must have known (as we knew) that he was risking not only the lives of all on board, but even his wife's safety, by lingering near this ice-trap. And yet, notwith- standing almost imminent peril, he never for a moment wavered on his mission of humanity. It was rapidly getting dark, however, when the ship anchored about two miles off the land, opposite a spot on the shore where a strip of open water rendered it possible to launch a boat. But the breakers were terrible, and the first baidara was caught up like a nut- shell and dashed to pieces ; a second shared the same fate ; but a third was safely launched, and, amid the yells of the crowd, put bravely to sea. Koari never left us for an instant. ' You no go,' he kept repeating ; ' big water, you drown.' This looked extremely hkely. We were indeed, on this occasion, ' between the devil and the deep sea.' But I knew that my old friend's anxiety was not on our own account, but his own. I think he had visions (since realised) of an 273 T il II 1 V T rr ' I. M :Ml 'him i' ; ' * ill THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF American vessel called the * Bear ' ! Anyhow it was only by dint of threats with a revolver (which, with my journals and sketches, was the only thing we brought away) that we managed to embark on the third baidara launched, jumping in when she was already on the crest of a huge roller, which nearly swept me off my feet. On this occasion only was I thankful that the Tchuktchis love whisky. Had it not been for the hope of being able to obtain some of that fiery liquid, not a man would have ventured out in such a sea. During our passage to the ship, which occupied more than an hour, we lay in a heap, holding on like grim death to the bottom of the boat, which plunged and rolled like a wild thing, until we began to doubt whether it would not have been almost better to risk a possible death ashore than to court certain destruction afloat. I am convinced that nothing but a baidar&j would hava lived for five minutes in the waves that every moment threatened to engulf us, and that broke every now and then into our midst with a sickening 274 OF A.nyhow revolver was the managed Eiunched, the crest ,e off my thankful ad it not bain some uld have ip, which n a heap, om of the a wild r it would a possible estruction ng but a ainutes in threatened every now sickening 11 AIjASKA to BERING STRAITS crash. We were literally oftener under the water than upon it, and once, when within a few yards of the whaler, a terrific sea swept us from stem to stern, carrying away our steers- man, who, however, never Jet go of the gunwale, and clambered aboard again with marvellous presence of mind and agility. A line was soon afterwards thrown to us from the ship, and we were presently alongside and swarming up a rope so greasy with whale-blubber that my frozen hands could scarcely grasp it. But, with a superhuman effort, I dragged myself up the slippery side and over the low bulwarks, and a moment afterwards was shaking the hand of our brave preserver, who surveyed, with a half -puzzled, half-pitying expression, the fur-clad, miserable object before him, while the latter, more dead than alive, was scarcely able to realise as yet that the events of the past few hours were not a feverish dream, and that he and his faithful com- panion were really saved at last. We had been rescued by the steam whaler ' Belvedere,' of New Bedford, Mass., whose name is as well known as the owner is popular 275 T 2 'I If. [ ill- ii'i ." II i iii J I 'M I THBOUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF in the Arctic, which is saying a good deal. Whiteside, a tall pleasant-faced man of middle age, with handsome but slightly frost-bitten features, led us away below to a snug brightly lit little cabin, where we were soon retailing our misfortunes over the first palatable food we had tasted for many weary weeks. Mrs. Whiteside, a young, delicate-looking woman, presently joined us, and the good skipper then hurried away on deck, leaving his wife to attend to our wants. For the ' Belvedere ' was already under weigh, and a rapidly falling barometer predicted a stormy night. The ' Belvedere,' a barque-rigged steamer of 480 tons, was returning to San Francisco from a two years' whalin^f cruise in the Arctic Ocean. I could scarcely believe that the pretty, neatly dressed woman, chatting away so merrily beside us, had really shared her husband's perils and vicissitudes for two long years — twelve months of which had been passed securely locked in the ice off Herschel Island, near the mouth of the Mackenzie River. This voyage had, in fact, been Mrs. Whiteside's honeymoon trip, on which she 276 I s ov ood deal. )f middle )st- bitten I brightly ailing our d we had A^hiteside, itly joined [ away on )ur wants, cler weigh, )d a stormy steamer of isco from a ;tic Ocean. itty, neatly rrily beside perils and ve months eked in the )uth of the a fact, been which she f ( * . 1 S ■;■ ALASKA TO BERING STRAITS had started only a few days after her marriage. Our little hostess added that she had suffered ever since childhood from weak lungs, and so seriously that the doctors had permitted her to embark upon this cruise under the impression that she could scarcely live two years. But within the first few months of her stay in the Polar regions the cold pure air worked wonders ; the improvement steadily continued, and Mrs. Whiteside was now returning to her home absolutely cured of a malady which is generally only alleviated by balmy breezes and southern skies. We sat until late in the evening luxuriating in the pleasant warmth and light of our new sur- roundings, until it was time to turn into a couple of rough wooden bunks hastily knocked up by the carpenter, but wherein we slumbered, secure in the companionship of civilised beings, until noon the next day. Towards morning the fury of the gale increased, and by noon it was blowing a hurricane, which, however, did not raise a very heavy sea ; for, although the ' Belvedere ' was now a good twenty miles from the coast, we I 277 SB^SSl iHii -- :.\ . l...;.i li; THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS were surrounded by ice. The floes were heavy and squeezed the old ship unpleasantly hard at times, but the sharp cracking noise made by her timbers, and so disquieting to an inexperienced ear, was, Whiteside told me, an additional proof of her stability and strength. We did not get quite clear for two days. A sharp look-out was kept from the ' crow's nest,' for the ice-blink ^ was constantly seen on the horizon, and long and frequent deviations from our course were ren- dered necessary by troublesome leads. About midday, however, on the 21st of October, when south of St. Lawrence Island, Whiteside gave a grunt of satisfaction, and shut his glasses with a snap, for only blue water now lay between us and San Francisco. ' We are well out of that, my friend,' said the cheery skipper, as he drew me towards the companion ; ' now, let's go and have a drink ! ' Although, after our Oumwaidjik experiences, the ' Belvedere ' appeared to us in the light of a ' A cnrions appearance in the sky, like a thin streak of sunshine on the dnllest, doudiest day, which betokens the proximity of ice at sea. 278 ire heavy y hard at ie by her perienced mal proof 1 not get v-out was ice-bhnk ^ 1 long and were ren- s. About )ber, when iside gave asses with letween us it of that, s he drew 's go and ^periences, light of a lak of siinshine roximity of ice ?(-A V W^ M.eK SEuVlTDit^C. M ALASKA TO BERING STRAITS c 0111 modi ouH and well-found yacht, life on a whaling ship is, under ordinary circumstances, anything but pleasant. Mrs. Whiteside's cabin was a tiny oasis of warmth and comfort, but once outside its cosy portals the couj) (Vadl wa^ dirty and depressing in the extreme. Every- thing — the decks, bulwarks, and rigging — was coated with a greasy mixture of soot and blubber, as sticky as it was malodorous. This is caused by an operation known as ' trying out,' which was carried on, even during the most tempestuous weather, without cessation by day or night, all the way from Bering Straits to the Aleutian Islands. ' Trying out ' is simply the converting of whale blubber into oil by boiling. This is done (as a glance at the accompanying sketch will show) on deck, in the fore part of the ship, where a brick furnace is built for the purpose. When the wind is anywhere but dead aft, the occupants of the quarterdeck naturally receive the full benefit of the smoke, which, as the fuel consists of the brittle efuse of already boiled blubber, is anything but agreeable to the average nostrils, although it 281 iW im i i.;l i E.r'i ,''1 3i|' III'' i ' • » ! THEOUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF occasioned us (after Tchuktchi odours) but little inconvenience. The ' Belvedere ' had been exceptionally unfortunate until the last three weeks of her cruise, and was actually returning to San Francisco without a single fluke to show, when an almost phenomenal harvest of eleven whales was garnered, all within a fo^'tnight, which was sending her into port as rich as, if not richer than, any whaler in the fleet. The reader may not be aware that there are many kinds of whale, rr iging from the ' Bow- head,' which fetches from 1,5001. to 2,000Z., to the sperm whale, generally valued at three to four hundred pounds. The dimensions of a ' Bowhead ' are almost incredible to the inex- perienced in whaling matters. The jaw of one captured by the ' Belvedere ' measured thirty feet long and thirty feet high from top to base of mouth, when excended. And yet a whale's gullet is bO small that it can bareh' swallow an apple, but feeds solely on a species of tiny shrimp and the most diminutive fish, which swim into his mouth, and are sifted, so to speak, through 282 • ' M^ •■ a* *«-* ^ • to ja « ■J1M!1»,UPW OF rs) but )tionally ! of her to San N, when a whales lich was )t richer here are e ' Bow- ,000?., to three to }ns of a the inex- w of one 3d thirty ip to base a whale's ;^allow an ly shrimp swim into :, through s ALASKA TO BERING STRAITS a labyrinth of whalebone slats into his interior. Whalebone is, however, a somewhat misleading term for a substance which is not bone at all, but a kind of horn. Over seven hundred of these slats (some as much as twelve feet in length) are fixed in the upper jaw, and sweep backwards and out of sight when the mouth is closed, to straighten again when it reopens to form the sieve for fish food aforementioned. An ordin- ary ' Bowhead ' will easily carry 100 barrels of oil at 131 gallons and yield 2,000 lbs. of bone. WhaHng is therefore often a lucrative occupa- tion, but much depends upon luck. The ' Belvedere ' had captured 137 whales since the year 1881, thereby realising the sum of 164,000/.^ Whahng guns and explosive bombs are now used exclusively in whaling, and the dangerous ' The following are the measurements of a whale eighty barrels in size ; — Total length 47 ft. Length of fins g , Distance from rib end to spout holes . 17 „ Thickest part of blubber .... l„4iii. Length of longest ' slat ' of bone . . 11 „ 1 in. Number of slats- of bone . . . 760 Weight of longest slat of bone ... 7 Iba. 28.^ Ill TT Ni :^' »p Hi \' \l ill: THROUGH THE GOLD-FIEL]:>S OF harpoon method is a thing of the past. But a proof that the kilHng of a whale is, even now, occasionally perilous was shown by a long wooden case on the deck of the ' Belvedere.' This contained the body of Mr. Warren, the first boat-header ^ who had been killed by the last ' Bowhead ' captured just before the ' Belvedere ' came to our assistance, and whose remains were, in obedience to his wishes, being conveyed to America for interment. The monster, while pursued, had passed close to the boat, and dealt Warren a terrific blow with his fluke, smashing his hipbone into fragments and completely tear- ing open the abdomen. Nothing could be done for the poor fellow, who lingered in terrible agony for a few hours, till released by a merciful death. The fatal blow was probably accidental, for the ' Bowhead ' is not generally vindictive. He differs in this respect from the Grey-back, or Devil Fish, w^hich becomes mad with rage when pursued, and frequently follows and swamps a whale-boat. ' In whaling parlance a ' boat-header ' is one who steers, a ' boat-steerer ' one who stands in the bo' s of the boat witli a whaling gun and, Avhen near enough, ' strikes ' the whale. 284 K' mi ALASKA TO BERING STRAITS I learnt some strange things anent whaling on the ' Belvedere ' : the fact, for instance, that the crew of a San Francisco whaler never receives regular pay, but a share of the proceeds reahsed by the 'catch.' The captain takes one twelfth part, the chief mate one twenty-second part, and so on in reduced gradation to the able seamen, who each receive one eighty-fifth share of the gross receipts. I gleaned too, in confidence, from some of the sailors, that there are as many tricks and dodges connected with whaling p.s with the Turf, and that a whaling skipper, to succeed in his profession, must be as cute and a.rtful as a fashionable jockey. When, for instance, whale-boats from a ship in the neighbourhood of another vessel are drawing cautiously near a whale, a favourite device of the unsuccessful whaler is to keep the propeller slowly moving. This at once scares the whale away, much to the astonishment of the pursuers, to whom the manoeuvre is invisible. This is only one of many similar instances related to me anent the guile of their com- 285 :! , i THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF \m III ('■ ri ji:., manders by the forecastle blubber-hunters ^ of the ' Belvedere,' who, notwithstanding their hard life, were cheery, willing fellows, and appar- ently wxll satisfied with their lot. The lower part of Bering Sea is, at all sea- sons, a terribly stormy place, and south of the Pribylov Islands a succession of adverse gales considerably retarded our progress. These gales are usually attended by fog and snowstorms, which render it necessary to keep away as far as possible from the land, which is generally invisible until a vessel is close on to it. One of the boat-steerers, a grizzled Arctic veteran, informed us that ' hereabout it was always as dark as a cupboard, and blowing 'ard enough to tear a dog's 'ead orf,' which assertion, if some- what exaggerated, is, nevertheless, fairly descrip- tive of the kind of weather generally encountered off the Seal Islands late in the year. At St. Paul's, the larger of the two, there is an annual average of under fifty clear days, while it is impossible to land on either except on a very still day. Even in summer frequent violent ' A slang term for a ' whaling man ' among sailors. 286 OF irs^ of their appar- 11 sea- of the e ga,les ,e gales storms, as far snerally i. One veteran, ^ays as DUgh to : some- iescrip- untered At St. annual le it is a very violent 3. U3 ril , I Mi i II ViP 'I ;' H" ' I J ! ■' t -I I I. m '.n? ipllilj 1-1 ALASKA TO BEEING STKAITS gales and dense fogs render this treacherous, shallow sea the bugbear of the mariner, who occasionally finds himself hard and fast ashore in clear weather, over a hundred miles from land of any description. For twenty-four hours we lay hove-to, bat- tling against a mountainous sea, that eventually carried away three out of our eight whale-boats. It was impossible to steam against it, for Ameri- can whalers are only fitted with very inferior engines, and can, even in calm weather, barely steam their five knots an hour. But Whiteside rightly described his craft as a splendid sea-boat, for she rode the heavy seas like a duck, and sailed like a witch. I have often felt more anxiety on board a gigantic liner in a moderate gale than during the dirtiest weather on the tight, trim little ' Belvedere.' The morning of October 25 finds us at anchor in the placid waters of Ounalaska harbour. We revel at the sight of the pretty village, nestling under green, grassy downs, with its neat houses and tiny church ; for is not this a foretaste of the blessed civilisation we are nearing ? Cattle 287 mum ! • ' ' ' I (I THBOUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF browse on the hill-sides, a tinkle of church bells is musically wafted to us over the water, and the rural, peaceful scene brings contentment to the soul. Indeed, it would need but a slight stretch of the imagination to fancy oneself on the shores of the Lakes of Thun or Interlaken, so homelike are our surroundings, bathed in the bright sunshine that so rarely gladdens these lonely wastes. And here, too, is our old friend the ' Bear,' on the point of sailing for San Francisco ; but when T board her not one of my old shipmates recognises the man they landed in Siberia barely two months ago. This is, perhaps, scarcely surpris- ing, for a glance in a mirror reflects a counten- ance that would do credit to the filthiest and most debased Tchuktchi. The skin disease from which I had never ceased to suffer had now become so aggravated as to necessitate my removal to the ' Bear,' where, during the homeward voyage, I slowly regained my health and strength, under the care of Surgeon Lyall, whose kindness and attention, together with the hospitality of the commander and officers of the Revenue cutter, I can 288 h. tffl i«i^ OF ALASKA TO BERING STl'AITS ch bells and the fc to the bretch of ihores of elike are 5unshine ies. And ' on the , when I 3Cognises rely two J surpris- counten- liest and ad never gravated ' Bear,' I slowly r the care attention, mmander 1-, I can never hope adequately to repay. And here at Ounalaska, the border-line between civilisation and the grim, ice-bound regions he knows so well, I bid farewell to the man to whose courage and generosity we undoubtedly owe our lives ; for I am convinced that neither Harding nor I should have survived even another three months at Oumwaidjik. It would be ungrateful on my part not to add that Captain Whiteside was fully aware of the risks that he ran in taking us off that inhospitable shore, although, like all truly brave men, he makes light of the matter. Nevertheless, I can safely say that not one man in a hundred of any nationality would have acted as he did. When I add that, on arrival at San Francisco, this gallant sailor refused to take one farthing in return for his priceless services, the reader will not wonder that the name of Joseph Whiteside is one that I shall ever recall with feelings of the truest friendship and deepest gratitude to the day of my death. There is little more to tell. Our voyage in the ' Bear ' across the North Pacific is, as usual, a buccesbion of gaks and fogs : the weather, 289 u \ \ i j; s( ) ; I , THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF in short, that may always be expected there from one year's end to another. On November 9 I reach m.y journey's end ; not, alas ! in the fair French city we all love so well, but still, under the circumstances, in a no less welcome haven : within the hospitable portals of ihe Golden Gate. u ' 1 1 i ';M ^♦iijiiiiiiv'idv: 290 i> ill ww^tW^l^""^'^ ■ "^ ALASKA TO BERING STRAITS APPENDICES I APPENDTX A Outfit for Oni-j Man for a Jottrney from JUNI-]AU TO DaWSOX CiTY 20 pounds of fl(jur 12 12 4 5 bacon beans butter vegetables (dried) 1 cans condensed milk > pounds sugar ,, tea ,, coffee ,, salt Pepper, mustard, tobacco Utensils 1 frying pan 1 water kettle 1 Yukon stove 1 bean pot 2 plates 1 tin drinking cup The following tools are necessary to build a boat on Lake Lindemann : — 1 tea-pot 1 knife and fork 1 large cooking pan 1 small ,, ,, 1 gold pan 1 jack plane 1 whip saw 1 cross-cut saw 1 axe 1 hatchet 1 hunting knife 6 pounds of assorted nails 1 pound of oakum •5 pounds of pitch 150 feet of rope 1 Juneau sled I 291 TT 2 IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) Z ^ // // A :^.< '■'■ /// ^^ '(/. ^ '/a 1.0 I.I ^■28 12.5 i^ 1^ III 2.2 £ lit m u 1.8 11.25 ■ 1.4 i 1.6 V] <^ /a 7 %^^^ / V <% /A >-^ ^^^^^^M &< Ii'' ■ki I!' mi THEOUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF Essentials One good duck tent One oilskin sheet Mosquito netting Snow goggles j N.B. — Procure the above outfit at Juneau. Medicines, dec. Cockle's pills Quinine (tabloids) Chlorodyne Epsom salts Goulard's extract Ginger | Patent medicines may be procured in the principal Yukon settlements. Arnica Sticking plaster Bandages Lint Cocaine (ta/bloids) APPENDIX B Table of Distances feom Dyea to Ciecle City Miles Summit of Chilkoot Pass 14f Head of Lake Lindemann . 23^ Foot of Lake Lindemann . 27i Head of Lake Bennett 28i Foot of Lake Bennett 53^ Caribou Crossing 56^ Foot of Lake Tagish . 73i Head of Lake Marsh . m Foot of Lake Marsh . 97i Head of Grand Cafion . 123 Foot of Grand Canon . . 123J Head of White Horse Eapids . 125:: Takheena Eiver . 140 Head of Lake Le Barge 156 Foot of Lake Le Barge 184 i,;. 292 OF ALASKA TO BERING STRAITS )rincipal Hootalinqua River Cassiar Bar Big Salmon River Little Salmon River Five Fingers Rapids Rink Rapids Pelly River . White River Stewart River Sixty-Mile Post . Dawson City Fort Reliance Forty-Mile Post . Fort Cudahy Circle City . Miles 216 242 249 285^ 344 850 4031 499* 509 529 574 5821 G28 628| 798 ■ ■ I iE City Miles . 14| . 28^ . 271 . 28i . 53^ . 56i . 73i . 781 . 97i . 123 . 123J . r25i . 140 . 156 . 184 APPENDIX C Canadian Route to Klondike The following route is said to be a feasible one by competent authorities in Canada. I therefore givf the particulars as I received them. I have, personally, no acquaintance with this part of the country. ' There exists a further route to the Klondike than either of those via Dyea or St. Michael's. This is the one via Edmonton, which is over a long-used and well- beaten trail practicable throughout the year. It has also the advantage of running entirely through Canadian territory. The trail runs from Green Lake (008 miles by rail from Winnipeg) or from Athabasca Landing (1,080 miles by rail from Winnipeg). In summer the traveller can go nearly all the way to Dawson City by water, travelling down-stream with only a four-mile portage between the Yukon and Mackenzie rivers. 293 THEOUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF Fort McMurray is his first objective point. From here steamers belonging to the Hudson Bay Company run to Fort Macpherson. Having bought his stores here, he can go up Peel river to Trout river, and a creek flowing into that stream will take him to the portage mentioned. He can then float down another creek into Bear river, which flows into the Porcupine river, which latter is a tributary of the Yukon. He is then within easy reach of Dawson City.' (If by ' easy reach ' is meant a distance of about 25U miles, against a stream which can only be ascended v/ith great difliculty by towing a boat at the rate of about a mile an hour. — H. pe W.) ;,« ';' ; :*i,i i-^ APPENDIX D Mr. Joseph Ladue's Directions for Staking Out A Mining Claim The method of locating a claim is essentially simple. It is peculiar to the Klondike region because of the topography of the country. I refer of course to the claims staked out for placer mining, as up to this date this is the only mining attempted here. Through- out this section are numerous small streams or creeks, running through narrow valleys between the foot-hills. The prospective miner determines on which stream to hunt for the precious metal, and, having made a ' find,' he stakes out his claim in the following manner. In staking the claim the prospector mu' ' not exceed 500 feet up and down the creek, the general course of the valley. The width of the claim can run from base to base of the hills or mountains. If there are no claims located on this particular stream, the claim is 294 OF ALASKA TO BERING STRAITS I m here ny run s here, L creek Dortage !ek into , which within [ ahout 5cended rate of NG Out • simple. c of the } to the to this hrongh- f creeks, )ot-hills. stream macle a manner, exceed jonrse of om base ! are no claim is known as the ' Discovery Claim,' and the stakes used are marked 0. The next claim staked as you proceed up the creek is marked No. 1, as is the next claim going dow7i the stream. There can be but two claims marked 1 on any one stream. The four stakes being driven and each marked with your own initials, and the letters INI. L. (meaning mining location), you must bound your claim with cross or end lines, and then proceed, within sixty days, to file the claim with the Government's Recorder at Dawson City. The Recorder at present is also the Gold Commissioner. In recording, atiddavits must be made that the claim is properly staked, and date given, and gold been found. The number of claim must also l)e given, and if it is not the discovery claim it must be mentioned, as, for instance. No. 1, or No. 1 above or below * Discovery Claim,' as the case may be. If a claim should be staked before gold is discovered thereon, the prospector has sixty days in which to prosecute the search for gold. If when this time has expired he is yet unsuccessful, he can no longer hold this claim, as the finding of the metal is absolutely necessary to the permanent holding of the claim. The method for staking a quartz claim is similar. Here you lay out a claim 1,500 feet long by 600 feet wide. The stakes are marked as in placer claims, and the same rules govern in regard to finding of gold and fihng the claims. The miner having filed his claim, it is necessary that he work the claim three consecutive months each year. These requirements, though simple, are imperatively necessary for the protection of the miner ; for, should a miner attempt to work a claim without first properly staking and recording the same, any one could come in, 295 THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF work on the property, pvoporly stake and hokl the claim, and so compel the first man to leave. A pro- spector can file but one claim. Others he may acquire must be by purchase, and the l)ill of sale properly recorded at time of transfer. Should he abandon a claim he can, of course, locate another. if \) 1^ APPENDIX E The Murdep. of Lieutenant Barnard, R.N. In the spring of 1851 liicutenant Barnard, a member of Captain Collinson's Franklin Search Expedi- tion, proceeded to Nulato in search of information with regard to the fate of Sir John Franklin, and having traced certain rumours of the presence of white men in the far interior to the Koyukuk tribe, he expressed his determination to send for the principal chief of that tribe, who was then participating in the celebration of an annual festival about twenty-live miles from Nulato. The chief in question was the most wealthy and influential in the whole region, and, being possessed of an exaggerated opinion of his own importance, took offence at the English officers expression. The Russian traders who had lived for years at the isolated station of Nulato, and were much at the mercy of the surrounding warlike tribes, had always respectfully invited him to the fort whenever they desired his presence. His Indian pride rose at the insult, and a council of warriors was called ; the Shamans were also consulted, and it was finally concluded that all the Indians assembled should proceed to Nulato and demand satis- faction for the alleged insult. At this time a Russian employe, accompanied by one man, arrived on the spot, 296 ALASKA TO BERING STEAITS having b^en instructed to induce the chief to meet Lieutenant Barnard at Nulato. As soon as his errand was known the man was doomed, and he was ap- proached from behind, while seated on his sled, and instautl}' killed with a lance. The Indian companion of the murdered trader was also killed. Immediately after committing this crime the warriors prepared for action and set out for Nulato. Only half a mile from the trading post was situated the native village of that name, containing about one hundred people. The Indian slain by the Koyukuks belonged to this village, and, in order to forestall re- taliation, the invaders surprised the inmates in their houses, killing all with the exception of a few women and children. This was done so quietly that the Russians and their visitor at the station were not aroused. When the bloodthirsty savages finally reached the stockade they found the commander, Deriabin, who had just arisen, sitting behind one of the houses. He was approached stealthily from behind and stabbed in the back, dying immediately, without giving the alarm, and over his body the party entered the house where Lieutenant Barnard was reading. At the sight of the infuriated Indians the English officer seized a gun and fired twice without hitting any one, and a notorious Shaman, named Larion by the Eus- sians, then stabbed the lieutenant in the abdomen, inflicting a mortal wound. The Indians next turned their attention to the barracks, where the labourers lived with their native wives, but a few sliots fired by the besieged induced them to retreat with the prisoners made in the village. The murderous Shaman had been wounded in the melee, but managed to make his escape, and lived until a few years ago, ))oth feared and hated by whites 297 n '''i III li THROUGH THE GOLD-VIELDS OF M and Indians, committing many horrible crimes and frequently inciting others to murder. Lieutenant Barnard was buried within a few yards of the stockade of Nulato, and a cross was erected over his grave. APPENDIX P Meteorological Pepokt, Foet St. Michael, Alaska, for ISFav, Jtne, July, and August, 1896 .\lOMttl Tlioniiometcr May June July August Total Lowest 27 34 34 IlilTlll'st 53 02 G7 59 Dnys Fail- t!l(iu.ly naiiiv ■ 5 is 13 11 16 13 ; I 14 < 83 53 37 ■',1 I'lU • m ' APPENDIX G Prices of Furs in London exported from Alaska 1. Silver fox, from 6c/. to 105/. 2. Marten, from l,s. to 2/. 10s. 8. Beaver, from 6,s. to 21. H.s. 4. Cross fox, from 2.s. to 'SI. 7s. 5. Mink, from Id. to 1/. 3.s. G. Red fox, from l.s. to 15.■ i 301 mmvw THROUGH THE GOLD-1'IELDS il. Ice Snow llairi Fog Sikua An to Nouptchouk Tangltok \ '«. ' (' i\ \ V-''' 11 IKi > I! !U ■ [ APPENDIX I The Icebound Wiiaiers Eiijht vessels now known to have been caught San Francisco, October 29. — Eight whalers, instead of five, as previously reported, are fast in the ice of Point li'-irrow, and on at least one of them, the ' Jeanuie,' there will be great suffering. Not only is the ship so far away tliat there is no chance to take supplies to her, but her men have no appliances with which to get to shore over more than 1.50 miles of ice. The full hst of the vessels known to l)e fast, in addition to the ' Jeannie,' are the 'Newport,' ' Orca,' 'Jesse Freeman,' ' Belvedere,' ' Fearless,' ' Kosario,' and 'Wanderer.' The news of this state of affairs in the whaling fleet was brought out of the Arctic by the steamer ' Karluck,' which was barely able to reach free water with her seven whales. The catch of the ' Karluck ' is one of the heaviest of the season, although all of the whalers who were spoken had made some progress. The ' Karluck ' reports that none of those vessels which are stuck in the ice are close to any supply station, and that there will be trouble for the men on board them is certain. The ships are separated, and no communication was had with them by the steamer which escaped. The ' Karluck ' left St. Michael on the 14th, and is ex- pected to arrive here in a few days. 302 )S INDEX rfht , instead e ice of lem, the J only is to take ces with 3S of ice. addition ,' 'Jesse io,' and rs in the ; by the 3ach free heaviest -'ho were Karluck ' stuck in lat there certain, tion was 3d. The id is ex- Alaska : Area and population, 19 Bishop of, description of crossing Chilkoot Pass, 86 Boundary partition, 154 Climate, 21, 119 Commerce, 24 Commercial Company, Agency at Forty-Mile City, 141, 142 Dwellings at Fort St. Michael, 172 Hospitality to stran- gers, 150 Complaints common in, 122 Conditions of travelling in, 42,46 Discovered by Bering, 22 Gold-fever in interior, 102 Gold found all over coimtry, 105 Gold obtained by 'placer mining,' 111 Greek missions in, 173 Origin of, 19 Kiver steamer accommoda- tion, 149 Routes to, 11 Two divisions, 19 Wild flowers, 281 Winter beginning in, 116 Alaskan Eskimo : Account of, 180 Bath described, 183 Boats, 185 Food, 184 Indifference to death, story of, 225 • Kyak,' 170, 185 Language of, 243 Numbers of, 180 On shores of Ajctic, 17 Smallpox among, 249 Winter dwellings described, 181 Women, account of, 181 Alaskan Indians at Dyoa, 17 Alaskan prospector orderly and well behaved, 12? ' Alaskan strawberries,' 9 'Alice,' accommodation on, 150 Delayed by ice on Lower Yukon, 149 Anadyrsk, Siberian settlement, 3, 195 Land journey impossible to, 268 Andi-ee, handbills of balloon dis- tributed among Tchuktchis, 251 ; story of, 252 Aphoon, one mouth of Yukon, 170 303 tma Mi _r THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF ^ m iW mi Ash, Mr. and Mrs., travelling to Circle City, 43, 58 Disaster to their scow, 61 Author's route Ironi Now York, 2 ' Baidara,' Eskimo boat, 177, 185 Barnard, Lieutenant, murdered at Nulato, 166 Account of— Appendix E, 296 Barnuin, Father, Romanist missionary on Yukon, joins Author's party, 30 Characteristics, 169 Beane, Mrs., shot by natives, 167 Bear. -See U.S. ' Bear ' Bear Creek, tributary of Klon- dike, gold yield, 107 ' Belvedere ' : Plan of, 279 Rescues Author and Hard- ing, 274 Sailing powers, 287 Steam whaler, appears off Oumwaidjik, 272 Value of captiu'es, 283 Bering Sea closed by ice until middle of June, 135 Intricate navigation and violent storms, 190 Treacherous waters of, 170 Bering Straits : Dialects spoken on Siberian shores, 243 Never entirely frozen over, 178 Sleigh journey over, pro- jected, 176 Berry, Clarence, account of arrival in Klondike, 130 Gold finds, 181 Big Salmon river, 84 Birch Creek, lOo ; diggings near Circle City deserted, 159 Bonanza Creek : Claims staked on, 107 Cormack finds gold ai, 107 Opinion of older prospectors of, 130 Boulder Creek diggings deserted, 159 ' Bowhead ' whale, size and value of, 282 Bowker, F. G., value of claims, 133 Brummcrhoff, Captain, mur- dered by Tchuktchis, 261 Bush, Ethel (Mrs. Clarence Berry), gold finds, 131, 182 ?j Campbell, Donald, Captain of ' Rustler,' 7 Former calling, 10 Campbell, Robert, discovered Felly river, 88 Canadian Mounted Police keep order in Dawson City, 126 Cape Prince of Wales : Described, 242 ». Missionary murdered by Eskimos, 262 ?i. Reindeer station near, 176 Cape Tchaplin, Oumwaidjik, Author lands at, 193 Caribou Crossing, coimecting Lake Bennett with Lake Tagish, 55 Cassiar Bar, gold found at, 104 Cassiar mines, 83 304 1 w ALASKxV TO BERING STRAITS unt of 30 ags near 159 107 i ai, 107 ospectors deserted, and value of claims, tin, min- is, 261 Clarence 131, 182 n Captaii^ of 10 discovered Police keep ity, 126 s; I. irdered by a near, 176 )i\mwaidjik, 93 eomiecting vsith Lake )und at, 104 Chilkat tribe, heavy weight carried by, 33 Chilkoot Pass, 2, 3, 12 Condition of, subject of conversation, 16 Passa( ns. C rdwi i 8vii. .'.nli i^xlra, 3s. 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By WILKIE COLLINS The NewAbe:ard. Matt. I Ra. hel Dene. Master of the Mine. The Helrof Linne. Woman and the Man. Red and White Heather. Lady Kilpatrick. & HY. MURRAY. I The Deemster. Armadale. [AfterDark. No Name. | Antonina Basil. I Bide and Seek. The Dead Secret. Queen of Hearts. My Miscellanies. The Woman in White. The Moonstone. Man and Wifo. Poor Miss Finch. Mls3 or Mrs. 7 The New Magdalen. The Frozen Deeo. Tbc Two Destinies. The Law and the Lady, The Haunted Hotel. The Fallen Leaves. Jezebel's Daughter, The Black Robe. Heart and Science. ' I Say No.' Little Novels. The Evil Genius. The Legacy of 0.%iil. A Rogue's Life, Blind Love. Tranimicratlon. | From Midnight to Mid- Blacksmith * Scholar. night. The Village Comedy. | Ton Play m« False. By MACLARBN COBBAN. The Red Saltan. | The Burden of Isabel. By E. H. COOPER. Geoffory Hamilton. By V. CECIL COTES. Two Girls on a Barge. By C. EGBERT CRADDOCK. Hla Vanished Star. By H. N. CRELLIN. Romances of the Old Seraglio. By MATT CRIM. Tlie Adventures of a Fair Rebel. By S. R. CROCKETT and otiiers. Tales of Our Coast. CROKER. The Real Lady RI'da. Married or Single 7 Two Masters. In theKlngdom of Kerry Interference. A Third Person, By B. M. Diani Barrlngton. Proper Pride. A F>unlly Likeness. Pretty Miss Neville, AB.rd of Passage. Tu Let.' I Mr. Jervls. Vi:l.age Tales A Jungle Trajedies. By WILLIAM CYPLES Hearts of Gold. By ALPHONSE DAUDET The Evangelist : nr. I'ort Sulvaunii. By H. COLEMAN DAVIDSON. Mr. Sadler s Daughters. By ERASMUS DAWSON. The Fountain of Youth. By JAMES DE MILLE. A Castle in Spain. By. J. LEITH DERWENT. Our Lady of Tears. j Circe's Lovers. By DICK DONOVAN. Tracked to l3ooni. 1 TheMyslsry of Jamaica Man from Manchester. 1 Terrace. Tlie Chronicles of Michael Dauevltch. By RICHARD DOWLING. Old Corcoran s Money. By A. CONAN DOYLE. The Firm of Oirdicstone. By S. JEANNETTE DUNCAN. A Daughter of To day. I Vernons Aunt. By a. MANVILLE FENN. The New Mistress. I The Tiger Lily. Witness to the Deed. I The White Virgin. By PERCY FITZGERALD Fatal Zero. By R. E. FRANCILLON. One by One. I Ropes of Sand. A Dog and his Shadow. Jack Doyle s Daughter. A Real Queen. | By HAROLD FREDERIC. Beth's Brother's Wife. | The Lawton Girl. By PAUL GAULOT. The Red Shirts. By CHARLES GIBBON. Robin Gray. I Of High Dfgree. Loving a Dream. | The Golden Shaft, By E. GLANVILLE. The Lost Heiress. | The Golden Rock. A Fair Colonist. | Tales from the VelJ. The Fossicker. By E. The Fate of Herbert Wayne. By Rev. S. BARING GOULD. Bed Spider. | Eve. By CECIL GRIFFITH. Corinthta Maraziou. J. GOODMAN. f I 28 CHATTO & WINDUS, ill St. Martin's Lane, London, W.C. The Piccadilly (3/G) Novkls— coid/iHff/. By SYDNEY ORLNDY. Tb« Dayi of bli Vanltv. By OWEN MALL. The Track or a Storm | Jetaam By THOMAS HARDY. Under tbe Oreenwood Tree. By BRET HARTE. A Waif of the Plains. lA Frot. g6e of Jack A Ward of the Oolden Hamlin b. Gate. IBpringa. A Bappho of Oreen Col. Btarbottle a Client. Busy. I Baily Dows. Bell Ringer of Angela. Clarence. Barker a Luck Devila Ford, ^celsior.' The Crusade of the ' Ez- Three Partners. Tales of Trail and Town. JULIAN HAWTHORNE. Beatrix Randolph. David Poindexters Dis- appearance. The Spectre of tbe Camera. HELPS. By Oarth. ElllcoQuentin. Sebastian Strome. Dust. Fortune a Fool. By Sir Ivande Biron. By I. HENDERSON. Agntha Page. By G. A. HENTY. Rnjub the Juggler. I The Queen's Oup. .Tiorothy a Double. I By JOHN HILL. The Common Ancestor. By TIGHE HOPKINS. Twlxt Love and Duty By Mrs. HUNQERFORD lady Terner's Flight. The Red'Houae Mystery The Three Graces. Professor a Experiment. A Point of Conscience Nora Crelna. An Anxloua Moment. April 9 Lady. Peter s Wife. Lovlce, By Mrs. ALFRED HUNT. The Leaden Casket. I Self-Condemned. That Other Person. | Mrs. Juliet. By C. J. CUTCLIFFE HYNE. Honour of Thieves. By EDMOND LEPELLETIER. Madame Sans Otne. By HARRY LINDSAY. Rhoda Roberta. By HENRY W. LUCY. Gideon Fierce. By E. LYNN LINTON. The Atonement of Learn Dnndas. The World Well Lost. Tbe One Too Many, Dulcla Everton. MCCARTHY. Donna Quixote. Hold of Athens. Tbe Comet of a Beaton. Tbe Dictator. Red Diamonds. Tbe Riddle Ring. The Three Diagraces. McCarthy. Patricia Kemball. Under which Lord 7 ' My Love I ' I lone. Fasten Carew. Sowing the Wind. By JUSTIN A Fair Saxon. Linley Rochford Dear Lady Disdain. Camlola Waterdale Neighbours. My Enemy's Daughter. Mlaa Misanthrope. By JUSTIN H. A London Legend. I Tbe Royal Christopher. By aEORGB MACDONALD. Heather and Snow. | Phantaites. By PAUL & VICTOR MAROUERITTE The Disaster By L. T. MEADE. A Soldier of Fortune. I Tbe 'Voice of the In an Iron Grip. I Charmer. By L. T. MEADE and CLIFFORD HALIFAX, M.D. Dr. Bomtey'a Patient. By LEONARD MERRICK. Tbls Stage of Fools | Cynthia. By BERTRAM MITPORD Tbe Gnn-Ronner. | Tbe King's Assegai. Tbe Luck of Gerard Renshaw Fanning* Eidgeley. I Quest. By J. E. MUDDOCK. Maid Harlan and Robin Hood. Basils the Jester. | Young Lochinvar. By p. CHRISTIE MURRAY. Cvnic Fortune. The Way of tbe World. BobMarttn a Little Girl Time's Revenges. A Wasted Crime. In Direst Peril. Mount Despair. A Capful o Nails. Tales and Poems. and HERMAN. Paul Jones s AUai, A Life's Atonement, Joseph's Coat, Coals of Fir*. Old Blazer's Hero. Val Strange. | Hearts. A Model Father. By tbe Gate of tbe Sea. A Bit of Haman Nktnre, First Person Singular. By MURRAY The Bishops' Bible. One Traveller Returns. By HUME NISBET. ' Ball Up t ' By W. E. NORR4S. Saint Ann's. | Billy Bollew. By G. OHNET. A Weird Gift. By Mrs. OLIPHANT. The Sorceieti, By OUIDA Held in Bondatte. Strathmore. Chandos. Under Two Flags. Idalia. [Oage. Cecil Caatlemalne'a Trlcotrln. | Fuck, FoUe Farlne. A Dog of Flanders. Pascarel. I Blgna. Princess Naprazlne. Ariadne. Two Little Wooden In a Winter City. Shoei Friendship, Moths. I RnSno. Fipistrella. A Village Commnne, Blmbi. I Wanda, Frescoes, | Othmar. In Maremma. Byrlln. { OuUderoy. Santa Barbara, Two Offenders. By MARGARET A. PAUL. Gentle and Simple. By JAMES PAYN. High Spirits. Under One Roof. Glow-worm Tales. The Talk of the Town, Holiday Tasks. For Cash Only. The Burnt Million. The Word and the WIU. Sunny Stories. A Trying Patient, Lost Sir Maasingberd. Lets Black than We're Painted, A Confidential Agent. A Grape from a Thorn. In Peril and Privation, The Mystery of Mir- By Proxy, [bridge. The Canon's Ward, Walter's Word, By WILL PAYNE. Jerry the Dreamer, By Mrs. CAMPBELL PRAED. Outlaw and Lawmaker, I Mrs. Tregaskia3. Christina Chard. | By E. C. PRICE. Valentlna, | Foreigners, I Mrs. Lancaster a Rival. By RICHARD PRYCE. Miss Maxwell's Affections. By CHARLES READE. Peg WoSlngton ; and Christie Johnstone, Hard Cash, Cloister ft the Hearth, Never Too Late to Mend The Course of True Love Never Did Run Smooth ; and Single- heart andDonbleface, Autobiography of a Thief; Jfack of all Trades ; A Hero and a Martyr; and Tbe Wandering Heir. Griffith Gannt, By Mrs, Weird Stories. Love Me Little, Love Me Long. The Double Marriage. Foul Flay. Put Yourself in His Place, A Terrible Temptation. A Simpleton. A WomanHater. The Jilt, >V ctherSlories : & Good Storie.-iof Man and other Animals, A Perilous Secret. Readiana ; and Bible Characters, J. H. RIDDELL. Barbara Deri By By AMELIE ering. RIVES. F. W. The Hands of Justice, ROBINSON. I Woman in the Dark. OCK. LoehinTar. lURRAY. Fortune. 'ay of the World. urtln a Little Olrl I Revongei. ited Crime, eit Peru. t Deapalr. ifal Nalla. and Foemi. lERMAN. lonei ■ AUai. BET. IR4S. BoUew. 3T. lANT. Little Wooden KTlDterClty. Bhoei deblp. B. I Rnfflno. trello. lage Conmane. 1. I Wanda, oes. I Othmar. iremma. n. I Ouilderoy. k Barbara. 3SenderB. k. PAUU \YN. Spirlte. r One Roof, •worm Tales. Calk of the Town, lay Tasks, lash Orly. Jiimt Million. Vord and the Will, y Stories, ring Pationt. L PRAI-D. Tregasklaa. ICE. Lancaster s Rival. RYCE. BADE. Me Little, Love .Long. Double Marriage. Play. Yourself In Bla rrlble Temptation. npleton. iman-Hater. lit, & otherSipries : >od Storie.'^ of Man other Animals, rllous Secret. lana ; aiv.l Bible iracters. DDELL. IVES. NSON. an in the Dark. CHATTO & WINDUS, iii St. Martin's Lane, London, W.C. 99 The Piccadii.lv (y*^) Novels— co»ir. Verbena Camellia Ste- phanotls. The Ivory Gate, The Rebel Queen, Beyond the Dream* at Avarice. The Revolt of Han, In Deacon's Ordera By AMBROSE BIERCB. la the iSlitt of Life. By FREDERICK BOYLE. Dceda. It! Read. ace. levltcb. tWARDBS. it Lovell. DWARDS. ILESTON 3 FENN. Tlaer LllT. White Virgin. iBRALD. id Mn. TlllotiOB. sty ■ &v* Brook* eet. Uidy Of BrantoB* and others. SBLANQUe. JLLON. or Knave? incei or the Law. ■ of Band. g and hU Shadow, BDERIC [jiwton Olrl. PLB FRBRE. RRETT. JAUL. IB BON. >iiour Bound. ;r of the Foreit. tra«a of Yarrow, jolden Shaft, gh Degree, ead and Stream, g a Dream, rd Knot. 8 Delight. Money. LBERT. wizard of Ux* in tain. NVILLE. ouicker. i QOULD. VILLE. lor. PITH. UNDY. 3RT0N. ,ry Luck .LI DAY. \RDY. CHATTO A WINOUS, in St. Martin'* Lane, London, W.C. SI TwO-SlllLLINO NOVEI.8— COM^MIICI*. By JULIAN HAWTHORNE. Beatrix Randolph. Love— or a Name. Uavld Polndexter ■ Dli- appearanue. The Bpectr* of the Camera. (Varth Eillce Qnentla. Fortune • Fool. Mill Oadogna. Subaatlan Btrom* Ouit. By Sir ARTHUR HELPS. Ivan do Blron. By a. A. HENTY. Eujnb tho Juggler. By HENRY HERMAN. A Leading Lady. By HEADON HILL. Zambra the Detective. By JOHN HILL. Treason Felony. By Mrs. CASHEL HOEY. The Lover • Creed. By Mr.i. QBORQE HOOPER. The Uoiue of Raby. By Mra. HUNOERFORD. Tlie Three Oracei Untatlifactory Lover. Ladv Patty. Nora Celna. The Fro.'eiior'i Experi- ment, A Halden all Forlorn. In Durance Vile, Marvel. A Mental Btrnggle. A Modern Circe. Lady Verner'8 Flight The Bed Home Myitei y By Mr». ALFRED HUNT. Thornlcrofta Model, I Self Condemned. Tliat Other Ferion. | The Leaden Casket, By WM. JAMESON. My Dead Self. By HARRIETT JAY. The Dark Colleen. | Quren or Corn. By MARK KERSHAW. Oolonlal Fact! and Flctlone. By R. ASHE KINQ. A Drawn Oame. I Passion s Slav*. The Wearing of the Bell Barry. Green.' I By EDMOND LEPELLETIER. Madame Bans Oene. By JOHN LEYS. The Lindsays. By E. LYNN LINTON. Patricia Kemball The World Well Lost. Under which Lord t Faston Carew. ■ My Love I ' lone. With a Silken Thread, i By HENRY Oldeo Fleyce. By JUSTIN Dear Lady Disdain. Waterdale Nelghbouri. My Enemy's Oanghter. Aralr Baxon. Linler Roobford. Hiss lIlMuithrope. Camlol*. By HUGH Mr, The Atonement of Learn Dundas. Rebel of the Family, Bowini; the Wind. The One Too Many, Dulcie Everton. W. LUCY. McCarthy. Donna Quixote, Maid of Athens. The Comet of a Seaion, The Dictator. Red Diamonds, The Riddle Ring. MACCOLL. Stranger's Sealed Packet. By aEORGB MACDONA.LD. Heather and Snow. By AQNBS MACDONBLL. Quaker w MACQUOID. I Lost ROM. By KATHARINE S. The Evil Eye. | Loi By W. H. MALLOCK. A Romance of the Nine- 1 The Mew Repnbllo. tetntb OtBtary. 1 By J. MASTERMAN. Half a dozen Daughters. By BRANDBR MATTHEWS. A Secret of the Sea. By L, T. MEADE. A Soldier of Fortnne. By LEONARD MERRICK. The Man who was Oood. By JEAN MIDDLEMASS. Touch and do. | Mr. DorilUon. By Mrs. MOLESWORTH. Hathtrcourt Rectory, By J. E. AlUDDOCK. Stories Weird and Won I From the Bosom of tb* derfnl. Deep. The Dead Man's Secret. | By D. CHRISTIE MURRAY. A Bit or Human Nature. Flrnt Person HlnnuUr. Bob M.irtln a Little Olrl Tlmos Reveng.s. A Wasted Crime. In Ulreit Peril. Mount Despair A Oaprnl o Nails. A Model Father. Joseph s Coat. Coals of Fire. Val Strange | Rearti. Old Blaxer s H»ro. The Way or tho World. Cyulc Fortune. A Lire s Atonement. By the Date of the Bea. By MURRAY and HERMAN. One Traveller Returns. I The Bishops Bible, Paul Jones s Alias. | By HENRY MURRAY. A Oame of Blu3. | A Bong of Bixptnct, By HUME NISBET. 'BaliUpr I Or.BsrnardSt. Vincent. By W. E. NORRIS. Baint Ann s. By ALICE O'HANLON. The Unforeseen. | Chance 7 or Fate t By QBORQES OHNET. Dr. Rameau, I A Weird Qift, A Last Love, | By Mr*. OLIPHANT. Whiteladies. | The Oreatest Heiress la TLe Primrose Path. | England. By Mrs. ROBERT O'REILLY. Fhcaba s Fortunes. By OUIDA. Held in Bondage. Strathmore. Chandos. Idalla. Under Two Flags. Cecil Castlemaine sOage Trlcotrln. Puck. Folle Farina. A Dog of Flanden. Pascarel. Slgna. Princeu Napraxlna. In a Winter City. Ariadne. Friendship. Two Lit. Wooden Shoes. Moths. Blrobi. PIplstreUo. A Village Commas*. Wanda. Othmar Frescoes. In Maremnuk Oullderoy. Rufflno. Byrlin. Santa Barbara. Two Offenders. Oulda's Wisdom, Wit, and Pathos. By MARGARET AQNBS PAUL. Qentl* and Simple. By EDQAR A. POB. The Mystery of Maria Roget. By Mrs. CAMPBELL PRAEO. The Romance of a Station. The Soul of Ooantass Adrian. Outlaw and Lawmaker. Christina Obard. | Mrs. TrasaaUM. „ , , By E. C. PRICE. Valentin*. I Mrs. LaacMtar-s HlraL The Foreigners. | Oarald. By RICHARD PRYCB. M ss Maxwell's AlfecUoas. 1:. iN<: P riM Jl! ;i Jl «• CHATTO A WINDU8, ill St. Martin's Lane. London. W.C. Two-Shillino tiovKLS— continued. By JAMES PAYN. Btntlnck • Tutor. Morphy'i Maitrr, A OountT Fkmlly, At H«r Harcy. Oacll • Tryit. Tlia ClyUkTda of Clyfl*. Tha Foitar Brotbari. Fonnd Dead. Tha Bait of Huibandf . Walter • Word Halvaa. Fallen Fortnnaa. Humorotii Btorlai, £200 Reward. A Marina Reildanca, Mirk Abbay By Pro«y. UuderOna Root, High gplrlta. Oarlyon a 7aar, From Exile. For Caib Only. Kit. Tha Canon'i Ward. Tha Talk of the Town. Holiday Taaki. A Farfact Treanre. What Ha Coat Her. A Oonfldantlal Agent. Olow worm Talei. The Burnt HllUon. Sunny Btorlei. Loit Sir Maatingberd. A Woman • Vrniteanco. The Family Riapekrata. Owendollne s Harveat, Like Father. Like Bon. Married Bennath Hlni. Not Wooed, but Won. Leu Black than Wa re Fainted. Bo:ne Private VIewi. A Orape from a Thorn. The Myitary of Mlr- brldge. The Word and the Will. A Prince of the Blood. A Trying Fatleut. Uy CHARLES READti. It la Never Too Lata to Mend Chiliti'! Johnctona. TUe Doable Marriage. Put Yooraelf In Hla Place Love Ma Little, Love Me Long. Tha Cloliter and the Hearth. The Couraa of Trne Leva. Tha Jilt. Tha Autobiography of a Thief. By Mrs. J. Weird Btoriaa. Fairy Water. Her Mother'a Darling. The Prlnca of Walesa Garden Party. By AMELIE RIVES. Barbark Derinfr. By F. W. ROBINSON. Women are Strange. I Tha Woman in the Dark The Hands of Justice. | By JAMES RUNCIMAN. Skippers and Shellbacks. | School! and Scholar*, Grace Balmaicn s Sweetheart. By W. CLARK RUSSELL. Round the Gallejr Fire. { An Ocean Tragedy. A Terrible Temptation. Foul Play. The Wandering Hair. Hard Cash. Slngleheu t and Donble- facn. Good Stories of Man and other Animals. Peg Wofflugton. Orrtllth Oaunt. A Perilous Secret A Simpleton, Readiana. A Woman Hater. H. RIDDELL. I The Uulnhabiteu House. The Mystery in Palace I Gardens. The Nun s Curs*. Idle Tales. On the Fo'k'sle Head. In the Middle Watch. A Voyage to the Cape. A Book for the Ham- mock. The Mystery of the ■Ocean Star.' I The Romance of Jenny Harlowe. I By DORA A Country Sweetheart. By OEORQB Al QasUght and DayUgh* By QEOl The Ring o Bella. Mary Jane's UemolTk MaryJana Married. Tties of To day. Uvamai of Life. f00,00d Ba;^ Note. Tlic Brido s Pass. Buried Diamonds. St. Mungo s City, Lady Bell, Noblesse Oblige. Disappeared. By ALLEN The Queen against Owen The Huguenot Fam!?F. The Blackhall Ghosts. What BheCameThrough Beauty and the Beast. Citoyenna Jaqualine. UPWARD. Prince of Balkletaa. ' God Save the Queen I ' By AARON WATSON and LILLIAS WASSERMANN. The Marquis of Oarabas. By WILLIAM WESTALL. Trust- Money. By Mrs. F. H. WILLIAMSON. A Child Widow. By J. S. WINTER. Cavalry Life, | Regimental Legends, By H. F. WOOD. The Passenger from Scotland. Yard. The Engllsliman of the Rue Cain, By CELIA PARKER WOOLLEY. Bachel Armstrong ; or, Love and Theology, By EDMUND YATES. The Forlorn Hope. I Castaway, Land at Last. | By I. ZANQWILL. Ohetto Tragedies. ^:..-..^ OQDBN, SMALB KZiE CO. LIUITED, PRINTERS, GREAT SAFFRON HILL, LCa ^1 > ^c IHT. Life. dwaterTrkgt^y, Ilomanca. ic* la Full. indfromthtSM IBYN. . Uamerel. kce of tha World mlattDluMBdA >ALB. ENSON. MAS. in PUytT. SBURY. t«i Ratold. OLLOPE. JLLOPB. imaii. Progren. XOPE. idLaaguara. arlcan Banatcr, carboroagb • y. JonofOrMiptT* IDQB. 2FF, &c IN. the Mluliiippl inca and tn* r. Ki at the Court g Arthur. / i.aoo.ood BxA. YTLER. ,ER. [uenot Family, :lihiiU OhoitB. leCamsThroagh Euid the Beast. ]a Jaquallne. ^RD. of BalklBtaa. d LILLIAS TALL. AMSON. ER. tal Legend*. D. rd. boLLEY. Theology. FES. y. U t.0.