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'•'TO THE rescue!' SHOUTED THE BOYS." [/. l86. 
 
THE 
 
 BED MOTJiNrTAII^ 
 
 or 
 
 ALASKA 
 
 WILLIS BOYD ALLEN 
 
 AOTBOX or "PIMI OOMH," "TliE NOBTHIKN OBOU," *' SUTUt BAOt." 
 
 •< ITBTB " 
 
 KILT," KXa 
 
 THIRD EDITION 
 
 TORONTO 
 
 THE MUSSON BOOK COMPANY 
 LIMITED 
 
 ^- 
 
 i^k 
 
 •ilwM 
 
-fja) 
 
 I 
 
 VJ 
 
 vn 
 
 X 
 
 XIJ 
 XII] 
 XIV 
 
 X7 
 XVI 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 our. 
 I. 
 
 A Remarkable Lbttbb • • . 
 
 PAOI 
 
 , . 9 
 
 II. 
 
 Treed b7 a Moose . • . . 
 
 . . 20 
 
 III. 
 
 Ted's Peioklt Bear • • • . 
 
 , . 33 
 
 IV. 
 
 An Unseen Enemy • • • . 
 
 . . 42 
 
 V. 
 
 Raft-Buildino 
 
 . 68 
 
 VI. 
 
 Through the Enemy's Lines • « 
 
 , . 78 
 
 VII. 
 
 Out of the Fryino-pan • • • 
 
 . . 81 
 
 vni. 
 
 A Startlino Discovery • . < 
 
 . 93 
 
 IX. 
 
 From Victoria to Sitka • • . 
 
 . 104 
 
 X. 
 
 Day and Night in Alaska . • < 
 
 , . 110 
 
 XT. 
 
 The Ohilkoot Pass . . • < 
 
 , . 114 
 
 XII. 
 
 An Escape, and a New Enemy . . 
 
 . 130 
 
 XIII. 
 
 Nat's Shaggy Pup • • • . 
 
 . 137 
 
 XTV. 
 
 To the Rescue 1 . • • • , 
 
 . 151 
 
 XV. 
 
 Under the Earth « « • i 
 
 . 156 
 
 XVI. 
 
 A Mystery Explained . . . , 
 
 . 168 
 
 *^. 
 
 187435 
 
Contents. 
 
 CHAP. 
 
 XVII. 
 
 A Reunion . . • • 
 
 PAoa 
 . 182 
 
 XVIII. 
 
 A Lesson in Bridoe-Makino . 
 
 . 188 
 
 XIX. 
 
 Oaptubed bt Bbown Bears • 
 
 . 198 
 
 XX. 
 
 Hai/fI 
 
 . 211 
 
 XXI. 
 
 Winter-Quarters . . • . 
 
 . .220 
 
 xxn. 
 
 Peesohee's Marvellous Stort 
 
 . 231 
 
 XXIII. 
 
 Ohristhas in Alaska . . , 
 
 . 241 
 
 XXTV. 
 
 The Lieutenant's Stort Conclude! 
 
 > . 258 
 
 XXV. 
 
 Snowed up 
 
 . 275 
 
 XXVI. 
 
 Peesohee's Map Again . • 
 
 . 289 
 
 XXVII. 
 
 Fob Life or Death 
 
 . 294 
 
 XXVIII. 
 
 Wolf against Man • . , 
 
 . 302 
 
 XXIX. 
 
 Oyer the Iob . . • • « 
 
 . 309 
 
 XXX. 
 
 Conclusion . . . . . 
 
 . 312 
 
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 VAsa 
 **'T0 THB RUOUll' BHOUTBD THB BOTS" . • • Frontispiece 
 
 pbesorbb's map 18 
 
 " IT WAS BVIDBNT THAT AFFAIRS WBRB RBAOHINO A CRISIS " . 29 
 
 " WB BTABTBD ACROSS THB LAKB " 49 
 
 UPHILL WORE ...GO 
 
 <*J0HN WAS pumva thh last touohbs oh" • . • .65^ 
 
 « I SHOVLSBRBD THB OANOB ' 65 
 
 "STILL OH THB RAFT RUSHBD". ••••••• 75 
 
 ATAH MOOSB ARROW . 82 
 
 "THB ROTAL BARGB WAS BRUTGIITO VP THB BBAR " ... 85 
 
 OBILKAT OAROB 94 
 
 *' THB INDIANS WBRB OAMBLINO nr OBAD BARNBST" ... 97 
 
 SITKA, ALASKA 107 
 
 LOOKING VP THB TrKON .••...... 127 
 
 OBILKAT BRAOBLBT . 180 
 
 "'A ORIZZLT OCB. DROP IT, NAT, FOR TOUR LIFB I '" . . . 147 
 
 «• BB WAS STUDTINO THB MAP " 177 
 
 PBESCHBB'S MAP 191 
 
 <"LUO.X OUT I' SHOUTED THB BACKWOODSMAN" . . . 195 
 
 "l COMB FROM THB GRBAT MEDICINB MAN" 205 
 
 A COUNCIL OF WAR 215 
 
 *'a DISH OF VBNIBON IS SMOKING ON THB TABLB" . .288 
 
 "WITHIN A ROD OF THB HUT WBRB A DOZBN SHADOWY FORMS " 285 
 
 "THBRB was A SHARP BBPORT, AND WITH ONB LBAP 8HB FELL" 299 
 
THE 
 
 RED MOUNTAIN OF ALASKA. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 A BBMABKABLH LETTER. 
 
 ASPAOIOUSjComfortable-Iookinglionse, 
 in the outskirts of one of the largest 
 mannfactnring towns of Massachnsetts ; the 
 dining-room is brightly lighted, and a wood 
 "fire blazes and snaps cheerily in the open 
 fireplace, for it is late October, and the 
 evenings are cold. Around the cosy tea- 
 table are gathered the family, namely : John 
 Dntton, Esq., proprietor of the celebrated Sheldon 
 Paper Mills; Mrs. John Button ; Miss Florence Dutton, 
 age fifteen, commonly addressed as ^'Flossie," or 
 " Floss ; " and Masters Robert, Hugh, and Nathaniel 
 Dutton, ages respectively seventeen, fifteen, and twelve 
 years. Flossie and Hugh, it will be noticed, are twins. 
 Only three more personages in the town of Sheldon 
 are at present sufficiently important to merit an intro- 
 duction. They are, in fact, members of the Dutton 
 household, two of them actually signing that name as 
 
10 The Rid Mountain of Alaska. 
 
 their own, and the third plainly desirons of doing so^ 
 were he able. All three are in the dining-room at the 
 present moment, and the fact of their familiarity with 
 the family is evident from the interest with which 
 they listen, with open eyes and moaths, to the letter 
 which their master is reading alond. 
 
 Without further ceremony allow me to present : 
 Chloe (Dntton), decided branette, nnrse of all the 
 children snccessively, maid-of-all-work, and devoted 
 slave to Miss Flossie ; Teddy (Dntton), remotely 
 descended from County Eildare, red-haired, freckled, 
 fourteen years old, errand-boy, helper, and mischief- 
 maker in general, particularly attached to the eldest 
 son ; Carlo (Dutton), at the side of pale, sweet-faced 
 little Nat, — a shaggy, coal-black, silken-haired fellow, 
 from the south coast of Newfoundland, as faithful a 
 servant and friend as any in the country. 
 
 And now for the le^' .a. Mr. Dutton has evidently 
 just reached home from the mills, for his hat, coat, 
 and cane are lying on the sofa where he has dropped 
 them, and he is still out of breath from the quick half- 
 mile walk. All eight of the Buttons listen eagerly 
 while he reads : — 
 
 " FoBT Wbanoel, Alaska Tbr., 
 
 *' Sept, hth, 1868. 
 
 " My dear Brothbr,— It is a long time since I have 
 
 written to you. The uncertainty of the mails in this 
 
 new adopted country of ours, the constant disputes 
 
 with Russian traders who are angry at having their 
 
 hunting-ground sold over their heads — or under their 
 
 feet, rather 1 — and the treachery of the native Innuits, 
 
 as well as the reckless behaviour of our own troops, 
 
 have kept my hands full and my head in a continual 
 
 worry since the establishment of the post. Sometimes 
 
A Rimarkable Letter, 
 
 II 
 
 I wish the government had kept her seven millionB in 
 her pocket, and left this desolate coohtry to take care 
 of itself. It was an immense responsibility to shonlder. 
 Have yon any idea of the size of the ^Northwest 
 Territory/ old fellow? Are yon a>\dre that it con- 
 tains something over five hnnH^ed ^honsan'? square 
 mUes, or abont one-sixth of tLc entire extent of the 
 T'nited States and Territories? Thi^ vast conntry is 
 covered throughout its southern diHtricts with jungles 
 and forests, reaching far up the sides of its lofty 
 mountains, which smoke night and day. The portions 
 nearer the Arctic Sea consist mostly of dreary morass 
 and mossy ' tundra,' as it is called, under which lies 
 a deep layer of ice, never thawing, winter or summer. 
 But in the rest of the territory are splendid forests, 
 as I have said. There are mountain peaks reaching 
 (in Mount Wrangel) the enormous height of twenty 
 thousand feet above the sea ; there is a river, the noble 
 Yukon, over two thousand miles in length — a rival 
 of the great Mississippi itself. Among the hills are 
 winding streams and pleasant valleys, where brilliant 
 wild-flowers blossom, insects hover over them in the 
 sunshine, and birds dart to and fro as merrily as in 
 our old New England orchards. The woods are full 
 of game. There is no place in the world where bears, 
 black, brown, grizzly, an 1 cinnamon, with two or three 
 other varieties, are found in sudb abundance. Moose 
 have not learned to fear the rifle, and wild goats 
 clamber over the rocks in full sight. The inland dis- 
 tricts of Alaska are almost absolutely uninhabited. 
 The whole interior population of Indians is probably 
 less than three thousand, while no white man ever 
 passes beyond the protection of the trading-posts and 
 forts. 
 
12 The Red Mountain of Alaska, 
 
 *^ By this time, my dear John, yon are beginning to 
 wonder why I have launched forth into this lecture on 
 the resources of onr National Pnrchase. Ah, yon have 
 noticed, have yon, that I have omitted an important 
 item? Vegetation, game, inhabitants, scenery— bat 
 nothing said abont wealth t 
 
 *' Tes, wealth, Beports mnst have reached yon of 
 the startling discoveries of Haley and others. Little 
 did the Hudson's Bay fur-hunters dream that they 
 were camping each night on a gold mine ; or that 
 the very rivers down which they paddled, in pursuit 
 of some paltry, frightened, farred creature, were full 
 of gleaming particles of the precious metal I 
 
 '' Without doubt, the coasts of Alaska are veined 
 throughout their length and breadth with gold and 
 silver. Shafts are being sunk in all directions, and 
 mines located. Haley found it paid him to dig out 
 lumps of rock, a small bit at a time, and simply crush 
 them in a mortar. 
 
 '^ But I am not going to tempt you to rush for the 
 * diggings,' my boy. Theresa better game in the 
 cover f " 
 
 "What in the world does the man mean I" ex- 
 claimed Mrs. Dutton. "He's as mysterious as a 
 sphinx, and here's the supper all getting cold. Let's 
 have the rest of the letter afterwards." 
 
 Whereupon arose a chorus of " Oh, no, no I Read 
 on, read on I Never mind the supper yet — let's find 
 out what he means by ' better game ' I " 
 
 Mr. Dutton accordingly found his place again, and 
 holding the letter so as to get a little better light 
 upon it, resumed his reading. 
 
 " I know you will be incredulous when I say there 
 is more valuable treasure to be found in Alaska than 
 
A Remarkable Letter, 
 
 13 
 
 gold — ^knowing, as yon do, that there are no diamonds 
 in the territory. Nevertheless, I am right. Among 
 the many cr«)8 which exist here, in more or less 
 ahnndance, is one which famishes a strange metal, 
 well known in medicine and the arts. Its chemical 
 symbol is Hg. Ah, yon start now t I see yon have 
 not forgotten those tiresome lectnres at Harvard ; yon 
 know at last that I am speaking of Mercnry, which 
 is obtained almost entirely from the beantifhl crimson 
 ore known as 'Cinnabar.*'* 
 
 Dr. Dntton pansed, and glanced abont the eager 
 circle of listeners. 
 
 ''Now, shall we have snpper? The griddle-cakes 
 are hot,'* said Mrs. Dntton, plaintively, taking 
 advantage of the silence, and playing her highest 
 card. In vain t Even Teddy testified with open 
 month and ronnd, light bine eyes to his interest in 
 the snbject. 
 
 The vote was none the less emphatic because unex- 
 pressed in words. The reading continued. 
 
 '' Cinnabar is worked to a considerable extent in 
 only half-a-dozen spots on the globe — Spain (which 
 supplies England), Idria, Pern, Japan, and one or 
 two other places. It has been discovered in California. 
 All the mines in the world, taken together, 3rield only 
 a trifle over three thousand tons a year, including the 
 new American mines. 
 
 " No ore is so easily decomposed as cinnabar ; it is 
 effected by direct exposure to the oxidizing flame of a 
 ftirnace, the mercury vapour being collected in con- 
 densers. I believe the metal can be even more 
 economically separated by the use of an iron retort, in 
 which it can be readily volatilized, without the escape 
 
14 The Red Mountain of Alaska, 
 
 of vapoars. By the old way, nearly half is wasted in 
 the process. 
 
 "Now as to its valne. This varies largely from 
 year to year. It rans from fifty cents to two dollars 
 a pomid, avoirdupois. One dollar a pound, or two 
 thousand dollars a ton, would be a low average. 
 
 "But a ton, you say, is an enormous amount. 
 Thirty tons is a hundredth part of the world's annual 
 product. 
 
 " What would you say, John, to fifty tons a year, 
 or even one hundred? In the countries I have 
 mentioned, the ore crops out, or is found below the 
 surface, in narrow veins, among much schist and 
 slate. What would you say to a whole mountain of 
 cinnabar ? " 
 
 Dr. Button looked up with a prolonged " Whew-w ! " 
 and Carlo gave a short yelp. As no one else 
 seemed disposed to conversation, the letter was re- 
 sumed. 
 
 "To make a long story short (for I can see now 
 that you are getting excited, as plainly as if I were 
 sitting with you in your cosy dining-room in Sheldon, 
 where you will probably read this letter), the follow- 
 ing facts have recently come to light ; no one, until 
 this letter was read, John, knew of them. No one 
 knows of them now, except your family, myself, and 
 Peeschee. The last named gentleman is a Chilkat 
 Indian, whose name in honest English is *■ The Fox.' 
 Call him which yon like, he has served us a good 
 turn. This is how it came about. 
 
 " I was off hunting with a party of Indians from 
 the vicinity of the fort. We were iu camp about 
 
A Remarkable Letter, 
 
 15 
 
 twenty miles inland from Wrangel, when something 
 came boonding into the circle of fire light like a deer. 
 It was the Fox, who threw himself panting at our 
 feet, his teeth chattering, and his face fairly grey with 
 terror. As soon as he coold talk we made oat his 
 story. He had left his village a week before, on a 
 trapping expedition. While at work among his traps, 
 he had accidentally ran on to the line set by a wander- 
 ing party of Tak-heesh natives from the interior, and 
 had ignorantly — so he assured us again and again — 
 taken several pelts from their traps. 
 
 " A dozen Tak-heesh had come suddenly upon him, 
 taken him prisoner, and vowed he should die for the 
 offence. Poor Peeschee in vain asserted his innocence. 
 To the stake he should go. On the second day of his 
 captivity he had escaped by gnawing his thongs 
 while his captors were dozing after a hearty meal of 
 bear meat, and had been running all the afternoon, he 
 said. 
 
 "We felt a little nervous about the pursuers, but 
 those Tak-heesh are cowards unless they are terribly 
 roused, and, sure enough, when they turned up the 
 next morning a rifle volley into the air put the entire 
 crowd to flight. The Fox was as gratefol as a dog, 
 and, the day after we reached Fort Wrangel, he did 
 me the good turn I referred to. 
 
 '' He came quietly to the barracks, inquired for my 
 room, found me alone, and then and there told me 
 the wonderful story which set me to writing this long 
 letter — an offence, John, which I seldom commit, 
 you'll acknowledge. 
 
 « What the Fox had to say was substantially this : 
 La«t autumn he made one of his solitary expeditions 
 ov.rthe mountains in search of furn. He penetrated 
 
1 6 The Red Mountain of Alaska, 
 
 
 l^.=- 
 
 far into the interior, reaching a district absolately 
 unknown to him before that trip. He describes it as 
 abounding in game, and heavily wooded. There were 
 many rapid streams, all seeming to be well stocked 
 with trout, grayling, and other fish. 
 
 '' As often occurs in Alaska, the weather was cloudy 
 for fully ten days at a stretch. Toward the close of 
 a dull, drizzly afternoon, Feeschee stopped for the 
 night on the bank of a swift brook. Suddenly the 
 clouds in the west began to break away, and, as they 
 gradually parted, there appeared high in the heavens 
 what seemed to be a mountain of fire. It was a soft, 
 glowing crimson, and from its summit rose a huge 
 column of smoke; it was beyond doubt a mountain 
 peak; Feeschee had never set eyes on it before 
 in his life. Within five minutes the clouds had 
 closed in again, and the wonderful peak was out 
 of sight. 
 
 « The next three days he spent in travelling straight 
 uphill toward the Bed Mountain. After much strug- 
 ling through jungles and morasses, fording streams, 
 and encountering wild beasts by day and night, he 
 claims that he reached the base of the peak, and dis- 
 covered the cause of its strange colour. He brought 
 a piece of the live rock itself, and showed it to me. 
 I have it in my desk now. It is a magnificent speci- 
 men of cinnabar in the ore, deep crimson in colour, 
 promising to yield, if worked, an enormous percentage 
 of weight of the pure metal. 
 
 " John, that was a mountain of mercury I It waits 
 for some one to take those red heaps of granite and 
 quartz, fuse them, and bear away such a fortune as 
 you could not make in a century of prosperous mill 
 operation at Sheldon. Will you come? Shall we 
 
A Remarkable Letter, 
 
 17 
 
 share the Bed Mountain, old fellow, as we nsed to 
 share the red apples in grandfather's orchard? 
 
 "This is what I propose. Yon have been in in- 
 different health for a good many months. Yon need 
 a change ; yon have a competent superintendent in 
 practical charge of the mills ; yon always liked hunt- 
 ing and camping-out. Take the boys along, and meet 
 me at some point in west central Alaska — say old 
 Fort Yukon. I will come from the west, you from 
 the east, if you like, striking up through Canada and 
 across from the Hudson's Bay post in British America. 
 From Fort Yukon we can proceed together to the 
 Bed Mountain, make a rough survey, lay out our 
 claim, and the following spring commence work in 
 earnest. In other words, you can start from Sheldon 
 as soon as the spring of '69 opens, reach the Alaska 
 boundary by the first of July, and before the winter 
 shuts down we shall have finished all our prospecting, 
 and be ready to take out ore in the following May. 
 
 " One more point to consider, and then I have done. 
 It is, I admit, an important point. How shall we find 
 this half-fabulous 'Bed Mountain' after we have 
 effected a union of forces at Fort Yukon ? Here we 
 must rely entirely on Peeschee. He proposes to start 
 from the fort (whi^ys situated on nearly 67^ N. lat., 
 145** long. W.), «a strike due south. You will be 
 glad to hear this%hen I add that the Arctic Circle 
 passes directly through the fort. After travelling 
 something over two hundred miles straight into the 
 wilderness, the Fox says we shall find ourselves at 
 the foot of a lofty range of mountains. From this 
 point he bears away slightly to the east, and within 
 three or four days expects to reach his old camping- 
 ground, from which he obtained his first view of the 
 
iV^' 
 
 1 8 Tke Red Mountain of Alaska, 
 
 flamiDg peak. Now will begin by far onr hardest 
 fight with the forces of nature. Peeschee has drawn 
 a map, which he professes to understand, and by 
 which he proposes to follow as nearly as possible his 
 
 A— ir---, «! 
 
 tf^ 
 
 y 
 
 
 /r? 
 
 •ATR^« 
 
 I 
 I 
 I 
 
 non 
 
 ?-((f- 
 
 /V 
 
 /'X^ ^ 
 
 former route to the base of the mountain and np its 
 steep sides. I have borrowed this map or chart, and 
 have traced it here for you. 
 
 " It's a curious-looking affair, but, with Peeschee as 
 guide, I'd stake it against a government chart. Every 
 
A Remarkable Letter, 
 
 »9 
 
 mark on it means something to him. 1*11 give you 
 his explanation at some other time. 
 " Now, then, once more, will you come ? 
 " Your affectionate brother, 
 
 "DiOK DUTTON. 
 
 "P.S.-— Write fall particulars, exactly when and 
 where you will meet me. Sorry you must leave Mrs. D. 
 and Florence behind. Of course you'll come" 
 
 % 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 *s. 
 
 TUBED BT A MOOSE. 
 
 JUST fiye 
 months after 
 theletterof Lieu- 
 tenant Bichard 
 Dntton was read 
 alond in his 
 brother's cosy 
 dining-room, a 
 gronp of people 
 are assembled on 
 the platform of 
 the Sheldon rail- 
 road station. 
 Thereisatallish, 
 brown -bearded 
 gentleman, with 
 clear, bright eyes, and an exceedingly gentle voice ; a 
 lady of refined face and manner, and close beside her 
 a young girl ; four boys, one of them freckled and 
 sandy-haired ; a negro woman, with a red bandana 
 handkerchief arounct her black neck ; and a young 
 Newfoundland dog, full of quiet surprise at all this 
 commotion. Several large trunks and cases are piled 
 upon the platform, awaiting transportation. 
 
Treed by a Moose, 
 
 21 
 
 five 
 18 after 
 ofLieu- 
 Eichard 
 ^ras read 
 in his 
 s cosy 
 
 ooni) ft 
 f people 
 mlDled on 
 ^tform of 
 Idon redl- 
 tation. 
 jatallisli, 
 - bearded 
 nan, witb 
 e voice ; a 
 beside ber 
 jckled and 
 id bandana 
 \ a yonng 
 at all this 
 is are piled 
 
 ■~'M 
 
 Presently the train comes in sight ronnd a enrve, 
 and slows up at the station, ringing and hissing 
 vigorously. People, dog, and baggage are hnrried on 
 board, the conductor waves his hand, and, with renewed 
 clanging of bell and hiss of steam, the train starts for 
 Boston, bearing — ^you know as well as I — ^the entire 
 Button family away from their home. 
 
 Dick Dutton was right. The letter could not be 
 resisted. A favourable answer had been sent, thorough 
 preparations made during the winter months, the mill 
 wound up to run for a full year without the personal 
 supervision of the owner — and off the party are starting, 
 this twenty-fifth day of March, 1869, on their long and 
 divided journey. 
 
 All the family, I said. Ton see, there has been a 
 slight change of plan. After the letter had been care- 
 fully considered, and it had been voted unanimously 
 that Mr. Dutton and the boys should make the trip to 
 the northwest province, Mrs. Dutton had unexpectedly 
 asserted herself. 
 
 " Dick's plan is a good one," she said, " with one 
 exception." 
 
 "What is that, my dear?" inquired Mr. Dutton, 
 mildly. 
 
 " I do not propose to stay at home while you are off 
 in the woods for a year. Florence and I will take the 
 regular San Francisco route to Sitka, join Dick at his 
 post, and start inland with him, meeting you at the 
 fori" 
 
 Mr. Dutton was astonished, but, as his wife's remark 
 had rather the appearance of a decision than a sugges- 
 tion, he wisely refrained from opposing it. 
 
 " You shall certainly go, my dear, if you wish to," 
 said this exemplary husband. And she did. 
 
22 The Red Mountain of Alaska, 
 
 £^t 
 
 Certain modifications of the original roate had also 
 been made. The " itinerary " was finally laid oat as 
 follows : — 
 
 The. "military section," as Flossie langhingly 
 called the lieutenant's party, were to meet at Sitka, 
 and " pack " over the mountains to the headwaters of 
 the Yukon River, moving down stream until they 
 should reach Fort Selkirk, where they would await 
 the eastern party, instead of at Fort Yukon. Mr. 
 Dutton and the boys decided to follow the regular 
 traders' route from Ottawa, northward and westward 
 to Fort Churchill, on Hudson's Bay. From there a 
 nearly westerly course, bearing a little to the north, 
 above Athabasca Lake and below (on the map) the 
 Great Slave, would bring them to Fort Simpson ; 
 thence over a lofty pass in the Chippeway division 
 of the Rocky Mountains into New Columbia, and to 
 Fort Selkirk, which is situated exactly 62° 45' north, 
 137*> 22' west from Greenwich. 
 
 There 1 We've done with figures and theoretical 
 geography for a while ; practical geography we must 
 study in spite of ourselves. Once in Alaska territory, 
 we must examine our surroundings, and pick our way, 
 almost inch by inch, for we have no reliable guide to 
 the interior of this great, desolate region. If we want 
 a map, we must make one. 
 
 We do not need to follow the Dutton family over 
 the first portions of their respective routes, which 
 are more or less familiar to travellers. Mrs. Dutton, 
 Florence, and Chloe sailed from New York for Aspin- 
 wall, crossed the Isthmus, took steamer again at 
 Panama, and reached San Francisco safely, after a 
 journey of nearly six thousand miles. Here they 
 rested a week, and completed their outfit necessary 
 
Treed by a Moose, 
 
 23 
 
 for a summer in the woods. On a bright morning in 
 May they started in a sailing vessel for Victoria and 
 Sitka. So mnch for the ladies* party. 
 
 The sterner portion of the family had hardly a more 
 eventful trip until they left Fort Churchill. From 
 this point the boys had plenty of shooting, and Mr. 
 Datton had much ado to keep them within reach of 
 camp. The trip, however, was quickly made, the 
 '' Rockies " surmounted, and by the second week in 
 June the party were descending the western slopes of 
 the mountains within one hundred and fifty miles of 
 Fort Selkirk. 
 
 It was ten o'clock in the forenoon when Mr. Button, 
 whose orders were obeyed by every one in the expedi- 
 tion, called a halt, on the first day after the high 
 peaks were left behind. 
 
 It was a curious company that was gathered there. 
 Mr. Button and the three boys were browned from 
 exposure to the sun and all sorts of weather ; while 
 Teddy was burned a bright red, and fairly peppered 
 with freckles. Carlo was in the highest of spirits, 
 and gambolled about the party like a six-months-old 
 pup. There were two Indian guides, strong-limbed, 
 quiet fellows, named Joe and Jim. 
 
 At Mr. Button's word, these two last named threw 
 down their heavy packs, and drew themselves up with 
 an air of relief. 
 
 " Ugh I " grunted Joe, wiping his forehead. " Much 
 hot comin\ No-see-'ems and skeeters dis night." 
 
 " Midges ? Have you felt any, Joe ? " asked Mr. 
 Button, recognizing the Indian term for those tiny 
 tormentors. 
 
 "No feel 'em. Smell 'em," said Joe, gravely, 
 sniffing the air. 
 
 \ 
 
il! 
 
 24 The Red Mountain of Alaska, 
 
 Mr. Button langhed, and turned his attention to 
 selecting a good <^ nooning" spot where they could 
 spend the hottest hours of the day.^ 
 
 They had halted beside a swift-ianning stream, 
 whose waters, though white with glacial silt, promised 
 sport for Hugh, the fisherman of the party. All 
 around them was a forest of immense spruce trees, 
 through which they had been travelling since early 
 morning. The ground was everywhere coTered with 
 thick moss, and long, grey streamers hung from tlie 
 lofty boughs overhead. 
 
 '^ I tell you what, father," exclaimed Bobert, with 
 enthusiasm, ^^ this would be a jolly place to camp in 
 for a week. There's plenty of water, and I'll warrant 
 the woods are full of game." 
 
 " A good place enough, Rob, but we've no time to 
 lose. The mosquitoes are getting thicker and hungrier 
 every day, and before long we shall have to rush to 
 the settlements for our lives. They are the pest of 
 Alaska, you know." 
 
 '' But, father, we are within a few days' march of 
 Fort Selkirk, and are ahead of time>" 
 
 "I want to see mother," interposed little Nat, 
 quietly. " Don't you, Rob?" 
 
 The elder brother made no further protest, but began 
 preparations for a short hunt before dinner. 
 
 '^ I won't be gone long, father," said he, shouldering 
 his Winchester, and starting ofif at an easy gait. 
 
 " Won't you take one of the guides with you, my 
 boy?" 
 
 ^^ Oh, no, thank you. They've had enough to do, 
 packing our blankets through the woods. Good-bye. 
 Ill keep within hearing of a gun-shot.'^ And he was 
 gone. 
 
Treed by a Moos$» 
 
 25 
 
 Mr. Datton now busied him ielf abont his '* skeleton 
 tent,^ as he called it — a device of his own, for relief 
 from the attacks of gnats, mosquitoes, and other 
 insects while on the march. 
 
 It was a very simple arrangement ; merely an '< A " 
 tent r iiide of mosqnito netting. It was large enough 
 to accommodate all the party. 
 
 A few minutes sufficed to pitch it carefully, so that no 
 rent should be made in its meshes. The guides, Nat, 
 and Mr. Button then crept under its folds, and, stretched 
 out comfortably on rubber blankets which had been first 
 spread to keep out dampness, all four fell fast asleep. 
 
 Hugh whistled for Carlo, and took his way, fishing- 
 tack'.e in hand, down to an inviting pool just in sight 
 through the trees. 
 
 When Mr. Dutton awoke it was high noon. The 
 guides were already preparing the noon meal, one of 
 them building a good fire, laying the sticks all one 
 way, for convenience of cooking ; the other engaged 
 in dressing a fine mess of trout which bore witness 
 to Hugh's success. 
 
 Nat strayed about the camp, looking for flowers — 
 the delicate LinnaBa, or twin-flower, the violet, the 
 cornel, and others familiar in the home woods. The 
 eldest boy had not returned, and Mr. Dutton began 
 to feel anxious about him. He fired his rifle three 
 times, a signal that always meant, "Answer, and 
 come into camp I " But there was no reply. 
 
 At one o'clock they sat down to dinner, worried and 
 perplexed by Bob's absence. Two hours passed, and 
 still he did not appear. It was time to resume march. 
 At a word from the captain, Joe, the Indian, took up 
 his rifle, and plunged into the woods, in the direction 
 the missing boy had taken, 
 
■m 
 
 ^ 
 
 I i. 
 
 I 
 
 ii 'f 
 
 TAe Red Mountain of Alaska, 
 
 When Robert left the camp, he had no definite 
 intention, save that he would skirt roand the base of 
 a low hill about a mile away, and return to camp 
 within an honr or two. He hoped to come across 
 some sort of game ; a brace of gronse, at least, of 
 which there are several varieties in British America. 
 His Winchester rifle had half-a-dozen cartridges in 
 it, and Bobert was a good shot. He had no fear of 
 missing a partridge or ptarmigan at thirty yards, 
 with a single ball. 
 
 The forest floor was encumbered with fallen and 
 decayed logs, into whose crumbling sides he sank so 
 often that his progress was slow. There was very 
 little undergrowth to impede his way, however, and 
 within half-an-hour he reached sharply rising ground, 
 which told him he was at the foot of the hill he had 
 seen from camp. 
 
 Up to this point he had kept within hearing of the 
 stream, but now he turned off at right angles, think- 
 ing he would walk fifteen minutes and then retrace 
 his steps. 
 
 Before he had advanced far in this new direction 
 he fbund himself following a sort of trail. Indeed, it 
 was almost a beaten path in the woods. 
 
 " Ah I " said Rob to himself, with some dissiitisfac- 
 tion, '^ we have struck civilization again I Here's a 
 regular route for fur-traders, I've no doubt. Well," 
 he soliloquized, as he sauntered lazily along the path. 
 " I might as well— hullo I " 
 
 He stopped and examined a track that was plainly 
 outlined in a patch of mud. It was shaped like the 
 print of a huge human foot, fourteen inches long at 
 the very least. Robert had not " trailed " from the 
 Hudson's Bay settlements for nothing. He knew 
 
Treed by a Moose, 
 
 27 
 
 that no man had left that footprint. It was nndonbt- 
 edly the track of a bear, and an enormons one, too ; 
 possibly a grizzly. 
 
 The boy's heart beat so hard that it seemed as if he 
 must stifle. The " sign " was fresh. It certainly was 
 not half-an-hour old, for the water was still oozing 
 into it from the sides. 
 
 Should he go on ? The ambition of Robert's life 
 just now was to shoot a grizzly, but he knew the 
 danger to a single hunter if he should meet one of 
 these terrible brutes alone. 
 
 It flashed across the boy's mind at the same moment 
 that the trail he was following was very closely con- 
 nected with that peculiar track. It was no hunter's 
 at all. It was one of the famous " bear-roads," for 
 which the great Northwest is noted, and which thread 
 the densest forests in every direction. 
 
 Only six charges in that rifle ! But the temptation 
 was too great. Robert concluded at least to follow 
 the path cautiously for a short distance. Perhaps 
 he could come upon his shaggy game unexpectedly. 
 Perhaps he could stalk him I 
 
 With these thoughts passing swiftly through his 
 mind, he examined the lock of his rifle careftdly, 
 assured himself that the cartridges were in place, 
 and, stooping over like an old hunter, advanced softly 
 along the trail. 
 
 At every slightest sound in the forest his heart 
 gave an answering thump; but no bear appeared. 
 He was beginning to think of turning back toward 
 the camp when % curious noise fell upon his ears. It 
 was a succession of dull blows, like that of a farmer 
 driving a stake into the ground. 
 
 A sudden turn of the path brought him unexpectedly 
 
■ 
 
 ■ t 
 
 28 The Red Mountain of Alaska, 
 
 upon a singular scene. About a hundred yards away 
 tha trail was blocked by a huge dark form. It stood 
 about four feet high, and was covered with long, 
 shaggy fur of a dirty brown colour. Robert recog- 
 nised the animal at once, although it was back to him. 
 It was the Brown Bear, Urms ArctoSj of the cold 
 countries. It was with a feeling half chagrin and half 
 relief that the boy knew in a moment it was no grizzly 
 before him. That it was, on the other hand, his very 
 ugliest and most formidable relative south of the 
 Arctic Circle was equally certain. 
 
 But what was the occasion of the bear's quiet atti- 
 tude ? A glance along the path explained matters 
 Directly facing the bear stood an old bull moose, his 
 spreading antlers touching the boughs on each side 
 of the path. The big fellow was not standing at his 
 full height. His head was slightly lowered, and his 
 eyes fixed intently on those of his near neighbour. 
 Neither of the animals paid the slightest attention 
 to the new-comer. 
 
 There seemed to be no good reason why there 
 should be a quarrel. There was plenty of room, with 
 a little squeezing, for a bear and a moose, even if 
 both, as was the case, were larger than the average, 
 to pass each other comfortably. But neither of them 
 thought of yielding an inch ; they glared silently at 
 each other, like two teamsters who have unexpectedly 
 met in a narrow alley. Neither one would back out, 
 that was settled. 
 
 The moose raised one of his great hoofs, and struck 
 it upon the ground several timeS; making moss and 
 mud fly, while his eyes seemed fairly to flash fire. 
 His long, ungainly head drooped lower; it was evi- 
 dent that affairs were reaching a crisis, and Robert 
 
if 
 
 ruck 
 and 
 fire, 
 evi- 
 
 IT WAS KVIDKNT THAT AFFAIRS WERE REACHING A CRISIS. 
 
Treed by a Moose. 31 
 
 concluded it was time tolftt. An old hunter would 
 have walked backward softly to the turn in the path, 
 and then run for his life, leaving the two forest 
 princes to fight it out as they pleased. 
 
 Unfortunately, the boy did no such thing. He 
 raised his rifle, sighted a spot in the very centre of 
 the moose's broad breast, and fired. 
 
 At the very same instant, the latter made up his 
 mind to knock that bear into small bits, and bounded 
 forward. The bear was watching for this, and rose on 
 his haunches to meet hisj^ntagonist. 
 
 So it happened that tCvifle ball, instead of doing 
 its work as was intended^ merely scored the bear's 
 right shoulder, and inflicted a slight wound on the 
 flank of the moose. 
 
 Both the brutes were startled by the heavy report 
 of the gun, and enraged by the sting of the ball. The 
 impetus of the big "homed horse" was so great 
 that he could not stop himself, but struck the bear 
 squarely on the snout, causing Bruin to roll over 
 backward, with the moose on top of him. 
 
 The two huge creatures scrambled to their feet, and 
 simultaneously caught sight of Robert, who pluckily 
 drew a bead on the brown, struggling mass and fired a 
 second time, with as little apparent result as before. 
 
 Then he started for the nearest tree, which, luckily 
 for him, was a good-sized spruce, with two or three 
 boughs, or stubs of them, close to the ground. 
 
 He had to drop his rifle, and indeed had no time to 
 spare, for by a common impulse both the late enemies 
 rushed against their common foe. 
 
 Robert drew a long breath as he seated himself, not 
 very comfortably, on a stout branch, some twenty feet 
 from the ground. To his relief, the bear concluded 
 
1 
 
 li I 
 
 
 Hi 1 
 
 V' 
 
 \\ ! 
 
 it 
 
 3 2 7)^ y?^flr Mountain of Alaska. 
 
 that his hononr had been vindicated, and ambled off 
 on his " road " at a iwift pace, which took him out of 
 sight in two minutes. 
 
 Not so the big moose. Pawing the ground, and 
 snorting fiercely, he continued to charge up and down 
 under the tree, until at last, perceiving that his hated 
 assailant was for the time out of his reach, he sullenly 
 commenced a slow walk to and fro, like a sentinel 
 on guard duty ; now and then casting vindictive 
 glances into the evergreen boughs overhead. 
 
 Faintly three rifle shots came echoing through the 
 woods, but Robert could not reply. He had given his 
 party no idea of where he was going. Plainly his 
 position was a disagreeable one, not to say positively 
 dangerous. 
 
 What was to be done ? 
 
 it: , 
 
 i: i 
 
 1 tM 
 
 y 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 Ted's prickly beau. 
 
 SOON as Joe, the younger 
 and more agile of Mr. But- 
 ton's two Indian guides, 
 struck into the forest, he 
 formed a definite plan of 
 action in his mind. 
 He had seen his young 
 master start off on his expe- 
 dition, and had noted the 
 direction he had taken. Once 
 out of sight of camp, the 
 trail was lost in the deep 
 green moss that covered the 
 ground everywhere. Joe, however, was not at a loss 
 for the route he should take. He reasoned that the 
 boy would, in the main, keep the direction he had at 
 first taken, and would follow the stream up toward 
 the hills, good shooting being generally found near 
 water; moreover, the brook would be an infallible 
 guide back to camp. 
 
 Swiftly and stealthily as a cat the Indian glided 
 through the dark shadows of the forest, in and out 
 
i 
 
 ^< V 
 
 '5 *!; 
 
 
 ^■m 
 
 t. 
 k 
 k 
 
 34 Tke Red Mountain of Alaska. 
 
 among the tmnks of the evergreens. Now and then 
 he would utter a grunt of satisfaction as his quick 
 glance fell upon a broken twig or a red mass of 
 crumbling wood where Bobert had placed an incau- 
 tious foot. 
 
 Arriving at the bear path, he did not hesitate a 
 moment, but followed it with a swift, shambling gait 
 like the awkward trot of the animals who had trodden 
 down the path for him. 
 
 When he perceived the big track in the mud he 
 started, paused, and examined it carefully ; then felt 
 for the handle of his long knife— he had brought no 
 other weapon— and kept on as before. 
 
 If you had been watching him, a few minutes later, 
 you would have seen him suddenly come to a stand- 
 still, listen eagerly, and then creep forward on hands 
 and knees. Presently he dropped flat on the ground, 
 and began wriggling forward as silently as a snake, but 
 more slowly. 
 
 From his pen. Robert caught sight of a dark 
 figure crouching on the moss, a hundred feet away 
 to the leeward. At first he turned sick with fear, 
 thinking it was a puma, making ready for a spring. 
 Then he recognised with delight the homely features 
 of his guide. 
 
 The besieger just then was wandering moodily 
 about at about the same distance the other side of 
 the tree, his attention being distracted by a swarm of 
 mosquitoes who kept him stamping and licking furi- 
 ously. It was evident that he had not the least idea 
 of the Indian's presence. 
 
 The latter wriggled nearer the tree, nearer, — ^until 
 he could lay his hand on the repeating rifle. 
 
 The slight noise he made in cocking the piece caused 
 
Ted^s Prickly Bear, 
 
 35 
 
 the moose to look up quickly, half turning as he did 
 so, and exposing his broad brown side. 
 
 A shot rang out, and another. The moose started 
 for the tree like lightning, but before he had covered 
 half the distance he fell headlong. 
 
 To leap to his side and plunge the keen blade of 
 the knife into his throat was but an instant's work 
 for the Indian, who had despatched many a moose 
 in his day. 
 
 As Robert descended stiffly from his tree, and saw 
 the poor creature's huge bulk stretched out helpless 
 and still, he felt a pang of remorse. 
 
 " It's too bad, Joe," he said, gazing at his prostrate 
 enemy. 
 
 " H'm. You no kill 'im, he kill you," remarked the 
 other, in soft gutturals. "You lucky git 'way from 
 'im, yis. 
 
 They cut several slices of meat from the moose, and 
 Joe took especial pains to carry away the muzzle, or 
 upper lip, which is esteemed a dainty among hunters. 
 The magnificent antlers they were of course obliged to 
 leave behind. 
 
 The Indian had as yet made no allusion to the bear. 
 When they had travelled about half way to the camp, 
 and had been walking in silence for some time, he 
 suddenly asked, — 
 
 " You shot at bear, too ? " 
 
 Robert laughed rather shamefacedly. 
 
 " Yes, I did, Joe. I guess I didn't hurt him much, 
 and I'm glad I didn't. One of those splendid creatures 
 is enough to kill in a day." 
 
 " You no fire when you see 'im 'gain," remarked the 
 Indian. " No hurt poor bear," he added. 
 
 Rob caught the twinkle in his companion's eye. 
 
*!U 
 
 V. 
 
 N 
 
 jf^ 
 
 J > 
 
 
 te 
 
 
 36 T'i*^ /?^</ Mountain of Alaska. 
 
 " You're langhing at me, old fellow I " he cried, 
 good-naturedly. " Never mind, I'll pay you up some 
 day." 
 
 "No shoot bear when you 'lone," said Joe, more 
 soberly. " Nor moose, too. Wait for Injun come, he 
 help shoot." 
 
 " Well, I'll be more Careful another time. Hullo, 
 here we are at camp. Sorry you were worried, 
 father," as he saw Mr. Button's look of relief at his 
 approach. 
 
 " I was worried, Rob," said the older man, earnestly, 
 " and I thank God that you're back safe. If I had 
 realised half the dangers and hardships of this wild 
 country, I'd never have come. I suppose Dick is used 
 to them, and don't mind meeting a grizzly, or fighting 
 mosquitoes for a week at a time, or running on to a 
 tribe of hostiles. I confess I do." 
 
 "But, father, we were never so well in our lives. 
 Just look at Nat there I " 
 
 And, indeed, it did one good to glance at the little 
 fellow's brown, healthy face. 
 
 "Well,. well," said Mr. Dutton, brightening, "we're 
 all in safe keeping, no doubt. Tell me about your 
 adventure, Rob. It's too late to move further to- 
 night, and we could hardly find a better camping- 
 ground. The tents, boys ! " 
 
 This last was addressed to the guides, who at once 
 quietly set about their preparations for the night. 
 While the boys gathered eagerly about Rob, as he 
 described the big game he had seen, two tents of light 
 strong drilling were taken from the packs and pitched. 
 They were of the " Shelter " form, with side flaps that 
 were secured to the ground by pegs. These were 
 necessary to keep out the little winged tormentors 
 
 
 
 4 S!. 
 
Teds Prickly Bear. 
 
 37 
 
 e 
 
 whose falsetto songs already began to ring unpleasantly 
 in the ears of the hnnters. 
 
 The mosqnito bars were now stretched across the 
 front of the tents, admitting light, air, and nothing 
 else, unless perhaps the midges, or no-see-'ems, whose 
 approach the Indians feared. 
 
 In the midst of Rob's glowing account there arose 
 a series of howls and cries, mingled with the barking 
 of a dog, close by the camp. 
 
 All hands seized rifles and axes, and ran to the 
 rescue. 
 
 " Oh, murther I Oh, save me, quick I She's 
 comin' afther me, sure 1 Come quick wid yer 
 guns I " 
 
 A moment later a shout of laughter went up from 
 the rescuers. Even the taciturn Indians smiled. 
 
 There was the valiant Teddy, with his hair fairly 
 standing on end, glaring wildly at a small black 
 animal, which crouched in a tree, about ten feet from 
 the ground. 
 
 " Sure, I have fixed it wid me eyes," said Teddy. 
 " I have a shpell on it, I have. If I look oflF, it'll 
 jump." 
 
 "Why, what is it, Ted?" mquired Mr. Button, 
 putting on a sober face. 
 
 " Can't ye see, sur-r ? it's a shmall little bear, bad 
 luck to him I Sure, I looked to see the ould one come 
 rushing out o' the bushes ivery minute, and that's 
 why I called yez." 
 
 All this time Carlo was barking furiously at the 
 little animal, whatever it was. 
 
 "I think the safest way," said Mr. Button, sup- 
 pressing a smile once more, " is to leave Teddy here 
 for a while to watch the beast. If the she-bear 
 
 3 
 
3^ The Red Mountain of Alaska, 
 
 attacks yon, be sure to call ns, Ted," he added, making 
 as if he would walk off. 
 
 Bnt the Irish boy set np a mournful wail that 
 would have touched a heart of stone. 
 
 *' Och, don't lave me, sur 1 I'll be kilt en- 
 tirely 1 " 
 
 " Oh, Ted I '* called out Hugh, who could no longer 
 keep silence, " killed by a — hedgehog I Think of it I 
 Don't you see his prickles ? " 
 
 Poor Teddy grew even redder than before as he 
 examined the animal anew, and for the first time 
 noticed the quills. 
 
 He slunk back to camp, and it was a long time 
 before the boys ceased to allude to " Ted's prickly 
 bear." 
 
 The night passed quietly, and an early start was 
 made next morning. Before they halted for their 
 noon rest they had made a good fifteen miles, due 
 west. Nat was tired, and when they started for their 
 afternoon tramp, Jim, the older and larger Indian, 
 had a curious pack upon his biick. It was, in fact, 
 no other than Nat himself, comfortably seated in a 
 njk^ural chair, formed by cutting a distorted birch 
 cWe to the ground, and using the stump of a bent 
 bough for a seat. A belt was carried around the 
 Indian's waist, to steady the chair, but the weight 
 came largely upon his forehead, which held the loop 
 of a leather thong supporting this human piece of 
 baggage. Mr. Button had seen Peruvian natives 
 carry travellers in this way over dangerous moun- 
 tain passes, and Jim found that it worked to a 
 charm. 
 
 At about three o'clock the leader of the party 
 uttered a cry of delight. 
 
Teds Prickly Bear, 
 
 39 
 
 " Look I " he said, pointing forward. " The head- 
 waters of the Pelly I *' 
 
 "What is the Pelly, father?" asked the eldest 
 boy. 
 
 " The northern branch of the Yukon, Rob. Where 
 that river joins the old * Lewis,* or properly the Yukon 
 itself, is Fort Selkirk, and there we shall find your 
 mother, Flossie, and Dick." 
 
 " Hooray 1 " shouted Hugh, catching his father's 
 enthusiasm. ''How long will it take to reach 
 them ? " 
 
 "I should think that by the day after to-morrow 
 we ought to come in sight of the chimneys of the 
 old fort. As soon as possible we will build a raft, 
 and finish our journey by water." 
 
 An hour's fast walking brought the party to the 
 edge of a small lake. On the southern shore were 
 high bluffs, crowned with evergreen forests. Just 
 before them lay a little meadow. Its bright green 
 grass was dotted with dandelions and buttercups ; 
 butterfiies, red and yellow, floated gracefully in the 
 sunshine. A cloud of waterfowl rose from the reeds 
 near by, and, flying low over the smooth water, 
 plunged into it again, not half a mile away, with a 
 deal of splashing. 
 
 Not a breeze stirred the surface of the lake ; the 
 hills along its shore were reflected as in a mirror. 
 
 " Beautiful, beautiful I " murmured Mr. Dutton, 
 baring his head for a moment, and gazing over the 
 tranquil scene. " Why should not one settle here, 
 and spend his days within sight of this lovely sheet 
 of water ? No cares, but plenty of " 
 
 '' Mosquitoes I " interrupted one of the Indians, 
 gravely. 
 
40 The Red Mountain of Alaska, 
 
 The boys burst into a shont of laughter at the 
 sudden conclusion of their father's soliloquy, and ran 
 gleefully down to the water's edge. 
 
 " See, father, see I " cried little Nat presently, hold- 
 ing up a small brown animal in his arms. It was 
 a young marmot, a species which furnishes to the 
 Indians of the interior their blankets, these being 
 made of numerous skins of the little creatures sewn 
 together. 
 
 After an inspection by all the boys, the captive was 
 permitted to waddle off at the top of his speed, 
 presumably in the direction his parents had taken. 
 
 " Camp, boys, camp I " called Mr. Button, and all 
 hands set busily to work, preparing for the night. 
 The tent was pitched on the bank of a tiny stream 
 that fell musically over a mossy ledge into the lake 
 itself. The boys cut and broke armfuls of boughs 
 from the young spruces that grew thickly along the 
 edge of the forest, and threw them into the camp for 
 a bed. Nat was left to kindle the fire, a task at which 
 he was a particular adept. With bits of bark and 
 dried twigs he soon had a jolly blaze mounting up 
 through the larger sticks, and the camp was ready. 
 Rob strolled off with his gun, and Hugh with fishing- 
 rod and flies, as usual. Mr. Button took shelter 
 behind a mosquito net, and registered in his diary the 
 events of the day — the various sorts of plants and living 
 creatures he had observed, and the situation and most 
 striking characteristics of the lake before him. Then 
 he took out his map of the British provinces and 
 Alaska, settling his position beyond a doubt, and 
 marking his camping spot with a pencilled cross. 
 Those boys who would like to know just where the 
 party was encamped may make a cross on their maps 
 
 •I 
 
 -,.,^-.. .,>-^,.^^ft.-i--a 
 
lie 
 an 
 
 d- 
 as 
 be 
 
 »g 
 
 
 Ted's Prickly Bear, 
 
 41 
 
 at exactly lat. 61** 30' N., long. 128° 10' W. from 
 Greenwich. If the map is a good one, they will 
 find this lake, shaped something like a horseshoe, 
 with the open end toward the north. On the east 
 bank of the right-hand arm of the horseshoe was 
 " Camp Prospect," as Mr. Dntton named their halting- 
 place. 
 
 IS 
 
 i, 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 AN UNSBBN ENBMT. 
 
 THE after- 
 noon had 
 been so bright, 
 friends seemed 
 so near, and 
 camp was bo 
 pleasantly situ- 
 ated, that the 
 Dattons looked 
 forward to a 
 peaceful , rest- 
 ful night. They were doomed to serious disappoint- 
 ment. 
 
 Hugh came back from the lake empty-handed, and 
 Robert was the lucky one this time, bringing back 
 from his hunting expedition a fine bag of black duck 
 and a good fat rabbit. 
 
 While Joe was preparing the ducks for supper, 
 Teddy, whose bump of curiosity was always leading 
 him to poke about among bushes and under loen, 
 came rushing back to camp, and breathlei :.iy a! 
 nounced an important discovery. 
 " Sure, it's a bear this time," he stammered, looking 
 

 An Unseen Enemy. 
 
 Ai 
 
 over Ms Bhonlder. " YeVe tould me toime and toime 
 agin that the print of a bear's fat looks like a man's 
 boot. Sure, there's wan here in the bushes that's the 
 very image o' wan, toes an' all. Oh, wirra, wirra, he'll 
 ate us up before momin' I " 
 
 " Hush, Teddy," exclaimed Mr. Button, authorita- 
 tively. " Tell us where you saw the track.* 
 
 " Jist beyant in the bushes." 
 
 " Come, Joe, we'll look at it." 
 
 The rest wanted to follow, but Mr. Dutton bade 
 them stay where they were. He had uncomfortable 
 misgivings regarding that track, with its toes so 
 plainly marked. What if it were not a bear's foot- 
 print at all I What if 
 
 His worst fears were realized when he saw the 
 Indian's manner on looking at the track. 
 
 " H'm I " he grunted, with a slight start, as 
 he stooped low to examine it. " H'm I Him no 
 bear 1 " 
 
 "What is it, then?" 
 
 " Him man's foot.'* 
 
 ^' White ? " 
 
 "No. Injun." 
 
 " How old is the sign ? " 
 
 " Half-hour, maybe." 
 
 Here was intelligence, to be sure, of a decidedly 
 unpleasant character. 
 
 While they had been building their camp, dis- 
 cussing their plans, roaming about the woods, dark 
 forms had been flitting to and fro among the sha- 
 dows of the forest, within a stone's throw. Glisten- 
 ing eyes had been watching them, probably with 
 looks of hatred. For a friendly band would have 
 advanced at once, where the party of whites was so 
 
44 1'he Red Mountain of Alaska, 
 
 evidently a harmless one, wltli its four boys and one 
 middle-aged man. 
 
 The two guides now held a short consnltation, and, 
 on Mr. Button's retnm to camp, they darted into the 
 woods. 
 
 The hour spent before their return was one of 
 extreme an: t'- The boys knew nothing of their 
 father's appreL ons, and chatted merrily over the 
 supper-getting, which, in the absence of the guides, 
 they took into their own hands. 
 
 If the Takheesh Indians, in the border of whose 
 country they now were, should take the warpath, 
 they were greatly to be feared. Their tribe had 
 been foully treated by the traders, and, though 
 few in numbers, the Alaska Indians are known to 
 be among the fiercest and most implacable of their 
 race when their evil passions are once roused. And 
 if there was danger to his own party, what of the 
 other, near by, containing his brother, wife, and 
 daughter ? 
 
 While these thoughts were chasing one another 
 through Mr. Button's troubled mind, Joe returned, 
 and shortly afterward his comrade. 
 
 The information they brought was not reassuring. 
 They had struck the trail of the strange Indians, they 
 said, in several parts of the surrounding forest, and, 
 though they did not come upon the band, the guides 
 were pretty sure that they were encamped just beyond 
 a little ridge, about two miles south-west of Camp 
 Prospect. They had probably been startled, Joe 
 intimated, by the report of Rob's gun. 
 
 The boys by this time had been acquainted with 
 the situation, and the faces of the company were 
 clouded. 
 
 IL 
 

 An Unseen Enemy. 
 
 45 
 
 " Well," said Mr. Button, at last, " we won't try 
 to cross a bridge before we come to it. The Indians 
 will not dare to attack us to-night, while we are 
 all in camp, nor are they fond of roaming the 
 woods after dark. "We'll take turns keeping guard, 
 however, and while one watches the rest shall 
 sleep." • 
 
 It was still so early in the evening that no 
 thoughts of sleep could be entertained for an hour or 
 two. Mr. Button was determined that his boys 
 should not worry away their chances for a night's 
 rest. He therefore proposed telling stories until 
 bedtime. 
 
 " That is," said he, with a good-natured slap on 
 Joe's broad shoulders, "I don't mean to do all the 
 talking myself. You can begin, old fellow." 
 
 The Indian's dark eyes lighted up. Taciturn as he 
 was on ordinary occasions, he was renowned among 
 his comrades as a recounter of marvellous tales and 
 hair's-breadth escapes. Joe was a good story-teller, 
 and he knew it. 
 
 As full of airs as a young lady who is asked to play, 
 and " has left her music at home," Joe coughed and 
 smoked and pretended indiflference, but, after the 
 proper amount of urging, raised himself upon his elbow 
 instead of squatting in the traditional Indian fashion, 
 and, having replenished his pipe (which, however, 
 soon died out), began as follows. I do not attempt to 
 spell out his peculiar dialect, or indicate the expressive 
 grunts and gutturals which served as punctuation 
 marks. 
 
 " About ten years ago," he said, " I was guiding, 
 near Fort Churchill, with my brother, John Feather- 
 top." 
 
Hi 
 
 [ill! 
 
 46 The Red Mountain of Alaska, 
 
 " I didn't know you had a brother, Joe,** interrupted 
 Nat. 
 
 "Dead now,*' remarked the narrator, laconically, 
 then resumed his story. 
 
 "We started out, one fine morning, from the 
 fort, and by the end of the next day reached a 
 
 " WK STARTED ACROSS THE LAKB." 
 
 lake about thirty miles away, where the fishing was 
 
 good. 
 
 " Two men — white men — were with us. They wer» 
 from a big town in the States — New — New *' 
 
 « York ? " suggested Rob. 
 
 "That's it. They paid us well, and were full of 
 fun. On the lake we had two good canoes, hidden 
 in the bushes at different points. John and I soon 
 found one of them, drew the paddles from a hollow 
 
 n 
 
 mmiLWiiwiji 
 
An Unseen Enemy, 
 
 47 
 
 •ted 
 
 the 
 a 
 
 log close hj, and started across the lake for the other 
 canoe. 
 
 " We paddled straight across a wide bay, in a north- 
 east direction, took onr bearings from a bnnch of rocks 
 just above water (there were half-a-dozen guUs'-nests 
 on them, and the birds flew np slowly as we paddled 
 past) ; then worked np to a point heavily wooded 
 with black growth, and John landed. 
 
 " Pretty soon I heard a squirrel chatter, and right 
 afterward a bird sonnd, like this." 
 
 Here Joe imitated pretty closely the long, plaintive 
 whistle of the hermit thrash. 
 
 The boys nodded to their father, to show that they 
 recognized the notes ; and Joe gravely proceeded. 
 
 " I knew then that something was out of the 
 common, and that John apprehended danger ; other- 
 wise he would not have called me at all, or would 
 have sung out my name. The squirrel and the bird 
 meant 'Trouble — come quick, but carefully.' If the 
 bird had sung first, it would have meant, ' Stay there ; 
 I'm coming back.' 
 
 " I answered the bird call, and stepped out of the 
 canoe, pulling it up a little on a big rock. Then I 
 went into the bujhes and found John. 
 
 **He was standing near an old pine stub that 
 had been our landmark for the second canoe. It 
 ought to have been just six paces from that stub, 
 in a little overgrown run, covered with brash. 
 The fir and spruce, with a few white cedars, grew 
 so thick along the edge of the run that nobody 
 would have found the canoe without a hard hunt and 
 a hint as to its hiding-place. Nobody in the world 
 knew of that place but John and I. The canoe was 
 gone,^* 
 
 m 
 
.iil 
 
 ' i 
 
 48 The Red Mountain of Alaska. 
 
 Joe pansed impressively, having dropped his voice 
 to its lowest gutturals in pronouncing the two words, 
 " Canoe gone I " — and looked around the firelit circle' 
 of faces to observe the effect. 
 
 The result of the survey proving satisfactory, he 
 lighted his pipe anew with a blazing twig from the 
 camp-fire. 
 
 "But that wasn't the worst of it," he continued, 
 more solemnly than ever. " There wasn't the faintest 
 sign of any stranger there. Not a track showed in the 
 earth between that spot and the lake. Not a twig, as 
 far as we could see in any direction, was broken or 
 bent ; even the boughs that had been thrown over the 
 run were absolutely undisturbed. 
 
 " Simply, the canoe was not there. In some mys- 
 terious way it had been drawn out from its hiding- 
 place, and had totally disappeared. 
 
 " I said there was no track. Stop — ^there was one. 
 John pointed it out after we had been there a 
 minute. It was a mere touch on the moss — so light 
 as hardly to bend down the soft tops— ^yet, here 
 and there, plainly enough marked when once we 
 had found one, were the prints of a child's or a 
 young girl's foot. The strange part of it was the 
 lightness. We found one spot where she or it had 
 stepped fairly on a piece of soft, muddy soil. As I 
 live, masters, the print was not half a day old, and 
 was not so deep." 
 
 Joe measured off about an eighth of an inch on his 
 thumb-nail. Nat crept more closely to his father, 
 and glanced over his shoulder. There was always 
 something uncanny about Joe's stories ; and, indeed, 
 Mr. Button began to repent having called for the 
 performance on this particular night. 
 
 ; 
 
 '^•'■'^mmmmmm 
 
m 
 
 An Unseen Enemy, 
 
 49 
 
 "Hnrry np, Joe," he exclaimed, "and get to 
 the pomt of yonr story. Whe* made the tracks 
 aronnd the run ? Some light-footed Indian squaw, I 
 suppose I " 
 
 "No squaw," replied Joe, with dignity. "Track 
 too ver' light, you see." 
 
 But, JEts I said, I will not try to give the story in 
 Joe^s peculiar dialect. Here is the rest of it, trans- 
 lated into English. 
 
 " We could make nothing of the tracks, and pretty 
 soon we paddled back to camp, after having searched 
 the point over for the missing canoe. Not a sign of 
 it could we find. 
 
 " When we r-^turned to our two hunters, they 
 laughed at us, but were angry, too, because they had 
 but one canoe to fish from. Only one of them could 
 go out at a time. 
 
 " We took a few trout in the lake, but the fish did 
 not rise well, and after a couple of days we pushed on 
 to a small pond five miles above. 
 
 "It was all white water between, so we had to 
 carry. It took five trips to get across, for it's the 
 hardest carry in all the north country. 
 
 " The last time we took the canoe. It was rather 
 heavy for that style of craft, and there was one 
 point, just opposite a big waterfall in the river, 
 where it had to be lugged straight uphill for fifty rods 
 or more. 
 
 "John and I got underneath, and the New York 
 men pulled on a rope hitched round the bows. 
 
 " It was a hard tug, but we got there at last. 
 
 "We built a brush camp pretty near the shore 
 of the upper pond, and laid out for a fortnight's 
 stay at least. There was deer-sign in the woods, 
 
m 
 
 50 TAe Red Mountain of Alaska. 
 
 and if the rises in the pond 
 at snnset meant anything, 
 they meant all the fish we 
 coald eat, and more, too. 
 
 " Well, sir, if you'll 
 believe me, we'd no 
 sooner got settled 
 down in camp than 
 everything began to 
 go wrong. 
 
 "John cut his 
 hand that very 
 night mending a 
 leader, so he could 
 hardly hold a pad- 
 dle. One of 
 our blankets 
 
 r 
 
 had a hole 
 burnt in it the 
 next morning ; 
 our best rifle 
 missed fire 
 when we had 
 a fine buck ca- 
 ribou in easy 
 range ; it 
 rained hard 
 and was broil- 
 ing hot by 
 turns ; and at 
 last John, 
 
 1 \ 
 
 VPHILI. WORK. 
 
 mimetmmmmmimr^ 
 
An Unseen Enemy* 
 
 51 
 
 throngh clumsy paddling with his lame hand, ran the 
 canoe square on to a rock, near the outlet, and put a 
 hole through the birch. 
 
 " * It's no use,' we agreed, he and I, ' the trip's be- 
 witched. Whatever it was that took that canoe has 
 sent us bad luck.' 
 
 "Then we remembered an old story of how an 
 innocent Indian girl was shot by trappers in that 
 region years before ; shot because some skulking 
 chap in her tribe had stolen a pelt or two, and these 
 fellows wanted to square the account. 
 
 "John shook his head, and said he believed the 
 spirit of the girl was abroad in the woods, and would 
 be the death of us if we didn't go out. 
 
 " He wanted to tell the two gentlemen about it, 
 but I told him they'd laugh at him, and we'd better 
 wait a while before doing anything. 
 
 " * H'm,' said John, * if we want to go back, who 
 can hinder?' 
 
 " ' You'd have to go alone,' said I, * for I won't 
 leave a party I've once taken into the woods, spirit or 
 no spirit.' 
 
 " That night one of our two masters was taken wicii 
 fever and chills, though he had been perfectly well an 
 hour before. John looked hard at me as we sat by 
 the fire, but I pretended not to see him. 
 
 " Next morning the poor gentleman was rather j 
 worse than better. Part of the time he was out of his 
 head, and kept raving about somebody he thought was 
 trying to drown him in the canoe. 
 
 " * Don't tip it over I DorCt tip it over I ' he'd cry, 
 in the most awful way, starting up and then sinking 
 back with a choking sound as if he were going under 
 water. 
 
 m 
 
 
52 The Red Mountain of Alaska. 
 
 *' As soon as I got a chance I called John oat into 
 the brush a bit. 
 
 '< ^ John/ said I, ' I had a queer dream last 
 night.' 
 
 " ' So did I,' said he, quietly. 
 
 " * I dreamed I found that canoe.' 
 
 « ' So did I.' 
 
 " * It was placed across two flat, mossy rocks, and 
 in it was the body of a young squaw * 
 
 " Before John had time to say, * So it was I * 
 (as I've no doubt his dream was exactly the same 
 as mine) we were called to hold the sick man, who 
 was now quite out of his head, and muttering 
 strange things that nobody but John and I under- 
 stood. 
 
 " He grew quieter after a while, and slept. The 
 other gentleman, worried and troubled as he was, took 
 his rifle and started round the shore of the lake for 
 game. 
 
 " Before long I heard the crack of his piece, and not 
 a minute later a doe dashed past the camp. 
 
 "Her tongue was out, and I could see that she 
 was wounded ; but she was out of sight with three 
 bounds. As she went past us she half turned 
 her head, and gave me one swifb look from her 
 big, frightened eyes. I'm an old hunter, sir, but I 
 declare to you I never had a deer nor a living 
 animal look at me so before. I found a single red 
 spot on a green leaf in her tracks after she had 
 gone. 
 
 "This was at about noon. The master came 
 back more tired and anxious than ever. As soon 
 as dinner was over he wanted me to go and hunt up 
 that doe. 
 
An Unseen Enemy. 
 
 53 
 
 ** Generally, I'd want no better job, for I knew by 
 the way she ran that rIiu was shot to death, and I 
 wouldn't have to go far. Bat, sir, I hated to go. I'd 
 have taken John, bat he said he mast stay in camp 
 and gam that leak in the old canoe before dark. I 
 left him getting his gam and some bark to bam and 
 sear with. 
 
 " Well, it took longer than I thoaght it woald. 
 For apwards of three miles I tramped throagh the 
 black growth to the head of the pond, follow- 
 ing the trail, which wasn't the easiest to keep in 
 sight. There wasn't a broken limb or even a bent 
 brake ; and on the gronnd scarcely a track, she was 
 so light. 
 
 " The san was well down, and it was getting pretty 
 shady in the woods when I strack a plain carry, made 
 by traders in old times, from the head of the pond to 
 a chain of lakes and a post beyond. 
 
 '^ After following this aboat a hundred rods I came 
 to a standstill. A small sheet of water was jast in 
 front of me ; bat what I noticed most was a lot of big, 
 mossy rocks along the shore. They were the very 
 rocks that I had seen in my dream I 
 
 " And there, sir, not quite as I had dreamed it, but 
 pulled up a little across the opening of the carry, was 
 the lost canoe. 
 
 " I came up to it with a creeping all over me from 
 head to foot. I knew what I should find there, even 
 before I saw the patch of soft brown and white over 
 the edge of the canoe. 
 
 " There, just as she had stumbled and fallen, in her 
 last feeble effort to reach the water, lay the beautiful 
 doe, the blood still flowing from the fatal bullet-hole 
 She was quite dead. 
 
 I 
 
y\ 
 
 ill; ; 
 
 w 
 
 M ■■' 
 
 
 
 n-) 
 
 54 TAe lied Mountain of Alaska. 
 
 " Perhaps you'll laugh at me, sir, when I tell you I 
 didn't cut her up ? 
 
 ^<I took her out easy, and laid her on the moss, 
 out of sight of the carry. She was a small, slender 
 thing, and lifted easy. I threw some brush over 
 her, and shouldered the canoe, which was not so 
 large as the one we had brought with us from the 
 first lake, and in five minutes was paddling down 
 the lower pond as if all the spirits of the forest were 
 after me. 
 
 ^' At last I came in sight of John Feathertop, just 
 putting the last touches on the bottom of the damaged 
 canoe, and then, I confess, for the first time I breathed 
 freely. 
 
 ''The gentleman asked me where the do%waB, 
 but I took no notice, and he supposed I felt bad 
 at not finding her, so he said nothing more about 
 it. 
 
 ''The next day the sick man was well enough 
 to move, and we all started for home, although the 
 two New Yorkers wanted to stay and finish their 
 sport." 
 
 " Why did they go out, then ? " 
 
 " Because they could not stay without guides. And 
 both guides refused, quietly and respectfully, but 
 firmly, to spend another day in that locality. 
 
 " We got oat in safety, with the exception of the 
 lighter canoe. That we left behiftd. Why? Because 
 it had carried the dead ; because the dead had claimed 
 it ; because it belonged to the dead. 
 
 " John Feathertop and I, as well as Jim here, were 
 poor enougb; but there wasn't money enough in all the 
 Hudson's Bay territory to hire us ever to visit that 
 lake again." 
 
 10 
 
 ' iiii' PtHl BWWWHHBIIII 
 
Qm 
 
 (1) "JOHN WAS I'UTTINO THR LAST TOUCHES ON." 
 
 (2) "I SHOULDERED THE CANOE," 
 
■■HI 
 
 ' :' 
 
 'S 
 
 <^ i 
 
 II 
 
 r 
 
 i5. ' 
 
An Unseen Enemy. 
 
 57 
 
 As Joe coDclnded his story, with a furtive glance 
 at the staring eyes abont him, a loon in the lake 
 below suddenly made night hideous with its maniac 
 laughter. 
 
 Mr. Dutton could feel little Nat shiver in his 
 
 arms. 
 
■■l.ll 
 
 - ft 
 
 nil 
 6l 
 
 I'f r 
 
 'm. 
 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 RAPT-BUILDING. 
 
 was plain that Joe's story, instead of qniet- 
 ing the boys, as their father had intended, 
 had wrought them to a high pitch of 
 nervousness, which would have to relax 
 before sleep visited the little camp by 
 the headwaters of the Felly that night. 
 "Now, boys," he exclaimed, in his 
 cheery, wholesome tones, that of them- 
 selves began at once to put to flight the 
 imaginary terrors of the night, " Tm going 
 to tell you a story. The difference between mine and 
 •Joe's is, principally, that mine is true I " 
 
 Joe withdrew his pipe from his lips, and gazed 
 reproachfully at Mr. Dutton ; contented himself with 
 a shake of his head at the idea of his veracity being 
 questioned ; and began to puff again at his tobacco. 
 
 " That is," added Mr. Dutton, changing his position 
 in the tent so as to rest more easily, and at the same 
 time {6ce the boys, "the main facts are true. It's 
 about a severe cold snap that took place in Atlanta, 
 Georgia, not long ago." 
 
 Thereupon he proceeded to narrate the following 
 story, giving the negro dialect with such excellent 
 effect as to make the boys laugh heartily at some 
 points, and to bring tears to their eyes at others. 
 
 
Raft-Building, 
 
 fjil' 
 
 59 
 
 Lex had been bnsy all day, partly in efforts to keep 
 out from nnder customers' feet, partly in running 
 errands. When he turned away from the store at 
 night, and started for home, he was very tired. 
 
 '' Hi I " chattered Lex, as he pattered along the 
 side-walk, " ain't dis yere cold, jes' 1 " 
 
 It was cold, and was growing colder. The sun had 
 muffled itself in a bank of clouds as it hurried off to a 
 warmer climate, turning a very cold shoulder indeed 
 upon Lex and his surroundings. As soon as the sun 
 was well out of the way, presto I up dodged the sly 
 breezes that had kept quiet since morning, and, spying 
 the black boy on his way home, made for him with 
 eager glee. 
 
 They could not do much with his hair, to be sure, it 
 curled so tightly and closely to his round head ; but, 
 to make up for that, they pinched his ears and pulled 
 off his tattered hat, tweaked his fingers and toes, 
 whooped and hallooed at him, and threw dust in his 
 astonished black eyes, until he felt as if he were in 
 the paws of a sort of great Polar tiger, playing with 
 him cruelly and breathing on him from her icy 
 jaws. 
 
 So the wind kept on blowing harder and harder, 
 and the mercury in the thermometers sought to hide 
 itself in their bulbs, until the very light of the moon 
 above the chimney-tops seemed to come down frozen. 
 
 Colder and colder it grew. In the North, people 
 would not have been surprised at it, but Atlanta folks 
 were not used to such cold, and it took them by sur- 
 prise. 
 
 George Alexander Jackson, or " Lex," as he was 
 called for short, hurried along till he reached a small 
 cabin on the outskirts of the city, and, slamming the 
 
w 
 
 ft; 
 
 
 i- 
 
 60 TAe Red Mountain of Alaska, 
 
 door behind him, stood shivering before the stove, 
 whose firelight, shining out between the bars in front, 
 fell pleasantly on the floor, and danced all about the 
 white kitten, who blinked sleepily at Lex. 
 
 " Well, Lex, got home f m yo' wo'k agin, ain*t ye ? " 
 Sbxii a stout black woman, cheerily, coming up to him 
 and drawing his woolly head to her motherly bosom. 
 " Po' little boy I He's done run all d' way home, — 
 now, ain't ye, honey?" 
 
 Lex bobbed his head, and squirmed with the cold. 
 
 '^ Dar, dar, chile, you jes' stay right in mammy's 
 arms till ye get wo'm an' comf ble. Reckon 'twon't 
 be so cold ter-morrer. An' de Lo'd will pervide I " 
 
 Chloe Jackson was one of the old slaves who had 
 ^'got religion," as her master had sneeringly said. 
 Truly she had " got " it, firmly enough, and not even 
 her freedom in these later days was so precious to her. 
 To Lex, religion as yet meant mostly — "mammy," 
 and he would have been as much alarmed had she 
 stopped using Scripture phrases as if she had stopped 
 breathing. 
 
 A comfortable sense of warmth stole through Lex's 
 sturdy little frame as he watched his mother going 
 about the room in her preparations for supper. On 
 the table, bare but clean, were set three plates of 
 different sizes, and in varied stages of repair ; a small 
 teapot, a plate of hoe-cakes, and a cracked mug full 
 of a dark liquid that Lex's critical eye told him was 
 molasses. 
 
 A cup and saucer for Chloe herself completed the 
 tea-set, and Lex was told to take his place beside his 
 mother and sister, the latter being a year or two 
 younger than himself. His father had gone quietly 
 away to another country five years before, leaving his 
 
Raft-Building, 
 
 6i 
 
 poor black earth-clothes in the little bnrying-gronnd 
 ontside the city. 
 
 ^'Be qniet, Chilians!" said Chloe, softly, raising 
 her hand. Then she proceeded to say grace — ^rather 
 longer than common, Lex thought, sniffing the hoe- 
 cakes with his eyes shnt. 
 
 "0 Lo'd," she concluded, her voice beginning to 
 tremble strangely, ^'bress dese yere chillnns I doan 
 fergit yo' brack chilluns, what yo' led outen de wild'- 
 ness, Lo'd, an' don't let dese yere little ones freeze 
 wid cold, or die fer want of food, an' doan, Lord — 
 Amen." 
 
 Lex looked np, surprised at her abmpt close, and 
 canght sight of two big tears rolling down her cheeks. 
 
 " mammy I mammy I what ye done cry fer ? " 
 he begged, laying his head again on her shoulder. 
 " What makes y' ask Mass' Lo'd " (she never could 
 break him of saying that) " ter keep us f m freezin' ? ' 
 
 " Dar, chile," she said, almost sharply, " doan ye go 
 ter axin' questions. De Lo'd an' I done got two er 
 free secrets what pickaninnies mus'n know nuf u' 
 'bout. You jes' eat yo' supper an' be quiet." 
 
 His thoughts diverted for a few minutes by this last 
 suggestion. Lex busied himself with his bread and 
 molasses. Then he asked,— 
 
 " Mammy, who was it you read 'bout in de Bible 
 dat got fo' or five t'ousand hoe-cakes f m a flock of 
 crows ? " 
 
 " Laws-a-me, jes' hear him 1 " cried mammy, an ill- 
 suppressed chuckle of fun driving the anxiety out of 
 her f)2.ce for a moment. << 'Twas meat, meati chile, 
 what dam birds bro't to 'Lijah." 
 
 " An' would dey brung meat to us, mammy, ef we 
 wus mighty hungry ? " 
 
 '':% 
 
 tii 
 
 m 
 
i 
 
 \p 
 
 mi 
 
 tv> 
 
 h 
 
 62 TAe lied Mountain of Alaska* 
 
 " I reckon so, honey," said Chloe, with a sweet look 
 of faith in her honest eyes. " He's never fergot ns 
 yit." 
 
 So Lex was satisfied, and retnrned to his post by 
 the firei Presently he looked np, with a little shiver, 
 
 " Mammy, please put some mo' wood on de fire." 
 
 Mammy glanced np quickly, then came to the small 
 stove, and stirred the brands together till they crackled 
 and blazed again. 
 
 " Lex," she said, quietly, " I'm gwine out fer a 
 little while. You an' Bess stay here an' 'have yer- 
 selves till I git back." 
 
 Without further words she drew a faded shawl over 
 her head, and went out into the bleak night. 
 
 It was half-au-hour or more before she came back. 
 She kept her shawl about her till she had sent the 
 children out of the room on an errand, then deposited 
 upon the floor a few sticks of wood she had brought 
 in. When they returned she was replenishing the 
 fire. 
 
 " 'Pears colder 'n ever," she said. " You chillun 'd 
 better go ter bed now." 
 
 And they went, curling up in a heap of straw and 
 under a patched quilt in one corner of the hut. 
 
 " Are ye sko' de crows will come, mammy ? " yawned 
 Lex, as she tucked the ragged edges of an old blanket 
 around him. 
 
 " Sho', honey," she replied, heartily. 
 
 "An' could— dey — brung — wood?" but Lex was 
 too sleepy to wait for an answer. 
 
 It will be long before the Atlanta people forget the 
 night of January 26th, 18 — . The bitter wind, which 
 only a few weeks before had urged a conflagration to 
 do its fearful work, until a whole city seemed mount- 
 
Raft-Building. 
 
 63 
 
 is 
 
 ing to heaven in a chariot of fire, noT» with icy cold- 
 ness crept in noiselessly, to counteract the efforts of 
 the very element it had so lately helped. 
 
 In the night Lex had a cnrions dream. * He thought 
 he saw his mother creep softly into the kitchen and 
 bear the old pine table out of the house. Then there 
 seemed to come a crackling noise, and presently the 
 firelight shone ont merrily through the little bars, 
 and Lex felt warm and comfortable. Mammy stayed 
 by the stove, occasionally throwing in bits of wood, 
 until his dream carried him elsewhere. 
 
 The next morning Lex was waked by hearing Bess 
 crying softly beside him. 
 
 " What's de matter, Bess ? " he asked, sleepily. 
 
 " I*se s-so cold I " she sobbed, cuddling up close 
 to him. 
 
 But mammy's ears had caught the sound too, and 
 she was beside her little black lambs in a moment, 
 covering them with the shawl she had worn the night 
 before. As she did so. Lex felt something soft and 
 warm between him and Bess. It was the white 
 kitten. It struck Lex as strange that the white kitten 
 should prefer his bed to the floor underneath the 
 stove, where she was usually found on other mornings. 
 At that same moment he observed that the steam was 
 not puffing from the tea-kettle, as was its wont. 
 
 "Wh-what's de matter wid de stove, mammy?" 
 he stammered, rubbing his eyes. 
 
 " Doan you bodder yo' head 'bout dat ar stove," 
 said Chloe, with great cheerfulness. ^'I jes' let the 
 fire go down a bit b'fo' breakfas', dat's all." 
 
 " B-but— whar's de table ? " 
 
 Chloe turned her head away at first, without answer- 
 ing. She had loved the little four-foot table, at which 
 
 f 
 
 t 
 
i 
 
 
 
 
 Kv 
 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 i 
 
 
 m 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 1 
 
 to-. 
 
 
 !■< 
 
 64 TAe Red Mountain of Alaska. 
 
 she and her husband had sat so often, and it had 
 been a sore sacrifice to bam it np. Bat she had all 
 her motherhood stirred in defence of her children. 
 She foaght the cold as if it had been a living thing. 
 
 Jast then Bess, catching the look, gave a little 
 miserable wail of distress and cold. 
 
 At that cry the fierce light that sometimes comes 
 into the mild eyes of her race flashed in Chloe's as 
 she crouched by the little heap of straw, and glanced 
 nervously about the room. 
 
 There were only two wooden pieces of furniture that 
 had survived the demands of that night ; an old 
 broken-legged stool, which her husband had brought 
 from the plantation, and v^hich had always been 
 specially set apart for him ; and a small shelf, 
 high up on the opposite wall, on which were laid a 
 worn Bible and hymn-book. 
 
 Ohloe rose, hesitated a moment, then stepped across 
 the room, swiftly reached up, and, taking the two 
 books from their resting-place, laid them carefully 
 and reverently upon a few wisps of clean straw in a 
 corner of the hut. Next, she gave the shelf a wrench 
 that brought it down with a cloud of dust, and, 
 without pausing, — as if she were afraid of repenting, — 
 opened the stove-door and thrust in the fragments 
 upon the glowing brands. 
 
 All these proceedings Lex and Bess and the white 
 kitten watched with intense interest, and with very 
 dubious faces. Bess no longer cried, but had hard 
 work to keep her lip from quivering. Kitty put out 
 one dainty paw, siiook it as if she had dipped it into 
 cold water, curled up again in Lex's bosom, and made 
 a brave attempt to purr. 
 
 Lex privately thought it might be about time for 
 
 
Raft- Building. 
 
 «s 
 
 the ravens. It comforted him a little, he hardly knew 
 why, to think that they would be black, like himself 
 — these chosen messengers from Heaven. He was 
 cat short in his reflections by mammy. 
 
 ^^ I'se gwine out ^ain," she said, in a queer voice 
 Lex had never heard. " I'se gwine out ter git somefin' 
 for ye ter bum an' ter eat." 
 
 " But dem — dem crows, mammy ? " 
 
 " I'se gwine ter look for 'em." And she was 
 gone. 
 
 " Mebbe dey mout 'light down round de house," 
 meditated Lex. '^ I'll jes' keep de cat inside de do', 
 anyways." 
 
 This time it was an hour before Chloe returned, 
 weary, footsore, slow of speech, benumbed with cold. 
 She had left the shawl, you see, over little Bess. 
 
 In her pocket she brought a few chips, two bits 
 of coal, and a fragment of bread-crust. With the 
 remams of last night's supper, for which she had used 
 the last crumb of provisions in the house, they made 
 a meagre breakfast. The children were not allowed 
 to get up, so they did not miss the table so much. 
 
 Still the ravens did not come. Chloe dragged her- 
 self out once more, and returned — empty-handed 1 
 
 It was Sunday, and the church-bells, in the wealthier 
 part of the city, rang merrily. But congregations that 
 morning were small. Those whose conscience per- 
 mitted them to do so stayed at home. The lower 
 streets were thronged with poor people, crying for 
 bread and fuel. The little white kitten, and many 
 other kittens that day, white and black, mewed pite- 
 ously for the meat the ravens did not \Vg. 
 
 " Mammy," said Lex, " I'se pow'ful hui^y. Doan 
 y't'ink it's 'bout time for 'em ? " 
 
■1^ 
 
 
 66 TAe Red Mountain of Alaska. 
 
 The three-legged stool had gone long ago. Mammy, 
 her brave heart battling against the numb despair 
 that was creeping over her, laid her poor rongh hand 
 on the boy's head, and sang : — 
 
 " Oh, my way's cloudy— 
 My way — 
 Oh, send dem angels down.** 
 
 " Mammy I ** Lex suddenly broke out, with a sharp 
 cry, " was dat *Lijah white ? " 
 
 Poor mammy ! Perhaps, if she conld have had an 
 image of Elijah's swarthy face as it really mnst have 
 looked, she wonld have been comforted. As it was, 
 she was fain to lay her finger on the child's trembling 
 lips and go on singing. 
 
 In the west the son glowed in all its mockery of 
 red light, like a painted fnmace in a frame of ice. 
 The wind, — ^ah, that remorseless wind 1^ — springing up 
 again, blew out the last spark of fire, and thrust itseli 
 through the wide cracks in the little hut. 
 
 Still mammy sat stiffly, forming the words with 
 her lips — 
 
 ^ Send dem angels down,— 
 My way's clo-o-udy " 
 
 "Mammy," moaned Lex once more, "'pears like 
 dem crows lost dar way, 'r else dey doan come to no 
 brack folks. Dab det is I *" he shrieked out, all at 
 once, jumping to his feet and almost upsetting mammy, 
 who raised herself more slowly and listened. 
 
 Yes I it was a low, heavy rumble of wheels over 
 the frozen ground. Nearer and nearer it came. Chloe 
 darted to the door. They were stopping — ^two big 
 waggons, one lo\ded high with wood, the other with 
 
Raft-Building. 
 
 67 
 
 I M 
 
 baskets of provisions of every sort conceivable. The 
 driver was a wealthy resident of Atlanta, well known 
 thronghont the city, and, doubtless, throughout heaven, 
 too, God bless him I 
 
 So the ravens had come, and Ohloe and her little 
 ones knew no more want that winter. The next morn- 
 ing the following telegram quivered over the wires 
 to the great Northern newspapers, in the files of which 
 you can find it if you look : — 
 
 "Atlanta, Ga., Jan, 27. — The severe weather of 
 the past week caused great suffering among the poor. 
 Oii Saturday it was learned that hundreds of poor 
 women and children were huddling around their last 
 burning stick of wood, and the Constitution of Sunday 
 morning made an appeal to the citizens ^o send to 
 the paper money, provisions, and fuel, which would 
 be distributed by its business department. 
 
 " At noon there were gathered together about sixty 
 waggons, containing wood and provisions. Merchants 
 worth hundreds of thousands of dollars took their 
 places as drivers, each with a woou-tt^^jj"" and a 
 provision-waggon under his charge, and startjd on 
 a tour of the city, working all day until nightfall. 
 
 '' All day the Constitution office looked more like a 
 military supply depdt than a newspaper office. Hun- 
 dreds of sacks of flour, coffee, and sugar, sideti of meat 
 and hams, and on the sidewalk cords of T^ood were 
 seen, while the streets were full of people, clamorous 
 for relief. No distinction was made in the distribution 
 in regaid to colour." 
 
 Who shall say, boys, that men are not still about 
 their Father's business ? 
 
68 The Red Mountain of Alaska. 
 
 
 When Mr. Dntton conclnded, Nat was already 
 yawning, and the relieved expression of the other boys' 
 faces showed that their pnlses were beating calmly 
 once more. 
 
 " Now," said the father, " we'll go to sleep." 
 
 It was easier to say " sleep " than to do it, after all. 
 Never did a night seem so long to the boys as they lay 
 hnddled together in the tent. Perhaps little Nat, now 
 that he had recovered from his nervousness, was the 
 bravest of all. He said his prayers composedly, took 
 off his jacket, and lay down in the tent with perfect 
 trust in both his heavenly and his hnman father, 
 feeling very sure that he would be well taken care 
 of until morning. 
 
 Mr. Button watched, rifle across his knee, until 
 twelve o'clock. Then he called Rob, who kept guard 
 till two. The guides relieved him, and he slept 
 heavily for the next two hours. 
 
 At four o'clock the whole camp was astir. Mr. 
 Dutton, who had decided upon a definite course, gave 
 his orders quietly. First, a good breakfast, in which 
 hot coffee and Eob's rabbit played a prominent part. 
 It was wonderful how much better they all felt after 
 this. Teddy, reinforced by a huge lump from the 
 savoury stew, declared himself ready to fight " ivery 
 Injun in Alashky." 
 
 No alarm had been given during the night, and all 
 were alert for the day's work. 
 
 Already the terrors of the dusky evening twilight 
 seemed a thing of the past. 
 
 "The first thing," said Mr. Dutton, cheerily, as 
 they rose from their meal, "is to find some good 
 large logs floating in the lake. Half-a-dozen wUl 
 do." 
 
Raft-Building, 
 
 69 
 
 " There's a lot of them down there," said Hugh, 
 pointing. "I crept out on them yesterday when I 
 was fishing." 
 
 " What are you going to do with them, papa ? " 
 asked Nat. 
 
 " I think it best that we should finish our journey, 
 if possible, on a raft, though it will take all day to 
 make one. We should be liable to lose our way by 
 shore, and IVe noticed that the undergrowth of bushes 
 and deep moss is growing much more troublesome as 
 we approach the coast." 
 
 " But how about the Indians ? " 
 
 " If they are really hostile, we shall be safest on 
 our raft, for then they cannot reach us without coming 
 into full view. Yes, by all means, it is best to take 
 to the water." 
 
 " To the water, then 1 " cried Robert, seizing an axe, 
 and starting for the point indicated by Hugh. 
 
 " To the water 1 " echoed all, and a general stampede 
 toward the lake would have followed had not the 
 leader checked it. 
 
 " Wait I wait 1 " he called out, laughing. " There's 
 work here for some to do. Nat, do you straighten 
 out all the pieces of cord you can find in the packs. 
 They must be used for fastening the cross pieces 
 together. Hugh, you may busy yourself about camp. 
 Take down the tent, to begin with, and pack it up for 
 transportation." 
 
 " But, father, I thought you said we should stay 
 here another day. Sha'n't we need the tent " 
 
 " Another day, my boy, but not another night I No, 
 we shall take the * night boat,' and before sunrise to- 
 morrow we must be thirty miles from here, if it can 
 be done." 
 
 m 
 
 m 
 
70 The Red Mountain of Alaska, 
 
 Mr. Dntton now dispatched the two guides into the 
 woods, to reconnoitre. They joined him shortly after- 
 ward at the water's edge, and reported all qniet ; no 
 new signs of the enemy. 
 
 How those axes did flash through the air I Branches 
 were lopped off from the fallen trees where it was 
 necessary^ bnt for the most part they had been broken 
 or rubbed away in the wild rush they must have re- 
 cently made from their native heights, in the current 
 of a glacial torrent. The ends of four of the largest 
 logs were notched, and the big timbers " saddled " on 
 each other. Then, although they lay quite firmly 
 together, they were lashed with stout cords. Two 
 other pieces were saddled across from side to side in 
 the same way, at even distances between the ends of 
 the oblong raft, and on these four cross-pieces was 
 laid a dry, compact floor or deck of logs, running 
 lengthwise of the raft, and secured by notching and 
 tying at the outside corners. It was eight o'clock in 
 the evening when the last log was fastened in its 
 place. 
 
 The day had passed without a visit from the savages, 
 but there had been an indication of their presence 
 which had disturbed Mr. Button. 
 
 About the middle of the afternoon a light column of 
 thin blue smoke had been seen to descend from just 
 beyond the ridge before referred to. Within three 
 minutes a similar smoke arose from a hill-top on the 
 opposite side of the lake. Then both disappeared. It 
 was plainly a signal. It looked as if the natives were 
 gathering in force. Perhaps it was not a band of 
 Takheesh after all, but some strange, unknown tribe 
 from the interior, far more savage and uncivilized. 
 
 Supper was eaten in silence. 
 
Raft-Building. 
 
 n 
 
 
 " Now," said Mr. Dntton, qnietly, " we'll rest an 
 hour or two under the mosquito tent." 
 
 The netting had been lefb oat for this especial 
 purpose, and the whole party crawled under its meshes, 
 thankful to stretch themselves out on their blankets 
 for even that short time. 
 
 They had done little during the day except hard 
 work, standing half the time up to their knees in 
 water, while the mosquitoes were buzzing in swarms 
 around their heads. 
 
 Hugh had taken half-a-dozen trout, and Robert had 
 shot a green-winged teal. 
 
 At just half-past ten o'clock Dr. Button gave the 
 signal for rising. They rubbed their stiff and weary 
 limbs, and, one by one, scrambled, yawning, to their 
 feet. 
 
 " Do up the blankets, boys. Joe, is the raft ready ? 
 Have you got the poles on board, and the mast rigged 
 with the braces ? " 
 
 « Yis." 
 
 " Now, Rob— that's it, take everything with you, 
 and scatter the fire a little. Good-bye, Camp 
 Prospect I " 
 
 They stepped on board their rough craft, and the 
 three men took positions with the long push-poles Joe 
 had provided. 
 
 " Now, then ; off she goes I " 
 
 And off she went, away from the silent shore, 
 toward the middle of the lake. 
 
 A gentle breeze was blowing from the east. Mr. 
 Button spread the cotton tent in such a way as to 
 shelter the younger boys, and at the same time help 
 their progress a little as a sail. From the time they 
 left the shore they spoke in low tones, in order not 
 
 :l! 
 
i I 
 
 
 
 t 
 
 
 f' ' 
 
 ?;■ 
 
 1 
 
 V '' 
 
 1 
 
 i! 
 
 ll 
 
 7^ 7>^ /?^^ Mountain of Alaska. 
 
 to apprise any lurking enemy of their departure. In 
 this way they moved slowly but steadily on their 
 course down the lake, the little waves rippling against 
 the sides of the raft, and a startled Quack f now and 
 then betraying the presence of a duck paddling about 
 in the water. 
 
 It was now near midnight, but they were so far 
 north that they could have read a newspaper easily 
 had such a commodity been furnished by the Alaska 
 press. 
 
 The mosquitoes were so voracious that the " skeleton 
 tent" was pitched on the raft, and afforded intense 
 relief to those of the crew who could be spared to take 
 refuge under it. 
 
 Hugh, Nat, Teddy, and Carlo were the first to take 
 advantage of the netting, and in five minutes all four 
 were fast asleep, Nat's head resting lovingly on Carlo's 
 black fur. 
 
 Robert came over to his father's side. 
 
 " Where are you aiming for, father ? How far do 
 you expect to go ? " 
 
 " If the traders' and travellers' stories are correct, 
 this lake is about a dozen or fifteen miles long, by 
 an average of three wide. At the foot of it, the river 
 Felly starts in a series of rough but not dangerous 
 rapids. I studied this all out at home, for I could see 
 that we were likely to travel on or beside the river, 
 from its source to its union with the Yukon proper." 
 
 " And do you expect to cross those rapids to-night, 
 sir ? " asked Robert, in amazement. 
 
 " I do," said Mr. Dutton, firmly. " About ten miles 
 from their foot the river widens into a small pond, 
 which contains one island. On that island we shall 
 camp " 
 
 j^ 
 
^(^fi'Building, 
 
 ^ ""oment's ^mZySl^J^^S- Isn't it ?»' 
 gmdee explained theKlV?^'* '"^^"o" ^ the 
 ft was not an Indian Tr , " .f ' "^ ""^ »'^°»»er 
 y, was siapjy th*^" °^» ^i'te man. What they 
 
 Slimming acros, at the nL! .^"^* "«* bear, 
 Robert was eager .„ "f^'^^st part of the Jake 
 
 -toot the anin^f^^ys^fetht \ ^"-=''-'«' »d 
 <l»re to fire a gnn lest LI ,^*"' °°- He did not 
 tteir gnard. ^ ' ^''' *■* *«■>« P"* the nativeVon 
 
 " Besides," he sairi « 
 either carcass or skTn 'anltr ** T* '^'''^'"y «ecnre 
 
 rr--onghtiessCi':hr<:ieitte^^ 
 
 -<! was heX TrSt^^'^ "^ '^« ''"-shoe, 
 w around the high hflll J T* '^'"'' ^'awing 
 0" the southern shore o? tL Z "'""^^ 'P^^^*" o| 
 
 -«, and helped the ™KSCS-S 
 They now drew near f Ko 
 
 P«i"Jj -e, »arkrth^e^™7l''t''''«y«"'W 
 •*Jreadj- they conid hear rt! ,, "^^ ^elly Hiver 
 where the fie«,e cnmLtt T\ "^""^ "^P " waves 
 rocks. """O"' contended with the eteS 
 
 Bnmp 1 went the raft „„ ■ 
 
 became uneasy, and, gettin^ont ^^* .""'"'''*'• <^^arfo 
 
74 T^ R^d Mountain of Alaska. 
 
 main channel, and was not appreciably the worse for 
 wear. 
 
 A sort of steering oar had been arranged for this 
 craft by the boys, and by a diligent use of this, as 
 well as the pnsh-poles, no great damage was done to 
 the vessel or passengers. 
 
 Presently the raft began to run more smoothly. 
 She was passing swiftly down between the shadowy 
 banks of the Pelly, picturesque and grand by daylight, 
 but solemn and awe-inspiring in the dim, brown dusk 
 of the northern night. Overhead, a thick bank of fog 
 was stealing across the sky, concealing stars and moon. 
 
 Still on the raft rushed. Strange shapes seemed to 
 throng the banks. The boys thought they could see 
 huge elks, gigantic serpents, even lions and tigers, 
 along the shore. These were but the ghosts bom of 
 darkness and imagination. 
 
 They hoped now that they were well beyond their 
 unwelcome and unseen visitors of the night before. 
 Certainly no Indian war-party could have kept up 
 with them had they started on shore at the same 
 time. The only danger was that some roving band of 
 Takheesh had been warned by that column of blue 
 smoke that a raft was going down the rapids soon. 
 
 " Every foot is clear gain," said Mr. Dutton. " We 
 must be getting pretty well down to the little lake 
 where I intend we shall camp. I believe there are 
 some light rips just before we reach there, but I think 
 we've got over the worst of " 
 
 A startled grunt from Joe, who was at the forward 
 end of the raft, interrupted him. 
 
 « What is it, boy ? " 
 
 Joe pointed ahead, and at the same moment Carlo 
 gave a sharp, angry yelp. 
 
"H 
 
 le 
 
 re 
 
 I 
 I 
 
 STII.L ON TIIK RAIT RUSHKD. 
 
1 
 
 Ttf 
 
 1 
 
 i 
 
Raft-Building, 
 
 11 
 
 In the dim light conld be seen a row of dark figures 
 stretched entirely across the stream, about three 
 hnndred yards below them. Beyond a doubt they 
 were Indians. 
 
 In profound silence the raft swept forward, with its 
 tremendous momentum, and in another moment it 
 was upon them. 
 
 if 
 
 U!i 
 
 lii! 
 
 
 Hi 
 
 i 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THROUGH THE ENEMY's LINES. 
 
 #' 
 
 
 
 ^ N catching sight of the 
 shadowy line of enemies, 
 stretched across the river 
 in the direct path of the 
 swiftly moving raft, Mr. 
 Datton's first impulse had 
 been to seize his rifle, 
 which was fully charged 
 with reserve cartridges, 
 and was close at hand. 
 The time was so short 
 that he had barely an 
 opportunity to cock the piece before the voyagers Were 
 in the very midst of the band of Indians, who crowded 
 about the raft, and, half wading, half floating down- 
 stream with the clumsy raft, began urging it toward 
 the right bank of the river. 
 
 Before any of them could climb upon the raft, 
 Mr. Dutton discharged his rifle into the air ; at exactly 
 the same moment Carlo gave a fierce yelp, and Teddy, 
 who for the first time realized the condition of aflairs, 
 uttered an unearthly howl of dismay. 
 
 At the report of the rifle, the natives fell back in 
 consternation, putting their hands to their ears ; and 
 
Through the Encny's Lines. 
 
 the appsiition of thn !,„» . ' 
 
 together with Teddrt ontf^ T^^ NewfoMdiand, 
 fright. Tumbling and S'.- P""- ' "*""« ^ their 
 made for the »hie 1? w'''^ "? ^^-^ ^ter, they 
 
 poles, and suiting the sIh™ V /.'"^ """ °^tt« long 
 The raft, ^yi J"* "«/«"» to the word. *^ 
 
 glided off in^Xe^'war'L'""**' '"''°'"' "- 
 dow„-stream without in^^^ti^^ 2° '"'' "'^^'"g 
 thump upon a hidden boulfe Vr ! ''"" <^>^i<mX 
 voyage continued in nerfw fji J'«lf-an-hour the 
 
 Ted sleeping quietly iT^ Si??',^'' ' ="?!'> "nd 
 the rest being concent«f«^ . ' ^ *^^ attention of 
 channel. Once ir~./° ^''^^S the rafl in th* 
 Indians, leaping ifto^l 1"? " """^'^'' •"" tie two 
 de^., ^ncce^d^i^hea^/^J^oflT'l standing waisi. 
 
 hegIpe"!jtiu/to*^S:r"Trit t'^.'- *« -» 
 and more obscure in tTe m/stslf ^' '^'^'^^ "o-'s 
 speed of the raft swS'°L*''''^°'°™mg- The 
 then failed to touch^ottom i^^^^^l' """^ ""I 
 were emerging into the brL .i??'' M""""' «>«? 
 5-.ously looking fort ft^u^S t^g^ 
 
 re-at?:oS:d^sa'Se^^-'''- 
 
 they moved, and ere Ion ' ^e t ^"""^ ">*' 
 
 pebbles some half-dozenrli^ ^' grated on the 
 
:. 
 
 11 ; 
 
 80 TAe Red Mountain of Alaska, 
 
 raven from the ark, this time they did not retnm. 
 They disappeared for a few moments ; then, having 
 explored a small bit of the rocky island, came rnnning 
 back, not to climb on board, bnt to drag and push the 
 raft a few yards nearer the shore. 
 
 Carlo plunged into the water, and swam like an 
 otter to the island. Nat, Hngh, Bob, and even Mr. 
 Datton himself, were carried ashore on the stont 
 shoulders of the guides. It remained only to bring 
 Teddy ; but, to everybody's surprise, that valiant 
 youth refused to set foot on dry land. 
 
 " Sure, I'm safer on the raft," he said. " I'll not be 
 going into the woods again till I see the sojers." So 
 he was left to guard the ship. 
 
 Blankets and tents were landed, a roaring fire made, 
 and soon the whole party were sound asleep. 
 
 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 0T7T OF THK FRYING-PAW. 
 
 OUR friends slept well that 
 nightjar morning, rather, 
 —it was ten o'clock before 
 the camp was fairly astir. 
 Teddy begged to come ashore 
 at last, and complained bit- 
 terly of the " muskayters," 
 who, he said, made snch a 
 noise about his ears that he 
 was awake all t.^e time he 
 was sleeping. 
 
 Jim waded ont to the raft 
 to bring him in. The Indian 
 was observed to stoop and examine something closely 
 near the end of one of the logs. He brought Teddy 
 to land on his back, and then handed Mr. Datton a 
 fragment of a peculiar-shaped arrow, which he said 
 he had found sticking in the raft. 
 " What do you make of it, Joe ? " asked Mr. Button. 
 The two Indians examined the ugly-looking shaft 
 narrowly, and exchanged a few guttural remarks in 
 their own tongue. Jim gave the verdict, laconically, 
 as usual. 
 " Ayan moose arrow.** 
 
 ( 
 
82 The Red Mountain of Alaska* 
 
 m \ 
 
 ■ \ ■, 
 
 
 
 " Then it was not a war party that we saw ? *' ex- 
 claimed the leader. The arrow is pictured below. 
 
 "No. Hnnt." 
 
 " Bnt who or what are the Ayans ? " 
 
 " Injuns round here," said Joe, with a sweep of his 
 arm. " No Takheesh yit." 
 
 Mr. Dutton was greatly gratified at this information. 
 The band they had come upon, then, was simply a 
 hunting-party of river Indians, who were probably 
 attracted to the travellers by curiosity. When the 
 gun was fired, or after the Indians had reached the 
 shore, it was likely that one or two arrows had been 
 discharged at the fast disappearing raft. No trouble, 
 then, was «;o be apprehended after all. 
 
 ATAK MOOBB ARROW. 
 
 They were making leisurely preparations to break 
 camp once more, when a slight splashing in the lake 
 caused Teddy, who was nearest the water, to glance 
 up from his work. A wild howl of despair broke 
 from his lips. Mr. Dutton sprang to his feet, and 
 followed the horrified gaze of the Irish lad ; as he did 
 80 his heart sank. 
 
 No less than a dozen small rafts were flocking 
 round the corner of the island, bearing at least twice 
 that number of hideously painted and bedecked Indians. 
 It was folly to resist. Grasping his rifle firmly, Mr. 
 Dutton stood erect, and awaited their approach. The 
 rest of the party followed his example, even Ted being 
 rooted to the spot by utter terror. 
 
 t- 
 
Out of the Frying'Pan. 
 
 83 
 
 The new-comers did not seem in a hurry to land, 
 bat paddled and pushed their rafts along slowly to- 
 ward shore. One particularly ug^y- looking old fellow, 
 alone on a raft, was in advance of the rest. As soon 
 as he came within speaking distance, he uttered a 
 loud harangue in a jargon which neither white men 
 nor guides could understand. The word " Ayan " was 
 repeated several times, and Mr. Dutton gathered, 
 after a while, that the stranger was introducing him- 
 self. 
 
 The native's next move was to push his raft in until 
 it grounded, and then, looking over his shoulder to 
 see that his companions were following closely, he 
 gathered up his long marmot-skin blanket, and, step- 
 ping into the water, waded solemnly ashore. The 
 other Indians had bows and arrows, but this one, 
 who was clearly a man of influence in the tribe, now 
 advanced with arii^^ outspread, to show that he was 
 uoarmed. 
 
 "What iu the world does the old fellow want?" 
 murmured Hugh. 
 
 " Probably inquiring the way to Boston," answered 
 Rob, in the same tone. " Looks as if a little civiliza- 
 tion would do him good." 
 
 The old Ayan halted at a few paces' ditance, and, 
 to every one's surprise, pointed to Teddy, at the same 
 time making a gesture towards the rafts, and moving 
 his jaws in imitation of eating. 
 
 The cold perspiration broke out on the boy's freckled 
 face. He was absolutely too frightened to speak. 
 
 The Ayan chief stepped forward boldly, and laid his 
 hand on Ted's shoulder. This familiarity, however, 
 was indignantly resented by Carlo, who bounded to 
 the rescue with a deep growl, and doubtless would 
 
 H 
 
 
 III 
 

 I; 
 
 1^ 
 
 84 TAe lied Mountain of Alaska. 
 
 have attacked the stranger had not little Nat held 
 him by the collar. 
 
 " I don't think he wants to hurt ns," said Nai, 
 looking np with a fearless smile into the dark face 
 of the Indian. 
 
 The Ayan's grim features relaxed, and he patted 
 Nat's head several times, in token of amity. 
 
 An animated pantomime now ensued, aided by the 
 other savages, who had come ashore, and crowded 
 round the whites with intense but apparently not ill- 
 natured curiosity. 
 
 Joe, the guide, ^^as the first to catch an inkling of 
 their meaning. 
 
 " They want us go visit village," he interpreted to 
 Mr. Dutton. " Have plenty eat. Injun women want 
 to see white men." 
 
 " Are you sure, Joe, they don't mean harm to us ? " 
 
 " No hurt. See, no war arrows — only moose." 
 
 After a short consultation with the boys, Mr. Dutton 
 decided that it would be wise to accept the invitation, 
 which, as he said to Robert, was like that of royalty 
 — in effect, a command. 
 
 The moment this decision was made known, the 
 Indians pounced upon them and carried them to the 
 large raft. In an incredibly short space of time every- 
 thing was on board, including the passengers, Teddy 
 being borne last, struggling every step of the way, on 
 the shoulder of a brawny Ayan. 
 
 A dozen savages now gave the raft a push that sent 
 it out into deep water. The chief, whose name was 
 Loklok (signifying "Bear," they « afterward learned), 
 accompanied the whites as an honorary escort. The 
 small rafts, each manned by one to three Ayans, went 
 ahead to show the way, the royal barge, so to speak, 
 
 7. 
 
 o 
 > 
 
 T 
 
 C. 
 
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 ir. 
 
 5i 
 £ 
 
 
 
T. 
 
 C 
 
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 t/. 
 
 7i 
 
 V 
 
 i 9 
 
 - ^1 e! 
 
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 '111 
 
 „_%> ♦ Xji 
 
Out of the Frying-Pan, 
 
 87 
 
 bringing np the rear. In this manner the whole flotilla 
 moved slowly down the lake, aided by the breeze, 
 which still blew freshly from the east. 
 
 " Well, I say," remarked Hngh, in an interval of 
 poling, " this isn't so bad I It reminds me of the 
 day when the President visited Boston, and the 
 governor and staff turned out in barouches to re- 
 ceive him." 
 
 " I can't say that I altogether like the looks of old 
 Governor Loklok, if that's his name," replied Rob. 
 " And Carlo is of my opinion, it's plain to see." 
 
 The dog had never taken his eyes off the chief, and 
 watched narrowly every movement of those dark legs, 
 as if he were ready to seize them on very slight 
 provocation. 
 
 " Oh, he's all right. It's only a way the old fellow 
 has. He wanted Ted to go ahead with him, I guess, 
 as a sort of sample." 
 
 " Much as to say we're going to be sold." 
 
 " Not by a good deal I We'll keep our eyes open, 
 and let 'em have a taste of Winchester sauce if they 
 come any shines on us. Hullo, here's the outlet." 
 
 The rushing of waters could plainly be heard, and 
 presently the raft shot down the narrow channel, where 
 the banks were steeper than they had yet seen them. 
 The rapids were rougher than before, bot there was 
 a much greater volume of watev than in the upper 
 courses, and they suffered no greater disaster than an 
 occasional bump, which would nearly upset them all. 
 
 One grave obstacle which had to be constantly 
 avoided was the occurrence, at sharp bends of the river, 
 of whole clumps of dead trees, which had fallen wheT<>» 
 the earth had caved in, and now leaned out toward 
 the middle of the river, with their scraggy branches 
 
88 The Red Mountain of Alaska, 
 
 only half submerged. These had to be dodged with 
 great alacrity, and the Newfoundland was once fairly 
 swept oflf into the ice-cold stream, to the great delight 
 of the persecuted Loklok. 
 
 In some places these fallen clumps of earth had left 
 huge caves in the high banks, and the ice could be 
 seen dripping into the stream beneath. Now and 
 then the party were startled by a loud report as of a 
 musket ; not for some time did they discover that the 
 noises were merely caused by the breaking oflf and 
 falling of these heavy masses of earth, trees, and 
 rocks. 
 
 Anxious as they were concerning the future, the 
 involuntary visitors could not help marvelling, as they 
 swept down-stream, at the scenery on both sides of 
 the river, which was for the most part bordered by 
 high hills, heavily wooded with spruce and fir. Along 
 the horizon stretched gigantic forms of the Rockies 
 and their outlying spurs, ending in snowy summits, 
 from which flowed enormous glaciers, all in plain sight 
 whenever the clouds were swept aside. No wonder a 
 recent traveller says that " before long we may hear 
 Switzerland spoken of as the Alaska of Europe I " 
 
 A commotion was caused by a crashing among the 
 bushes just ahead. 
 
 " Look 1 " cried Hugh, eagerly. " There comes an- 
 other Indian, waving his arms I " 
 
 " Ugh 1 Moose 1 " grunted Joe, after one glance at 
 the object. 
 
 Hugh was not the first hunter in these far-away 
 forests to mistake the broad, spreading antlers of the 
 moose for the brandished arms of a man, as they were 
 seen approaching through the low underbrush. 
 
 The Indians quickly fitted their many-barbed moose 
 
Out of the Frying-Pan, 
 
 89 
 
 arrows to their bows, bnt before they could shoot, the 
 great creature had caught the sound of Hugh's voice, 
 and went crashing off into the depths of the woods. 
 
 Seeing that Loklok appeared much surprised and 
 excited by the sight of the moose, Mr. Button inquired 
 of his guides if this animal was not common there- 
 abouts. The Indians informed him, correctly enough, 
 that in Alaska and the adjacent British possessions 
 large game is scarce in the summer time, being driven 
 away by the dense swarms of mosquitoes, and follow- 
 ing the melting snow line up the flanks of the moun- 
 tains. 
 
 By one o'clock Mr. Button estimated that they must 
 have made thirty miles from the island where they 
 had spent the night. Everybody was hungry, and it 
 was intimated to the chief that it was time for dinner. 
 The old fellow looked black, but presently gave a few 
 sharp orders to his band, who once more plunged into 
 the ice-cold water, waist-deep, and drew the raft 
 ashore. 
 
 While some were building a fire, s^nd others produc- 
 ing pieces of strong-smelling drie I salmon for the 
 meal, Hugh took the opportunity to try his rod in the 
 stream, using a small red-and-white fly. At the third 
 cast he had a hungry rise ; in a couple of minutes a 
 foe spotted grayling of perhaps half-a-pound weight 
 was flopping about the timbers of the raft. The Ayans 
 were immensely impressed by the young angler's 
 performance, and instantly a dozen eager hands were 
 stretched out beseechingly for the rod. Indeed, the 
 Buttons soon tbund that, while the natives assumed 
 a vast deal of dignity on absurd occasions, they were 
 not above begging for every movable thing they saw 
 in their guests' possession. This trait gave the latter 
 
 i i<i 
 
.1 ■ ' 
 
 ■;4 
 
 90 TAe Red Mountain of Alaska, 
 
 some nnea&mess, bnt Mr. Dutton had already made 
 np his mind to give his dark-skinned entertainers 
 the slip before daylight the next morning, if it were 
 possible. 
 
 The meal dragged rather slowly, though it was 
 helped somewhat by Hugh's contribution. The mos- 
 quitoes were now reinforced by a kind of small black 
 fly, much like those of the Rangeley Lakes and 
 Adirondacks, and their attacks became so determined 
 that the voyagers were glad to be on the move once 
 more. 
 
 After an hour's progress, the light rafts of the 
 Ayans began to forge ahead. One by one they dis- 
 appeared beyond a bend of the river, until the larger 
 craft was left to itself. 
 
 " It's a temptation," said Robert, reflectively, eyeing 
 the morose chieftain, ** to give this old chap a good 
 ducking in the river, and leave him to shift for him- 
 self." 
 
 " Don't disturb him in any way,'* cautioned his 
 father, earnestly. " Our safety licb in his friendliness 
 toward us. We are much outnumbered, and so far 
 from our friends that if our whole party were mas- 
 sacred no one outside the tribe would know of it." 
 
 Joe, the guide, was plainly of his employer's opinion, 
 for he took from his pocket a small piece of tobacco, 
 and offered it to the chief. 
 
 Loklok seized it eagerly, and popped the precious 
 morsel in his mouth, as if to make sure of it. There 
 are no two commodities, Joe knew, so dear to an 
 Alaskan native as tobacco and tea. 
 
 It was of no use to ask an explanation of the sudden 
 disappearance of the Ayans, for " The Bear " could not 
 understand a word of English. The far-off bend in 
 
 i 
 
 ;' 
 
Out of the Frying-Pan. 
 
 91 
 
 the river was reached in dae time, and the raft swung 
 heavily round in the swift current. All were occu- 
 pied in keeping it clear of the rocks, when a loud 
 exclamation from Loklok caused them to look up from 
 their work. The chief was pt<*nding at his full height, 
 his blanket drawn round his shoulders, and an ex- 
 pression of patriotic pride on his wrinkled face, as 
 he majestically pointed ahead. 
 
 A glance showed the reason for this sudden change 
 in Loklok's demeanour. On the right bank of the 
 river, about an eighth of a mile below them, a long 
 line of Indians was drawn up, with faces turned eagerly 
 toward the raft. Others ran wildly up and down the 
 shore, gesticulating and screaming frantically. Mr. 
 Dutton involuntarily tightened his grasp upon his 
 rifle, while the boys clustored in the bows of the raft 
 to gaze at the strange scene. 
 
 Loklok alone was unmoved, save by pride in the 
 array before him. A rope was now carried ashore, 
 and every Ayan rushed for it, including women and 
 children, pulling away until the raft grounded with a 
 bump. 
 
 The moment it was made fast, the line of Indians 
 commenced a low, monotonous noise, which was evi- 
 dently intended for singing. At the same time they 
 placed their arms akimbo, and swayed from side to 
 side in a kind of dance, their long hair swinging to 
 and fro. 
 
 At a word from " The Bear " the dance ceased, and 
 the travellers were conducted — all save Joe and Jim, 
 who absolutely refused to leave the raft — to the 
 clump of eight or ten houses which composed the 
 village. 
 
 Mr. Dutton pointed to his tent-pack, and intimated 
 
 6 
 
 
 I 
 
92 The Red Mountain of Alaska. 
 
 by gestures t^at he would prefer to occupy his own 
 quarters for the night. But Loklok shook his head, 
 and pointed firmly to one of the huts, a little larger 
 than the rest. They were all obliged to enter, stooping 
 low at the entrance, and there " The Bear " left them, 
 evidently relieved at having his curiosities securely 
 caged. 
 
 Now at last the party had a chance to reflect upon 
 the situation, and discuss plans for the morrow. 
 
 ' 
 
 ir^ 
 
 "; 
 
 \ 
 
 \ 
 I 
 
A Startling Discovery. 
 
 95 
 
 "Yes, I remember that Dick mentioned them in 
 one of his letters. They claim the whole country 
 watered by the Pelly River — which they call the 
 Ayan— and a considerable stretch of the big Yukon 
 itself, above and below old Fort Selkirk. They 
 never go near the coast, I believe, but live along 
 the large rivers, and in the winter time make long 
 hunting excursions into the interior after caribou and 
 moose." 
 
 "And bear?" 
 
 " Not much," interrupted Hugh. " I heard Joe 
 say that the Alaska Indians won't hunt the brown 
 bear, he is so fierce." 
 
 " It's strange that they have only rafts to go about 
 
 j» 
 
 in. 
 
 " Down below, the tribe have plenty of canoes, and 
 good ones, too, I've heard. They make them of birch 
 bark, sewed with the fine roots of the spruce, well 
 boiled to make them soft and tough." 
 
 " Whew I " exclaimed Rob, at this point in the 
 conversation, " isn't that salmon terrific 1 I don't 
 believe I can stand it much longer." 
 
 " If it was only salmon 1 " remarked Hugh, sadly. 
 " But there are about four other smells, each worse 
 than all the rest." 
 
 "Hold on, boys," said their father. "Ted, you 
 stay near the door, and make sure that nobody is 
 listening. There may be some one in the tribe who 
 understands English." 
 
 " Faith, it's meself that'll be glad to get a breath 
 of air," said Teddy, taking his post as sentry, and 
 laying hold of a good-sized stick, to keep the dogs 
 away. 
 
 "The question is," continued Mr. Dutton, "how 
 
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 96 The Red Mountain of Alaska. 
 
 shall we get ftway from here? These fellows are 
 good-natnred enough, bnt somehow I don't wholly 
 trust them. Once or twice I canght old Loklok 
 exchanging glances with some of his big subjects, 
 and I didn't like the look in his eyes." 
 
 *' I say, let's part company with the whole crowd as 
 soon as possible," urged Bob. '^I feel about them 
 just as yon do, father. They looked at my rifle 
 to-night as though they'd eat it. I don't believe 
 they'll be satisfied until they've laid hands on every- 
 thing in our packs. They could hardly keep from 
 fighting over Hugh's rod there while he was catching 
 the grayling for dinner." 
 
 " Whist I " came from the doorway. " There's an 
 Injun goin' into the house beyant." 
 
 As " beyant " was only a foot or two away, caution 
 was certainly necessary. 
 
 The huts were mostly in pairs, and the Duttons had 
 noticed, on entering theirs « that, in common with the 
 rest, it directly faced a duplicate of itself, with only 
 a narrow passage-way, a foot or two in width, 
 between. 
 
 " Sure, it's the ould * Bear ' himself I " added Teddy 
 softly, peering out of the door. 
 
 "If Loklok is to occupy that hut for the night," 
 said Mr. Dutton, decidedly, "it's of no use for us 
 to think of leaving by the front door. We must 
 make our way out of the rear of the hut, and that 
 very early in the morning, before the Ayans are 
 up." 
 
 Fortunately, this hut was a little removed from the 
 others in the village, and the back was toward the 
 forest. 
 
 <<Look outt" sang out the faithful Irish boy 
 
A Startling Discovery, 
 
 99 
 
 again, 
 sure." 
 
 « 
 
 one o' these ugly craturs is comin' now, 
 And he glided away from the entrance in 
 a manner that would have done credit to an Ayan 
 himself. 
 
 The visitor turned out to be some official of im- 
 portance, who was surmised to be a medicine-man. 
 He was dressed in a blue-black army blanket, with 
 a St. George's cross of gorgeous red in the centre, 
 which had somehow found its way into the interior 
 from one of the military posts. This extraordinary 
 individual performed a series of remarkable antics 
 in front of the entrance to the two huts, strutting 
 up and down, dancing, and assuming all sorts of 
 ridiculous attitudes; at the same time flourishing the 
 showy blanket to what he considered the best 
 advantage. 
 
 In the very midst of an uncommonly dignified strut 
 he suddenly unbent, and, diving forward, would have 
 laid his hand on the rifle had not little Nat seen the 
 movement in time to snatch the piece out of his reach. 
 Carlo now thought It was high time for him to take 
 a part in the performance, and, darting forward before 
 anybody could stop him, gave the Ayan's calf a good 
 pinch with his teeth. 
 
 The medicine-man uttered a cry of pain and rage, 
 and retreated, shaking his fist at the owners of 
 the malevolent Newfoundland. He plainly meant 
 mischief. 
 
 " I thought aP Indians wore tanned skins of animals 
 and had feathers stuck in their hair," said Nat, 
 watching the retreating form of their uncouth caller. 
 
 "We are too far north for that," explained his 
 father. " The Indians are more and more like Esqui- 
 maux in their habits and dress as we near the Arctic 
 
 ii 
 
1) I 
 
 lOo The Red Mountain of Alaska, 
 
 Circle, which, yon will remember, passes directly 
 through Fort Yukon." 
 
 A more alarming sound than the medicine-man*s 
 harsh voice was now heard at the other end of the 
 village. It was the report of a mnsket. 
 
 ^' Ah I " exclaimed Mr. Datton, starting at the 
 noise, ^' so they have gons I It mnst be one of 
 the old smooth-bores, with flint locks. Dick said 
 they still turned up, once in a while, among the 
 savages.*' 
 
 " How did they get them, father ? " 
 
 "Why, when the Russian traders purchased furs 
 from the Indians, in the old times, they used to set 
 a mnsket upright, and pile skins around it until they 
 reached the muzzle. That amount was considered a 
 fair exchange for the gun." 
 
 Further conversation was interrupted by a sort of 
 embassy of four Ayans, who waited upon the strangers 
 with a birch-bark dish piled high with dried salmon, 
 together with a generous slice of bear meat, roasted 
 over one of their smoky fires. 
 
 The boys would have preferred to provide their own 
 supper, but it was thought polite to accept the hospi- 
 tality, if such it was, of their hosts. They therefore 
 made low bows of thanks, and partook in a gingerly 
 fashion of the viands set before them. 
 
 Several of the Indians joined the group at the 
 door-way, to watch the strangers at their repast. 
 Teddy was greatly amused to see the babies carried 
 on their mothers' backs, and facing backward. The 
 good-natured boy completely won the heart of a 
 wofolly homely squaw by giving a lump of sugar to 
 her copper-coloured pappoose. 
 
 As soon as the unsavoury meal was finished, the 
 
 
^ 
 
 A Startling Discovery, 
 
 lOI 
 
 whites rose and began to stroll about the village. 
 Nobody made any objection to this, bnt the boys 
 noticed that there was always some one pair of 
 piercing dark eyes watching them. Now it was old 
 Loklok, who had a gandy tnrban tied over his long, 
 stringy locks ; now the medicine-man's ngly features 
 scowled at them from behind a hnt ; now it was a 
 sqpaw, carelessly wandering near by, with appa- 
 rently no other object than to give her baby an 
 airing. 
 
 Joe and Jim were fomid comfortably ensconced on 
 the raft. They had prepared their own snpper, and 
 eaten it in their own way ; the Ayans, it appeared, 
 had pressed their favourite titbit, some half-decayed 
 salmon, upon the swarthy visitors, but Greek had met 
 Qreek, and Manitoban obstinacy had won against 
 Alaskan. 
 
 Mr. Dutton talked with his guides a moment in low 
 tones, giving them directions for action if he should 
 board the raft during the night i but his conversation 
 evidently excited so much suspicion and distrust on 
 the part of the Ayans that he desisted and walked off, 
 after receiving a meaning glance and nod from each 
 of the guides. 
 
 The village itself was picturesque enough, the 
 red sides of the recently caught and split salmon 
 showing prettily against the dark spruce brush 
 of the wigwams, on which they were hung and 
 spread to dry. Some of the Indians were gathered 
 in groups, eagerly playing a sort of game with 
 small bone dice, or " chips," about as large as one's 
 finger. 
 
 The Duttons watched the progress of one of these 
 games with much interest. An even number of 
 
 187435 
 
■XI 
 
 * I 
 
 II : 
 
 102 The Red Mountain of Alaska, 
 
 Indians took part— generally six or eight — ^and sat in 
 two TOWS, facing each other. One of the little pieces 
 of bone was marked in a peculiar way, and was held, 
 in common with the other pieces, out of sight in the 
 hands of one of the players. The whole group then 
 commenced a sort of low, groaning sing-song, with 
 their elbows and heads wagging, until one of the five 
 suddenly pointed to the hand of his viS'd-vis, which 
 he thought held the marked piece. If he was right, 
 his side tallied one, with a peeled willow stick thrust 
 in the sand ; if wrong, the count went to the other 
 party, and the sing-song commenced again. It was 
 plain that the Indians were gambling, and in dead 
 earnest, for they bet and delivered over fish, horn 
 implements, birch-bark dishes, and even the clothes 
 on their backs. 
 
 As the night grew more dusky, and the Indians 
 became more and more excited in their games, the 
 scene was a singularly striking one — the dark Tonus 
 bending eagerly forward, and swaying to the weird 
 music of their wailing song, the firelight now lighting 
 up their swarthy faces, now leaving theJi obscured in 
 the gathering shadows — ^the pale waters of the glacial 
 river rushing by the dark forests, and, behind all, 
 the huge, silent forms of the everlasting hills, with 
 their gloomy ravines, glittering peaks, and streams 
 of ice. 
 
 At length the Buttons, weary with the day's exer- 
 tions, and uncertain what plan to pursue, turned 
 toward the hut allotted to them for the night. As 
 they did so, they brushed against an old, wrinkled 
 squaw, who had been eyeing them narrowly for a 
 considerable time. 
 
 Something white fluttered from the filthy folds of 
 
 ' 
 
 ^ 
 
 ■ 
 

 A Startling Discovery, 
 
 103 
 
 her garment. Bobert had it in his hand in a moment, 
 for It had a strangely familiar look. 
 
 It was a delicately embroidered handkerchief, and in 
 the corner were the words, in raised letters,— 
 
 u 
 
 FLOSSIE, FROM MOTHER." 
 
 t 
 
 \ • 
 
k 
 
 %' 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 FBOM YIOTORIA TO SITKA. 
 
 W 
 
 'HEN Mrs. Datton, Florence, and 
 Chloe fonnd themselves on the deck 
 of the good ship St, EliaSy leaving the 
 hills of the United States bine and misty 
 on the horizon, and coasting along Van- 
 couver Island with all fore-and-aft sails 
 set, uu a fair west-north-west wind, they felt that the 
 adventurous portion of their trip had fairly begun. 
 
 Of course, they had had no summer'n-day excursion 
 thus far. The two ocean voyages had been arduous, 
 and the ladies had often felt the need of a male escort 
 on their long and tedious journey. Still, they had not 
 struck off from the regular lines of travel, and many 
 of their own sex had been their companions on ship- 
 board. Now, on the contrary, they were the only 
 ladies aboard ; they were off the steam routes, and 
 were bound for a wild and desolate country. Had it not 
 been for the near prospect of meeting her husband 
 and sons, Mrs. Button would have felt undeniably 
 homesick, as she leaned against the rail on the quarter- 
 deck of the St. EliaSf and watched the headlands of 
 Cape Flattery melt into the clouds that hung along 
 the southern horizon. 
 
 Flossie, on the oilier hand, was full of life and 
 
From Victoria to Sitka. 
 
 105 
 
 spirits. She had jnst passed her sixteenth birthday, 
 and presented a fair pictnre of healthful girlhood. 
 Her soft hair blew ont in golden wisps above a pair 
 of honest, sparkling, bine eyes, and fell over her 
 shoulders in a thick, shining, brown braid. Her nose 
 was jnst turned up enough to be a bit saucy, and her 
 lips and dimpled cheeks were as winsome helpmates to 
 the before-mentioned features as one could wish to see. 
 
 ^' Don't feel blue, mamma," said the girl, nestling 
 to her mother's side, and throwing an arm around her 
 in that pretty, half-protecting way that growing 
 daughters have. '' We'll soon be there, and see them 
 all. I wonder if Hugh has grown I And little Nat — 
 I expect he's a great, tall boy, brown as an Indian." 
 
 *' I phall be glad when we see your Uncle Richard, 
 Flossie," returned the elder lady. 
 
 '' There I you're tired of taking care of me I " 
 laughed Florence. ^'Tou'll be glad to send me off 
 with the boys, so that you can ^ talk sensible ' with 
 father and uncle t " 
 
 *'I don't care much about the minerals and the 
 great fortune he wrote of," continued Mrs. Button, 
 hardly noticing the girl's interruption. <^The main 
 thing is to get them all back alive and well. We've 
 money enough to make us comfortable already." 
 
 Here the attention of both was attracted to a school 
 of dolphins, who curved in and out of the waves close 
 beside the vessel, flashing brilliantly in the sunlight. 
 
 The steamers now running between California and 
 Sitka take the '' inside route," passing between Van- 
 couver and the mainland. Sailing vessels, however, 
 keep to the open sea, where they can have steady 
 breezes, and few treacherous currents, sunken reefs, 
 or floating icebergs, such as render the narrower 
 
1 
 
 io6 Tike Red Mountain of Alaska, 
 
 channels perilons to craft that can be handled only 
 slowly. From San Francisco to Victoria is seven 
 hundred and fifty miles. From that port to Sitka the 
 Dnttons had still a sail before them of somewhat 
 over a thousand miles. Richard Dntton wbnld have 
 to travel about a third of that distance, from Fort 
 Wrangel, to join his sister-in-law at Sitka. With 
 these distances clearly fixed in oar minds, we can 
 follow onr friends over every league of their voyage. 
 While Mrs. Dntton was on the St, EliaSf it may be 
 said, in dismissing the subject of times and distances, 
 her husband's party was travelling slowly westward 
 through the dense evergreen forests of British America, 
 just south of Great Slave Lake. 
 
 The good ship St. Elias was favoured with fair 
 winds, and in just a fortnight from the day she sailed 
 from Victoria the lofty peak of Mount Edgecumbe ap- 
 peared on the north-east horizon. 
 
 Flossie was wild with delight at the glorious view, 
 which constantly opened as the vessel kept on her 
 course toward land. The coast line was everywhere 
 broken by huge mountains, their rugged sides torn by 
 avalanche and torrent, and seamed with glaciers, flow- 
 ing steadily downward into the sea. It was late in 
 the evening when the St. Elias entered Sitka Sound. 
 A long canoe, containing half-a-dozen Indians, passed 
 the vessel. They were Stickeens, the captain informed 
 the passengers, running down to the halibut grounds 
 offBorka. 
 
 A sharp mountain peak lifted its granite head to the 
 very clouds straight ahead. This was Mount Verstova. 
 Its sides were clothed with dark reaches of hemlock 
 and pine. 
 
 At the head of the sound a clump of low, dingy- 
 
 r. 
 
 r. 
 
 > 
 
^' 
 
From Victoria to Sitka. 
 
 109 
 
 looking boildingB cronched beside the water. One 
 of these was on a bold, rocky blnfif— the old Bassian 
 castle — nearly two hundred feet above the other honses. 
 A tumbledown wharf presently came in '.new, WiUi 
 a few sleepy people lounging upon it. 
 
 " What place is this ? " asked Flossie, eagerly, 
 
 « Sitka I " 
 
\ 
 
 m 
 
 I: 
 
 ru 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 DAY AND NIGHT IN ALASKA. 
 
 r! was now after nine o'clock in the 
 evening, bnt the snn was still shining 
 brightly, lighting up with a soft glow 
 the slopes of Mount Edgecnmbe, four- 
 teen miles away, and throwing a strange 
 light over every object ashore. It 
 seemed like a dream. There was the 
 old castle, of which they had read, the decaying wharf, 
 the desolate bnt sturdy old buildings of the Russians, 
 and the ice-topped heights far away, reaching up into 
 the eastern sky. 
 
 But now a tall, manly figure appeared on the wharf, 
 as the vessel dropped her anchor a short distance from 
 the shore. In another minute a boat was seen putting 
 off, manned by a native oarsman. 
 
 " Uncle Dick I Uncle Dick I " cried Flossie, recog- 
 nising the quiet figure in dark blue sitting in the 
 stem-sheets. 
 
 The officer made no reply, but lifted his hat and 
 swung it. 
 
 The boat came alongside ; Lieutenant Richard 
 Dutton was up over the side in a twinkling, and held 
 Flossie and her mother in his honest arms. 
 
 " I'm so glad you've come," he said, as they rowed 
 ashore. '' It was getting pretty late for a start, and 
 we've a long oumey before us. Bless me, how this 
 
 
 
Day and Night in Alaska. ill 
 
 le 
 
 w 
 r- 
 
 ;e 
 
 It 
 
 iie 
 
 
 
 
 little girl has grown ! " and he eyed Florence with a 
 look of quizzical admiration, that made her laugh and 
 blnsh and give his whiskei^ a pull at the same time, 
 
 " You've grown— brown, yourself, uncle I " she 
 laughed. " You've tanned so, I didn't know that you'd 
 know me i " 
 
 " I don't suppose you need to wait very long before 
 starting?" inquired the lieutenant, turning to Mrs. 
 Button. 
 
 " Oh, no, not more than a week " 
 
 "A week I Why, Ella, that won't do at all. 
 To-day is the 16th of June. We have agreed to meet 
 at Fort Selkirk on July 10th." 
 
 " Well, how soon must we go ? ** 
 
 " To-morrow." 
 
 Mrs. Button, as we have already seen, was a woman 
 of decision. 
 
 " Very well, Bick, at two o'clock to-morrow after- 
 noon my daughter and I will be ready." 
 
 The lieutenant looked relieved, and the subject was 
 dropped. 
 
 The two ladies were lodged that night in an old 
 house, formerly belonging to one of the wealthiest 
 Russian residents. It was built of big spruce logs, 
 trimmed square, was three stories high, and as long as 
 a good-sized hoteL These large buildings were once 
 divided into "flats," like some modern apartment 
 hotels, and were occupied in this way by well-to-do 
 families, both comfort and self-protection being gained. 
 The walls of the house were painted red, and the roof 
 was covered with sheets of iron of a dingy yellow. 
 
 Flossie was delighted with her room, which opened 
 into her mother's. She declared, as she tried one 
 antique piece of Bussian furniture after another, that 
 
 7 
 
112 The Red Mountain of Alaska. 
 
 '# 
 
 1* 
 
 she almost wished she was going to stay in Sitka, 
 which promised so many surprising walks, fanny 
 customs among the native inhabitants, and genuinely 
 interesting antiquities. Florence was an ardent lover 
 of history at school, and had taken pains during the 
 winter to post herself up thoroughly on the story of 
 Russian America, from the time when the first Russian 
 explorers visited its wild shores in 1742, through the 
 history of the oppressed Indians, the massacres and 
 wars, the greedy incursions of the fur-hunters, to the 
 year 1867, when the whole territory now known as 
 Alaska was sold to the United States for a;7,200,000, 
 and garrisoned by United States troops. There was 
 already a custom-house officer at New Archangel, or 
 Sitka, as it had come to be called from the Indian 
 name. 
 
 So Flossie was eager to verify her studies, and as 
 she skipped over the polished plank floor of her room, 
 back and forth from the deep window-seats to the old 
 mahogany sofa and the wild-goat skin rug before the 
 fireplace, she did long to see the castle of Baronov, 
 and the tin-roofed spire, beneath which the gorgeously 
 bedecked priests had so long administered the rites 
 of the Greek Church to Siwash, Stickeen, American, 
 Englishman, and Russian. 
 
 But Mrs. Button was already busy with preparations 
 for the trip, and at eleven o'clock, while it was still 
 bright daylight, the two ladies retired to dream of 
 the glaciers, forests, and volcanoes which lay in their 
 path ; which separated them from the wonderful 
 "Red Mountain." 
 
 Next morning, Florence is awakened by a flood of 
 sunlight streaming in on her chamber floor. Con- 
 <!icience-stricken at having overslept, she patters to 
 
Day and Night in Alaska. 113 
 
 the window for a look at the new country before 
 dressing. Nobody seems to be stirring. Onrions, 
 how lazy the inhabitants are I She polls oat the tiny 
 Geneva watch that her father gave her on her sixteenth 
 birthday, and springs open the cover. A quarter 
 to three I With a merry little laugh all to her- 
 self the girl swings to the shutters of the windows, 
 jumps back into bed again, cuddles down under the 
 blankets, and is soon enjoying the soundest of morning 
 naps. 
 
CHAPTER XI. 
 
 THE CHILKOOT PASS. 
 
 hi 
 
 Uv 
 
 ' 3 
 
 ■i ¥ 
 
 I? ; 
 
 'l 
 
 B 
 
 i' 
 
 UT there is one thing that 
 tronbles me," said Lieu- 
 tenant Dick, as the party sat 
 aronnd the table, eating 
 the last meal at Sitka, 
 "and that is that a 
 Copper River Indian, 
 with a conple of Ayans, 
 was hanging aronnd the 
 settlements yesterday, 
 trying to find out where 
 we were going and what 
 was the object of our 
 expedition." 
 
 " Are those tribes located in the country to which 
 we are bound?" asked Mrs. Dutton, calmly, help- 
 ing herself to another saucer of preserved salmon- 
 berries. 
 
 " That's just the bother. The Coppers live on the 
 outskirts of the very district covered by Peeschee's 
 map. Isn't that so, Peeschee?" 
 
 " The Fox," who was waiting on the party most 
 obsequiously, corroborated the lieutenant's statement 
 
The Chilkoot Pass. 
 
 115 
 
 by several emphatic shakes of the head. '' Ayans fish 
 on Yukon and Big Ayan," he added. 
 
 " Hang it 1 " exclaimed the officer, ruefully. " I 
 hope we sha'n't have any trouble with those fellows." 
 
 " What does he mean by the * Big Ayan * ? " asked 
 Florence, who had been listening attentively. 
 
 "That's the native name for the Pelly River, the 
 northern fork of the Yukon. Fort Selkirk, where cur 
 expedition is to form, is at the junction of the two 
 streams." 
 
 "But why are you concerned about the Indians, 
 Dick?" asked his sister-in-law. 
 
 " Why, it's only about twenty years ago that a lot 
 of 'em in there rose and massacred a party of whites. 
 Then, a few years later, they burned Fort Selkirk. 
 They're awfully jealous of any one who comes into 
 their territory for mining, — or anything else, for that 
 matter. I was in hopes that we could slip down 
 by their country without attracting much attention, 
 they're so busy catching salmon just now." 
 
 «^ -n^i^hy can't we i*" 
 
 " i wuse it's got round somehow that we are a big 
 prospecting party, on the lookout to establish a post 
 for furs, and so cut in ahead of the natives and spoil 
 their profits. Here, Peeschee, step outside and see if 
 anybody has heard anything more of those skulking 
 chaps from the north." 
 
 Peeschee was absent just seven minutes. No one 
 knew of his re-entrance until he was at his master's 
 shoulder once more. 
 
 " Injuns gone at sunrise this morning. Paddle um 
 canoes for Copper River." 
 
 Richard shook his head gravely, and rose from the 
 table. 
 
ii6 The Red Mountain of Alaska, 
 
 ;■' i 
 
 i 
 
 ,1 P ' 
 
 ■ ; % 
 
 1 « 
 
 "We may hear more of them," he said, "but I 
 hardly think there is serious danger, or L wonld not 
 start. We shall go well armed, and when the cowardly 
 chaps find we are to strike reinforcements at Selkirk, 
 they won't care to risk their skins, I reckon." 
 
 One half-honr later the party was under way. 
 
 As it moved down toward the wharf, viewed by a 
 half-hnndred sleepy Sitkans, it was composed as 
 follows : — 
 
 1. Lientenant Dntton and Peeschee. 
 
 2. Mrs. Dntton, Florence, and Chloe. 
 
 3. Thirty Chilkat Indians, whose services had been 
 procured to " pack " the tents, arms, blankets, and pro- 
 visions over the snowy mountain pass to the navigable 
 waters of the Yukon. 
 
 4. Solomon Baronov. This last was a hunter, 
 trapper, and guide ; a Yankee through and through on 
 his mother's side, and a shrewd Bussian on his father's. 
 The former had been a Cape Cod girl, and had found 
 her way somehow with her father, the skipper of 
 a fisherman-coaster, to the Alaska banks. Seeking 
 shelter in Sitka from a storm, they had met Ivan 
 Baronov, and " Betsy " had loved and married him. 
 Solomon, their only child, had at an early age taken 
 to the woods for amusement and occupation. Whether 
 his mother and grandfather had always retained the 
 peculiarities of the nasal New England dialect is not 
 known ; but certain it is that Solomon was " down- 
 east " in every shrewd twinkle of iiis eye and intona- 
 tion of his voice. This, with the fact that he was a 
 dead shot, and immensely powerful in his arms, is all 
 we need to know at present of Solomon Baronov. 
 We shall be better acquainted with him by-and-bye. 
 Getting wind of the lieutenant's expedition, he had 
 
The Chilkoot Pass. 
 
 117 
 
 petitioned at once to join it, on small pay, as general 
 hnnter and gnide. At the present moment he was 
 swinging along at an easy gait, behind the In- 
 dians, smoking a well-blackened briar-wood as he 
 walked. 
 
 A small schooner had been chartered, and lay at the 
 wharf in waiting for her passengers and freight. These 
 were soon on board, sails were hoisted, and the Walrus 
 began to plough the waters of the sound. Sitka was 
 left behind. Mount Edgecumbe passed, and the prow 
 of the schooner turned northward. 
 
 The short voyage was without special incident, and 
 early on the morning of the fourth day, Saturday, the 
 Walrus let go her anchor in Chilkoot Inlet. 
 
 Canoes — and the schooner's boat — were now taken 
 to the extreme head of the inlet, at all-day's hard 
 pull. At noon the party stopped for lunch under some 
 large cedars near the shore. Grass grew on all sides 
 shoulder-high ; enormous dandelions, buttercups, and 
 violets dotted the moist banks, while briars and berry 
 vines, covered with snowy blossoms, grew in rank pro- 
 fusion over boulder and fallen trunk. 
 
 Soon after leaving this spot, the little flotilla entered 
 the narrow portion of their course, known as Dayay 
 Inlet. Again Florence's girlish adjectives of admir- 
 ation were called into play by the dark masses of 
 foliage clothing the steep hills on each side of the 
 stream, and the frequent cataracts that dashed down 
 from the far-oflf heights. 
 
 The end of open navigation was reached at last, but 
 the banks were too soft at this point to admit of a 
 camp. 
 
 The swift Dayay River was therefore followed up 
 for a mile, and here the really wild life commenced. 
 
m 
 
 liS TAe Red Mountain of Alaska, 
 
 Tents were pitched and fires lighted at once. Solomon 
 slouched off with his rifle, and presently returned 
 with a conple of rabbits, which he threw down for 
 his contribution to the evening meal. 
 
 After snpper, the whites gathered abont the fire in 
 front of the largest tent, which was devoted to the 
 ladies, and told stories. Hov^ dim and weird the 
 twisted shapes of the trees in the dusky northern 
 twilight I How ceaseless and cold the rush of the 
 white, icy river I The Indians at once organized 
 themselves into gambling parties, and added their 
 doleful wails to the hooting of an owl somewhere in 
 the forest. 
 
 ^' Hark t " said Solomon, suddenly, letting his hand 
 drop instinctively upon his rifle, then continuing the 
 story he had just been telling, but plainly with every 
 sense on the alert. 
 
 Flossie looked up inquiringly, but, guided by an 
 expressive gesture of the hunter's big hand, said 
 nothing. 
 
 Before Solomon had reached the end of his story 
 — which indeed had assumed a remarkably rambling 
 character during the last few minutes— the snapping 
 of a twig close by was heard by all, and a moment 
 later three men walked into the circle of firelight. 
 
 " Ayans 1 " grunted the Fox, just loud enough for 
 his master to hear. 
 
 The new-comers merely glanced around the group, 
 and then joined the ChUkats, by whom, however, they 
 were coldly received. 
 
 Fioding their presence unwelcome, they retired 
 a short distance, threw themselves down on their 
 blankets, and were soon apparently sound asleep. 
 
 In the morning the Ayans were missing, together 
 
The Chilkoot Pass. 
 
 119 
 
 ^' 
 
 with several small articles, of more or less value, 
 abont the camp— inclnding an embroidered hand- 
 kerchief, which Flossie had incantioasly left on a 
 log near the fire on the previous evening. As it 
 was Snnday, this day was spent qnietly in camp. 
 
 Monday's journey was a hard one. For ten miles 
 the party straggled along the banks of the Dayay, 
 up whose milky current the " packers " dragged the 
 canoes, heavily loaded with baggage. More than a 
 dozen times the ladies had to be carried across the 
 stream, as the trail struck its bends and long, winding 
 detours. Chloe at first objected seriously to this 
 method of ferriage. 
 
 ^'Dat's a po' contrivance," she said, anxiously, as 
 she watched a broad-shouldered Chilkat lift Florence 
 and carry her across to the opposite bank. " He'll go 
 an' drop me, sho '. " 
 
 " But how are you going to cros3, Chloe ? " asked 
 her mistress, amused. 
 
 "I dunno. Mis' Button, I dunno. 'Pears like I 
 done got far's I c'n go." 
 
 "Oh, nonsense, Chloe," and Mrs. Button gathered 
 up her skirts preparatory to her own embarkation. 
 " If I can go, you can." 
 
 A compromise was finally effected by emplojring 
 two Indians, instead of one, to carry the black woman, 
 who uttered various uncouth cries at every step of her 
 bearers, and clung so tightly to their necks as almost 
 to choke them. 
 
 The scenery grew more and more wild as the 
 expedition advanced. Baird's Glacier seemed fairly 
 to overhang the valley. Heavy clouds rested on the 
 summits of the highest mountains during the day, 
 rising only as evening came on. 
 
T 
 
 , ■( 
 
 (4? 
 
 If 
 
 120 TAe Red Mountain of Alaska, 
 
 That night the air was much colder than before; 
 bigger fires and more blankets were called into 
 requisition. 
 
 The <»noes were now concealed in the bnshes, a few 
 yards from the shore, and the baggage packed npon 
 the backs of the Indians, the men carrying abont 
 one hundred ponnds each, and the boys less weight, 
 proportionately to their strength. 
 
 The travelling now became so difficult that Lientenant 
 Dntton was in serious donbt whether it was practicable 
 for ladies to advance farther into the wilderness. He 
 accordingly snmmoned a conncil of war. 
 
 " Ella," said he, addressing Mrs. Button, " the trail 
 is decidedly rough — much rougher than I expected, 
 I must say. There seem to be thousands of acres of 
 these fallen trees " 
 
 "We can climb over them," interpolated Mrs. 
 Button with energy. 
 
 " There are boggy places between " 
 
 " We will wade through them." 
 
 ''There are numerous bears in the neighbourhood, 
 Solomon informs me." 
 
 ** So much the better for the commissariat." 
 
 " The Ayans have got wind of our approach " 
 
 " Let them come." 
 
 "In short," shouted Dick, in desperation, "it's 
 going to be a mighty hard road to travel. The 
 question is, Shall we return, or go on ? " 
 
 Mrs. Dutton rose to the occasion. She did not 
 argue or discuss. She pointed to the mountain pass 
 before them, and said just two words — 
 
 " Go ON I " 
 
 It was on the evening of this same day that they 
 reached a wild and desolate district, known to the 
 
The Chilkoot Pass, 
 
 121 
 
 Indians as the ''stone honses.'' These consisted 
 merely of hnge boulders piled pell-mell in great 
 heaps, with crevices and caves between, where shelter 
 conld be found. There were banks of deep snow close 
 by, and closing the gaps between mountains on every 
 side were walls of bine ice. 
 
 The lientenant and Solomon set to work at once, and 
 in a short time had one of these caves cleared out, 
 carpeted with moss and spruce boughs, and provided 
 with two front curtains, one of drilling and one of 
 netting, as a protection against mosquitoes, which 
 even at this altitude were inclined to be trouble- 
 some. 
 
 This comfortable little retreat was bestowed upon 
 Mrs. Dutton, her daughter, and maid, and, with a 
 bright fire crackling just before the entrance, was 
 really as cosy-looking a camp as one could wish. 
 
 " Oh, look I " cried Flossie, just as the cave was 
 finished, " there's some kind of a creature crossing the 
 snow, away off there I *' 
 
 Solomon looked up from his work, and viewed the 
 distant animal with a professional eye. 
 
 *'A mountain goat," said he, picking up his rifle. 
 " I guess I'll go 'n' stir him up a leetle— no, I don't 
 want anybody but the Fox thar," he added, as 
 a dozen or more Chilkats came forward to join 
 him. 
 
 The goat's hair was white, and he could hardly be 
 distinguished against the snow. Sending Peeschee 
 round in the rear of the animal, the hunter crept 
 cautiously toward a certain bold bluff of bare rocks, 
 half-way between him and the game. 
 
 After an absence of some twenty minutes Peeschee 
 appeared beyond the goat, which started on a quick 
 
 # 
 
: I 
 
 122 The Red Mountain of Alaska, 
 
 ran toward the blnfif. There he was seen to panse 
 suddenly, and wheel about. Bnt it was too late. A 
 pnff of smoke arose from between the rocks, a sharp 
 report rang out across the valley, and the goat made 
 his lasib leap, falling headlong over the bluff to the 
 boulders at its base. Solomon and Pceschee now 
 descended the cliff in more leisurely fashion, and 
 presently were seen bending over the game, which 
 was evidently stone-dead. 
 
 What were the two men about? "Were they pre- 
 paring to bring the carcase of the goat into camp ? 
 Not they. The day's work had been too arduous to 
 invite a "lug" of a hundred-and-fifty-pound goat 
 across half a mile of rough rocks and deep snow. 
 They busied themselves for some time at the foot of 
 the bluff, and then were seen coming back to their 
 party. Peeschee boi 3 his share of the results of the 
 hunt — a hide of snow-white hair, .reaching an almost 
 Airry softness on the neck and breast parts ol the 
 animal. Solomon did not want the hide. The handle 
 of his hunting-knife had been cracked in some way the 
 day before. He proposed to occupy his leisure mo- 
 ments in manufacturing a new one from the glossy 
 ebony horns, the points of^^^vhich protruded from the 
 pocket or pouch of his hunting-shirt. In each hand, 
 it should be added (Peeschee carried the empty rifle), 
 Baronov swung what might well be taken for an 
 uncommonly large "Indian club." They were the 
 hind-quarters of the goat, which were straightway 
 added to the bill of fare of the party. 
 
 It was thought best to rest a day at the Stone 
 Houses, and the decision was a fortunate one, for by 
 eleven in the forenoon a driving hailstorm set in, and 
 throughout the remainder of the day it rained and 
 
The Chilkoot Pass, 
 
 123 
 
 Be 
 A 
 rp 
 le 
 
 le 
 w 
 d 
 h 
 
 ? 
 [) 
 
 t 
 
 snowed fhrionsly by tDrns. The ladie ; were quite 
 comforUble in their snug cave, the front opening of 
 which was overhung by a broad boulder, forming a 
 natural lintel. The Indians crept into the crevices 
 among the rocks, like so many marmots. Solomon 
 improved the tir.o by fashioning the new horn handle 
 to his knife. 
 
 Next morning the expedition was en route at half- 
 past three. The sun shone brightly, and scattered the 
 fogs from the valleys. The hardest day's march of 
 all was before the Dnttous, through what is now 
 called Perrier Pass. 
 
 Up, up they mounted, over dreary wastes of snow 
 and ice, the Indian packers going ahead and often 
 pausing to cut steps in the glacier slopes, or looking 
 back and gesticulating to point out the best route. 
 At noon all hands reached the summit of the pass, a 
 trifle more than four thousand feet above the level of 
 the sea. A cold, clammy fog drifted around them ; 
 nothing was to be seen but snow and ice and a few 
 stretches of bare rock. 
 
 On one of these last they paused for a dry and cold 
 luncheon, there being no fuel of any kind near. On 
 again, down a steep descent, the Indians using snow- 
 shoes, which they had brought on their backs for that 
 purpose. 
 
 Now they came to a frozen lake. One swallow, 
 swiftly darting across its still, white expanse, was the 
 only sign of life. 
 
 Nightfall — or what would have been nightfall at 
 home — came down upon them while tney were still 
 tramping wearily through the snow, and it was nearly 
 midnight when the broad waters of Lake Lindeman 
 stretched out before them. Tents were hastily pitched, 
 
[•i u 
 
 i 
 
 ■ 
 
 124 TAe Red Mountain of Alaska. 
 
 and, thoroughly exhansted, the whole party threw 
 themselves down on their blankets and forgot snow, 
 ice, weariness, and mosqnitoes, yes, even apprehensions 
 of the snllen Ayans, in refreshing sleep. 
 
 We have already seen how Mr. Button and the boys 
 bnilt their raft near " Camp Prospect." It is needless 
 to describe the process again. Lieutenant Dutton 
 went to work with his forces in much the same way, 
 and the result was a craft considerably stronger and 
 handsomer than the former — as government work is 
 usually more thorough than that of private contractors I 
 In addition to ropes at the corners of the raft, the 
 logs were fastened together with stout wooden pins, 
 driven into auger holes which had been bored for that 
 purpose at the points where the logs were mortised 
 and saddled. An elevated deck of spruce poles, 
 high and dry above the water, furnished com- 
 fortable quarters for the gentler members of the 
 expedition. 
 
 On the second Monday morning, the twenty-eighth 
 of June, the voyage down the river began. All the 
 Indians except Peeschee and half-a-dozen of the most 
 trusted Chilkats were paid, discharged, and sent home 
 across the pass. 
 
 For two weeks the raft sailed, bumped, floated its 
 way down-stream. Just below Lindeman was another 
 lake, thirty miles long. Its shores were low and 
 boggy, but the hills in the background gave a live- 
 liness to the landscape, which was increased by the 
 abundance of I'^tle streams that came leaping down 
 from the far-away glaciers, to pour their ice-cold 
 waters into the larger river. 
 
 Now and then, but rarely, large game appeared on 
 shore. Solomon and Flossie became firm friends, and 
 
The Chilkoot Pass, 
 
 125 
 
 had many a long talk together as they sat on the 
 raised deck, looking out over lake or stream. 
 
 " What do you do in the winter ? " the girl asked, 
 on one of these occasions. 
 
 " Oh, I jest hang raoundj pretty much. Sometimes 
 I hev a line 0' traps to tend." 
 
 " What do you do with the poor little creatures after 
 you catch them ? " 
 
 " Sell their pelts," said Baronov, laconically. 
 
 " Why, how much are they worth ? " 
 
 " Oh, a good beaver skin '11 bring abaout two dollars 
 an' a half. They're the commonest fur animal in 
 Alasky that's wuth kelxjhin'. Mush-rat pelts air wuth 
 five cents. A sea-otter's skin kin be sold anywheres 
 for seventy-five dollars and np'ards." 
 
 " I wonder if there are really any * blue foxes ' ? " 
 asked Flossie. '' I had such a pretty boa last winter. 
 It was just the colour of a Maltese kitten, and the fur 
 was as long and silky I " 
 
 " Oh, yes, thar's some islands whar the blue foxes 
 are commoner than red. Thar's eight or ten thaousand 
 pelts sent off every year. The Injuns on them islands 
 kill ofi" the red foxes all they kin, so's to leave only 
 pure blue on^s." 
 
 " Poor little things 1 " mused the girl. " How they 
 must wish they didn't have any fur at all. I wouldn't 
 like to be a blue fox." 
 
 " Wal, I d'no," said Solomon, " I reckon they kind 
 0' look daown on liie red ones, an' git some comfort 
 out o' that. It's astonishin' haow foxes — an' folks — 
 do like to look daown I " 
 
 Day after day the raft surged onward, drawing 
 constantly nearer its destination. On Friday noon, 
 July 9th, it was only forty-five miles from Fort 
 
tti 
 
 4t 
 
 h'- 
 
 H 
 
 * 
 
 •11 
 
 1^ 
 
 1 26 TAe Red Mountain of Alaska. 
 
 Selkirk. The banks were now steep and forbidding, 
 and the river full of dangerons rapidf.. More than 
 once Florence and Ohloe went ashore and walked over 
 a " carry," while the rest of the party shot the swift 
 water, or " rips," as they were called. Mrs. Button 
 never deserted the ship. 
 
 All that Friday night they kept on, not daring to 
 halt lest some unforeseen accident should cause them 
 to miss their appointment. For Saturday, July 10th, 
 was the day set for the union of forces. 
 
 Only twelve miles away I Perhaps it was the effect 
 of the gloomy gorges through which they were shooting, 
 or the heavy clouds which settled down over the river, 
 betokening a coming storm ; but the party could not 
 shake off a strange sensation of fear, of dread of 
 some discovery to take place, of an actual shrinking 
 terror, that gained on them momently as they swept 
 onward. 
 
 High noon, and the site of Fort Selkirk only five 
 miles away, according to the confident assertion of 
 Peeschee, the Fox. 
 
 Three miles, — two,-— one I 
 
 A clump of blackened, ruined chimneys comes into 
 view, on a little raised plateau ahead. 
 
 Dick Button strained his eyes, Mrs. Button looked 
 eagerly in the same direction, Flossie waved her hand- 
 kerchief and Chloe her red bandana ; but there was 
 no response, though by all previous calculations the 
 British-American party ought to have arrived several 
 days in advance of the Sitkans. 
 
 The raft grounded, and the Buttons, with hearts full 
 of forebodings, hurried up to the ruined fort. Their 
 worst dread was realised. The ground was trampled 
 with the recent tread of many feet, but no other sign 
 

 
 
 /• 
 
 V. 
 

 ■? 
 
 li 
 
 
l^he Chilkoot Pass, 
 
 129 
 
 of the dear ones they longed for was to be seen. "While 
 they stood staring silently at the ground, the wind 
 began to moan uneasily through the spruce tops, a 
 few great drops of rain came splashing down, and in 
 another minute, with a glittering flash of lightning, 
 the storm burst upon them. 
 
r^ 
 
 
 F'l 
 
 
 OHILKAT BRACE- 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 AN ESCAPE, AND A NEW BNEMT. 
 
 OMING upon his sister's handkerchief, 
 Robert's heart sank within him. Until 
 his father and brothers were safe inside 
 the hut, and the tattered caribou hide 
 drawn across the entrance, the boy did not 
 dare to speak of his discovery. 
 As they threw themselves down on the 
 JSvBBooi™°" skins and blankets that carpeted the cabin, 
 the fire flared up for a moment. Instantly 
 Mr. Button saw by Robert's expression that some- 
 thing had gone wrong. 
 
 " What's the matter, my boy ? " he asked quietly, 
 after waiting a moment for the former to speak. 
 
 Robert handed him the handkerchief without a word, 
 hardly daring to look into his father's face as he did so. 
 Mr. Button controlled himself by a strong effort. 
 ^« It is Flossie's?" 
 '< Yp^, sir." 
 
 There was another silence, that threatened to be 
 broken by a wail from Teddy. While Hugh was 
 hushing him up. Carlo gave a low growl, and at the 
 same moment the hide across the doorway was pushed 
 aside. 
 "Be stUl. Carlo I " commanded Mr. Button. "What 
 
An Escape^ and a New Enemy » 131 
 
 is it ? " he added more sharply to the new-comer, 
 forgetting that the Ayans spoke and understood only 
 their own language. 
 
 But, to the surprise of all, the visitor, though 
 evidently one of the tribe, replied in broken English. 
 By the dim light they could make out that it was the 
 ill-favoured squaw to whose pappoose Ted had given 
 the sugar. 
 
 " S-s-t I " she hissed, looking over her shoulder. 
 ** Bad Injun hear. No speak loud." 
 
 " What do you want ? " 
 
 " You 'fraid, 'cause find white girl's han'chif." 
 
 The boys gathered more closely about the speaker. 
 Mr. Button's voice trembled in spite of himself. 
 
 " Well, well, my good woman, go on. Is — is she 
 alive ? " 
 
 " White girl not hurt. Nobody hurt. Bad Injuns 
 go look for white people comin'. Think he come steal 
 furs. Injun take han'chif." 
 
 The man gave a long sigh of relief. 
 
 " What do your tribe mean to do ? " he asked. 
 
 " They go hunt for white people. P'r'aps kill 'em." 
 
 « And we " 
 
 5> 
 
 " You stay here with squaws.' 
 
 There was no trace of humour in the woman's voice 
 or face. She was simply telling facts as she knew 
 them. 
 
 " You git off to-night, go tell white people," she 
 added, rising to leave the hut. 
 
 " When shall we try it ? " eagerly inquired Rob 
 and Hugh, in a breath. 
 
 " When ungaik (grouse) call free times." 
 
 And she was gone. 
 
 Preparations for departure were hastily made. The 
 
M •>: 
 
 132 TAe Red Mountain of Alaska, 
 
 rifles, of which, fortnnately, the Ayans had not yet 
 seen fit to deprive them, were carefully examined. 
 
 " What day of the month is it ? " asked Nat, while 
 they were resting on their arms, listening for the 
 signal. 
 
 " The twenty-ninth of June, my boy." 
 
 " And how far are we from the old fort, papa ? ** 
 
 " About two hundred and fifty miles." 
 
 "Then, if we start to-night, we shall get there 
 before the tenth of July, sha'n't we, sir ? " 
 
 " Please God," replied his father, earnestly, " we 
 shall be there by the fifth, at the latest. Then we 
 can prepare for trouble, ard, if they have not yet 
 arrived, we can even go up the Yukon a bit to meet 
 them. But I think they will be there, for we allowed 
 several days to spare, and Dick always was a prompt 
 fellow." 
 
 For half-an-hour nobody spoke. Then Teddy started 
 up and put his hand to his ear. The others listened 
 intently. 
 
 " Oo-oo-oo ! " the sound came faintly from the forest. 
 
 The Buttons started to their feet and peered out of* 
 the hut. What was their disappointment to find that 
 the Indian — presumably Loklok — occupying the hut 
 opposite and almost adjoining their own, had left his 
 front entrance wide open, so that it would have been 
 almost impossible for five men and a big dog to get 
 past and out through the narrow passage-way already 
 referred to without discovery. They softly withdrew 
 into the recesses of their own apartment for further 
 deliberation. 
 
 " Oo'OO^o ! Oo-oo-oo ! " plainer than before. The 
 grouse was getting impatient. 
 
 A low exclamation from Nat directed the attention 
 
An Escape, and a New Enemy. 133 
 
 of the rest to Carlo, who was thrusting his black 
 snout between the spruce limbs forming the rear wall 
 of the hut. The close air of the place disturbed the 
 Newfoundland, and, on being checked at the front 
 door, he was bound to get out by hook or crook. 
 
 The dog's instinct had led him to the loosest place 
 in the wall. His masters took the hint, and softly 
 widened the aperture that Carlo's nose had begun. 
 In three minutes it was large enough to allow a 
 human body to pass, and one by one the captives — 
 for such they practically were — squeezed through. 
 
 How delicious the cold night air, after the foul, 
 tainted atmosphere of the Ayan hut I The dogs dis- 
 covered them at once, and set up a doleful howling, 
 but the natives were apparently too well used to 
 midnight concerts of that sort to trouble themselves 
 as to its cause. 
 
 The very uproar made by these canine performers 
 served, in fact, to cover the slight noise made by the 
 escaping party. They crept round behind the huts, 
 Nat holding Carlo by the collar, and Mr, Button 
 leading the way down to the shore of the river. 
 
 Joe and Jim were wide awake, and had managed, 
 during the earlier hours of the night, to edge the raft 
 oflF from the banks, so that it swung free in deep 
 water, held only by the rope. 
 
 One dark form after another crept on board. A 
 quick sweep of Joe's sharp hunting-knife severed the 
 tightly drawn hawser, and away swept the raft to 
 freedom. 
 
 " Glorious I glorious I " exclaimed Mr. Button, in 
 low tones, gazing back at the fast dwindling village, 
 where nothing was stirring but the wolfish dogs, who 
 howled a dismal farewell from the landing. 
 
 |i 
 
 ^i 
 
f 
 
 H 
 
 t': WM\ 
 
 ¥' 
 
 vn 
 
 ■i I- 
 
 134 TAe Red Mountain of Alaska. 
 
 The energies of all the party were now bent on 
 keeping the raft free from obstrnctions. Once they 
 grounded on a mnd flat, but, by poling the free end 
 of the raft up-stream, they got the force of the current 
 to help them, and presently swung off again. The 
 sun rose brightly shortly f|.fter two o'clock, but the 
 refugees dared take no moment of rest. Hugh managed 
 to secure half-a-dozen grayling as they swept along, 
 and these were cooked over a fire of twigs hastily 
 collected at the lower end of a small island, where 
 they ventured to halt a few minutes after ten hours* 
 steady progress. 
 
 At noon they reached another lake, and here their 
 advance was slow, as hardly a breath of wind was 
 stirring. The rays of the sun were intensely hot, and 
 the attacks of both mosquitoes and gnats incessant. 
 
 By six o'clock they had reached the lower end of 
 the lake, and just at the outlet they ventured to enjoy 
 an hour's refreshing rest. 
 
 Hugh knocked over a brace of spruce grouse with 
 his shotgun, and these, with a mess of fish caught by 
 little Nat during their tedious sail across the lake, 
 made a very good supper. 
 
 It now seemed improbable that the Indians would 
 pursue them closely, so long a time had elapsed with- 
 out their appearing in the rear. All the Alaskan 
 tribes, Mr. Button knew, were sluggish in their dis- 
 position, and preferred to hunt their game down 
 deliberately rather than with undue haste. 
 
 At a little after seven the raft resumed its voyage, 
 keeping steadily onward until midnight. A heavy fog 
 now set in, and the leader, confident that the savages 
 would not follow in the darkness or gray dusk, with 
 a risk of being caught in a storm, came to anchor 
 
An Escape, and a New Enemy. 135 
 
 against a large bonlder, jast nnder the lee of a little 
 knoll crowned with spruces. All hands went ashore, 
 taking the most valuable of the property with them, 
 as a precaution against sudden attack. Tents were 
 pitched, and the weary crew were soon as sound asleep 
 as if they were in their own comfortable beds at home, 
 instead of the frontier of Alaska, surrounded by known 
 and unknown dangers. 
 
 Quietly the little company on the embankment 
 slept ; so quietly, so soundly, indeed, that they did 
 not perceive the approach of an enemy against which 
 they had not thought it necessary to guard. Attacks 
 of wild beasts they did not fear, for had they not their 
 good rifles, not to mention a 36-calibre revolver, and 
 a breech-loading shotgun with shells charged with 
 buckshot ? The Ayans, they felt certain, would not 
 trouble them, separated from them as they were by 
 leagues of fog-blanketed river. What other foe could 
 there be ? 
 
 Ah, one they never suspected ; one that had hereto- 
 fore been their best friend ; had, indeed, borne them 
 and their raft swiftly away from the hostile camp by 
 night and day. 
 
 You know now? Yes, the river itself. The 
 treacherous Pelly turned against them, and took away 
 their only means of reaching their friends in time. 
 Far up on the spurs of the Rockies, two days before, 
 there had been a tremendous shower. It had poured 
 hundreds of thousands, millions of hogsheads of water 
 on tiie snowy slopes, and on the broad district drained 
 by the head-waters of the Pelly and its tributaries. 
 This shower, together with the suddenly melted snow, 
 had turned every trickling streamlet into a roaring 
 torrent. Lake after lake had felt the incoming stream. 
 
i! 
 
 •1 i 
 
 1 36 The Red Mountain of Alaska. 
 
 and had brimmed to overflowing, passing the freshet 
 wave on from inlet to outlet. The advancing flood, 
 now grown more qniet and gradnal in its power, had 
 pursued the flying raftsmen more swiftly and surely, 
 through every maze in the f jrest, around every bend 
 of the river, than the best equipped canoe-fleet of the 
 Ayans. 
 
 And as they slept it reached them. The men and 
 boys were safe on the embankment ; but there was 
 the raft I Softly the river pushed its fingers under 
 the heavy logs ; lifted, lifted, lifted, as the minutes 
 flew by, until with one swelling, eddying ripple it 
 drew the sturdy old craft away from its moorings, 
 out into the deep current, and swept it silently down 
 the stream toward the sea. 
 
 ■ P 
 
CHAPTER XIIL 
 
 NAT S SHAGGY PUP. 
 
 "TIATHER, father, where is the raft?" 
 J. Mr. Button sprang to his feet 
 and rubbed his eyes. There was the 
 river, running quietly between its 
 wooded banks, as he had seen it the 
 evening before. But the raft ! No- 
 where to be seen I 
 
 Mr. Button's first move was to secure his rifle and 
 glance at the lock. 
 
 " The Indians must be near I They must have sur- 
 prised us during the night, and, having taken away 
 our means of escape, the cowards mean to attack us 
 only when we are too weak and bewildered to resist ! " 
 By this time the boys were all awake, and filled 
 with consternation at their loss. 
 " How much farther is it to the fort ? " asked Hugh. 
 " Not far from two hundred miles. And to-day is 
 the first of July I We cannot reach it by the tenth." 
 " But why not build a new raft, father ? " 
 Mr. Button pointed sadly to the little heap of 
 baggage they had brought to land the night before. 
 Hugh's eye followed the gesture, and wandered quickly 
 over the bags and rifles. Then he sprang to where they 
 were lyings and turned them over. It was of no use. 
 
^j^jMaaBs^^TirM 
 
 I 
 
 'f.t 
 
 f 
 
 hi 
 
 m 
 
 138 T/ie Red Mountain of Alaska, 
 
 No need for his father to put into words what was only 
 too plain to all ; the axes had been left on the raft I 
 
 At that moment Joe, the Indian guide, came running 
 up from the water's edge. He evidently had made a 
 discoveiy. 
 
 " No Ayans I " he said, pointing to the river. 
 
 " No Ayans ? Another tribe is on our heels, then? ' 
 
 " No. Raft not carried off. Raft float away itself. * 
 
 " Float away 1 How is it possible ? " demanded 
 Mr. Button, incredulously. 
 
 '^ High water in night. Big rain in mountains. 
 Now him low again. See I " 
 
 The evidence was indisputable. There was a mass 
 of drenched sticks and leaves left stranded on one of 
 the large boulders near which the ark of their safety 
 had been moored. All remembered that the top of 
 the rock had been bare and smooth the night before. 
 
 One source of dread, then, was removed. In much 
 better spirits than at first, the leader gave orders to 
 prepare breakfast. 
 
 Here again trouble immediately arose. Hugh's rod, 
 line, and reel were on the ill-fated raft. Fortunately, 
 his small wallet of flies was in his pocket. Three 
 spare lengths of snell were found tucked away in it. 
 One of these the boy knotted on to a piece of twine, 
 which little Nat produced from his pocket. A willow 
 rod was quickly cut from a thicket lining the river 
 bank ; and, by standing on the boulders, well out 
 toward the centre of the stream, Hugh found he could 
 make a tolerable cast. He first tried a brown hackle. 
 Finding that nothing rose, he changed it for a red ibis. 
 At the third cast there was a splash among the eddies 
 of the stream, and the rod bent almost double. 
 
 The strain came so quickly that the fisherman lost 
 
 I 
 
 
I 
 
 I 
 
 Nafs Skaggy Pup, 
 
 139 
 
 his balance and plumped fairly into the river. Fortu- 
 naialy the water was not deep, and the plunge resulted 
 in nothing worse than an extremely cold before-break- 
 fast dip. Teddy rushed to the rescue, and, after ten 
 minutes' careful manoeuvring, — for Hagh was too 
 thorough a fisherman to throw away the chance of 
 killing a fine fish just for a ducking, — they managed 
 to land the game. 
 
 It proved to be a splendid salmon, weighing at least 
 six pounds. Hugh was proud enough when he scram- 
 bled up the bank bearing the big fish, its beautiful 
 grey sides glittering in the sunlight. 
 
 Meanwhile, Rob had been in no less luck. Within 
 twenty rods of the camp, he had started up a rabbit, 
 and bagged him at the first shot. 
 
 " Good for you, my boys I " exclaimed the ex-manu- 
 facturer, as the two purveyors came into camp almost 
 simultaneously. " There's not much danger of s carving 
 while you are on the coianiissariat 1 " 
 
 Teddy, who had a woudeiful knack of cooking, pre- 
 pared some broiled .' lices of salmon in fine style. And, 
 though tea and coffee were among the lost stores, the 
 whole party declared they had never sat down to a 
 better breakfast than Teddy's salmon, some hard bis- 
 cuit, which luckily had been brought ashore, and gla ier 
 wa' ^v Jrom the river. 
 
 As soon as the meal was over, preparations were 
 made for an immediate start. 
 
 "First of all," said Mr. Dutton, ^Mot us know 
 exactly what we have for provisions and other baggage. 
 Ted, take up one thing at a time, and let me write 
 them down." 
 
 The list, when complete, was as follows : — 
 
 Two Winchester rifles. 
 
m ■- 
 
 140 Tke Red Mountain of Alaska, 
 
 One Ballard shotgnn. 
 
 Two hundred cartridges for the former, and half 
 that number loaded paper shells for the Ballard. 
 
 About forty-eight pounds pilot-bread. 
 
 Abont one half-peck Indian meaL 
 
 About one pint salt. • 
 
 Two cotton-drilling tents. 
 
 One mosquito-bar tent. 
 
 Every one of the party had a pocket-knife, and two 
 had small tin dippers on their belts. Mr. Button pro- 
 duced his compass, which was now to be their guide, 
 in company with the river, to Fort Selkirk. 
 
 The two Indians packed and shouldered the tents, 
 and the provisions were distributed as fairly as possible 
 among the rest, according to their strength. 
 
 " Forward — ^march I " called Mr. Button, cheerily. 
 
 Joe went first, and Jim brought up the rear, the rest 
 trailing along between. 
 
 For an hour or more, no great difficulty was expe- 
 rienced. They kept along the height of land within 
 hearing of the river, following patiently all its way- 
 ward crooks and turns. At length, however, they 
 began to come upon fallen trees in greater and greater 
 abundance. 
 
 Now, the hardest possible tramping in wild lands is 
 where growing timber has fallen and died with its 
 limbs sticking out in every direction. This kind of 
 a district is called '^ slash," and is as far as possible 
 avoided by hunters. 
 
 The Indian in advance stopped, dodged about here 
 and there, and tried every possible chance of an escape 
 or dHour: but it was of no use ; through the timber 
 their path lay, and through it they must go. There 
 had been large forest fires there at some time within 
 
Nat's Shaggy Pup, 
 
 141 
 
 the last generation, and the bleached or charred trunks 
 protruded mournfully from the entangled mass of 
 underbrush. Hour after hour the weary travellers 
 toiled over and through this terrible chevatix-de-^frise. 
 Their clothes were torn, their limbs bruised, and their 
 feet aching. Oftentimes they would step from a 
 slippery log and sink in a slough, covered with 
 treacherous moss, up to the waist. The mosquitoes 
 — those ever-present torments — fairly swarm in this 
 brule, as the French-Canadian hunters call the burnt 
 district. Poor Carlo's eyelids were swollen by the 
 bites of the ravenous little insects so that he could 
 hardly see. 
 
 Not more than eight miles had been traversed when 
 Mr. Button began to look about for a camping-place 
 for the night. A clump of boulders, exquisitely draped 
 with ferns, showed itself above the desolate tract of 
 white trees, about half a league ahead. 
 
 Ilpou its summit was a little grove of spruces, fresh 
 aud ^b^T.y a refreshing sight in the midst of such 
 dreary t ..fces of dead timber. Toward this knoll they 
 pressed, gaining strength at the sight, like horses 
 headed for home. 
 
 As they advanced, the passage of the fallen trees 
 actually became less arduous. No one noticed this, 
 ho kv ever, until Teddy exclaimed, — 
 
 '' Faith, isn't it good, then, to git into a rale path 
 iig' u I Sure, I'd forgotten the looks 0' wan, I had." 
 
 By a simultaneous impulse the whole train halted 
 in their tracks, and looked at the young Hibernian as 
 if he were crazy. 
 
 " I said it's a path we're in," he reaffirmed, stoutly. 
 " If ye don't belave it, look fer yerselves. D'yer see 
 the branches broken off, jest beyant ? " 
 

 r-i 
 
 , 
 
 i 
 
 
 5!i!i 
 
 \u i 
 
 142 TAe Red Mountain of Alaska, 
 
 Again, as one man, they looked at the point indi- 
 cated, and then at the ground at their feet. Teddy- 
 was right this time. They had struck, without know- 
 ing it, a trail — unmistakable, though faint. 
 
 "The question is," said V button, breaking the 
 silence, "whether we are dt; irately walking into 
 another Indian village." 
 
 Something as near a smile as ever lights an Indian 
 face agitated the stolid features of the guides. 
 
 " Do you think it is an Ayan trail ? " asked the 
 leader, not noticing the flicker of merriment in the 
 faces of the two Indians. 
 
 Joe merely shook his head, but John solved the 
 problem with one word, — 
 
 "Bears I" 
 
 Teddy's cheeks grew pale under his freckles. 
 
 " Sure, is it to them bastes we'll be afther comin' all 
 this way I " he muttered, glancing ''a every direction. 
 
 He did not have much time for reflection, however. 
 At that moment the expedition emerged on a small 
 open space, in the centre of which was a pool, sur- 
 rounded by low, boggy banks. The trees near by had 
 mostly fallen, and lay about in all stages of decay. 
 But it was not this that arrested the attention of our 
 friends. 
 
 A little to one side, not far from the " path," were 
 three animals, busily engaged in pawing and pushing 
 over the prostrate trunks and roots in search of larvae. 
 Now and then one would run out his tongue and pick 
 oflf a delicate morsel. No bevy of school children, off 
 on a picnic, gathering blueberries, could have enjoyed 
 themselves more heartily fchan these great furry 
 creatures. For, beyond a doubt, they were good-sized 
 brown bears, every one of them. 
 
Nats Shaggy Pup, 
 
 143 
 
 The moment the two parties saw each other, Teddy's 
 voice was raised in a cry of terror ; and the three 
 bears, without waiting for a further introduction to 
 the strangers, wheeled about and dashed into the 
 hruU at the top of their speed. It was well known to 
 Mr. Dutton that the bears of the North-west, while 
 extremely dangerous if brought to bay or surprised at 
 close quarters, always obey their first instinct to run, 
 when they can get the chance. 
 
 Convinced that there was no further danger from 
 their ursine neighbours, he gave the word to advance ; 
 and an hour later the green oasis was reached in 
 safety. It was elevated about sixty feet from the sur- 
 rounding plateau, and was nearly a quarter of a mile 
 from the river, whose rushing waters could be plainly 
 heard. At the summit of the mound was a broken 
 heap of large rocks, among the crevices of which grew 
 the little spruces that had escaped the fire, or sprung 
 up since its date. It was plain that the whole hill 
 was a mere pile of boulders, covered ages ago with 
 moss, decayed wood, and slowly-forming forest mould, 
 thus affording sustenance for the ferns and larger 
 growths upon its rugged sides. Nat soon spied a 
 sheltered cranny among the rocks, large enough to 
 accommodate the whole party, and here they resolved 
 to camp for the night. At the base of the knoll was 
 a spring of delicious cold water, the ground round 
 about showing marks of many generations of bears, 
 caribou, and moose, who had slaked their thirst from 
 its clear depths. 
 
 Strips of salmon were soon sizzling most appe- 
 tizingly over the fire, the mosquito-bar was thrown 
 over the rocks in such a way that any one not actually 
 employed could shelter himself from his noisy little 
 
 i 
 
144 1^ ^^^ Mountain of Alaska. 
 
 )' ij> 
 
 ') «'■ 
 
 foes. Overhend, the dark sprnces fltretehed their 
 protecting arms. 
 
 While the other hoys were deep in consultation 
 whether to turn the salmon, and the older memhers of 
 the party were getting water, unstrapping the packs, 
 and reconnoitring the surroundings. Master Nathaniel 
 took it into his head to explore the snug niche, among 
 the boulders, which they had selected for a bedroom. 
 He scrambled up, therefore, over the slippery spruce 
 needles and jagged rocks until he reached what seemed 
 to be the end of the cave or sh4ter, formed by the 
 overlapping stone. But no I a cluster of broad-leaved 
 ferns had concealed a further opening. The boy 
 pressed forward eagerly, and squeezed himself through 
 the narrow passage, which presently grew wider, until 
 it expanded into a sort of inner cave. The ftirther 
 end of this subterranean chamber was a trifle lighter, 
 as if there were another entrance in that direction ; 
 but where Nat was it seemed as dark as night. 
 
 The little fellow had hardly gained his feet, after 
 the scramble on hands and knees, when a queer sound 
 caught his ear. It was a low, wheezing, snarling 
 noise, with now and then a sort of hoarse squeal, like 
 that of a pig with a very bad cold. 
 
 Nat's curiosity was aroused. As his eyes became 
 accustomed to the dim light of the cave, he perceived 
 a wriggling mound of greyish-black fur. At first he 
 thought Carlo had made his way into the cave ahead 
 of him ; but a moment's observation convinced him of 
 his error. It was not a shaggy Newfoundland, venting 
 his displeasure so inhospitably in the corner. There 
 were plainly two animals, whatever they were, making 
 the uncouth noises, and showing their little white 
 teeth at the intruder. 
 
Nafs Shaggy Pup, 
 
 145 
 
 Now Nat, as we have seen, was a strangely 
 conrageous boy. He absolutely did not seem to know 
 what fear meant. He always acted as if he knew his 
 father were close at hand, and that no evil could 
 possibly befall him so long as he behaved well and 
 did as he would be done by. 
 
 When he saw the furry pair on the leaves in the 
 corner, he was by no means alarmed, but, advancing, 
 began to speak to them coaxingly, holding his hand 
 out as he did so. 
 
 The little creatures, after all, did not seem disposed 
 to be hostile, but rather cuddled up to the boy with 
 contented little whines and grunts. Nat's heart, was 
 won at once. 
 
 " They must be little dogs I " he said to himself. 
 "There are wild-cats in the woods, I've heard Joe 
 say ; and why shouldn't there be wild dogs as 
 well ? " 
 
 It then occurred to his active brain that one of 
 them would make a good play-fellow for Carlo — at 
 least over night. If he wanted to go back to his nest 
 in the morning he could. 
 
 Accordingly, Nat stepped out to the farther end of 
 the cave, and was delighted to find that an easy and 
 well-worn path led out into the open air, over a fern- 
 draped rock, fvom which he did not doubt he could 
 easily climb ap to the camp. 
 
 Retracing his steps, he lilted the smaller of the two 
 puppies, as he called them, in his arms. The animal 
 was bigger than he thought, and proved to be about 
 all the boy could lift. Although he seemed very 
 young and helpless, his claws were remarkably sharp, 
 and in the course of a minute or two had inflicted one 
 or two painful scratches on his captor's wrists. 
 
 9 
 
If 
 m 
 
 t1] 
 
 146 TAe Red Mountain of Alaska. 
 
 " Well," exclaimed Nat, out loud, " I never in my 
 life saw such a heavy puppy 1 " 
 
 There were bones scattered here and there about the 
 mouth of the cave. 
 
 " That's where the father and mother dog have 
 had their suppers," thought Nat, pausing to take 
 breath. 
 
 To return for a few moments to the rest of the 
 party : they all were so busily engaged in performing 
 their various tasks that they did not for some time 
 notice the absence of the youngest member of the 
 expedition. 
 
 Mr. Button walked down to the river bank, in a 
 vain hope of catching a glimpse of the lost raft. The 
 terrible exertions of the day's walk showed him what 
 a journey was ahead. He could hardly hope to reach 
 Fort Selkirk inside of ten days. Could the boys, 
 young and unaccustomed to hardship as they were, 
 endure the fearful strain? Besides, what if they 
 reached the fort, as now seemed inevitable, too late 
 to connect with his brother and wife ? True, it had 
 been agreed that, in absence of any letter or sign at 
 the trysting-place, either party reaching it alone 
 should wait for the other, if it took all summer. But 
 what if the Sitka expedition should fancy, by some 
 supposed traces or by false advices, that he and the 
 boys had gone on, down-stream ? 
 
 The more poor Mr. Button thought about it, the 
 worse he felt, and the more bitterly he upbraided 
 himself for taking his family upon such an unheard- 
 of trip. His best tools and half his provisions were 
 swept away. Yes, and a large package of lucifer 
 matches, which had been left on the raft that unlucky 
 night. Without sure means for a fire, without pro- 
 
"•a GRIZZIY cub. drop it, NAT, FOR YOUR LIFE!'" [/. I50. 
 
Nats Shaggy Pup. 
 
 149 
 
 visions, without ammunition, — how long conld such 
 a large party subsist at Fort Selkirk, a mere patch 
 of blackened ruins in a tract of country as desolate, 
 save for wandering tribes of Indians, as if it had 
 been smitten by a plague ? 
 
 Mr. Dutton buried his face in his hands and 
 groaned aloud. His anxiety and self-reproach seemed 
 almost more than he could bear, as he turned his 
 weary steps back towards the camp, where he must 
 speak cheerfully, and keep up the spirits of the rest. 
 
 Hugh and Rob were entirely absorbed in a discussion 
 over the cooking of the salmon. Hugh maintained 
 that it should be laid on a previously heated rock, and 
 so baked. Robert was in favour of roasting or broil- 
 ing on a spit, Indian fashion. 
 
 Joe came back from a short excursion into the forest 
 with both hands full of what appeared to be small 
 green bulbs. 
 
 Teddy, as chief cook, gave the vegetables a dignified 
 sniff. Then his features expanded with delight. 
 
 " Hooray I " he shouted. " Sure, it's ingyuns ye 
 have I " 
 
 Onions they were— small, to be sure, at this season, 
 but with the " rale tang to 'em," as Teddy announced. 
 
 Jim had taken the Ballard with him, and now 
 joined the campers, throwing down at their feet as he 
 did so a fine ptarmigan, such as abound in south 
 central Alaska and the adjoining province. 
 
 " Shtuffin' fer the bur-rd I " ejaculated Ted, feasting 
 his eyes on the suddenly accumulated stock of pro- 
 visions, in anticipation of the morrow's breakfast. 
 
 " Where is Nat ? " suddenly asked Mr. Dutton, 
 looking round him. 
 
 "He climbed up those rocks just now, sir," answered 
 
BHi* 
 
 ii; 
 
 150 The Red Mountain of Alaska. 
 
 Hngh, his whole heing concentrated on the slice of 
 salmon browning odorously over the blaze. 
 
 Mr. Dntton was not satisfied, and sprang up to the 
 highest point of the blnflF, calling, " Nat 1 Nat I " 
 Presently he heard an answer, jnst below him. 
 
 Nat had found the big shaggy " pnppy " a hard lug, 
 and nothing but real Dutton pluck kept him from 
 dropping his heavy, squealing, struggling burden. 
 
 Up he mounted, much out of breath. All at once 
 he heard his father's shouts. 
 
 " Here I am, papa," he answered, looking up. 
 
 At the same moment the father's eyes fell on 
 the animal in his boy's arms. The man's face abso- 
 lutely blanched with terror. The two Indians gained 
 his side, and from the three men came a confused 
 medley of cries that smote on the boy's ears as he 
 tugged away at his load. 
 
 " A grizzly cub / A grizzly ! Drop it, Nat / Drop 
 it for your life ! " 
 
 r' 'i 
 
CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 TO THE RESCUE I 
 
 GRIZZLY, a grizzly cnb 1 " 
 repeated Joe and his mate. 
 "Come quick, Natl The 
 old one must be near." 
 
 Nat must have failed to 
 catch the import of their 
 cries, for he still toiled up- 
 ward, despite the warning 
 gestures of the men and 
 the renewed struggles of 
 tue cub. 
 
 Mr. Button, in an agony 
 of dread lest he should be too late, started down to 
 meet the lad. He had hardly cleared the first boulder 
 when a hoarse panting was heard by all, and a crashing 
 among the underbrush at the foot of the knoll. The 
 noise ceased as suddenly as it began, and the anxious 
 father hoped for a moment that the danger was past. 
 He reached Nat's side in safety, almost tore the cub 
 from his arms, laid the animal down on» the ground, 
 and, catching up his son without a word, started for 
 the camp. 
 
 As he did so, a low, deep growl came from below, 
 together with a renewed trampling of dry twigs and 
 
15^ The Red Mountain of Alaska, 
 
 bashes. Then, perhaps for the first time, Nat realized 
 what he had done. The she-bear, havinf: entered her 
 den and discovered the absence of one of her twins, 
 was returning and charging fiercely up the hill on 
 their trail. 
 
 In another moment her head and shoulders appeared, 
 and then her whole huge form, as she scrambled np the 
 rough hillside with marvellons rapidity. 
 
 On reaching her cnb she paused and licked it ; then 
 lifted her head and looked up irresolutely after the re- 
 treating forms of her unwelcome visitors. 
 
 Robert, by this time, had gained a good position, 
 rifle in hand ; but Joe told him not to fire unless the 
 life of his father or brother should actually be in peril. 
 It often takes a dozen well-placed balls to kill a fdll- 
 grown grizzly, and the risk of merely enraging her was 
 too great. 
 
 The shaggy mother, relieved at finding her off- 
 spring safe, now renewed her maternal attentions to 
 it ; and soon, her natural affections mastering her 
 anger, she proceeded to trundle it along home, 
 partly lifting it by the back of the neck, like a 
 gigantic kitten, partly pushing it with her huge paws, 
 of which an ox might well have stood in terror. 
 As Mr. Button reached the summit of the knoll, the 
 grizzly disappeared among the willow scrub at its 
 base. 
 
 The Indians earnestly counselled that the bears 
 should not be approached. They believed that, if they 
 were not disturbed, the she-bear would not leave her 
 young to attack the camp. And the chance of killing 
 her, in case of a fight, without injury to some of the 
 party, was very small. 
 
 The result proved that the guides* reasoning was 
 
 ^- 
 
I 
 
 To the Rescue! 
 
 153 
 
 was 
 
 6 
 
 -■X4- 
 
 correct. A watch was kept up during tlie night, but 
 nothing more was heard from the ursine neighbours. 
 Early in the morning, the party " folded their tents 
 like the Arabs, and as silently stole away." 
 
 It was very rare, Joe informed them, that a grizzly 
 cub was still so small at that season. They are 
 usually bom in January or February, and by the 
 time midsummer arrives are able to shift for them- 
 selves. 
 
 It would be tedious to follow our friends in their long, 
 wearisome tramp through the forest. At the end of 
 the tenth day Hugh, looking down from a high bluff 
 by the river's bank, beheld a sight that made his heart 
 beat vrith delight. 
 
 His shout of joy called the rest to his side. 
 
 " The raft I The raft I " he cried, pointing to a bend 
 in the river just below. 
 
 Sure enough, there was the old craft, grounded high 
 and dry, JKe end of it at least on a mud bank. All 
 hands ruraed down, and, not without more or less 
 wetting, clambered on board. 
 
 Not one article of their belongings remained on the 
 raft, except a rusty axe. Every other scrap had been 
 swept away by flood, wind, or wild beasts. 
 
 The raft was in tolerably good repair, and, with the 
 aid of the axe, the men soon had it fitted out for another 
 voyage. 
 
 *' A long push, a strong push, and a push all 
 together ! " shouted Robert. The stubborn old raft 
 moved inch by inch, then slid off" the bar, and floated 
 grandly away once more, bearing its little band of 
 adventurers, young and old. ^ 
 
 In due time they arrived at Fort Selkirk. They 
 lauded eagerly, and searched about for traces of their 
 
 11 
 
 (3 
 
w 
 
 
 ',1 ■' ' . ' 
 
 t54 TAe Red Mountain of Alaska. 
 
 friends, the date being July 14tli, or font days beyond 
 that appointed for the meeting. 
 
 Traces there were in abnndance, bat no litter. A 
 violent storm, of which they had experienced but the 
 edge, had evidently passed over the place not long 
 before, and nearly obliterated the tracks of the visitors. 
 Bat Jim and Joe had sharp eyes, and they presently 
 pointed oat to Mr. Datton the little heel-prints of the 
 ladies, as well as the firmly-defined marks left by the 
 lieutenant's boot. There were numerous other tracks, 
 seemingly older than these, which the guides did not 
 understand. One thing was plain : the salt-watez 
 branch of the expedition had reached the spot, and, 
 without waiting even one night, had continued their 
 journey — presumably down the Yukon, whose waters, 
 increased at this point by the whole mass of the swift 
 Pelly, rolled downward toward the sea in a broad, 
 turbid flood. Why the lieutenant had departed so 
 hastily, without leaving any message, was something 
 Mr. Dutton could not comprehend. Still, there had 
 doubtless been some good reason, and the party would 
 probably be found encamped near by. 
 
 Having reached the site of the fort in the early 
 evening, the travellers spent the night near the 
 blackened chimneys, and next morning took raft once 
 more, full of expectation of meeting their dear ones 
 soon. 
 
 For two days, however, nothing was seen of them. 
 At the end of the third, a faint sound of muskets was 
 heard — welcome break in the silence that had reigned 
 so long. 
 
 Half-a-mile more by river brought them into the 
 very midst of a stirring scene. A raft, much like 
 their own, but slightly larger ; three women and 
 
To the Rescue/ 
 
 J 55 
 
 several men npon it ; smoke and flashes of fire issuing 
 from the mnskets of the latter. On either shore, 
 skulking behind trees, dark, ugly forms, that could 
 be no other than Indians. 
 
 " To the rescue I " shouted the boys, lustily, bearing 
 down upon the expedition and the craft that had thus 
 been brought to bay. 
 
 
 5 ^; 
 
■■■■■■■I 
 
 p ■ ■■ 1 
 
 
 IV. 
 
 PI 
 
 
 
 ,.'a» 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 UNDEB THE EABTH. 
 
 y "jllRS. BUTTON had barely time to draw 
 . JUL Flossie into the shelter of one of the 
 chimneys of the old fort, still standing, 
 when the storm burst upon them in all 
 its fary. The men occupied themselves 
 in covering the goods on the raft, and 
 making everything fast. The wind in- 
 creased in violence from moment to mo- 
 ment, and the rain came down in torrents. 
 Fortunately, there remained the greater part of the 
 fireplace, at the base of the chimney. It was as large 
 as a fair-sized bedroom would be in our own part of 
 the country. Evidently, the early traders had intended 
 to keep warm during the long, terrible winters of the 
 North, where even the Indians do not venture far 
 from their huts, and the desolate forests and bare 
 mossy plains are left to the undisputed reign of the 
 moose, the wolf, and the caribou. 
 
 Although the rain trickled down the sides of the 
 chimney, the dismayed little company in the old fire- 
 place soon perceived that the small rivulets finding 
 their way over the rough bricks did not increase in 
 size. They afterwards learned that the fur-traders 
 had an ingenious contrivance, consisting mainly of 
 
Under the Earth, 
 
 157 
 
 a large stone slab at the top of the chimney, which 
 conld be closed at will during the summer, when only 
 rain fell, and the fire below was not needed. 
 
 The ruined fireplace, therefore, was far from being 
 an uncomfortable shelter from the storm, and, had 
 not their hearts been heavy with disappointment and 
 apprehension, the three women— if we count little 
 Flossie as such — would have really enjoyed the 
 fun. 
 
 How the wind did roar about the rugged old chimney 1 
 It bellowed down the flue in trumpet tones, and died 
 away in doleful murmurs around the few gnarled and 
 tempest-beaten trees that told of the little settlement 
 once mating its home there. 
 
 *' Here comes uncle," exclaimed Floss ; " Fm so 
 glad I " 
 
 The rest of the men took shelter as best they might, 
 under canvas, and in the lee of rocks and ruined 
 walls. 
 
 "Well, well," said Lieutenant Dick, whose spirits 
 had risen under the excitement of the storm and the 
 work of getting the baggage under cover, " this isn't 
 so bad, after all 1 " 
 
 He stooped, slightly, under the cross-bar where a 
 mantel had once been, and stood upright with the 
 others. 
 
 " Oh, Richard, do you suppose we shall ever find 
 them ? " 
 
 " Find them ?— of course we shall 1 They can't 
 have gone far, and my men say the tracks here- 
 abouts were made by Indians, who were probably 
 canoeing down the Yukon. There are half-a-dozen 
 villages on the banks, and nothing could be more 
 natural." 
 
 
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V ' I 
 
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 I* 
 
 i 
 
 158 TAe Red Mountain of Alaska. 
 
 " But they may have taken my boys prisoners — my 
 
 husband " Mrs. Dntton covered her face and 
 
 sobbed. 
 
 " Nonsense, Ella 1 " said Dick, with energy, " I 
 tell yon the otner party mnst have gone down at least 
 two days ahead of the rest. There isn't a hoot track 
 among 'em." 
 
 " But how can we ever find them ? " 
 
 "Oh, they'll go down-stream a piece, and then 
 camp. They can't go beyond Fort Yukon, any way, 
 for that's the point where we leave the river, and 
 John hasn't a ghost of an idea where to go to strike 
 the mountain." 
 
 "We'll find them— we'll find them I" cried Floss, 
 who was too young to remain sad over the fature for 
 more than five minutes at a time. " What a funny 
 old place this is I " she added, poking over a heap of 
 dry grass and leaves with her foot. " Why, something 
 wriggled I " 
 
 She stooped and began to brush away the leaves. 
 " Look, look, mamma 1 " she cried, excitedly. " An 
 iron ring, just like the Arabian Nights 1 " 
 
 The other members of the group now became in- 
 terested, and the lieutenant got down on his hands 
 and knees to help pull aside the rubbish. 
 
 A few minutes' hard work cleared the surface of a 
 broad, flat rock, reaching from the side of the fire- 
 place out some three feet toward the centre. It was 
 blackened by the mass of cinders and charred wood 
 and bricks that had long lain upon it, but the outline 
 could be clearly made out. In the centre was an iron 
 ring, about four inches in diameter, let into a circular 
 groove neatly hewn out of the face of the slab for its 
 reception and partial concealment. The ring was 
 
Under the Earth, 
 
 159 
 
 covered and eaten into by a thick layer of rust, and 
 when Mr. Dutton pried it out of its socket, and 
 endeavoured to raise the slab, the iron, nearly cut 
 through by the rust, broke with such suddenness that 
 the lieutenant sat down hard, at the feet of the 
 startled Chloe, whose eyes had been growing rounder 
 at every new development. 
 
 " Laws, massa I " she cried, her teeth chattering 
 with dread and the chill dampness of the place, 
 "d-don't go no furder. Dat's an orful place, dar. 
 Nobody knows what's in under dat stone. 'Pears like 
 sumfin' '11 jump up at us, jes' so soon as dat stone 
 comes off." 
 
 Dick added to the black woman's dismay jy stamp- 
 ing on the slab, which gave out a dismally hollow 
 sound. 
 
 " Don't you be afraid, auntie," said he, good-naturedly, 
 seeing that she was really terrified by the combination 
 of the storm, the strange land, and the mystery 
 beneath their feet. " This is nothing but a sort of 
 private cellar, I reckon, where those old Russians 
 kept their wines and other property they didn't care 
 to have their coppery neighbours get hold of." 
 
 "And when the door was covered with ashes," 
 added Flossie, who felt the importance of a first 
 discoverer, " of course no one could ever find it." 
 
 There was a delightful sort of Captain Eidd flavour 
 about the whole thing, however, which urged them 
 all to make further Investigations. At the same time 
 each one felt an unaccountable sense of aversion and 
 distrust regarding that cellar. Looking round the 
 circle, they read the same expression in one another's 
 face. 
 
 " Nonsense I " exclaimed Dick, answering the look. 
 
 I 
 
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I'M ' 
 
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 ) i 
 
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 1 
 
 1 60 Tke Red Mountain of Alaska, 
 
 " What are we afraid of? Chloe's talk has made 
 geese of us. It is dark, though 1 " 
 
 The clouds grew blacker, and the wind steadily rose 
 in fury, until it fairly lashed the little peninsula and 
 the frothing waters of the river beyond. The lieu- 
 tenant drew a small pocket-lantern from his coat, 
 unfolded it, and lighted the candle. Contrary to his 
 expectations, the yellow light, mingling with the cold 
 grey gloom from outside, but increased the eeriness of 
 the situation and the unpleasant sensations they had 
 all felt. 
 
 As he hesitated what to do next, he struck his heel 
 sharply again on the ^i^roove in the slab where the 
 ring had been. The blow broke the stone squarely in 
 the centre, and the two pieces fell in with a crash. 
 The stone itself was not over an inch thick, and 
 was merely a fire-proof protection for an under-layer 
 of planking, now worm-eaten and decayed. 
 
 A peculiar musty scent arose from the hole as they 
 bent over it. Dick remembered having somewhere 
 caught the same odour : at first he could not recall it; 
 then he remembered that it was at the reopening of 
 a long disused tomb, which he had watched with 
 boyish curiosity and awe twenty-five years before. 
 The recollection was not a pleasant one, and for a 
 moment the United States officer heartily wished that 
 his niece had found other employment for her little 
 feet than uncovering this uncanny aperture gaping 
 below. 
 
 " Well," said he, at length, trying to throw off his 
 nervousness, which he felt to be unmanly, " shall we 
 enter?" 
 
 The uncertain flame of the candle threw a fitful 
 light into the opening, and at first disclosed nothing. 
 
 
mm. 
 
 Under the Earth. 
 
 i6i 
 
 When Dick kneeled by the side of the hole, and held 
 his little lantern as far down into it as possible, there 
 conld only be made out a small, square apartment, like 
 a dungeon, rudely walled in with uncut rocks, and 
 ceiled with timber. The two halves of the stone slab 
 lay where they had fallen, just beneath the opening, 
 on the earthen floor. 
 
 " It's quite empty I " announced the lieutenant, 
 in a tone of relief. "We had all our trouble for 
 nothing." 
 
 "But, uncle," interposed Florence, who had been 
 screening her eyes from the flame of the lantern, 
 " what do you call that dark place over in that corner ? 
 Isn't that another opening in the wall ? A doorway 
 to some place beyond ? " 
 
 Dick scrutinized the spot, and wished the young 
 lady with sunny hair was in — Sheldon. 
 
 Beyond a doubt, it wai a door. Beyond a doubt, 
 Dick Dutton was called upon, under the circumstances, 
 to pass through it, and explore the shadowy vault 
 beyond. 
 
 He tried to temporise. 
 
 "Why not wait till to-morrow?" he suggested, 
 weakly. 
 
 " If you don't go, Dick, I shall. I believe you're 
 afraid I " 
 
 It was Mrs. Dutton who spoke, with a nervous 
 laugh that betrayed her own state of mind. 
 
 The lieutenant prepared to descend. He felt they 
 would all regret the discovery they were to make. 
 He knew they would make it, nevertheless, before 
 leaving the ruins of ill-fated Selkirk. 
 
 " If I must " he said, with a resigned air. 
 
 Near the broken stone lay some fragments of wood. 
 
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 !' ■■! 
 
 
 H ^- iS 
 
 162 TAe Red Mountain of Alaska, 
 
 These, it appeared, were all that was left of a step, 
 ladder that had once formed a means of entrance to 
 and egress from the dungeon. 
 
 "Hold the lantern, Flossie," said he, as he seized 
 the framework of the pit firmly, and let himself 
 down. 
 
 The dungeon, or cellar, was about eight feet deep. 
 He dropped the last two feot. 
 
 " Wait," called Floss, peering down into the dark- 
 ness ; " I must come, too ! " 
 
 Richard groaned in his sleeve, but obediently reached 
 up and lifted the girl down, lantern and all. It was 
 exceedingly damp in the pit, and the close air gave 
 them a chckiug scuHatiun. 
 
 " For Heaven's sake, my girl, let's hurry 1 " said 
 the officer, coughing violently ; " I want to get out 
 of this." 
 
 " Let me have the lantern," commanded his niece. 
 " There ! I'm going ahead the rest of the way." 
 
 She accordingly advanced cautiously to the opening 
 in the wall, which seemed to indicate further oppor- 
 tunities for exploration. 
 
 Her uncle humoured her ambition for taking the 
 lead, but placed himself almost directly at her side. 
 
 On passing the doorway, which was so narrow that 
 they could hardly squeeze through, they found them- 
 selves in a sort of gallery, about five feet high and 
 two feet wide. Here they had to walk in single file, 
 Florence preceding her companion. The noise of the 
 storm overhead had no at become only a faint, dull 
 roar, like surf at a great distance. 
 
 Dick knocked his head several times against pro- 
 jecting roots or knots in the rough planks that|prily 
 partially lined the passage. V 
 
 \\i 
 
Under the Earth. 
 
 >63 
 
 Stooping, and moving very slowly, they crept along, 
 following the gallery, which had several sharp turns, 
 for fully two hundred feet. The air now became de- 
 cidedly more foul, and the lieutenant earnestly begged 
 the girl to go back and wait for him. But she was 
 a Dutton, and was determined to see the adventure 
 through to the end. 
 
 The passage suddenly contracted still further, be- 
 coming so low that it was with difficulty they walked 
 at all. They could not speak without violently inter- 
 rupting themselves by spasm.odic coughing. 
 
 "Only a few steps more," gasped Floss. "Then, 
 if we don't find anything, I'll turn back." 
 
 Even the light seemed to grow dim as they advanced. 
 
 Suddenly the gallery widened. They saw that they 
 were in another apartment, or cell, about the size of 
 the first. As Florence entered this room, and held her 
 lantern aloft, she nttered a shrill cry of terror, and, 
 turning, hid her face in her uncle's arms. 
 
 It was no ordinary sight that shook the girl's nerves. 
 
 The lieutenant felt a cold horror sweep over him as 
 he followed her glance to the furthest corner of tho 
 room. 
 
 There were two pieces of furniture — a rough deal 
 table and a chair. In the chair, with head supported 
 by its hand, sat a skeleton, with its grinning jaws 
 turned directly toward the intruders. 
 
 The figure leaned against the wall, as well as the 
 back of the chair," and was thus kept in the position in 
 which death had come to the unhappy occupant of the 
 dungeon. Scattered over the table were two or three 
 bits of paper, yellow and mouldy. 
 
 A few rags still hung about the bones of the hideous 
 figure, adding to its fearful aspect. 
 
 10 
 
 
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 164 TAe Red Mountain of Alaska. 
 
 There were no indications of what had taken place 
 previous to the tragedy, slow or swift, which had been 
 enacted in that subterranean chamber of horrors, save 
 a shallow excavation in the floor, near the opposite 
 wall. A pickaxe lay on the heap of earth beside it. 
 The work of digging seemed to have been abandoned 
 on account of a ledge which was just below the surface 
 of the floor, and which, while a deep crack had been 
 made in it, or uncovered, by the pick, had dis- 
 couraged the poor creature whose repulsive likeness 
 alone inhabited the dreary place. 
 
 As soon as he could steady his nerves, and could 
 leave the shuddering girl by herself at the entraLoe 
 of the gallery, the lieutenant proceeded to inves- 
 tigate. 
 
 Kepressing his strong feeling of revulsion, he moved 
 across the room, and satisfied himself that this was 
 really the end of the passage. The sound of tbo 
 l^mpest was now more indistinct than ever, by which 
 he gathered that they were farther below the surface 
 than at any previous point in their walk. 
 
 The room had evidently not been meant for per- 
 manent habitation. There was no apparent means for 
 ventilation, and no arrangement for either cooking or 
 sleeping. Rather, it might be a place of refuge in 
 times of sudden attack ; of concealment of valuable 
 property, were the safety of the fort threatened. Could 
 that be the key to the excavation ? Was the man en- 
 gaged in burying a hoard of treasure ? But, if so, why 
 did he stop, and die ? It could not have been a violent 
 death, for that easy sitting position would not have 
 been taken. 
 
 All these thoughts flashed through the lieutenant's 
 mind as he gathered up the fragments of mouldy paper, 
 
Under the Earth. 
 
 i6S 
 
 and tried to decipher them by the dim light of the 
 pocket-lantern. Nothing, however, conld be made out, 
 and he oinflfed the papers into his pocket for future 
 inspection. 
 
 There was one piece of paper, yellow and tattered, 
 toward which Richard felt an overwhelming repug- 
 nance ; yet that might explain the man's errand in that 
 dismal burrow, and might disclose information that 
 would be highly important to the Button expedition, 
 or even to the government. 
 
 Why did the brave lieutenant hesitate to touch this 
 documeui. 1 Because it was held in its place on the 
 table by a forefinger that eloquently forbade meddling. 
 Yet it must be taken. It was taken. 
 
 Richard gave a sudden start as he held it up to the 
 light. The paper showed no handwriting, but h.int 
 tracings of curved lines, and odd figures like Egyptian 
 hieroglyphics. At the lower left-hand corner was a 
 character like a triangle ; then a wavy line crossed by 
 three vertical strokes. Just above these were three 
 i rted K's, and further over to the rigb^ were three 
 objects looking something like sugar loaves. Vanoub 
 oth dots and markings were to be seen, the mosc 
 ominous of which was a plainly defined death's head 
 in the upper right-hand comer. 
 
 I said that Richard started the moment his eye fell 
 on the tracing. It looked strangely familiar to him. 
 Then he remembered. 
 
 " Peeschee's map I " he exclaimed, aloud. " The 
 very thing, 1 e for line I Just look here, Florence I " 
 
 Without noticing that she gave him no reply, he 
 continued his search about the room, preparatory to 
 leaving it. He felt sure that this place was in some 
 way connected with the object of their search. 
 
 ^':m 
 
j : 'f; 
 
 1 66 The Red Mountain of Alaska, 
 
 Taming from the table, his foot struck heavily against 
 a box which he had not before noticed. It was a com- 
 mon grocery box, and the cover was nailed down. A 
 blow with his boot-heel broke the half-decayed boards, 
 and disclosed the contents. They consisted wholly 
 of masses of rock, which sparkled in the light of 
 the candle. A second glance showed their colonr to 
 be a deep, glowing crimson. Richard took one in 
 his hand, and held it nearer the lantern. Without 
 a shadow of doubt, it was a magnificent specimen of 
 cinnabar in the ore. The box was full of similar 
 samples. 
 
 Richard tugged the box out into the centre of the 
 room, resolving either to take it out himself or send 
 Peeschee for it on his return to daylight. 
 
 All this takes a long time to tell, a shorter time for 
 you to read. The actual occurrences were still more 
 brief. Richard had not been in the dungeon two 
 minutes when he stooped down for a final look at 
 the ragged excavation in the floor, and the fractured 
 ledge. 
 
 As he did so, his cough, which had troubled him 
 more or less ever since he had entered the narrow pas- 
 sage-way, returned with redoubled violence. His brows 
 throbbed with a sudden pain. He turned sick and faint. 
 The cell seemed to grow dark. Was he losing his 
 senses in this fearful place? — or was it — look — the 
 lantern / the lantern ! 
 
 Even while the man rose dizzily to his feet, and tried 
 to collect his dazed senses, the flame of the candle — 
 not yet half burned out — dwindled, dwindled, before 
 his very eyes. 
 
 And now what is Richard doing ? Is he going crazy ? 
 He snatches the little lantern up from the mound of 
 
Under the Earth, 
 
 167 
 
 loose earth on which he has placed it, tears it open, and 
 dashes ont the feeble remnant of flame, leaving the 
 place in total darkness. 
 
 Then he staggers over to the entrance of the 
 passage-way, where he last saw Florence, gasping, — 
 
 " Flossie 1 Flossie I Hurry I We are lost if we 
 wait I The fire-damp is on us ! " 
 
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 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 A MYSTERY EXPLAINED. 
 
 T cannot be denied that we deserted our 
 gallant officer in a most uncomfortable 
 
 fire," 
 
 we 
 
 might 
 
 situation — " under 
 almost say. 
 
 Had Lieutenant Dutton been obliged 
 to spend many moments in the old 
 cellar-way under Fort Selkirk, with his 
 sunny-tempered but headstrong little 
 niece, it is quite certain that neither of 
 the two would ever have lived to read this account 
 of their subterranean explorations. 
 
 As Richard started toward the door, he thrust his 
 foot, in the darkness, against the table. There was a 
 crash as the old piece of furniture went over, followed 
 by a rattling sound, like an armful of dry sticks falling 
 on the hard floor. Under other circumstances, the 
 thought of what produced this singular noise would 
 have unnerved him ; but the man's mind was now 
 wholly bent on rescuing the girl, whose continued 
 silence filled him with a new fear. 
 
 He groped his way toward the exit, calling again, — 
 
 " Flossie 1 Flossie 1 my dear child I Where are you ?" 
 
 No sound. Only the consciousness of that hideous 
 
 heap on the floor, over which he might stumble at 
 
A Mystery Explained. 
 
 169 
 
 any moment ; and the stifling carbonic-acid gas, or 
 " fire-damp," which seemed fairly to have its clammy 
 hands on his throat. 
 
 After what seemed hours, he felt, with the joy of a 
 drowning man clutching at floating timber, the posts 
 that supported the doorway opening into the long 
 gallery. 
 
 Moving cautiously along, he had not advanced a 
 yard in the new direction before he nearly stumbled 
 over an obstruction in his path. Stooping, he felt 
 the unconscious form of Flossie, who had been unable 
 to endure the poisonous gas. 
 
 Richard put all his waning strength into a great 
 efibrt, and lifted the girl in his arms. As he stag- 
 gered confusedly along the passage-way, bruising him- 
 self at nearly every step, realizing only that two lives 
 hung on his powers of endurance, he tried to call for 
 help, but his throat would not respond. 
 
 And now, in spite of every effort, he felt his senses 
 leaving him, and Flossie slipping down from his grasp. 
 
 " Help 1 help I " he gasped, in a husky whisper. 
 
 Hark I Was that a sound of footsteps in the pas- 
 sage ? A rustling of woman's clothing ? In another 
 moment Flossie was snatched from the lieutenant's 
 failing grasp, and a torrent of soft, almost incoherent 
 ejaculations burst out in the darkness. 
 
 " Dar, dar, my po' little lamb I Did ye git tired, 
 honey ? Was y' almos' done suffumcated ? Po' chile ? 
 Come to yer ole mammy, bress yer heart I Dar 1 
 dar I " 
 
 The sounds grew fainter as the rescuing Chloe with- 
 drew, bearing Flossie, and evidently forgetting all 
 about her late comrade. 
 
 Relieved of his burden, the man felt new strength 
 
 ;■. 1 
 
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 I 
 
 ,1. 
 
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170 The Red Mountain of Alaska. 
 
 M ' > 
 
 ! 
 
 I" 
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 ii 
 
 i! 
 
 come to him. The gas was not nearly as strong now, 
 and he could catch whiffs of fresh air from the opening 
 ahead. 
 
 And now the Fox himself, the faithful Peeschee, 
 came hurrying into the passage-way, and, with his arm 
 around his master, managed to assist him out to day- 
 light and life. 
 
 The Chilkats had already drawn Chloe and Floss 
 out of the pit, and Richard was soon pulled up after 
 them. Not ten seconds after he was extricated there 
 was a dull, crashing sound Leneath them : the earth 
 settled slightly, in a line toward the river, and a cloud 
 of dust arose from the opening in the fireplace. 
 
 Then they knew what had happened. The old 
 timbers, long ago worm-eaten and crumbling, had at 
 some point been jarred or pushed down by the passing 
 footsteps. The earth had fallen ; and the whole, 
 following like a river behind a broken dam, had 
 caved in, completely filling and destroying the 
 passage. 
 
 The Indians were employed for half-an-hour, as a 
 matter of safety for future visitors, in filling the 
 entrance pit with bricks, stones, moss, and clods of 
 earth — the whole smoothed over and covered with 
 ashes, until not the slightest trace remained of the 
 trap that had so nearly proved fatal to the two 
 adventurers. 
 
 Meantime the latter came fairly to their senses, and 
 soon were as well as ever, saving a pair of headaches 
 and a slight nausea, accompanied by a ringing in the 
 ears. 
 
 The storm was still violent, but evidently abating 
 its force. 
 
 " It's going to clear off soon," said Richard, looking 
 
 U.. 
 
 J^^ 
 
A Mystery Explained, 
 
 171 
 
 np at the sky with a knowing air, " but we can't go 
 any further to-night, it's so late. We must have 
 used up three or fours hours in this miserable busi- 
 ness.'* 
 
 " Dick," remarked Mrs. Dutton, quietly, " how long 
 do you suppose you and Floss were underground, from 
 the time you jumped in to the moment when you were 
 drawn out through that trap-door ? " 
 
 " I'm sure I don't know, Ella," looking rather sur- 
 prised at her queer tone. " I haven't looked at my 
 watch. Two hours, I should think, at the very least. 
 Perhaps more." 
 
 " I did look at my watch," said Mrs. Dutton, " for I 
 was anxious about you both. You were out of my 
 sight just six minutes and a half I " 
 
 It was hard to believe, but the evidence was con- 
 clusive. It is a well known fact that a review of a 
 whole life may pass through a man's mind in a hardly 
 appreciable instant of time. So it had been in this 
 case. 
 
 They had arrived at the camp at about two o'clock in 
 the afternoon. It was now a quarter before four, the 
 surplus time having been occupied in securing the 
 raft and goods against injury and in filling up the 
 hole under their feet. 
 
 By half-past four the rain had ceased, the sun 
 blazed out with tropical fervour, and a glowing rain- 
 bow spanned the sky. 
 
 " En route I " called the lieutenant, cheerily, bust- 
 ling about among the Indians, and urging them to 
 the work of resuming the voyage down-stream. Mrs. 
 Dutton had expressed her earnest wish to leave the 
 fort, with its unpleasant associations, and camp 
 further down on the banks of the Yukon. Besides, 
 
 nil 
 
 i. 
 
 ^ 
 
I ^ ; 
 
 l:i 
 
 I-,. I 
 
 
 
 i !:i 
 
 1 e 
 
 1 72 T'^ -^tfd? Mountain of Alaska. 
 
 she said, they would be lessening the distance between 
 the two parties, and every mile of hill and dale made 
 the separation harder to bear. 
 
 By five o'clock the raft, with all the company on 
 board, swung o£f into mid-stream, and floated slowly 
 downward, past the mouth of the Pelly, down which 
 the husband and sons were really pursuing their 
 toilsome journey. But the dark hills gave no hint of 
 the secret they held, and the Pelly, the Upper Yukon, 
 and old Fort Selkirk were soon out of sight. 
 
 For two days they rafted down-stream. On the 
 evening of the second day they passed two Takheesh 
 Indians paddling up-stream. The Indians were 
 friendly, and, on being questioned by the Chilkats, 
 informed them that no party of whites had descended 
 the river within the last fortnight. 
 
 Here was a poser. Poor Mrs. Dutton was almost 
 discouraged again, and even the sturdy lieutenant 
 hardly knew how to act. As they positively could 
 not, however, work the raft up-stream, they deter- 
 mined to go into comfortable quarters, and wait 
 several days — a week, at least — for the arrival of 
 their friends, at the first spot which should show 
 favourable indications as a camping-ground. 
 
 The north bank of the river, for many miles below 
 Fort Selkirk, had presented much the same appear- 
 ance as the lower Hudson, a steep, columnar bluff 
 playing the part of the Palisades. The south shore 
 was less bold, and invited the voyagers to rest there 
 during their enforced delay. A site for the camp 
 was accordingly selected near the mouth of the Yuk- 
 ko-kon Heena, or White River, whose swift, turbid 
 waters poured down like a broad stream of milk into 
 the deeper Yukon. 
 
A Mystery Explained, 
 
 "i^ll 
 
 The banks here were frozen some six or eight feet 
 deep ; but their mossy surface was bright green, and 
 at noon each day the sun was intensely hot. 
 
 Here the expedition remained for four days, undis- 
 turbed save by one or two thunderstorms and myriads 
 of gnats and mosquitoes. Lieutenant Schwatka, who 
 passed through the same region a dozen years later, 
 declares that, when a netting is put up in these 
 regions, two mosquitoes will hold the wings of a third 
 flat to his sides, and push him through the meshes I 
 
 While the raft was quietly resting at its moorings, 
 during these few days, Richard had ample opportunity 
 to examine the writings found under the fort. Of 
 most of the papers he could make nothing ; for not 
 only was the writing blurred and almost indecipher- 
 able by reason of age, but the characters were of a 
 sort which the honest young officer had never set eyes 
 on before. 
 
 " They're not Russian," said he, throwing down the 
 papers in despair before Mrs. Button and her daughter; 
 "I'm sure of that. What those outlandish-looking 
 square things mean, with their dots and crosses, is 
 more than I can tell." 
 
 Mrs. Button pored over them in vain, and shook 
 her head. 
 
 "Let me see, mamma," said Florence, stretching 
 out her hand languidly. She had not been wholly 
 herself since her adventure that so nearly proved fatal, 
 and her mother watched her pale face anxiously as she 
 handed her the mysterious manuscripts. 
 
 " Why," she exclaimed, " these are not paper at all ! 
 They're parchment, and I think— yes, I'm sure, the 
 writing is in Hebrew." 
 
 " Why, how do you know that, Floss ? " asked the 
 
 V 
 
i ' '> 
 
 1, ' 
 
 u ■ ;! 
 
 I ' 1 
 
 \l : 
 
 
 .^ '1- 
 
 m, i M 
 
 174 7>^ Red Mountain of Alaska, 
 
 lientenant, scrntinizing each fragment with a new 
 interest. 
 
 " Teacher once showed ns the * Lord's Prayer * in 
 two or three languages. She copied them on the 
 blackboard ont of a book, and one of them was 
 Hebrew. It looked almost exactly like this." 
 
 As none of the party knew a word of the language, 
 the information didn't avail them mnch ; although, as 
 Dick gravely remarked, it was " a great moral conso- 
 lation to know what language they were written in." 
 
 " I have it I " he added, suddenly. " Let's call 
 Peeschee into the council. " That fellow knows a good 
 deal more than he's told yet, I'll warrant. I want to 
 know how he got hold of a duplicate of the map our 
 — hem I — quiet friend down below was guarding so 
 careftilly." 
 
 He pulled a crumpled piece of parchment out of his 
 pocket as he spoke. 
 
 The Indian was summoned ; his stolid face changed 
 when he saw the map, and his teeth actually chattered 
 with fear. 
 
 " W-where you git dat map ? " he stammered, 
 pointing with shaking finger to the stained parch- 
 ment. 
 
 "Never mind where I found it, my fine fellow," 
 said the other, sternly. " The question is, where did 
 you get yours, and what do you mean by telling me 
 you made it?" 
 
 "I — I did make dat, master," chattered the Fox, 
 looking fearfully over his shoulder. "You no tell 
 medicine-man ? " 
 
 " There, there, Peeschee," said the lieutenant, more 
 gently, perceiving that nothing was to be gained by 
 terrifying the man, " make a clean breast of it, and 
 
 i\'- 1 
 
-iJ^iUJJ— J-I,^ ? _.". l ^ 
 
 m 
 
 if 
 
 A Mystery Explained* 
 
 175 
 
 tell the whole story. YonVe done something crooked, 
 no doubt, but I don't believe you mean any harm by 
 us. No," he added, seeing the Indian's frightened 
 glance around, " you needn't be afraid of the party 
 that owned that map. He won't trouble you any 
 more. He's gone to the "Warm Country" (an 
 Alaskan's idea of heaven). 
 
 The Fox, being thus reassured, told his "plain, 
 unvarnished tale " as follows. We will turn it into 
 English, rather than stop to puzzle over his broken 
 sentences and Indian idioms. 
 
 " It is true that I have seen the Great Red Moun- 
 tain. It lies there," pointing to the south-west. " It 
 is true that the only way to reach the mountain alive 
 is by the map I have made for you, a copy of the one 
 on the parchment there. It is true that the piece of 
 red rock I showed you came from the mountain ; it 
 must be true, for the medicine-man with the grey 
 beard told me." 
 
 " So you have never visited the mountain yourself? 
 You were lying to me when you told me that ? " 
 
 " Listen, master 1 " 
 
 Peeschee's gesture with the outspread palm had 
 something of the native dignity that marks his red- 
 skin cousins of the lower latitudes. 
 
 " I have not visited the mountain myself. If I had 
 told you that, you would never have gone. When I 
 was a very small pappoose, my father was packing 
 goods for the great fur company. One day he wan- 
 dered from the trail. After a week of suffering he 
 came upon an Ayan village, where he was kindly 
 received. The medicine-man took him into his own 
 hut, and nursed him. He was an old man, with a 
 long grey beard and hooked nose, very, very terrible. 
 
 ! ^ ■ ' 
 
 1: ■ 
 
 'i 
 5 
 
 
 : i 
 
 ;S' 
 
1 76 The Red Mountain of Alaska. 
 
 Hf-'f 
 
 \: r '• WL 
 
 " My father soon heard that he was a descendant of 
 many generations of medicine-men in that tribe ; that 
 he had in his possession many old pieces of skin, 
 covered with strange marks, that had been handed 
 down from father to son for many hundred years. The 
 whole tribe believed that when Alaska was made, and 
 raised up out of the ocean, the Ayans crossed the great 
 waters from the west, and took possession of the new 
 land." 
 
 "The Lost Tribes of Judaea 1" shouted Richard, 
 almost upsetting the tent in his eagerness, as he 
 sprang up and paced to and fro. " Don't you re- 
 member, Ella, that one of the theories of scholars 
 is that the tribes crossed Behring's Straits, and 
 gradually changed their character as they became 
 more fitted to the climate, until they were such men 
 as we see now among the North American Indians ? " 
 
 " Yes," replied Mrs. Dutton, no less eagerly, " and 
 I noticed particularly that those two Ayans who 
 camped with us the first night had a strong Jewish 
 cast of countenance. Go on, Peeschee 1 " 
 
 The Fox had waited quietly, during these exclama- 
 tions of surprise, and now continued. 
 
 " One night the old Long Grey Beard fell asleep 
 before his kettle, in which he was boiling herbs. One 
 of those strange pieces of skin lay near him, forgotten 
 for the moment. My father copied it exactly on a 
 strip of birch bark, using a black coal from the fire. 
 Before the medicine-man awoke, he had hidden this 
 copy under his blanket. When Long Beard was 
 awake, my father asked, ' What does that mean ? ' 
 He was studying the map. ' It is the road to the Red 
 Mountain,' said Long Beard, angrily. * It is the 
 house of demons and evil spirits, and no one can reach 
 
! li 
 
 !' !•/ 
 
 HE WAS STUDYING THK MAI'." 
 
1 1 
 
 "J [ * H\ 
 
 I! 
 
 I 
 
A Mystery Explained, 
 
 179 
 
 it alive hnt the great medicine-man.* He then 
 snatched np the map, and pnt it in his pocket. The 
 very next day, Long Beard went off for many hours 
 in his canoe. While he was gone, my father found 
 some red rocks under a pile of blankets in a corner of 
 the hnt. He took only one," said Peeschee, drawing 
 himself up with pardonable pride at his father's moral 
 bravery under severe temptation. " When he went 
 away, two days later, he showed one of the tribe the 
 piece of rock, and asked him what it was. The Ayan 
 looked frightened, and said it was a piece of the Bed 
 Mountain, which could not be visited by any living 
 man. He added that it was worth more than gold, 
 but that it would surely bring death to the owner. 
 That is the piece of rock I gave to you." 
 
 " Cheerful prospect for the present owners I " laughed 
 Richard, nervously, trying to shake off a presentiment 
 of coming evil, as he fingered the rock, at that very 
 moment reposing in the bottom of his pocket. 
 
 " When I was hunting," continued Peeschee, iu 
 conclusion, " I did see with my eyes the Red Mountain, 
 as I told you. I did not dare to go there myself," 
 he added, honestly. " When you saved my life, I 
 thought : I will tell him of the red rocks which are 
 better than gold among white men." 
 
 " And your father ? " 
 
 " He died many years ago." 
 
 " Have you heard from the long-bearded medicine- 
 man ? " 
 
 Peeschee could not repress another shudder. He 
 simply said, " No." 
 
 "But how do you know this map starts at Fort 
 Yukon, as you said ? " 
 
 "Because that," pointing, "is what the Indians 
 
 
 1 p 
 
 I 
 
 !Si1 
 

 1 80 TAe Red Mountain of Alaska, 
 
 make for fort. That is a big wigwam, with smoke 
 going up. You have seen the big chimneys that made 
 the smoke. The next year the fort was burned." 
 
 "You think, then, that the medicine-man knew of 
 the mountain, through his old parchments, or skins, as 
 you call them; and that he made this map himself?" 
 
 "Yes," and Peeschee nodded several times vigor- 
 ously. 
 
 " But why did the Ayans want to bum the fort ? " 
 
 "The medicine-men of all the tribes drove them to 
 do it. They told the Ayans the white men would take 
 away their tT-ade in skins. They were mad because 
 the white men brought good medicines, that cured 
 sick India^iS better than their own." 
 
 " And do you suppose your long-bearded friend ever 
 visited the fort before it was burned ? " 
 
 "Yes. The tribe lived on the Ay an River, just 
 above the fort." 
 
 "The Ayan — that's the river called Pelly now," 
 mused the lieutenant. " I hope John and the boys 
 won't get into any trouble up there. It's perfectly 
 clear," he added aloud. " Old Grey Beard found out 
 about that cellar, which was probably built by the 
 traders to store their furs in, where they could be 
 neither stolen nor injured, either by Indians or ele- 
 ments. It probably was unfinished when the fort was 
 built. The crafty old medicine-man, knowing he was 
 closely watched in his own tribe, found out about this 
 cellar, got down into it some day when nobody was 
 round, taking a pickaxe from Russian stores in the 
 fort. Then carried his treasures with him, intending 
 to hide them, like every old miser that ever lived, 
 where nobody could find them but their owner. While 
 he was digging, and planning future trips to Y'^ 
 
A Mystery Explained. 
 
 i8i 
 
 haunted Red Mountain, the steel point of the pick 
 struck open an empty pocket in the ledge, reaching to 
 a blast of that fearful fire-damp. It only came out 
 slowly, and I suppose he didn't know w^jh, was the 
 matter, but sat down at the table to take iiaother look 
 at his precious documents. He never got up again 
 from that chair." 
 
 " Do you suppose those Hebrew writings tell about 
 the mountain ? " 
 
 " That's more than I know. The main point is that 
 the map is probably correct, and, if we have the pluck 
 to putthis thing through, the Buttons are the wealthiest 
 family in the United States I " 
 
 Peeschee now withdrew, but not till his master had 
 given his hand a hearty shake as a token of restored 
 confidence. 
 
 The Indian's eyes glistened, but he said nothing. 
 
 5J 
 
 I 
 
 1 f . 
 
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 I 
 
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 H. i 
 
 U " 
 
 ! I 
 
 OTAPTEH XVII. 
 
 A REUNION. 
 
 I' 
 
 i! [•>, 
 
 1 ! i 
 
 iliif 
 
 F' was tjOw nearly a week beyond the 
 day appointed for tlie rendezvous at 
 Fort S'^lkirk, and nothing had been heard 
 from Mr. Button. The lieutenant began 
 to entertain serious fears as to the safety 
 of the inland party ; the more so when 
 he heard Peeschee's account of the hos- 
 tility of the tribes of the interior to any 
 intruders upon their domain. 
 That there were Ayan villages or encampments 
 both above and below them on the river they knew. 
 The Chilkats went on daily scouting expeditions, and 
 on several occasions reported fresh trails of large 
 parties of natives, — whether peaceful or warlike they 
 could not tell. 
 
 Richard became decidedly impatient. He fretted 
 beca;..se of the enforced inaction, the torment of the 
 cloads of mosqnitoes that infested the banks of the 
 river, the bands of Indians hanging about the camp ; 
 and last, but not least, the state of Flossie's health. 
 The girl seemed Buffering from a sort of malarial 
 attack, for which the most direct cure would be a trip 
 into the mountainous interior. 
 
 There was one more apprehension, of which the 
 
 1- 
 
 i: 
 p:, 
 
 la i 
 
• ) if 
 
 A Reunion. 
 
 183 
 
 lieutenant did not speak to the rest of the party. By 
 the middle of September the warm season would be 
 over, and snow would fall among the mountains by 
 October 1st, if not before. If they should be caught 
 by the wintry storms, and snowed in, their escape 
 alive would be almost a miracle. Whatever was to 
 be done, then, must be accomplished within about 
 eight weeks at the latest, as it was now the middle 
 of July. Besides, the last vessels going south from 
 St. Michael's, at the stormy mouth of the Yukon, 
 v/oiM leave before the end of September. Cut oflf 
 from this avenue of exit from Alaska, the only alter- 
 native was a long and arduous struggle with the 
 forest, through an unknown country, directly south 
 to William's Sound. This last route was, moreover, 
 impassable on account of the enormous glaciers, which 
 can be seen for miles at sea, and which furnish the 
 northern Pacific with thousands of icebergs every 
 summer, advancing down the mountain-side, as they 
 do, at the rate of forty feet a day, or about twe.Ve 
 times as fast as the swiftest pace attained by the 
 great glaciers of Mont Blanc, — the Du Bois and Mer 
 de Glace. 
 
 Under the circumstances, great alacrity was necessary 
 to prevent their trip from being an utter failure, or to 
 escape from the wilderness with their lives. 
 
 The raft was now poled out to the lower end of one 
 of the little islands with which the river was dotted, 
 and the heaviest of the goods stowed upon it, so as 
 to be ready for a start at half-an-hour's notice. The 
 Chilkats had a rather battered and leaky canoe which 
 they had found stranded among the rank willows by 
 the water's edge, and in this shaky little craft the 
 goods and passengers were conveyed across the narrow 
 
 \M 
 
 ijj 
 
 
 
 S 
 
 
i I 
 
 i&ii-' 
 
 184 Tike Red Mountain of Alaska. 
 
 arm of the stream separating the island from the 
 sonth shore. 
 
 On the morning of the seventeenth day of the 
 month, the whole company were seated outside their 
 tents, on the high, abrupt bank of the river ; not, 
 however, over ten feet above the surface of the water. 
 
 As usual, their conversation turned on the conjectural 
 whereabouts of their friends, and the length of time 
 which they should wait before giving up the under- 
 taking and floating down the Yukon to the sea. 
 
 Richard declared positively that he would not stir 
 a step toward the mountain until he had his brother 
 by his side. 
 
 " It seems to me," said Flossie, in her sweet voice, 
 that now had a little weary inflection, "that I see 
 something on the river, away up." 
 
 They all shaded their eyes with their hands, and 
 gazed eagerly. The view from this point covered at 
 least two miles. 
 
 " A raft, a raft 1 " cried Richard, capering about 
 like a boy, after a single glance at the approaching 
 object through his field-glass. 
 
 The colour rushed to Flossie's pale cheeks. 
 
 " Oh, is it papa ? and liob and Hugh and dear little 
 Nat ? It can't be 1 Oh, I feel better already I " 
 
 Richard instantly discharged his rifle into tho air 
 as a signal, but, before anything more could be said, 
 the Fox came hurrying up the river bank. 
 
 '^ Bad Injuns comin'," he panted. " Woods all full 
 both sides river. Come to kill white folks. No stay 
 here I" 
 
 " To the canoe ! To the canoe ! '' cried Richar'^, 
 forgetting the reinforcements at hand, in his fear of 
 the new danger, " Quick I the island is our only 
 
 *-^. i^iii T ^ ftg i-M F trntiij 
 
A Reunion, 
 
 185 
 
 the 
 
 cliance. Jnmp in, Flossie and Ella. Peeschee, paddle 
 for your life I " 
 
 " Get into the willows, girls 1 " he shouted, as the 
 canoe, driven by Peeschee's powerful strokes, foamed 
 through the water. 
 
 In an incredibly short space of time he was back 
 again, and oflf once more with Chloe and the lieutenant. 
 
 As yet not an Indian had been seen. The Chilkats 
 plunged into the water, and swam across to the island. 
 
 The tents and the few remaining goods were hurriedly 
 bundled into the canoe, and carried to the raft. 
 Peeschee pulled the canoe upon its stout logs and 
 dived for the willows. 
 
 Still no sign of the savages. Richard began to 
 hope the Fox had for once mistaken a passing band 
 of hunters for a war party. 
 
 " Perhaps we can get away quietly, and dodge the 
 whole crowd," he said to Peeschee, in low tones. 
 
 Then, after a careful survey of both banks, he called 
 the women out on the raft. The Chilkats stood ready 
 with their poles. Peeschee held the painter in his 
 hand. 
 
 " Cast off the moment the other raft comes in sight 
 round the end of the island," commanded Dick. 
 " They'll follow us " 
 
 His confident remarks were cut short by a load 
 report from the shore, and a musket ball imbedded 
 itself in one of the logs, just grazing the bare leg of 
 the foremost Chilkat. In an instant, as if by magic, 
 the woods on either bank fairly swarmed with dark 
 forms. 
 
 The lieutenant, who had served through all the late 
 war, tossed his head up like a war-horse. Seizing his 
 Winchester, he sighted carefully on the nearest of the 
 
 
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 A- 
 
 1 
 
 
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 1 
 
 
 1 -fff 
 
 I i i i is, 
 
 i. I 
 
 I 
 
 w ■ ' ^ 
 
 I 
 

 ■ 1 
 
 
 '11 
 
 
 1 
 
 1' ' 
 
 11 
 
 1 
 
 oH 
 
 
 1 86 T/ie Red Mountain of Alaska, 
 
 enemies, who was just preparing to swim out from 
 their late camping-ground, and pulled trigger. The 
 Indian clapped his hand to his left arm and howled 
 with terror and pain. At the same moment Peeschee 
 picked off an especially prominent assailant on the 
 opposite shore. 
 
 And now a splendid volley, from throe pieces, 
 roared out like an echo, as Raft No. 2 swept round 
 the end of the island. 
 
 " To the rescue ! " shouted the boys, waving their 
 hats. 
 
 " Hurrah I " returned the lieutenant, raising his 
 piece for another shot. But where were the living 
 targets that had thronged the shores but a moment 
 before ? 
 
 Gone 1 The forest was apparently as lonely and 
 quiet as it had been for weeks before. The cowardly 
 foe had melted away into its depths at the first fire. 
 Even the man hit by Peeschee had picked himself up 
 and limped off, with apparently only a flesh-wound. 
 
 Thankful that no lives were lost on either side in 
 the little skirmish, Richard turned to greet the new- 
 comers. 
 
 Down came the raft, the boys clustering eagerly in 
 its clumsy bows, and preparing for a jump. 
 
 The two unwieldy crafts bump and swing round. 
 There is a confused laughing and crying and kissing, 
 all of which the Chilkats look upon stoically, as they 
 nold the second raft in place with their poles. Carlo 
 barks his loudest, and " wags his tail all over," as 
 Nat expresses it. Even Chloe and Teddy are dis- 
 covered in a wild embrace. 
 
 "And no^w," calls Mr. Dutton, in his hearty voice, 
 "as we a^e all united, through the mercy of Him 
 
A Reunion. 
 
 187 
 
 who has cared for us, — now we are ready to complete 
 our trip I " 
 
 " Onward, then 1 " cries Uncle Dick, catching the 
 infection of enthusiasm. 
 
 " Hurrah for the Red Mountain I " cry the boys 
 in unison, while Flossie waves her little hand and 
 Chloe her red bandana. 
 
 " Cast oflF, Peeschee, but keep the other raft in 
 tow I " orders Mr. Dutton, assuming command of the 
 expedition. 
 
 The timbers tremble ul Jer the powerful thrust of 
 the Chilkat poles and the impulse of the river current 
 as the flotilla sweeps down-stream. 
 
 " Onward, to the Red Mountain 1 
 
 »» 
 
 
 ' Hi 
 
 14 J- 
 k'Ji 
 
»» ; ■ 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 A LESSON IN BEIDGE-MAKINO. 
 
 J* 
 
 I 
 
 i rpHUS far we have followed the for- 
 ^ X. tunes of the Dutton party almost step 
 by step. But, I hear you say, what has 
 become of Solomon, the Yankee hunter 
 and backwoods philosopher? It seems 
 to us that you have left him entirely. 
 Not 80, boy and girl readers ; Solomon 
 has left himself out. During the adventure at Fort Sel- 
 kirk he was reconnoitring the vicinity of the peninsula, 
 regardless of rain or lightning. He accompanied the 
 lieutenant's party as far as the White River camp, 
 and, learning that they had decided to wait there 
 several days, petitioned for a leave of absence. Solo- 
 mon, like most of his countrymen, was an uneasy 
 mortal. He wanted to prospect a little, he said, on 
 his own account, nearer the mountains. He agreed to 
 meet them at Foct Yukon. 
 
 The long-limbed hunter was better than his word. 
 He joined the united party at their fijst camp below 
 the White River, and now the expedition was complete 
 in its quota of members. 
 
 The raft swept bravely down-stream without further 
 molestation from the Indians, who seemed to have 
 been pretty thoroughly frightened. One or two 
 
A Lesson in Bridge- Making. 189 
 
 villages were passed, but the mhabitants were all so 
 busy with their salmon-fishery that they paid but little 
 attention to the whites, probably thinking them a 
 party of fur-traders going out from the interior. The 
 size of the company on the raft was now such as to 
 intimidate any ordinary band of natives, no matter 
 how warlike their inclinations. 
 
 On about the fifth day they knew they must be 
 crossing the boundary of Alaska — in other words, the 
 one hundred and forty-first meridian west from Green- 
 wich. They were now fairly in Alaskan territory, and 
 felt that they were nearing their goal. Every night 
 the larger raft was moored to the lower end of an 
 island, with its more fragile consort, that of Mr. 
 Dutton and the boys, close at hand. The whole party 
 slept on board, going ashore only to cook, eat, and hunt. 
 
 The broad and dreary " Yukon Flat Lands " were 
 now reached, where the river spreads out in a perfect 
 network of shallow, swift streams, cutting off hundreds 
 of islands, and measuring ten miles in width from 
 bank to bank. The greatest care was necessary, lest 
 they should take the wrong channel, and be obliged to 
 abandon the raft. Indeed, this very accident occurred 
 to the smaller craft, which got swept into a narrow 
 passage-way between two sandbars, and presently 
 grounded, sticking so fast that it was useless to try 
 to get it off before the next freshet. Three of the re- 
 maining Chilkat packers were now paid up and dis- 
 charged. 
 
 They immediately started up-stream, to return on 
 foot over the Chilkoot pass. This left the following 
 membership on the large raft ; Mr. Dutton, Mrs. 
 Dutton, Lieutenant Dutton, Robert, Florence, Hugh, 
 Nathaniel, Chloe, Teddy, Solomon, Joe, and Jim ; two 
 
 >, 
 
 I' '-,1 
 
 *fiii 
 
 II 
 
r 
 
 mm 
 
 It' ^11 
 
 (;■ ■ 
 
 190 TAe Red ^flountain of Alaska, 
 
 Chilkats, of whom one was a good interpreter ; Pees- 
 chee, and Carlo. 
 
 On the afternoon of the seventeenth day from 
 White River, the whole party said good-bye to the 
 old raft, and landed with all their stores on the left 
 bank of the Yukon. 
 
 They were now exactly on the Arctic Circle, which 
 mns through Fort Yukon at the extreme northern 
 point of the " Great Arctic Bend " of the Yukon 
 River. They did not visit the rough-looking buildings 
 which constituted the trading-post, but struck directly 
 into the interior, heading due south. As they were 
 now to travel entirely by Peeschee's map, it will do 
 no harm to take a fresh look at it, that we may follow 
 them intelligently during their wanderings in the 
 trackless wilderness, — the chosen home of the moose, 
 the caribou, the wolf, of countless numbers of bears, 
 and, as the native Alaskan devoutly believes, of 
 spirits, who guard the higher mountain peaks against 
 intrusion. 
 
 The map was arranged with the north and south 
 points exactly reversed : that is, the bottom of the 
 map is north, and the top south ; of course, east and 
 west change places accordingly. This must be care- 
 fully borne in mind in tracing the journey. 
 
 Starting from the lower left-hand (or north-east) 
 corner, at which point the rude representation of a 
 wigwam, with smoke ascending, stood for Fort Yukon, 
 the party took the east bank of a little stream for a 
 mile or two, then struck off to the right, where a 
 natural ravine, probably the path of an ancient glacier, 
 plainly corresponded to the route traced on the chart. 
 Peeschee indicated to the lieutenant as well as he 
 could that, from what his father had told him, the 
 
A Lesson in Bridge- Making. 191 
 
 whole distance marked out was not far from three 
 hundred and fifty miles. Of this there was one 
 section where over a hundred miles could be made in 
 twenty-four hours, by rafting down a swift and deep 
 river. The lieutenant made a rough guess at proper- 
 
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 tions, and marked a scale of miles on the margin of 
 his map — as the reader can do if he likes. On Richard's 
 map he allowed about forty miles to an inch. 
 
 The second day passed without special incident. 
 Although there was no defined trail, the walking was 
 
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 192 The Red Mountain of Alaska* 
 
 far easier than Mr. Batton had foimd it along the 
 Felly. Feeschee seemed to choose by instinct the 
 exact ronte by which the original draughtsman of 
 the strange map had found his way to the great peak 
 of cinnabar. 
 
 In the forenoon of the third day, a ^ew sonnd fell 
 npon their ears. It was a dnll roar, like that of a 
 passing railway train. 
 
 Solomon was the first to notice it. 
 
 The party halted and listened. 
 
 "Ef I was in any kind of a decent country ,** re- 
 marked the hnnter, after a momentary silence, " I 
 should gness we were comin' to a waterfall, an' a 
 mighty big one at that." 
 
 Feeschee nodded several times intelligently, and 
 pointed to the vertical marks crossing the trail on 
 the lieutenant's map. He then scrambled on ahead 
 with the utmost agility, much pleased at striking 
 the first landmark correctly. 
 
 The thunder of the waters grew deeper as they 
 advanced, untU the ground itself seemed fairly to 
 shake beneath their feet. Soon a mist was seen 
 rising above the tree-tops. And half-an-hour later 
 the travellers were assembled on the bank of a swift, 
 deep stream, looking up with delight and awe at the 
 mighty cataract which came tumbling over the rocks 
 above with a sheer fall of sixty feet o:- more. 
 
 One feature of the scene lent an almost grotesque 
 aspect to the falling river; the water was nearly 
 white, with its sediment of glacial mud, so that it 
 was as if the spectators were looking upon a veritable 
 cataract of milk. 
 
 ^' But how to cross it ? ** asked the leader, turning 
 to the guides. 
 
A Lesson in Bridge-Making, 193 
 
 a 
 
 The Indians seemed somewhat at a loss. Solomon, 
 however, cast a critical eye np and down the stream. 
 
 " I gness we c*n fix it somehaow," said he. " Yon 
 jest sit daown here V rest *n' git dinner. You come 
 along with me/' motioning to Joe, Jim, and Feeschee. 
 
 " Can't I go, too, please? " asked Flossie, jnmping 
 up, and placing herself at Solomon's side. 
 
 " Wal, ef ye won't git into no mischief," said the 
 hunter, with a kindly look down into the girl's pale 
 face. " I 'low I do like to hev ye raound." 
 
 << And me t " called Nat, eagerly, running after them. 
 
 " And me I And me 1 " shouted the boys, joining 
 the pioneering party. 
 
 Solomon laughed, and shrugged his shoulders ; but, 
 as he made no serious objections, they all set off 
 together toward a point two or three hundred yards 
 below the camping-ground. 
 
 The boys followed the backwoodsman patiently, 
 climbing over logs and boulders, sinking knee-deep in 
 moss, and helping their sister over the roughest 
 places. They longed to inquire how Solomon pro- 
 posed to cross the stream, but they knew better than 
 to ask questions. Solomon was as averse as a briga- 
 dier-general to explaining his plans beforehand. 
 
 He paused at length at a point where the river 
 narrowed in to a width of about sixty feet, having a 
 depth of fifteen or twenty in the centre of the channel. 
 The shores were thickly wooded with evergreens, 
 rising to a great height. Prominent among these was 
 a huge old hemlock close to the water's edge, towering 
 to the height of at least one hundred feet. Solomon 
 measured it with his eye, and gripped his axe firmly. 
 He had found what he wanted. 
 
 Clip t clip I went the keen edge of the axe into the 
 
194 ^^ ^^^ Mountain of Alaska. 
 
 tongh fibres of the tree. Chips flew in every direc- 
 tion. As the trnnk was at least thirty inches in 
 diameter, it was no light job to reach its core, on the 
 side toward the stream. After ten minates' steady 
 work, the white man handed over his axe to Peeschee 
 and the Chilkats, all of whom were accomplished 
 choppers. 
 
 The yonng people looked on as the pile of yellow, 
 fragrant chips grew ; applauding every particularly 
 large piece that was successfully detached. Hugh 
 became tired of inaction at length, and strolled off 
 with his fishing-tackle. 
 
 And now, after three-quarters of an hour's pretty 
 continuous chopping, Solomon pronounced the cleft 
 sufficieitly deep, and, taking the axe again into his 
 own hands^ attacked the rugged bark on the opposite 
 side of the tree. 
 
 Presently the great hemlock began to shiver ; every 
 blow was felt throughout its broad limbs and masses 
 of tiny-needled foliage. 
 
 '' Look out I *' shouted the backwoodsman to the 
 Indians, who were stretched out on the moss, danger- 
 ously near. 
 
 Slowly at first, then gathering speed and momen- 
 tum, the enormous tree swept downward with a 
 mighty crash, which for the time drowned even the 
 voice of the cataract. 
 
 " Hurrah 1 " cried Robert, leaping upon the pros- 
 trate trunk, and waving his hat. "The bridge is 
 built I » 
 
 The hemlock had fallen just as Solomon had in- 
 tended it should. Its top rested well upon the 
 opposite bank of the river, with a good forty feet to 
 spare. 
 
ii 
 
 " ' LOOK OUT ! ' SHOUTED THE BACKWOODSMAN." 
 
A Lesson in Bridge-Making, 197 
 
 He now proceeded to monnt the trunk himself, and 
 with his axe clear away half-a-dozen boughs that 
 blocked the way across. Flossie then walked over 
 the bridge, and pronounced it " perfectly splendid." 
 
 As soon as dinner was over, the march was resumed 
 across the new hemlock bridge. Both Chloe and 
 Carlo showed considerable reluctance at going over, 
 bat with persuasion and assistance the feat was 
 accomplished. 
 
 ^^ Thar t " said Solomon, as, with his rifle thrown 
 across his shoulder, he paused and glanced back at 
 the fallen hemlock, " the Vars ought tew pass a vote 
 o' thanks to me at their next taown-meetin.' They'll 
 use that ar bridge o' mine for the next forty year, and 
 not pay no toll, nuther 1 " 
 
CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 OAPTUBBD BT BBOWN BBABS. 
 
 F' must be confessed that even Mr. 
 Dntton and the lieutenant looked for- 
 ward with considerable anxiety to the 
 next object, in the line of their ronte, 
 which the old medicine-man had thought 
 worthy of noting down on his map. If 
 Solomon had any misgivings, he kept 
 them to himself. 
 Peeschee admitted that he had no idea of the mean- 
 ing of the design, though it seemed intended to 
 indicate some animal. From the fact that it had no 
 tail, he was inclined to think it represented a bear ; 
 but that was a mere guess. 
 
 After leaving the stream which Solomon bridged so 
 neatly, they found that the trail led up the course of 
 one of the numerous little streams that threaded the 
 hillsides. Mr. Dutton paused from time to time to 
 adjust their route by the compass ; but there was now 
 not much danger of missing the path, which had clearly 
 been traversed many times since it was first made. 
 The lieutenant was of the opinion that its origin was 
 due to bears, whose tracks were plain enough beside 
 every muddy pool they passed. Peeschee, on the 
 other hand, maintained that the trail had been 
 
Captured by Brown Sea^s, 
 
 199 
 
 " bushed ont " in the first place by man. Whichever 
 theory was correct, the path was a good one ; other- 
 wise, it wonld have been impossible for the women 
 to penetrate the thick nnderbmsh which covered the 
 whole district through which they were passing. 
 
 A day went by, and nothing was seen to indicate 
 any especially novel feature. The direction was still 
 steadily south-west. 
 
 Toward nightfall they came in sight of a range of 
 low hills, differing from any they had yet passed in 
 that they were entirely bare of vegetation, save a 
 coating, here and there, of crinkled black lichens. 
 Their aspect was dreary in the extreme. 
 
 The Buttons camped for the night beside the brook 
 they had been following, and in the morning pushed on. 
 
 " Let me go on ahead with Solomon 1 " begged 
 Hugh ; and the two were allowed to precede the rest 
 of the party. 
 
 They were hardly out of sight when Richard called 
 his brother's attention to a singular black cloud, 
 creeping up over the northern sky. 
 
 Piling huge heaps of shadowy vapour on high, it 
 spread rapidly, until the sun disappeared, and every 
 object wore a lifeless, grey aspect. It was clear that 
 a severe storm was at hand. 
 
 Immediate preparations were made to meet it. 
 Tents were spread, and secured with double pegs. 
 Everything was got under cover as fast as possible ; 
 and none too soon, for the men had barely time to 
 dive into the tents, and close the flaps, before the 
 rain came down in torrents, thunder boomed and 
 rattled like a park of artillery, and the lightning 
 glittered almost incessantly. 
 
 Mr. Dutton was not much worried about Hugh, for 
 
 12 
 
 wmummmm 
 
i<x> The Red Mountain of Alaska. 
 
 Solomon was a host in himself, and would donbtless 
 find shelter for himself and the boy somewhere. At 
 the worst, only a thorough dncking could result. 
 
 The storm lasted all the forenoon, and left both 
 ground and bushes so wet that it was decided to be 
 impracticable to go on before the next day. A musket 
 was discharged three times, therefore, to recall the 
 wanderers. As they did not come in at once, the 
 signal was repeated. By six o'clock the party began 
 to worry a little, and Peeschee, with Carlo, was sent 
 on to hunt up the two absentees. At ten o'clock, just 
 after sunset, he returned with news of grave import. 
 
 He had followed the trail for fully three miles, 
 when he came on a collection of Indian huts, from 
 which smoke was ascending, showing that some 
 members of the tribe at least were at home. He saw 
 nothing of them, however, nor of the missing ones. 
 Whether the natives were hostile or not, he could not 
 tell. The huts or wigwams, he said, looked something 
 like the work of coast Indians, but had this peculiar- 
 ity, that they were covered with skins of the brown 
 bear, instead of the more ordinary hides. 
 
 At this the Chilkats pricked up their ears. 
 
 "Well, what is it, man ? Speak out ! " said Dick to 
 the nearest, slapping the stock of his rifle impatiently. 
 
 " You say him tent have bearskin ? " 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 " P'r'aps him Brown Bear Chilkat." 
 
 " What does he mean ? " asked Dick, appealing to 
 Peeschee. 
 
 " Biggest tribe of Chilkats called * Brown Bears,' " 
 answered the Fox, laconically. 
 
 " And you think there may be a detachment of 
 them in this out-of-the-way place ? " 
 
Captured by Brown Bears, 
 
 20 1 
 
 > >» 
 
 Peeschee nodded. 
 
 Dick was about to question the packers still further, 
 when he noticed that the one who had spoken was 
 gazing eagerly at a little ornament which dangled 
 from the bracelet on Flossie's wrist. 
 
 « What that ? " asked the Chilkat, eagerly. 
 
 *' Oh/' said Floss, " that's just a little charm for 
 my bangles. Mamma bought it in Victoria. See — it's 
 a bear's head, I believe." 
 
 The dark faces of the Chilkats bent eagerly over the 
 flattened bit of copper, and two or three guttural 
 remarks were exchanged in their own language. 
 
 "Well, what mischief are you up to now?" 
 demanded Bichard, after he had watched the panto- 
 mime long enough. 
 
 The Chilkat looked up. 
 
 " You buy boy and great hunter wid dat," pointing 
 to the charm. 
 
 " H'm I seems to me, I remember now," mused 
 Dick. "The Brown Bears are the wealthiest and 
 biggest clan of the Chilkats, and copper is called by 
 them the most precious metal. Is that so. Fox ? " 
 
 Peeschee nodded again. 
 
 " Exactly so. And the most valuable trinket you 
 can offer them is a brown bear carved in copper. 
 That's the very thing 1 =" 
 
 "Who shall take it to the tribe?" asked Mr. 
 Dutton hastily. 
 
 " Hadn't these Chilkats better go ? " 
 
 But the packers hung back, and Peeschee explained, 
 with a shrug of his shoulders, that they belonged to 
 another and inferior clan, the Penguins, and did not 
 relish meeting their superiors. 
 
 Thereupon Mr. Dutton declared he would go him- 
 
kr\ 
 
 202 TAe Red Mountain of Alaska, 
 
 self, leaving Dick in command of the camp, and taking 
 Peeschee along as guide. Carlo should have been left 
 at home, but managed to slip off just as they were 
 stiirting, and only joined them when it was too late to 
 send him back. The council of war had been held 
 late at night; the ransom party started early next 
 morning. 
 
 As they advanced, Mr. Dutton found that he was 
 entering a tract of country strikingly different from 
 anything he had yet seen. A fire seemed to have 
 swept over it at some remote period, clearing off all 
 the larger timber. In the valleys and along the 
 water-courses vegetation had sprung up and flourished 
 luxuriantly ; but from the hills the very soil itself 
 had been washed away by heavy rains, leaving only 
 the bare ledges. These were composed mostly of 
 limestone, and were full of caves, so that one huge 
 precipice looked fairly ! ^e a bank filled with swallows* 
 nests. 
 
 " Soft I soft I " whispered Peeschee, motioning with 
 his hand. " Much big lot Chilkat squaw 1 " 
 
 Peeschee was a little in advance, and had nimbly 
 mounted to the top of one of those boulders left 
 by the ice-drift of the glacial period. The other 
 crept to his side, and peered over the edge of the 
 boulder. 
 
 About a hundred yards beyond them was the Indian 
 village, in plain sight. The huts were at the base of 
 one of those high and steep precipices pierced with 
 caves. They were built of timber and brush, with 
 huge, shaggy bear-skins thrown over them. In a 
 little open space between the huts and a small lake 
 which stretched away to the westward were twenty or 
 thirty hideous-looking old squaws, wrapped in blankets 
 
Captured by Brown Bears. 
 
 203 
 
 I left 
 were 
 ite to 
 held 
 next 
 
 and seated in a circle aronnd a man and boy, who were 
 lying, bonnd hand and foot, in their midst. 
 
 A glance only was necessary to identify the captives 
 as the two missing members of the expedition, Solomon 
 and Hngh. 
 
 The faces of the two presented a strange contrast 
 Solomon glared at his jaile^c witl* a lool' of extreme 
 disfavour, that wonld have mad 3 Mi. Dutton shout 
 with laaghter hnd not the sitnalion been so serious. 
 Hngh, on the contrary, was pale as death, and, while 
 he tried his best to look amiable, kept glancing around 
 for succour. 
 
 Mr. Dutton and Peeschee, lying on their faces, and 
 peering through the thick boughs of a spruce, could 
 easily see all this without being seen. 
 
 The squaws now set up an excited jabbering, 
 pointing at the two whites before them, and discussing 
 some point with the utmost vehemence. 
 
 Peeschee made out, after a while, that they were 
 indifferent what became of poor Hugh, but that they 
 wanted Solomon for a husband, several of the ugliest 
 of the lot claiming him, each to the exclusion of the 
 rest. Perhaps it was fortunate that the long-limbed 
 hunter could not understand what they were up to, 
 or he might have expressed himself vigorously as to 
 a matrimonial alb'aiice with any of the fair ^^ Brown 
 Bears " before him. 
 
 " Where do you suppose ciie men are ? " whispered 
 Mr. Dutton to his companion. 
 
 "Men gone 'way off to fish. All come back in 
 winter. Live in wigwam now." 
 
 " Well, the women won't hurt their prisoners, will 
 they ? " 
 
 " Squaws much bad," replied the Fox, sententiously. 
 
 Ill 
 1*1 
 
 V:.. 
 
204 ^^ ^^^ Mountain of Alaska, 
 
 
 ifsl 
 
 U »;j'! 
 
 " Worse than men." 
 
 Whatever plan might have been matured fbr a 
 rescue was now frustrated by a move on Carlo's part. 
 The faithful Newfoundland was as much interested in 
 the scene as anybody ; and when Mr. Dutton uncon- 
 sciously loosened his grip on his collar, the dog freed 
 himself by a sudden jerk, and went crashing down 
 through the bushes toward his young master. 
 
 A perfect Babel of voices ensued. Two or three 
 dozen lean, sharp-nosed curs, such as the Alaskans 
 use for their sledges in the winter, sprang toward the 
 intruder, yapping , snarling, and howling vociferously. 
 The ring of squaws started to their feet, and several 
 muskets were produced from hiding-places. Carlo 
 paid no attention to any one until he had given both 
 Hugh and Solomon a plentiful lapping all over their 
 faces, a caress which they could not prevent, as their 
 hands were tied behind them. 
 
 Immediate action was necessary. Mr. Dutton and 
 the Fox hesitated no longer, but followed in Carlo's 
 tracks. Feeschee advanced first, holding up his hands 
 in sign of amity. 
 
 The squaws, seeing a man of their own colour, 
 lowered the threatening muzzles of their old Hudson's 
 Bay muskets. 
 
 ^^ I have come from the great white medicine-man," 
 said Feeschee, rapidly, in his own tongue, "to visit 
 the royal clan of tJie Chilkats, the nolsle Brown 
 Bears 1 " 
 
 The squaws looked at one another, but made no 
 reply. 
 
 "The medicine-man has decided to give lo the 
 Brown Bears, and the women of the Brown Bears, 
 a marvellous present." 
 
»» 
 
 41 
 
 
 ■•»^ '-'^■•'' "^ -<.''A4t>. ..,.>«lV..^..t. 
 
 
 ii 
 
 I : 
 
 f v 
 
 I' i 
 
 m 
 
 i4 
 
 " I COME FROM THE GREAT MEDICINE MAN." 
 
 rwmmmmmmmm'mm 
 
5 ■' 
 
 m 
 
 M 
 
 I 
 
 ) 
 
 
Captured by Brown Bears, 
 
 207 
 
 Sensation among the squaws. 
 
 " Have yon ever seen an image of the terrible, the 
 fierce bear himself, the dweller in caves, the awful one, 
 engraved in the rich copper of the mountain? No, 
 you have not I Here, the great white medicine-man 
 is ready to give this to you. See 1 '* And he held up 
 Flossie's trinket, so that the sunlight glinted on the 
 bright metal. 
 
 Several of the sqiuiWB started forward eagerly, 
 when Peeschee suddenly drew back. 
 
 "Wait I" he commanded, waving his hand. "I 
 will consult the medicine-man once more." 
 
 He beckoned, and Mr. Button came forward from 
 the grove, where he had been awaiting this signal. 
 
 Peeschee whispered one or two words to him, and 
 then turned once more to the Chilkats, whose brows 
 were beginning to darken. 
 
 " He consents to give you the wonderful image on 
 one condition. That is that you will set free the 
 captives now lying beside us, the mighty man with 
 the long arm, and the boy beloved by the black dog ; 
 and, moreover, that you will do no harm to his tribe, 
 who must shortly pass through the village of the 
 Brown Bears on their way to the mountains of fire." 
 
 Peeschee well knew that no Alaskan Indian would 
 approach within twenty miles of a volcano. The 
 statement that the white men were to visit those 
 abodes of evil spirits and magic evidently impressed 
 them, as he had mtended it should. 
 
 " The women of the Brown Bears will let the boy 
 go with the black dog," they announced, after some 
 consultation among themselves ; and, stooping down, 
 one of them cut the thongs that bound poor Hugh, 
 who staggered stiffly to his feet, rubbing his joints, 
 
 I:; 
 
 
 m 
 
 r\ 
 
HI 
 
 M 
 
 '^i 
 
 'H 
 
 it 
 
 '. 'iK 
 
 
 U 
 
 208 TAe Red Mountain of Alaska, 
 
 and groaning in spite of himself at the twinges the 
 change of position caused him. 
 
 " No I " said Peeschee, firmly. " Both must go 
 free. And if the Bears should refuse, then will the 
 storm come upon their village, as it did yesterday, 
 and destroy every woman in the trihe for the evil 
 done to the white strangers I " 
 
 Whatever effect Peeschee's speech might have had, 
 Mr. Dutton added the last straw by producing a small 
 pocket-mirror, which he handed to Peeschee. The 
 latter held it carelessly so as to let the light reflect 
 from it straight into the eyes of first one, then another, 
 of the delighted squaws. 
 
 As with one accord, two or three of them freed their 
 coveted bridegroom, and again stretched out their 
 hands for the gifts. 
 
 "Not yet," said Peeschee, solemnly. "When the 
 Bun shall touch the trees on yonder hill, and all the 
 tribe of the great white medicine-man shall have gone 
 their way toward the land of fire, then shall you have 
 both gifts, and some of the white man's tea to cheer 
 your hearts. Farewell 1 " 
 
 With these words, all four started on the return 
 trip to the camp, not without misgivings that some 
 squaw might repent, and select their backs for tar- 
 gets. Instead of this, however, the women began a 
 strange chant, swaying to and fro, and waving both 
 armS; until the travellers were out of sight. Even 
 then the wailing notes, like a dirge, could be heard 
 floating after them down the valley.* 
 
 * If any of my boy readers should think that Peeschee spoke 
 in more lofty strains than would be possible for a degraded 
 Alaskan Indian to use, let him send to the proper source for a 
 copy of an address recently made at Met-lah-Kah-tla by one of 
 

 the 
 
 go 
 the 
 
 •day, 
 
 evil 
 
 Captured by Brown Bears. 209 
 
 With all haste the camp was reached, goods packed, 
 and the party put in marching order. By noon they 
 came once more to the village. To the surprise of 
 all, not a living being was in sight. The wigwams 
 were perfectly deserted, and not even a dog was to be 
 seen. Evidently, the Brown Bears feared a summary 
 punishment from the mighty medicine-man, or " Sha- 
 man," to use the native term, who bore about upon 
 his august person the image of their savage prototype. 
 
 At last Florence descried a dark face peering down 
 from one of the caves high above them ; then another 
 and another. The squaws had taken to earth, and, 
 while there, were certainly safe. 
 
 Peeschee alone stayed behind, and, when he had 
 given the expedition time enough to gain a dozen 
 miles by hard walking, he called in low, soft tones to 
 the women. One by one they came trooping in. 
 
 The Fox pointed silently to the sunlight, just gild- 
 ing the topmost boughs of the far-off spruces on the 
 hilly horizon, as it sank from sight. 
 
 Then he drew from his pouch the copper trinket, 
 the looking-glass, and a half-pound package of tea. 
 These articles he placed on the ground, waved his 
 hands, as if in blessing, over the village, and departed 
 with stately stride. 
 
 Once out of sight, his dignity departed, and he 
 scrambled through the woods like a wild cat, over- 
 taking the main body at a little after midnight. 
 
 The hieroglyphic on the map was clear. The Brown 
 Bears dwelling in the caves,— any one could see it 
 now. 
 
 the natives, in which much more stately language was used 
 than that employed by the humble guide of the Dutton 
 expedition. 
 
2IO The Red Mountain of Alaska, 
 
 To avoid the hills, the route on the morrow swerved 
 toward the north. The three peculiar-looking marks, 
 " like croquet hoops," observed Floss, proved to indi- 
 cate three rounded mountains, far to the west. The 
 dots, some eighty miles further on, asserted themselves 
 as swarms of mosquitoes in a swampy territory ; while 
 the three K's, to the east, were nothing more or less 
 than flying eagles, of whom an immense number were 
 seen soaring above the cliffs near the camp on 
 August 20th. 
 
 On the next day a discovery was made which 
 struck terror into every heart. It meant privation, 
 danger of a fearfal kind, possibly death to one or all 
 of the party. It will need but one sentence to explain 
 all. And that must be the opening sentence of the 
 next chapter. 
 
 
1 
 
 ved 
 
 rks, 
 ndi- 
 The 
 Ives 
 ^hile 
 less 
 Vrere 
 on 
 
 hich 
 tion, 
 r all 
 )lain 
 'the 
 
 Sf 
 
 i 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 HALT I 
 
 WINTER— a white valley between dark 
 monntain walls reaching np, up, 
 into the cold blue ice of eternal 
 glaciers, until they lose themselves 
 in white frost clouds, impenetrable in 
 their clammy folds — two log huts, or 
 rather shanties, one of them contain- 
 ing, besides two women, one black 
 and the other white, a sick girL tossing feverishly on 
 the pile of fir and cedar boughorMat serve for a bed. 
 
 Reader, I told you in thelfast chapter that you 
 could read in one sentence the story of the mis- 
 fortune that had been threatening the Buttons ever 
 since the miserable adventure at Fort Selkirk, and 
 which had stared them plainly in the face ere they 
 had accomplished half the distance between the 
 river and their fateful goal. Fever had overtaken our 
 sunny-haired little Flossie. Far from every physician 
 and every comfort of home, the mother had seen with 
 agony the symptoms gaining from day to day. 
 
 Why did th6y not turn and hasten back to the 
 settlements ? you say. Because return up the Yukon, 
 against the swift current, was impossible with the 
 
{I 
 
 212 The Red Mountain of Alaska. 
 
 only means of transportation at their command ; and 
 from Fort Yukon, where they struck off from the 
 river, to its mouth would have been a voyage of a 
 clear tkotisand miles, and that, too, through the very 
 kind of district most conducive to the malarial dis- 
 order which threatened the girl — to say nothing of 
 the countless perils of the trip. Even should they 
 reach the sea in safety, they would be too late to 
 take the last south-bound ships to the settlements ; 
 and the small post at St. Michael's, in the midst of 
 a desolate land of wintry storms, was not an alluring 
 prospect. 
 
 Had all gone well, the lieutenant had hoped to pilot 
 his party, after the Bed Mountain was found and 
 roughly surveyed, to the country lying about the 
 head-waters of the Copper River, down which they 
 could raft to the coast, and make the short sea-trip 
 easily in canoes to Sitka. 
 
 " Had all gone well 1 " But all had not gone well ; 
 and here was the expedition snowed in, in the Interior 
 of one of the wildest and coldest habitable countries on 
 the globe, mth no prospect of release until the follow- 
 ing May ; and with a sick girl suffering for want of 
 proper nursing and medicine. Truly, all had not 
 gone well I 
 
 To understand fully just how matters stood, we 
 must retrace our steps a little. 
 
 We left the expedition on the borders of a small 
 and exquisitely beautiful lake, surrounded by stately 
 red cedars of centuries' growth. This is the first you 
 have heard of the lake, you say ? Turn back and look 
 at Peeschee's invaluable chart. In the centre, do you 
 see that circle with something like a double-barbed 
 arrow sticking up beside it? That is the lake; the 
 
Halt ! 
 
 213 
 
 arrow indicated, beyond a doubt, the lofty trees that 
 mirrored their evergreen branches in its clear depths 
 along the northern shore. 
 
 Beantiful, beyond anything they had yet seen, was 
 this broad, placid sheet of water, stretching away to 
 the south for nearly twenty miles. But before morning 
 the travellers wished themselves a thousand leagues 
 from its dimpling waves and bosky shores. 
 
 Little Floss had complained quietly, during the day, 
 of greater fatigue than usual. 
 
 " It makes my back ache so," she said, " to climb 
 over these trees I " 
 
 So the Indians made an armchair, as they had 
 in the pass, and carried her for a while. But she 
 soon tired of this, and asked to be allowed to walk 
 again. 
 
 " Never mind," said Uncle Dick, cheerfully. " We're 
 going straight toward home now, little girl. In not 
 many days we shall see salt water again, and you 
 shall have your cosy old room at Sitka." 
 
 Flossie did not reply, but a tear trembled at the 
 end of her long brown lashes, as she thought of 
 Sheldon and home. That night, in the camp beside 
 the lake, she had an unmistakable chill, and the next 
 morning was so feverish and weak that they did not 
 dare to move on. 
 
 During the day, however, and the two that followed, 
 she gained rapidly ; so much so they started forward 
 again on their weary march. About a week later they 
 found themselves in the rough country indicated on 
 the map by marks like this, A A A A* 
 
 Here the poor girl utterly gave out, and from the 
 twenty-fifth of August until the tenth of September 
 the expedition remained in permanent camp, their 
 
'■J f 
 
 hi ■■■ 
 
 \k -A. 
 
 
 N 
 
 214 7^i^^ i?^^ Mountain of Alaska. 
 
 hopes now raised by a eeemiDg improyement in her 
 health, now depressed again by renewed attacks of 
 chills and fever. 
 
 The wind began to sweep down savagely from 
 the heights beyond, and the nights became very 
 cold. 
 
 One morning, the ground wp j, fonnd to be white 
 with a heavy frost. It was plain that something 
 mnst be done, and that quickly. 
 
 A council was called, and the men all gathered 
 ronnd the blazing fire in front of the tents. 
 
 " It's of no use to try to return to the settlements, 
 that's certain," began Mr. Button. "We are over 
 three hundred miles from the Yukon, and, if we 
 found the fort abandoned for the winter, we should 
 have a clear thousand miles of rafting before us, 
 down to St. Michael's, all the time through low 
 country. Flossie's only safety" — here the strong 
 man's moustache twitched, but he controlled him- 
 self and went on — "is in keeping to the high 
 grounds." 
 
 " And we may just as well give up all idea of going 
 on," added the lieutenant, gloomily. " In the first 
 place, Flossie isn't fit to move ; and secondly, we are 
 a good three hundred miles from the nearest point on 
 the coast — say somewhere along William's Sound — 
 unless all my calculations are wrong." 
 
 " And no sign of the Red Mountain yet 1 " 
 
 It was Robert who spoke last. All eyes were 
 turned on Peeschee, who felt that his reputation was 
 at stake. 
 
 " Red Mountain there ! " said the Indian, impress- 
 ively, pointing to the south-east. 
 
 " Well, for my part," grumbled Solomon, who had 
 
n her 
 ;ks of 
 
 from 
 very 
 
 A COUNCIL OF WAR. 
 
4 I 
 
 lU 
 
 SI 
 
 , .>^jS 
 
Halt! 
 
 217 
 
 thns far taken no part in the discnssion, '^ I'm inclined 
 tew believe that the Fox, thar, dreamed the whole 
 basinesB 1 Thar ain't no Red Maonnting, and thar 
 never was." He struck the batt of his rifle on the 
 ^ronnd, to emphasize his words. " And never was I " 
 he repeated angrily. 
 
 Peeschee drew himself np to his full height. He 
 regarded the hunter one moment in silence. Then 
 said slowly, — 
 
 "Red Mountain there. Peeschee no lie. He go 
 bring back red rock. Come back in one moon," 
 making a circular sweep with his hand. 
 
 Before any one could stop him, or realize what he 
 was doing, the Fox turned his back on the little group 
 by the fire, and strode off toward the woods. 
 
 " By George, that's rough I " exclaimed Richard, 
 springing to his feet. 
 
 Solomon grasped his riile angrily, and glared after 
 the retreating Indian. 
 
 " I swan, he's up tew some rascally trick 1 " shouted 
 the sinewy backwoodsman. "Come back here, you 
 sneaking Fox I Come back, or I'll stop ye in a way 
 ye won't like ! " 
 
 "Hold on, Solomon," interposed the leader, seeing 
 that his follower was really in earnest, "you can't 
 stop him now, and if you did he'd make off within 
 twenty-four hours. The sooner he goes the sooner 
 he'll get back." 
 
 " I tell you he's goin' to get some tribe 0' Bears 
 or Penguins or Catamaounts or some o' his ugly 
 packs daown on us," said Solomon, still fingering 
 his rifle excitedly. "Thar never was an honest 
 Injun vit, an' I don't believe the line's started with 
 a Fox." 
 
f'^M i ' 
 
 I' i P' ■ 
 
 ,1 ' ' 
 
 ( '^.y* 
 
 ; il 
 
 8^ .' 
 
 2i8 7">^^ Red Mountain of Alaska. 
 
 By this time the altercation was needless, for, 
 with a parting wave of his hand, Peeschee was 
 lost to sight in the thick "black growth," that 
 covered the foothills of the lofty range along the 
 horizon. 
 
 " Well," resumed Mr.. Button, with a sigh, " there's 
 one mouth less to feed for a month, any way." 
 
 "We can't stay in these tents much longer," 
 suggested Hugh, "or we'll freeze to death. I was 
 awfully cold last night." 
 
 It was curious that nobody referred to the map. 
 There seemed to be a tacit understanding that it 
 should not be consulted in this emergency. The last 
 time Mr. Dutton had produced Peeschee's masterpiece 
 which had travelled across the continent to Sheldon 
 a year before, and back again in the wealthy mill- 
 owner's inside vest-pocket, a strange expression had 
 come into the faces that were gathered round him, 
 and were looking over his shoulder as usual. The 
 route was clearly traced from the fort on the Yukon 
 to their present camp. There were the cataract, the 
 caves of the Bears, the Three Buttes, the insect-infested 
 swamp, the eagles on the wing, the fair lake with its 
 symbol of the magnificent forest beside it ; yes, and 
 the hill country was plainly enough defined. Why, 
 then, shudder at the first glance upon this faithful 
 chart ? 
 
 Ah, there was one more hieroglyphic, whose fearful 
 import none could mistake. At the very spot where 
 they were encamped, and where all possibility of 
 either retreat or advance was cut ofl^, was reared the 
 hateful symbol of death, the skull and bone. Could 
 it be, then, that this was to be the end of their 
 labours ? The map vas hastily thrust aside — buried 
 
)J 
 
 Haltt 
 
 219 
 
 deep at the bottom of the largest pack of goods, 
 where no careless hand could reach it and bring it 
 unwittingly to light. 
 
 Out of sightp—out of sight— but not one of the party 
 forgot. 
 
 -m. 
 
 18 
 
mi 
 
 r 
 
 i! f 
 
 
 CHAPTER XXI, 
 
 WINTER-QUAETERS. 
 
 tflirriHE lieutenant was the first to throw off 
 L the gloom which oppressed the little circle 
 round the fire after Peeschee's departure. 
 " Well," he cried, cheerily, " there's no 
 use in our moping here, at all events. 
 I've been in a good deal tighter place 
 than this, and I don't give up the ship. If we are to 
 stay here for a while, we must have a place to live in.'* 
 " Flossie is certainly no worse," added Mr. Dutton, 
 catching the other's hopeful tone. "Perhaps the 
 winter air will be the very best thing for her, if 
 we can make a comfortable shelter for the cold 
 months." 
 
 ^' Oh, good, good 1 " cried little Nat, who had 
 just run out from his sister's tent. " Shall we have 
 a real log cabin to live in? Like President Lin- 
 coln ? " 
 
 Mr. Dutton laughed. " Who knows, Nat," said he, 
 taking the boy on his kneo, " but you will be President 
 some day ? and people will read about President 
 Nathaniel Button's early hardships in the wilds of 
 Alaska 1 " 
 " Well; I know 'twould make an awfiil good book," 
 
Winter- Quarters, 
 
 221 
 
 row off 
 Le circle 
 rture. 
 ,ere's no 
 
 events. 
 
 er place 
 
 ^e are to 
 
 live in." 
 
 Dutton, 
 laps tlie 
 her, if 
 the cold 
 
 who had 
 
 we have 
 
 lient Lin- 
 
 " said he, 
 J president 
 
 President 
 le wilds of 
 
 ood book," 
 
 said the boy, decidedly. " I just wish 1 conld read it 
 about somebody else. Won't you tell a man all about 
 it when we get home, papa, and let him make a book 
 of it?" 
 
 " And put you in ? " 
 
 " Yes, and Carlo, and all 1 " 
 
 "Illustrated?" 
 
 " Of course, papa." 
 
 Solomon set up a great laugh. 
 
 "I'd jest like to see a picter o* me drawn into a 
 book," said he. " Haow pooty 'twould be I Make it 
 sell like hot buns I " 
 
 " Well, I know you aren't very nice-looking," said 
 Nat, frankly, "but you're awfully strong, Solomon, 
 and I guess you're real good, too. I'd have a picture 
 of you chopping down that tree for a bridge I " 
 
 Solomon laughed again, as he exchanged his rifle 
 for an axe, and gave the fire a kick with his heavy 
 boot to settle the red brands ; and remarked that 
 " ef he wus goin' to set fer his picter, he guessed he'd 
 better be buildin' a haouse to den up in, over winter," 
 — a figure taken from the hibernating habits of his 
 neighbour, Ursiis Arctos, of Alaska. 
 
 The men now went to work with a will. The 
 sounds of axes, the rustle of flying chips, the crackling 
 and crashing of falling trees, filled the air with cheery 
 sounds and delicious woody smells. 
 
 " I'm hungry as an ox," said Rob, when dinner- 
 time came. " Best forenoon's work I ever did 
 yet." 
 
 Flossie's eyes brightened with interest, and she 
 listened eagerly to the plans of the architects. 
 
 " We shall need two big log huts," said Mr. Dutton, 
 " connected by a covered passage-way. Each of them 
 
(I r 
 
 It' 
 
 r-5« Red Mountain of Alaska. 
 
 222 X ri'^ s.^^-^ — 
 
 ^= One of the huts, on a 
 ^ be divided into ^^^^^^^^^ a little nearer 
 little Ugher gronnd tb»i the^otn . ^^^^ .^ .^^ 
 the shelter of the woods, shall fa ^^ ^^y 
 
 yon and me Ella, ^^d f» » ^^^ ^, ,^, ^.^laing 
 
 iu rr- «~- -^ ^^"^"^ '''"'' 
 
 T^^S:ren''»rXe other hnUding, and 
 beds for the rest of the ffl^n- ^^^^^^^^ g^gj,, 
 
 "Teddy shall sleep close by , ^^^^^^ . ^ 
 throwing his arm "T"^ *„U.Larted Ted re- 
 demonstration to ^^fj^ hng. Carlo set up a 
 .ponded vrith -''^dd everybody was in the 
 loud barking, 3^^^ ^"^ ^ ' 
 
 best of spirits. fireplace in eacb 
 
 «Tliere will be a g^od large P ^^ ^^^ ^^^ 
 
 l,nt," Mr. Button ^^^^^'^X^^ ,^, brook, about 
 
 some good clayjrom the banks ^^^ ^^^^,y 
 
 half-a-mUe above here , ana 
 
 enough." , ^ ^gre hard at work. 
 
 That »ft«™°°\f ,£t, Twinging his shining 
 Solomon was m "^fj^^^ ^^^ tree. Poplars and 
 axe, and bringing down tree Mt ^^ ^^ ^„^ 
 
 .prices were mostly f^^^^ two feet in diameter, 
 long straight trunks, from one to ^^^^^ ^^^^ 
 
 As soon as a ^fl'^Z.tT^^o lewJd off the few 
 tr Bichard and his ^™*f ' ™%rtion, and cut the 
 itoughs that grew from he lowerpo ^ ^^^ ^^^ 
 
 ?ogs toto uniform l«"g*^VLSy Hugh and Bx,b, 
 lafge branches were pnlled wa) y ^^.^^^ ._^ 
 
 who cut off the ^r^l^^ 1^^! I, "camp, and piled ^p 
 
 were taken to » P<f * 'f%^ chUkats did not relish 
 by Teddy and little Nat. 
 
Winter- Quarters, 
 
 223 
 
 >, ona 
 nearer 
 I it .for 
 j,8 well 
 oilding 
 living- 
 
 ag, and 
 
 I Hugh, 
 Ider ; a 
 Ted re- 
 et np a 
 1,8 in the 
 
 in each 
 
 can get 
 
 ok, about 
 
 :e plenty 
 
 at work. 
 A shining 
 oplars and 
 wood and 
 1 diameter, 
 inced upon 
 3ff the few 
 md cut the 
 feet. The 
 h and Bob, 
 lich in turn 
 ind piled up 
 id not relish 
 
 the work, and, rather to the relief of the leader, dis- 
 appeared at the close of the day ; nor did he ever set 
 eyes on them again. They probably joined some of their 
 tribe on the Yukon. Fortunately, the camp was so 
 carefully guarded by Solomon and Carlo, with a view 
 to this very contingency, that nothing whatever was 
 stolen by the deserters, beyond a small case of canned 
 beef. 
 
 Next morning, work went on with more alacrity 
 than ever, although the assistance of the runaway 
 Ohilkats, poor as it had been, was missed in handling 
 the heavy timbers. Joe and Jim, however, laboured 
 bravely in their stead. 
 
 By the middle of the afternoon, Solomon, who had 
 quietly assumed direction of the house-building, 
 announced that he had logs enough to make a start. 
 In addition to the longer pieces, he had cut about 
 twenty, shorter by fifteen feet. 
 
 The boys had been employed in levelling off the 
 site as well as they could without a shovel. The spot 
 chosen for the hut which was to be put up first, for 
 the use of the ladies, was peculiarly favourable to the 
 purpose. 
 
 There was a large rock, sloping down gradually on 
 the side toward the woods, but presenting an abrupt 
 and vertical face, some six feet high, at its opposite 
 extremity. Solomon resolved that this should form 
 the back of his fireplace, which was to be midway in 
 the longer wall of the hut. 
 
 Four logs were now laid on the ground, and care- 
 fully levelled by wedging them into place with rocks 
 and turf. They formed a perfect parallelogram, forty 
 feet by twenty-five. The rear forty-foot log came 
 within three feet of the perpendicular face of the 
 
' i . '< 
 
 
 I ll 
 
 r^i' M.,i: 
 
 224 Tike Red Mountain of Alaska, 
 
 bonlder just described. This log was now cut away 
 in front of the intended fireplace, which was to be six 
 feet broad. 
 
 The logs were notched deeply at the corners of 
 the hut, and saddled, as had been done in the raft- 
 making. At every point a strong upright pole was 
 driven to hold the ends of the ' gs which were not 
 supported by saddling on others. This was necessary 
 at the sides of the fireplace and the door. The full 
 length of the lowest log was left across the latter, 
 as Solomon explained that it would make the whole 
 hut firmer, and they could easily step over it in going 
 in and out. 
 
 The laying of the four foundation timbers, and 
 driving stakes, occupied the builders until eight o'- 
 clock, when darkness stopped the work. That night 
 the mercury in Mr. Button's little camp-thermo- 
 meter fell to 29° Fahrenheit, and ice formed across 
 puddles and in deep footprints down by the brook. 
 The sun came out warmly, however ; and the brac- 
 ing atmosphere not only added an incentive to the 
 labours of building, but lightened them. Little 
 Nat's work was constantly to help Teddy collect 
 green fir and spruce boughs, and soft, thick moss ; 
 they soon had a pile of each as large as a good-sized 
 haycock. 
 
 Chloe absented herself on this particular morning 
 for a couple of hours, much to Mrs. Button's sur- 
 prise. She returned, however, bearing a big armful 
 of green and withered rushes, of which a great abund- 
 ance lined a cove in a small pond close by. These 
 rushes she dried before the fire, and, while they were 
 spread out, gathered as many more, cutting every 
 blade with scissors. On the morrow she showep 
 
Winter- Quarters. 
 
 325 
 
 Mrs. Button how to braid the rushes into long 
 ropes. These she proposed to coil up so as to make 
 matting, but both string and thread were scarce. 
 What should she do ? She had recourse to Solomon, 
 who was half-way through the trunk of a seventy-five- 
 foot poplar. 
 
 "Let me see," said the chopper, leaving his axe 
 buried in the wood, " I guess I c'n find suthin' that'll 
 dew ye. Look here 1 " 
 
 He pulled up a little spruce, not more than a foot 
 high, that grew beside the brook. As he shook the 
 dirt oflf, Chloe could see a large number of fine, long 
 rootlets. 
 
 " See ef ye c'n break one." 
 
 The negro woman found them tough as stationers' 
 twine. 
 
 " Naow," said Solomon, resuming his axe, " them's 
 what the Injuns use in sewing their bark canoes. 
 You want to git a lot o' them leetle roots, and bile 
 'em half a day. Then they'll hold till the caows come 
 home." 
 
 Chink ! chunk ! went the axe, and the poplar chips 
 began to fly in such a shower that Chloe was glad to 
 retreat. Hugh helped her to gather the roots, and 
 before night she had an ample stock of spruce thread. 
 The mats grew daily after that. Flossie was never 
 tired of seeing the old nurse braid rushes, and even 
 helped with her own little thin fingers once in a 
 while. 
 
 The hut was floored with long spruce poles, laid 
 side by side, and hastily levelled. Chloe's mats laid 
 over these, with a few fir boughs under the hollows 
 and uneven spots, would make the hut comfortable 
 under foot. 
 
■fi vh 
 
 '' 1 
 
 '' 'I 1 
 
 ill '^' M 
 yf 4 ' hi 
 
 226 The Red Mountain of Alaska, 
 
 The walls were raised higher and higher. Solomon 
 chopped steadily from morning till night. "Bein*fl 
 the others had Tamed haow to lay the logs," he said, 
 " I'd better use the axe." No one disputed him, for 
 he could chop twice as fast as any other person in 
 camp, besides showing superior judgment in selecting 
 and felling the trees. 
 
 The inside of the hut was roughly partitioned off 
 with light upright poles, covered with bark, to the 
 height of about seven feet. Above that interstices 
 were left, for free circulation of air. Across the ends 
 opening into the main room they expected to hang 
 skins, which could be drawn back most of the time. 
 Two small window-openings were left in the front 
 wall. When asked how they were to be "glazed," 
 Solomon chuckled, and said he'd show 'em before 
 long. 
 
 One morning he announced that no more logs 
 would be necessary, in his opinion, for either house. 
 There were enough down to build both. As for 
 himself, he guessed he would take a holiday. And, 
 with his peculiar chuckle, he strolled off, rifle on 
 shoulder. 
 
 Late In the afternoon he returned, staggering under 
 a queer burden. It was a large bundle, apparently 
 wrapped in dark brown fur. 
 
 "Thar I" said Solomon, still chuckling. <*Thar's 
 your glabs fer the winders ! " 
 
 Nat would not be satisfied xmtil Solomon ex- 
 plained himself. The backwoodsman untied the 
 folds of the fur, which proved to be the skin of a 
 good- sized bear, of the now familiar brown variety. 
 Inside the skin was a rather unsavoury-looking mass 
 of flesh from the animal himself. TMs consisted of 
 
Winter-Quarters, 
 
 327 
 
 Dlomon 
 ' Bein'B 
 le said, 
 lim, for 
 irson in 
 electing 
 
 oned off 
 , to the 
 terstices 
 the ends 
 to hang 
 ;he time, 
 ihe front 
 * glazed," 
 m before 
 
 lore logs 
 Ler honse. 
 As for 
 ly. And, 
 F, rifle on 
 
 ■ing nnder 
 apparently 
 
 « That's 
 
 loraon ex- 
 antied the 
 I skin of a 
 vm variety, 
 loking mass 
 sonsisted of 
 
 steaks, skilfnlly sliced off by Solomon, and a pile of 
 intestines. 
 
 "What on earth did yon bring that home for?" 
 asked Mrs. Dntton, after one look at his booty. 
 
 " Yon'U see, ma'am, before night." 
 
 Solomon, with the assistance of the boys, stretched 
 the hide of the bear on the inside of one end of the 
 hnt, now nearly completed. Having no nails, he was 
 obliged to drive wooden pegs through the pelt. He 
 then proceeded to thoroughly clean ont and wash 4;he 
 intestines, which he next cut open, and stretched to 
 their utmost across the logs, as he had the larger 
 skin. Within a week they were hard and dry, and, 
 on being fastened across the rude window frames, 
 served excellently the purpose of glass. This he had 
 learned from the natives' of Eamschatka, across the 
 straits. 
 
 Solomon made one or two more hunting expeditions, 
 and brought home the hides of several black and 
 brown bears, and one grizzly. The claws of the 
 latter he saved, and gave to Florence for a neck- 
 lace I He secured and laid up at the same time 
 a plentiful supply of tallow, or "bear's greese," for 
 the manufacture of candles and various household 
 purposes. 
 
 He stretched and dried a dozen or more sheets of 
 intestine, telling Mr. Button they would need to wear 
 them over their eyes on the intensely bright days of 
 spring, when the snow was on the ground and the sun 
 high. 
 
 Robert took every opportunity to assist in purveying 
 for the expedition, and was fortunate enough to come 
 upon a hillside perfectly honeycombed with marmots' 
 burrows. He managed to snare a dozen or more of 
 
 I' * 
 
 ^ 1 
 
m 
 
 
 I 
 
 228 T^e Red Mountain of Alaska, 
 
 these little animals, and preserve their skins, from 
 which Solomon promised to show him how to make 
 caps and gloves. A couple of deer and a large moose 
 fell victims to Solomon's unerring aim, and their pelts 
 were added to the stock which was accumulating for 
 use as coverlets. 
 
 The first hut was now roofed over, the rafters being 
 shingled with long red-cedar slabs, which were riven 
 out by Solomon with his axe. They gave a delightful 
 fragrance to the whole hut. 
 
 As soon as the ladies could sleep indoors, which 
 they did with great delight, their tent was used as a 
 smoke-room, and dozens of brook trout and grayling, 
 as well as slices of bear meat and venison, were pre- 
 pared for winter consumption. Teddy and Nat now 
 spent all their time in chinking up the spaces between 
 the logs with moss. As the eaves of the huts were 
 not over six feet from the ground, this was easily 
 done, although it was a long and tedious job. Earth 
 and moss were "banked" against the walls on the 
 outside to the height of four feet ; while all round the 
 end of the Button hut, where the beds were, a second 
 wall was made by laying poles up against the eaves 
 on the outside, and stuffing the space between with 
 boughs and moss. 
 
 The chimneys were Solomon's pride and joy. Using 
 clay from the bed of the brook, he stoned up the 
 sides of the fireplaces, and laid tolerably smooth 
 hearths. But the chimneys were built entirely of 
 small green poplar sticks, laid crosswise, and plas- 
 tered inside and out with all the clay that would 
 stick on. 
 
 Mrs. Dutton was positive that her chimney would 
 burn up, together with the whole hut, when the first 
 
Winter-Quarters, 
 
 229 
 
 fire was built. Solomon assured her, however, that it 
 would last throughout the winter unharmed ; and the 
 result showed that he was right. 
 
 A double door was made, with storm entry between. 
 The idea of connecting the two huts was given up, as 
 liable to let in too much cold through the cracks and 
 joints. As the buildings were only a rod apart, the 
 passage-way was really not needed. Matches were 
 getting scarce, and a fire was kept constantly alight 
 on the hearth. 
 
 To understand how these two huts could be erected 
 in so short a time, it must be remembered that five 
 full-grown men, three strong, healthy boys (besides 
 Nat, whose nimble fingers were of great assistance), 
 and two remarkably capable women, worked during 
 every available hour of daylight, Sundays excepted, 
 for five weeks before the unfurnished, bare walls were 
 completed. Something in the way of tables and 
 benches had to be provided yet. These Solomon pro- 
 posed to make on stormy days. 
 
 A good deal of anxiety was felt about Peeschee, 
 who was now two weeks overdue. 
 
 On the morning of the tenth of October, the first of 
 the Buttons who opened the door noticed something 
 like a white, downy feather float in and disappear. 
 Then another, and another. Before ten o'clock a 
 furious snow-storm was raging. Flossie was worse 
 that morning, as we learned at the opening of this 
 chapter ; but toward afternoon she grew brighter, and 
 took a great interest in the reports of the progress 
 of the storm. She was not told of the anxiety felt 
 by all concerning Peeschee, nor regarding their own 
 future. 
 
 Deeper and deeper fell the snow. The day seemed 
 
230 The Red Mountain of Alaska, 
 
 hardly three honrs long. As night came on, the 
 wind roared and howled like a pack of wolves 
 abont the little hots ; while the flames danced np 
 the chimney and threw their red light over the rongh 
 bark of the logs, the rush mattings on the floor, 
 and the faces of the group gathered round the 
 hearth. 
 
CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 PEESOHEB*S HABVBLLOUS STOIiY. 
 
 THE nights became so cold daring the 
 month of October that the Buttons fonnd 
 they must lay in more wood for ttieir 
 winter's supply. Accordingly, Solomon 
 once more shouldered his axe, and 
 started for the woods. There was one 
 member of the company who had as 
 yet done no work at all, beyond guard- 
 ing the property. His turn had now 
 come, and during the next week his labours wjte by 
 no means light. Who was he ? Come with i^Rihis 
 clear, cold November morning, and take a view of the 
 encampment. 
 
 In one of the huts Mrs. Button is getting break- 
 fast, with the assistance of Chloe and Ted. Already 
 a dish of venison is smoking on the table, which is 
 built of slabs of cedar, rough-hewn with an axe. 
 Benches of the same manufacture are drawn up in 
 readiness for the men and boys, who are just now 
 in the other hut, putting the last touches on a sort 
 of sledge, the runners of TrUch are stout young 
 saplings. The rest of the sledge is of cedar, rendering 
 it both light and strong. Carlo sits on his haunches, 
 and regards this new piece of furniture gravely. Well 
 
 ml 
 
 ■ i 
 
 I 
 
 I 
 
 I 
 
ri 
 
 
 rr 
 
 i«i:4|^ 
 
 [ii 
 
 am 
 
 232 Z^ ^^^if Mountain of Alaska. 
 
 he may, for it is destined to be drawn by him. Yep, 
 he is the new labourer, and, being in Alaska, he must 
 do an Alaskan dog's work. All hands are now sum- 
 moned to breakfast. Flossie takes her place with 
 the rest, and begs permission to pour the tea. Tea- 
 cups are scarce, you observe. The boys have one 
 large tin dipper to pass round. 
 
 Mr. Dutton bows his head and asks a blessing, as 
 gravely as if he were in his own luxurious home in 
 Sheldon. Then the merry hum of voices and laughter 
 begins. 
 
 " Mamma, Teddy is sure he heard a bear outside, 
 last night I " 
 
 " Ho I was it a prickly one, Ted I '* 
 
 " Sure, I heard him shniff at the door." 
 
 " What would a b'ar want wid a do', chile ? He 
 come down de chimbley arter you, 'f ye don' look out I " 
 
 " Your sledge done, Solomon ?" 
 
 " Sartin it is, ma'am. An' this 'ere black fellow 
 wishes he'd gone home with them wuthless Chilkats 
 —don't ye. Carlo ? " 
 
 Thump, thump on the floor, with a shaggy tail. 
 
 " Mother, please give me some more currants — and 
 Nat would like a little apple sauce." 
 
 A strange request, this last, you think ? You ''. 
 not know, then, that, before cold weather set in, Mrs. 
 Dutton gathered several quarts of wild currants near 
 the camp, and by great good-luck discovered a little 
 natural plantation of crab-apple trees, such as grow 
 luxuriantly in the interior of this great territory. 
 The currants she dried for occasional consumption; 
 the apples she stored, and brought out from time to 
 time, in various appetizing shapes. In addition to 
 these fruits of the land, she had collected a large 
 
 
\ i 
 
 im. Yep, 
 I, lie must 
 now sum- 
 ilace with 
 tea. Tea- 
 have one 
 
 leasing, as 
 B home in 
 d laughter 
 
 ar outside, 
 
 ;hile? He 
 look out 1" 
 
 lack fellow 
 9s Chilkats 
 
 y tail, 
 rrants — and 
 
 ? You ^.' 
 set in, Mrs. 
 irrants near 
 ired a little 
 ch as grow 
 bt territory. 
 )nsumption ; 
 rom time to 
 
 addition to 
 ted a large 
 
 SMOKING ON THK TABLE." [/. 23I. 
 
^ 
 
Peeschee^s Marvellous Story. 235 
 
 store of wild onions, to serve as anti-scorbutics during 
 the long winter. 
 
 One more article had been gathered, during those 
 two or three days of uncertainty when the party knew 
 not whether to push on, retreat, or camp. Peeschee 
 himself had been the harvester this time. He had 
 brought in a large armful of a plant with thick, rough 
 leaves, the under side being covered with a soft, 
 brown, "fuzzy" pubstance. When asked what it 
 was, the Fox had replied, laconically, — 
 
 " Tea." 
 
 The others had laughed, and paid no more attention 
 to Peeschee's harvest, supposing it to be some herb, of 
 medicinal qualities, used by the natives. The twigs 
 and leaves were carefully preserved and dried by their 
 finder, however, and were now hanging, in several 
 large bunches, Ip the rafters of the kitchen. 
 
 To return to the Buttons' jolly breakfast table. 
 There is as yet but little daylight. It is eight o'clock, 
 and the sun is not above the mountain topi on the 
 east. The little hut is lighted by two lamps, each 
 made by floating a wick in a dish of bear's grease. 
 Solomon had been aware, when he went bear-hunting, 
 that this commodity abounded in bears at just that 
 season, before they retired to their dens and hollow 
 trees for the winter. 
 
 A faint, yellowish light was already beginning to 
 show through the windows, which, with their stretched 
 skins, looked like square drum-heads, when the men 
 arose from the table and, whistling to Carlo, prepared 
 for a day of work. Both Richard and Solomon had 
 seen too much of Innuit and Esquimaux life not to 
 understand how to harness a dog into a sledge. Carlo 
 had, indeed, been in training for several days, under 
 
:!i 
 
 1 ' 
 
 236 The Red Mountain of Alaska, 
 
 the snperyision of Nat. A harness had been made 
 ^<^'' the Newfoundland from deer-skin thongs, and the 
 had already learned to draw a bnrden with tole- 
 rauie steadiness. Accordingly, he trotted smartly along 
 over the crisp four or five inches of snow toward the 
 woods, Solomon and the rest following with axes. 
 
 All that day the sound of chopping rang out. Trees 
 were felled, cut into four-foot lengths, and laid on the . 
 sledge, a dozen sticks at a time. Carlo pulled lustily, 
 and kept bravely to the work, encouraged by Nat, 
 who drove the sledge, loaded and unloaded it. 
 
 Favoured by several days of fair weather, this 
 method of labour was kept up until several cords of 
 firewood were piled in the kitchen, and a large heap 
 left outside the door. It should be added that much 
 of the cooking was now done in Mrs. Button's own 
 establishment. It had been finally decided that 
 Bichard, Joe, Jim, Peeschee, and all the boys except 
 Nat should occupy the other building, sleeping there, 
 and doing all their rough work beside their own fireside. 
 
 Early one evening, about November the 10th, there 
 was a sound of footsteps outside the door. Hugh 
 sprang to open it, and admitted — Peeschee I The 
 poor fellow was hardly able to stand from hunger and 
 exhaustion ; but before he would touch ?. morsel of 
 food he drew from his pouch a handful of rocks, and 
 handed them to Mr. Dutton, not deigning to look at 
 Solomon, who had long ago repented of his hasty 
 ^fords. 
 
 They all clustered round the specimens, which 
 sparkled in the firelight with a dull-red glow. Beyond 
 a doubt they were splendid examples of the ore of 
 cinnabar. 
 
 " Hooray for you, Fox I " shouted Solomon. 
 
jen made 
 J, and the 
 gntli tolfr- 
 ,Ttly along 
 
 ioward the 
 
 axes. 
 
 out. Trees 
 
 laid on the 
 
 Lied lustily, 
 
 ed hy lilat) 
 
 Led it. 
 
 eather, this 
 
 sral cords of 
 
 a large heap 
 
 d that much 
 
 button's own 
 
 decided that 
 hoys except 
 
 ,eeping there, 
 own fireside. 
 ,e 10th, there 
 door. Hugh 
 escheel The 
 [m hunger and 
 fv morsel ot 
 , of rocks, and 
 ling to loot at 
 of his hasty 
 
 Icimens, which 
 
 glow. Beyond 
 
 of the ore ot 
 
 ited Solomon. 
 
 Peeschee's Marvellous Story. 237 
 
 "You've found the real stuff, sure. Come up here 
 to the fire, old fellow," he continued, dragging the 
 shivering Indian to the hearth, " and get warm before 
 you speak a word. I swan, TU feed ye myself I" 
 And he did. 
 
 Flossie was the only one who caught the gleam 
 of a tear in the eye of the rough hunter, but all 
 were touched by the evident attempt of Solomon 
 to make up for his past harshness and unjust sus- 
 picions. 
 
 Peeschee gravely held out his hand, and grasped 
 that of Baronov, in token of forgiveness ; then applied 
 himself voraciously to the *' penmiican," or smoked 
 and chopped venison, which was set before him. 
 
 After he had eaten and eaten until Chloe became 
 seriously alarmed for his safety, and stood gazing at 
 him with arms akimbo, and the whites of her eyes 
 showing as she stared, Peeschee sat down on the floor 
 and told his story. 
 
 He had travelled straight on, in the line of the trail, 
 for two days. Then a light flurry of snow had covered 
 all marks, and he soon found himself lost in a region 
 of ice and snow. He had struggled on, in what he 
 believed to be the right direction, until he came to a 
 high cliff, which completely blocked his way. At the 
 foot of this precipice he had picked up his specimens 
 of cinnabar. 
 
 Almost fainting from cold, exhaustion, and want of 
 food, he had made his way down to the line of vegeta- 
 tion. There he managed to knock over a partridge, 
 and ate it raw. This gave him strength to travel 
 for a day or two longer, in what direction he knew 
 not. While wandering about aimlessly, he came 
 upon an enormous track in the moss, sunk to the 
 
 14 
 
.,R Tfu Red Mountain of Alaska. 
 
 ^ J WtTtrPT over than a 
 
 depth of several inoHeB, and bigger 
 
 barrel. , „• ^ incredulonsly, mder to 
 
 ..Whewl" 'l"^«!f S was a little ont of h« 
 breath. « I gueBS onr fnena w 
 
 head t" ., „rt„tion to the whisper, or the 
 
 Peeschee paid no »f« »* J ^ y^ head, but con- 
 glances that were exchanged overn B 
 
 tinned gravely. . 4,^^ glacial regionB, 
 
 On the fifth day af**^,/^*^"!. sight of the crea- 
 te averred that he actn.Uy<^»^^^^^^ 
 
 tnre that had left tl^«^™"f J.^ toshes, and presently 
 the animal crashuig ti"°"£*^„ q„admped, covered 
 there came into vi^ » ffi e^rving tnsks of a 
 ^th long hairs, '^'T***" j » month big enough 
 yellowish, shiny "PPf ^^^"^ J He was larger than 
 to swallow a man at one gulp. ^together so 
 
 rpost-trader'B store b»^J«^ ^ „„,ator, fled m 
 frightful to behold that he, tn 
 
 -Tgain the boys^.*^ .^ sSl^e^twg 
 
 he believed the ^l-^-^^J; i^^ed, Peeschee," s^ud 
 
 he"— T^-^-^^*-^*'''"'*''^'''"'" 
 
 «"Xrpl"^^ — ^'^ "^"^^ *'"" ^' " 
 Tougli drawing on t^e stone. ^^» exclaimed 
 
f than ft 
 
 under Tiis 
 'ontofliis 
 
 jper, or the 
 id, but con- 
 
 ,cial regions, 
 of the crea- 
 eeschee heard 
 and presently 
 nped, covered 
 r tnsks ot a 
 LthUgenongh 
 
 as larger than 
 i altogether so 
 ,trator, fled m 
 
 ler, 
 
 their eyes 
 Iprise, however, 
 ^t, on the whole, 
 
 , Peeschee," said 
 t clearing a spot 
 
 [ain there was a 
 
 hantl" esclaimed 
 eagerly over the 
 
 Lho had eyed the 
 Linnters tell of an 
 Lrs in the interior, 
 
 IP Peesche^s Marvellous Story. 239 
 
 only a good deal bigger, an' covered with long hair.* 
 They say thar's only two or three in Alaska, an' 
 nowhars else in the world." 
 
 " I know," exclaimed Robert, suddenly. " Whether 
 it's trne or not, the animal the hunters have described, 
 and l^ee^hee has drawn, is the Mammoth, or pre- 
 historic hairy elephant. In 1800 the body of one of 
 them was frozen into an iceberg in Siberia, and the 
 bones are in the Royal Museum now." 
 
 " Now you speak of it, I believe I've heard the same 
 story around Wrangel," said the lieutenant. " But I 
 always supposed it was only a hunter's yam. I don't 
 know why there may not be a few of those big fellows 
 left, though ! " 
 
 The idea of having these gigantic neighbours was 
 not a pleasant one, and the women were glad when 
 Peeschee was allowed to resume his narrative. 
 
 Shortly after running away from the Mammoth, he 
 said, he sprained his ankle on a snow-covered root, 
 and felt that he could go no further. Making one 
 final offort, and limping painfully along, he was pre- 
 paring to lie down and die when he saw smoke arising 
 through the tree-tops. Pressing on once more, he 
 came upon a small collection of wigwams, containing 
 two or three dozen natives. They proved to be 
 Ungaliks, a little known tribe of the interior, with 
 whom he could only converse with signs. The Indians 
 were hospitable and kind to him ; had sheltered, fed, 
 and nursed Emi, as the Ayans had his father in years 
 gone by ; and at the end of three weeks he had heen 
 ahle to continue his journey, with a pouch full of dried 
 
 ♦ See in recent issue of Alaska Free Press (Sitka) and Boston 
 Journal, Oct. 28th, 1887, reports, by natives, of this strange 
 
i. i 
 
 " I i 
 
 240 T^e Red Mountain of Alaska. 
 
 meat and salmon. After a hard journey of six days* 
 duration he had arrived home. 
 
 " Home I " It was a strange word to apply to these 
 two lonely little hnts in the midst of a wilderness of 
 forest and ice ; but the Buttons felt more thankful 
 than ever for their cosy shelter as they heard 
 Peeschee's story. 
 
: six days' 
 
 ply to these 
 Iderness of 
 re thantful 
 bhey heard 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 OHBISTMAS IN ALASKA. 
 
 AS the winter wore on, all the members of 
 the expedition fonnd that their clothes 
 were becoming decidedly the worse for wear. 
 "Why not make some more?" asked 
 Solomon. 
 « No cloth 1 " 
 1."' " Hnmph I A whole storeful running 
 
 arcund the woods on fonr legs ! " 
 
 Solomon accordingly took Joe and Jim, the two 
 Canadian Indians, and started off for a two-days' hunt. 
 They returned heavily laden with pelts. On being 
 laid out, the furs were found to be long and silky, of 
 a delicate Maltese blue colour. 
 
 " Blue foxes," explained the hunter. " We struck a 
 lot of 'em up towards the maountings. Lucky we've 
 got plenty o' fish an' meat stored up fer winter," he 
 added, with a grave shake of his head. " I've never 
 seed game so scurce in my life. " It's my belief that 
 that 'ere big critter Peeschee saw has scared 'em all 
 away. B'ars is denned up, and I haven't seen a sign 
 o' deer nor moose sence we started." 
 
 The fox-skins were stretched and salted, and, as 
 soon as they were dry enough, were manufactured into 
 garments. As there were over twenty of these skins, 
 
U', 
 
 v^ 
 
 
 :H' 
 
 242 TAe Red Mountain of Alaska, 
 
 everybody soon had at least some bit of blue fox about 
 his person — and a picturesque-looking sight they were. 
 Flossie fairly screamed with delight when they first met 
 at table, wearing their new clothing of blue, silky fur. 
 
 It must be confessed that the days dragged some- 
 what wearily along through November and December. 
 The sun did not rise until about half-past nine o'clock ; 
 then it hung, sulky and red, above the horizon for 
 four or five hours only, and by three o'clock in the 
 afternoon it was dark enough in the ill-lighted huts 
 to use lamps again. They played games, told stories, 
 and even started a newspaper on birch bark. 
 
 The snow kept off marvellously, lying on the 
 ground to the depth of only about ten inches. The 
 boys hunted through the woods near by, but, as 
 Solomon had said, game was so scarce that it hardly 
 paid for the tramp. Many a time they came home 
 completely empty-handed. 
 
 One morning Flossie had an inspiration. Teddy 
 was the unconscious "first cause." 
 
 "Oh, wirral" said he, with his favourite excla- 
 mation, and a comical twist to his faco, "do ye 
 remimber the Christmas we had last year as iver was, 
 at Sheldon ? An' look at us now I " 
 
 "Why not have Christmas here?" cried Flossie, 
 with a sudden thought. "What day is it now, 
 papa ? " 
 
 "It is — let me see — Thursday, December tenth," 
 said her father, consulting his calendar. 
 
 " Then, Christmas is just a fortnight from to-morrow I 
 We can have a tree, and hang up evergreen, and have 
 a splendid time I Why not ? " 
 
 As nobody seemed disposed to come forward with 
 any reason " why not," the plan was eagerly taken up 
 
mmmm 
 
 Christmas in Alaska, 
 
 243 
 
 by all. The three Indians had no idea what Christ- 
 mas meant, and very gravely and sweetly Flossie 
 nndertook to explain to them abont its origin, and 
 how dear the day was to all the world. 
 
 As she told the story of Bethlehem, reading now 
 and then from her little Testament, Solomon joined 
 the group, and listened with bared head and a sober 
 face. 
 
 "Reminds me of when I wae a leetle feller," he 
 said, when Flossie paused at the end of a chapter. 
 "Seems ter me my father used to read 'baout that 
 once, but I've e'ena'most forgotten every word of it. 
 Go on, miss." 
 
 The Alaskans themselves hardly comprehended 
 what it was all about ; but something of the young 
 girl's devout spirit must have made itself felt, for 
 they listened eagerly, and nodded to each other 
 several times, and were evidently sorry when the 
 lesson was over. 
 
 "And now," concluded Floss, clv^:::.g uer book, 
 "it's going to be His birthday next week — ChristmaSy 
 we call it — aud everybody ought to be happy on that 
 day, and make everybody else happy — and we're going 
 to have just as good a time as we can — there ! " 
 
 The girl jumped up, and at once entered into pro- 
 foundly secret plans with her mother and Chloe, 
 relating to evergreen, candles, ornaments for the tree, 
 and even gifts, for these last were by no means to be 
 omitted. Each of the family was occupied in manu- 
 facturing some kind of a surprise for the rest, and the 
 time went much more quickly. On the twenty-fourth, 
 the boys tramped off into the forest, and gathered 
 armfuls of green boughs, as well as a lot of long, grey 
 moss with which the larger trees throughout the 
 
 
 
f y I 
 
 * 1 iir V hE 
 
 I. 
 
 ImV t! 
 
 :u[i! 
 
 244 TAe Red Mountain of Alaska, 
 
 woods were draped. These boughs, which were of fir 
 and cedar, were tastefully fastened np about the large 
 " living-room," and over the fireplace. Peeschee came 
 in a little after the others, and produced several 
 clusters of scarlet wild-rose hips, which " came in just 
 right for holly berries," Flossie said. 
 
 Before long the whole room was spicy with the 
 fragrance of the boughs, and it began trul '0 seem 
 like Christmas. Solomon was trusted wi he im- 
 portant duty of securing the tree, which he fulfilled to 
 a ijiiarm, leaving it out-of-doors over night. 
 
 The next day — Christmas — what glorious weather 
 It began with the loveliest of rosy skies, slowly grow- 
 ing to bright gold, until the sun itself peeped over the 
 far-away mountains of ice, and sent its glad beams 
 dancing down to the little clearing. All hands were 
 up in good season, and dressed in their best blue fox 
 for the day. 
 
 Early in the afternoon, as the sun sank again be- 
 hind its fir draperies, the Christmas tree was brought 
 in, and set up near the fire. The boys and men were 
 now all banished to their own quarters, while the 
 others decked the boughs with the little gaieties they 
 had prepared. In the first place, a dozen tiny candles, 
 " dipped " in bear's grease, were fastened on with pins. 
 Then, some of Peeschee's rose-hips, and streamers of 
 grey moss, were added, and a lot of Mrs. Dutton's 
 precious crab-apples hung here and there, giving a 
 really gala efiect to the whole. A few bits of bright- 
 coloured ribbon completed the adornment of the tree 
 -—but not its mission ; for now the gifts were placed 
 among it i branches, carefully labelled. Flossie clapped 
 her hands, and fairly danced about it, as the candles 
 were lighted and blazed up bravely. 
 
rn^niWOO Xf a* ' " 
 
 Christmas in Alaska, 
 
 245 
 
 ere of fi^ 
 the large 
 cbee came 
 d several 
 Dae in just 
 
 r witb the 
 
 I ^o seem 
 
 he im- 
 
 fulfiUed to 
 
 LS weather 
 owly grow- 
 )ed over the 
 glad beams 
 hands were 
 est blue fox 
 
 " Call the boys, Chloe, call the boys I '* said Mrs. 
 DnttoQ ; and, with a vast deal of stamping and 
 langhing, in they all came. A splendid fire was 
 blazing on the hearth, with a hnge " Yule Log " on 
 top, sending a glorious sheet of red flame up the 
 rude chimney. But the object in the room was the 
 tree ! 
 
 How those Indians did stare, to be sure, and glance 
 apprehensively at the ceiling, to be sure the whole 
 building was not on fire ! Never a word they said, 
 however, and you might have thought, after the first 
 moment, that they had been accustomed to Christmas 
 trees from their childhood. 
 
 Suddenly a strange-looking being came out from 
 behind a clump of boughs in the corner. The as- 
 tonished Manitobans gave one involuntary grunt in 
 chorus, and then were as silent as before. 
 
 It was apparently a little old man, dressed in a 
 bear-skin, with a cap of marmot, and a blue-fox tail 
 hanging down behind. He wore a mask made from 
 material provided by Solomon's brown bear, and had 
 a long grey beard (of moss). 
 
 This singular creature now advanced into the fire- 
 light, and announced himself as Santa Clans. He 
 was a little late, he said, because his reindeer were 
 a trifie timid about going through the Chilkoot pass, 
 and had shied at a Mammoth a few miles away. 
 However, he had arrived safely, and was prepared to 
 distribute presents, as usual. 
 
 Turning to the tree, he proceeded to take down a 
 really beautifal little pair of snow-shoes, about one 
 half the regular size. 
 
 " These," said Santa Clans, " are for Miss Florence 
 Dutton. They were manufactured and placed in my 
 
 K s.i| 
 
 ',V' f , 
 
 
246 The Red Mountain of Alaska. 
 
 hands for her by my good friend Solomon. * May she 
 live long to wear 'em,' is his wish." 
 
 Florence examined the shoes with delight. The 
 frames were made of young birch, and they were 
 strung with strong, fine sinews. The sockets and 
 straps were of marmot and deer skin. 
 
 " Here is a bow and arrow for Master Nat," con- 
 tinned the benevolent saint. " Peeschee, the Indian, 
 knows more about the making of them than I do." 
 
 A pair of deer-skin slippers, with the hair on, were 
 next discovered, and announced for Uncle Richard, 
 who somehow did not seem to be present. They were 
 laid aside until the lieutenant's return. 
 
 Everybody received something, even Joe and Jim. 
 It was wonderfal how swiftly and skilfully the nimble 
 fingers of the women had wrought during these last 
 few days. 
 
 When the last present was given, and the candles 
 had burned low, Santa Glaus wished all a good-night 
 and a merry Christmas, and went out through the 
 door. Within two minutes Uncle Dick appeared, 
 demanding, with a woful face, where the visitor was, 
 and had he missed seeing him while he was just 
 taking a little stroll for his health ? 
 
 That the device was so transparent only tickled the 
 fancies of these grown-up people the iLxOre, and they 
 laughed as heartily as children over the lieutenant's 
 fan. 
 
 Chloe, meanwhile, had called into play all her 
 culinary powers, and now invited the company to sit 
 down to a Christmas dinner. 
 
 Robert and his uncle had put their heads together 
 the evening before, and produced with great solemnity 
 the following 
 
KHumsmmat.HmmimmSimsSB 
 
 Ckristmas in Alaska. 
 
 247 
 
 BILL OF FARE. 
 
 At Dutton Lodge, about lat. 63° K, long, 144° W. from 
 
 Greenwich. 
 
 CHRISTMAS, 1S69. 
 
 POTAGE. 
 
 Rabbit, d Veau chaude, 
 
 FISH. 
 
 Salmon, JttmS a VAyan. Broiled Smoked Grayling. 
 
 FOWL. 
 
 Roast Spruce Partridge, Sauce d la Chloe. 
 
 ROAST. 
 
 Venison, auoc Ognona Sauvtigea. Bear, d F Alaska. 
 
 ENTRJ^ES. 
 
 Mountain Pemmican. More Rabbit. More Bear. 
 
 VEGETABLES. 
 
 Onions. 
 
 RELISHES. 
 
 Alaskan Ourrant Sauce. 
 
 More A. 0. Sauce. 
 
 PASTRY. 
 
 Grilled Pilot-Biscuit. 
 
 DESSERT. 
 
 North- American Crab- Apples, au naturek 
 
 This inviting bill, which was printed on birch bark, 
 was received with great applause. Mr. Dutton ven- 
 tured a mild doubt as to the French rendering of 
 " wild " onions, but was instantly frowned down by 
 the rest of the company. The rabbit and grouse had 
 been shot a week before, and kept frozen for the 
 occasion. The Indians, nay, Solomon himself, had 
 scoured the isroods during the intervening period, with 
 the hope of procuring more variety for the grand 
 dinner, but had failed to find a living creature. 
 
 The long evening passed merrily enough. Hugh 
 
•1 
 
 248 The Red Mountain of Alaska, 
 
 began the fun by recitin^^ . familiar passage from 
 Dickens's "Carol," which he had used as a declamation 
 at school ; and little Nat following, " 'Twas the night 
 before Christmas," from beginning to end without a 
 stumble. 
 
 The lieutenant was now called on for a story. It 
 was evident that he had been at some pains in pre- 
 paring the narrative that followed ; for, although he 
 pretended to be weaving its incidents from his brain 
 on the spur of the moment, he was observed to glance 
 several times at a small slip of paper, covered with 
 pencilled notes, which he held in his hand. 
 
 " Let me see," said he, gravely, looking about upon 
 the company, and giving the blazing logs a kick : " I 
 suppose it must be a Christmas story ? " 
 
 " Of course." 
 
 " Well, I'll call it 
 
 "an echo op the CHRISTMAS CAROL."* 
 
 It was at precisely eight o'clock, on the evening of 
 the twenty-fourth of December, that Mr. Broadstreet 
 yawned, glanced at the clock, closed the book he had 
 been reading, and stretched himself out comfortably 
 in his smoking-chair before the cannel fire which 
 snapped and rustled cosily in the broad grate. The 
 book was "Christmas Carol;" and the reader, familiar 
 as he was with its pages, had been considerably 
 affected by that portion relating to Tiny Tim, as well 
 as cheered by the joyful notes with which the Carol 
 ends. 
 
 For some minutes he sat silently surveying the 
 
 * Flossie and her mother afterward were at some pains to 
 copy the story out as nearly as they could remember it, so I can 
 give it to you entire. 
 
■Mgg-TOtOB gJn B KSTI E 
 
 Christmas in Alaska. 
 
 249 
 
 pattern on his slippers, and apparently working it ont 
 again on his own brow. Now, Mr. Broadstreet was 
 not a man to act upon impulse. A lawyer in large 
 and profitable practice, and a shrewd man of business 
 as well, he was never known to do, say, or perhaps 
 even decide, anything without deliberation. 
 
 " Hold on a bit," he would say to an eager client ; 
 "softly, softly, my friend, you're too fast for me. 
 Now, what did you say was done with the property ? " 
 and so on to the end of the story. If there was any 
 money in the case, Mr. Broadstreet was pretty sure 
 to draw it out for the benefit of his clients, and, 
 remotedly of course, himself. 
 
 "When I put my hand down" he was fond of 
 remarking, with significant gesture upon the office 
 desk, " I never take it up again without something 
 in it." 
 
 In the course of his long practice, aided by a series 
 of fortunate speculations, he had amassed such a 
 goodly sum that his name stood near the head of the 
 list of "Our Prominent Tax-Payers." He drove a 
 fine span of horses, and was free enough with his 
 money, in a general way. That is, when some large 
 philanthropic movement was on foot, Alonzo M. 
 Broadstreet, Esq., was pretty sure to be down for a 
 round sum. He paid his share in church and politics, 
 and annually sent a cheque to the Board of Foreign 
 Missions. He made a rule, however, never to encourage 
 pauperism by promiscuous alms-giving, and never 
 tried a case or gave legal advice for love. Poor 
 people who called at his office for assistance always 
 found him unaccountably busy, and street beggars had 
 long since learned to skip his ioor on their morning 
 basket-visits. 
 
 ( ■ 
 
 i't\ 
 
 ViW 
 
250 The Red Mountain of Alaska, 
 
 To-night Mr. Broadstreethad picked up the "Carol" 
 in a specially complacent mood. He had spent liberally 
 in Christmas gifts for his wife and children, letting 
 himself almost defy his better judgment by purchasing 
 for the former an expensive pin she had seen and 
 fancied in a shop window the week before. Jast as 
 he had completed the bargain, a rescript had come 
 down from the Supreme Court affirming judgment in 
 his favour, on a case which meant at least a five- 
 thousand-dollar fee. 
 
 Notwithstanding the memory of this recent good 
 Inck, he continued on this particular evening, of ail 
 evenings in the year, to knit his brows and give 
 unmistakable evidence that some emotion or reflection 
 not altogether pleasant was ^stirring him powerfully. 
 
 " Nonsense I " said Mr. Broadstreet, presently, halt 
 aloud, as if he were addressing someone in the centre 
 of the glowing coals. " Nonsense I " he repeated, 
 looking hard at a grotesque, carved figure that sup- 
 ported the mantel ; " I'm not like Scrooge. I give 
 freely, and I spend freely. That fire don't look much 
 like the one old Scrooge warmed his gruel over, does 
 it now ? " 
 
 The marble figure making no answer to this appeal, 
 bat continuing his stony gaze, Mr. Broadstreet shifted 
 his position again uneasily. " Don't I give away 
 hundreds of dollars every year to the societies, and 
 haven't I left them a round Ten Thousand in my will ? 
 Won't somebody mourn for me, eh ? " 
 
 But the carved lips replied never a word, only 
 seeming to curl slightly, as the firelight played upon 
 them, thereby assuming such an unpleasantly scornful 
 expression that Mr. Broadstreet began to feel more 
 uncomfortable than ever. 
 
Christmas in Alaska. 
 
 251 
 
 be « Carol" 
 jnt liberally 
 ren, letting 
 purcliaBing 
 4 seen and 
 fe. Jnst as 
 )t had come 
 judgment in 
 least a five- 
 recent good 
 rening, of all 
 ws and give 
 1 or reflection 
 powerfully. 
 3resently, lialt 
 in the centre 
 lie repeated, 
 rare that sup- 
 rooge. I gi^e 
 Wt look much 
 [rnel over, does 
 
 to this appeal, 
 Ibdstreet shifted 
 I give away 
 societies, and 
 Indinmy will? 
 
 Rising hastily from his chair, and throwing the book 
 down upon the table, he walked on to the window, 
 rubbed a little place clear upon the frosty pane, and 
 looked out. 
 
 The night was gloomy enough to make the plainest 
 of homes seem cheery by contrast. Since morning, 
 the skies had been dully grey ; so that every one who 
 went out wore arctics and ulster, and was provoked 
 because no storm came. At about the time when the 
 sun might be supposed to be setting, somewhere be- 
 hind that dismal wall of clouds, a few tiny, shivering 
 flakes had come floating down or up, one could hardly 
 tell which, and had mingled with the dust that, driven 
 by the biting wind, had filled the air, and piled itself 
 in little ridges along the sidewalk, and blinded the 
 eyes of men and beasts throughout the dreary day. 
 Before long, the snow overcame the low-born friend 
 with whom it had at first treacherously allied itself, 
 laid it prostrate on the earth, and, calling in all its 
 forces, rioted victoriously over the field. The storm 
 now took full possession of the city, whitening roofs 
 and pavements, muffling every footfall and wheel- 
 rattle, filling the streets up to their slaty brims with 
 whirling mists of sleety snow, and roaring furiously 
 through the tree-tops and around corners. As Mr. 
 Broadstreet gazed through his frosty loop-hole, with 
 mind fall of the story he had just finished, he fancied 
 he could discern the shadowy forms of old Marley and 
 Ms fellow-ghosts moaning and wringing their hands as 
 they swept past in trailing white robes. 
 
 He turned away with a half-shiver, and once more 
 ensconced himself in his warm easy-chair, taking up 
 the Carol as he did so, and turning its leaves carelessly 
 until he came to a picture of the Chost of Christmas 
 
 Kji 
 
Vffi 
 
 
 
 ^- III 
 
 252 Tke Red Mountain of Alaska, 
 
 Present. It was wonderfully well drawn, following 
 the text with great care, and hitting off the idea of 
 the jovinl, holly-crowned spirit to the very life. And 
 then the heap of good things that lay in generous 
 piles about the room I Mr. Broadstreet could almost 
 catch a whiff of fragrance from the turkeys and geese 
 and spicy houghs. Indeed, so strong was the illusion 
 that he involuntarily glanced over his shoulder at the 
 marble-topped table near by, half expecting to see an 
 appetizing dish of eatables at his side. No one had 
 entered, however, and the table was as usual, with 
 only its album and gilt-mounted screen, flanked by a 
 few books that were too choice to be hidden away 
 on the library shelves. When he looked back at the 
 picture in the book, he started and rubbed his eyes. 
 He thought — but it could not have been possible — 
 that the central figure on the page moved slightly ; 
 and he was positive that one of the Ghost's arms, in 
 the engraving, had been raised, while now both were 
 at his side. 
 
 Mr. Broadstreet turned back the leaf with some 
 misgiving, and looked carefully behind it. Nothing 
 but blank white paper. 
 
 "How," muttered Mr. Broadstreet to himself, "a 
 man's fancy does play strange tricks with — Halloo I " 
 
 He was once more glancing at the picture, when the 
 jolly Ghost gave him an unmistakable wink. 
 
 To say that the lawyer started, was astonished, 
 struck dumb, — would be mild. He sat staring at the 
 page, not wholly believing his own eyes, and yet not 
 liking to look upon such a — to say the least — peculiar 
 picture. 
 
 While he was in this bewildered state of mind, a 
 rich, jovial voice was heard, apparently proceeding 
 
Christmas in Alaska. 
 
 253 
 
 1, follovring 
 
 ^lie idea of 
 ylife. And 
 
 in generous 
 eonld almost 
 jys and geese 
 ,8 the illusion 
 tionlder at tlie 
 ting to see an 
 -^0 one had 
 j,8 nsnal, with 
 a, flanked by a 
 e hidden away 
 ,ed hack at the 
 ibhed his eyes, 
 been possible— 
 
 LOved slightly ; 
 
 Ghost's arms, m 
 
 now hoth were 
 
 leaf with some 
 ludit. Nothing 
 
 , state of ^^\i I 
 rently proceeding 
 
 from a great distance, and at the same time directly 
 from the book he held in his hand ; and — yes, no 
 doubt about it — the Ghost's bearded lips were moving. 
 
 " Well ? " said the Ghost, still seeming very, very 
 far off. 
 
 " Well, sir ? " stammered Mr. Broadstreet, in return, 
 
 " You see, I'm not dead yet, although some of your 
 good people on this side of the water pay precious 
 little attention to me." 
 
 "Why, really," sai' Mr. Broadstreet, instinctively 
 arguing the opposite sivle of the question, " as to that, 
 I'm not so sure. Take Christmas cards, now. Five 
 years ago they were unknown ; now they're as common 
 as valentines." 
 
 " Oh, yes," replied the Ghost, " I know. You see I 
 have my room pretty well decorated with them." 
 
 The lawyer scrutinized the background of the picture 
 more clearly, and, sure enough, the walls were covered 
 with what at first seemed a rich sort of illuminated 
 paper, but proved to be composed entirely of Christmas 
 cards, many of which he had never seen. Even in the 
 momentary glance he gave, he observed that those 
 which had taken prizes, and had been most largely 
 advertised during the few past winters, were tucked 
 away in obscure corners, while several which were 
 exceedingly simple in design and text occupied the 
 most prominent positions. 
 
 "Yes," the Ghost went on, "the cards are well 
 enough in their way, and so are the other displays 
 and festivities of the day. But it is the spirit of 
 Christmas that you need. Charity, charity in its good 
 old sense — open hearts and kind deeds, with less 
 thought of self-pleasing. While these dainty little 
 gifts are being manufactured, purchased, sent, and 
 
 16 
 
 
254 ^^ -^^^ Mountain of Alaska, 
 
 < i 
 
 U hi 
 
 thrown away, hundreds of people are at starvation's 
 door in your own city ; thousands of people know 
 little or nothing of the real meaning of the day and 
 of its Founder." 
 
 As the Ghost spoke, its voice seemed to come 
 nearer, and at the same time the book grew so large 
 and heavy that Mr. Broadstreet was fain to set it 
 down upon the carpet. He no longer feared the 
 Ghost, nor did it seem strange that it should converse 
 with him in this manner. 
 
 " Wherein are we deficient ? " he asked, eagerly. 
 " Or what more can we do ? The charitable institu- 
 tions of Boston are among the best in the world, the 
 sky is full of her church-steeples, her police and 
 missionary forces are vigilant and effective in their 
 work." 
 
 The Ghost of Christmas Present gave e, toss to his 
 long hair and beard. 
 
 " How much have you done to carry the spirit of 
 Christmas-tide beyond your own threshold ? Who in 
 this great city will cherish the day and love it more 
 dearly for your warm human friendship and kindly 
 act, until it symbolizes to them whatever is purest 
 and merriest and holiest in life ? " 
 
 The Ghost's voice, now grown very near, was rather 
 sad than stern, and its eyes were fixed intently upon 
 Mr. Broadstreet's face. 
 
 Mr. Broadstreet hesitated. With cross-examination 
 he was familiar enough, but he did not relish the part 
 of witness. So confused was he that he hardly noticed 
 that book and picture were now so large that they 
 quite filled the end of the room in which he was 
 sitting, and seemed like another apartment opening 
 out of his own. 
 
Btarvation's 
 people know 
 the day and 
 
 led to come 
 rrew so large 
 ^in to set it 
 r feared the 
 Lonld converse 
 
 sked, eagerly. 
 fitaUe institn- 
 the world, the 
 ler police and 
 sctive in their 
 
 ve & toss to his 
 
 ry the spirit of 
 hold? Who in 
 nd love it more 
 Slip and kindly 
 ttever is pnrest 
 
 Inear, was rather 
 3d intently upon 
 
 [toss-examination 
 
 lot relish the part 
 |he hardly noticed 
 
 large that they 
 
 [a which he was 
 
 jartment opening 
 
 Christmas in Alaska, 
 
 255 
 
 " I — I — hardly know," he stammered. " Really, 
 IVe spent a good deal of money ; my Christmas bills 
 are always tremendous, but I suppose it's mostly in 
 the family." 
 
 " Mind," interrupted the Ghost, almost sharply, " I 
 don't say anything against the good cheer and merri- 
 ment at home. But there are many homes within a 
 stone's throw of your chair where there will be no fine 
 dinner, no presents, no meeting of friends, no tree, — 
 nothing but anxiety and doubt and despair. Your 
 dressing-gown would provide for several of them." 
 
 Mr. Broadstreet looked meekly at the embroidery 
 upon his sleeves. 
 
 " What would you have me do ? " he asked. 
 
 " Do you desire to perform your part toward 
 making the morrow bright for some one who other- 
 wise would find it all clouds ? Do you wish to plant 
 seeds of love and mercy and tenderness in some heart 
 that has heretofore borne only thistles ? To bring a 
 smile to some weary face, warmth to shivering limbs, 
 light and hope to dreary lives ? " 
 
 " I do 1 I do I " exclaimed the rich man, eagerly 
 starting up from his chair. 
 
 " And are you ready to sacrifice your ease and com- 
 fort, this stormy night, for such as they ? " 
 
 Mr. Broadstreet seized his fur cap and ulster from 
 the rack in the hall. " Try me I " he cried. " I'm 
 ready for anything I " 
 
 The Ghost smiled pleasantly upon him, at the same 
 time seeming to lift its hand involuntarily, as in 
 blessing. Then he spoke for the last time. 
 
 " Hitherto you have known only the bright side of 
 Christmas," it said, gently. " It has been iull of joy 
 to you and yours. But there are those among your 
 
 i' !| 
 
J 
 
 
 256 The Red Mountain of Alaska. 
 
 fellow-creatnres — nay, among your very neighbours — 
 who dwell in such continued misery that when Christ- 
 mas comes it but reminds them of their unhappy 
 state, and by its excess of light upon others deepens 
 the gloom about themselves. This is the Shadow of 
 Christmas Present, and it falls heavily upon many a 
 heart and many a household where the day, with its 
 good cheer and blessed associations, should bring 
 naught but delight." The kind Spirit's voice wavered 
 slightly. "I myself can do but little to dispel this 
 shadow. It grieves me sorely, year by year, but it 
 rcmpins, and I fear I but make it worse, with my 
 bluff ways and keen winter breezes. It is for those 
 who love me most to carry such light and comfort to 
 those upon whom it rests that it shall be banished, 
 never to return. The shadow grows less year by year, 
 but it is still broad, broad." 
 
 The Ghost was silent a moment. It beckoned to 
 the other, and motioned to him to step behind it. 
 " In my shadow you shall move to-night," it concluded, 
 in a firmer voice. " It shall accompany you wherever 
 you go, and your work shall be to turn it away with 
 whatever kind deeds your hand shall find to do, or 
 cheering words you may have the power to speak." 
 
 I*, said no more. Mr. Broadstreet, who when a 
 child had often longed to peep behind a picture, found 
 himself actually fulfilling his wish. As he drew 
 nearer the printed page he heard a dull roar, like 
 surf beating upon a rocky coast. He advanced farther, 
 picking his way around the pile of poultry and vege- 
 tables and glistening holly upon which the Ghost sat 
 enthroned. A moment more and the room vanished 
 in utter blackness of night ; the roar grew grander 
 and deeper, until it throbbed in his ears like the 
 
Christmas in Alaska, 
 
 257 
 
 diapason of the mighty organ ; a fierce blast of snow- 
 laden wind struck his bewildered face ; the street- 
 lamp npon the comer flickered feebly in a mist of 
 flakes — he was standing before his own door, knee- 
 deep in a snow-drift, and buffeted above, below, and on 
 every side by the storm that was abroad that Christ- 
 mas Eve. 
 
 At this point in the lieutenant's story Mr. Button 
 suddenly raised his hand, and turned his head slightly 
 towards the door. 
 
 His face wore an expression of keen anxiety. 
 
 Everybody was silent, listening intently. 
 
 a 
 
 \ 
 
1^ 
 
 ' I .' ■ 
 
 CHAPTEB XXIV. 
 
 .vToi'a RTORY concluded. 
 THE LIEUTENANT S STOB^ 
 
 inrvtss" 
 
 ^H.^ M. T>^^^rT:tX 
 
 ttEN Mr. D"tton,^n« .«. ^^^ 
 
 ^f Xl nnlled look of appre- 
 
 As they listened, &e mna, ^^ ^^^ ^^„ 
 
 rising, gave "tt^rance to * 
 round the comer of the M ^^^ . easy posi- 
 
 Mr Dntton at once les*. aea u 
 tion, with a long hreath of reurf. ^^^ ^^^^ , 
 
 «'l believe I'm S^**".?, "^!!" ,tory, W«^" 
 short laugh. "«ocnwi^yonr^»2^ .„,, o,, 
 
 ■a thought I heard sje^o J „^^^ ^ g„,,3 'twas 
 away off in the woods, said r< • 
 
 only the wind." ^v„rT,iv at the hoy ai i at 
 
 street. 
 
)BD. 
 
 est and .nost 
 ,f the i>'o"-'^h 
 ,errupted Ws 
 Listening atti- 
 look of appre- 
 door, the rest 
 illy increasing 
 der heard that 
 
 ^eemed to he 
 ^d sad moan 
 
 rn 
 
 said he, with a 
 
 Dick." 
 lling 3^8t now, 
 ,ut I guess 'twas 
 
 the hoy ai i »* 
 for an instant. 
 I the story-teller 
 es of Mr. Broad- 
 
 TAe Lieuunant* s Story Conductect. 25^ 
 
 As soon as Mr. Broadstreet recovered himself, and 
 cleared his eyes from the blinding snow, he saw a 
 heavy black shadow on the sidewalk, enveloping his 
 own person and resting upon the figure of a man who 
 had evidently just sheltered himself behind the high 
 stone steps, for his footprints, leading from the street, 
 were still quite fresh. As the man thrashed his arms, 
 and stamped vigorously to start the blood through his 
 benumbed feet, a bright button or two gleamed upon 
 his breast through the cape of his great-coat. Mr. 
 Broadstreet now recognized him as the policeman 
 whose beat it was, and whom he had occasionally 
 favoured with a condescending nod as he came home 
 late at night from the theatre or the club. He had 
 never addressed him by so much as a word ; but now 
 the Shadow was full upon him, and Mr. Broadstreet 
 felt that here was his drst opportunity. 
 
 " Good-evening, officer 1 " he shouted, cneerily, 
 through the storm. " Wish you a merry Christmas 
 to-morrow." 
 
 " Thank you, sir ; same to you," replied the other, 
 with a touch ol tLc ?n^p nnd a pleased glance at the 
 great man. "Hard timpi for the boys to-night, 
 though." 
 
 " It is hard," said Mr. Broadstreet, compassionately. 
 
 And you're rather cold, I suppose?" he added, 
 awkwardly, after a pause. 
 
 " Rather ! " 
 
 " Why, bless -ue I " a bright thought striking him, 
 * wouldn't you like a cup of hot coffee, now ? " 
 
 The officer looked up again surprised. " I would 
 that, sir, first-rate," he answered, heartily. 
 
 Mr. Broadstreet stepped to the side door and pressed 
 the electric knob. 
 
 % '1 
 
 III 
 
 
 ' t. 
 
 m 
 
 ■ ¥} 
 
 IS 
 
 ^1 
 
•iirf^ 
 
 260 The ked Mountain of Alaska, 
 
 " Give this man a good cup of coffee," he said to the 
 girl who answered the bell. " And, officer, buy the 
 folks at home a trifle for me ; Christmas, you know." 
 As he spoke, he put a big silver dollar into the asto- 
 nished policeman's hand, and at the same time the 
 Shadow vanished, leaving the light from the bright, 
 warm hall falling fairly upon the snow-covered cap 
 and buttons. 
 
 A muffled roll and jingling of bells made themselves 
 heard above the wind, and a horse-car came labouring 
 down the street through the heavy drifts. Mr. Broad- 
 street, without a thought as to the destination of the 
 car, but Impelled by some unseen force, clambered 
 upon the rear platform. The conductor was standing 
 like a snow-man, covered with white from head to 
 foot, collar up round his ears, and hands deep in his 
 pockets. And the Shadow was there again. Broad 
 and gloomy, it surrounded both conductor and pas- 
 senger in its bleak folds. 
 
 "Tough night, sir," remarked the former, pre- 
 sently. 
 
 "Yes, yes ; it is, indeed," replied Mr. Broad- 
 street, who was thinking what in the world he could 
 give this man except money. " And Christmas Eve, 
 too I " 
 
 "That's a fact," said the conductor. "Just the 
 luck of it, I say. Now, to-morrow I get four hours' 
 lay-off in the afternoon ; and my wife, she was 
 planning to take the children and go to the play. 
 But they're none of 'em over-strong, and 'twon't do to 
 take 'em out in this snow. Besides, like's not 'twill 
 storm all day." 
 
 " Children ? " exclaimed Mr. Broadstreet, seeing 
 a way out of his difficulty ; " how many ? " 
 
The Lieutenant's Story Concluded, 261 
 
 " Two girls and a boy, all under seven." 
 
 "Got any Christmas presents for them? — don't 
 mind my asking." 
 
 " Well, I'd just 's lief show you what I ham got. 
 'Tain't much, you know, but then it's 8omethin\^'' 
 
 He stepped inside the door, laid aside his snowy 
 mittens, and, taking from the corner of the seat a 
 small brown parcel, carefully removed the string and 
 wrappings. 
 
 " There I " he said, with a sort of pleading pride in 
 his eyes. ^^ I guess these'U please 'em some. 'Tain't 
 much, you know," he added again, glancing at his 
 passenger's fur cap, as he displayed the presents on 
 the car-seat. 
 
 A very red-cheeked and blue-eyed doll, with a 
 placid countenance quite out of keeping with her 
 arms ; these members being so constructed as to 
 occupy only two positions, one of which expressed 
 unbounded astonishment, and the other gloomy resig- 
 nation ; — a transparent slate, with a dim cow under 
 the glass, and "15 cents" plainly marked in lead- 
 pencil on one corner of the frame ; — and a rattle for 
 the girl baby. 
 
 As the conductor held up these articles in his stiff, 
 red fingers, turning the doll about so as to show her 
 flaxen braid to the best advantage, and inducing the 
 arms to take the positions alluded to, the Shadow 
 crept away, and had well-nigh disappeared. But it 
 returned again, thicker than ever, when he said, with 
 a little choke in his voice, " I did mean to get 'em a 
 little tree, with candles on it, and a picture-book or 
 two ; but our pay ain't over-much, and we had sick- 
 ness, and — and " he was very busy doing up the 
 
 bundle, and very clumsy he must have been, too, for 
 
 m 
 
 'i- ^^\ 
 
 1 
 
 11 
 
 11 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 B 1-' 
 1 ! 
 
 

 i.i 
 
 MM 
 
 mm 
 
 262 TAe Red Mountain of Alaska. 
 
 it was a long time before the wide-looped, single 
 bowknot was tied, and the parcel carefully put away 
 again. 
 
 Mr. Broadstreet winked hard, and his eyes shone. 
 
 " How long before you pass here on the way back ? " 
 he asked. 
 
 "About thirty-five minutes it'll take us to get 
 round, sir, on account of the snow. It's my last 
 trip." 
 
 " Very well. Now, conductor — ahem 1 — what did 
 you say your name was?" 
 
 " Tryson, sir ; David Tryson." 
 
 " Then, ahem I — Mr. Th*yson-— just ring your bell 
 when you reach the corner there, on the up trip ; and 
 dodge into that store where the lights are. You'll 
 find a bundle waiting for you. Good-night, cond — 
 Mr. Tryson, and a merry Christmas to you and 
 yours I " 
 
 " Good-night, sir I God bless you, sir 1 Merry " 
 
 but his passenger was gone. 
 
 As he reached the sidewalk, Mr. Broadstreet turned 
 and looked after the car. Whether it was the light 
 from the street lamp, or the broad flood of radiance 
 that poured out from the windows of the toy-shop 
 just beyond, he could not tell ; but the rear plat- 
 form was illuminated by a pure, steady glow, in the 
 very centre of which stood the conductor, smiling, 
 and waving his hand. No sign of a Shadow ; not a 
 bit of it. Mr. Broadstreet looked carefully about 
 him, but it was nowhere to be seen. Even the snow, 
 which all this time continued to fall without interrup- 
 tion, seemed to fill the air with tiny lamps of soft 
 light. 
 
 Ah, that toy-shop! Such heaps of blocks, and 
 
I. 
 
 ,ed, single 
 put away 
 
 38 slione. 
 ray back ? " 
 
 us to get 
 ,'s my last 
 
 — what did 
 
 ip trip ; and 
 
 are. You'll 
 
 ight, cond — 
 
 to you and 
 
 Merry " 
 
 [street turned 
 vas the light 
 d of radiance 
 the toy-shop 
 be rear plat- 
 glow, in the 
 ctor, smiling, 
 ladow ; not a 
 nefuUy about 
 ven the snow, 
 ;liout interrup- 
 lamps of soft 
 
 ,f blocks, and 
 
 ITAe Lieutenants Story Concluded. 263 
 
 marbles, and sleds ; such dolls with eyes that would 
 wink upside down, exactly like a hen's ; such troops 
 of horses and caravans of teams ; such jangling of 
 toy pianos, and tooting of toy horns, and shrieking of 
 toy whistles (these instruments being anxiously tested 
 by portly papas and mammas, apparently to be sure 
 of a good bargain, but really for the fun of the thing) ; 
 such crowds of good-natured people, carrying canes 
 and drums and hoop-sticks under their arms, taking 
 and giving thrusts of these articles, and being con- 
 stantly pushed, and pulled, and jammed, and trodden 
 upon with the most delightful good-humour ; such 
 rows of pretty girls behind the counters, now climbing 
 to the summits of Ararats, where innumerable Noah's- 
 Arks of all sizes had been stranded, — all these girls 
 being completely used up with the day's work, of 
 course, but more cheerful and willing than ever, bless 
 them I such scamperings to and fro of cash-boys, and 
 divings into the crowd, and emergings in utterly 
 unexpected places, — were never seen before in this 
 quiet old city. 
 
 Mr. Broadstreet embarked on the current, and, with 
 an unconsciously benevolent smile on his round face, 
 was borne half-way down the store before he could 
 make fast to a counter. 
 
 " What can I do for yon, sir ? " If the girlish voice 
 was brisk and business-like, it was, at the same 
 time, undeniably pleasant. Mr. Broadstreet started. 
 " Why, I want some presents ; Christmas presents, 
 you know," he said, looking down into the merry 
 brown eyes. 
 
 " Boy or girl, sir, and how old ? " Mr. Broadstreet 
 was fairly taken aback by her promptness. His wife 
 always did the Christmas shopping. 
 
:y !!! 
 
 264 The Red Mountain of Alaska, 
 
 " Let me see," he began, hurriedly ; " two girls and 
 a— no, I mean two boys — why, bless me I " he went 
 on, in great confusion, as her low laugh rang ont 
 among the woolly sheep with which she happened 
 to be surrounded, "I*ve really forgotten. That is 
 — oh, I see, you needn't laugh I " and Mr. Broad- 
 street's own smile broadened as he spoke. " They're 
 not mine. I never heard of them until five minutes 
 ago, and, I declare, I don't remember which is which. 
 At any rate, there are three of them, all under 
 seven." 
 
 " How would a lamb do for the eldest ? Eeal wool 
 and natural motion 1 " In proof of which latter asser- 
 tion, she set all their heads nodding in the most 
 violent manner, until it made her customers quite 
 dizzy to look at them. Mr. Broadstreet picked out 
 the biggest one. " He seems to — ah — bow more 
 vigorously than the rest," he said, gravely. 
 
 The girl then proceeded to display various toys and 
 gay-coloured picture-books, Mr. Broadstreet assenting 
 to the choice in every instance, until a large, compact 
 bundle lay on the counter, plainly marked : — 
 
 "MR TRYSON, CONDUCTOR, TO BB CALLED FOR.' 
 
 As the lawyer was leaving the store he remembered 
 something, and turned back. 
 
 " I forgot," he said, " I wanted to buy a tree " 
 
 " Just round the corner," interrupted the brown- 
 eyed girl, over her shoulder, without looking at him. 
 She was already deep in the confidence of the next 
 customer, who had told her the early history of two 
 of her children, and was now proceeding to the third. 
 Mr. Broadstreet buttoned up his coat collar, and 
 
The Lieutenants Story Concluded. 265 
 
 stepped out once more into the storm. A few moments' 
 walk brought him to a stand where the trees were for 
 sale. And what a spicy, fragrant, delicious, jolly 
 place it was, to be sure I The sidewalk was flanked 
 right and left with rows upon rows of spruce, pine, 
 and fir trees, all gaily decked with tufts of snow ; 
 every doorway, too, was full of these trees, as if 
 they had huddled in there to get out of the storm. 
 Hore and there were great boxes, overflowing with 
 evergreen and holly boughs, many of which the 
 dealers had taken out and stuck into all sorts of 
 crannies and corners of their stands, so that the 
 glossy leaves and scarlet berries glistened in the 
 flaring light of the lamps. Wreaths of every size 
 and description — some made of crispy grey moss, 
 dotted with bright amaranths, some of holly — were 
 threaded upon sticks like beads, and were being con- 
 stantly pulled off and sold to the muffled customers, 
 who poured through the narrow passage-way in a 
 continuous stream. 
 
 "All brightness," thought Mr. Broadstreet, "and 
 no shadow this time." 
 
 None ? What was that black, ugly-looking stain on 
 the fallen snow, extending from his own feet to one 
 of the rude wooden stands where traffic was busiest ? 
 Mr. Broadstreet started, and scrutinized it sharply. 
 He soon discovered the outline of Christmas Present. 
 Beyond a doubt, it was the Shadow again. 
 
 It must be confessed that for a moment Mr. 
 Broadstreet felt slightly annoyed. Why should that 
 thing be constantly starting up and darkening his 
 cheerful mood? It was bad enough that the Sha- 
 dow should exist, without intruding its melancholy 
 
W' 
 
 ^ ' 
 
 I hi: 
 
 m 
 
 266 TAe Red Mountain of Alaska, 
 
 length npon people who were enjoying Christmas 
 Eve. He might have indulged in still farther dis- 
 content, when he noticed the head of the Shadow- 
 figure droop as in sadness. He remembered the kind 
 ghost's grief, and upbraided himself for his hardness 
 of heart. 
 
 " Forgive me," he said, half aloud. " I was wrong. 
 I forgot. I will, please God, brighten this spot and 
 turn away the Shadow I " 
 
 Without further delay, he advanced through the 
 gloomy space until he reached the box upon which 
 a large lot of holly wreaths and crosses were dis- 
 played. He soon completed the purchase of a fine, 
 thick fir, and sent it, together with a roll of ever- 
 greens, to the toy-shop, directed, like the parcel, to 
 the conductor. 
 
 The owner of the stand was a jovial, bright-faced 
 young fellow, and it was evident that to him Christmas 
 meant only gladness and jollity. But the Shadow 
 still rested upon Mr. Broadstreet and all the snowy 
 sidewalk about him. He was thoroughly puzzled to 
 find its object, and had almost begun to consider the 
 whole affair a delusion, when his eyes fell upon an 
 odd little man, standing in the shelter of the trees, 
 and visibly shaking with the cold, although his coat 
 was tightly buttoned about his meagre form, and 
 his old hat pulled down over his ears. As he saw 
 the portly lawyer looking at him, he advanced timidly, 
 and touched his hat with a not ungraceful move- 
 ment. 
 
 " Can I carry a bundle for you, sir ? " he asked, his 
 teeth chattering as he spoke. 
 
 "Why, I'm afraid not," said Mr. Broadstreet 
 " I've just sent away all my goods." 
 
The Lieutenant's Story Concluded. 267 
 
 » he asked, his 
 [r. Broadstreet 
 
 The man's face fell. He tonched his hat again, 
 and was humbly turning away, when the other laid 
 his hand lightly on his shoulder. 
 
 "You seem to be really suflfering with the cold, 
 my friend," he said, in such gentle tones that his 
 " learned brothers upon the other side " would not 
 have recognized it; "and that's a little too bad for 
 Christmas Eve." 
 
 " Christmas I Christmas I " shivered the man, with 
 a little moan, wringing his thin hands, "what is 
 that to me I What is that to a man whos^wife is 
 dying for want of tender nursing and wnolesome 
 food? — whose children are growing up to a life 
 of misery and degradation? — whose own happiness 
 is gone, gone so long ago that he has forgotten the 
 feeling of it ? " 
 
 Mr. Broadstreet patted his shoulder gently. " Come, 
 come," he said, trying to speak cheerily, " it isn't so 
 bad as that, you know. Times are better, and there's 
 plenty of work." 
 
 " Work I " cried the man, bitterly. " Yes, for the 
 friends of the rich ; for the young and strong ; for the 
 hopefulj but not for me. I tell you, sir," he continued, 
 raising his clenched fist until the ragged sleeve fell 
 back and left his long, gaunt wrist bare in the biting 
 wind, " I've walked from end to end of Boston, day 
 after day, answering every advertisement, applying 
 for any kind of honourable employment ; but not even 
 the city will take me to shovel snow in the streets, 
 and I'm discouraged — discouraged." 
 
 To Mr. Broadstreet's dismay, the poor fellow sud- 
 denly hid his face in his hands and broke down in 
 a tempest of sobs. 
 
 Ah, how dark the Shadow was then I The storm 
 
 y-m 
 
Ji n 
 
 ''iit «,a 
 
 
 iJ 
 
 268 Z/S^ I^ed Mountain of Alaska, 
 
 had ceased, but the keen north-west wind still 
 swept the streets, filling the air with fine, icy par- 
 ticles of snow, and driving to their warm homes 
 those who had remained down town to make their 
 last purchases.. 
 
 The man shivered and sobbed by turns, and was 
 quite the sport of the wind, which was buffeting him 
 with its soft, cruel paws, when suddenly the world 
 seemed to grow warmer. He felt something heavy 
 and soft upon his back and round his neck. Me- 
 chanically thrusting hib arms through the sleeves 
 which opened to meet them, and looking up in amaze- 
 ment, he beheld his new friend standing upon the 
 sidewalk in his dressing-gown, a genial smile upon 
 his beaming face, and his hand outstretched. The 
 lawyer laughed gleefully at his consternation. 
 
 "It's all right," he said, as the discouraged man 
 tried to pull off the ulster and return it to its owner. 
 "I'm warmer than ever. Come on, let's go home 
 and see your wife and children. Don't stop to talk I " 
 And seizing the other by the hand, or rather the 
 cuff of his sleeve, which was much too long for him, 
 he hurried him off, snatching a couple of wreaths from 
 the stand as he went by, and dropping a half-dollar 
 in their place. 
 
 It was a strange experience for the proud lawyer, 
 that walk through the dark streets, floundering among 
 snowdrifts, slipping, tumbling, scrambling along over 
 icy sidewalks and buried crossings, the long-skirted 
 gown flapping about his heels in the most ridiculous 
 way. He kept his eyes steadily fixed on the Shadow, 
 which was always before him, now turning down a 
 side street, now doubling on itself, ever growing more 
 and more distinct, and drawing its two followers 
 
I. 
 
 wind still 
 e, icy par- 
 i,rin homes 
 make their 
 
 IS, and was 
 iffeting him 
 f the world 
 thing heavy 
 neck. Me- 
 the sleeves 
 ap in amaze- 
 ag upon the 
 I smile npon 
 etched. The 
 nation. 
 
 louraged man 
 , to its owner, 
 et's go home 
 stop to talk I " 
 or rather the 
 , long for him, 
 e wreaths from 
 a half-dollar 
 
 proud lawyer, 
 ndering among 
 ling along over 
 he long-skirted 
 most ridiculous 
 on the Shadow, 
 turning down a 
 jr growing more 
 * two followers 
 
 T^ Lieutenant's Story Concluded. 269 
 
 further and further into the lowest quarter of the city. 
 The stars were out now, and seemed to flicker in the 
 fierce wind like the gaslights upon the street corners. 
 Mr. Broadstreet felt curiously warm without his ulster, 
 and as light-hearted as a boy. 
 
 As they passed through the most brilliantly lighted 
 streets, however, he saw much that filled him for the 
 moment with sadness. For the Shadow now grew 
 enormously large, and rested upon many places. It 
 brooded darkly over the brilliant saloons that lined 
 the way, and that clothed themselves in the very 
 garments of Christmas to attract the innocent and 
 foolish, so that, drawn by the sheen of holly and ever- 
 green, and the show of festivities and good cheer, 
 they might enter and find their own destruction. 
 Oftentimes, too, the Shadow flitted along the street 
 in company with some man or woman who, to all 
 outward appearance, was calm and content with life ; 
 perhaps even happy, one would have said. In the 
 black folds of the Shadow, brutal-faced ruffians hid 
 their bleared eyes ; houses were draped as in some 
 time of national mourning ; once the slight, pretty 
 figure of a young girl came up, wearing the Shadow 
 flauntingly about her neck, like a scarf ; she stopped, 
 and seemed about, to address Mr. Broadstreet with 
 bold words. 
 
 As she met his kind, pitying glance, however, her 
 own eyes fell, her lips quivered, she drew the Shadow 
 about her face and fled. Alas I they could do nothing 
 for such as her, unless that gentle, fatherly face should 
 come before her again in her solitude, and by its silent 
 eloquence lead her to better things, and to the Founder 
 of Christmas. 
 
 While Mr. Broadstreet was peering about for the 
 
 16 
 
 * 
 
 \\\ 
 
1 i :'- 
 
 :» • 
 
 270 T/ie Red Mountain of Alaska, 
 
 Shadow, and taking into his heart the lessons it 
 taught, he had not been idle, giving a kind word, or 
 a bit of money, or a pleasant glance wherever the 
 chance offered. 
 
 The Shadow now paused beiore a narrow doorway 
 in a crooked little street, and the two — or rather the 
 three, for the Shadow went before them — entered and 
 mounted the stairway. Mr. Broadstreet stumbled 
 several times, but the Discouraged Man went up like 
 one who was well used to the premises. As they 
 reached the third landing, a voice somewhere near 
 them commenced to sing feebly, and they stopped to 
 listen. 
 
 " It's Annette," whispered the Discouraged Man ; 
 " she's singing for me. It was a way she had when 
 we were first married ; and I used to like it, coming 
 home from a hard day's work, so she tried to keep it 
 up ever since. Do you hear her, sir ? " 
 
 Yes, Mr. Broadstreet heard her. Poor, poor little 
 thin voice, trembling weakly on the high notes, and 
 avoiding the low ones altogether. It was more like 
 a child's than a woman's, and so tired — so tired I He 
 fumbled in his dressing-gown pocket, and turned 
 his head away — quite needlessly, for it was very 
 dark. 
 
 The two men remained silent for a moment, listen- 
 ing to the echo of the gay young voice vidth which the 
 little bride used to greet her husband ; she so tender, 
 and loving, and true; he so strong, and brave, and 
 hopeful for the future I And, as they listened, they 
 caught the words : — 
 
 ** Christ was born on Christmas Day, 
 Wreathe the holly, twine the bay ; 
 
I. 
 
 lessons it 
 id word, or 
 lerever the 
 
 ow doorway 
 r rather the 
 entered and 
 st stnmbled 
 fv^ent np lite 
 s. As they 
 ewhere near 
 sy stopped to 
 
 iraged Man ; 
 ihe had when 
 ke it, coming 
 led to keep it 
 
 or, poor little 
 gh notes, and 
 !^as more like 
 -so tired 1 He 
 b, and tnrned 
 r it was very 
 
 noment, listen- 
 with which the 
 she so tender, 
 and brave, and 
 y listened, they 
 
 The Lieutenant's Story Concluded. 271 
 
 Carol, Christians, joyfullv, 
 
 The Babe, the Son, the Holy One of Mary." 
 
 "That's a new one," whispered the Discouraged 
 Man again, delightedly. " She never sang it before. 
 She must have learned it on purpose for to-night 1 " 
 
 There was a weary little pause within the room. 
 She was wondering, perhaps, why he didn't come. 
 Presently she began again, and her voice had grown 
 strangely weak, so that they could hardly hear it in 
 the rush of the wind outside the building. 
 
 " Let the bright red berries glow 
 Everywhere — in goodly show " — 
 
 It died away into a mere whisper, and then ceased 
 entirely. 
 
 Mr. Broadstreet hesitated no longer, but touched his 
 companion's arm, and they both entered. 
 
 She was lying on a rude bed in the corner of the 
 room, her eyes closed, and her hands folded upon her 
 breast. An agony svept across the face of her hus- 
 band as he knelt beside her, taking her cold hands — 
 ah, so thin I — in his own, chafing and kissing them 
 by turns. 
 
 Above his head, on the whitewashed wall, was the 
 word " JOHN," in large, bright letters. It was his 
 name ; she had crept from her bed and traced it upon 
 the frosty window-pane, so that the light from a far-off 
 street-lamp shone through the clear lines, and thus 
 reproduced them upon the opposite wall. Just beneath 
 was " Merry Christmas." She thought it would please 
 him, and seem like a sort of decoration hung there 
 above her bed. And now he was kneeling by her 
 side, and holding her thin hands. Perhaps he was 
 
 m'' I'H 
 
 m 
 
 : -4 i 
 
• 'I U ' 
 
 Un J Si 
 
 ' e- 
 
 I i'i 
 
 ,j. The Red Mountain of Alaska. ^^^ ^ 
 ,ore discouraged than ever Jst «^- ^Oh « ow 
 
 Shadow, could yon °»* j'''^, ^^.eath he had honght 
 Mr. Broadstreet htmg ^"1,,, ie„ly. A miBt 
 „pon the bedpost, ""^^"i,, ^o^id not see ; the 
 gathered in his eyes, so that^he ^ ^^^ 
 
 lalls of the little di«°"'l ~,' ^ense, nntil it seemed 
 tlie Shadow grew more »nd more a , ^^ ^^^^^^^ 
 
 to assnme definite shape the shap ^^,^^ ^^^^^^ 
 Present, sitting, as ^efo'e, ~j^ ^ „eighbonr- 
 and good cheer ; the *«« P-*Xole- inly tolled twelve 
 t^g 'chnrch-tower slo^J ^^^^ I, , aock ; the 
 strokes, answered ''J ^^^^ ^"^^^ fell fitfully, in mute 
 flames of the open f";i"t^^t soared ahont the 
 answer to tl'^W*^*' °J,t7^„dled rapidly, the Dis- 
 chimneytop. The ^^^^^/^oportions and appearance 
 
 couraged Man »««°«'^ ^^hHantel, and Mr. Broad- 
 of a marhle figure M^^^^^ ^„„„a Uself standing 
 street, starting up »"^^"S^; Christmas Carol (stUl 
 in his own warm '0»'>^4*^^'^^„ ^ hand, and his 
 open at the wonderful picture) .^^^^^^ ^.^^ ^j,, 
 
 f^r cap upon ^s he^ Jhe - ^^ ^, ^^ Christmas 
 last echoes of the mianig 
 
 morning. ^^ „iaa snn was shining 
 
 Not many hours later, *« S'^ sprinkling the 
 
 . brihUy over the -^^y^^t^dust, gleaming 
 
 streets and housetops ^^^^^ .Peking out every 
 
 npon the ff'^^^^ ^^''''fJ^Z^i its noiseless step, 
 
 1^^^^^ ^^- . .V, ^av he was thonglitful and ab- 
 Throughout the d^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^.^^ ^..^s be was 
 stracted, and during 
 
 \\ 
 
t. 
 
 h, Slaadow, 
 
 si 
 
 bad bongU 
 y. A mist 
 ot see ; the 
 I to and fro ; 
 til it seemed 
 f Christmas 
 midst plenty 
 a neighbour- 
 tolled twelve 
 a clock ; the 
 fully, in mute 
 red about the 
 
 ,idly, the Dis- 
 md appearance 
 
 nd Mr. Broad- 
 uself standing 
 as Carol (still 
 
 hand, and his 
 brated with the 
 
 was Christmas 
 
 an was shining 
 sprinkling the 
 -dust, gleaming 
 >eking out every 
 ;s noiseless step, 
 bounty of pnrity 
 8 there, even on 
 i Mr. Broadstreet 
 
 oughtful and ab- 
 g weeks he was 
 
 75^ Lieutenants Story Concluded, 273 
 
 observed to act in the most unaccountable manner. 
 On snowy evenings he would dodge out of the house, 
 without the slightest warning, and return shortly 
 after with damp boots and a discouraged air, until 
 one night he came in with a beaming face, leading a 
 policeman, upon whom he had apparently turned the 
 tables by arresting him in his own doorway. He 
 only made him sit down, however, and drink hot 
 coffee to a most alarming extent, following it up with 
 an invitation to drop in any cold evening and warm 
 himself. 
 
 Upon the horse-cars Mr. Broadstreet became famous 
 that winter for his obliging manners and pleasant 
 ways with the employes. Indeed, he more than once 
 persisted in remaining on the platform with the con- 
 ductor or driver, at the imminent risk of freezing his 
 ears and nose, until he was fairly driven within- 
 doors. 
 
 Down town he beha^^^d still more queerly, leaving 
 the office long before dark, and being discovered in 
 the oddest places imaginable ; now diving into narrow 
 courts and up steep staircases, now plunging into 
 alley-ways and no thoroughfares ; and returning home 
 late to dinner, greatly exhausted, with little or no 
 money in his pockets. In these days, too, he began 
 to talk about the sufferings of the poor, the abuses of 
 the liquor law, the need of strong, pure women to go 
 among the outcasts of the great, troubled city and 
 perform Christ-like deeds. 
 
 One bitter cold night he was much later than usual. 
 It had been snowing heavily, and his wife had begun 
 to worry a little over the abi ence of her husband, 
 when she heard the click of his key in the front door. 
 When Mr. Broadstreet entered, sprinkled with snow 
 
 11 
 
 il'i 
 
 i:»!*ItK 
 
 liii.. 
 
 3 
 
m 
 
 274 TAe Red Mountain of Alaska, 
 
 from head to foot, what was her amazement to see 
 him standing there with fur cap and gloves, and a 
 glowing face, but no ulster I 
 
 " Alonzo 1 Alonzo I " she cried, from the head of 
 the stairs, " what will you forget next ? Where have 
 yon left it ? " 
 
 " "Why," said he, simply, " I've found the Dis- 
 couraged Man. And the doctor says she'll get well." 
 
 , i 
 
 ■ . 1^ 
 
 '« |: 
 
m^ 
 
 
 m 
 
 t; m 
 
 m 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 SNOWED UP. 
 
 ■; m 
 
 WHEN thv' applause which followed the 
 lieutenant's story had died away, Mrs. 
 Button announced that it was ten 
 o'clock, and time for the young folks 
 to be a-bed. 
 
 There was a general outcry at this, 
 and Mr. Button good-naturedly con- 
 sented to tell one more story, to wind 
 up the evening. 
 
 " I can't pretend to make it up," said he. " It's one 
 
 I read in the Christmas Traveller in Boston a year or 
 
 two ago. However, here goes ! I'll give it to you as 
 
 nearly as I can, the way it came out in print." 
 
 The story which M". Button told, he announced as 
 
 CHRISTMAS ON WHEELS. 
 
 A railroad station in a large city is hardly an inviting 
 spot, at its best. But at the close of a cheerless, 
 blustering Becember day, when biting draughts of wind 
 come scurrying in at every open door, filling the air 
 with a grey compound of dust and fine snow ; when 
 passengers tramp up and down the long platform, 
 waiting impatiently for their trains ; when newsboys 
 wander about with disconsolate, red faces, hands in 
 
 
 m 
 
 It f 
 
 S I 
 
»•» 
 
 
 '.I I 
 
 t ; 
 
 ::.i:;i 
 
 
 ! IIOI ! 
 
 " I 
 
 
 276 TAe Red Mountain of Alaska. 
 
 pockets, and bundles of nnsoid papers nnder their 
 ragged and shivering arms ; when, in general, human- 
 kind presents itself as altogether a frozen, forlorn, 
 discouraged, and hopeless race, condemned to be swept 
 about on the nipping, dusty wind, like Francesca 
 and her lover, at the rate of thirty miles an hour, — 
 then the station becomes positively unendurable. 
 
 So thought Bob Estabrook, as be paced to and fro 
 in the Boston & Albany dep6t, travelling-t ,r \-\ hand, 
 on just snch a night as I have described. Beside him, 
 locomotives puffed and plunged and backed on the 
 shining rails, as if they, too, felt compelled to trot 
 up and down to keep themselves warm, and in even 
 tolerably good humour. 
 
 " Just my luck 1 " growled Bob, with a misanthropic 
 glare at a loud-voiced family who were passing. 
 "Christmas coming, two jolly Brighton parties and 
 an oratorio thrown up, and here am I, fired off to 
 San Francisco. So much for bein^ junior member of 
 a law firm. Wonder what " 
 
 Here the ruffled current of his meditations ran 
 plump against a rock, and as suddenly diverged from 
 their former course. The rock was no less than a 
 young person who at that moment approached, with 
 a grey-haired man, and inquired the way to the ticket 
 office. 
 
 Bob politely gave them the desired information, and 
 watched them with growing interest as they followed 
 his directions and stood before the lighted window. 
 The two silhouettes were decidedly out of the common. 
 The voice, whose delicate tones still lingered pleasantly 
 about Mr. Robert Estabrook's fastidious ears, was an 
 individual voice, as distinguishable from any other he 
 remembered as was the owner's bright face, the little 
 
Snowed Up. 
 
 277 
 
 fur collar beneath it, the daintily gloved hands, and 
 the pretty brown travelling-suit. 
 
 " Dignified old fellow ! " mused Bob, irrelevantly, 
 as the couple moved toward the train-gates. " Pro- 
 bably her father. Perhaps — hallo, by George I they're 
 going on my car I " 
 
 With which breath of summer in his winter of dis- 
 content, the young man proceeded to finish his cigar, 
 consult his watch, and, as the last warning bell rang, 
 step upon the platform of the already moving Pullman. 
 It must be admitted that as he entered he gave an 
 expectant glance down the aisle of the car j but the 
 sombre curtains hanging from ceiling to floor told no 
 tales. Too sleepy to speculate, and too learned in the 
 marvellous acoustic properties of a sleeping-car to 
 engage the porter in conversation on the subject, he 
 found his berth, arranged himself for the night with 
 the nonchalance of an ol^^ traveller, and, laying his 
 head upon his vibrating atom of a pillow, was soon 
 plunged into a dream at least fifty miles long. 
 
 It was snowing, and snowing hard. Moreover, it 
 had been snowing all night and all the afternoon 
 before. The wind rioted furiously over the broad 
 Missouri plains, alternately building up huge castles 
 of snow and throwing them down again, like a fretful 
 child ; overtaking the belated teamster on his home- 
 ward journey, clutching him with its icy hand, and 
 leaving him buried in a tomb more spotless than the 
 fairest marble ; howling, shrieking, racing madly to 
 and fro, never out of breath, always the same tireless, 
 pitiless, awful power. Rocks, fields, i-ometimes even 
 forests, were blotted out of the landscape. A mere 
 hyphen upon the broad, white page lay the Western- 
 
 11 
 
 ;• !': 
 
 !f; 
 
 ill 
 
278 The Red Mountain of Alaska, 
 
 r 
 
 1! 
 
 'W 
 
 'WW 
 
 '"^ I 
 
 bonnd train. The fires in the locomotives (there were 
 two of them) had been suffered to go out, and the 
 great creatures waited silently together, while the 
 snow drifted higher and higher upon their patient 
 backs. 
 
 When Bob had waked that morning, to find the 
 tempest more furious than ever, and the train stuck 
 fast in a huge snow-bank, his first thought was of 
 dismay at the possible detention in the narrow limits 
 of the Pullman, which seemed much colder than it 
 had before ; his next was to wonder how the change 
 of fortune would affect Gertrude Kaymond. Of 
 course, he had long ago become acquainted with the 
 brown travelling-suit and fur collar. Of course, there 
 had been numberless little services for him to perform 
 for her and the old gentleman, who had indeed proved 
 to be her father. 
 
 Once more he became misanthropic. "There's 
 Miss Raymond, now," he growled to himself, knock- 
 ing his head savagely against the upper berth in his 
 attempt to look out through the frosty pane, " sitting 
 over across the aisle day after day, with her kid 
 gloves and all that. Nice enough, of course," recall- 
 ing one or two spirited conversations where hours 
 had slipped by like minutes, " but confoundedly use- 
 less, like the rest of 'em. It she were like mother, 
 now, there'd be no trouble. She'd take care of herself. 
 But, as it is, the whole car will be turned upside down 
 for her to-day, for fear she'll freeze, or starve, or spoil 
 her complexion, or something." 
 
 Here Bob turned an extremely cold shoulder on the 
 window, and, having performed a sort of horizontal 
 toilet, emerged from his berth, his hair on end, and 
 liis face expressive of utter defiance to the world iv 
 
wmiMJ.— I .J.I .L , l.L l l]iJU^^ 
 
 (there were 
 nt, and the 
 , while the 
 heir patient 
 
 to find the 
 train stuck 
 ight was of 
 larrow limits 
 )lder than it 
 7 the change 
 ymond. Of 
 ited with the 
 course, there 
 im to perform 
 indeed proved 
 
 Lc. " There's 
 unself, knock- 
 ir berth in his 
 pane, " sitting 
 with her kid 
 jourse," recall- 
 where hours 
 foundedly use- 
 e like mother, 
 care of herself, 
 ed upside down 
 starve, or spoil 
 
 shoulder on the 
 :t of horizontal 
 air on end, and 
 to the world in 
 
 Snowed Up, 
 
 279 
 
 general, and contempt of fashionable young ladies in 
 particular. 
 
 At that moment Miss Raymond appeared in the 
 aisle, sweet and rosy as a June morning, her cheeks 
 glowing, and her eyes sparkling with fun. 
 
 " Good-morning, Mr. Estahrook," she said, demurely, 
 settling the fur collar about her neck. 
 
 Bob endeavoured to look dignified, and was conscious 
 of failure. 
 
 " Good-mo-moming," he replied, with some stiff"- 
 ness, and a shiver which took him by surprise. It 
 was cold, jumping out of that warm berth. 
 
 " I understand we must stay — but don't let me 
 detain you," she added, with a sly glance at his hair. 
 
 Bob turned and marched off solemnly to the mascu- 
 line end of the car, washed in ice-water, completed 
 his toilet, and came back refreshed. Breakfast was 
 formally served as usual, and then a council of war 
 was held. Conductor, engineers, and brakemen being 
 consulted, and inventories taken, it wa : found that, 
 while food was abundant, the stock of wood in the 
 bine would not last till noon. There were twelve 
 railroad men and thirty-five passengers on board, 
 some twenty of the Ia:ter being emigrants in a 
 second-class, behind the two Pullmans. 
 
 The little company gathered in the snow-bound car 
 looked blankly at each other, some of them instinctively 
 drawing their wraps more tightly about their shoulders, 
 as if they already felt the approaching chill. 
 
 It was miles to the nearest station in either direc- 
 tion. Above, below, on all sides, was the white blur 
 of tumultuous, wind-lashed snow. 
 
 The silence wa^ broken plea intly. Once more 
 Bob felt the power of those clear, sweet tones. 
 
 IS 
 
 I .i 
 
 r 
 
 m. 
 
fj >;■'. 
 
 i ■: 
 
 
 l!i!!ji|ilil!h!l!| 
 
 280 TAe Red Mountain of Alaska, 
 
 "The men mnst make up a party to hnnt for 
 wood," slie said. " While you're gone, we women 
 will do what we can for those who are left." 
 
 The necessity for immediate action was evident ; 
 and without further words the council broke up, to 
 obey her suggestion. 
 
 A dozen men, looking like amateur Esquimaux, 
 and floundering up to their armpits at the first step, 
 started off through the drifts. Bob thought he recog- 
 nized a face pressed close to the pane, and watching 
 them anxiously ; but he could not be sure. 
 
 Two hours later, the men appeared once more, some 
 staggering under huge logs, some with axes, some 
 with bundles of lighter boughs for kindling. In 
 another five minutes, smoke was going up cheerily 
 from the whole line of cars. 
 
 When Bob Estabrook stamped into his own car, 
 hugging up a big armful of wood, he was a different- 
 looking fellow from the trim young lawj'^er who was 
 wont to stand before the jury seats in the Bostou 
 court-house. He had on a pair of immen*«e blue-yarn 
 mittens loaned by a kindly brakeman, his face was 
 scratched with refractory twigs, his eyebrows were 
 frosted, his moustache an icy caret, two fingers-tips 
 frozen, and, with all this, he looked and felt more 
 manly than ever before in his life. 
 
 His eye roved through the length of the car, as it 
 had that first night in the dep6t. She was not there. 
 Ho was as anxious as a boy for her praise. 
 
 "Guess I'll take it into the next car," he said, 
 apologetically, to the nearest passenger ; " there's 
 mor*> coming, just behind." 
 
 , She was not in the second Pullman. Of course she 
 wasn't in the baggage-car. Was it possible ? He 
 
Snowed Up, 
 
 281 
 
 bh axes, some 
 
 entered the third and last car, recoiling just a bit at 
 the odour of crowded and unclean poverty which met 
 him at the door. 
 
 Sure enough, there she sat — his idle, fashionable 
 type of inutility — with one frowzy child upon the seat 
 beside her, two very rumpled-looking boys in front, 
 and in her arms a baby with terra-cotta hair. Some- 
 how, the baby's hair against the fur collar didn't look 
 80 badly as you would expect, either. She seemed to 
 be ismging it to sleep, and kept on with her soft 
 crooning as she glanced up oj||r its tangled red locks 
 at snowy Bob and his armfuRf wood, with a look in 
 her eyes that would have sent him cheerfully to Alaska 
 for more, had there been need. 
 
 ! : 11 
 
 ; 1 ("Mr 
 
 With the comfortable heat of the fires, the kind 
 offices of nearly all the well-dressed people to the 
 poorer ones, — for they were not slow, these kid-gloved 
 Pullman passengers, to follow Miss Raymond's ex- 
 ample, — the day w jre on quietly and not unpleasantly 
 toward its close. Then some one suddenly remem- 
 bered that it was Christmas Eve. 
 
 " Dear me ! " cried Miss Raymond, delightedly, 
 reaching round the baby to clap her hands ; "let's 
 have a Christmas party I " 
 
 A few sighed and shook their heads, as they thought 
 of their own home firesides ; one or two smiled indul- 
 gently on the small enthusiast ; several chimed in at 
 once. Conductor and baggage-master we-v cousuited, 
 and the spacious baggage-car " specially engaged for 
 the occasion," the originator of tbn scheme triumph- 
 antly announced. Preparations commenced without 
 delay. All the young pe(*ple put their heads together 
 in one corner, and many were the explosions of 
 
282 The Red Mountain of Alaska. 
 
 !'■'"'' 
 
 langhter as the programme grew. Trunks were visited 
 by their owners, and small articles abstracted there- 
 from to serve as gil'ts for the emigrants and train-men, 
 to whose particular entertainment the evening was by 
 common consent to be devoted. 
 
 Just as the lamps were lighted in the train, our 
 hero, who had disappeared early in the afternoon, re- 
 turned, dragging after him a small, stunted pine tree, 
 which seemed to have strayed away from its native 
 forest on purpose for the celebration. On being ad- 
 mitted to the grand hall. Bob further added to the 
 decorations a few strings of a queer, mossy sort of 
 evergreen. Hereupon a very young man with light 
 eyebrows, who had hitherto been inconspicuous, 
 suddenly appeared from the depths of a battered 
 trunk, over the edge of which he had for some time 
 been bent like a siphon, and with a beaming face pro- 
 duced a box of veritable tiny wax candles I He was 
 " on the road," he explained!, for a large wholesale 
 toy-shop, and these were samples. He guessed he 
 could make it all right with the firm. 
 
 Of course, the affair was a great success. I have 
 no space to tell of the sheltered walk that Bob con- 
 structed, of rugs, from car to car ; of the beautified 
 interior of the old baggage-car, draped with shawls 
 and brightened with bits of ribbon ; of the mute 
 wonder of the poor emigrants, a number of whom had 
 but just arrived from Germany, and could not speak 
 a word of English ; of their unbounded delight when 
 the glistening tree was disclosed, and the cries of 
 " Weihnachtsbaum ! Weihnachtsbaum ! " from their 
 rumpled children, whose faces waked into a glow of 
 blissful recollection at the sight. Ah 1 if you could 
 have seen the pretty gifts, the brave little pine (which 
 
ska. 
 
 [8 were visited 
 bracted there- 
 md train-men, 
 irening was by 
 
 the train, onr 
 afternoon, re- 
 nted pine tree, 
 rom its native 
 On being ad- 
 p added to the 
 mossy sort of 
 aan with light 
 inconspicuons, 
 of a battered 
 L for some time 
 iaming face pro- 
 idles 1 He was 
 large wholesale 
 He guessed he 
 
 luccess. I have 
 i that Bob con- 
 )f the beautified 
 Ded with shawls 
 of the mute 
 )er of whom had 
 could not speak 
 ed delight when 
 and the cries of 
 ^/" from their 
 ■d into a glow of 
 
 ^h I if yoii co^^^^^ 
 little pine (which 
 
 Snowed Up. 
 
 283 
 
 all the managers agreed couldn't possibly have been 
 nsed had it been an inch taller) ; the improvised 
 tableaux, wherein Bob successively personated an 
 organ-grinder, a pug dog, and Hamlet, amid thunders 
 of applause from the brakemen and engineers 1 Then 
 the passengers sang a simple Christmas carol, Miss 
 Raymond leading with her pure soprano, and Bob 
 chiming in like the diapason of an organ. 
 
 Just as the last words died away, a sudden hush 
 came over the audience. Could it be an illusion, or 
 did they hear the muffled but sweet notes of a church 
 bell faintly sounding without? Tears came into the 
 eyes of some of the roughest of the emigrants as they 
 listened, and thought of a wee belfry somewhere in 
 the Fatherland, where the Christmas bells were calling 
 to prayers that night, The sound of the bells ceased, 
 and the merriment went on, while the young man, 
 with eyebrows lighter than ever, but with radiant face, 
 let himself quietly into the car unnoticed. It had 
 been his own thought to creep out into the storm, 
 clear away the snow from the nearer locomotive bell, 
 and ring it while the gaiety was at its height. 
 
 All this indeed there was, and more ; but to Bob 
 the joy and sweetness of the evening centred in one 
 bright face. What mattered it if the wind roared and 
 moaned about the lonely, snow-drifted train, while he 
 could look into those brown eyes, and listen to that 
 voice for whose every tone he was fast learning to 
 watch ? Truly, it was a wonderful evening altogether. 
 
 Well, the blockade was raised, and the long rail- 
 road trip finished at last. But two of its passengers, 
 at least, have agreed to enter upon a still longer 
 journey. 
 
 She says it all began when he came staggering in 
 
 % 
 
284 The Red Mountain of Alaska. 
 
 with his armful of wood and his blue mittens. And 
 he? he doesn't care at all when it began. He only 
 realizes the joy that has come to him, and believes 
 that after a certain day next May it will be Christmas 
 for him all the year round. 
 
 \M:^r. 
 
 \::-i- 
 
 The story was voted a success, and with many 
 " good-nights " the company broke up to lie down and 
 dream of the dear old Christmas Day of old, — and of 
 home. 
 
 At about midnight, Mrs. Dutton was aroused by a 
 hand placed on her shoulder. 
 
 " Lor, Mis' Dutton I " chattered Chloe, who had 
 awakened her, " I's mos' scaret to death, I am I " 
 
 '' Why, what's the matter, Chloe ? " 
 
 " Jes' you hark, ma'am I — Dar — hear dat ? " 
 
 Mrs. Dutton did hear it, and it made her flesh creep. 
 It was a long, mournful howl, as sad and penetrating 
 in its drawn-out notes as the wail of a lost soul. 
 Another, and another, nearer than before. 
 
 Carlo, who was spending the night in their hut 
 now began to growl. Looking out, they found him 
 standing in the firelight, his hair bristling and his 
 teeth showing. 
 
 " Look at his tail, missus I " whispered Chloe. 
 "He's as scaret as I am, Oh, Lor' I what shell we do ?" 
 
 She was right. The big Newfoundland's tail was 
 between his legs, and he was trembling from head to 
 foot. 
 
 " Wake up, wake up, John I " cried Mrs. Dutton, 
 arousing her sleepy husband. "There's something 
 outside the hut. Look at the dog ! " 
 
 By this time little Nat and Flossie were beside their 
 mother. 
 
ska. 
 
 littens. And 
 
 ftn. He only 
 
 and believes 
 
 be Christmas 
 
 d with many 
 lie down and 
 >f old,— and of 
 
 3 aroused by a 
 
 aloe, who had 
 1. 1 am I 
 
 »» 
 
 rdat?" 
 her flesh creep, 
 and penetrating 
 of a lost soul. 
 
 afore. 
 
 at in their hut 
 they found him 
 ristling and his 
 
 rbispered Chloe. 
 hat shell we do?" 
 idland's tail was 
 ing from head to 
 
 ied Mrs. Dutton 
 'here's something 
 
 3 were beside their 
 
 
 " ' 
 
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 Snowed Up, 
 
 28; 
 
 Again that fearful howl, so mnch nearer, and re- 
 peated in snch prolonged choras that everyone started. 
 The women shook with fear. 
 
 ^' Let's go ont and see what it is," said Nat, calmly, 
 stepping toward the door and opening it. 
 
 Mr. Datton sprang forward, dragged the boy back, 
 and slammed the door again ; none too soon, for within 
 a rod of the hat were a dozen dark, shadowy forms, 
 with fiery eyes and snarling monthp. Even as Mr. 
 Datton closed the door two or three of them sprang 
 forward. 
 
 A renewed howl arose at their disappointment. 
 
 " Wolves," said Mr. Datton, calmly, taming to his 
 wife. " As long as we keep indoors we are safe." 
 
 Mrs. Datton shaddered, as she thoaght of the free- 
 dom with which they had all strayed away from the 
 hat daring the past week. 
 
 " They have foand game scarce, jast as we have," 
 added Mr. Datton, ^' and that makes them agly and 
 bold " 
 
 He was interrapted by a renewed howling and snarl- 
 ing oatside, accompanied by a scratching and ripping 
 soand. 
 
 Then came a rifle shot, close by, a sharp yelp, and 
 a tremendoas scampering of feet. The door opened, 
 admitting the welcome form of Solomon, rifle in hand. 
 
 " The pesky critters have got into oar stores," said 
 he, hastily. ^'Come oat here qaick, an' bring yoar 
 rifle to keep 'em ofl", while I see haow mach mischief 
 they've done." 
 
 Mr. Datton tarned pale, bat did as he was bid. 
 Already the fierce creatares were gathering for another 
 onslaaght. A well-aimed ball scattered them again, 
 and a hasty examination was made of the storage tent. 
 
 17 
 
288 The Red Mountain of Alaska, 
 
 When the hnnter and Mr. Dntton re-entered the 
 hnt they were silent. Each bore in his arms a few 
 pieces of meat and fish. As they laid these fragments 
 on the table at which they had so recently sat with 
 shouts of merriment, Mr. Dntton turned his face away 
 from his wife^s inquiring look. 
 
 " Is— is— that all that is left, John ? ** 
 
 "All I" 
 
 The wolves had made an almost clean sweep of the 
 larder. Not four days* provisions were left. There 
 was no game to be found within fifty miles, so far as 
 the besieged party knew, and the fierce pack consti- 
 tuted a new peril to hunters. Four long months of 
 cold weather to come before they could think of 
 resuming their journey. Was Peeschee's map right, 
 then, after all? Was a new enemy — starvation — to 
 accomplish what neither cold nor wild beasts nor 
 disease had effected? Was it to be, to this brave 
 little company, a Valley of Death? 
 
 Mournfully, on the night wind, came the howl of 
 the wolves outside, like an answer to the question. 
 
 ! I, 
 
i-entered the 
 arms a few 
 se fragments 
 itly sat with 
 lis face away 
 
 sweep of the 
 J left. There 
 iles, so far as 
 J pack consti- 
 ng months of 
 jtild think of 
 b's map right, 
 -starmtion — ^to 
 Id beasts nor 
 to this brave 
 
 Le the howl of 
 the question. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 PEESOHEE S MAP AGAIN. 
 
 P 
 
 APA, we've just been having Christ- 
 mas, you know. Won't He take 
 care of us, and give us plenty to eat ? 
 He did once, didn't He, with only just a 
 few loa^ es and fishes ? " 
 
 The men had remained silently stand- 
 ing before the fire. Mr. Button's head 
 was bowed, and his face was covered 
 with his hands. 
 
 At little Nat's words, which showed never a doubt 
 of his heavenly Father's care over His children, Mrs. 
 Dutton came to her husband's side, and laid her hand 
 gently on his shoulder. 
 
 " Nat is right," she said, softly. " Let us be brave, 
 John. God has not deserted us yet, and He will r t 
 now." 
 « But what can we do, Ella ? '* 
 ** I wus thinkin'," broke in Solomon, who had been 
 standing at a little distance, leaning on his rifle, " the 
 only way will be fer me and your two Injuns to start 
 off to-morrow morning fer a grand hunt." 
 ^' Oh, I shall go myself," began Mr. Dutton. 
 *' No. You mustn't resk anything before you have* 
 
290 The Red Mountain of Alaska, 
 
 to. You've got your wife an' darter and the boys 
 to think of. I'm alone in the world. No one will 
 care when I go, any way ! " — the man faltered a 
 little. 
 
 " Oh, Solomon 1 " cried Floss, slipping her little 
 hand into his, " you mustn't talk so I We all love yon 
 dearly ! " 
 
 " I know, I know," said Solomon, " an' as fer you, 
 Miss Floss, I b'lieve I couldn't think more of ye ef 
 you wus my very own darter. But, however that 
 may be, I'm the fust man to go on that hunt. 
 The Injuns shall go too, ef they will. They're lone- 
 some, roamin' critters like me, and mout's well be 
 off in the woods as sozzlin' over the fire here 't 
 home." 
 
 "When shall you start?" asked Mrs. Button. 
 " Oh, those wolves I " she added, nervously. " I do 
 wish they'd stop that dreadful howling ! " 
 
 " Can't aiford to waste lead on 'em, or I'd drive 'em 
 off fer a while. I shall start as soon as it's light 
 enough to see." 
 
 '^ Papa," said Nat, holding up a piece of paper, 
 " what is this ? It was sticking on to that largest 
 piece of meat you brought in." 
 
 Mr. Button glanced at it carelessly, as he took 
 it. 
 
 " It's Peeschee's map," he said. " Would to God 
 he had never made it I " he added, bitterly. 
 
 Solomon too had observed the map, as the little 
 fellow held it. 
 
 A sudden thought, or remembrance, seemed to strike 
 him. 
 
 '< Let me look at that ar map one minute, will ye ?" 
 he said. 
 
Peescheis Map Again, 
 
 291 
 
 ly, as lie took 
 
 seemed to strike 
 
 inute, will ye?" 
 
 He held it down to the firelight and examined 
 it attentively ; then nibbed his hand through his 
 grizzled locks in a puzzled way. 
 
 « What is it, Solomon ? " 
 
 " I want to see Peeschee," said the hunter, reflect- 
 ively, without vouchsafing an answer. 
 
 He rose to go out, but the Alaskan saved him the 
 trouble by entering the hut at that moment. It was 
 evident from his blank face that he knew what had 
 happened, and realized the danger that stared them 
 in die face. 
 
 "Look here, old fellow," said Solomon, "here's 
 something I don't understand." 
 
 He pointed to the hieroglyph, on the map, which 
 looked like a saw-horse with an X on one end. 
 
 " We've faound everything else, so far," continued 
 Solomon, "except that critter. As fer that skull 
 in the corner, I believe the old medicine-man, or 
 whoever first made the map, jest put it in to scare 
 people away, in case they got so near the maounting 
 as this." 
 
 The two men crouched by the fire, and bent closely 
 over the tracing. 
 
 Presently Peeschee straightened himself up, and 
 announced his verdict in one word : 
 
 « Caribou." 
 
 " Hooray ! " shouted Solomon, starting to his feet. 
 "You've got it, sure. I've seen an Injun draw a 
 caribou, an' that's jest the way he figgers it aout. 
 Four legs and two big horns." 
 
 "Well, well," said Mr. Button, impatiently, "what 
 does it mean? We haven't seen any caribou signs 
 near the trail." 
 
 " That's exactly the p'int. Ef we had, and hadn't 
 
292 The Red Mountain of Alaska, 
 
 come on to a caribou, I shonld think sartin the game 
 hed desarted the country and moved thar quarters. 
 Bnt it*s my opinion we hevn't strnck the right place 
 for 'em, fast nor last ! '* 
 
 "Where do you think the game is, then?" Mr. 
 Dntton's tone, it mnst be confessed, was not very 
 hopeful. 
 
 "Why, I remember seein' a sort of big gulch 
 making up inter the maountings on the right-hand 
 side o' the trail, as we come along over that ar awful 
 rough piece o* travellin'. It looked kind o* gamey 
 then, but we wus all so full o' gittin' ahead that thar 
 was no chance to try. It's my opinion that ef I should 
 go back fifteen miles or so on our trail, and then strike 
 off straight to the west'ard, by that ar gulch, I'd bring 
 ye in some caribou." « 
 
 " You never could get it home, if you shot one." 
 
 " Oh, you c'n resk me an' the Injuns fer luggin' it 
 home, ef we once bring daown a caribou. Anyways, 
 we'll try it. Good-night I" 
 
 " Good-night, Solomon, and God bless you for your 
 courage and devotion I " 
 
 They all shook hands with him silently, and he 
 went out into the night. 
 
 Long before breakfast, the three hunters were off on 
 their wearisome and perilous undertaking. 
 
 That day passed slowly, and the next, and the next, 
 the wolves returning each night with their dismal 
 serenade. 
 
 The stock of provisions diminished with frightM 
 rapidity. Mr. Button prepared to start out himself 
 on the morrow. More than one look was cast on 
 Carlo, whose brown eyes were raised piteously to his 
 young master, as if he understood that, in case of 
 
Peesckee's Map Again. 
 
 i9i 
 
 Solomon's failnre to replenish the larder, he must be 
 sacrificed to save the lives of the rest. 
 
 They tried not to think of snch a possibility, and 
 caressed the noble Newfoundland with nnnsnal tender- 
 ness, as if to atone for the suggestion which had 
 entered their minds. 
 
 Meanwhile, what of Solomon and the two Cana- 
 dians ? 
 
 rs were off on 
 
sa 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIl. 
 
 0' 
 
 FOB LIFE OB DBATH. 
 
 ^N leaving the camp at abont nine 
 o'clock — or an hour before sunrise — 
 on the morning after Christmas, the three 
 men had proceeded directly down the 
 banks of the brook, following the route 
 by which the party had come. The wolves 
 had withdrawn to the depths of the forest, 
 as is their custom in the day-time, and were nowhere 
 to be seen. Fortunately, the snow on the ground was 
 still of only moderate depth, and the brook was open 
 except in the deeper pools. Colder weather might now 
 De expected at any time, Solomon knew, and the 
 reflection added speed to his powerfal stride. 
 
 Each man had in his pouch a scanty three-days* 
 supply of pemmican. If no game had been found by 
 that time — ^why, Solomon reasoned that they might 
 as well die in the woods, like wounded deer, as go 
 back and perish with their friends. 
 
 The morning was fair, and the hunters made good 
 time. Unencumbered by baggage or women, they 
 covered nearly the whole distance to the ravine of 
 which Solomon had spoken in a single day. 
 
 At night they built a huge fire, and encamped in 
 the open air, near the brook. All three were terribly 
 
For Life or Death, 
 
 295 
 
 abont nine 
 
 cold before morning, bat they ate their pemmican and 
 resumed their march. It was no boy's-play in which 
 they were engaged. It wen life or death to them- 
 selyes and those they had left behind. 
 
 By ten o'clock they had reached the golch, and, with- 
 out stopping, turned into it. Their route now lay up- 
 hill, and was much more difficult. They managed to 
 cover four miles, however, before they stopped to lunch. 
 
 While they were silently munching their dried 
 meat, a twig cracked not far away. 
 
 The suddenness with which all three pairs of jaws 
 ceased to move was almost comical. 
 
 Three right hands cautiously grasped the stocks of 
 as many guns, and the hunters watched the woods 
 like so many panthers waiting for their prey. 
 
 While they looked, a magnificent animal emerged 
 from the spruce growth and stood an instant by the 
 brook. Before a muzzle could be raised, he had 
 caught both scent and sight of the strangers, and 
 bounded forward into the cover like an arrow. It was 
 a full-sized buck caribou. 
 
 The men looked at each other for a moment in 
 blank silence. 
 
 Then Solomon issued his orders. 
 
 " You creep raound that way," said he to Joe, indi- 
 cating the circuitous route he wished him to take, 
 " and you, Jim, go raound the other side of the valley. 
 I'll foUer the brook straight up. We'll meet, say, 
 two mile above here. See ? " 
 
 The two nodded intelligently, examined the locks of 
 their pieces, and disappeared almost as quicklv as had 
 the startled caribou. 
 
 With beating heart, in spite of his long experience 
 in the woods, Solomon started up the bed of the brook. 
 
 i' 
 
 1^; 
 
HBS 
 
 296 The Red Mountain of Alaska. 
 
 It was very hard walking indeed. The stones of the 
 stream were coated with ice, which in its tarn was 
 covered with a thin layer of snow. Again and again 
 the hnnter slipped and stumbled, bmising his hands 
 and limbs, and wrenching his ankles. Before long he 
 stmck abnndant " sign " of cariboo. The snow was 
 fairly trampled hard in some places, where the water 
 was open, and the animals had often come to drink. 
 
 Creeping cantionsly along, he worked his way up- 
 ward, now crouching beneath snow-laden fir-bougL , 
 now walking upright for a few steps, now crawling on 
 his hands and knees. After aboat a mile of this sort 
 of work the ground became more level. The brook 
 was frozen solid, and formed an admirable highway, of 
 which the stags had evidently availed themselves. 
 
 A sadden turn of the banks brought the hunter out 
 upon the margin of a small pond or lake, perhaps 
 three-quarters of a mile long by an eighth wide. 
 The hills rose precipitously from its shores on either 
 side, giving it almost the appearance of a broad caiion, 
 and forming a scene of striking grandeur. 
 
 But Solomon gave not a thought to the picturesque 
 qualities of the landscape. He had dropped flat upon 
 his stomach beneath a clump of half-grown willows, 
 and was peering eagerly out through their stems at 
 some object or objects at the further end of the 
 opening. 
 
 At first he thought he saw Joe and Jim, and his 
 heart sank. An instant later he discovered the true 
 character of the moving creatures just in the edge of 
 the woods at the head of the pond. They had four 
 legs apiece, and spreading antlers. They were of a 
 greyish-broA^n colour — about as large as good-sized 
 ponies — and had each a light-coloured mass of long 
 
For Life or Death. 
 
 297 
 
 hair depending from the neck. The moment Solomon 
 got a good look at them he recognized the animals. 
 Beyond a donbt they were caribou, a fine herd of at 
 least a dozen individuals. They had as yet taken 
 no alarm, but wure feediiii in leisurely enough fashion 
 on dried grasses, projecting from the snow, and the 
 tender bark of willov shoots. 
 
 Solomon determineu to wait mill the Indians should 
 surround them, rather tlun make the attempt at 
 stalking. By good luck the light wind was in his 
 favour, blowing directly from the game. 
 
 Assuming as easy a position as ^tL3 consistent with 
 concealment, the backwoodsman set himself to wait 
 patiently for some action on the part of his allies. 
 He was spared a long delay, however, by a new crowd 
 of actors in the scene. 
 
 Solomon at first did not understand the movements 
 of the caribou. They tossed their heads, and made 
 little starts to and fro as if in great alarm. It could 
 not be from any proximity of the Indians, for it was 
 simply impossible for them to have surmounted those 
 steep hills, and reached the end of the ca&on, in so 
 short a time. 
 
 Suddenly a sound broke the stillness of the Alaskan 
 solitude. It was a dismal noise, a succession of long, 
 uncanny howls, like those of a dog in distress. 
 
 Solomon ki^ew well enough now what was the matter; 
 and indeed his doubtp, had any remained, would have 
 been solved a moment later, when at least thirty dark 
 grey animals were seen leaping out of the woods, 
 and dashing around the terrified caribou. It was an 
 uncommonly large pack of wolves, such as had 
 fattened themselves on Mr. Button's store of pem- 
 mican and sent Solomon off on this expedition. The 
 
 I 
 
!'*■ 
 
 I 
 
 298 The Red Mountain of Alaska, 
 
 very best pemmican is made from caribon meat ; this 
 pack was more particular than the first, and preferred 
 their meat fresh. 
 
 Do not snppose they intended to attack the whole 
 herd, or any member of it, so long as it remained 
 compact. They were far too wary and too cowardly 
 for any snch procedare. With red tongaes hanging 
 ont, and with yelps and howls, they made feints of 
 charging at the youngest and feeblest does, while 
 others of the pack kept galloping aronnd them, to 
 keep them from taking to the woods. 
 
 At last the crisis came. A fine doe and two fawns, 
 nearly full-grown, retreated a few paces before a 
 farions onslaught from their assailants. Instantly 
 half-a-dozen gaunt fellows leaped into the gap, and 
 cut them off from the rest of the herd. The three 
 helpless creatures ran off a few steps, looked in vain 
 for help from their trembling companions, then made 
 a sudden break, and started at full speed down the 
 lake. 
 
 This was exactly what the wolves wanted. In full 
 cry they started after their prey, over the ice. 
 
 Solomon rose to his feet, as he saw this d^ouement 
 of the little drama at the head of the valley, and, 
 stepping boldly out into open ground, prepared to take 
 part in it himself. Neither pursued nor pursuers 
 caught sight of him until within less than sixty rods. 
 The doe tried to check herself, and threw herself fairly 
 down on her haunches, her two fawns following her 
 example, but the momentum of all three carried then 
 over the ice to within easy range of a rifle that had 
 rarely missed its aim. 
 
 Just as the largest caribou scrambled to her feet, 
 and headed for the side of the pond, there was a sharp 
 
n 
 
 a, 
 
 meat ; this 
 d preferred 
 
 the whole 
 t remained 
 
 cowardly 
 es hanging 
 e feints of 
 loes, while 
 d them, to 
 
 two fawns, 
 s before a 
 Instantly 
 e gap, and 
 The three 
 ked in vain 
 , then made 
 i down the 
 
 Bd. In full 
 :ce. 
 
 dinomment 
 ^ralley, and, 
 ared to take 
 or pnrsners 
 
 1 sixty rods, 
 lerself fairly 
 llowing her 
 larried then 
 fle that had 
 
 to her feet, 
 was a sharp 
 
 
 
 'THERE WAS A SIIARI' REPORT, AND WITH ONE LEAP SHE FEI.T. 
 
For Life or Death, 
 
 301 
 
 report) and, with one leap, she fell almost in her 
 tracks. The youngest one paused an instant irreso- 
 lutely, when half-a-dozen wolves were upon it, and 
 dragged it to the ice ; again the report of the gun, 
 and the third of the trio fell, while the cowardly 
 wolves scattered, snarling and yelping, as Solomon 
 came running toward them, shouting and waving his 
 arms. 
 
 All this had occurred within the space of half a 
 minute ; in fifteen seconds more all three of the 
 caribou were put out of their suffering. 
 
 Solomon replaced his knife in its sheath, and looked 
 around for Joe and Jim, Here was meat enough to 
 last for weeks to come ; but could it be carried to 
 the camp, with twenty miles of rough ground and two 
 independent packs of half-starved wolves between ? 
 This was the question which passed through Baronov's 
 mind as he stood there on the ice, in the midst of his 
 booty. 
 
 ; 
 
 I 
 
 
CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 WOLF AGAINST MAN. 
 
 THE wolves were evidently thoronghly 
 frightened by the presence of the hunter 
 and the reports of his gun. Besides, 
 they refreshed themselves with a light 
 lunch as soon as they gained the shelter 
 of the woods. When Solomon heard a 
 fresh series of wolfish howls, he knew 
 what they were about. 
 
 The six members of the pack who had leaped upon 
 the fawn and torn it had smear ed themselves with blot ' 
 in the process. These red patches were the seals 
 their death-warrants. All six of them were sure to 
 fall beneath the fangs of their famished comrades. 
 
 The hunter lost no time i n preparing the carcasses 
 of the caribou for transportation. He had already 
 carved off the hind-quarters of the largest, together 
 with a few choice slices from the ribs, when Joe and 
 Jim put in their appearance, running down the pond 
 at the top of their speed. When they saw the three 
 carcasses stretched out on the ice, they made no 
 comment whatever, but immediately set to work on 
 the two as yet untouched. As they laboured, they 
 paused occasionally to suck the marrow of the larger 
 
Wolf against Man, 
 
 303 
 
 thoroughly 
 f the hunter 
 1. Besides, 
 B^th a light 
 i the shelter 
 Inon heard a 
 Is, he knew 
 
 leaped upon 
 s with bio. I 
 the seals 
 rere sure to 
 mrades. 
 le carcasses 
 tiad already 
 >t, together 
 Jn Joe and 
 n the pond 
 w the three 
 ir made no 
 to work on 
 oured, they 
 f the larger 
 
 bones, which is very sweet and palatable, and almost 
 invariably eaten raw by the natives. They also 
 removed from under the skin of the back and croup of 
 the two fawns, both of which were males, a fatty 
 deposit, some three inches thick, called by French 
 Canadian hunters dSpouilU, 
 
 This, Solomon knew, was an essential element in 
 well-prepared pemmican, being pounded in with the 
 dried flesh of the animal. 
 
 Just as they were making ready to start, heavily 
 loaded, the down-easter was observed to stoop and 
 sever the bladder from each of the remains before 
 him. These he tied on to the rest of his load — for 
 what purpose we shall soon see. 
 
 "And naow, boys," said Solomon, as the three 
 started off in high spirits, " we want to jest pull fer 
 home in good style." 
 
 "Pull" they did, although, encumbered as they 
 were with their heavy loads, they could not move as 
 fast as during the morning. Still, by dint of perse- 
 ' srance and steady work, they managed to reach their 
 last night's camping-ground before stopping to rest. 
 
 The first thing Solomon did was to pull open the 
 ashes with which he had prudently covered the live 
 coals of the fire that morning, thus saving an extra 
 match. Next, he hung each of the bladders he had 
 saved to the swaying end of an alder withe, which he 
 stuck into the ground a few feet away from the camp. 
 Neither of his companions needed to ask the reason 
 for these singular objects ; they had often protected 
 themselves for a night in the woods by a "scare-wolf" 
 of the same sort. Fierce and voracious as is this ugly 
 animal, he shares with the New England crow its 
 terror of any novel or unusual contrivance, such as a 
 
 III 
 
 II 
 
304 The Red Mountain of Alaska, 
 
 bit of flattering ribbon, a trailing string, or a bladder 
 bobbing about at the end of a rod. 
 
 Their hungry neighbours howled about the three 
 sleepers by the hour that night, aggravated by the 
 smell of fresh meat, but kept at a respectful distance. 
 
 Eai*ly in the morning the hunters were on the 
 move again, after a hasty breakfast from their original 
 supply of penmiican. During the day they made ten 
 miles, up-hill, over rough country. Each of them 
 carried upwards of eighty pounds of meat, in addition 
 to his rifle and ammunition. They camped that night 
 within five miles of the huts. 
 
 Soon after midnight snow began to fall, and, by 
 the time they could see to walk, the storm was raging 
 furiously, doubling the labour and the dangers of the 
 journey. Once or twice they heard the distant howl 
 of a wolf, but were unmolested until within half a 
 mile of camp. 
 
 " Here they come— rth'^ same pack o' varmints that 
 carried o£P the meat," cried Solomon, as a dozen great 
 doggish forms came pouring over a high bank just 
 ahead. "They've been hanging raound here ever 
 sence, I *low." 
 
 The wolves fairly filled the bed of the brook in 
 front, and showed no disposition to yield at the 
 approach of the men. 
 
 " Let me have half your load, and give Jim the 
 other half," said Solomon to the foremost Indian, 
 shaking his head as he saw the stubborn stand taken 
 by the enemy. " Naow, Joe, you let drive into 'em, 
 and see if you can't scare 'em a bit." 
 
 Joe fired and rushed at the pack with hideous 
 whoops and frantic gestures. One of the wolves fell, 
 mortally wounded, and the rest leaped up to the top 
 
 wm, 
 
Wolf against Man. 
 
 305 
 
 of the bank, where they paused and eyed the men 
 hungrily as they staggered along under their increased 
 burdens. 
 
 " Impudent critters I " growled Solomon. " I'd like 
 to wring their necks, every one of 'em 1 " 
 
 The moment the travellers were past, the pack fell 
 upon their wounded brother, and speedily ate him up. 
 Then they closed in upon the men, as before, except 
 that they were behind instead of in front. 
 
 The same manoeuvre was repeated by Joe, with less 
 satisfactory result than at first. They hardly gained a 
 dozen steps before the pack were close at their heels. 
 At any moment a rush might be made, and all the 
 precious supplies lost, if not human life. 
 
 Just as the situation was beginning to assume a de- 
 cidedly serious aspect, a rattling volley of musketry 
 was heard, followed by joyous shouts from the front. 
 Three wolves fell in their tracks, and, while the 
 cannibal pack were making a meal of them, the relief 
 party, consisting of Mr. Dutton, Richard, Robert, and 
 Peeschee, came rushing down the trail to meet them. 
 
 " We heard the reports of your gun," they explained, 
 as they hastily divided the loads of the two nearly 
 exhausted men among themselves ; " and we were 
 prepared to start off on a trip of our own, any way, 
 as a last hope. What a glorious supply— two hundred 
 pounds, at the very least I Where did you get them ? 
 Are you completely used up ? Here, Jim, let me take 
 your rifle, poor fellow. Oh, Carlo, you're safe, my 
 boy!" 
 
 And Robert fairly cried like a baby, as he stooped 
 and hugged the faithful dog, who had come with the 
 rest to the rescue of the rescuers. 
 
 For the next two days the camp was a scene of 
 
 18 
 
 \\ 
 
mn 
 
 &''K 
 
 :,--V. 
 
 306 TAe Red Mountain of Alaska, 
 
 joyons activity. Outside the wind roared and the 
 snow fell steadily, drifting deep around the two hnts, 
 and making them warmer than they had been at any 
 time dnring the winter. The meat was cut into long 
 thin strips and hnng in one of the chimneys, where a 
 hnge column of smoke was kept going night and day. 
 No better manufacturer of pemmican could be found 
 than Solomon, who was now in his element. 
 
 As fast as the meat was ready, it was stored away 
 in a little cellar hole, which was dug out under the 
 flooring of the cooler of the two huts. In this way 
 over a hundred pounds of fine dried meat were pre- 
 served for fature use. The vegetables and small 
 fruits had not been harmed by the wolves. 
 
 Chloe announced in woful tones, one morning early 
 in January, that the tea was all gone ; but Peeschee 
 thereupon pulled down his precious bundles of Lab- 
 rador Tea, from which he showed the negro woman 
 how to concoct a beverage which, if not equal to that 
 pooduced by the famous Japanese herb, was at least 
 hot and refreshing, and not at all unpalatable. 
 Peeschee, moreover, went out for an hour or two, one 
 day, and brought in a big pouch full of a crinkled black 
 Substance, which Richard, on inspecting it, pronounced 
 to be the " edible lichen " of the Russian ftir-hunters. 
 On being boiled, this gave a rather sticky but not ill- 
 tasting dish, somewhat resembling sago. 
 
 Now and then a rabbit was knocked over, and 
 afforded a pleasant variety in the monotonous regime 
 to which our adventurers had for some time been 
 reduced. 
 
 The snow increased in depth, after a week's thaw in 
 January, and the mercury dropped until it marked 
 40° below zero, beyond which Mr. Button's provok- 
 
Wolf against Man, 
 
 307 
 
 ing thermometer, like Gilbert White's, would not 
 register. 
 
 In March a few pnffs of warmer breeze from the 
 sonth, and the swelling buds of willow and alder, told 
 that spring was coming. The wolves no longer 
 troubled them, having learned at last that too much 
 familiarity with these human intruders meant a flash 
 of lightning, a peal of thunder, and sudden death. 
 Caribou afforded easier prey, and off streamed the 
 remnant of the pack to some part of the country 
 where they could obtain better returns for less labour 
 than round the Dutton camp. 
 
 Game now became plentiful, and famine was no 
 longer feared. The days lengthened, and snow-banks 
 began to disappear before the coaxing rays of the sun, 
 which shone on them for twelve hours together. 
 
 In April there was such a freshet in the little brook 
 near by that the safety of the huts themselves was 
 threatened, and the fire in one of them was actually 
 put out, one night, by invading rills of melted snow. 
 
 On May Day a sound was heard which brought 
 tears to the eyes of Mrs. Dutton. It was a robin's 
 whistle, half cheery, half plaintive, reminding her 
 of the old home-orchard, where she had played in 
 the tall grass, and picked buttercups, when she was 
 a little girl. 
 
 And now it was time to make preparations for an 
 early start southward. Flossie's weakness had entirely 
 disappeared, and she was never in better spirits or 
 health. It was the same with all the rest. 
 
 On the last evening before setting out anew on their 
 long journey, now nearing its end, the whole party 
 stood before the door of the little hut, looking wistfully 
 along the path they were to take on the morrow. 
 
3o8 The Red Mountain of Alaska. 
 
 There were the monntains, covered, as they had ever 
 been since last antnmn, with seemingly eternal banks 
 of clonds. 
 
 Suddenly Mr. Dntton seized his wife^s arm. His 
 face was lighted with a strange expression. His hand 
 trembled. 
 
 "What is it, dear?" 
 
 He pointed, without a word, to the eastern sky. 
 
 Oh, wonder of wonders 1 Through a rift in the 
 snowy banks of mist there towered, faintly visible in 
 the rays of the setting sun, a single peak, mounting 
 into the bine sky, one hundred miles away. 
 
 It was of the most exquisite rose-colour, as fair to 
 look npon as the blush upon a girl's cheek. 
 
 "Can it be " 
 
 "The Red Mountain! The Red Mountain of 
 Alaska ! " 
 
ka. 
 
 ley had ever 
 iternal banks 
 
 8 arm. His 
 n. His hand 
 
 tern sky. 
 
 a rift in the 
 
 itly visible in 
 
 !ak, mounting 
 
 iway. 
 
 our, as fair to 
 
 ek. 
 
 Mountain of 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 OVER THE ICE. 
 
 WELL, I swan I I'd ruther travel 
 tew miles through the woods 
 than one on this ice. Do you s'pose 
 twill last long, cap'n ? " 
 
 " I'm sure I can't tell, Solomon. If 
 this glacier is what is meant by those 
 wavy cross-lines on the map, we shall 
 probably get over it in the course of three or four 
 hours." 
 
 Solomon groaned so comically that Flossie laughed 
 outright. 
 
 " / don't mind it a bit," said she, merrily. " This 
 reminds me of when I was in Switzerland, Solomon. 
 We often walked on a glacier, though none of them 
 were as large as this." 
 
 The Duttons, you see, were fairly en route once 
 more. Not without a feeling of sadness they bade 
 farewell to the huts that had sheltered them so long, 
 knowing the extreme improbability of their ever be- 
 holding them again. 
 
 In easy stages they had journeyed to the eastward. 
 After about a week of steady ascent, they had come to 
 & broad river of ice, bordered by immense moraines, or 
 
3IO The Red Mountain of Alaska, 
 
 banks of stone and gravel, poshed np by the glacier. 
 No one conld doubt that this was the one remaining 
 object indicated on the map between them and the 
 lofty peak which was their goal. 
 
 They had caught several glimpses of the moun- 
 tain, which did not appear so red as they drew near 
 to it. 
 
 A dark column of smoke hung over it continually, 
 and now and then rumblings and even sharp reports 
 could be heard, denoting that it was an active volcano. 
 
 As this became evident, some new thought could 
 be plainly seen to be working in the lieutenant's 
 mind. He made repeated examinations of Peeschee's 
 map, compared it with a small travelling-map of 
 Alaska carried by his brother, and covered the backs 
 of both with figures. Something perplexed and 
 troubled him, but as yet he held his peace, and the 
 others refrained from disturbing him with questions. 
 
 The journey now became really perilous, as well as 
 exceedingly laborious. They could only advance five 
 or six miles a day after they lefb the glacier, for the 
 ground was encumbered with underbrush and fallen 
 trees, the valleys were filled with soft and treacherous 
 mud, and thin layers of moss often covered a deep 
 substratum of slippery ice, on which the negro woman, 
 in particular, floundered about like a seal. 
 
 Besides, the air was steadily growing rarer as well 
 as more chilly. By his pocket barometer, which 
 formed a part of the same instrument with the ther- 
 mometer, Mr. Button found, on the tenth day from 
 winter-quarters, that they had actually reached an 
 altitude of ten thousand feet above the level of the 
 sea. He consulted seriously with his brother and 
 Solomon as to the propriety and feasibility of leaving 
 
Over the Ice. 
 
 3" 
 
 the women while the rest Bhould go on, accomplish 
 the necessary prospecting, and return to them, — 
 the whole expedition then to proceed directly toward 
 the coast. 
 
 Bichard agreed that this would eventually be a 
 wise method of procedure, and two days later a com- 
 fortable little brush camp was built in accordance 
 with this plan. Joe and Jim were left with Mrs, 
 Button, Chloe, Flossie, Nat, and Ted. The other 
 six pushed on toward the granite peak, which now 
 towered into the clouds directly before them. At 
 the end of the third day they returned, their pockets 
 bulging with ore. Robert told the story of their 
 visit to the great object of the whole trip, as follows. 
 
 
i. ) 
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 J; ■*.{ 
 
 CONCLUSION. 
 
 WHEN we left you, mother," he began, 
 taking a comfortable position before 
 the fire, "we dropped all care for any special 
 trail, and just put straight for the Red 
 Mountain itself, right before our eyes. 
 
 " You've noticed that it hasn't seemed 
 so red lately? Well, we'd all thought 
 of the same thing, but nobody liked to say 
 anything about it. We crossed a small 
 glacier, about three miles from here, and pretty soon 
 met another, coming straight down from our mountain. 
 Peeschee himself didn't know where he was, for he'd 
 never been there before. The cliff where he picked 
 up his rocks last fall was round further to the north, 
 he said. 
 
 "We climbed up over the moraine, which was a 
 huge one, and started straight up the glacier, instead 
 of across it. 
 
 "'I've noticed, Dick,' says father, after a while, 
 * that we don't hear the volcano as plainly as we did. 
 Do you suppose it's dying down a little ? ' 
 " * I'm afraid not,' says Uncle Richard. 
 *''Whj a/raid r 
 
Conclusion. 
 
 313 
 
 which was a 
 
 "* Because— I'll tell yon before long, 11 what I am 
 afraid of turns ont to be true.' 
 
 " Uncle looked troubled when he said this, and 
 it worried us all a little. Somehow we had a feel- 
 ing, a presentiment, I suppose you'd call it, that all 
 our trip was to be for nothing. Still, we kept on. 
 
 "That night we camped on the moraine, where 
 we went to get off the ice, which was chilling us 
 through. We hadn't a spark of fire, and I didn't 
 know but we'd freeze to death before morning. Oh, 
 what a long night ! " 
 
 Robert spread out his hands to the fire as he spoke, 
 and shivered at the bare recollection. 
 
 " Well, you may be sure we were on our way bright 
 and early the next morning. We left the glacier at 
 about ten o'clock, and reached the foot of the great 
 peak itself an hour later. You can imagine how we 
 felt, mother, laying our hands on the veritable Red 
 Mountain of Alaska, that we had been travelling a 
 year to reach. 
 
 " And now comes the queerest part of the story." 
 
 Mrs. Button, Florence, and indeed all who had been 
 left behind, leaned forward eagerly to listen. 
 
 *' When we came to examine the rock, it was — not 
 cinnabar at all I " 
 
 The faces of the listeners fell. It was a terrible 
 disappointment to them, as it had been to the men 
 when they made the discovery. 
 
 " Well," said Mrs. Button, heaving a deep sigh, as 
 she saw her dreams of wealth depart, " I suppose we 
 ought to be so thankful to have you back again, and 
 to have escaped all the fearful dangers of last winter, 
 that we shouldn't complain when we find it has all 
 been a wild-goose chase," 
 
h <.j V'f! ' 
 
 314 TAe Red Mountain of Alaska, 
 
 "Never Tnind," said Flossie, trying to be brave 
 tinder the disappointment. "WeVe enough left, 
 papa ; and perhaps it would have made ns proud and 
 disagreeable if we had been awfully rich." 
 
 " I did hope," began poor Mrs. Button, who found it 
 hard to relinquish all the plans she had made, ^'I 
 did hope we might endow an institution, and call it 
 * Button University,* but there 1 — I'll try not to think 
 of it again. Bid you bring money enough to pay our 
 fares home, John, from Sitka ? " 
 
 " There, there, Ella I don't take on about it," said 
 Mr. Button ; and he actually laughed. 
 
 His wife looked up sympathetically at what she 
 thought his heroic effort to be cheerful ; but there 
 was actually a twinkle in his eye. It was provoking, 
 you. know, when she was trying so hard to bear up 
 under this culminating misfortune. 
 
 "I really don't see, John," she began, in a hurt 
 tone, her lips quivering a little, " what you can find 
 amusing in it. To say nothing of my having dragged 
 myself a thousand miles or more through these woods, 
 and suffering such torments of anxiety as I have about 
 Floss, I have had my hopes raised about that moun- 
 tain. I didn't mean to think of anything beyond 
 youT health ; that's why I came, to take — care— ^of 
 you " 
 
 Here the poor woman, worn with the final anxiety 
 of the last few days, actually sobbed. The reaction 
 was too great, and she was unable to go on. 
 
 Now, Mr. Button was not one of that sort of men 
 who think it fun to " tease." He recognized the fact, 
 as every true, manly boy will, that giving pain to any 
 one under the name of " teasing " is a disgraceful and 
 cruel sport. 
 
Conclusion, 
 
 315 
 
 So he just crossed right over to his wife, sat down 
 on the big log beside her, and drew her head down on 
 his shoulder. 
 
 " There, there, dear I " said he, " it isn't quite so 
 bad as you think. I've been trying to tell you, but 
 you wouldn't listen to comfort. Who said we were 
 disappointed ? " 
 
 "Why, Robert here I" 
 
 " No, indeed. He merely said the mountain was 
 not one of cinnabar. You stopped him, my dear, 
 before he could go on to tell you that, although that 
 fairy dream of a whole mountain of wealth (which I 
 don't believe either of us really entertained in our 
 serious moments) could not be realized, we have not 
 been left to spend the remainder of our lives in abject 
 poverty, nor yet in that condition of well-to-do-ness 
 which we have enjoyed at Sheldon. I am not sure that 
 * Button University ' will prove a myth after all, Ella." 
 
 " What do you mean, John ? " 
 
 Mrs. Button sat up straight and dried her tears with 
 marvellous alacrity. 
 
 "Why, don't you see, mother," broke in Hugh, 
 taking up the story where Rob had left it, "there 
 might be something else there almost as good as a 
 mercury mountain? Just as we reached the foot of 
 the peak, we heard the old volcano once more, and the 
 rumbling and all. The queer look came into Uncle 
 Bick's face again. 
 
 «*Well, what is it?' says father. *Out with it, 
 Bick. Bon't stand there staring like an owl with a 
 bad conscience.' 
 
 " * Well, the fact is,* says uncle, ' I've made a dis- 
 covery. I wasn't quite sure of it until to-day, but 
 I've figured it out pretty carefully, and I'm confident 
 
3i6 The Red Mountain of Alaska. 
 
 ^J'^ 
 
 4! 
 
 fJ 
 
 *'/ 
 
 I*m right now.' (Yon can't hnrry nncle a mite, yon 
 know, when he chooses to take his time.) 'Where 
 is north ? ' says he, in a general kind of a way. 
 
 " * Over there,' says Solomon, who carried the com- 
 pass. 
 
 " * H'm I Then, the snn rose in the south-west, and 
 is going to set due east I * 
 
 " Snre enongh, there was the snn, all twisted ronnd 
 on the wrong side of the sky. 
 
 " * Well, now for your figures,' father sings out. 
 
 " As for Solomon there, he just scowled at the 
 Bun, and kept saying, * I swan ! ' over and over." 
 And Hugh burst into an irrepressible laugh at the 
 memory. 
 
 " Uncle pulled Peeschee's map out of his pocket," 
 said Robert, hastening to take the floor while Hugh 
 was indulging in his merriment, " and placed it beside 
 father's little map of Alaska. * There,' said he, ' now 
 allow two points' variation of the compass back there 
 by the lake-with-the-tall-trees, swerving more and 
 more as we worked our way over the last two hun- 
 dred miles of the trip, till the needle is nearly at 
 right angles with its true course ; where would we be 
 on the map of Alaska ? ' 
 
 " * Somewhere about this point,' says father, putting 
 his finger down on the map. 
 
 " * Exactly so. Now oblige me, John, by looking 
 under your finger.' 
 
 " ' Mount Wrangel 1 ' 
 
 " * And no other I ' says Uncle Dick, getting rather 
 excited as he comes out with his discovery. 'Your 
 Red Mountain, Peeschee, is nothing more or less than 
 a spur of Mount Wrangel, twenty thousand feet high, 
 the loftiest mountain in America I ' 
 
Conclusion. 
 
 317 
 
 " * But how abont the variation of the compass ? ' 
 
 " * Look I ' says uncle, pointing up at the jagged 
 rocks above us. * Red Mountain^ eh, John ? This 
 peak is not composed of solid cinnabar, to be sure, 
 but it is a tolerably perfect specimen of a mountain 
 of iron I ' " 
 
 " There, mother, there I " cried Hugh, " the secret's 
 out I " 
 
 " But how can the iron help us, John ?" 
 
 " Because, in the first place, that ore, in such rich 
 proportions of the true metal, is extremely valuable. 
 Secondly, it is almost invariably accompanied by the 
 presence of other ores of great conunercial worth. 
 By a little diligent prospecting we came across out- 
 crops of one or two splendid cinnabar veins, with 
 specimens such as Feeschee found on the other side 
 of the mountain, split off by frost, and asking to 
 be gathered. Then there was every indication of 
 immense amounts of copper, and, better still, a 
 glorious vein of silver-bearing ore. There was a 
 little gold to be seen here and there, and a broad 
 streak of bituminous coal, which will double the 
 value of mines, crushers, and smelting works, by 
 providing the fuel for the furnaces, as in the Penn- 
 sylvania region. Here are the specimens of every 
 ore found." 
 
 Pockets were emptied, and the beautiful, sparkling 
 bits of rock examined with delight. 
 
 "Peeschee and Solomon will return to the spot," 
 continued Mr. Button, " as soon as they get us fairly 
 started on our rafting voyage down the Copper River, 
 which rises somewhere hereabouts. They will locate 
 and stake out mines, as required by miners' law, and 
 remain actually on the spot, with good salaries, to hold 
 
,( n} 
 
 318 The Red Mountain of Alaska, 
 
 the ground until we have assayed the minerals, and 
 disposed of the claims." 
 
 " Oh, Solomon I " exclaimed Flossie, " aren't you 
 going to finish the trip with us ? We shall miss you 
 dreadfully I " 
 
 '^ Can't do it, little gal," said the honest hunter, 
 not daring to look her in the face. ^' The settlements 
 is no place fer me. I shall jpend my days in the 
 interior, with the Ungaliks and grizzlies. Mayhap 
 I'll git a shot yet at the big hairy elephant, and 
 be famous I " he added, with a poor attempt at a 
 laugh. 
 
 Flossie's eyes filled with tears at the thought of 
 losing her faithful companion and protector, but she 
 made no further protest. 
 
 Carlo looked up with his grave brown eyes, as if 
 he had understood all that had been said, and, rising 
 gravely, walked over to the hunter, and laid his head 
 upon his knee. The rest went to their tents one by 
 one, but Solomon never moved. The dog lay down 
 at his feet and slept; and all night the grave, quiet 
 man sat there, his head leaning on his hand, now 
 closing his eyes with a quick contraction of the fore- 
 head as if with a sudden pain ; now glancing toward 
 the white tent where the girl was resting ; now gazing 
 into the glowing coals of the camp-fire, and reading 
 there, perhaps, the bright story of— what might have 
 been. 
 
 So the short hours of the Alaskan night passed 
 away. The light spread in the eastern sky; the 
 song-sparrow and white-throat raised their contented 
 chants from the valley, and a flock of snow-birds, in 
 pretty array of gray and white, fluttered through the 
 spruce boughs over the head of the silent man. 
 
Conclusion, 
 
 319 
 
 At last he rose stiffly, drew his hand once or twice 
 across his eyes, threw his rifle over his shonlder, 
 whistled to Carlo, and started oflf into the forest. 
 
 " I guess we'll go an' pick 'em up a leetle suthin* 
 fer breakfast," said he, gently, to the dog. " Like's 
 not they'll be hungry." 
 
 The rest of the story is short. I linger over the 
 last few pages of manuscript, dear boys and girls, 
 with a pleasure that is touched with pain. Long as 
 you have lived in the company of the Buttons, the 
 author has lived longer with them ; for not only does 
 the writing take far more time than the reading of 
 a story, but Flossie and Bobert and Solomon and the 
 rest have been my companions, night and day, since 
 the words Chapter I. were written. I hope you have 
 learned to love them as I have, and that you will feel 
 a little sorry at parting with them. For part we 
 must at last. There is no need of telling you in detail 
 how they journeyed to the navigable waters of the 
 Copper River; how they said good-bye to Solomon 
 and Peeschee, watching them from the raft until it 
 passed round a bend in the river, and they were 
 lost to view; how the little expedition reached the 
 coast in safety, took passage in a small flshing-smack 
 to Sitka, and thence by packet-ship to San Francisco. 
 
 You will be interested to learn that Mr. Dutton 
 succeeded so well in convincing half-a-dozen California 
 capitalists of the practical value of his claim that 
 they formed a stock company for working the mines, 
 allotting him a share in the enterprise, which he sold 
 out, four years later, for a trifle over half-a-million 
 dollars. 
 
 Mrs. Dutton is much exercised over a site for an 
 
 .: •■ ,5 
 
320 The Red Mountain of Alaska, 
 
 educational institution which her husband proposes to 
 found next spring, with a permanent fund. 
 
 As to Solomon's history, and the subsequent adven- 
 tures of Flossie and the boys, I must tell you at 
 another time. 
 
 Good-night I 
 
 THE BND. 
 
 LORIMER AND CHALAmKS, 1>KINT£KS, EUINBUKGH. 
 
ja. 
 
 proposes to 
 
 uent adven- 
 tell you at 
 
 NBURGH.