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Alaska is a notable country for many kinds of game, but (luruig recent years it has steadily decreased in the neigh- bourhood of the Yukon, owing of course to the ravages of big-game hunters in the main valley. Yet on the tributary rivers and mountain - streams game is still to be found in great abundance. Like all countries in high latitudes, the fur-bearing animals are a speci- ally important feature in the fauna of this almost arctic region. The brown, black, grizzly, and silver -tip bears, antl the long-haired lynx, are very much in 'jvidence in the interior. Beavers are mainly found on the Hootalinqua, and there they are very niunerous. The beautiful silver-grey fox has his home in the mountains, and the commoner varieties of the fox tribe are abundant near the coast. Grey and white wolves, musk-rats, wolverines, rabbits, marmots, and many others, combine to make the list of fur - bearing animals very complete. Caribou and moose -deer are plentiful, and their skins are nuich used by the Indians in the manufacture of moccasins and snow-shoes. The grizzly and silver-till bears are the most formidable animals met with, but, fortunately, these species are not numerous. The silver-tip. so called from his having a white breast, is^ a semi -polar bear, and shares the ferocity of his more northern brothers. The brown bear makes his way to the mountains in early summer and fishes for salmon in the creeks, a sport at which he is a great adept. At that time of the year the Yukon Indians are engaged in the pame occupation, for salmon -drying is an important industry with them ; and if bear and Indian meet, the latter generally pre- fers to retire hurriedly, as the bear is very fierce and his skin is of no great value. This bear in his travels usually finds the best travelling grounds and the shallowest fords, and therefore his well-trodden paths become favourite roads with Yukon prospectors. The black bear is also good at fishing ; but he is a permane.it resident of the wooded and mountainous re- gions, and is by no means so much dreaded as his brown relative. The Klondike river and its many branches were at first best known to miners as being in- fested with bears, and a general dislike for their society is said to have made prospecting up this river unpopular, otherwise Bonanza and Eldorado dis- coveries might have been made many years ago. Although few birds are to 72 PmieeriMj in Klondike. — Conclusion. [July be seen during the winter, the brief summer season brings witli it a great variety of the feathered tribes, which, by their brilliant plumage and cheerful melodies, serve to make the country appear almost like a tropical paradise. Ducks, geese, and other waterfowl are to be found m great numbers on the various inland lakes ; and ptar- migan or snow-grouse, although winter birds, appear in summer also in gayer attire. In the winter their white plumage is scarcely noticeable agains. the snow, and in consequence they do not often help to swell the larder of the hungry miner. The bald and grey eagles are quite common near the coast, but they are rarely seen in the interior. Altoejether, diu-ing the short sumnier, there are many species of birds in the Yukon valley that would de- light the heart of an orni- thologist. In winter almost the only birds to be seen are the snow -grouse, a crow of a peculiar kind, and a much-de- spised bird, about the size of the ordinary starling, that goes under the name of "camp-rob- ber " ; and it has the reputation of being able to eat anything and everything that is con- tained in a miner's outfit. Fish, especially salmon, are very abundant in the rivers and lakes of the interior, and in no river to a greater extent than the Klondike, the very name of which is a mispro- nunciation of the Indian words " Thron-Diuck," meaning much fish. But both hunting and Wishing are chiefly relegated to ths JvA'ans, as the miner gener- ally has no time to waste on what he would term trivial sport. HARD TIMES. On Christmas Day we passed the Pelly river junction. We included Mac, Stewart, and myself, with our dog Dave. We had left the main party three days before, as their jiro- gress was much too slow to suit us, while at the same time they had commenced to quarrel among themselves, as I had half expected they would. A large party cannot proceed far in a country such as Alaska without numerous petty griev- ances arising, and when tliis occurs it is alwav^s better, not to say safer, to separate into smaller parties. It was rather a grim incident that caused us to break partnershiiJ, and one that I have never cared to say much about, but I shall relate it here, as it reveals the miseries and the half-crazed nature of the majority of the travellers on this long trail. On the third day after leav- ing Dawson, when we were nearing the Stewart river. I and several of the most experi- enced miners were leading the trail some distance ahead of the main party. Mac and Stewart were close behind, as they pre- ferred to keep a few hundred yards between themselves and the crowd. We were startled by suddenly hearing several ' 1899.] Pioneeriufj in Klondike. — Conchmun. 73 ' revolver Bliuts, followed by a medley of curses and yells that would have done credit to a horde of Indians. When we looked back we saw no longer the orderly line of prospectors that we had led for nearly a Imndretl miles, but a siirging mass of men crowding fiercely together and shouting with de- moniacal fury. " I'm afraid that means trouble, boys," said a grizzled veteran beside me, as we all gazed anxiously at the gesticu- lating mob behind. "Je — ru- salom ! look yonder ; get your guns ready," he shouted, and with one accord we all — about a dozen — started at a run for the scene of the disturbance. " Mac, Stewart," I roared as we 2Ja88ed them, " leave your sleighs and come along." "D — them ! — Philistines," growled Mac. " Come on Stewart " ; and im- mediately after I hoard them lumbering heavily behind me. We arrived in time to pre- vent a poor half-starved speci- men of humanity from becoming a victim to lynch law. He was accused of stealing a few pounds of Hour, and for this he was to be hanged on a tree. In vain the older miners pleaded for him. " We'll have no darned thief in this crowd," was the inflexible reply, and the howls of the excited mob were redoubled. " Now, boys, this has got to stop," said the veteran, who was with me. "There will be no nmrder done if we can help it. Give the man over to us, and we will hand him to Major AValsh when we get to Big Salmon. If not," he continued suggestively, "thar's about a score of us here, and we'll have a fight for it." The last argu- ment prevailed, and the poor hungry thief was taken in charge by a dozen of the oldest miners. Mac and Stewart were much disgusted with the whole perfoi-mance, and no more so than I was ; and wo were not sorry when we saw the largo cavalcade divide and subdivide until at last it straggled in twos and threes over several miles. Then wo struck ahead ourselves, and continued our journey far into the night. When a fairly smooth stretch of ice appeared, we would start ofl" at a rim, and keep it up until the keen air, penetrating to our lungs, compelled us to stop. For a considerable time we went swinging over the trail at five miles an hour. The high shelving ice at the mouth of the Polly gave us some trouble, but we clambered over the icy pyramids and again dashed forward at our best speed, determined not to be beaten by any obstacle. Although only six days out, we were now about 180 miles on our journey, and, I think, fully twenty miles ahead of the nearest party. The temperature at this time averaged 40' below zero, and our faces were hung with icicles from morning till night. Our regular evening toilet perform- ance consisted in thawing off these appendages. There had not been a breath of wind for the last month, and all around hung a death-like stillness that was almost un- bearable. We never saw a bird of any kind except one 1S)^744 71 Pioneering in Klondike. — Conclusion. [July Ira gti 'crow, that followetl us daily, circling over our camp at iiiglit, and breaking the silence with its hideous croak. Mao several times tried to shoot it, but, to his great annoyance, it always managed to escape. Daylight ceased about two o'clock, and we had to proceed on our journey by the aid of the stars alone : they, however, shone so brilliantly that we had ample light to distinguish the broad trail. As we neared Daly river I recognised many familiar land- marks, although the ground was thickly covered with a heavy rime. Our progress now became much more difficult : the ice was in many plaoas split asunder, showing the dry sandy river-bed, about 15 feet below, while the blown ice at the mouths of the various creeks was covered to over a foot in depth with hoar-frost, into which the sleighs sank over the runners. "We floun- dered through this part of the route as best we could, in some places taking over an hour to accomplish a mile. At this stage we noticed that our little store of provisions was going down with alarming rapidity. " It seems to mo," I said to Stewa/t as he was cook- ing damper, " that we are de- veloping very healthy appe- tites.''^"" There's naedoot aboot that," replied he, gazing sol- emnly at our little store ; " an' if we dinna manage to get some mair grub, the appetites'U be a' that'll be left us vera sune." Flour, rice, and coffee now constituted our food ; any lux- uries we formerly had had long ago disappeared, and now we had to be content with the bare necessaries, and very small allowance at that. I had made a big mistake when I set aside our month's provisions for tak- ing us out of tlie country. I had calculated the quantity of flour used formerly in a month, and had taken the same quan- tity with us ; but I neglected to consider that while going to Klondike, and also for a time when there, we had had vari- ous extras which had consider- ably lessened our consumption of the staff" of life, and now we had to satisfy our appetites al- most entirely with flour, with the result that it was quickly getting reduced to very small bulk indeed. BIG SALMON AGAIN. Two days later we arrived at the Government camp on Big Salmon river, and immediately erected our tent near by. Major Walsh was as hospitable as be- fore. " Come and pass the evening with us, boys," he said ; "we haven't got anything special in the way of grub, but I don't suppose you'll be very particular." We willingly accepted the invitation, and that evening, while I talked with the Major, Stewart and Mac were engaged in earnest conversation with the cook of the establishment. " By the way," said the Major, 1899.1 Pioneeriny in Klondike. — Conclitniun. 75 in tho course of conversation, " I learn from some despatches tliat came up a few days ago from Tagisli, that a large out- fit, under an old prospector called Macintosh, is at present going over the Divide at Marsh Lake to prosiiect the Hoota- linqua." "I hope he doesn't tumble against any of my grounds in that quarter," I said, anxiously. I had discovered a valuable lode near the head -waters of the Hootalinqua some time pre- viously, and as there was no Government ofHce within sev- eral hundred miles of the loca- tion, I had not registered my find, never thinking that any one would prospect in the same direction. " The best thing for you to do," said Major Walsh, "is to go down the Hoota- linqua instead of jiroceeding by Wliite Horse, peg out your grounds afresh, then cross ove? and register at Tagish," all of which sounded easy enough, although I feared the perform- ance would be a very diiFeront matter. "That plan would suit all right if we weren't so con- foundedly short of grub," I ex- plained ; " but, as it happens, we have only a fortnight's pro- visions left, and there's 300 miles of the Avorst part of the trail ahead." "That's all the more reason why you should go up the Hootalin(iua," replied the Major; "it's a line game country, and you will be able to add to your store with your riHes. Then, when you get to Tagish, Captain Strickland will do what he can for you." After nmch consideration, I decided to take the Major's ad- vice, but when I announced the change of plan that night to my companions, they were very far from being pleased. " Ony- hoo," said Mac, as he hauled a small bag from inside his coat, " a got twa or three pounds o' floor when there was naebody lookin' : it will help conseed- erably. ON THE HOOTALINQUA TRAIL. " Left wheel ! " I shouted, as we arrived at the confluence of the Hootahn(jua on the follow- ing day, and in a few minutes more I was striking a trail over the broad frozen surface of this large tributary, followed closely by Mac, Stewart, and Dave. We had made the journey from Big Salmon in five hours, and I was determined to proceed ten miles up the Hootalinqua before jjitching camp. As we journeyed onwards I observed that the vast forests on the river-banks were getting larger and denser, and that the coun- try generally was taking on a much more fertile aspect. The temperature, which for the last few days had been about 40° below zero, now relaxed some- what, and occasionally a few flakes of snow would fall, show- ing that we were gradually nearing the land influenced by the coast breezes. We suc- ceeded in making twelve miles after reaching the Hootalinqua, being a total of about thirty 76 Ptoneering in Klondike. — Coniiwtiun. [July miles for the day's journey. It was, liowever, a forced march ; at ditrerent plaues on the route we felt inclined to pitch our tent, but, knowing the state of our stores, we kept mo' ' .^" onward, trying to ignore the pangs of hunger. Mac's con- tribution was very acceptable, and I did not feel inclined to ask for details as to how he got the "twa or three pounds o' lloor." Steward's sorrow at Mac's outdoing him in this respect was very great. "A'U wrestle tlie first Indian a see for a' he's got," he said grimly, but we had not seen any Indians for a considerable time. They had gone to their winter wigwams in the forests, and I feared that Stewart was not likely to have his desire grati- fied. Next day we covered twenty- eight miles, and at that rate of progryss I calculated we would arrive at my location in little more than another day. I should explain here that when I prospected the head- waters of tlie Hootalinqua on a former expedition, I approached by way of Teslin Lake and Telegraph Creek : now I was travelling the entire lenjijtL of the river to reach ;U source, and aa yet I vvas in unfamiliar country. On the third day on the Hootalinqua trail our march was hindered considerably by the snowfall on the ice, the depth of which increased until it reached several inches. It was evident that this was going to prove a serious diffi- culty, and I was already cal- culating on our chances of getting over the Divide in safety. The country liotwoen Lake Marsh and the H(M)talin- qiia is not by any means moun- tainous, the gradual rise not exceeding 500 i'oet. This gentle acclivity ends in a table-land, which slo])es on the other side down to the Yukon Valley. There was no special point at which to conunenco this trail, and I had not thought that it would prove much of a diffi- culty ; but in tliis, as will l)e seen, I was sadly mistaken. On the fourth day after leav'ncr the Government encampment I began to find myself on famil- iar ground, and anticipated no difficulty in locating my pre- vious discoveries. I felt almost disappointed to find no marks of human feet on the snow- covered trail. I had the idea that Macintosh, whom 1 knew by repute to be an enthusiastic prospector, would have by this time crossed the Divide, and had expected to see his "out- fit" on the shores of the Hoota- linqua. If this had been the case, I could quickiy have re- pegged my grounds, and then without trouble liave followed his tracks to Marsh Ijake. I suspected Macintosh's courage had failed him when ho most needed it. " Here we are now," I said, a" we came to a small creek that wound its way through a deep gully before joining the main water on our left, and we changed our course, striking upwards towards the mountains : a fewluindred yards in this direction brought uj to several blazed trees, • »n thy fiat surface of which were various hieroglyphics, and — my own name. The direction of the ) / i8on.] Piimcerhuj in Khmdikc — Cnvchmim. 11 h'lul, its width and proved dupth, woro all caroftilly cut in deep letters into the boundary trees tlmt did duty for the regulation pegs. The Jodo ox- tended from tlie bank of the mountain creek to a point several yards distant; varies n leaders throughout its area showed clearly above the snow, and accurately indicated llio •liroction of the main lea It outcropped com))letely on the l)ank of thr> stream, and nt this point the rich, free, milling (piartz fornuition could bo dis- tinctly defined. I had intended to develop this mine at the earliest opportimity, but the Klondike boom had caused me to neglect it for one season at least : no^v, as I looked upon it again, I could not but contrast its aspect with that of the bar- ren schist formations in the Klondike region. "We'll get the tent fixed first, boys," I said, "and then we'll set to work and make new botmd- aries ; " so we selected a suit- able spot among the timber for our tent and sj)eedily got it erecte(t and in a few minutes more Mac and Stewart were busily engaged with their axes in squaring several trees that marked in a direct line the run of the lode. Not content with this alone, I asked Stewart to cut the date into one of the most prominent trees, and then I felt more satisfied. " A think it'll dae noo," said Mac, laying down his axe and looking round with complacency. " I think it will," I replied. We dined early that day, and h.n^v i.ng still some daylight at oiu' disposal, we went out in searcih of game. Wo l)oat the forest, however, for* an hoiir without sticcess, but at tho end of that time we had the doubt- ful luck of coming «)n a lumgry lynx, evidently on the look-out for his supper. I wan inclined to let it skulk off into the irushwood, but Dave, who was as hungiy as tho lynx, did not f^ieem inclined to lose a chance of a Jt'»od supjier, and before we >iould interfere he and tho lynx ilew at each other, and in an instant were engaged in mortal combat. We were powerless to help our dog, as tho two animals rolkd over aud-oVer on the moss, presenting to our rifles a dtial and ever-revolving target. The cruel claws of the eat - like creature tore great gashes in the body of tho dog, but Dave cared not ; he had a tenacious grip of the lynx's throat, and only muffled growls betrayed his pain. I fired several times, but, in my anxiety to spare Dave, the shots went wide, until at length, a good opportunity presenting itself, I Rent a bullet through the lynx's neck and closed the fray. Dave had well earned his supper, and did not seem at all concerned about his wounds, which I bandaged temporarily till we should reach the tent. We continued our explorations in the forest till it was quite dark, but found nothing for our larder. Still it was some satis- faction to see Dave's tail wag- ging in jubilant anticipation of his supper. The lynx weighed about 40 lb., and Stewart took the trouble to dress the skin that it might be preserved as one more Alaskan souvenir. 78 Pioneenng in Klondike. — Conchmon. [July Not being so tired that evening, I sketched out the location of the reef in my note-book, while my companions busied them- selves in repairing our tattered wardrobe. Very little is known of this locality, and perhaps a few words here relative to it may not be out of place. Around Teslin Lake, and for many miles down the HootaUnqua "Valley, the country is rich in gold-bear- ing formations, and much allu- vial gold is contained on the bars of the main river, which undoubtedly points to the exist- ence of great mineral wealth in the smaller creeks. The district lies much lower than the Yukon Valley, and that circumstance, together with the fact that it is well enclosed by the several ranges of mountains, causes it to have a much milder climate than is generally experienced in the same latitude. Vegeta- tion is also richer, and animal life more abundant than in the region of the Yukon. The " country " rock, like that far- ther north, is a slate and mica- schist formation, which is well exposed in the deep gorges that are common to all the streams, there being also evidence of the existence of coal in large quan- tities. The vast forests are alive with furry animals, which alone should make the country pop- ular with hunters of big game. The lynx grows to a huge size, and has fur full 3 inches long ; and the long - haired grizzly bear is frequently met with. Travellers on the Hootalinqua should always be able to " shoot straight," and at fairly long range, as the silver -tip bear haunts this valley, and imme- diately he scents unpleasant company he invariably insists on making their acquaintance. UntU last year the Indians were almost the only frequent- ers of the valley, and they engage during the open season in hunting the moose-deer and catching beavers, as well as in their favourite occupation of salmon - fishing. The Hudson Bay Company had at one time an outpost in the neighbour- hood, but it has long been deserted. Gold is the precious product with which we associate North-West Canada, but there is reason to believe that in the near future this special district will be found to hold still an- other source of mineral wealth. The strata comprising the beds of the creeks and various pecul- iar formations throughout the surrounding coimtry are indica- tive of the presence of garnets and other precious stones. In consequence of these indications we named the creek bordering on the quartz reef "Garnet Gully," and I believe it will one day justify its name. i^ THE DANGERS OP THE "DIVIDE. We made a fair collection of geological specimens in the course of the next forenoon, and packed them carefully on one of the sleighs beside our gold-bags, and then with great reluctance resumed our journey, meaning to get a fair start over the " Divide " before dark. We soon got on to the Hootalinqua 1899.] Pioneennr/ in Klondike. — Conchmon. 79 ■; trail, and quickly followed our old tracks back for a consider- able distance before a suitable opportunity offered for begin- ning our westward route ; and then we resolutely changed our course and struck a trail over the gently sloping hills of the Hootalinqua Divide. Before we had travelled a mile in our new direction I realised that we were going to have a tough time. The snow was becoming deeper and deeper as we as- cended, and we floundered up to the knees at every step, un- til at length it got so bad that we made little or no progress. We struggled on until dark, however, and then dug a hole in the snow and lay down in our blankets. There was no timber in the vicinity, so we could have no fire ; and while we shivered in our snow shelter we speculated as to whether we should die of cold or starvation. During the night the snow fell heavily, and as we had no pro- tection against it, I got up and drew the folded tent over the mouth of our cavern ; then we lay awake and listened to the pattering of tJ^e frozen flakes on our canvas roof. Strangely enough, I at last managed to fall asleep, and so for a time became oblivious to the many dangers surrounding us. I was awakened by the sound of Mac's voice. He was talking excitedly to Stewart, who evidently refused to awake. "What's the matter?" I asked, but before I could get an an- swer I discovered the cause of the disturbance. I had lifted my head slightly while speak- ing, and had come in contact with the bulging canvas, weiglited down by snow un- til it was only a few inches from our faces. " We'll need to get oot, or we'll be smothered," said Mac, shaking Stewart vig- orously. The shaking not only aroused Stewart, but sent a shower of snow down from above. "Easy, Mac," I roared, as I felt the canvas beginning to press against my face. " What's wrang ? " sleepily in- quired Stewart, trying to sit up ; but he very quickly found what was wrong, for immedi- ately his head touched the can- vas, the walls of our "snow dug - out " collapsed and we were instantly buried under a mass of snow, as the canvas with all its load came down on the top of us. I felt almost suffocated, and made frantic efforts to throw off the heavy weight, but all to no purpose. In the meantime Mao had managed to struggle to his knees, and making a strenuous effort, he raised the weighted canvas on his shoulders and stood upright. In a few seconds more we had all scrambled out, and although it was too dark to see anything, I could hear Dave howling dismally at being so imceremoniously disturbed in his slumbers. The snow con- tinued to fall in heavy blinding showers, and not a star could be seen in the sky. I struck a match, and by its fitful glim- mer I could see an edge of our tent appearing above the snow where we had slept, but our sleighs were out of sight. "This is the devil's own coun- try," solemnly spoke Mac, as he and Stewart stumbled for- ward to fish for the buried sleighs, which contained all our 80 Pioneerinf/ in Klondike. — Conchmon. [July treasures. I noticed with much alarm that the snow, which had already reached a depth of 4 feet, was rapidly getting deeper. How we were going to get along under such difficulties I could not imagine. Mac and Stewart quickly found and dragged cut the sleighs from the snow, while I tried to light a piece of candle that I carried in my pocket in case of emer- gency. " Get me my snow - shoes, Stewart," I said, and he un- fastened my long Indian run- ners from one of the sleighs and slid them over in my direc- tion. I slipped my moccasined feet into the leathern thongs and shuffled over to Mac and Stewart with the lighted candle, which I stuck on one of the sleighs. " I don't know how we are to get out of this, boys," I said, "but we'll need to do our best : we've got thirty-five miles to travel befoi'e we reach Marsh Lake, and I think we had better get ahead now." "Isn't it no' owro dark?" asked Mac, in hopeless tones. " What difference does that mak' ? " said Stewart in an- swer. "We never see the sun at any time, an' daylicht wadna help us to gang straicht with- out the compass." " That's quite right, Stewart," I said: "daylight on this part of the trail won't help us much." I harnessed Dave into his sleigh, as I could move about on my snow - shoes with freedom, whereas Mac and Stewart had to walk on hands and knees, so as to divide their weight over the soft snow, and keep them from sinking. " Now, boys," I said, when all was ready, "fol- low me ; I'll pack the trail as hard as I can with my snow- shoes, and if you keep on my tracks you won't go down." Slowly I moved forward, fol- lowed by Mac, Stewart and Dave stepping gingerly behind. It was necessary to place Dave last, as he broke the trail a good deal, and I could hear him whining feebly as now and then he sank in the pow- dery snow. I led onwards steadily, making a course for the end of Marsh Lake. My snow - shoes slid along very easily, sometimes too easily for those coming behind on their moccasins, and I had continu- ally to be slowing my progress so as not to get too far ahead. We were now travelling across a fairly flat surface, and I had several times to consult my compass and correct our course, as we persisted in bearing away in a northerly direction. The snowstorm increased in severity as we proceeded, but, despite its fury, we kept the same monotonous pace, bowing our heads to the blast. The darkness enveloped us com- pletely, and I could not distin- guish objects beyond a yard or so in front. As morning ap- proached the storm abated somewhat, and when the ^frey dull light succeeded to murky darkness we could see a strag- gling forest some distance ahead. We quickened our pace, and soon lessened the space between us and it. I was glad to see timber of any description, as we could make a fire and cook our frugal fare before pro- ceeding farther ; but at the same time I hoped that thn trees were not densely packe