A KLONDIKE ADVENTURE.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 426, 23 June 1904, Page 7

A KLONDIKE ADVENTURE.

SHORT STORY.

SS& H A YE stumbled upen a few ' tough *jw* comets of the globe during nr OS wanderings beyond the cntpoets o ■L civilisation, bnt 1 think the aoe JPS outrageously lawless quarter I ever stxuei was Skagway in the days of Ita earl] uifancy. Now, I am told, Bkagway is t flourishing township, boasting of the orthodox smonnt of "broad* streets and palatial buildings for an American * boom' camp, This may be, though—unless the geographical features of the district have altered—l can hardly credit it When I was there the embryo city balanced itself precariously along the lower slopes of the Whits Paep, and a good percentage of the population bad to be content with hnts built on piles with the tidal limit of the Lynn Canal. In short, there was no room to build anything, and Skagway existed simply because it marked the entry to the Yukon's frozen treasure. Its pei raanent residents were, for the meet part, sharpers cf the worst type; indeed, it seemod as if the ecum of the earth had hastened here to fleece and rob, or. failing these gentle arts, to murder the unwary,voyagers to or from the Golden North. There was no law whatsoever, might was right, the dead shot only was immune from danger. It was late winter in the year when the first news of Klondike riches burst np9n the world, when I, with my companion Mac. arrived at the head of the Lynn inlet en route for the land of snows and nuggets. Our ship, the Bosalie, carried a goodly number of passengers, bnt they were mainly of the nfflin 'store and saloon-keeper' variety, and few, if any, of them ever got beyend the pass. The true gold miner is proverbially poor, and as yet his kind had not been numerous on the trail. As for myself, I was enter, prising if nothing else, and my companion made up for my deficiencies in other respects. Ha was a ferocious individual without a doubt, my worthy henchman; without him mj early journeyings would have ended before they had well begun, but being a hardesed traveller, he knew how to adapt himself to circumstances, and how to come on best in a scrimmage, both of which traits, were brought fully out before we had been long in the villainous little camp of Skagway. Our first twenty, four hours* experiences may be worth relating. We were the only representatives of Old England in these uncouth parte at this period, a fact which had not made us any more beloved by the aggressively hostile Yankees on board the Bosalie. Times without number they told me how the ' great American nation * could wipe the British Isles off the face of the earth at a rcomenfs notice, and how a 'free-born American' was equal to a doian Britishers j and how we two would be swallowed alive by these same men should we dare say a word to the contrary. We bore a good deal of this sort of thing in silence, though occasionally throughout the protracted voyage my fiery aide-de-camp retaliated angrily, and did considerable damage among his tormentors, who proved to be war-like only in their speech. But this ia a digression, and though I could write pages on that momentous cruise—we ran aground five times, and were practically wrecked twice—l must desist and continue my narrative. The first man we saw after being dumped on the muddy shores of Skagway Bay was a short, red-headed individual, 3~ with ruddy countenance to match, who S fairly bristled with weapons of the most bloodthirsty description. He approached Mac and me as we stood hesitatingly by . the water's edge looking around for some - habitation wherein we.might find refuge for the first night of our Bojurn in a six&ngeland, • Hallo, stranger!' he saluted; affably, firing a huge revolver unpleasantly close to my ear in a moot nonchalant manner. ' Hallo P I said, without enthusiasm, feeling cautiously in the rear of my nether garments to make Bnre that my own gun was where it ought to be. He seemed somewhat hurt at the stiffness of my rejoinder, and toyed saggestUely with his revolver for some moments without speaking. Meanwhile Mac proceeded unconcernedly along the beaoh to where a huge hulk lay moored, whose broad beam bore the legend in giant letters—' Skagit HoteL Bscsntly of San Francisco. Finest accommodation in town.' I was preparing to follow in my comrade's footsteps, marvelling at the enterprise which had brought the old dismasted Echooner so opportunely to Buch a region;' but my friend with the gun was not to be put off. 'Say, stranger,' he growled, stepping before me, * yon don't know who I am, I reckon—' 'I don't,* I interrupted, shortly, 'and I am not over aaxiouß to make your acquaintance either.' He glared at me savagely for an instant, then broke out into a hearty laugh. ' For a darned Engliaher, you aire mighty pert,' he said, • an' I won't slaughter you —just yet. Still, for your future benefit I may tell ye that my handle is Soapy Sam, an' I've planted considerable men like you in my time. I'm a bad man, I is, but your ignorance saves ye.' LThe conversation was being uneoraf jxtably prolonged; yet I dared not make any movement * What's the damage, Soapy P' I asked contritely. ' I suppose you are collecting toll in your polite w»yt* He lowered his weapon and grinned. _, ' Every tenderfoot as lands in this here r c.ty has to play poker with ma or fight' he acknowledged smilingly. I realised my position at once. It was painfully dear to me that the 'fight' would be all on one aide, and oomld only end U one way so long ae Soapy held the 'drop,' and it was also clear that the alternative was to submit to wholesale robbery. A loud shout at our back made us both turn with alacrity, and behold, there stood Mac with his long Winchester repeater levelled fairly at Soapy Samuel's head. The wily • individual had scented danger, and had made a detonr expressly for my benefit. ' Say when,'he murmured calmly, from behind his artillery, 'and I'll blow the deavil into vulgar f notions.' I stepped out of range of fire without delay. Soipy's fingers twitched on the stock of his lowered revolver as his ferretlike eyes blinked down the muzzle of the deadly tube, which never wavered a nsir'e breadth. Then his weapon dropped from bis nerveless hand, and slowly his arnu were upraised towaxce the Bky, and he ntekgi »o exceedingly sickly smile. got the pall on me this time partner, he said. ' I caves.' >* At this moment a hoarse chorus o cheers rang out from the vicinity ot lb Skagit Hotel; the inmates had assemble* on the upper deck to witness the discozn flture ot their common enemy. 'Shoothim!' they roared) 'he kiile old Smith; But Mac was not dispot ed to make hin self public executioner. 'Ye'd bettt vanish, Soapy,' he grunted. 'Neve mind the cannon ye dropped; if 11 jus suit me. QSick, fur I'm gettin' neiviho. 1 -Soapy fled, slipping and stumblin through the snow in his intense hash Bat when he had placed a good hundre yards bejtween him and his conqueio

he turned and waved his hand cheerily—- ' I bear no ill-will, boys,' he shouted; ' I was e'ean bested. ' Bnt,' and he turned towards the akagit,' I'll have it out with you afore long, and don't for git it.' A yell of derision greeted him in return Apparently the Skagit-dwellere nteant to take all chances with a light heart. Mao grounded his rifle with a grant of satisfaction. ' This is the deevil's ain country we've struck,' he grumbled. 'lt's a blessed thing I got insured afore I left auld Scot'land.' I agreed with him heartily, and together we eought the hospitable shelter of the stranded hotel, where we were welcomed effusively by the proprietor thereof, a merry-faced Irishman of the name of O'Connor. ' We're chock full up. but we'll gladly make room for you, boys,'he said. 'lt wouldn't be safe to allow you to go up among Soapy's gang.' I expressed my gratitude for his tender solicitude, then made sundry inquiries as to the prospects of crossing the pass within the next day or so. :You want to cross the paesP' he echoed, in amazement. 'Why, you won't be able to do that until next spring. The snoas are on, and the trail, is blocked with hundreds of dead horseß anyhow,' I had heard this statement so often of late that I was in no wise taken aback. 'We certainly did not come here for the good of our health/ J said. 'We'lltry the Chilcott Pass if the Skigway route is impossible. Dyea is not very far off from here, I think?" , Of It about four miles round about,' he replied. 'lt is at the head of the inlet you would see before your ship broached in here. A mighty mieeiable place it is, for the winds sweep right down from the sea almost constantly ' ' We didn't expect to find roses growing on the track,' snorted Mac. impatiently. • We'll try and get rcund to Dyea in the morning.' But now nother difficulty arcsa. There were no boats to be had stoat enough to withstand the heavy galea which, as we had just been told, blew ceaselasaly up the funnel- like entrance to the Chilcoot Valley, and even if there had been, our outfit of flour and miscellaneous food stuffs was rather an unwieldly factor to be considered. 'lfa a roMBt ungodiy country,' commented Mac, gloomily. ' There seems to be nae room for anbedy but thieves an' - murderers, and it's very funny that there's no' an honest gold miner among the lot.' Our fellow-passengers nearly all bad found congenial quarters further back in the city, and one or two had erect ad their tents on the beaoh, forgetting in their haste to found a home tbat the tide would wash over their camp site about twelve o'clock tnat same night. Yet no one oared to inform them on the matter, and Mao watched their progress with undisguised joy, and howled with delight when one of his old enemies began to haul timber from the hillside for the purpose sf building a substantial edifice on the sinking sands. 'They might know that the old Skagit wouldn't have walked up here,' laughed sur host. ' But they'll find out their mislake soon enough, I reexon,' and he shackled, long and loudly. Having partaken of dinner, Mac and I tallied forth to visit the scattered array ' >f hate and tents which constituted the ; own. 'Look out for Soapy Sam,' warned a < iwarthy-visaged man in picturesque ' it tire. 'He's a nasty sort of skunk to < neet, even in the daytime, as you already ' mow. If ye get into trouble just yell on < ne—Black Harry is my handle—and I'll i >a with you in a couple of shakes.' I thanked the dusky warrior, who indeed ] ooked as if he could give a very good ' account of himself when necessary, and < vith the butt of my revolver clutched ightly in my hand, I walked citywardß vith Mac, who gravely whistled seleo- < dons from a hymn entitled' There is a , lappyLand.' On our arrival in Klondike i L venue, as the main thoroughfare was ; ilegantly styled, not a solitary individual • vas to be seen. The weather was bitterly < sold, and the denizens of the camp, with lommendable good sense, avoided all i langer of frostbite by keepißg within the > shelter of' their wigwams., The deserted ivenne was therefore a most dreary spectacle, and the gathering shadows of light hanging over the grim pass in the background did not tend to enliven the rieom of the scene. 'And to think that for the last fortnight I hae heard nothing but stories o' American grit, American hardiness, American —everything,' soliloquised M»c, sarcastically * yet every deevil o' them is frichtened o' . catch m' cold—but hallo! whafs this P' He directed my gaze towards a flaring poster nailed to a tree. We approached, and read the rude notice—' In the Skagit Hall to-night. Grand concert. Miss Caprice, of New York, the world-famed variety actress, will hold the camp in thrall. Leave your guns at horns, and come early to avoid the rush. N.B.— Poker tables have been fixed up for the convenience of the audience.' The last clause gave the key to the whole' concern. Miss Caprice—whoever that might be—was merely an extra attraction. Appended was a weird diagram purporting to be a sketch of the aforesaid Miss Caprice in the intricacies of one of her dance specialties. Mac shuddered and look pained. ' This is maist decidedly no place for a white man',' he asserted, with a sigh. Then we turned and headed back for the Skagit, where in the later hours the world-famed artist was billed to disport herself. As we passed by a large log structure set back among the trees, I was surprised to hear a husky voice call out to us, and while we hesitated the door of the hut swung open, and Soapy Sam appealed and beckoned mysteriously. He apparently had discarded his armoury, bat 1 wsb not disposed to trust much to appearances, at which oar old enemy looked considerably aggrieved. ' I bear no grudge, boy a,' he said. ' No man can Bay that Soapy Sam went baok on his word. You downed me fair.' * Then what hj? it ?' I inquired, suspiciously. ' Ye must admit, Soapy, ma man,' added Mac, drily, 'that your reputation even among yer ain folk is no' just rosy.' But Soapy was evidently determined not to be offended by anything we might eay. He approached with hands extended in token of good faith, and, noting this, we stayed our progress and waited wonderingly to hear what he wished to speak. He did not enlighten us much, however. •I say, boyß,' he whispered when he came near,«can you both swim ?' Mac nodded. 'But it wouldna be a pleasant diversion in this weather,' he remarked, with a shudder. 'Then don't go near the Skagit tonight,' said Soapy, impressively. 'There's a storm rising, and I shouldn't wonder if, the old barge bursts her moorings before mor fling.' He was gone in an instant, and Mac and I gazed at each other in dismay, ' What can he mean ?' I said. 'Heaven knows,' growled Mao; 'but

we'll likely find out before very long He's a gay slippery customer, is Soap?! an' no' easily understood, I'm thinkin'.' We continued on our course meditating deeply, but, no solution of the mysterious warning presenting itself, ft eseaped our memory utterly in the noisy excitement that prevailed on our return to the Skagit. O'Connor, the proprietor, was all agog with the importance of his position as matter of ceremonies; he waß busily superintending the placing of a rickety old piano when we made our appearance, and he immediately seized on Mac for a song during the evening, a favour which was moßfc promptly refused. ' Miss Caprice an' me wonldna suit on the same programme,' was the worthy diplomatist's excuse. 'Get Black Harry an' Soapy Sam——' ' Soapy Sam is barred this circus,' sternly interrupted O'Connor. ' I'm running a concert to-night, not a funeral undertaking establishment.' Assuredly Soapy Sun's prowess was no mean factor to be considered. At 7 pm. piompt—as advtrtised—the entertainment began. The room was crowded with truly all sorts and conditions of men, and the air reeked with tobacco smoke. The piano manipulator—a bewhiskered and groggy-looking personage in top-boots—took his place with stately grace as befitted the dignity of his office. He ran his fifigers clumsily over the keys as if seeking for some lost chord or combination, which, however, he did not find, and then he rattled out an ear-shattering melody in which the audience, after a moment's pause, joined lustily, in the midst of the uproar thus let loose a gaudily-bedecked creature of the female persuasion, wearing a grin that almost obliterated her features, appeared on the raised stage at the end of the saloon, and joined in the pandemonium, her shrill voice screaming out the touching information that there would be - a hot time in the old town tonight,' whioh coincided with the item on the programme. This was Miss Caprice—a type of the 'noble and enduring' women whom recent 'Klondike 'novelists have portrayed so tenderly in their ' realistic' romances. Heaven forbid that the respectable British public should be thuß deceived. There was no woman with any claim to the name on the long trail in these da.yß.fj It would be impossible to describe the course of that memorable 'concert;' it continued in spasms—or turns, which I believe is the correct term to use—tar into the night, with occasional interruptions in the shape of fights and wordy altercations among the poker players, diversions which lent pleasurable variety to the entertainment though now and a?ain it seemed as if a funeral or two would surely result therefrom, Bat ail smoothed off harmoniously under the influence of Miss Caprice's moving melodies, which always were turned on at opportune moments. Mac said that her voice was like unto the buzzing of a steam saw in cross-grained wood, bnt perhaps he was prejudiced, or his artistic senses a trifia too fine. Anyhow, she pleased the multitude mightily, and they roared out their appreciation boisterously at the conclusion of each of her vocal exercises, and implored her to continue her soothing ditties unendingly. The too free use of the flowing bowl was probably accountable for the warmth of their approval, but Miss Caprice, having indulged in equal degree with her admirers, was getting less and less able to trill fcrth sounds for their edification. Slowly the time dragged on its weary course, then suddenly I became aware that the old Skagit was rising with the incoming tide. She swayed cumbrously once or twice, and her rotten timbers creaked and groaned dismally under the strain, but no one seemed to consider these indications worthy of attention, and the roystering chorus went on without interruption, At intervals I could hear vague voices calling excitedly without, and I guessed that the men who had built their homes in the sand were having a bad time. Another half-hour passed. By this time the taste of the audience had reached the sentimental stage, and they loudly clamoured for a song suited to their altered temperament. The accompanist, however, persisted in playing the 'hot time' tune to everything, so he was discharged with ignominy by the scornful prima donna, who announced in broken accents that she would give a rendering of ' Ashtore' without musical assistance, which was most unwis6 on her part. Still, she persisted at her task, and got to the end of the first verse without mishap, but as she screamed out the last wailing notes of the chorus the old Skagit gave a sudden lurch, and sent her reeling head foremost into the centre of the room. 'What's the matter with the darned barge V howled several indignant voices among the crowd, but no answer was forthcoming The Skagit at that moment was seized with convulsions, and rolled and pitched in a most unaccountable manner. 'Howlin' blazes P yelled Black Harry. ' The happy home must have broken loose.' The rush that followed is beyond description. Mac and I, being less affected by the motion of the bulk than the majority, reached the deck first. Away far back to the right the lights of Skagway shimmered out over the smooth waters of Skagway Bay. To the left the faint illuminations of Healy's Store at Dyea shone at the head of the Chilcoot Inlet, along which great seas were rolling in from the main channel We had drifted oat with the ebbing tide, and were now being borne onwards by the uninterrupted ocean gales. If we escaped being dashed to pieces against the rocky bluffs of the peninsula, we might be driven ashore on the mud banks at Dyea, but it was certain that the Skagit could not return to her wonted anchosage that night. Load and deep were the curses that now aroße from all on board. •It's Soapy Sam's work,' nowled O'Connor. 'He must have cut the moorings. He said he would do it. Then I remembered Soapy's warning, but held my peace, and while the men raved, and threatened, and prayed in turn, the old Skagit das': ei on her new course, buffeted by the great seething rollers crowding in from the sea, and spinning like a top in the swirling waters. Crash 1 At last we had struck, and the surging waves swept over the deck in a copious flood, and the E'ghfc was filled with the shrieks of the frenzied band, who feared the worst; bnt it was only a sand after all, the first of a series of similar obstacles that bar the Dyea Channel at high-water. 'We could never have got round here ourselves,' muttered Mac, as we stood watching the slowly-receding waves. 'lt is a fact that it's a gey ill wind that 1 blaws naebody good.' In a short space the Skagit lay high 1 and dry where she had been deposited, and for the first time we learned that the ■ Dyea Bar stretohes out three miles from 1 the village. But I was satisfied as M&c had impled the Skagit had unconsciously ' done us a serviee of no mean order in 9 transporting our outfit nearer the Chilcoot ! Pass. With calm contentment he and I 3 sought peaceful slumber in the humble quarters alloted to as earlier in the day, 3 J while the rest of the ship's company—in- • I eluding Miss Caprice—started to climb the | dividing mountain ridge to Skagway, on * the trail of the elusive Soapy.