CHAPTER XIV.
BOAT-BUILDING AT LAKE LINDERMAN.
The Portneys, having reached the highest point of Chilkoot Pass, werepresently joined by Captain Zoss and Dr. Barwaithe, who had gone througha similar experience to that just described. The doctor had once comevery close to losing his footing, and he declared that he would not makethe climb again for a million dollars.
They stopped for a few minutes to view the scene from the edge of thecliff. On either side were the still taller mountains, while below themstretched that portion of the Pass just travelled, like a valley ofglittering ice, thick with mist and wind-swept snow. An intense silencereigned, broken occasionally by the booming and crunching of someimmense glacier in the distance.
"A grand scene, but one not particularly suited to my feelings," saidthe doctor. "Let us go on."
"Yes; the sooner we git out o' this yere Pass, the better I will bepleased," added the captain. "I've had enough climbin' ter last me twolifetimes, eh?" and he gave a grunt and strode off, and the othersfollowed.
"That is, I believe, the most perilous part of the trip to the goldfields," remarked Foster Portney. "Of course we have still a good bit ofrough country to traverse and rapids in the rivers to shoot, but nothingquite so bad as that."
The ice fields from the summit sloped gradually downward to a basin somedistance below, called Crater Lake. This little lake was frozen solidfrom top to bottom and covered with snow. It was hemmed in on threesides by tall mountains, while on the fourth there was a canyon-likeopening, where an ice-bound stream led the way over rocks and tinycliffs to Lake Linderman, at the end of the Pass. Just before reachingthe latter lake, they passed several large posts set up close to thetrail, which was now once more clearly defined.
"Those are surveyors' posts," said Foster Portney, in reply to aquestion from Earl. "We have just passed from United States into Britishterritory."
"This, then, is the Northwest Territory," said Earl.
"Yes, my boy; and the entire Klondike region, from Ogilvie to BelleIsle, is in that territory."
As they descended to the lower level of the Pass, the solid ice gave wayto rotten ice and slush, in which they frequently sank to their ankles.Here the stream broadened out into several ponds, and finally ended ina wide, marshy expanse, forming the upper end of Lake Linderman. Alongthe edge of this marsh they picked their way, first, however, stoppingfor dinner, for the night had passed and the forenoon had been consumedin the journey from Crater Lake. The Indians kept pressing on, and theyfollowed.
It was dark again when they came up at last with their pack-carriersencamped under some timber, which stood on a little bluff not over twohundred feet from the lake. Salmon Head's party had started a rousingfire, and this was a welcome sight, for it made all feel more at home.No time was lost in getting out the cooking utensils and the doctor'sstove; and while they were preparing other things, the Indians broughtseveral fish from the lake to be baked.
"I guess we'll get our fill of fish before long," remarked Earl.
"Don't you want any now?" smiled his uncle.
"Want any, Uncle Foster? Indeed I do! Why, I'm so hungry I could almosteat horse meat!" was Earl's earnest reply; and he bustled around withthe cups and plates, that they might not be delayed as soon as thecoffee, biscuits, and fish were done.
The Indians remained near by all night, and early in the morning ageneral reckoning-up took place, and the pack-carriers were paid off ingold and silver, not caring to take the paper money which was offered.All had done very well, and Foster Portney, Captain Zoss, and Dr.Barwaithe did not dispute the amounts asked, although they were a triflehigh. As soon as they were paid off, the Indians packed up their ownarticles, but a handful in number, and hurried away in the directionwhence they had come.
"Good gracious! are they going right back to Dyea?" exclaimed Randy, inamazement.
"Yes, my lad," was Captain Zoss's answer. "Salmon Head calculates topilot another lot o' miners over as soon as possible. It's his hayin'time, ye see, an' he intends ter make the most o' it."
At this Earl laughed. "I guess he's not going to let his legs getstiff," he cried. "I'm as stiff as an old mule this morning. What's todo to-day?"
"We'll locate some timber for boat-building," said his uncle, "and getour traps into shape, and then rest. There is no use in killingourselves all at once. We've got a matter of five hundred miles tojourney yet."
"If we go up into the timber, I suppose we can try our hand at shootingsomething if anything turns up," said Randy.
"Certainly; shoot all the game you can, boys. We'll want it to help ekeout our stores."
There were numerous odds and ends to do about the camp, and it was notuntil after dinner that they started into the timber to select some woodwhich might be used in boat-building. It was now that the boys'knowledge of timber stood them in good stead; and it took but a shortwhile to pick out a tree which was close-grained and comparatively freefrom knots. They had brought their axes with them, and had the tree downin short order. Then they lopped off the branches and cut off the top,and left it in the sun to dry out as much as possible before attackingit with their boat-building tools.
This accomplished, Earl and Randy set off, the former with the shot-gunand the other with his pistol, to stir up whatever might be around inthe way of game. They followed the edge of the cliff to where it slopeddown to the lake shore.
Presently Earl thought he saw something in the brush along the waterfront, and, taking up a half-decayed stick, he threw it at the spot. Atonce there was a squawk, and half a dozen wild geese arose in the air.Bang! went the shot-gun, and crack! went Randy's pistol, and three ofthe geese were seen to throw back their heads and sink.
"We hit 'em!" cried Randy, and ran down, followed by his brother. Two ofthe fowls were dead, and the other was speedily put out of its misery byEarl with a blow from the gun-stock. They had been cautioned not towaste their ammunition, so had not ventured a second round at thebalance of the flock.
"These ought to make good eating," observed Randy, as he picked up thegame. "That is, if they don't taste too fishy. Here is my bullet hole,right through the neck. You killed the other two."
With the dead geese over their shoulders, they continued their hunt forgame, and presently stirred up a number of wild birds, at which Earlblazed away, bringing down five. The birds were small and hardly worththe trouble of cleaning and cooking, yet they took them along.
"Geese, eh?" exclaimed Captain Zoss, as they entered camp. "Wall, that'snot so bad! We kin have a goose pot-pie o' one, and stuff the other withbread an' beans, eh?" All hands agreed this would be an excellent plan,and the boys set about cleaning the game without delay, the captainassisting them at the work.
Toward night they espied a band of Indians coming down the trail withtheir packs and followed by half a dozen miners, a hardy but not anevil-looking crowd. The miners had left Dyea twenty-four hours laterthan themselves and had brought with them the material for aflat-bottomed scow, fifteen feet long and four feet wide. The Indianshad carried this material over the Pass, but how it had beenaccomplished was a mystery to the boys and the others.
"Hang me, if I don't reckon they have a secret way o' their own," wasCaptain Zoss's comment. "They couldn't cart them boards up that steepcliff, nohow!" And Randy and Earl were half inclined to believe thecaptain's suspicions to be true.
The miners, who went by the name of the Idaho crowd, because they camefrom that State, encamped next to the doctor's crowd, as they werespeedily termed, on account of having a medical man with them, and allbecame well acquainted before night. The Idaho crowd had just heard ofan extra large find being made on Gold Bottom Creek, which flowed intothe Klondike River, and they were anxious to get up there without delay,and consequently spent half the night in putting their boat together foran early start on the following morning.
"You're the fust boys I've heerd tell on bound for the gold diggin's,"said one of the men to Randy and Earl. "I'm afeard ye'll find it kin
dertough luck, for as far ez I kin understand it is tough even on a man.Whar are ye from? Californy?"
"No, from the backwoods of Maine," answered Earl. "And we are used toroughing it."
"Gee shoo! Didn't know the news had struck out so all-fired far ez thet.Wall, if you're from the backwoods, 'tain't likely you'll suffer ez muchez some of the tenderfoots wot's older. Wish ye the best o' luck." Andthe man turned away to his boat-building again.
Eight o'clock of the following morning found the Idaho crowd on its waydown Lake Linderman. In the meantime the boys, Foster Portney, andCaptain Zoss had started into the timber with their tools, leaving Dr.Barwaithe to watch camp and bake several days' supply of bread andbiscuits, and also to parboil some beans for baking.
The tree selected for cutting up had been allowed to fall over a largeflat rock, and now the first work was to prop up the lower end. Thisdone, both ends were sawed off even and a good portion of the bark wasscaled off. Then Earl and Randy sharpened up several wedges and triedtheir hands at splitting up the trunk into a suitable size forwhipsawing.
This was no light work, and had they not had a knowledge of woodcraft itwould have been next to impossible to do what the lads, aided by theiruncle and the captain, accomplished. By nightfall the tree was split andsawed up into more than a dozen slabs, of varying thickness, and thesewere laid out for working up in the morning.
When the party returned to the edge of the lake they found that threeother crowds had come in over the Pass, and there was quite a settlementof tents alongshore. In one of the parties there was a young woman, thewife of a prospector, who had stood the arduous climb nearly as well asany one.
"Hullo, Portney!" suddenly cried a voice to Earl, as he was walkingaround among the tents. "I didn't know you had got this far."
Earl turned swiftly, and was nearly dumfounded to find himselfconfronted by Tom Roland, while Jasper Guardley stood but a few feetaway.