CHAPTER XXI.
A DAY IN DAWSON CITY.
At the time of which I write, Dawson City was little better than a rudemining camp, containing, as has been previously mentioned, a half dozenboard buildings and fifty tents, strung along what was known as theprincipal "street." Back in the timber land a rude saw-mill had been setup, and this was beginning to get out lumber at the moderate price ofone hundred and twenty-five dollars per thousand feet!
A year before Dawson City had been unknown, but the rich finds of goldon Bonanza and Gold Bottom creeks had caused the miners to leave CircleCity and Forty Mile Post and boom the new El Dorado, as it was termed,and the settlement grew as if by magic. From the wild rush to stakeclaims many rows resulted, but the cooler heads speedily took matters inhand, and each man was allowed a claim from five to fifteen hundred feetlong and extending the width of the creek or gulch in which it waslocated.
These claims were not located upon the Klondike River, which joins theYukon at Dawson City, as has been often supposed, but upon the littlewatercourses running into the Klondike. These gold-bearing diggingsare, or were, variously called Bonanza, Gold Bottom, and Bear creeks,which flow into the Klondike direct, and Hunker, Last Chance, El Dorado,Adams, Shantantay, and other creeks and semi-wet gulches which aretributaries to the creeks first named. The names were arbitrary, andwere often changed to suit the miners' tastes.
To Randy and Earl, the camp presented the appearance of having "justmoved in," as the younger brother termed it. On every side were miners'outfits stacked in little piles, while their owners were either at handerecting tents, or off prospecting or buying supplies. There was but onestore, a rude board building not over twenty by thirty feet, in whicheverything on hand was offered at most extravagant prices. Flour soldfor sixty dollars per barrel, beans fifty cents per pound, bacon andcanned meats seventy-five cents per pound, and other goods inproportion. There were no fresh meats excepting two sides of beef justbrought in by the little flat-bottomed steamboat from Circle City, andwhich were rapidly disposed of at two dollars to five dollars per pound.A crate of eggs were at hand, to be purchased at one dollar per dozen,but as most of the eggs were stale, the contents of the crate wentbegging. Of miners' tools, a pick or a shovel brought ten dollars tofifteen dollars, while washing pans were not to be found, and had to bemanufactured by the miners themselves. Wearing apparel was also scarce,and Earl saw twenty dollars given for a flannel shirt, and five dollarsfor a pair of socks, both articles being paid for in gold dust.
As it was evening, most of the miners had given up work and come intothe camp to talk, trade, and learn the latest news. Every one was in aquiver of excitement, and the announcement that an extra good find hadbeen made on Hunker Creek caused many to strike out during the night tomake new claims in that vicinity.
"Let us go, too!" cried Randy, and Earl joined in; but the men talked itover and decided to remain in Dawson City until they learned more aboutthe "lay of the land." They pitched their tent as close to where theirboat lay as possible, but it is doubtful if any of the party sleptthrough that short night, which had hardly anything of darkness.
All told, there were not over six hundred white men in camp, and, inaddition, there were perhaps a hundred Indians, with their squaws,children, and dogs; for no Alaskan Indian family is complete withoutfrom one to a half-dozen canines attached. The Indians were there tosell fish and game, and to pick up odd jobs of pack-carrying. They tookbut little interest in the gold strikes, and it was but rarely that theycould be found mining, and then never for themselves.
One of the first lessons to be learned by the boys and the others, wasthat of keeping their outfits intact. Hardly were they up in themorning than a dozen miners and prospectors came shuffling aroundoffering them various prices for this and that. Had they been willing tosell, they could have disposed of all they possessed by noon, but,cautioned by Foster Portney, they were firm, and nothing was allowed tochange hands but a small bottle of cough syrup which the doctor sold foran ounce of gold, worth sixteen dollars, to a poor fellow suffering witha slight attack of pneumonia. The doctor wanted no pay, but the minerinsisted on giving it, saying he would pay a thousand dollars if thephysician would make him as well and strong as ever again.
After many careful inquiries, it was decided that the party should firsttry its luck on Gold Bottom Creek, at some spot near to where thewatercourse was joined by Hunker and Last Chance creeks. They hadlearned that while Bonanza and El Dorado creeks were paying well, allthe best claims in those localities were already staked out.
Two days later found them encamped at the entrance to a tinywatercourse, which flowed into Gold Bottom Creek. They had come in fromthe Klondike with their outfits on their backs and half a dozen Indiansto aid them, for the trail was over rough rocks and through lowlands ofberry bushes and tundra,--a wearisome walk which to Randy, at least,seemed to have no end. Often they sank up to their knees in the muck andcold water, and once the doctor got "stuck" and had to be hauled forthby main strength and minus one boot, which was afterward recovered. Apromising spot was reached by nightfall, the Indians were paid and sentoff, and they set about making themselves a home, temporary orpermanent, as fortune might elect.
A flat surface on the side of a small hill was selected, and the tentswere placed end to end, as before, but tightened down to stay. Then atrench was dug around the sides and the back, so that when it rained thewater might drain off. This done, the interior was carpeted with smallbranches of pine and evergreen.
"A good, healthful smell," said the doctor, referring to the greens;"and one that will ward off many a cold. On the top of those branchesone ought to sleep almost as comfortably as on a feather bed."
The interior of the tents arranged, a fireplace was next in order, asemicircular affair of stone, in which the sheet-iron stove might besheltered from the wind. Then came a cache for the provisions to bestored away; and their domestic arrangements were complete.
It was bright and early on the day following that all hands set off toprospect along the bottom of the gulch, which the boys had namedProsper. They were divided into two parties, the doctor and the captainin one, and the boys and their uncle in the other. The latter turned upto the left arm of the gulch and presently came to a little hollow,where the tiny stream of water flowing along had deposited some coarsesand to a depth of eight to twenty inches.
"Now we'll shovel up some of this sand in the pan and see what itamounts to," said Foster Portney. "Don't take what is right on top,boys. If there is any gold, it is down next to the bed rock. And don'tfill the pan too full." The boys worked eagerly, and soon had the pannearly full of the sand. Mr. Portney then carried it to a nearby pooland allowed the water to run over the top, then brushed off the surfaceand began to "wash down." This took several minutes, and Randy and Earlstood by almost breathless during the process.
At last only a handful of sand and dirt remained at the bottom of thepan. All three examined it with care. Here and there could be seen atiny grain of dull yellow.
"That is gold," explained Foster Portney. "But there is hardly enough topay; probably three or four cents' worth in all."
"Is that all!" cried Randy, and his voice was full of disappointment.Earl said nothing, but gathered up the pick and shovel and moved on.
In two days a dozen other spots had been tried with even worse success,and the three in the party began to imagine that the gulch was of noconsequence, so far as staking a claim there was concerned. To add totheir discomfiture a miner came along who said he had gone all over thatlocality a month previous.
"Ain't nothin' thar," he announced; "nothin' wuth over four or fivecents a panful. Better try your luck elsewar, friends."
"We'll put in another day over here," announced Foster Portney. "One daywon't count very much, and ground is often gone over a dozen timesbefore the right strike is made."
They had brought a lunch with them, and now sat down on the edge of asmall stony cliff to eat it. The boys were tremendously
hungry and couldhave devoured twice as much as what was on hand, but they were beginningto learn that short rations would be something to look forward to forsome time to come.
Having eaten what was allotted to him, Randy began to poke around withthe pick, while his uncle and Earl still rested. The cliff was dividedinto two sections, and between was a lot of rotten stone, dirt, muck,and rubbish. Striking the pick deeply into this, Randy loosened aportion of the stone, and out it rolled into the gulch, bringing thedirt and a good portion of the rubbish after it. He began to scatter thestuff to the right and the left when something shiny caught his eye, andstooping he picked it up, while his heart leaped into his throat.
"Uncle Foster! Earl! Look at this!" he cried, and ran to them, holdingup the object as he did so. It was larger than an egg and quite heavy.Foster Portney gave one glance and then leaped forward, dropping whatfood still remained in his hand.
"Where did you find it, Randy?" he exclaimed.
"Over yonder," was the hasty reply. "But is it gold, Uncle Foster?"
"Yes, Randy, it's a nugget as sure as you're born--a nugget worth atleast two hundred dollars. And what's better yet," went on Mr. Portneyas Randy began to dance with delight, "the chances are that there aremore where this came from!"