CHAPTER XXX.
LAST WASHINGS FOR GOLD.
Just one day before their provisions gave out the skies brightened as ifby magic and the sun came out warmly. They could scarcely believe theireyes, so sudden was the change. The snow was cleared away from the door,and every one lost no time in rushing out into the fresh air.
"This is living again!" cried Earl. And then he added: "Let us beat downa path to Wompole's cottage and see how he is faring."
The others agreed, and soon they had a trail to the next cabin, where anold Alaskan gold hunter had gone into quarters all by himself. Wompolewas also out, and they shook hands. When questioned he said he had runout of everything but beans, dried peas, and some smoked salmon, and heagreed to let them have enough of his stores to last them three dayslonger.
"Winter is broke up now," he remarked. "An' I reckon thar ain't no doubtbut wot ye kin git ter Dawson an' back, if ye try."
"And I shall try," said Foster Portney; and an hour later he and CaptainZoss started off on snowshoes which they had made during their manyidle hours. Randy and Earl saw their uncle depart with much anxiety, butdid nothing to detain him, for food they must have, and that appearedthe only manner in which to obtain it.
"If we could only bring down a bird or something with the gun," saidEarl, some time later, and then he climbed the cliff and beat a path tothe first belt of timber. But though he thrashed around three hours, nota sign of game was to be discovered anywhere.
The night was cold, but not nearly as much so as other nights had been,and on the following day the mercury when held in the sun actuallycrawled up to ten degrees above zero. And so it kept gradually becomingwarmer, until the snow started to melt and they knew for a certaintythat the long and tedious winter was a thing of the past.
It took Foster Portney and Captain Zoss five full days to find their wayto Dawson City and back again. The return for the larger portion of theway was made on dog sledges driven by Indians. They had found provisionsvery scarce and high in price in Dawson City, but had brought backenough to last a month. One of the Indians had also brought provisionsfor the two miners, this commission having been executed through Mr.Portney, and the next day the miners set off for their own cabin withmany sincere thanks for the assistance which had been rendered them.
On the day the provisions came in, they celebrated by having what Dr.Barwaithe called "a round, square meal." To be sure there was nothingbut the plainest kind of food, but there was enough, and that was ofprime importance.
After this they watched eagerly for the day to come when they might getto work again. A bargain had been struck all around, whereby the doctorand the captain were to work the single sluice box on the upper claimand have four-fifths of the findings, the other fifth going to FosterPortney for keeping them--the contract to hold good so long as the pairwere content to remain in the present camp.
"The water is running in the gulch!" was the welcome announcement madeby Earl one day, and all went down to see the thin stream, which soonbecame stronger. The snow was almost gone now, and the sand, gravel, anddirt which was exposed to the sun was quite free from frost. The picks,shovels, and other tools were brought out and cleaned up, and two dayslater found them at work as during the previous summer. It wasmarvellous how the seasons changed when once there was a start.
Before the end of the month Mr. Portney made another trip to DawsonCity, and this time he took with him both Randy and Earl. They hadsettled that they should remain in the gulch until the first of August,and now they took back, by Indian carriers, enough provisions to lastthe camp until that time.
The stop in Dawson lasted two days, and the boys had a chance to walkabout the town and see how it had improved. There were now at leasttwo-score of buildings, and several of them were quite pretentious. Atthe dock were two steamboats, both nearly free of the ice which had heldthem fast all winter.
In the town there was much news to be heard of the many wonderfulstrikes which had been made. Several had taken out over a hundredthousand dollars in dust and nuggets, and were waiting for navigation toopen on the Yukon, that they might sail for home with their riches. Noone who had accumulated a pile cared to remain in that forsaken country.
Just before they were to start for the gulch, Mr. Portney brought newsof Tom Roland. The man had been captured at Circle City two monthsbefore, and the gold stolen from Cozzins taken from him. He had escapedfrom his temporary jail and fled to the mountains, and now his dead bodyhad been found at the foot of a lofty canyon, down which he had mostlikely tumbled during the snowstorm which was then raging. It was a sadending to a misspent life, and the boys could not help but shudder asthey heard the story. They wondered what had become of Jasper Guardley,but nothing further was ever heard of that cowardly rascal.
By the first of June the gulch was as active as it had ever been duringthe previous summer, and the mosquitoes and flies were just as numerousand troublesome. No more finds of nuggets of large size were made, butthe sluice boxes yielded heavy returns of dust, and all were very wellcontent, and Dr. Barwaithe and Captain Zoss gave up all thoughts ofleaving.
"We know what we have here," said the doctor, "and I am convinced thattoo much prospecting does not pay."
"An' besides, it's something ter be in company which is congenial,"added the captain. "Over to the other claim it was nuthin' but fight thewhole day long with yer neighbors about stake lines."
By the end of July the sand and gravel taken from the bedrock ofMosquito Hollow gulch had been disposed of, and now a month was given toa general clearing up of the dirt taken from half a dozen little hollowswhich lay on either side. It was terribly hot again, but the workerstook their time over what they did, and often rested during the middleof the day. Three days before the first of September they were done.
"There, that settles it!" cried Foster Portney, as he flung down hisshovel. "No more work for me until I have paid a visit to the States."
"Hurrah!" shouted Randy, and he gave his pick a whirl which sent itthirty feet off. "I'm just aching for a sight of civilization."
"And for an old-fashioned meal," added Earl.
Fred's eyes glistened, but he said nothing. He was wondering what sortof a reception he would receive when he got home. He had sent on twoletters from the gulch, but no answer had come back and there was notelling if the communications had reached their destination.
The next day was spent in the delightful task of counting up theproceeds of their venture. Of course it was impossible to calculateclosely, yet they were conservative in their estimates, and in the end,when their nuggets and dust were turned over to the United States mintin San Francisco, they were not disappointed as to the check received inreturn.
The upper claim during the time it was worked by Dr. Barwaithe andCaptain Zoss in the spring had yielded five thousand dollars. Of this,as per agreement, two thousand dollars went to the doctor, a like sum tothe captain, and one thousand dollars to Foster Portney. Added to whatthey had made previously, the doctor and the captain now held a matterof nine thousand dollars' worth of gold between them. Not a fortune, butstill a tidy sum, all things considered.
The Portneys, of course, had fared much better. The total yield of goldto them from start to finish footed up to fifty-two thousand dollars. Ofthis amount, as we know, one-half went to Earl and Randy, which gave thelads exactly thirteen thousand dollars apiece. Twenty-six thousanddollars was Foster Portney's share, but out of this he had beencompelled to spend three thousand dollars in bringing the party up andkeeping them, and he would have to spend nearly another thousand ingetting them home.
During the early summer of the present year, Earl, Randy, and FosterPortney had held a private talk concerning the amount to be granted toFred, and it had been decided that he should have an even thousanddollars, one half to come from the two boys' share and the other fromtheir uncle. Fred's fare was also to be paid clear through to Basco. Thelad, when told of this decision, said he was more than satisfied, as theamount of work
he had been able to do had really been very small onaccount of frequent attacks of sickness.
"I can't stand the climate," he said. "And I shan't attempt to come uphere again. If father will let me, I'll go to college and become alawyer."
The doctor was going on to Dawson City to give up mining and establishhimself in his profession, having become satisfied that he could dobetter at this than he could in working a claim. But the captain decidedto remain where he was.
"I'm bound ter strike it rich some day," he said. "An' I'm goin' terrustle till I do."
"I certainly hope you strike it rich," said Randy; for the pair were nowgreater friends than ever.
It was a warm, clear day when the party of five left the gulch, withtheir faces set toward Dawson City. The Portneys had decided to returnto the States by the way of the Yukon and the Pacific Ocean, and avoyage of five thousand miles still lay before them. They carried alltheir findings with them, and now the question arose,--having found somuch gold, would they be able to get it out of this wild country insafety?