CHAPTER XI.
FAIR SITKA.
"It was pretty dark and lonesome up there, I can tell you," said Tom,having described his long tramp and the death of the bear. "The windrose at about nine o'clock, and cut like knives. Solomon had built thecamp so as to face away from the wind, and after supper Fred and I wereglad to curl up in our blankets on the fir boughs. Solomon threw halfa dozen of his big logs on the fire, and then sat down on our frontdoorstep to have a smoke.
"I wish you could have heard some of his stories, Randolph! Someyears ago, before there was any Canadian Pacific, or even a NorthernPacific railroad, he guided a party across the Chilkoot Pass and downthe Yukon. They were on a hunt for a 'mountain of cinnabar,' a 'RedMountain,' which an Indian had told about, somewhere in the interior.There were women in the party, and how they ever got through the woods,I don't see.
"Well, they struck off from the Yukon, after having a brush with theIndians, followed a native map, had to winter in the woods, almoststarved to death, and at last found the 'Red Mountain' was MountWrangell--a volcano, you know, twenty thousand feet high."
"Did they find their cinnabar?" asked Randolph.
"Only a small quantity. But there was enough outcrop of copper and goldto pay them for the trip. They rafted down the Copper River, afterleaving Solomon to locate, and a year or two later sold out at a bigprofit to some San Francisco capitalists. So far as Solomon knows, themines have never been worked yet, they are so far inland."
"Now tell us about your getting home," broke in Kittie. "We're moreinterested in that than in your 'Red Mountain.' Did you sleep any, poorboys?"
"Not very much," laughed Fred. "The mosquitoes settled down to businesspretty soon after midnight, and made things lively. Baranov had somepieces of netting, and we put them over our heads, but they didn't seemto do much good."
"They say the Alaskan mosquitoes are so intelligent," remarkedRossiter, "that two of them will hold the wings of a third close to hisbody, and push him through the meshes of a net. That accounts for theirneighborliness in your camp. Go on with the story."
"My leg hurt so that I couldn't sleep much," said Tom, taking up thenarrative again. "Whenever I did dose for a few minutes, I would wakeup with a start and see Solomon putting on another log. I don't believehe slept a wink all night.
"Toward morning Fred and I both got a good nap of nearly an hour. WhenI opened my eyes, I looked for Solomon, but he wasn't in sight"--
"Then of course he must wake me," interrupted Fred, "and I had to getup and put wood on the fire, lest that His Royal Highness should feelcold. I had just got a good blaze going when Baranov hove in sight,with a big bear steak in one hand and a string of trout in the other.
"'Where in the world did you get those fish?' Tom sung out.
"'Oh! back here a piece, in a leetle pool I knew about,' says Solomon.'I 'lowed we'll have a dish o' fried traouts fer breakfast, ef thebrook hedn't dried up.'"
There was a shout at Fred's imitation of Baranov's tone.
"The trout were delicious," said Tom, when he could make himself heard;"and the flavor of the bear meat was all right, but 'twas tough asleather. After breakfast Solomon skinned the bear in good shape"--
"Where is the skin now?" put in Bess. "I didn't see it in your bundles."
"It's at Juneau," said Mr. Percival. "Solomon said he'd have it nicelydressed, and as soon as it was cured and prepared for mounting, hewould ship it to our Boston address. Tom wanted it for a rug with thehead on, and Fred generously yielded all claim to it."
Kittie smiled such warm approval at his generosity that the youngstudent blushed, and gave Tom a dig to go ahead with his account oftheir adventures.
"I was so stiff and lame that I could just hobble when we firststarted, right away after dinner. I knew father and all of you wouldbe worried, but it couldn't be helped. We managed to get down aboutthree quarters of the way, before it was time to stop for the night. Ofcourse it was ever so much easier going down than up, but it hurt some,you can believe! Solomon helped me over the bad places, and Fred took adouble load.
"We camped right beside the brook we had followed up the day before,and started on again before sunrise next morning. Just as we reachedthe clearing above Juneau, we met a dozen men, with father at theirhead, starting up the mountain after us."
"What I want to know," broke in Randolph, "is how you ever got to Sitkaas soon as we did?"
"Why, father made inquiries for a doctor, and was told the best one inJuneau was the surgeon of the _Pinta_. She's a Government steamer, youknow, stationed on this coast to look after our sealing and fisheryinterests and the like. Dr. Parks was awfully kind, and a splendiddoctor, I guess, by the way he treated my bear scratch. He put somekind of a liniment on, then bound it all up in good shape, andwouldn't take a fee, either--not a cent. When he heard our story, hetold father the _Pinta_ was going to run over to Sitka that very day,starting before noon. If we liked, he believed the captain would takeus on board, and we could meet you there instead of waiting for you atJuneau, and leaving you to worry all that extra time.
"We said good-by to Baranov--I don't know how much father insisted onpaying him--went on board the little _Pinta_, arrived safe and sound atSitka, and here we are!"
As soon as Tom had finished his story, he was showered with questions,and it was an hour longer before the party, having taken breakfast,assembled on deck to witness the approach to the wharf. Another boatfrom the south, much smaller and dirtier, headed for her moorings atthe same time.
The _Queen_, like a true King's Daughter, permitted the other to passher and make fast to the wharf. In stately wise, Her Majesty then movedquietly up beside her companion, and the Percivals landed over thelatter's decks.
I will not try to describe Sitka for you; in the first place, becauseother people have written and printed a great deal about it, whichyou can find for yourselves in the books on Alaska on the third shelfof the fourth alcove of your Public Library; and secondly, becauseRossiter Selborne gave his mother so concise an account of hisimpressions of the place, that I shall put a part of his letter intothis chapter, as I did at Banff.
THE GREEK CHURCH AT SITKA.]
After describing the buildings about the wharf, he told how he and oneor two others walked directly up the main street to the famous churchof Sitka; continuing as follows:
"The little church, long ago built by the Russians (from whom, youknow, the United States bought Alaska for about seven million dollarsin 1867), was a quaint building, with a solemn guardian, who demanded asmall fee before he permitted us to enter. There was an altar arrangedafter the requirements and ceremonies of the Eastern Catholic church;some fine priestly robes, and a really beautiful painting of Mary, themother of Jesus. Services are still held in the church every Sunday.
"Coming out of the church we walked along the narrow streets, lookingat the houses built of squared logs by the Russians many years ago.The building on the hill was of logs like the rest, and proved to bethe castle of stern old Governor Baranov. I found pieces of bear's furstill sticking to the walls, where the great hides had once been nailedup, to keep out the bitter cold of winter.
"Such funny times we had buying trinkets of the Indians, squatting ina long row on the broad sidewalk! All the English the Indian squawsseemed to know was, 'One tollar!' 'Two tollar!'
"I must not forget to tell you about the Mission School. You walk to italong the curving, sandy beach, near which the school buildings stand,about half a mile from the wharf. Such fine, intelligent faces the boysand girls have, compared with the natives outside! It is beautiful tosee the human, the divine, driving the animal look out of the darkfaces, the eyes kindling with light, the whole, God-given soul wakingup before your very eyes. The old fairy story of the fair princess,Sleeping Beauty, brought to life by the kiss of a prince, is pretty;but it will hardly move one, after seeing the wonderful awakening of apoor, Sitkan woman-child, at the touch of loving hands--at the sound ofher Father's voice, speaking through the
noble men and women who aredoing his work in these desolate Northern lands.
"A little paper, the 'Northern Star,' is printed at the school, andgives all the latest items of news concerning it. It costs fifty centsa year, and the gentle lady who conducted us through the buildings wasso pleased when two or three of us subscribed. Of course the papercomes irregularly in the winter, when the sea-passages are dangerouswith fogs and icebergs; but you are sure to get all your numbers sooneror later.
"I wish you could have seen Mr. Percival sitting in the Mission Parlor,holding a dot of a Thlinket child on each knee! One of them was namedMarion, and the other had a long, funny Indian name that I forgot thebeginning of, before she'd got to the end of it.
"The scholars had a prayer meeting at the close of day, and sang ourdear, familiar hymns with strange words to them. Here is one verse of'I am so glad that Jesus loves me,' in the Thlinket tongue:
"'Hae ish dickeewoo [)u]htoowoo y[)u]keh Hae een ukkonniknooch dookoos[)a]h[)u]nne, Thl[=e]koodze ut dookookwoo kaed[=a] haeteen: Uh y[)u]keh kl[)u]h hutsehunne Jesus.
_Cho._ Uhtoowoo y[)u]keh Jesus h[)u]tseh[)u], Jesus hutsehun, Jesus hutsehun; Uhtoowoo y[)u]keh Jesus hutsehun; Jesus kluh hutsehun.'
"It seems as if Our Father must smile tenderly when he hears suchuncouth sounds. Yet he understands them all, and answers each shylymurmured Sitka prayer, just as he does the 'Now I lay me,' lisped byNew England baby lips.
"The long, beautiful Northern day drew to a close. We left the bustlingtown, and walking past the Mission School, kept on around the shore ofthe bay. Now the path wound in and out of the forest; now it emergedupon the beach, where the ripples softly patted the sand and laughedand played together. Before long we reached the banks of Indian River,and crossed it by a rustic foot-bridge. The air was fragrant with odorsof balsam fir and all the cool, delicious scents of the forest. Weturned back toward the ship. Although it was near the hour of ten, thewestern sky was all golden with sunset. Against it rose the delicatespire of the Russian church, and the sturdy bulk of the castle. Outacross the bay the gulls and ravens wavered their slow way among theislands."