CHAPTER X.
BUILDING THE CAMP.
The chagrin of Swiftwater Jim was almost too great for expression when thediscovery of the Indians' desertion was made.
"It was what I had feared," he said. "Still, I thought our talk last nighthad absolutely satisfied them. I don't think they were so much afraid ofus as that they desired to be sure that the sacred bone got back safely totheir village, and they knew that a big feast would be made for them whenthey returned. It would be useless to pursue them, for it would be a hardtrip back to White Horse, and there would be no certainty of our beingable to keep them if we got them back. Our work here is so nearly finishedthat I believe if we turn to it heartily we can complete it in the time weintended and get back to Skagway in time to meet Colonel Snow on hisreturn from the northwest. How about it?"
The Scouts, and especially Rand, felt themselves to be to a certain extentresponsible for the situation in which they found themselves that theyreadily agreed to turn to and exert themselves to the utmost to finish upthe work of preparing the camp for the winter's work.
The sod house had been practically finished by the Indians before theydeserted, the only thing remaining to be done consisting of the hanging ofa pair of stout double doors on the casings that had been let into the sodas the walls went up, the finishing of the windows and the erection of achimney for the big fireplace that had been built into the house at oneend.
The doors had nothing artistic or ornate about them, and in half a daywere constructed of rough lumber and hung on strong hinges from among thehardware in stock. Instead of glass for the windows, which hard freezingof the sod house and settling of the walls might have a tendency toshatter, double sheets of mica, such as is used in the flexible tops ofautomobiles, were set in and plastered with clay which was burnt to thehardness and consistency of brick by a plumber's flash lamp sending outthe hot flame of burning gasoline in the hands of Swiftwater.
The construction of the chimney was a novel experience for the boys, whoknew little of the expedients that pioneers far from stone and lime werecompelled to resort to. It is true there were many boulders in the creek,but skilled work was necessary to lay them, and the miner resorted to aneasier method.
A considerable amount of lumber sawed by the Indians remained, and thiswas split up into stakes about two inches square. These were driven intothe walls of the house alongside of the fireplace and other stakes laidacross them at their outer ends.
As fast as this structure became a foot high it was plastered inside andout with clay which was burnt hard with the blow lamp. Above the openingin the fireplace the chimney was continued by putting of clay on the sodwall and burning it in, making the chimney smaller for better draft.
The top of the chimney above the house was provided by constructing acratelike affair by fastening smaller pieces to four stout stakes andsetting these stakes down into the chimney and plastering the whole insideand out with clay. After a hot fire had been kept up in the fireplace fortwenty-four hours to thoroughly bake the clay Swiftwater announced thatthe sod house was finished.
This work was not accomplished without some inconvenience, and evensuffering to the boys as yet scarcely inured to hard labor. Blisteredhands and aching backs were the daily portion, and it was only by workingthem in shifts of three that the miner was able to gradually break themin. But pure air and good food worked wonders, and in a few days theyhardly felt the effects of a day's labor except in increased appetites andsound sleep. As the days went on, however, the small pests of wood andwater that come with the summer increased in number, and almost drove theboys frantic. The mosquito seemed to be always present day and night, anddespite the use of nettings and cheesecloth it seemed almost impossible tokeep them out of the tent. A worse plague if possible was the "black fly,"a minute midge that bored deep into the skin and brought the blood withevery bite. There was also in lesser numbers a large striped fly that hada habit of hanging on the spruces and birches in clusters, but came atonce to welcome the white man as an old friend.
His bite was like the cut of a knife. Swiftwater said he had never beenable to discover what this fly lived on when the white man was not there,for it is matter of record that it would not touch an Indian or anEskimo.
As it became necessary to protect one's self against these tiny marauders,Swiftwater dealt out to the boys small vials of a swarthy looking mixturecompounded of oil of cedar, oil of tar and pennyroyal. With this theybathed their faces and hands frequently, which had the effect ofdiscouraging the pests and greatly reducing their attacks. The mixtureentered the pores of the skin, however, and it was not many days beforeeveryone of the Scouts was as tawny colored as the Siwashes who had leftthem.
"You're not the only Injun in camp, now," said Jack, addressing Don, whohad been adopted into a tribe of Crees in the Canadian Rockies. "If thisPatrol should step into an Indian village now we'd be adopted offhand onour complexions alone."
"I'm na so certain," replied Don, "but I think I could get along the restof my life in comfort if I never smelled pennyroyal again. 'Tis not aperfume that grows on ye."
"It certainly has grown on us the last week," said Rand, "and I noticethat lately the mosquitos seem to be taking a liking to it. At least theydon't seem to mind it as they did at first."
It was true that the insects seemed to be growing larger and fiercer asthe summer advanced, and it became essential to secure better protectionfor the workers in the daytime. The miner brought out a half dozenordinary linen hats, and cutting up sufficient netting for the purposewith his sailor's "palm," sewed it around each of the headgear. This, whenplaced on the head, allowed a fall of netting to drop down on theshoulders, protecting the face and neck. This was found to be a greatprotection, and as the boys had grown somewhat hardened to the stings theygot along very nicely.
The next job undertaken was the foundation for the sawmill itself. Forthis purpose, Swiftwater had brought along some bags of cement, and asmall excavation similar to that made for the house was dug about eighteeninches deep and filled with boulders rammed in with clay. On this a woodfire was built, and the clay burned hard, resting on this around the edgesa form of boards was placed, making a sort of bottomless box. The cement,mixed with sand and water from the creek, was made into a concrete whichwas poured into the form upon the baked clay and boulders. The plasticmass when it filled the boxlike structure to the top was smoothed off andallowed to dry. Forty-eight hours after it had hardened into stone and thefoundation was complete.
The camp duties devolved upon the Scouts as well as the hard labor whichhad been a legacy from their Indians. The miner divided up these duties asbest he could, making Rand responsible for the sanitary condition of theplace, and giving such hints as he himself had gained by a service as anenlisted man in the army and as a shipmaster. He himself took upon himselfmost of the cooking, although when the ship's bread they had brought withthem began to pall upon the boys he selected Gerald for baker, and taughthim how to mix a batch of baking powder bread, and bake it in a"reflector" before an open fire.
The first batch of loaves that Gerald produced came out of the little ovenso dark colored and hard, as they had failed to rise sufficiently thatthey could not be eaten, and aroused the jeers of the "baker's" fellowScouts, who used them for several days in a game of basketball untilGerald sneaked them out of camp and threw them into the creek. He hadexcellent results with the bakings which followed, and after the chimneyon the sod house was finished a fire was built in the new fireplace thatgave a steadier heat, and he even attempted a batch of biscuit with suchexcellent results that they informed him they were as good as any "thatmother used to make."
Swiftwater was indefatigable in his attention to the diet and health ofthe Scouts, and made an effort to vary the former as much as possible.Most of their food was canned or cured provisions, and the miner did hisbest to secure fresh food. After the adventure with the bear no large gamewas seen at all, but occasionally small birds were shot, and squirrelswere fo
und fairly abundant. These, with a few small trout caught by Pepperin the creek, helped to form a pleasant change from bacon, canned beansand what the former sailor called "salt horse," or corned beef. Thecommander of the camp was especially anxious to get hold of some greenvegetables, but the time was too short to attempt to grow anything, and hespent some leisure time in the woods trying to find some substitute. Achange to green stuff is found very essential on shipboard to preventcertain diseases that follow a too steady diet of salt and canned foods,and the alternative where vegetables are not obtainable, is lime juice,occasional doses of which the miner administered to the boys.
One Saturday Swiftwater suggested a half holiday, and with the remainingboat pole up to the meadow where they had obtained the sod, and search forsome wild vegetables of an edible character. It was also suggested that asthe May flies had begun to appear the party should take their fishingtackle along and run a few miles further up the Gold and try casting offfor the handsome, brown, steelhead and brown trout that frequent theinterior waters of the British Columbia region, especially near theirmountainous sources.
"Hadn't we better take some larger tackle and try for salmon?" suggestedDick. "I understand this country is famous for salmon."
"Well, hardly," replied Swiftwater. "If we were on waters that flowed intothe Pacific and Alaskan waters we should probably find them. But therivers hereabouts rise in the Coast range mountains which separate us fromthe sea and flow northeast. The salmon is not a fresh water fish. He livesin the most remote depths of the ocean, and only runs up the rivers duringthe summer to spawn, and usually dies there. He can climb a pretty highwaterfall, but I don't think he could climb the Coast range to get intoGold Creek."
As this was the first outing they had had it was decided to takesufficient provisions and firewood with them to last until the next dayand stay over night if they found encouraging fishing up the stream, andto return before dark on Sunday.
"While I like to make Sunday a pretty good day, when I can," said theminer, "I think that our necessity for fresh fish and vegetables makesthis trip a work of necessity."
It was decided that two of the boys should stay and guard the camp, andRand and Jack expressed a willingness to do so when they saw that Pepperand Dick were both anxious to get away from the monotony of the place theyhad been tied up to for weeks. So with Swiftwater and Gerald poling on oneside and Don and Dick on the other, and Pepper at the long steering oar inthe rear the boat was pushed off into midstream with a bugle Scout salutefrom the garrison left behind.
The day was beautiful, and nearly as warm as midsummer in New England. Thetrip up to the meadows would have proven uneventful except for theunparalleled energy of Pepper, who, as Dick said, was "always sticking hisoar in at unexpected times." As the boat steered easily he attempted toaid the polesmen by pushing at times with his long stern sweep, until atan unexpected moment the blade of the oar slipped between two rocks anddown into the soft bottom and stuck there straight upright, dragging thebewildered Pepper, who clung to it, completely off the stern of the boat.
The frightened young Scout, not knowing how deep the water was under him,wrapped his legs around the sweep which remained upright, and clung to ityelling for help.
The impetus of the boat carried the craft on about twenty-five feet beforeit was stopped by the current, for the polesmen had stopped work andturned around to whoop with laughter and delight when they saw theridiculous figure perched on the oar in midstream still crying forrescue.
Shouting words of encouragement they let the boat drift slowly down streamagain. Before they reached him, Pepper's strength gave out, and he slidslowly down the sweep, and was preparing to battle for his life in the icywater when his moccasins brought upon a rock in a foot of water, and hepulled the oar loose, and as the stern of the boat reached him steppedaboard with a foolish expression on his face, barely wet to the knees.
It would be cruel to Pepper to record in this history the sarcasticexpressions of admiration for his agility and ability "to reach out andgrab trouble every time it went by," as Dick expressed it. There werereferences to the "champeen pole vault of Alaska; height ten feet; depth,twelve inches," "veteran oarsman of the Gold," "Rocked into the Cradle ofthe Deep," but the last comment which brought out the old Pepperian redthrough the tan and the yellow of the mosquito "dope" was a quotation froman old boyhood rhyme made by Gerald, apropos of "appearances."
"Willie had a purple monkey, climbing on a yellow stick, Willie sucked the purple monkey and it made him deadly sick."
Arrived at the meadows they found the grass grown to the height of theirheads and a wealth of wild flowers such as they had never seen before.Acres of yellow poppies, wild geraniums, bluish in color, saxifrage,magenta colored epilobium, moccasin plants and a hundred others withfamiliar faces. But what pleased Swiftwater especially were the immensequantity of dandelions.
He set the boys at work gathering all the plants they could secure, whilehimself began to hunt for a peculiar wild onion, which he finally found inabundance. He also found sorrel, both the tops and root of which arepleasant to the taste. They half filled the boat with these and otherharmless edible plants, and then late in the afternoon started to pole upthe river to the fishing grounds, intending to try for the trout in hismost amenable season, the early evening.
After the boat had pulled away from the camp, Rand and Jack cleared up theremains of the dinner and put things to rights, after which Rand said:
"I say, Jack, I'm going to indulge in a little luxury--a hot bath. Thisbathing in the creek is all right, but that water feels as if it cameright out of the snow, and I can't get it to take hold on this 'dope'stain on my skin at all.
"How are you going to do it? We didn't include anything like a bathtub inour luggage you know, and we haven't anything big enough to heat more thana few gallons of water."
"I'll show you; give me a hand and I'll rig up a bath big enough for bothof us." They went to the tent and got the biggest of the tarpaulins lyingthere, and taking it to the two seven-foot sawhorses which the Indiansawyers had used. Placing the two close together they threw the ends overthe horses and fastened them, allowing the middle to hang down almost tothe ground. By drawing the sides a little tighter than the middle of theends, they formed a sort of loose bag. While Jack made up a hot fire inthe fireplace, into which he dumped a dozen boulders from the creek, Randcarried water enough to fill the "bath tub" in the tarpaulin, the textureof which was so thick and so closely woven that very little of it drippedout. As the boulders became red hot, Rand and Jack brought the hand barrowused to cart stones from the stream, with a little sand in the bottom, androlling the stones into it carried them to the "tub" and dumped them in.They soon had the water at a boiling heat, and quickly stripping bothtumbled in and were soon luxuriating the first hot dip they had enjoyedsince leaving the hotel in Skagway.
They were engaged in an effort with strong soap and sand, trying to removetheir lately acquired complexions, when the sound of oars and poles on theriver reached them. They were considerably back of the camp in the timber,and could not see the landing from the "bathroom," but supposed the soundswere by their comrades returning. They stepped from the tarpaulin to go tothe creek for a cold plunge as a finishing touch, when over the bankswarmed the six Siwashes who had so lately deserted them. They wereunarmed and were driven by three men with guns. The two boys seeing thestrangers were about to step aside for their clothing when they wereordered to stand and throw up their hands. The three newcomers wereDublin, Rae and Monkey.