The evening times., 1897-08-26


had q chance to fight when we got on the
stistias. sneiying sand. but did not like
70 fight Just for fun. told the man that
we could find heapsof money b fight over
on the Klondike, and thst I would sign
artscie. &c fight him there. Queensberry
rules He got in good humor at once,
for a moment, tut when handed Kelley
the man, S3, ard took up my pack. he
wanted to fight more than ever.
Only O few miles walking up the wooded
ynlley of wild flowers: then glaciers
looming over and hanging down cute the
clouds on either side, and the trail becomes
tautaInng. IL leads over fields OF smaA
granite boslslers so plentiful that your
feet do not touch ground. These round litue
rolling rocks are alike In color, char
acter and ugliness. You must keep your
eyes TO the work before you fall, and by
careful as you can you viii roll and come
70 The ground many times.
The valley faced us now, and the walls
of Granite shut out the sun and winds The
water came tumblin down outof tie clouds.
as at Yosemite, only here the great cata-
racts are too many to even count them
much less name them. We have hundred
Yosemites, "a string OF Yosemites for ten
miles, except that the walls of granite lit
orally Lang over us i'm places. Dense woods
of small growth. now. maBy wild flowers,
some af giant growth. grass as high as my
shoulder, SORT of Kentucky blue grass,
and i'm blossom. Only there IL not muchofit
i found few strawberry plants and some
LucklebeI ries, and. like everything eissA in
Alaska. they are the biggest in the world
And now how heavy my pack began TO
govt
All the party had passed me. True, was
never out OF sight or sound of the people, all
of them in camp now, bat my people were
siiu going and were far ahead. passed all
sorts OF people, tire, pretty women, one OF
them i'm mems clothes made OF buckskin.
passed party OF coiored men and netcne
giant black man, along with Japanese,
carrying the outfit that indicatedti tiIeir call
ing : packers. All sorts of people pack here.
1t is a good wav, il it Is Il hard way,
t.. earr god money. The Indians are the
most NUMEROUS as packers They work their
sqaaws an q dogs and childrea and do well at
it. One Indian uoid me that he ma kes $50
per day All his household is dressed as a
picnic.
What largenes. largeness. all atort
ing distances. and now / begin 20 feel.
under my pack as I trudge and trudge,
often to my knees liz the freezing water,
that tie miles Of Alaska are in keeping
wlth the rest OF her tell you that an
Alaskan mile. with a fifty-pound pack on
your back and the mud and ice water to
your knees. is the biggest mile, the broad
est mile, the tbickest. longest and haroeSI
to go through Of any mile on earth You
see. the Russians measured the>e miles
on sle,ls Oh The snow, where you sid up
or down s,ream that Is buried in snow
and ice. and that is swift and easJ enough.
but when We have to walk over little
round h0uldeFs or around blocks or gran
ile, or to climb where IL is difficult TO
get q foothold, it is another thing, and
the miles in the mud are nearly twice as
long.
onen I sat down TO lift my face 10
the scenery, feeling that l must rest or
drcI in the mud Man never was so
weary as was when | looked down al
las, INTO city OF tents The head OF the
expedition. who, like gentleman, had
carried only a rifle all day, met me at
the suburbs or the city and led me to the
h,,tu Hotel, yes. right here in the heart
Of the dread Chilkoot Pass is not only
city, but city with two hotels They
are no. palace hotels, IL is true. but VIII
wager that no hotel, palace o. not, ever
gave meal with more relish than that
dinner Of Inine at the hotel in The city
Of teIts in the heart OF the Chilkoot Pass,
Alaska And tie beds!
Yes" said the good landlady. Il VIII
give YOU Mr.. Johnson's bed, in his tent.
He has gone over the summit and maybe he
won't get back tonight. You can all three
sleep ib there"
Did YOU ever hear OF such kindness? Her
heart. too. lie all other things in Alaska.
is big, big.
"But If Mr.. johnson should get back?"
nIodestlg asked the gentle head OF this
expedition ''Oh. you can all four sleep
in his bed all the same
open this letter again to say that We
saw hee in Johnson's tent. and ON asking
our lady, learned that there Were plenty
Of wild bees in Alaska / mention as a
remar kabl thing that there is city with
out a graveyard, a fact that speaks
nightly for the heaithfulness OF this
and also testifies that the dreaded
pass is not responsible thus far for any
fatalities. This hurried letter goes back
by coCSier. Tomorrow morning We scale
the summit, and you shall know with what
results. No, no news from beyond, but
we are passing right along, coming nearer
and nearer each DAY. Wenust know some
thing good or i'll pretty soon.