Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1898-11-12
A SILENT PARTNER.

go to the Klondike. 1t took him a long
time to make up his mind. 1t took him
q longer time to get to the Klondike.
In the first place, he made a mistake.
He selected the trail from sikaguay over
the White pass to Lake Bennett. Now,
that was bad, but not so bad as his next
error. He would not give it up and go to
the Chilkoot pass, though he heard Chill
koot was much easier.
Olaf had a hard time on the trail,
though he didn't know it-that is to say,
any other man would have thought 1t a
hard time, but Olaf, expecting Lad things,
had no "kick, - as he expressed 1t, against
adversely.
Olaf was an exceptional man on the
rail.-phenominally exceptional. For on
q trail where each man had one partner at
least, and most many, Olaf preferred hay
ing no partner. "Anoder man in the party
besides me won't du," he said. II might
want to do one thing and him anoder. Be-
sides. | don't want no pardner, nOhoW.
Pardners always means trouble"
The experience of many on the trail con-
flrmcd the wisdom of Olaf views. Moth
ing discouraged Olaf. When misfortune
overlook him, he set to work to ''do what
he could for the best" Up before day
break, he cooked a substantial breakfast
for he believed in feedino himself we'll
and with "a mounds moro on his hack thar
snv other man could carry started off on
the trail climbing over rocks and waa;ny
shronoh mud keenino at II ali dav With
:, Short interval for lnnch
n took him fen dnvs tn move h;s ontf7t
from station to station. Difficulties too
great for other men never prevented Olaf
from moving Onward. If he could not
make ten miles he made five: if not five,
he made two. But he always kept moving
forward When some of his provisions
were stolen, he "rustlcd. y as he called II.
and worked for others until he had earned
enough to replace what had been stolen,
Then he moved on his own outfit. When
at last he reached lake Bennett, he built
a hoat and calmly self sail without any of
the excitcment which others exhibited
Man wanted to Inv a massage in his hoat
and assist him to manage her. huff Olaf
said uNo 7 don't want M ~nassenoers
and 7 ouess 7 can handle tbe boat myself. y
At the Tagish lake custom house Olaf
worked four DAVIS to nav for the duty on
his goods. and went on his way without
the DELAY r~uffling his temper. He sailed
his boat around the point at Windy Arm
when 80 other boats hauled up on the
beach. Approaching Miles Canyon men
to warn Olaf to land and tighten
his boat and wait for the pilot. ssThat's the
canyon. thew shouted. "Miles CANYON"
SIS itpn said Olaf. "I'ye been watching
for ii all day." And he took his boat
through and on through the White Horse
rapids without moving an eyelid. But
now floating ice began to impede Olatf's
proeress. SIU keep going till she freezes
nm. . he said. And he did, She froze I'M
when Olaf had got to Five Fingers, and
Olaf went into camp. He built a shed
and ate M his grub until he had left what
he could pull.
About christmas Olaf started for Daw-
son on the ice with more on his sled than
n two men could null. He made slow
progress, but he said, II shall come there
some time if 1 keep moving" -Four miles
a day doesn't seem much. but if persisted
in 1t counts ND. and at last Olaf arrived in
Dawson.
He Immediately moved IN the creek
and went to work prospecting. To his
surprise a lead pencil ~prospeotor Jumped
his claim. Olaf moved to another loca-
ton. found good prospects and reported.
Then he built a cabin and settled down
to work, He put in II solid hours a day.
His claim was 500 feet. and as he looked
around he felt pleased. He had all the
gold he wanted, he thought, and it was all
his own. He congratulated himself daily
on having no partner.
Some stampeders camped one night at
Olaff's cabin and discussed the mining
regulations. as stampeders will. Yukon
stampeders are strange. Yukon mining
regulations are still stranger. Olaf
learned. to his dismay. that half his claim
did not belong to him. It belonged to the
oueen. the stamneders said. Olaf was
nightly troubled. He STONED working
and Thought over the situation. Then he
went down to Dawson. took his place in
line behind some hundred others outside
the commissioners office and waited pa
tiently for admittance. The thermometer
Registered 81 below. but Olaf .swanted TO
SEA the guild commissari. and hat was a
detail he could not remedy.
After waiting two hours and a half he
GOT in. 81 want to see the Guild commits
sari." said Olaf to- worried looking man
seated behind a roughly made desk and
some cold scales. ~ am the gold commits
sioner." was the reply. "what do Won
want?:' II want to know the queens ad-
dress" said Olaf. "Somebody's ALWAYS
wanting to know something. ~ said the
commissioner. "What do YOU want with
the Queens addressY, ssWell." said Olaf.
'sthe queen and me ia pardners on a claim
up the creek, and I don't want to be pard.
ners with the queen no longer, So I want
to write to the queen to know if she'll buy
NV $50 feet or sell her $50 feet to me. I
don't want no pardners. and ANYHOW the
not putting any work into the
claim"
The commissioner advised Olaf not to