The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1899-09-29

ing inaccessible and all difficult to ascenC
with pack on ones back. The pack ht
must have for eating and sleeping is ne
cessary.
The early part of the winter 1 amused
my self by trapping. The country abounds
in grouse. We made use of them in all
manner of ways and delicious dishes they
made.
Apout Christmas time Nick and start
for Port Clarence to visit four boys there
With a sled, an Eskimo and two dogs We
start out, intending to make an Eskimo
house the first night but by the time we
get in its vicinity it is too dark to proceed
further. We lay one half of big tarpau-
lin on a snow bank, spread our blanket,
sleep suppelless. Morning breaks clear
and cold. After hasty breakfast and
good deal OF stamping to get warm
we start out, reaching Pump sock s
house at the Indian village on the A. Zee
o-puk river in time for our next nights
sleep. Our host is old and great medi.
cine man, understanding the manufac-
ture of Tonga" (whiskey) from -four
and molasSes, which makes him much
respected and much sought for man.
He is jovial, hospitable old fellow. |
have spent many nights with him and,
since acquiring the language, learned
much from him about the country and
the Eskimos.
We reach Port Clarence in time for
New Years dinner. A good spI cad and
Jolly time we have. After we have fin
ished the Eskimos come in, stand around
the table and fill up. 1t takes gOodly
amount of kow-kow," food to fill ma
tive, too. In the evening they come in
again. We have a concert, the white
boys singing and then the natives. They
beat drums, singing in "sing-sOng "
weird fashion while others dance, the
queerest, most grotesque dance imagina-
Bile. We listen for few minutes, but
soon tire of it, clear the house and retire.
1t was happy day and you may be sure
our thoughts often reverted to the states,
and the loved ones at home.
Here the news comes OF the gold strike
at Cape Nome. Two boys from the Mer-
maid camp come in with team of ten
dogs, decide to 90 there and invite me 10
accompany them Nick and the natives
90 back to kooZ-goon-ma-pa where our
cabins are, while Martin, Borden and |
start for Cape Nome, II miles away. At
SinOok Martin hears a wildcat story of
another strike beyond Cape Nome and,
contrary to our wishes, determines to go
there. SO we pass into a district we
know nothing a out. A man pecuniari-
guide us up the Eldorado river, across
an eight-mile portage to California creek,
where he said we could get claims. / was
skeptical, but not owning the dog team,
could not do otherwise than go. The
guide is to take us to an eskimo house,
but loses his way and we are forced to
make camp, the thermometer registering
that night 50 degrees below zero. Our
stove was a square cracker tin and our
fire wood green willows. We have to re-
turn to the coast where a storm delays us
till we have only food enough to last till
we get home, 200 miles away. We come
in eight days, having passed Snake river
twice. Dissatisfied with this trip, Nick
and | start out again with one dog and
about 200 pounds on the sled We make
10 or 20 miles day, one pulling and the
other pushing. 1t is terrible hard work,
but not being able to buy dogs we have
to make dogs of ourselves. On this trip
we staked five claims each, blindly of
course for the snow was five to eight
feet deep. We staked as near as possible
to the rich places.
To get back to Anvil City in quick time
| determined to cut the 200 miles, coast
distance, down to about Is by going
through a mountain pass which led to
Lake Nudz-vez-Ook Attempted to get a
native to accompany us but he would
not saving, "cold intense, wind bad, do
not care for it, not l." l borrowed a light
yukon sled of the boys at Port Clarence,
to deliver it at Anvil City in
40 DAYS Nick and | divided the load,
about 90 pounds falling to my lot. In two
days we pulled our load 70 miles, an in