Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1911-12-09
CHAPTER IV-continued.

1
In the meantime there was naught
| to show for it but bunch. But 1T was
| coming AS he would stake his last
ounce on a good poker hand. so he
staked his life and effort on the bunch
that the future held in store big
strike on the Upper River So he and
| his three companions, with dogs. and
| sleds and snowshoes, toiled up the
| frozen breast of the Stewart, toiled
on and on through the white wilder
ness where the amending stiffness was
never broken by the voices of men.
the stroke of an ak, or the distant
crack of a rifle. Gold they found on
the bars, but not in paying quantities.
and in the following May they re-
turned to Sixty Mile.
Ten days later, Harper and Joe La
due arrived at Sixty Mile, and Day
light, strong to obey the bunch that
had come to him, traded a third in
terest liz his Stewart town site for
third interest in theirs on the Klondike.
They had faith in the Upper Country.
and Harper left downstream, with a
raft-load of supplies, to start a small
post at the north of the Klondike-
why don't you tackle Indian River,
| Daylight" Harper advised. at part
| ing. There's whole slathers of creeks
and draws draining in up there, and
somewhere gold just crying to be
/ found That's my bunch. There's
big strike coming, and Indian River
amt going to be a million miles
away
And the place is swarming with
moose" Joe Ladue added Bob Hen
derson's up there somewhere. been
| there three years now. swearing
something big is going to happen.
| living off'n straight moose and pros
pecting around like crazy man."
Daylight decided to go Indian River
| fiutter, as he expressed it; and lin
gered a few days longer arranging his
meager outfit. He planned to go IN
light, carrying pack of seventy five
| pounds and making his five dogs pack
as well. Indian fashion. loading them
with thirty pounds each Depending
on the report of Ladue, he intended to
follow Bob Henderson's example and
live practically on straight meat.
| When Jack Kearns' scow, laden with
the sawmill from Lake Linderman.
tied up at Sixty Mile. Daylight bum
died his outfit and dogs on board,
turned his town-site application over
| to Elijah to be filed. and the same day
| was landed at the mouth of Indian
| River. He continued down bunker
to the Klondike. and on to the sum-
} mer fishing camp of the Indians on
the Yukon.
Here for day he camped with Car
mack, squaw-man, and his Indian
brother-in-law. Skookum Jim. bought
boat and, with his dogs on board.
drifted down the Yukon to Forty Mile
| Then it was that Carmack, his broth
er-in-law. Skookum Jim. and Cultus
Charlie, another Indian. arrived in a
canoe at Forty Mile. went straight to
the gold commissioner. and recorded
three claims and a discovery claim on
| Bonanza Creek After that in the Sour
dough Saloon, that night. they exhibit
ed coarse gold to the skepticaI crowd.
| Daylight. too. was skeptical. and this
| despite his faith in the Upper Coun-
try Had he not. only a few days be-
| fore. seen Carmack loafing with his
Indians and with never a thought of
prospecting? But at eleven that night.
| sitting on the edge of his bunk and
| unlacing his moccasins, a thought
\ came to him He put on his coat and
| hat and went back to the Sourdough.
Carmack was still there. flashing his
coarse gold in the eyes of an unbe-
lieving generation. Daylight ranged
alongside of him and emptied Car
macks sack into a blower. This he
studied for long time. Then, from
his own sack. into another blower, he
emptied several ounces of Circle City
and Forty Mile gold Again. for a long
time. he studied and compared Final
ly. he pocketed his own gold, returned
Carmaeks- and held up his hand for
silence.
Boys. 4 want to tell you-aIl some
thing. be said -She's sure come-the
up-rivcr strike And tell you-alI.
clear and fcrcible. this is it There
amt never been gold like that in a
blower in this country before IT'S
new gold It's got more silver in it.
fou-all can see 1t by the color Car
macks sure made a strike Who-all's
got faith TO come along with me?''
No one volunteered
! Then who-sH II take a Job from
me. cash wages in advance TO pole MP
thousand pounds of grub
I Curly Parsons and another. Pat
] Monahan- accented. and. xith his Gus