Licking Valley courier. [volume] (West Liberty, Ky.) 19??-current, 1912-09-12
CHAPTER v.

outfit Of -four, arrived at the mouth OF
the Klondike, he found the big fiat as
desolate and tenantless as ever. Down
close by the river, Chief Isaac and his
Indians were camped beside the
frames on which they were drying sal
mon. Several old-times were also In
camp there. Having finished their
summer work ON Ten Mile Creek, they
had come down the Yukon, bound for
Circle City. But at Sixty Mile they
had learned Of the strike, and stopped
off to look over the ground. They had
just returned to their boat when Day
light landed his -four, and their report
was pessimistic. But an hour later.
at his own camp, Joe Ladue strobe In
from Bonanza Creek He led Daylight
away from the camp and men and
told him things in confidence.
"She's sure there" he said in con;
clusion. II didn't sluice It, or cradle
1t. PANIED 1t, all in that sack, yes
terday, on the rim-rock. tell you you
can shake 1t out Of the grass-roots.
And what's on the bedrock down In
the bottom of the creek they amt no
way OF tellin'. Bnt she's big, l tell
you, big. Keep 1t quiet, and locate all
you can. It's in spots, but wouldn't
be none surprised II some Of them
claims yielded as high as fifty thou
sand. The only trouble Is that It's
spotted"
A month passed by, and Bonanza
Creek remained quiet. A sprinkling
OF men had staked; but most Of them,
after stalking, had gone on down to
Forty Mile and Circle City. The few
that possessed sufficient faith to re-
main were busy building log cabins
against the coming of winter. Car
mack and his Indian relatives were oc.
cupied in building slufce box and
getting a head of water. The work
was slow. for they had to saw their
lumber by hand from the standing for
est. But farther down Bonanza were
four men who had drifted In from up
river, Dan McGilvary. Dave Mckay,
Dave Edwards, and Harry Waugh
They were a quiet party, neither ask
ing nor giving condolences, and they
herded by themselves. But Daylight,
who had panned the spotted rim OF
Carmack's claim and shaken coarse
gold from the grass-roots, and who
had PANIED the rim at a hundred 9th
er places up and down the length OF
the creek and fCS<nd nothing. was Gu
rious to know what lay on bedrock.
He had noted the four quiet men sink
Ing a shaft close by the stream. and
he had heard their whip-saw going as
they made lumber for the sluice boxes.
He did not wait for an invitation. but
he was present the first day they
sluiced. And at the end Of five hours
shoveling for one man, he saw them
take out thirteen ounces and half OF
gold. II was coarse gold. running from
pinheads to tweRe-dollar nugget,
and 1t had come from of bedrock.
The first fall snow was flying that day,
and the Arctic winter was closing
down; but Daylight had no eyes for
the bleak-gray sadness OF the dying,
short-lived summer. He saw his Wis
ion coming true, and on the big fat
was upreared anew his golden city OF
the SHOWS. Gold had been found on
bedrock. That was the big thing.
caFmacks strike was assured. Day
light staked q claim In his own name
adjoining three he had purchased with
plug tobacco. This gave him block
two thousand feet long and extending
in width from rimrock to rim-rock.
Returning that night to his camp at
the mouth Of Klondike, he found In II
Kama, the Indian chief he had left al
Dyea. Kama was travelling by ca
noe, bringing In the last mail Of the
year. In his possession was some two
hundred dollars In gold-dust, which
Daylight Immediately borrowed. In
return, he arranged to stake claim
for him, which he was TO record when
he passed through Forty Mile. When
Kama departed next morning, he car
ried a number of letters for Daylight
addressed to all the old.tlmers down
river, in which they were urged to
come I'D Immediately and stake. Also
Kama CARRIED letters OF similar import
given him by the ether men on 30
nanza
ut will sure be the gosh-dangdesi
stampede that ever was. Daylight
chuckled, as he tried to vision the ex
cited populations OF Forty Mile ant
Circle City tumbling into poling-boati
and racing the hundreds Of miles VI
the Yukon; for he knew that his wore
would be unquestiopingly Peoepted.
One day in December Daylight filled
a pan from bedrock on his own CLAIM
and carried It into his cabin. Here
fire burned and enabled him to keel
water unfrozen In canvas tank, III
squatted over the tank and began t
wash. Earth and gravel seemed to I'll
the pan. As he impaired to 1t cir
cular movement. the lighter, coarse
particles washed out over the edge
At times he combed the surface viii
his fingers, raking out handouts Q
gravel. The contents Of the pan Al
minished. At Is drew near to tn
bottom, for the purpose Of heeting AM
tentative examination. he gave TN
pan sudden sloshing movement
emptying It of water. And the who'll
bottom showed as II covered with bu'
ter Thus the yellow gold flashed
up as the muddy water was filtere'
away, It was gold-gold,duet, coars
gold, nuggets, large nuggets, He va
all alone. He set the pan down for
moment and thought long thoughts
Then he finished the washing. ant
weighed the result In his scales. a
the rate Of sixteen dollars to the ounc
the pan had contained seven hundre
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