Rocky Ford enterprise., 1912-01-26
CHAPTER iv.-contInued.


In the meantime there was naught
to show for 1t but hunch. 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 hunch
that the future held in store big
strike on the Upper River. So he and
his three companions. with dogs. and
sIeds, and snowshoes, toiled up the
frozen breast of the Stewart, toiled
on and on through the white wilder
ness where the unending stiffness was
never broken by the voices of men.
the stroke Of an ak. or the distant
crack of a rife. 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 hunch that
had come to him, traded third in
terest in his Stewart town site for
third interest in theirs on the Klondike..
They had faith in the Upper Country.
and Harper left downstream. with
raft-load of supplies. to start a small
post at the mouth Of the Kondike.
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 hunch. There's
big strike coming. and Indian River
amt going to be 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
q futter, as he expressed II; and lin
gered few days longer arranging his
meager soutfit. He planned to go in
light. carrying a 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 bun
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 Hunker
to the Klondike. and on to the sum-
mer fishing camp of the Indians on
the Yukon.
Here for a day he camped with Car
mack. squaw-man. and his Indian
brother-in-law, Skookum Jim. bought
a boat. and. with his dogs on board.
drifted down the Yukon to Forty Mile.
Then 1t was that Carmack. his broth
er-in-law, Skookum Jim, and Cultus
Charlie, another Indian. arrived in
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 skeptical crowd.
Daylight. too, was skepical. 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.
Blttlng on the euSe OF MS DUNK anu
unlacing his moccasins, 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 a long time. Then. from
his own sack, into another blower. he
emptied several ounces of Circle City
and Forty Mile gold. Again. for long
time. he studied and compared. Final
ly, he pocketed his own gold, returned
Carmacks, and held up his hand for
silence.
Boys. / want to tell you-all some
thing, he said. She's sure come-the
up-river strike. And I tell you-all,
Gear and forcible. this is it. There
mt never been gold like that in a
blower in this country before. It's
new gold. It's got more silver in 1t.
You-all can see it by the color. Car
mack's sure made a strike. Who-all's
got faith to come along with me?"
Ne one volunteered.
"Then who-all II take a Job from
me, cash wages In advance, to pole up
q thousand pounds of grub?"
Curly Parsons and another. Pat
Aonahan. accepted. and. with his ous-