The Alaska citizen. (Fairbanks, Alaska) 1910-1917, 1914-01-19

$3.50
blow up any moment. That is the
reason we always pitched two tents
on the trail.
HAD ONLY TEN CENTS LEFT.
AT Lake Bennett We made boat.
There was a water route thence on
ward to Dawson. None of us had
ever done any research work with
ripsaw Lumber had to be cut for
the boat. One Of my companions saw
d away for a day or two and then
opened negotiations for the sale of his
outfit. Jim Lashua and l bought it.
The purchase reduced my money in
hand to 10 cents; Jim. however, had
several dollars. The boat was twenty
three feet long. Good Roadway was
made through the lakes by using
ent fly for a sail.
"One night we stopped just at the
canyon leading to White Horse Ra-
oids We meant to keep on for a
while, but a sudden impulse caused
is to tie up to the bank. If We had
kept on ! shouldn't now be telling you
this story The next morning We
Jaw the danger we had escaped. 9th
r boats We're made fast to the banks
ana men We're unloading them so as
to carry boats and supplies over the
mountains to the river beyond White
Horse rapids.
Jim and I walked to the canyon.
The river narrowed to 100 feet and
shot between two high walls of rock
like an express train. I thought we
could go through if we We're to hit
40 cl,a fairly n Then
we looked at the rapids and falls two
or three miles farther on. Neither
of us said word On the way
back to the boat Jim asked? What
10 you think of the proposition?
AZ shall pack no more goods, l
answered.
THAT'S my feeling Jim respond
ed.
I'VE climbed into the boat and
cast off The canyon was negotiated
safely, though We went with the
speed of a bullet. SO far SO good, but
the worst was yet to come. Jim sat
well forward facing the bow, and
steadying the boat with a pair of
oars twelve feet long. I, braced be-
tween bags of flour, steered the boat
with another heavy oar. So we APP
preached the rapids, going swiftly
with the boiling currents. The men
began running along the bank, way
ing their hats wildly and yelling.
LOOKED DEATH IN THE FACE
"'Pun in, you blankety blank fools.
You are near White Horse rapids"
they shouted. 'W-h-o-s-e horse?
Jim beloved, making a megaphone of
his hands.
at amt a horse but a rapids
Pull in, you blankety-blank idiots, or
you will be dashed to pieces! shrieked
the men in angry warning.
"'W-h-a-t kind of h-o-r-s-e?'
Jim roared through his improvised
speaking trumphet.
'The men continued to shout, but
we sailed on seemingly determined
TO commit suicide. The foam began
to fly and was thick that I could
not see the bow of the boat. Jim
would cry back: "A little to the left;
a little to the right; hard to the
| left; hard to the right and I, blind
ed by the spray, would throw my
oar back and forth accordingly. We
fairly flew over the water, dipping
every moment like kingfisher after
his dinner.
The boat swept to the rim of the
rapids. For an instant it paused,
shook itself as thought it were a dog
coming out of the water, and then
took the seven-foot plunge as grace
fully as a professional diver. My oar
broke ir the middle. But the tricl
had been done and we rowed ashore
and made fast to a tree.
THE men who had called us fools
and idiots extended their congratula-
lions. We brought three more boats
down that day, getting $50 for each
performance. l now had $3.50 in
money, and I spent all of it but the
original dime for furs at the mouth
of the Stewart river. where there
was big encampment Of Indians.
Moose. the Indians said. could be
found on the watershed Of the Arctic
Circle. The mines, we argued, would