River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1915-02-04

composed his weakest team. The
twenty-five miles between White river
and Sixty Mile he had broken into two
stages because of ice jams, and here
two OF his heaviest toughest teams
were stationed.
He lay on the sled at full length,
face down. holding on with both hands.
Whenever the dogs Stacked from top
most speed he rose to his knees and.
yelling and urging. clinging precarious
ly with one hand. threw his whip into
them Poor team that it was, he pass
ed two sleds before White river was
reached Here at the freezeup Il jam
had piled barrier. allowing the open
water that formed for half mile be-
low to freeze smoothly. This smooth
stretch enabled the racers to make fly
ing exchanges Of s!eds, and down all
The course they had placed their relays
below the jams
Over the jam ind out on to the
smooth Smoke tore along. calling loud
~: Billy! Billy" =
Billy heard and answered. and by
the light of the many fires ON the ice
Smoke saw Il sled swing in from the
side and come abreast It's dogs were
fresh and overhauled his AS the sleds
sWewed toward each other he leaped
across, and Billy promptly rolled oil
where's Big Olaf?' Smoke cried.
"Leadingr' Billy's voice answered
and Smoke was again dying through
the wall Of blackness.
III the jams Of that relay, where the
way led across Il chaos Of uDended ice
cakes and where Smoke Sill ped off tile
forward end of the sled and with a
haul rope toiled behind the wheel dog,
he passed three Sleds.
Among the jams Of the next short re
lay into Sixty Mile he passed two more
teams. And that he might know ade
quately what had happened to them
one Of his own dogs Wrenched a Shout
der. was unable to keep up and was
dragged in the harness. AS he cut the
injured animal out he heard the whin-
ING cries of dogs behind him and the
voice Of man that was familiar 1t
was Won Schroeder Smoke called
Il
sion. and the baron, having his ami
mails and swinging on the gee pole,
went by dozen feet to the side.
On the smooth stretch of ice beside
the trading post at Sixty Mile Smoke
vcrtO0k two more Sleds. All had just
hanged teams, and for five minutes
hey ran abreast. each man on his
;nees AMI pouring whip and voice into
hp maddened dogs But Smoke had
studied out that portion Of the trail,
nd now marked the tall pine on the
tank that showed family in the light
If the many fires Below that pine
was not merely darkness. but an alb
"ult cessation of the smooth stretch
There the trail, he knew, narrowed to
single sled width Leaning out ahead.
ne caught the haul rope and drew his
Gaping sled up to the wheel dog. He
uught the animal by the hind legs
ana threw it. With Il snarl Of rage,
If tried to slash him with it's fangs,
out was dragged on by the rest Of the
team It's body proved an efficient
brake and the other teams. still
jttli CdSCs diSlIGO duGdO lilIO LIG dGl IA
ness for the narrow way.
Smoke beard the crash and uproar of
their collision. released his wheeler.
sprang to the gee pole and urged his
team to the right into the soft snow,
where the straining animals waIlowed
to their necks 1t was eXhausting
work. but he won by the tangled teams
and gained the hard packed trail be
yond
ON the relay out Of Sixty Mile Smoke
had next to his poorest team, and,
though the going was good, he had set
it short fifteen miles. Two more
teams would bring him into Dawson
and to the gold recorders Office, and
Smoke had selected his best animals
for the last two stretches. Sitka Char
icy himself waited with the eight Male
mutes that would jerk Smoke along for
C0nti01eI on mage 6