The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1915-12-23
Smoke BelIeW.
Continued from Page One.

Day by day they tioated down the
swift river. and day by day the shore
ice extended farther out. When they
made camp at nightfali they chopped
space In the ice In which to iay the
boat and carried the camp outfit nun
dreds of feet to shore. In the morning
they chopped the boat out through the
new ice and caught the current
Shorty set up the sheet iron stove III
the boat, and over this Slime and
SpraGue hung through the long drift
Inv hours. They had surrendered. II"
longer gave orders. and their one de-
sire was to gain Dawson.
The last night ashore was spent be-
tween the mouths OF the White river
and the Stewart. at daylight they
found the Yukon. half mile wide.
running white from Ice trimmed bank
to ice trimmed bank.
We'll be- tn. last boat this year to
make Da wxon." Kit said
But they amt no water. Smoke
"Tben we'll ride the Ice down.
Come on.
Futilely protesting. Sprag'ie and
Slime were bundled Oh board. For
half an hour with axes Kit ana Shorty
struggled to cut way into the swift
but solid stream. When they did <nr,
coed In clearing the shore ice the float
ing Ice forced the boat along the edge
for n hundred yards. tearing away hh't
Of one gunwaie and making Il parthl
wreck OF IL. Then ut the lower en1 "t
the bend they caught the current tina,
hung off shore.
They proceeded to work further to
longer composed OF mush Ice. but OF
hard cakes. In between the cakes
only was mush Ice that froze *oiidiy
NJ they looked at It. Showing with the
oars against the cakes. sometimes
climbing out on the cakes In order to
force the boat along. after an noIr
they gained the middle.
Five minutes after they ceased tht1.
exertions the boat was frozen IN. The
whole river was cuaguiating rs II ran
Cake froze to cake until ut last the
boat was the center Of Il cake seventy
1--WE feet 10 diameter. Sometimes thet
ttoated Sihewisc. sometimes stern hrst.
while gravity tore asnnder the forming
rrtters in the moving mass. only to TIE
ni:lnuclt.d by faster formin: ui,.s.
Night rauIe. ami after many efforts
they gave up the attempt To force the
boat to shore. and through the dark
ness they swept helplessiy onward.
Their speed began to diminish and
cakes Of ice to upend and crash and
smash about them The river WIS
slid across their cake and carried one
side OF the boat away. 1t did nor sink.
for its own cake still upbore it. but In
a whir. the! saw dark water show for
IN instant within foot OF them. Then
| I'LL movement ceased.
AT the end Of half un bonr the whole
river picked itself up aud hogan It,
move This continued for an hour
when again it was brought to rest 'y
| Il jam. Once again it started. runn'''-
swiftly and savagely. with Il great
| grinding. Then they saw lights ashore
and when abreast gravity aud the Yin
k0n surrendered. and the river ceased
| for SIX months.
For three days Kit and Shorty labor
I'd carrying the ton and a half outti
from the middle Of the river to the 10.
cabin Stine and Spra%ue had bought
on the hill overlooking Dawson. mi.
work finished. in the warm cabin a.
twilight was falling Spragne moti"net
Kit to him. Outside the THERMOMETERS
registered Is below zero
"Your FIJI. month isn't up. Smoke.
Sprague said. But here it is in fnli
| wish yon luck
BLOW about the agreement" Iii
asked. lyon know there's famine
here You agreed
II know Of no agreement" Spragn'
interrupted. do you. Slime? We ell
gagged you by the month. There's you
pay. Will you sign the receipt"
Kits hands cIinehed. and for the mo
ment he saw red Both men shrunl
away from him. Shorty saw his trou
bic and interposed.
Look here. Smoke. ! amt ravelin
no more with emery outfit like this
Right here's where | sure jump /,
YOu an ME stick together. Savvy
Now, you take yonr blankets and blk
down to the Elkhorn. Wait for me
| ,b,,f'
give them what's comm. :linr II
good Oh the water. but my feet'S u
terry hrmy now. an I'm goin' to niaE
smoke
HaIf an hour afterward Shorty AZ
peareh ut the EIkhorn From nj
bleeding knuckles and the skin off Oh
cheek it was evident that lie mad give
Slime and Sprague what walls coming.
You ought to see that cabin n
chuckled rs they stood ar the ba
"Roughhouse amt no name for |!
} Dollars to doughnuts nary one of 'el
shows up on the street for week.
AN now It's all fingered out tor 20
an me- Grub's u dollar an half
} pound. They Amt no work for wage
without you have your own grit
Mouse meats srIiin' for 50 Il pound, III
they amt none. We got enough NONE
for months grub an ammunition
an we hike up the klont!ike 70 I'll
back country. /: they amt no moos
we 80 an live with the indians Il.
II we amt got 5.nn pounds of me;
six weeks from now fll-ill sure =
back an apologize to our bosses IL
go?'
Kits hand went out, and they shoo
Then he faltered II don't know an