Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1915-05-04
SMOKE
BELLEW
By
JACK
LONDON

s LONDON {
copyrssha. 1914. By he Whss,ss {
Syndicate {
CHAPTER XIII.
The Adventure With the Little Man.
"V WISHT you wasn't so set in your
ways" Shorty demurred. "I'm
sure scairt Of that glacier. No
man ought to tackle it by bis
lonely"
Smoke laughed cheerfully and ran
his eye up the glistening face Of the
tiny glacier that filed the head of the
valley. "Here 1t Ia August already,
and the days have been getting shorter
for two MONTHS" he epitomized the sit
uation. "You know quartz, and ]
don't. But I can bring up the grub,
while you keep after that mother lode.
So long. III be back by tomorrow
evening""
He turned and started.
II got a hunch sometimes goin' to
happen" Shorty pleaded after him.
But Smokes reply was bantering
laugh. He held on down the little val
ley, occasionally wiping the sweat from
his forehead, the while his feet crush
ed through ripe mountain raspberries
and delicate ferns that grew beside
patches of sun sheltered ice.
In the early spring he and Shorty
had come to the Stewart river and
launched out into the amazing chaos
Of the region where Surprise lake lay.
And all of the spring and half Of the
summer had been consumed In futile
wanderings, when, on the verge OF
turning back, they caught their first
glimpse Of the battling, gold bottomed
sheet of water which had lured and
fooled a generation Of miners.
Making their camp In the old cabin
which Smoke had discovered on his
previous visit, they learned three
things-frst, heavy nugget gold was
carpeted thickly on the lake bottom;
next, the gold could be dived for IN
the shallower portions, but the temper
ature Of the water was man killing,
and, finally, the draining OF the lake
was too stupendous task for two men
In the shorter half Of a short summer.
Undeterred, reasoning from the coarse
ness of the gold that 1t had not trav-
eled fur, they had set out In search OF
the mother lode. They had crossed the
big glacier that frowned on the south
ern rim and devoted themselves to the
puzzling maze of small valleys and
canyons beyond, which, by most un-
mountain-like methods, drained, or had
at one time drained, into the lake.
The valley Smoke was descending
gradually widened after the fashion OF
any normal valley, but at the lower
end It pinched narrowly between high,
precipitous walls and abruptly stopped
In cross wall. At the base Of this, In
a welter Of broken rock, the streamlet
disappeared, evidently finding It's way
out underground.
Climbing the cross wall, from the Top
Smoke saw the lake beneath him. Un-
like any mountain lake he had ever
seen, 1t was not blue. Instead Its In
tense peacock green tokened Its snai-
lowness. 1t was this shallowness that
made its draining feasible. All about
arose jumbled mountains, with Ice
SCARED peaks and crags. grotesqueiy
shaped and grouped. All was topsy
turvy and unsystematic-a Dore night
mare.
Across the lake, seemingly not more
than half mile, but, as he well Knew
five miles away, he could see the bunch
Of spruce trees and the cabin. He
looked again to make sure and saw
smoke clearly rising from the chimney.
Somebody else had surprised them
selves into finding Surprise lake, was
his conclusion as he turned to climb
the southern wall.
From the top Of this he came down
into a little valley, flower foored ana
lazy with the hum Of bees. that be-
haved quite as reasonable valley
should, In so far as it made legitimate
entry on the lake. What was wrong
with it was it's length-scarcely 100
yards-its head straight up and down
cliff of 1000 feet, over which stream
pitched itself in descending wells OF
mist.
And here he encountered more
smoke, floating lazily upward IN the
warm sunshine, beyond an Quiet OF
rock. As he came around the corner
he heard light metallic tap-tapping
and a merry whistling that kept the
beat. Then he saw the man, an up
turned shoe between his knees, into
the sole Of which he was driving hob
spikes.
"Hellow was the strangers greet
ing, and Smokes heart went out to the
man in ready liking. "Just IN time
for a snack. There's coffee IN the
pot, couple of cold fapjacks anu
some jerky."
"Tn 60 you If lose," was Smokes
acceptance as he sat down. "Pve been
rather skimped on the last several
meals, but there's oodles Of grub over
In the cabin" So
ACROSS the lake? That's what l
was heading for"
Seems Surprise lake is becoming
populous," Smoke complained, empty
ing the coffeepot.
"Go on, you're joking, aren't your
the man said, surprise painted on bis
face.
Smoke laughed. 'That's the way It
takes everybody. You see those high
ledges across there to the northwest? :?
There's where l first saw It.. No:warn-
ing. Just Suddenly caught the view
of the whole lake from there. I'd CIV
en- up looking for it too"
+ Same here" the other agreed. I'D
headed back and was expecting to
fetch the Stewart last night when out
popped In sight of the lake. Ifthat's
It where's the Stewart7 And where
have l been all the time? And how