Evening star., 1924-01-25
CHAPTER VII.
The Fourth of July, 1899.
BY TEX RICHARD.

THE gold strike at Rampant blew
up with a bang-not exactly a
bang, at that. 1t was more like the
busting of a cap on a musket. The
! load didn't 60 off. We didn't find
as much gold as have in my teeth
right now.
1t was in those trying days,
| though. that the principles of hon
esty were grounded in ME. believe
now it was the bigness of things,
the naturalness, the openness. Even
though l have observed the seamy
side of life, do not believe to this
day that many people arc dishonest
by nature. The principles of square
dealings, l find, apply in the fight
| game just as they did along the
Yukon, when every man was on his
own. There were no courts to ad-
just disputes. We didn't have dis
putes.
The question has been asked me.
How do you manage to make the
roughnecks of the fight game keep
their word?"
Truthfully: l can say that I never
have found these roughnecks dis
honest.
II you give an ignorant man the i'm
preston that you are on the square
with him he will be on the square
with you. The parasite manager may
give trouble: but never the man who
does the fighting.
There were two boats on the Yukon,
the Bella and the Alice. They brought
,, up supplies in the spring. Whether
miner was present or not, they
would leave a six months supply Of
food on the shore. put the mans
name on IT and nobody ever thought
OF molesting it. There was no favor
itism. A man was a man and he
needed SO much food.
Going out of Dawson City, dead
broke and disappointed, three pros
at Rampart As Say. that strike
was bloomer. There We were.
further away than ever and more
dead broke than ever--if that be
possible. My $4,000 had gone rolling
along with the little white ball on
the roulette wheel.
/ am trying to make the point that
money. except In SO much Al it would
buy food. never concerned Us deeply.
II doesn't bother me to this day.
His Name Was Rex BeaeA.
We learned that the river boats
would pay SIS a cord for wood. cut
the proper length for the boilers and
piled on the banks Of the stream.
That being the only way out we
started cutting wood. Nobody
checked up this wood and no work
man thought OF getting his pay at
that time. When the ice broke and
the boats got through they would
simply pick up the wood. figure out
the amount and leave the money for
us. The boat men trusted US, be-
cause they knew we trusted them.
So l set to work as q wood cutter.
1t took muscle, but I had 1t. We
worked for several months At this
Job in an effort to restore our lost
fortunes.
One day noticed another sang cut
ting wood on the opposite SIDE OF the
river q few miles down. Naturally
We went over to call and gossip.
Men were scarce those days. To see
a new face was quite an, an event:
found to be strong, intelligent look
ing young fellow. He took US in.
gave US the best he had in the camp
and made us sit down for chuck.
What's the name. II you don't
REX Beach" he told me.
knew this young fellow was edu-
Gated. q sort OF college man. but
thought him just prospector like
myself. In fact, he was. It was a
Iong time after that before ever
Knew INdL my lIicuu LSSA DS0Lns CUT
, ting cord wood on the Yukon. VIZ
the great writer. simply knew him
AS Beach, darn good man.
I don't remember how much Beach
earned that winter. but ! earned about
three hundred dollars.
When the river opened UP and our
| wood was being taken on the boats q
man came ashore with some i'm
portant information.
The Stock Just Floats In.
IT hear down the river" he said.
| that a lot Of the boys have struck II
rich around Nome. A whole lot Of
'ern are packing up and getting out
into the mountains near the Behring
sea-"
We knew the man was talking