The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1925-10-16
CHAPTER l. (Continued)

"A ton Of provisions and thou
sand dollars!' he repeated, blankly
Why. that was absurd, out of all
possible reason! 1t would bar the
way to fully half this rushing
army; it would turn m. back at
the very threshold of the golden
North. Nevertheless. there stood
the notice in black and white, a clear
and unequvocal warning from the
Canadian authorities, evidently de-
signed to forestall famine on the
foodless Yukon. From the loud ar
guments round about him Phillips
gathered that opinion on the justice
OF the measure was about evenly
divided; those fortunate men who
had come we'll provided commended
it heartily, those less fortunate fell
lows who were sailing 81. hauled
were equally noisy in their denuncia-
ton of it. The latter could see in
this precautionary ruling nothing ex-
cept the exercise of a tyrannical
power aimed at their ruin, and in
consequence they voiced threats, and
promises of violence to which Phil
lips put down as mere resentful
mouthings of no actual significance.
AS for himself, he had never pos
sesscd anything like thousand dol
lars at one time, therefore the
problem of acquiring such a pro-
digious sum in the immediate future
presented appalling difficulties. He
had come north to get rich, only to
find that It was necessary to be rich
in order to get north. A fine situa-
ton, truly! A ton of provisions
would cost at least FIVE hundred dol
lars and the expense of Transporting
it across summer swamps and tun-
dras. then up and over that mys-
FERROUS and forbidding Chilkoot of
which he had heard so much. would
bring the total capital required up to
impossible proportions. The pros
pect was indeed disrnaying. Phillips
had been ashore less than an hour,
but already he had gained some faint
idea of the country that lay ahead
of him; already he had noted the
almost absolute lack OF transporta-
ton; already he had learned the
price of packers, and as result he
found himself at an imbdsse.
One thousand dollars and two hun
dred pounds! 1t was enough to
dash high hopes. And yet, strangely
enough, Phillips was not discour-
aged. He was rather surprised at
his own rebound after the first
shock; his reasonless optimism
vaguely amazed him. until, in con-
templating the matter, he discovered
that his thoughts were running
somewhat after this fashion:
"They told me couldn't make it !;
they said something was sure to
happen. Well, it has. I'm up against
it-hard. Most fellows would quit
and 60 home, but l sha'nt. I'm
going to, win out, somehow, for this
is the real thing This is Life, Ad-
venture. 1t will be wonderful to
look back. and say: 4 did it.
; Nothing stopped me. l landed at
Dyea with one hundred and thirty
five dollars, but look at me now! I"
Thoughts such as these were in
his mind. and their resolute nature
must have been reflected in his face,
tor a! voice aroused him from his
raeditations.
1T don't seem to faze you much.
partner. s'pose you came heeled 2"
, Phillips looked up and into a sullen
angry face:
1T nearly kills me-" he smiled
I'm the worst-heeled man in the
crowd"
WELL it's darned outrage. A
ton of grub! Why, have you seen
the trail? Take a look: it's a man.
killer; and the rate is forty cents a
pound to Linderman. It'll go to
fifty .now-maybe dollar-and there
a,en't enough packers to handle half
Things are worse at Skagway,"
another man volunteered. II came
up Yesterday. and they're losing a
hundred head of horses day-bog-
ging EN- down and breaking their
legs. You can walk on dead car
cases from the. Porcupine to the
Summit"
/ A. third stranger. evidently one of
the weh-provided few, laughed care
lessly. IF you boys can't stand the
strain you'd better stay where you
are" said he. "Grub's sky.high in
Dawson. and mighty short. I knew
what | was up against, 50 l came
prepared. Better 60 home and try
It next summer"
The first speaker, he of the sullen
visage, turned. his back, muttering.
resentfuliy: "Anothcr wise guy!
They make me sick! I've a notion
to 60 through anyhow"
Don't try that" cautioned the
man from Skaaway. IF YOU got
past the Police they'd follow you to
he'll but what they'd bring you back.
They amt like our police"
Still meditating his plight, Pierce
Phillips edged on: OF. .he. crowd, and
walked slowly down the street. It
was not a street at all, except by
courtesy. for it was no more than
an open waterfront faced by few
log buildings and meandering line
OF new white tents. Tents were 60
ing up everywhere and all of them
bore painful evidence of their new
ness. So did the clothes of their