The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1929-07-26
Robert w. Service
Illustrations BY Irwin Myers
c4 NorthLand Romance
wNU Service


had fallen, and stiff, cold. racked with
pain. gritted bis teeth doggedly md
staggered on q few feet more. "Klon-
dixie or bust"-the fanatic of the trail,
craZed with the gold-lust, performed
mad feats of endurance, till nature re-
beIled. and raving and bowling, he was
carried away TO die.
.
We were camping In Paradise val
ley. Before Us and behind rs the
great Cheechako army iabored along
with Infinite travail We had suffered.
but the trail of the land was near its
end. And what an endl With every
mile the misery and difficulty Of the
way seemed 10 increase. Then We
came to the trail of Rotring Horses.
Dead animals we had seen all along
the trail in great numbers, but the
sight as we came on this particular
place beggared description. There were
thousands of them One nighI we
dragged away six of them before we
could find room TO put up the tent
There they lay. sprawling horribly.
their ribs protruding through their
hides. their eyes putrid in the sun
shine. II was like battlefield. haunt
ingly hideous.
Ii was a Sunday and we were In the
tent, indescribably glad of q days
rest The Jam-wagOn was mending a
BIT of harness; the ProdigaI was play.
ing solitaire Salvation Jim had just
returned from a trip TO Skagway.
where he had hoped TO find a letter
from the outside regarding one Jake
MOsher- His usually hale and kindly
face was drawn and troubled.
81 always did say there was Gods
curse on this Klondike gold" be said;
now I'm sure of it There's a hoo
doc on il. What it's a-gOin' 70 cost.
what hearts it's gOin' TO break. what
homes IT'S goin' TO wreck no man1l
ever know. God only knows what IFS
cost already. But this last is the
worst yet"
whats the matter. Jim?" ! said:
what last?"
"Why. haven't you heard? Well.
there's just been II snowslide on rhp
Chilroof an several hundred ptopie
buried Hundreds OF poT sinners cut
of without y chance TO repent"
He was going TO improve on the oc>
casiOn when the ProdigaI cut il.
Poor devils guess we must know
sorJe OF them, too" He turned - me-
Il wonder if your little Polak friends
all rights"
Indeed my thoughts had just flown
10 Berna. Among the exigencies nt
the trail (when we had TO ix our
minds Oh the trouble of the moment
ana every moment had its trOuh'el
there was little time for reflection
Nevertheless, had found az all tines
visions of her fitting before me.
thoughts of her coming TO me when !
least expected them. Pity. tenderness
and a good deal of anxiety were 10
my mind suppose was silent.
grave. and il must have been some
intuition of my thoughts that made
the Prodigal say to me:
Say, old man. if you would IKE 10
take a run over the Dyea trail. I
guess can spare you for day OF So"
Yes, indeed. I'd like TO see the
trail"
"Oh. yes, we've observed your en-
thusiastic interest," in trails. Why don't
you marry the girl? Well. cut along.
old chap. Don't be gone too long"
So next morning, travelling as lightly
as possible. | started for Ben-ott
was jogging along past the ad-
vance guard of the oncoming army
WHEN who should see hut Mervin and
Hewson- They looked thoroughly sea
soned. and had made record time with
large outfit. In contrast TO the
worn, weary-eyed men with faces
pinched and puckered, they looked in
solently iii and full of fight They
had heard of the snowSlide but rouId
give me no particulars. inquired for
Berna and the old man. They were
somewhere behind, between Chilcoot
and Lindeman. "Yes. they were prob
ably buried under the slide. GOod-by.'
! hurried forward. full of apprehen-
sion. black stream of Cheechakos
were surging across Lindeman: then
| realized the greatness of the other
advancing army, and the vastness Of
the impulse that was urging these in
dOmitable atoms TO the Narfh II WIS
blowing quite hard and many had put
up sails on their sleds with COCO
effect.
Why was so anxious about Berna.
1 did not know. but with every mile
my anxiety increased. A dim unrea-
soning fear possessed me. | imagined
that if anything happened to her
would forever blame myself 1 bur
ried forward.
I met the Twins. They had Just es-
capped the slide. they told ME. and DAD
nor YET recovered from the shock.
little way back on the trail ii was.
would see men digging out the bodies
They had dug out seventeen that
morning. Some were crushed as fat
as pancakes.
Again. with a pain al nv heart, J
asked after Berna and her grandfa-
Their. Twin number one said they
were both buried under the slide
gasped and was seized with sudden
fainfness- NO" said twin number
two. the old man is missing but the
girl has escaped and is nearly crazy
with grief Good-by."
Once more I hurried on. Gangs OF
men were shoveling for the dead.
Every now and then a shovel would
strike q hand or skull Then
shout would be raised and the poor
miSshapen body turned out
Again ! put my inquiries A busy
digger paused in his work yes, that