The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1937-04-01

CHAPTER 1


Jack Hammond reflected, as he
walked up from the wharf. that
rain was Prince Rupert's most
bountiful crop.
He made the climb from the wa
ter front and cut across the little
terraced park, where totem poles
stood cleaning with moisture and
grotesquely lonely. Everything
dripped in Prince Rupert this morn
ing, even the discolored, stuffed Ka-
diak bear In front OF Al Monson's
trading store. AT last Hammond
halted abruptly, looking over the
wooden fence of a back yard.
Howls and whines had centered his
attention.
What are you trying to do with
that dog7" he asked. A man halted
In his efforts to kick \ harnessed
mongrel into progress along d
muddy space before q makeshift
sleigh, weighted with stones.
"Going to make = sled dog out
Of him."
THAT bozo1 He hasn't got the
weight for it"
"Oh. he's pretty strong" The
man grinned. Say, they'll be buy
Ing anything where this dogs 60
ingl"
Where's THAR"
The pseudo trainer ierked his
| head toward the white pinnacles of
distant mountains.
"Over the hills there in B. c."
the man said, up the Caribou riv-
er, somewhere around the valley OF
the Stikine. Haven't you heard
| about it?''
Hammond's features had become
strangely grim.
What's going on?"
"Where've you been that you
haven't read the papers7''
"On the Aeutian. coming up from
Vancouver"
The dog trainer stared.
1.-THE ship that got in this morn
ing?" he asked. And you didn't
know about it7 Then you must have
been deaf, dumb and blind. There
were plenty OF others who came
on that boat--just because of It,"
Because of what?" Jack Ham,
mond's hands, where they gripped
the fence, were strangely discol-
| ored.
We'll, il you amt kidding-the
gold rush. Two fellows found placer
gold up there. A couple OF guys
named Mckenzie Joe Britten and
his partner, Jack Hammond"
"Oh, see,"" said Hammond jerk
lily.
"Yeh." The volunteer trainer
rubbed casually at the loose fur OF
his dog. Guess they'd figured to
keep 1t quiet, all for themselves, you
know. But this Hammond goes down
to Seattle to see some old girl he'd
been stuck on ever since he was
kid. Then he got on big bust and
spilled everything. It's been In all
the papers, guess. Quite ro-
NANCE"
Eyes, quite" said Hammond thin
ly. $50 everybody's figuring on go
ing up there. eh?"
Everybody and his brother.
That's why / thought I'd train this
dog"
THAT dog can't make the grade
In the Stikine country. Zero's hot
day around there this time of year.
No chest. Thin legs. A light coat
from being around this coast coun-
try. No hair on his fetched last
about two days ON the trail"
THAT amt my worry. Let the
fellow who buys him lose sleep over
that" He gave the dog a kick,
shouting: "Mushl Mush on, therel"
The dogs bowls remained in
Jack Hammond's ears as he walked
slowly up the street. So this was
gold rush this an echo of the
broken laughter and excited jabber-
ings of himself and Mckenzie Joe
Britten, one day last autumn, up
there in the far-away Stikine coun-
try. Then their discovery of placer
or nugget gold, poor mans gold,
as it is SO often called, had brought
great visions. Here was new mon
ey, waiting to be washed from the
gravel of a river, and of value the
minute 1t was found: no need for
great shafts and expensive machin-
cry to extract this wealth.
There had been big talk that day