The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1937-04-15
Poor Mans Gold
Courtney RyIey Cooper '' ~sg s.s s"

use of English, modulation in tones
as though she possessed a sense Of
values. Too, he had found lack Of
brazenness, yet a quality of deep
determination, almost of despera.
ton. The causes he could only
guess. At last he said, "Then you
can drive dogs?"
II used to drive them a lot-until
year or so ago."
They were nearing the more pop
ulous regions of the camp. Ham.
mond turned to her.
Lets be frank. You want me to
get you past Sergeant Terry. Is that
it?"
"That-was in my mind"
"In other words, take that extra
dog team of mine, and the supplies
I had intended to leave behind, and
say they're your ewn?"
''It was just a desperate idea. To
ask you to let me pretend to the
sergeant that these things were
mine, drive them through and then
turn them back to you"
"After that?" asked Hammond.
She shrugged her shoulders.
81 spent almost my whole life in
the North-until short time ago. Il
the world has to come to an end
She halted, as though she had said
too much. Hammond was silent
They reached a fork of the icy
trail; one led to Hammond's tent
Good night" she said.
A sudden wave of impulsiveness
shot through Hammond. His NIT
tened hand touched her shoulder.
you've given me an idea" he
announced. Get up early tomor.
row. I'll have the dogs and that
sled full of stuff at the restaurant
a little before daylight.
He hurried on, with her gasp OF
gratitude family following him. The
next morning, in the dull gray of q
snow clouded dawn, Hammond
walked to the all-but-dismantled
camp with Sergeant Terry. Tobog.
gans were packed; already team
after team of dogs, squatted in their
harness, were spotted about the
lake, the upper reaches of which led
to the valley Of the Caribou. There
was shouting and hurried prepare
tons.
81 see that girls supplies came in
all right last night" the sergeant
said.
"Oh, yes" Hammond's voice was
casual.
Mice hitch of dogs she's got"
The sergeant grinned broadly.
well, I guess if owned a river
bed full of gold, I'd be doing the
same fool things myself" Dismiss
ing the subject, he shouted, Hey.
Annie, all set?"
More and more men-and wom-
en-with pack sacks, more dog
teams, more sleds and toboggans
assembled on the lake, until the
foreground was black with humans.
Hammond involuntarily look ed
about for Jeanne Towers. She was
there, and the man saw from the
way she handled her dogs that she
had told him no falsehood.
At last the sergeant raised his
gun. The barking reverberation OF
the long barreled revolver broke
crisply against the sharp morning.
A cheer came from a prospector' S
throat, to be taken up by other men
and punctuated by the high cries OF
women. A trapper remembered that
he too had a gun, and fred it into
the air. Immediately a dozen 9TH
ers joined him; the cries and shouts
and booming of firearms rose to a
laundering peak. Then as quickly
came dead silence, as if these peo-
pie had remembered the gaunt,
cruel journey before them. Ham
mond's voice sounded crisply.
"Al right, string out! Slip into the
trail and start mushing. Don't try
to rush-you'u be long time get
ting there"
A driver yelled to his dogs. One
by one, others followed. What had
been an indiscriminate mass OF
cheering humans became long,
black, crawling line. It twisted
across the lake, writhed into the
valley of the Cariboa which lay be-
yond and crawled laboriously to-
ward the first rise of nearly two
hundred miles of mountains, of pla-
teaus and valleys and lakes and icy
streams, along the great white trail
to new bonanza.
Two weeks later, they were still
at it, moving more slowly now along
an agonizing journey, broken often
by slides of loosened snow in the
narrow valleys, where hills rose
precipitately, or where the willows,
thick and tangled, blocked progress
until a trail could be cut through.
Everyone was tired - especially
Hammond. Twice day, he must
make the line of march from one
end to the other. 1t was hard going
today; chinook had been blowing
Here, take this stick" he called,
as he passed Jeanne Towers. use
it to keep your snowshoes clear"
Thanks, I've got one-on the to-
boggan. I've just been watching
for stopping place, to change moe
casins and have a general clean
up"
ITO BE CONTINUED
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