CHAPTER X.
UP THE LYNN CANAL.
Randy and Earl gazed about them in hopeless bewilderment. The outfitsbelonging to themselves, their uncle, and to Captain Zoss were gone. Whohad taken them, and was there any chance of recovery?
"We should have looked after them," said Earl, bitterly. "It wasfoolishness to leave the stuff, especially after Uncle Foster had warnedus."
"I wonder if any of those miners who lost their outfits from the steamerare guilty," said Randy, as they started on another tour of the Juneauwharf. "I remember one fellow with a red beard and a scar on his nosewho looked at the stuff rather closely when we came ashore."
"Let us start to make inquiries, Randy. We must get our outfits back. Ifwe don't, Uncle Foster will never forgive us."
"Yes, and we'll be in a pickle besides," groaned the younger brother."By the look of things in this settlement mining outfits are ratherscarce."
"Yes, I heard one man saying that about everything worth having had beengobbled up several weeks ago and the storekeepers were awaiting newconsignments from San Francisco, Portland, and Seattle."
With anxious hearts they walked around the wharf and along a side road,also piled high with miners' goods and steamer freight. Presently a manjoined them. It was Captain Zoss.
"Well, whar's our packs?" he questioned, and looked glum when told ofwhat had occurred. "By the boots, lads, we must find 'em--ain't no twoways about that! Why, to go to the mines without tools would be wuss nora hen sittin' on a nest without eggs. Been all over the dock, yer say?"He paused an instant. "I'll make a round o' the saloons. If the thingswas stolen, like as not the thieves would want to git 'em out of sightin quick order, eh?"
He was about to leave them, when they were hailed by a man standing nearthe entrance to a new store that was going up on the opposite side ofthe way. It was the doctor who had so kindly come to Fred Dobson'sassistance.
"What's up?" he called out. "Looking for your traps? They're all right.I had them brought up here for safe keeping when you went off with thesick lad. I knew they wouldn't be secure down on the wharf. There arehalf a dozen quarrels on down there over lost and mixed-up baggage."
Randy and Earl felt much relieved, and so did the captain. They ran overto the new store, and sure enough, everything was there in a heap,alongside of the packs owned by the doctor. They thanked the medical manfor his kindness, and a short talk followed. The doctor's name wasKenneth Barwaithe, and he was an Englishman who had practised for a yearin Victoria. He, too, was bound for the new gold fields, either formining purposes, or to set himself up in business.
"The hundreds of miners going up there will need doctoring," heexplained. "And I am all prepared to dose them with medicine, set abroken leg, amputate an arm, or pull an aching tooth."
"Thar'll be work for you," said Captain Zoss, with a laugh. "But thewust disease up thar will be one ye can't touch nohow."
"Indeed! And what is that?" questioned Kenneth Barwaithe, with interest.
"Starvation," was the solemn reply.
In order to relieve their uncle of further anxiety, Randy and Earlreturned to where they had left Mr. Portney. They found him in earnestconversation with Fred Dobson. The face of the squire's son was very redand his eyes were downcast.
"I'll write home at once," they heard Fred say, in a low voice. "I'mglad Earl wrote from San Francisco. My folks will at least know I amalive and well--that is, as well as a fellow can be who was half starvedto death," he added ruefully.
"And you ought to go home, lad--it's the proper place for you."
"Well, maybe I will--after I have earned enough around here to take me,Mr. Portney."
Foster Portney's hand was in his pocket, and Earl and Randy saw him handFred a ten-dollar bill. "Pay me back whenever you feel rich enough to doso," he said, and the squire's son gave him a ready promise to thateffect.
Foster Portney and Captain Zoss had been fortunate enough to securepassage up to Dyea, on a little steamboat, which was to leave early thenext day. The craft was a freight boat, but carried passengers whenevershe could get them. No time was lost in transferring their goods to thiscraft, Fred Dobson helping them carry their loads. Doctor Barwaithe hadalso secured passage in the craft, and soon became one of the party.Later on, matters were talked over by him and the others, and it wasagreed that the five should stick together until the Klondike region wasreached. The forming of little parties of five or more was popular amongthose who travelled by the overland route into Alaska. By such meansthere was less danger of a man getting lost in the mountains, and thepreparation of meals along the way was easier, for each man of a partytook his turn at feeding the rest, so that only one set of packs had tobe unstrapped and packed again, instead of the lot. Besides this, thebuilding and sailing of a boat down the lakes and through the rapids byone man was next to impossible.
It was very difficult to obtain accommodations at any of the so-styledhotels in Juneau, so all hands encamped for the night on the deck of thefreighter, Fred Dobson managing to smuggle himself in with the regularparty. In the morning Fred approached the captain of the boat for asituation, but was turned off in language far from fit to transcribe tothese pages.
"Got more on board than we want now, boy, so git ashore in a hurry, forwe're on the point of sailing," and with a wistful good-by to Randy,Earl, and the others, the squire's son leaped to the dock. Five minuteslater the lines were cast off, and the wheezy, overloaded craft startednorthward on the Lynn Canal.
The distance from Juneau to Dyea is a hundred and eighteen miles, pastBerner's Bay and Katsehan River into Chilkoot Inlet and finally up DyeaInlet. The run for the most part is past gigantic glaciers on one sideand mountains covered with snow and ice on the other.
"Gracious, this is a touch of winter and no mistake!" ejaculated Randy,as the steamboat ploughed steadily on her way, and they stood by therail taking in the desolate sight. "See how those little icebergssparkle in the sunshine."
"Far off to the west of this canal is the great Muir Glacier," saidFoster Portney. "It is the largest glacier in the world. That islandwhich we just passed is Douglas, and there is situated the greatTreadwell Mine, one of the richest gold mines heretofore discovered inAlaska."
"Have we got to climb mountains like that?" questioned Earl, as hepointed to the snow-capped summits to the eastward.
"Have we got to climb 'em?" burst in Captain Zoss. "Why, them ain't anant hill to the ones we're to crawl over, lad. Just wait till we get upinto Dyea Inlet, and you'll catch sight o' mountains as will give youthe yellow shakes, as the boys call it. Now I don't want to discourageye," he went on, as he saw Earl take a deep breath. "I want to prepareye for the wust, that's all. That pass--the Chilkoot--is the wust parto' the whole trip, being about three-quarters of a mile high and betwixtmountains twice that size."
"Well, we can climb three-quarters of a mile, I guess, if the gradeisn't too steep," said Randy.
The captain turned away and smiled to himself. He was more than doubtfulif the boys would ever get safely over to Lake Linderman, the first ofthe lakes on the other side of the mountain range.
It was well that they had dressed themselves warmly; for, on account ofthe sun shining on the glaciers the air was filled with a mist whichchilled them to the bone. The channel was filled with loose pieces ofice, and ever and anon the steamer would strike a miniature icebergwith a crash which was clearly heard by all on board.
After a few hours of gazing at the monotonous presentation of glaciersand snow-covered hills and mountains, the boys turned their attention tothose on board. It was a motley collection of people. Most of the menwere Americans, but there was also a fair sprinkling of Canadians,Germans, and half a dozen Indians. The latter were of the Chilkoottribe, and interested Randy more than anything else. They were around-faced, stalwart set of fellows, and several of them had bands ofblack painted across the upper parts of their faces.
"They paint the black around their eyes as a preventive ofsnow-blindness," exp
lained Foster Portney. "As soon as either of youfind your eyes hurting from the glare you had better put on a pair ofthe smoked goggles."
Dinner on the steamer was served under the rather scanty shelter on theupper deck. But fifteen could be accommodated at once, and as there wereover sixty people on board, it took some time to satisfy them all. Thefare was principally beef stew, bread, coffee, and rice pudding, but thecold air gave every one a good appetite, and the boys did full justiceto all that was offered them.
At turning-in time there was more than one little row, for sleepingaccommodations were limited. Berths were at a premium, and had beensecured by the more fortunate ones when the steamer had landed atJuneau. Foster Portney gathered his party around him in the shelter ofthe wheelhouse, on deck, and here they slept huddled together like sheepin a cattle car.
"Not like stopping at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco, is it?" saidhis uncle to Randy. "But never mind; as soon as we leave Dyea we'll haveall the room we want, and more."
"Sleeping like this keeps a fellow warm," said Randy, who felt somehowas if he was out for a lark. But by and by, when somebody passed overhim in the dark and slipped on his chest, he did not think it quite somuch fun.
However, the night passed quickly enough, and at daybreak all werestirring, for they had reached Dyea Inlet, and a landing was expectedbefore noon. A stiff breeze was blowing, and the Inlet, a long, narrowarm of Chilkoot Inlet and the canal, was filled with angry waves blowingfrom off shore. Presently the first sight of Dyea was gained, and halfan hour later an anchor was dropped, and the voyage so far as thesteamer was concerned was over.