ON TO LAKE BENNETT.
The face of Tom Roland wore a smile, but in his eyes was an anxious look
which Earl did not fail to notice as he surveyed the two acquaintances
from Basco. The young prospector was much taken aback by this sudden
appearance, for he had not dreamed of meeting Roland and Guardley in
this out-of-the-way spot.
"Ain't you glad to see a feller from Maine?" went on Roland, as Earl did
not speak; and he held out his hand, which the youth took rather coldly.
Guardley had come up to shake hands too, but now he did not risk making
the offer.
"Are you two bound for the Klondike?" at length asked Earl.
"Of course," was Roland's sharp reply. "What else would we be doing up
here?"
"What started you--the fact that we were going?"
"Well, I allow as that had a little to do with it, Earl; but Guardley
got a letter from a friend of his who is up there now--a man named
Stephens. He said Guardley ought to come up at once, and as he didn't
want to go alone, I came along. How are you making out?"
"We are doing very well."
"You and your brother came on with your uncle, didn't you?"
"Yes."
"Any others in the party?"
"Yes; two men."
Tom Roland's eyes dropped for a moment. "Me and Guardley have been
havin' rather a hard road of it, all alone," he went on. "We've been
thinking of joining forces with somebody."
"Well, our crowd is complete," answered Earl, quickly.
"Then you won't consider taking in two more, providing, of course, we do
our share of work and pay our share of the expenses."
"I don't think so, Roland."
"Who is at the head of your party?"
"Nobody in particular; we all work together."
"Maybe you had better speak to the boy's uncle," put in Guardley. "Come
on."
He stalked off, and after some slight hesitation Tom Roland followed,
with Earl at his side. Foster Portney was found mending a corner of the
tent, which had become torn in packing. Randy was beside him and uttered
a cry when he beheld the two men from Basco.
"Tom Roland and Jasper Guardley!" he whispered to his uncle. "Those are
the fellows we thought got that money on a false identification!"
"Is that so?" returned Foster Portney. "What can Earl be bringing them
here for?"
"This is Mr. Portney, I take it," said Guardley, after clearing his
throat awkwardly. "I was thinking--"
"He and his friend want to join us," put in Earl. "I told them that our
party was complete."
"Hullo, Randy!" broke in Roland, carelessly. "You'd like us to come into
your crowd, wouldn't you?"
Randy was staggered at the request, coming so unexpectedly. He glanced
at Earl before replying. "No, I guess not," he said.
"Why, what's the matter with you?" cried Roland, half angrily. "We are
all Maine folks, and friends ought to stick together, seems to me."
He turned to Foster Portney and introduced himself and Guardley, and
stated his case, adding that he and his companion only wanted to join
some party until Dawson City was reached. Mr. Portney listened quietly,
and then turned to Captain Zoss, who stood near.
"I don't believe we want any more in our crowd, do you?"
"I reckon we've got a-plenty," was the captain's answer. "Still, if they
are friends to the boys--"
"But they are not," whispered Earl. "And what is more, we consider them
doubtful characters."
"Then we don't want 'em, nohow."
"This camp is full," came from inside, where Dr. Barwaithe sat,
examining his sore foot, which was neither better nor worse. "That boat
we are building won't hold more than five people, along with our
outfits."
The faces of both Roland and Guardley grew dark. "All right; if you
don't want us, we'll hook fast somewhere else," muttered Roland, and
turned on his heel.
"Maybe you'll regret throwing us off some day," came from Guardley, as
he passed Earl; and then the two men were lost to sight among the tents
up the lake shore.
"Oh, what cheek!" burst from Randy, when they were gone. "I wouldn't
have Roland in the party for a farm."
"I'd be afraid of Guardley's stealing everything we had," said Earl. "As
if we didn't know his real character, and that he had been up before
Judge Dobson lots of times!"
"I reckon they'll stand watching, especially that last cur--from what he
said to Randy," said Captain Zoss. "He's got a bad eye, he has, eh?"
All hands slept soundly after their hard day's work in the timber, and
it was not until they heard others stirring in the morning that they
arose. As he was not working on the boat, Dr. Barwaithe took it upon
himself to perform the "household duties," as he expressed it, and soon
a well-cooked breakfast was arranged on a rude table Captain Zoss had
stuck up. The doctor was an excellent cook, and Foster Portney could not
help but ask him whence his knowledge had been derived.
"It's easily explained," said the doctor. "I have an older sister who
was once the head of a cooking school in Montreal. She insisted on it
that every one should know how to cook, especially a bachelor like
myself, and she used to deliver her lectures to me, at home, before
delivering them at the school. I believe I was an apt pupil, but I never
dreamed at that time of how useful the knowledge would become."
"Which goes for to prove a feller can't know too much," remarked Captain
Zoss. "But come on," he added, draining off his big tin cup of coffee,
and springing up. "That ere boat ain't going to build itself." And off
he hurried for the woods, carrying all of the tools he could carry. In a
moment the boys and Foster Portney followed him.
They found the rough slabs of lumber as they had left them, and sticking
them up in convenient places, began the task of smoothing them off into
boards, working first with their axes and then with the drawing-knife
and the plane. It was no light labor, and night was again upon them by
the time the boards were ready and hauled to the edge of the lake.
After supper Foster Portney brought out a measuring-rule and marked off
the different parts of the boat, which was to be a flat-bottom affair,
with a blunt stern and rather a long-pointed bow.
Another day at Lake Linderman saw the craft put together, false bottom,
seats, and all. It was a clumsy affair, and they were glad that they had
enough oakum and pitch along to make her fairly water-tight. The other
parties in camp were also boat-building, and the scene in the clear and
fairly warm weather was a busy one.
Randy had cut down a small, straight tree for a mast, and this was
easily set in place and held by guards running across from one gunwale
to another. The yard and the boom of this mast were primitive affairs,
to be put up whenever desired.
As soon as the pitch had hardened, preparations for leaving the camp
were made. All the goods and tools were packed up into the smallest
possible space, and stored on board of the _Wild Goose_, as Randy had
christened the craft, the eatables, clothing, and blankets being placed
on top, so as not to be injured by the water which might get in. The
last thing to be taken down was the tent, the fly of which was then
adjusted for a sail.
"All aboard!" cried Randy, as he leaped into the bow, with Earl behind
him. Captain Zoss followed them, to help keep a lookout ahead, while
Mr. Portney and Dr. Barwaithe took places in the stern, one to manage
the rudder and the other with an oar ready for use, should they run upon
a bar or mud-flat.
Lake Linderman is but a few miles long, lying in the midst of snow-clad
mountains, similar to those left behind, although not quite so high. At
its lower end it connects with Lake Bennett by a short river where are
situated the Homan Rapids. These rapids are among the most dangerous
encountered in sailing along the headwaters of the Yukon, and are feared
more by some miners than are the famous White Horse Rapids, which the
party must pass through later on. To avoid the Homan Rapids many miners
travelled straight from Chilkoot Pass to Lake Bennett before stopping to
build their boats.
But it was all new territory to our party, for even Foster Portney, in
his previous trip to Alaska, had not passed in this direction. A stiff
breeze sent them on their way down Lake Linderman, and all expressed
themselves as well satisfied with the sailing qualities of the _Wild
Goose_.
"We're coming to the end of the lake," observed Earl, when scarcely an
hour had passed. "There is the river, over to the right."
In a few minutes more the sail was lowered, and they came to anchor at
the mouth of the river. The water at this point was smooth enough, but
some distance ahead could be seen the leaping and swirling whitecaps
of the rapids leading to the lake below.
[Illustration: "THE WATER WAS BOILING ON EVERY SIDE."--_Page 125._]
"I reckon we'll have to take a line ashore and haul her through,"
observed Captain Zoss, after an examination of the situation. "We don't
want to run no risk of bein' upsot so early in the game."
This was agreed to, and the captain and Dr. Barwaithe took one line to
the left shore and Foster Portney and Randy another to the right,
leaving Earl to steer or use the rudder, as might be best.
Some loose ice, floating along the lake shores, had partly choked the
stream, but there was a clear place near the centre, and into this the
_Wild Goose_ drifted. It was not long before she was caught in the
strong current, which sent the ice cakes crunching and banging along her
sides and the spray flying up into Earl's face. He had started to use
the rudder, but now saw this was useless, and sprang forward with the
long oar.
"Steady to the left! Not to the right! Swing her around a bit, you
fellows over there! Easy now, easy! Shove off from that rock, Earl! Now
then, let her down a few feet! That was a narrow shave, boys! There you
go again! Steady now! steady! steady!"
So the cries and directions ran on, as the boat proceeded on her
perilous voyage. The water was boiling on every side, and the lines
which held the craft were as tight as whipcords. Considerable water had
been shipped, and Earl was wet from head to foot. But he kept his place
and shoved off, this way and that, with might and main.
"Hold hard!" suddenly shouted Foster Portney. "Look out, Earl; the line
is going to break!"
The words were hardly spoken when snap! went the line, the boat end
hitting Earl a sharp crack in the neck. Thus released, the _Wild Goose_
swung around and made straight for a series of rocks which all had been
working hard to avoid. Should she strike she would become a total wreck,
beyond a doubt, and all their outfits would be lost.