Chapter 11 Chapter Eleven From Dawson City to the Frontier

Bill Steele was wise to tell the brothers to hurry up.They don't have a day to waste trying to figure out their business.In these high latitudes, the arctic cold comes very quickly. June has already begun, and sometimes at the end of August, icy lakes and rivers are blocked again, and heavy snow and strong winds fill the space again.The good season is only three months in the Klondike, not much more; besides, the brothers will have to squeeze some of the necessary time out of it to get back to Skagway via the Lake District, or, if they change their course, from Dawsonson Empty river down to Saint-Michel.

Ben Rado and Sammy Skin's preparations are complete.They lack nothing, and it doesn't matter if they stay in Lot 129 longer than expected.Besides, they neither had to buy nor carry equipment, since Josiah Lacoste's equipment was there; nor did they need to hire personnel, since they were not going to work the Forty Mile River lot. However, prudence requires a guide who is familiar with the area.The Scouts found another helmsman in Dawson City to return to Lake Lindemann, leaving Neruto with them.Ben Rado readily accepted and expressed his heartfelt thanks to Bill Steele.It's hard to get a better choice.They had seen the Indian at work and knew they could trust him, provided they did not ask him for undue precision.

As a means of transportation, Ben Lado chose a horse-drawn carriage instead of a dog sled. After the ice and snow disappeared, the dogs could still pull the sled.At this time, the price of this animal is the most expensive, as long as 1,500 or 2,000 francs each. This small two-seat carriage with a foldable leather hood was made sturdy enough to withstand bumps and bumps; it was drawn by a strong, powerful horse. There is no need to prepare forage, because it is in this season.The pastures along the way are one after another.Under these conditions, a single horse is easier to feed than a pack of dogs.

At Ben Rado's request, Neruto inspected the vehicle very carefully.It was a meticulous inspection: body, shaft, hood, springs, everything down to the last bolt.After the inspection, Neruto had a satisfied smile on his face. "How is it?" Ben Rado asked. "If the carriage doesn't break down on the road," said the Indian with confidence, "I think it will take us to Lot 129." "Thank you very much, my champion!" Ben Rado said aloud, not trying to suppress a strong urge to laugh. Still, he had useful advice from the prudent Neruto on what to bring.Finally, engineers can rest assured that nothing is missing on the road.

Meanwhile, Sammy Skin wanders the streets of Dawson City calmly.He scans the shops, asking prices for handmade items.He is extremely thankful that he bought what he needed at the store in Montreal. "Ben, do you know how much a pair of shoes cost in the Klondike capital?" he asked his cousin the day before departure. "I don't know, Sammy." "From 50 to 90 francs, and a pair of socks?" "do not know either." "Ten francs. Where are the woolen socks?" "Let's say twenty francs." "No, twenty-five francs. Where's the strap?"

"You can go without the braces, Sammy." "That's right. Eighteen francs." "We won't need it in the future." "Where are the women's garters?" "It's none of my business, Sammy." "Forty francs. A designer dress at nine hundred francs. Indeed, in this incredible place, it's best to be a bachelor for life." "We'll be bachelors," Ben Rado replied, "unless you intend to marry a wealthy heiress..." "There's no shortage of heiresses...especially adventurers with bonanzas on the Bonanza or the El Dorado. But I came from Montreal and I'm a bachelor!  … Ah! Montreal! Montreal! . . . how far we are from there! Ben . . . "

"The distance from Dawson City to Montreal," Ben Rado replied sarcastically, "is exactly the same as the distance from Montreal to Dawson City, Sammy." "I know," replied Skin, "but that doesn't mean the distance is short!" The brothers had no intention of leaving Dawson without going to the hospital to say goodbye to Edith Edgerton.Edith came to the reception room as soon as she learned of their visit.She is so beautiful in a nurse costume.Seeing her gray tweed dress, her dazzlingly white corset apron hanging neatly in ruffles, her smooth hair parted by a mathematically precise middle seam, and her snow-white hands in perfect condition, one didn't have to think about Dr. Peelcox. The wonderful staff described in poetic language.

"So, madam," Ben Rado asked her, "are you satisfied with your new job?" "People always like what they do for a living," Edith answered simply. "Well! Well!" said Ben Rado, not convinced. "In short, you are satisfied, and that's all. As for Dr. Peelcox, he can't stop praising you." "That's great, doctor," replied the young female nurse, "I hope to do better in the future." Sammy stepped in. "Where's your cousin? Miss, do you have any news about her?" "No news at all," Edith announced.

"So," said Sammy again, "she carried out her plan?" "Isn't that agreed?" "But what does she want?" Sammy exclaimed, suddenly aroused inexplicably. "In her irrationality she must fail, and what will happen to her?" "I've been here all the time, and I'll take her in," Edith replied calmly, "and I'll make enough money to live on both of us, at worst." "At this time," the very excited Sammy objected, "then, the two of you decide to settle down in Klondike. If you don't come out, you will take root here..."

"That's not the case at all, Mr Skinner, because if Jane succeeds, I'll be the one to enjoy it." "Admirable combination! . . . So, you will decide to leave Dawson?" "Why not leave? I love the job I live in, but when I can get out of it one day, of course I'll look for another job where I'm more comfortable." The words were spoken with a voice of affirmation, with an unquestionable firmness.For this calm, gentle understanding of life.There was nothing to say; Sammy Skin said no more. Still, he was on the point of uttering one last objection, and Peelcox's insertion kept him from getting it out.

As soon as the doctor heard that the brothers were about to set off, he congratulated them warmly on their interesting journey, and began his favorite topic: praising the beauty of his dear Klondike. Sammy Skin was indeed curling his lips.He doesn't like Klondike, he does.Ah, but no! "You will come again," the doctor assured, "if you get a chance to come and see in winter! . . . " "I hope it doesn't happen, Doc," Sammy said with a grimace. "Who knows?" The future would know whether Sammy Skin was right or wrong in not taking the doctor's last words seriously. At 5 o'clock in the morning on June 8, the carriage was already waiting in front of the North Hotel.Food and camping items are already in place in the car.The horses kicked between the shafts and Neruto sat on the driver's seat. "Is everything loaded into the car, Neruto?" "It's all loaded, sir..." "Then, let's go." Ben Rado directed. "... Didn't forget anything in the hotel?" said the Indian with his accustomed caution. Ben Rado suppressed a sigh. "Anyway, I hope we haven't lost anything," he said, as he climbed into the carriage. "The important thing is that we're going back to Montreal in two months," Sammy added stubbornly, like a recurring phrase in his speech. The distance from Dawson City to the border is 146 kilometers.Lot 129 of Shishilihe is close to the national border, and it takes 3 days to travel 12 miles in 24 hours. Neruto schedules rest periods so as not to tire the horses too much.There are two sections of journey during the day: the first section is from 6:00 am to 11:00 am, and then rests for 2 hours; the second section is from 1:00 pm to 6:00 pm, and then camps overnight.It is impossible to go faster in this rough place. Every night, if Bin Rado and his cousin couldn't find a vacant room at the roadside inn, they pitched their tent under the tree. The journey of the first two stages went smoothly.weather is good.The breeze brought a few high clouds from the east, and the temperature remained around 10 degrees above zero.Some high and low hills protrude from the ground, the highest of which does not exceed 1,000 feet.Spring flowers bloom everywhere on the slopes: anemones, crocuses and junipers.Below the valley is a rich and lush variety of trees: spruces, poplars, birches and pines. Someone told Sammy Skin that there were so many animals along the way that bears even frequented this part of the Klondike.Ben Rado and he hadn't forgotten their shotguns, but they hadn't had a chance to use them. What's more, this area is not empty and deserted.They came across miners working in the mountains, where certain plots yielded 1,000 francs a day each. In the afternoon, the carriage arrived at Fort Leleance: a very prosperous local town.Built by the Hudson's Bay Company for the fur trade and defense of Indian tribes, the fort, like many other similar structures, has lost its former function.Since the discovery of gold, the military facility has been turned into a food supply depot. The two brothers met Major James Walsh, the Yukon's land superintendent, who was on a tour at Fort Leonce. This is a man in his 50s, an excellent management talent, and he has been in the county for two years.The governor of Dominion had sent him here just as thousands of immigrants were beginning to flock to the gold fields, and they weren't going to stop anytime soon. His task is difficult.To adjudicate the concession of land use, to divide the land into plots, to collect various fees, to maintain good order in the area (Indians often invade the area without opposition or even resistance), every day There are all sorts of difficulties that arise, even recurring. Now, to these everyday troubles has been added the question of the 149th meridian, which has sparked new surveys.It was for this matter that Major James Walsh had come west of the Klondike. "Mr. Walsh, who asked this question?" Ben Rado asked. "It was proposed by the Americans," replied the director. "They claimed that the measurement of the boundary was carried out when Alaska was still part of Russia, and it was not accurate enough. According to them, the 119th meridian representing the national boundary should be moved eastward, so that the left bank of the Yukon River can Most of the land on the tributary is owned by the United States." "So," added Sammy Skin, "is the 129th lot that we inherited from Uncle Josiah Lacoste included?" "Of course, gentlemen, if so, you are the first to change your nationality." "However," continued Sammy Skin, "Mr. Walsh, do we have reason to believe that the revision of the boundaries will be completed soon?" "All I can tell you," declared Mr. Walsh, "is that the committee appointed for this purpose has been working for some weeks. We hope that the border between the two countries will be finalized before winter." "Mr. Walsh, in your opinion," Ben Rado asked, "is there any reason to think that there was a mistake in the first place and that the border had to be moved?" "That's not the case, sir. From what I've received, it seems that this matter is nothing more than some big American companies trying to trouble Dominion." "We're going to have to," said Sammy Skin, "extend our stay in the Klondike reluctantly. It's unpleasant!" "I will do my best to expedite the work of the Commission," said the Superintendent affirmatively, "but it must be admitted that this work has sometimes been obstructed maliciously by the owners of certain plots near the frontier. The owner of plot 131 in particular..." "A Texan named Hunter?" Ben Rado asked. "That's him. You've heard of this man?" "My cousin was forced to deal with him on the steamer from Vancouver to Skagway...even in a rough way!" "Then you must be on your guard. This is a brutal man, and a man named Malona, ​​who comes from the same place as him, is not much better than him." "This Hunter," Ben Rado asked, "is Mr. Walsh one of the men who asked for the warp to be changed?" "Yes, and one of the most demanding." "What good does it do him?" "In this way, he can stay away from the border and not be under the indirect supervision of our staff. It is he who instigates the gold mine owners between the left bank of the Yukon River and the border. These illegal residents want to be under the jurisdiction of Alaska, and the management over there Much more lax than Mignon. However, I repeat, I suspect the Americans are profiting from it, and that Hunter's every move has something to do with it. Again I advise you to keep as little as possible with your neighbors, he is the worst adventure Home, my police have dealt with him more than once." "Please rest assured in that regard, Mr. Superintendent," replied Sammy Skin, "we have not come to the Klondike to wash the mud off No. 129, but to sell it. Once this is done, We will go home without looking back." "Gentlemen, I wish you a pleasant journey," said the Superintendent, taking leave of both brothers. "If you need my help, just come to me." The next day, the carriage was on the road again.The weather was not as good as the day before.The northwest wind brought several heavy rains.However, covered by the car hood, the two brothers did not suffer too much. Neruto couldn't make the horse go very fast.The ground was uneven.The ice that had filled the ruts for months had melted away, causing the ruts to wreak havoc on vehicles and livestock. The area is heavily forested, still pine, birch, poplar and aspen.Miners have long had no shortage of wood, either for personal use or for the development of land parcels.Besides, this part of the county not only contains gold mines, but also coal mines.On the Coal River, 6 kilometers from the Kudaxi Fortress; on the Cliff River, 13 miles from there; Ash does not exceed 5%.Coal mines have been found in Wuzhi Basin before, and coal can be a better substitute for wood, and ships with medium horsepower burn 1 ton of coal per hour.In this way, when the gold mines are exhausted, the county may still have a chance to survive because of the coal mines. That evening, after a grueling second leg of the journey, Neruto and his masters arrived at Fort Kudahi on the left bank of the Yukon.The captain of the mounted police unit recommended an inn to them, perhaps they thought the inn was better than the tent. After receiving this information, Sammy Skin wanted to know something about another problem that troubled him. He asked the police captain if he had seen a woman passing Kudaxi in the past few days. "I haven't seen a woman go by here!" said the lieutenant, laughing. "No, sir, I haven't seen a single woman, but I've seen tens and hundreds of them. There are many miners with their families. You should Understand that among so many people..." "Oh!" Sammy retorted. "That woman I'm talking about is very special! Lieutenant, she's a female prospector. I don't think there are a dozen female prospectors." "You're wrong, sir," said the lieutenant firmly. "Women do it a lot. Women are just as crazy as men when it comes to gold nuggets." "Well!" said Sammy, "if so... I see..." "We can try to find out," the lieutenant continued, "if you give me the characteristics of a woman who interests you..." "She's a very young girl," Sammy explained. "Just 22. She's short, with dark hair, and very pretty." "Indeed," the lieutenant relented, "there are not many people of this character in this part of the world...you say...a young girl...dark hair...short...beautiful...passed here recently... " The team leader recalled seriously, but still couldn't remember. "No, I haven't seen it," he declared at last. "Poor little girl, she may have gone the other way," said Sammy irritably, ". . . thank you anyway, Lieutenant." The night passed anyway.The next day: June 10, the carriage set off early in the morning. After passing through Fort Kudahi, the Yukon continued northwestward until it crossed the 141st meridian exactly as it was drawn on the map.As for the Forty-Mile River, it is, as its name indicates, forty miles long, and in its upper reaches, deflects to the southwest, and then also flows towards the frontier; the frontier divides it into two parts of approximately equal length. Neruto planned to reach the plot occupied by Josias Lacoste at night.He feeds the horse a lot, so the horse does not look too tired after running for two days.If you want the horse to work hard, you can do it; besides, after the 129th plot, this strong horse can rest. By the time Ben Rado and Sammy Skinn left the inn at 3 a.m., the sun was already quite high.In a dozen days or so there will be the summer solstice, when the sun disappears on the horizon for a short time. The carriage drove along the right bank of the Sishili River.The road on the right bank is rugged, and some hills block the road, and there are deep valleys between the hills. The area is densely populated and there are people working on the plots everywhere.At every bend of the river bank and at every entrance of the valley, there are pillars demarcating gold mines, with numbers written in bold letters on them.The machinery was not at all complicated: few machines used human power, and even fewer were powered by river water.Most of the prospectors, sometimes with the help of a few workmen, dug mud from the mine shafts drilled on the land and washed it in pans and basins.The work was done in silence, broken now and then by the cries of joy from a miner who had found a valuable nugget. The first break is from 10:00 to noon.While the horses grazed in a nearby pasture, Ben Rado and Sammy Skin had lunch: canned food and biscuits, then a few cups of coffee and finally a pipe. Before noon, Neruto yelled at the animals and started on the road again.A few minutes before 7 o'clock, they saw the boundary pillar of plot 129 not far away. At this time, Sammy Skin suddenly grabbed the rein in Neruto's hand and stood on the car.The carriage stopped. "Look there! . . . " he said, pointing at the same time to a long and deep ravine, which sloped extremely steeply down to the bottom of the tributary. The other two looked at the direction he was pointing at. Because of the distance, they vaguely saw a familiar figure at the bottom of the ditch.It was a prospector, recognizably short in spite of the distance.The man is washing sand from a well.Another tall man was working next to him.They were so engrossed in their work that the carriage stopped on the road, and they did not cease their work. "It can really be said..." Sammy murmured. "What?" asked an impatient Ben Rado. "But . . . God forgive me . . . it's Jane Edgerton, Ben!" Ben Rado shrugged. "Are you dreaming now? . . . How can you recognize a man at such a distance? . . . Besides, as far as I know, Jane Egerton has no companions . . . and, on what grounds do you Think one of them is a woman?" "I don't know..." Sammy replied hesitantly, "I think..." "I think it's two miners, father and son. That's true. Well, ask Neruto." Indians cover their eyes with their palms. "That's a woman," he said unequivocally, after a long observation. "You see!" exclaimed the victorious Sammy. "Or a man," Neruto continued in the same firm tone. Dejected, Sammy let go of the reins, and the carriage moved on again.Neruto continued to think. "It wouldn't be surprising if it was a child . . . a young girl, for example," he said. The carriage moved forward quickly again.Soon, the carriage crossed the land boundary and stopped on Lot 129. "...or maybe a young lad," Neruto went on, with admirable concern for never dismissing a single possibility. Neither Ben Rado nor Sammy Skin heard his last words.They jumped off both sides of the carriage at the same time, and after two months and nine days of travel, they finally set foot on the land of Lot 129.