CHAPTER IX.
THE FATE OF A STOWAWAY.
"My gracious! We're going to the bottom sure!"
It was Randy who made the observation. The storm had struck the steamerin all its fury, and the pitching of the vessel made it almostimpossible for a person to keep his feet. Randy clutched a handrailfastened near by, and Earl did the same; while Mr. Portney and CaptainZoss braced up against a ceiling post. The only thing that kept manyfrom falling was the fact that there was no vacant floor space. "Theywere in it like sardines in a tin," as Randy expressed it.
"Some of the outside freight is bound to go," remarked Foster Portney, aminute later. "Ah, as I thought--the captain has ordered it cut away.There goes some poor fellows' outfits! Too bad!"
"I hope our stuff isn't among it!" cried Earl. "But they'll beresponsible, won't they?"
"Yes, they'll be responsible, Earl. But we don't want their money--wewant our goods, for it may be difficult, if not impossible, to duplicatethe things at Juneau. But I imagine our goods are in the hold."
"Our clothing and provisions are," said Randy. "I saw them put down justbefore we started. But the tools may be out there."
"If they--" began Captain Zoss, but broke off short as a mighty crashwas heard from the rear deck. The crash was followed by the jingle ofbroken glass and sharp cries of pain and alarm.
There was every evidence of a panic, but the cooler heads restoredorder, and then it was found that a miner's outfit had caused all thetrouble. It had been loosened from the deck, but before it could bethrown overboard a lurch of the steamer had sent it sailing through theair straight through a cabin window. The miner to whom the outfitbelonged had been one of those to be most scared by its unceremoniousentrance.
For three hours the storm raged in all its fury, and during that time noone but the officers and crew were allowed on deck. Nearly all theoutside freight was thrown away, a loss which amounted to severalthousand dollars. At last the wind and the rain gradually abated, and bynightfall the _Golden Hope_ was again proceeding on her journeynorthward.
On the following day they ran by Vancouver Island, and it was calculatedthat they would reach Juneau by noon of the day following. All wereanxious concerning the outfits which had been lost overboard, and theminers and officers tried to make out a list of them. The workproceeded all day, and it was not until nightfall that it was learnedpositively that the goods belonging to the Portneys and to Captain Zosswere safe.
The first sight of Juneau was rather disappointing to the boys, who hadexpected to see a much larger place. Juneau is but a small town, lyingon the western coast of a peninsula formed by the Lynn Canal and thewide mouth of the Taku River. Directly opposite is Douglas Island. Thetown lies on a small patch of flat ground, backed up by several highmountains. It is principally a trading centre. The harbor is a fairlygood one, and, on account of the rush to the gold fields, the storeswere increasing constantly.
As soon as the steamer reached her landing place a wild rush for shoreensued, and then began a hunt for some vessel which might take the partyup to Dyea, where the journey by water would, for the present, come toan end. The water up the Lynn Canal, as it is termed, although it is notat all a canal as we know them, and through Dyea Inlet, is shallow, and,consequently, ocean steamers do not go beyond Juneau.
"I'll hunt up passage on some boat," said Foster Portney to the boys."You remain here and watch our goods. Those fellows who lost theiroutfits are angry enough, and some of them would like nothing betterthan to appropriate ours and let us look to the steamboat company forredress."
While he was gone, the task of bringing the goods from the steamer'shold was started, for no one wanted to be delayed in Juneau any longerthan was necessary. Randy and Earl watched the work closely, and as soonas their things appeared they claimed them and had the lot transferredto a spot at the end of the rather rotten and shaky dock.
Presently, as they stood waiting for the reappearance of their uncle andCaptain Zoss, who had gone with Mr. Portney, they noticed a commotion onboard the _Golden Hope_. A stowaway had been found in the hold of thevessel, and the sailors and stevedores had brought the fellow out moredead than alive.
"Get off of here!" cried the captain of the steamer, in a rage, as hebooted the fellow not once, but half a dozen times. "Get out, I say! Ifwe were down in San Francisco I'd have you locked up in a minute. It's apity I didn't find you out when we were on the trip--I'd a-made you workyour passage, and more! Go, before I heave you overboard!"
And with a final kick the stowaway was run off the gang-plank, to fallin a heap on the dock, too weak from the confinement and want of properfood to stand.
"It's Fred Dobson!" ejaculated Randy. "Oh, Earl, look!"
"It is Fred, true enough!" replied Earl, as much surprised as hisbrother. Forgetful of their outfits for the time being, both ran forwardand picked up the son of the squire of Basco. Fred's eyes were closed,his face was as white as chalk, and they saw at a glance that he hadfainted.
"WITH A FINAL KICK THE STOWAWAY WAS RUN OFF THEGANG-PLANK."--_Page 72._]
"Get some water, Randy," said Earl, as he began to work over theprostrate figure. "I wonder if there is a doctor handy. He looks as ifhe was half starved to death."
As Randy ran off, a crowd began to collect, a few to sympathize, but themajority to look on merely in curiosity or to make audible comments thatit served the boy right, since he had no business to steal a trip.
"Got a crazy notion to go to the gold fields, I reckon," said onebystander. "He ought to be home where his mamma could spank him."
At this there was a coarse laugh, which was quickly hushed when anotherman, a young fellow of not more than twenty-three, stepped forward, andannounced that he was a doctor. He soon succeeded in bringing Fredaround.
"He wants something to eat as much as anything," said the newcomer."There is a restaurant over yonder. Better take him there and get himsome soup and stale bread--his stomach isn't strong enough to bear aregular meal."
Randy and Earl thanked the doctor and did as advised, while the crowdgradually melted away to tend to its own affairs. Fred was ravenouslyhungry, yet he ate with difficulty when the food was set before him.
"I've had nothing to eat for about forty hours," he said, when he feltstrong enough to talk. "I spent that four dollars you two gave me inbuying provisions, crackers, cheese, and the like, but on the second dayout the rats got at the crackers and cheese and ate nearly the whole ofthem. Then one of my bottles of water was smashed during that storm, andthough it was as close as pepper down there I hadn't a mouthful todrink. I thought I was going to die just before they opened the hold andbegan to remove the cargo."
"But, Fred, what made you do it?" asked Earl, reproachfully. "It was theheight of foolishness."
"I'm bound to go to the gold fields, Earl. You two are going there tomake a fortune, and why can't I make a fortune, too?"
"Because you are not fit for life out there, that's why. You suffered agood deal in coming this far, but let me tell you that I expect tosuffer a good deal more than that before the Klondike River is reachedand we have endured the hardships of an Alaskan winter. Supposing yousucceed in getting away up in Alaska and are taken sick, who is going tocare for you, and how are you going to get back home? Now I don't wantto preach, but my advice is, to go back to Basco at once."
"And that's my advice, too, Fred," broke in Randy. "I know you are asold as I am, but you know you never did such work as Earl and I are usedto, and some of the experienced miners even laugh at us. If UncleFoster hadn't known that we were used to hard work out in the open, inmidwinter at that, he would never have dreamed of asking us to go withhim; he told us so."
Randy and Earl both spoke earnestly, and it was not their fault thatwhat they had to say did not take effect. But Fred Dobson was both wildand reckless, and he shook his head.
"I'm bound to go if I have to walk the rest of the way," he said. "Ithought I would strike your uncle again when we reached the place, butif yo
u are so dead set against me I'll not say another word, but try topaddle my own canoe, as the saying is. Of course I'm much obliged forwhat you did for me in San Francisco and here, and some day I'll make itup to you, see if I don't."
"We don't want you to make it up, Fred; only act sensible and steer forhome when you next strike out," said Earl. He was about to go on, whenthe entrance of his uncle and Captain Zoss into the restaurant causedhim to stop.
"Humph! so you've turned up again!" were Foster Portney's words. "Iheard there had been a stowaway on board of the _Golden Hope_. It wasthe most foolish move you could make, lad." The prospector turned to hisyoungest nephew. "Randy, where are our outfits?"
"Oh my!" burst out Randy, leaping to his feet. "Earl, we forgot allabout them!"
Earl said nothing, but he reached the door of the restaurant almost asquickly as his brother. There was a crowd in the roadway outside, butthey quickly forced a passage through, and ran for the steamer dock. Alarge number of outfits were spread here, there, and everywhere, but thespot where they had left those belonging to their own party was vacant.
To Alaska for Gold; Or, The Fortune Hunters of the Yukon Page 12