CHAPTER XV.
ON TO LAKE BENNETT.
The face of Tom Roland wore a smile, but in his eyes was an anxious lookwhich Earl did not fail to notice as he surveyed the two acquaintancesfrom Basco. The young prospector was much taken aback by this suddenappearance, for he had not dreamed of meeting Roland and Guardley inthis out-of-the-way spot.
"Ain't you glad to see a feller from Maine?" went on Roland, as Earl didnot 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 makingthe 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 uphere?"
"What started you--the fact that we were going?"
"Well, I allow as that had a little to do with it, Earl; but Guardleygot a letter from a friend of his who is up there now--a man namedStephens. He said Guardley ought to come up at once, and as he didn'twant 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 beenhavin' rather a hard road of it, all alone," he went on. "We've beenthinking 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 doour 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. "Comeon."
He stalked off, and after some slight hesitation Tom Roland followed,with Earl at his side. Foster Portney was found mending a corner of thetent, which had become torn in packing. Randy was beside him and uttereda cry when he beheld the two men from Basco.
"Tom Roland and Jasper Guardley!" he whispered to his uncle. "Those arethe fellows we thought got that money on a false identification!"
"Is that so?" returned Foster Portney. "What can Earl be bringing themhere for?"
"This is Mr. Portney, I take it," said Guardley, after clearing histhroat awkwardly. "I was thinking--"
"He and his friend want to join us," put in Earl. "I told them that ourparty was complete."
"Hullo, Randy!" broke in Roland, carelessly. "You'd like us to come intoyour crowd, wouldn't you?"
Randy was staggered at the request, coming so unexpectedly. He glancedat Earl before replying. "No, I guess not," he said.
"Why, what's the matter with you?" cried Roland, half angrily. "We areall Maine folks, and friends ought to stick together, seems to me."
He turned to Foster Portney and introduced himself and Guardley, andstated his case, adding that he and his companion only wanted to joinsome 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 theyare friends to the boys--"
"But they are not," whispered Earl. "And what is more, we consider themdoubtful 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 boatwe are building won't hold more than five people, along with ouroutfits."
The faces of both Roland and Guardley grew dark. "All right; if youdon't want us, we'll hook fast somewhere else," muttered Roland, andturned on his heel.
"Maybe you'll regret throwing us off some day," came from Guardley, ashe passed Earl; and then the two men were lost to sight among the tentsup the lake shore.
"Oh, what cheek!" burst from Randy, when they were gone. "I wouldn'thave Roland in the party for a farm."
"I'd be afraid of Guardley's stealing everything we had," said Earl. "Asif we didn't know his real character, and that he had been up beforeJudge Dobson lots of times!"
"I reckon they'll stand watching, especially that last cur--from what hesaid 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, andit was not until they heard others stirring in the morning that theyarose. As he was not working on the boat, Dr. Barwaithe took it uponhimself to perform the "household duties," as he expressed it, and soona well-cooked breakfast was arranged on a rude table Captain Zoss hadstuck up. The doctor was an excellent cook, and Foster Portney could nothelp but ask him whence his knowledge had been derived.
"It's easily explained," said the doctor. "I have an older sister whowas once the head of a cooking school in Montreal. She insisted on itthat every one should know how to cook, especially a bachelor likemyself, and she used to deliver her lectures to me, at home, beforedelivering them at the school. I believe I was an apt pupil, but I neverdreamed at that time of how useful the knowledge would become."
"Which goes for to prove a feller can't know too much," remarked CaptainZoss. "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 offhe hurried for the woods, carrying all of the tools he could carry. In amoment the boys and Foster Portney followed him.
They found the rough slabs of lumber as they had left them, and stickingthem up in convenient places, began the task of smoothing them off intoboards, working first with their axes and then with the drawing-knifeand the plane. It was no light labor, and night was again upon them bythe time the boards were ready and hauled to the edge of the lake.After supper Foster Portney brought out a measuring-rule and marked offthe 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 hadenough oakum and pitch along to make her fairly water-tight. The otherparties in camp were also boat-building, and the scene in the clear andfairly warm weather was a busy one.
Randy had cut down a small, straight tree for a mast, and this waseasily set in place and held by guards running across from one gunwaleto 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 campwere made. All the goods and tools were packed up into the smallestpossible space, and stored on board of the _Wild Goose_, as Randy hadchristened the craft, the eatables, clothing, and blankets being placedon top, so as not to be injured by the water which might get in. Thelast thing to be taken down was the tent, the fly of which was thenadjusted for a sail.
"All aboard!" cried Randy, as he leaped into the bow, with Earl behindhim. Captain Zoss followed them, to help keep a lookout ahead, whileMr. Portney and Dr. Barwaithe took places in the stern, one to managethe rudder and the other with an oar ready for use, should they run upona bar or mud-flat.
Lake Linderman is but a few miles long, lying in the midst of snow-cladmountains, similar to those left behind, although not quite so high. Atits lower end it connects with Lake Bennett by a short river where aresituated the Homan Rapids. These rapids are among the most dangerousencountered in sailing along the headwaters of the Yukon, and are fearedmore by some miners than are the famous White Horse Rapids, which theparty must pass through later on. To avoid the Homan Rapids many minerstravelled straight from Chilkoot Pass to Lake Bennett before stopping tobuild their boats.
But it was all new territory to our party, for even Foster Portney, inhis previous trip to Alaska, had not passed in this direction. A stiffbreeze sent them on their way down Lake Linderman, and all expressedthemselves as well satisfied with the sa
iling qualities of the _WildGoose_.
"We're coming to the end of the lake," observed Earl, when scarcely anhour had passed. "There is the river, over to the right."
In a few minutes more the sail was lowered, and they came to anchor atthe mouth of the river. The water at this point was smooth enough, butsome distance ahead could be seen the leaping and swirling whitecapsof the rapids leading to the lake below.
"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'twant 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 tothe 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 thestream, 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 thestrong current, which sent the ice cakes crunching and banging along hersides and the spray flying up into Earl's face. He had started to usethe rudder, but now saw this was useless, and sprang forward with thelong oar.
"Steady to the left! Not to the right! Swing her around a bit, youfellows over there! Easy now, easy! Shove off from that rock, Earl! Nowthen, let her down a few feet! That was a narrow shave, boys! There yougo again! Steady now! steady! steady!"
So the cries and directions ran on, as the boat proceeded on herperilous voyage. The water was boiling on every side, and the lineswhich held the craft were as tight as whipcords. Considerable water hadbeen shipped, and Earl was wet from head to foot. But he kept his placeand shoved off, this way and that, with might and main.
"Hold hard!" suddenly shouted Foster Portney. "Look out, Earl; the lineis going to break!"
The words were hardly spoken when snap! went the line, the boat endhitting 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 beenworking hard to avoid. Should she strike she would become a total wreck,beyond a doubt, and all their outfits would be lost.
To Alaska for Gold; Or, The Fortune Hunters of the Yukon Page 18