"Where did you get it?" shouted one of his guests.
He made no reply, but continued his tirade.
"Oh, you malamoots, you coyotes! You swine, descended of jackals! Drink, d.a.m.n you, drink--you who live in this neck of the woods, and lie down and are robbed! no self-respecting jackal would own you for his sons.
You who call yourselves citizens of the great and glorious United States! You"re here rottin" in your cabins, the manhood squashed out of you by the yellow-legs. Say! throw the booze into you, and then tell me what I can call you to let you know how low down I think you."
"Say! partner," called another, "cut out all that and tell us where you got the swag."
"You sundowners and larrikins! Do you not remember Hanson"s reward? Why don"t you get in and dig?"
"Blow that, and tell us what"s what--straight wire." Kalgoorlie Charlie also was feeling the effect of the liquor.
The man on the bar began to dance a hornpipe, while the crowd surged excitedly around. The news had spread like wildfire through the dance halls. "Some fellow from new diggings was blowing himself!" The Borealis soon became crowded.
"Oh, you lily-livered gelatinous-vertibraed apologies for men!" cried he. "What do you take me for? Me to go off into the bush for months and rustle new diggings, and then tell a lot of perambulating carrion like you where I struck it! Drink, and be d.a.m.ned to you! I don"t care for a little gold. I wouldn"t mind letting you have a claim next to mine; the claim I have will produce enough gold to make the Bank of England look like the baby"s savings-account! Do you think I would show a bunch of Weary w.i.l.l.i.e.s like you where a month"s work would make you all millionaires? Come, have another drink, and get wise."
The speaker again put the mouth of his bottle to his lips; but a keen observer would have noticed that his throat gave no movement to indicate that the wine was pa.s.sing to his stomach. This was noticed by Berwick alone, who had followed the man with the big poke, but had stood just inside the doorway. Berwick guessed he was acting a part, and wondered why. He watched.
There was a confused buzz of conversation.
"He must have struck the real stuff," remarked one.
"He sure has the goods," agreed another.
"This will make a hole in his poke," said a third.
"If what he says is anything near right, this ain"t a pinch of snuff,"
was the comment of a fourth.
The man dancing on the bar stood waving his bottle, looking at the crowd with a stupid stare, evidently awaiting inspiration, when a voice cried,
"Say! old c.o.c.k, won"t you let us have the news? We"ll protect you in discovery."
"Oh, you North American Chinamen, called Canadians, do you know what I think of you? You English, you ain"t no better than the others; do you all know what I think of you?"
"You"ve told us straight enough--there"s lot"s of colour in your bouquets; now tell us which way the new diggings is."
"There ain"t no yellow-legs there."
Some one shouted, "There won"t be any yellow-legs here after to-morrow,"
but the remark was lost in the general noise.
"It"s in Alaskie--G.o.d"s country," came a voice from the tumult.
"I did not say so."
"But it is, it is!"
"I don"t say it ain"t."
"It"s in G.o.d"s country--whereabouts?"
"That"s what I ain"t tellin"."
There was a clamour of inquiries. The new-comer, still holding his bottle prominently, was the target of eager gaze.
"Up the Porcupine--the Tanana, or the Koyukuck?"
"You must think I"m easy!" He spoke with a leer.
"You"ve made your stake, why not tell us where to make ours? It"s a law of the frontier."
"So it is among pards. You ain"t no pards of mine; I"m just standing you a few drinks out of pity, finding my reward in tellin" you what I think of you."
"You"ve told us what you think of us. Now tell us what we want to hear."
"Quite sure I"ve expressed myself strong enough?"
"Quite! Oh, quite!"--came from a dozen voices.
"Well, then, I"ll tell you."
But he from the newly-found Eldorado stopped at the promise, and paused, regarding his audience. A strange silence came over the erstwhile struggling and swaying ma.s.s. The building was full, and the crowd extended into the street, where there were hundreds more; and to this great number additions were continually being made.
"Well, where is it?"
"It"s on the south fork." The speaker put the bottle to his mouth once more.
Groans and hisses broke from the crowd. "If you don"t tell us after keeping us here we"ll string you up on a telegraph-pole."
"I did not keep you here: it was the free booze; besides, there ain"t no telegraph-poles in Dawson."
"Well--we"ll chuck you into the river."
"I"ll swim out: I"m strong on baths--though perhaps I don"t look it!
Have another drink?"
"What we want now is a straight tip--and you had better give it."
"It"s on the south fork of the north branch."
"The north branch of what?"
"I ain"t tellin"."
"By G.o.d, you"d better! We ain"t going to stand for more foolin"."
"You are all what I say you are--the sc.u.m of the earth."