He came down out of the North in the dead of winter, many a thousand miles from here, skirting Bering Sea and traveling as though the devil were after him. No one ever learned where he came from, but he must have come far. He was badly travel-worn when he got food from the Swedish missionary on Golovin Bay and asked the way south. We heard of all this afterward. Then he abandoned the sh.o.r.e line, heading right across Norton Sound. Terrible weather, snowstorms and high winds, but he pulled through where a thousand other men would have died, missing St. Michaels and making the land at Pastilik. He"d lost all but two dogs, and was nearly gone with starvation.
"He was so anxious to go on that Father Roubeau fitted him out with grub; but he couldn"t let him have any dogs, for he was only waiting my arrival, to go on a trip himself. Mr. Ulysses knew too much to start on without animals, and fretted around for several days. He had on his sled a bunch of beautifully cured otter skins, sea otters, you know, worth their weight in gold. There was also at Pastilik an old Shylock of a Russian trader, who had dogs to kill. Well, they didn"t d.i.c.ker very long, but when the Strange One headed south again, it was in the rear of a spanking dog team. Mr. Shylock, by the way, had the otter skins. I saw them, and they were magnificent. We figured it up and found the dogs brought him at least five hundred apiece. And it wasn"t as if the Strange One didn"t know the value of sea otter; he was an Indian of some sort, and what little he talked showed he"d been among white men.
"After the ice pa.s.sed out of the sea, word came up from Nunivak Island that he"d gone in there for grub. Then he dropped from sight, and this is the first heard of him in eight years. Now where did he come from?
and what was he doing there? and why did he come from there? He"s Indian, he"s been n.o.body knows where, and he"s had discipline, which is unusual for an Indian. Another mystery of the North for you to solve, Prince." "Thanks awfully, but I"ve got too many on hand as it is," he replied.
Malemute Kid was already breathing heavily; but the young mining engineer gazed straight up through the thick darkness, waiting for the strange o.r.g.a.s.m which stirred his blood to die away. And when he did sleep, his brain worked on, and for the nonce he, too, wandered through the white unknown, struggled with the dogs on endless trails, and saw men live, and toil, and die like men. The next morning, hours before daylight, the dog drivers and policemen pulled out for Dawson. But the powers that saw to Her Majesty"s interests and ruled the destinies of her lesser creatures gave the mailmen little rest, for a week later they appeared at Stuart River, heavily burdened with letters for Salt Water.
However, their dogs had been replaced by fresh ones; but, then, they were dogs.
The men had expected some sort of a layover in which to rest up; besides, this Klondike was a new section of the Northland, and they had wished to see a little something of the Golden City where dust flowed like water and dance halls rang with never-ending revelry. But they dried their socks and smoked their evening pipes with much the same gusto as on their former visit, though one or two bold spirits speculated on desertion and the possibility of crossing the unexplored Rockies to the east, and thence, by the Mackenzie Valley, of gaining their old stamping grounds in the Chippewyan country.
Two or three even decided to return to their homes by that route when their terms of service had expired, and they began to lay plans forthwith, looking forward to the hazardous undertaking in much the same way a city-bred man would to a day"s holiday in the woods.
He of the Otter Skins seemed very restless, though he took little interest in the discussion, and at last he drew Malemute Kid to one side and talked for some time in low tones.
Prince cast curious eyes in their direction, and the mystery deepened when they put on caps and mittens and went outside. When they returned, Malemute Kid placed his gold scales on the table, weighed out the matter of sixty ounces, and transferred them to the Strange One"s sack.
Then the chief of the dog drivers joined the conclave, and certain business was transacted with him.
The next day the gang went on upriver, but He of the Otter Skins took several pounds of grub and turned his steps back toward Dawson.
"Didn"t know what to make of it," said Malemute Kid in response to Prince"s queries; "but the poor beggar wanted to be quit of the service for some reason or other--at least it seemed a most important one to him, though he wouldn"t let on what. You see, it"s just like the army: he signed for two years, and the only way to get free was to buy himself out. He couldn"t desert and then stay here, and he was just wild to remain in the country.
"Made up his mind when he got to Dawson, he said; but no one knew him, hadn"t a cent, and I was the only one he"d spoken two words with. So he talked it over with the lieutenant-governor, and made arrangements in case he could get the money from me--loan, you know. Said he"d pay back in the year, and, if I wanted, would put me onto something rich.
Never"d seen it, but he knew it was rich.
"And talk! why, when he got me outside he was ready to weep. Begged and pleaded; got down in the snow to me till I hauled him out of it.
Palavered around like a crazy man.
"Swore he"s worked to this very end for years and years, and couldn"t bear to be disappointed now. Asked him what end, but he wouldn"t say.
"Said they might keep him on the other half of the trail and he wouldn"t get to Dawson in two years, and then it would be too late.
Never saw a man take on so in my life. And when I said I"d let him have it, had to yank him out of the snow again. Told him to consider it in the light of a grubstake. Think he"d have it? No sir! Swore he"d give me all he found, make me rich beyond the dreams of avarice, and all such stuff. Now a man who puts his life and time against a grubstake ordinarily finds it hard enough to turn over half of what he finds.
Something behind all this, Prince; just you make a note of it. We"ll hear of him if he stays in the country--" "And if he doesn"t?" "Then my good nature gets a shock, and I"m sixty some odd ounces out." The cold weather had come on with the long nights, and the sun had begun to play his ancient game of peekaboo along the southern snow line ere aught was heard of Malemute Kid"s grubstake. And then, one bleak morning in early January, a heavily laden dog train pulled into his cabin below Stuart River. He of the Otter Skins was there, and with him walked a man such as the G.o.ds have almost forgotten how to fashion. Men never talked of luck and pluck and five-hundred-dollar dirt without bringing in the name of Axel Gunderson; nor could tales of nerve or strength or daring pa.s.s up and down the campfire without the summoning of his presence.
And when the conversation flagged, it blazed anew at mention of the woman who shared his fortunes.
As has been noted, in the making of Axel Gunderson the G.o.ds had remembered their old-time cunning and cast him after the manner of men who were born when the world was young. Full seven feet he towered in his picturesque costume which marked a king of Eldorado. His chest, neck, and limbs were those of a giant. To bear his three hundred pounds of bone and muscle, his snowshoes were greater by a generous yard than those of other men. Rough-hewn, with rugged brow and ma.s.sive jaw and unflinching eyes of palest blue, his face told the tale of one who knew but the law of might. Of the yellow of ripe corn silk, his frost-incrusted hair swept like day across the night and fell far down his coat of bearskin.
A vague tradition of the sea seemed to cling about him as he swung down the narrow trail in advance of the dogs; and he brought the b.u.t.t of his dog whip against Malemute Kid"s door as a Norse sea rover, on southern foray, might thunder for admittance at the castle gate.
Prince bared his womanly arms and kneaded sour-dough bread, casting, as he did so, many a glance at the three guests--three guests the like of which might never come under a man"s roof in a lifetime. The Strange One, whom Malemute Kid had surnamed Ulysses, still fascinated him; but his interest chiefly gravitated between Axel Gunderson and Axel Gunderson"s wife. She felt the day"s journey, for she had softened in comfortable cabins during the many days since her husband mastered the wealth of frozen pay streaks, and she was tired. She rested against his great breast like a slender flower against a wall, replying lazily to Malemute Kid"s good-natured banter, and stirring Prince"s blood strangely with an occasional sweep of her deep, dark eyes. For Prince was a man, and healthy, and had seen few women in many months. And she was older than he, and an Indian besides. But she was different from all native wives he had met: she had traveled--had been in his country among others, he gathered from the conversation; and she knew most of the things the women of his own race knew, and much more that it was not in the nature of things for them to know. She could make a meal of sun-dried fish or a bed in the snow; yet she teased them with tantalizing details of many-course dinners, and caused strange internal dissensions to arise at the mention of various quondam dishes which they had well-nigh forgotten. She knew the ways of the moose, the bear, and the little blue fox, and of the wild amphibians of the Northern seas; she was skilled in the lore of the woods, and the streams, and the tale writ by man and bird and beast upon the delicate snow crust was to her an open book; yet Prince caught the appreciative twinkle in her eye as she read the Rules of the Camp. These rules had been fathered by the Unquenchable Bettles at a time when his blood ran high, and were remarkable for the terse simplicity of their humor.
Prince always turned them to the wall before the arrival of ladies; but who could suspect that this native wife--Well, it was too late now.
This, then, was the wife of Axel Gunderson, a woman whose name and fame had traveled with her husband"s, hand in hand, through all the Northland. At table, Malemute Kid baited her with the a.s.surance of an old friend, and Prince shook off the shyness of first acquaintance and joined in. But she held her own in the unequal contest, while her husband, slower in wit, ventured naught but applause. And he was very proud of her; his every look and action revealed the magnitude of the place she occupied in his life. He of the Otter Skins ate in silence, forgotten in the merry battle; and long ere the others were done he pushed back from the table and went out among the dogs. Yet all too soon his fellow travelers drew on their mittens and parkas and followed him.
There had been no snow for many days, and the sleds slipped along the hardpacked Yukon trail as easily as if it had been glare ice. Ulysses led the first sled; with the second came Prince and Axel Gunderson"s wife; while Malemute Kid and the yellow-haired giant brought up the third.
"It"s only a hunch, Kid," he said, "but I think it"s straight. He"s never been there, but he tells a good story, and shows a map I heard of when I was in the Kootenay country years ago. I"d like to have you go along; but he"s a strange one, and swore point-blank to throw it up if anyone was brought in. But when I come back you"ll get first tip, and I"ll stake you next to me, and give you a half share in the town site besides." "No! no!" he cried, as the other strove to interrupt. "I"m running this, and before I"m done it"ll need two heads.
"If it"s all right, why, it"ll be a second Cripple Creek, man; do you hear?--a second Cripple Creek! It"s quartz, you know, not placer; and if we work it right we"ll corral the whole thing--millions upon millions. I"ve heard of the place before, and so have you. We"ll build a town--thousands of workmen--good waterways--steamship lines--big carrying trade--light-draught steamers for head reaches--survey a railroad, perhaps--sawmills--electric-light plant--do our own banking--commercial company--syndicate--Say! Just you hold your hush till I get back!" The sleds came to a halt where the trail crossed the mouth of Stuart River. An unbroken sea of frost, its wide expanse stretched away into the unknown east.
The snowshoes were withdrawn from the lashings of the sleds. Axel Gunderson shook hands and stepped to the fore, his great webbed shoes sinking a fair half yard into the feathery surface and packing the snow so the dogs should not wallow. His wife fell in behind the last sled, betraying long practice in the art of handling the awkward footgear, The stillness was broken with cheery farewells; the dogs whined; and He of the Otter Skins talked with his whip to a recalcitrant wheeler.
An hour later the train had taken on the likeness of a black pencil crawling in a long, straight line across a mighty sheet of foolscap.
II
One night, many weeks later, Malemute Kid and Prince fell to solving chess problems from the torn page of an ancient magazine. The Kid had just returned from his Bonanza properties and was resting up preparatory to a long moose hunt.
Prince, too, had been on creek and trail nearly all winter, and had grown hungry for a blissful week of cabin life.
"Interpose the black knight, and force the king. No, that won"t do.
See, the next move-"
"Why advance the p.a.w.n two squares? Bound to take it in transit, and with the bishop out of the way-" "But hold on! That leaves a hole, and-" "No; it"s protected. Go ahead! You"ll see it works." It was very interesting. Somebody knocked at the door a second time before Malemute Kid said, "Come in." The door swung open. Something staggered in.
Prince caught one square look and sprang to his feet. The horror in his eyes caused Malemute Kid to whirl about; and he, too, was startled, though he had seen bad things before. The thing tottered blindly toward them. Prince edged away till he reached the nail from which hung his Smith & Wesson.
"My G.o.d! what is it?" he whispered to Malemute Kid.
"Don"t know. Looks like a case of freezing and no grub," replied the Kid, sliding away in the opposite direction. "Watch out! It may be mad," he warned, coming back from closing the door.
The thing advanced to the table. The bright flame of the slush lamp caught its eye. It was amused, and gave voice to eldritch cackles which betokened mirth.
Then, suddenly, he--for it was a man--swayed back, with a hitch to his skin trousers, and began to sing a chantey, such as men lift when they swing around the capstan circle and the sea snorts in their ears: Yan-kee ship come down de ri-ib-er, Pull! my bully boys! Pull! D"yeh want--to know de captain ru-uns her? Pull! my bully boys! Pull!
Jon-a-than Jones ob South Caho-li-in-a, Pull! my bully. He broke off abruptly, tottered with a wolfish snarl to the meat shelf, and before they could intercept was tearing with his teeth at a chunk of raw bacon. The struggle was fierce between him and Malemute Kid; but his mad strength left him as suddenly as it had come, and he weakly surrendered the spoil. Between them they got him upon a stool, where he sprawled with half his body across the table.
A small dose of whiskey strengthened him, so that he could dip a spoon into the sugar caddy which Malemute Kid placed before him. After his appet.i.te had been somewhat cloyed, Prince, shuddering as he did so, pa.s.sed him a mug of weak beef tea.
The creature"s eyes were alight with a somber frenzy, which blazed and waned with every mouthful. There was very little skin to the face. The face, for that matter, sunken and emaciated, bore little likeness to human countenance.
Frost after frost had bitten deeply, each depositing its stratum of scab upon the half-healed scar that went before. This dry, hard surface was of a b.l.o.o.d.y-black color, serrated by grievous cracks wherein the raw red flesh peeped forth. His skin garments were dirty and in tatters, and the fur of one side was singed and burned away, showing where he had lain upon his fire.
Malemute Kid pointed to where the sun-tanned hide had been cut away, strip by strip--the grim signature of famine.
"Who--are--you?" slowly and distinctly enunciated the Kid.
The man paid no heed.
"Where do you come from?" "Yan-kee ship come down de ri-ib-er," was the quavering response.
"Don"t doubt the beggar came down the river," the Kid said, shaking him in an endeavor to start a more lucid flow of talk.
But the man shrieked at the contact, clapping a hand to his side in evident pain. He rose slowly to his feet, half leaning on the table.
"She laughed at me--so--with the hate in her eye; and she--would--not--come." His voice died away, and he was sinking back when Malemute Kid gripped him by the wrist and shouted, "Who? Who would not come?" "She, Unga. She laughed, and struck at me, so, and so. And then-" "Yes?"