DARBY, THE Bear-hunter of Alaska.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVII, Issue 86, 13 April 1896, Page 3

DARBY, THE Bear-hunter of Alaska.

BY SEWARD W. HOPKINS.

Author of 'In bhe China Sea,' 'Two Gentlemen of.Hawaii,' 'Jack Robbins of 1 America,' etc» . \

CHAPTER V,

Ciecle City was a typical mining townnof Alaska. On the west bank of the Yukon, far fco the northward, near the junction of bhe Porcupine with the mighty river, tUs quaint and raggod town lieaoß a hilly placfe between high mountain ranges not far 60 the west) and the broad sweeping river to the east. . |

The population of Circle City ab this timo> was about nine hundred.

It is perfectly safe to say that every one of the nine hundred were excited when our party arrived and it became known fcbat Mr Marshall's two lovely daughters wero_to becoma members of their rude community. We reached Circle City without further mishap. I am not going into the weary debailsof the laafe half of pur journey. If it took tno as many daya to write ib as it did to get there,, the patience of the reader would be exhausted before we reached Fort Selkirk—uofc more 6han half way. But there are few rivera along which Che traveller eoas grander nature than on the Yukon, and, even at tho expense of a little patience, I caunot forbear carrying the reader into those regions which most) impreseed me with a sense of the greatness of this new and almost unknown territory.

Crater Lake is really tho source of the Yukon. Id is seemingly fcho interior of what was once a greao volcano, and the surrounding scenery, in 3ummer, is maguiiicenb. Th« water ia clear and cold. Tka altitude is four thousand feat above sea level. Maxom told me thab in winter the scenery of the place was equally as grand as» in Hummer, but the lake wan frozen solid, tho weather bleak, and travel was very uncomfortable and clangorous.

We encamped upon the shore of this lake for bbreo day*, during which wo caught plenty of fish, and our rifles brought down quasi tidies of game. ' It surprises me, Maxom,' I said, 'that; no enterprising Yankee has started a hotel on this Jake. If this ia the. path taken by all travellers norbh and aoufch, a email but comfortable hotel could be made to pay.'

'I havo often wondered ab it myself/ said fcho Bear-Hunter ; ' bub the minds of the men who come here are bent on gold. Gold tresh from the mines ; bufc soma person will happen alosig some day, and then Gracer Lake Hotel will be a fact.'

And so ib was. The next time I passed Urater L*ke a hotel of pine boards stood on its shore.

Leaving: Crater Lake, we followed the course of the incipient; Yukon until, after a day of fatiguing.tramping-, we came upon the shore of Lake Lindoiuan.

' Oh, how beautiful!' exclaimed Madge. 1 Who would have expected to rind the Yukon a succession of Alpine jewels?'

Madge had ffivon what I found later was a fair description of the Yukon. The great river is a succession of broad and bsautLful lakoe, tho rirer proper baing augmented by smaller streams coming in on either side and swelling it bo a prodigious width. Ordinarily the river ia emGOfch-flowingj its course broken here and there by rapids, around which boats musts be carried.

Ab Lake Lindouaan wo launched our boats, for this is the head of canoe navigation on the river. Under the aburdy strokes of tba Indians we moved swiftly and smoothly along?, the comfort of this rnodo of travel being doubly grateful af tev the sovere to?b onr muscloa had had coming over the mountains. Lake Lindeman is twelve miles long, and from one end to bhe other the acenery is piecure*que. The Indian name is Sboe-doo-ko-ba.

From Lindoman to Lake Bennobb the river is narrow, rapid and dangerous to all kinds of navigation, and impossible to large crafts. But the comforts of boab travailing were so much greater than tramping:, that even Julia and Madge agreed with us that it would bo preferable to try the rapids. Wo did this, and reached Lake Bennett) in safety. The portage around these rapids is called Payer's Portage.

Ab the beginning; of Lake Bannebt, the Etonian's Rivsr comes in, and for a mile or Jwo from its mouth its banks are dotted with mining campe. We passed a good many prospecting parties, some in boats and some on land.

Lake Bannobb ia thirty miles long and from two to five in width. As we glided along, t.he Te-tsun keeping close to Mr Marshall's boat to enable) us to chat, the girls were enthusiastic, in .their praises of the scenery.

On the loft we found tho great ' IronCapped Mountains,' glacier-covered and frowning like threatening fortresses ab bhe ruda invasion by white caoa of their restful solitudes.

Here and there, through bhe snow-topped ranges, low valleys broke the monotony, and through them great rivers swept to join and swell the mighty Yukon.

We sped through Caribou Crossing, which is a rapid and deep channel between high, rocky Bides, and ia about two miles long. From Caribou Crossing we entered Lake Nares, a email widening of the river, and thence into Lake Bove, past Bova Bay, where tho Boys River comes in, and on to Lake Tahko, the widesb portion of the river we had yet) bees in.

We made frequent camps, in some of which we remained all day. Our journey was thug prolonged, aad ib was a satisfactory arrangement, for it gave Maxom and me plenty of opportunity to cultivate the society of the Marthails, and Che end sf (the trip was bound to como all too soon.

From Lake Tahko we wans through a lonjj channel into Lake Marsh, which was even larger than Tahko.

Fifteen miles below Lake Marsh we came to Miles' Canyon, the severest obstacle to navigation of the river. The channel is narrow and shallow, the descent rapid, and the water rolls and tumbles aboub in a constant ferment. The place was named by my friend, Lieutenant Frederick Schwatka, after onr Department Commander, General Mile?, and ib in as turbulent and stormy as any event ia the life of the old war-horse himself.

We did not venture down Miles' Canyou, but made the portage.

Having paasad this dangarons spot, our course was one of uninterrupted pleasure. Tha grand old Yukon grew broader and deeper, until its width made it seem liko one continuous lake.

At last, having passed the leclian village of Kitl-ah-gou. in the ralley of Yon Wilczoh and the Ingersoll Islands, wo sighted Port Selkirk, in British America.

Fort Selkirk was formerly a trading poßt of the Hudson Bay Company, but was burnt in 1851 by the Chilkat Indians, because ib interfered with their trade with interior tribes. It. was never rebuilt as a fort ; but there had sprung up. near the cite of the old fort, a considerable settlement of British-American Indian.? and vvbibe fur hunters.

As we neared the ipofc, crowds of Indiana swarmed upon the bank to sea us, and Borne leather-clad hunters stood raady to help us land as booq as the boats reached the

' Nirzib !' exclaimed Tabnag, leaping oai and making both boats fast.

Loud exclamations arose all around us. What) they yelled sounded to me like this, ' Moota me aau 1 Bau ga klau ta gech t' * What on earth are they saying V asked Madge, as I helped her out of their boat. ' I have heard the comparison " worse than Cboctaw." Is that better than Choctaw!"

1 No better and no worse,' replied Maxom, laughing. 'Interpreted, it means, "Behold, the great Bear Hunter haa come again." 1 ' It must be vsry gratifying fco have your fame spread co far,' said Julia. • Welcoma, Bar Hunter,' said a brawny trapper, extanding a large paw to Maxom, and then to each of us. ' Yer seems ter be in better comp'ny 'n usu'l this time. Hope yer ladies 'ill take kindly to the poor accommerdations ; but they be welcome to all we've gob.' Julia, in her gentle way, thanked the old trapper, and Madge made him laugh with one of her irresistible speeches.

We remained ab Forb Selkirk two days, during which we were greatly interested-in the Indians and thair peculiar mode of life, and found a homely bub hearty hospitality among the familiea of the rough trappers. Leaving Forb Selkirk, we journeyed on, came once more into Alaskan territory, and finally reached Circle City, having been more days ou tho road than IVlaxom or I would care to state for the sarcastic remarks of those who rush from Juneau and hurry >down the Yukon as if all the gold on the xiver was going to be swallowed up before they arrived to secure their share. ■ The long journey had done much in fringing the Marahalls and Maxom and nuyself into closer intimacy, and by the time we reached Circle City a more perfect al.d agreeable understanding existed between ua.

And it was because of this that Maxom anil I were in no hurry to push forward on the errand of the Governor, but resolved ta reaiain awhile in Circle City to see out yodng friends, who had grown dear to tra, successfully established in their new home. i (To be continued.) .v