Adventures in Alaska

ve to change or suppress the names of persons and towns, because the characters intro

parts of Alaska, and be at the beginning of most of the new gold camps and towns of the great Territory of the Northwest. Of course I began preaching as soon as I arri

wn people. I always had hymn-books and a baby-organ along, and was sure of finding people to play the organ and sing. The gold-seekers are not

s of eager gold-seekers from all parts of Alaska, from the Pacific States, from Canada, and later from all parts of the United States came over the mountains from the coast, down the Yukon from Dawson City, up the Yukon from Nome an

up my tent and began to prepare a preaching-place and to advertise a meeting for the next Sunday by putting up posters on stumps

e great chums. She was so bright and pleasant and sweet, and such a fearless and intelligent outdoor girl, that one could not help loving her. She was always at Sunday-school and

hen the snow began to fall in October I took her with me on a couple of rabbit-hunts, and her glee at getting

an and his wife, would harness themselves to a sled with their outfit aboard, and, depending upon their guns for their meat supply, would cheerily set forth into the trackless wild, following the water-courses until they found a likely-looking creek, when they would halt and build a snug log cabin, and spend the winter prospecting. To those who had courage, some knowledge of woodcraft and love of nature, this adventurous life was very enticin

, little Nina came into our house and threw hersel

wife, "what is the matter

ny more. Papa and Mamma and I are going away off into the

res that were before her. So the wilderness swallowed up my brave little friend, and for eight years I had

winter I traveled with my dogs between two and three thousand miles, in preaching and exploring trips. Magazines, papers and books sent me by churches, Sunday-schools, Boys'

he Continent," is the highest peak. It was a cheery, girlish letter-just such an one as I might have expected from Nina-grown-up. It told me of her marriage, two years before, to a young man whom I had known-one who had loved her when she was a little

s queen of a wide realm. Her cabin was a hundred and twenty-five miles from that of the nearest white woman. They were two hundred miles from the nearest store. They were in the heart of the richest game region of North America-the western foot-hills of the Alaska Range. They were p

comradeship with the things about her-the mountains, the forests and the myriads of animals, small and great. She invited me to come and ma

that winter, but from most of them I heard of my li

ake and get back to the rattle of the street-cars. The 'call of the wild' has no allurement for me. There is

the cabin. Nina was complainin' that she had no makin's of grouse pie in the house, knowin' my likin' for the same. I told her about the two I'd scared up. 'Lend me a shotgun,' I said, 'and I'll go back and try for a shot at them.' We stepped to the door for a look. There set the two grouse on the spruce, lookin' like robins agin the sky. Nina took down a twenty-two rifle from the wall and put some 'extra-long' shells in the

a sheepish grin he took out of his pocket a little red Testament, and h

ad it! A woman that can be a bright little Christian in a place like that, and a dea

e this queen of the wilderness again. The necessity of taking a se

your dogs yelping with eagerness, their feet twinkling, the sled screaming its delight; frost-diamonds sparkling from every branch, frost-symphonies pla

breaks, the s

eap, shrill sh

free with f

ve! What jo

ribbon of

er). Higher and higher these majestic mountains heaved their mighty shoulders. The country became more broken and rugged. Lesser mountains raised their white heads all around me. Only a few inches of snow co

ght line, and the imprint of thousands of caribou hoofs crossing and obliterating each other, but keeping in the same general direction showed the presenc

rees, stood Joe's log-cabin roadhouse. Enough of the big trees had been left standing to shade the house. In

in gingham and moccasins, with yellow hair flying and blue eyes sparkling, rushed at me, and I received

ou. I've been watching for you every day for t

ke this. The long, low cabin had two rooms. The smaller was kitchen and dining-room, having a sheet-iron range and home-made tables, shelves and chairs. The larger room had a good sized sheet-iron heating stove in the center, and was almost filled with bunks in tiers of three each, built in double rows the length of the room

everything in and about it,

two rolled up these heav

tackle. It isn't so hard when yo

nd window-sash-it's so true and smooth and

Government was surveying this trail, and we thought we'd build this roadhouse and pick up a few dollars taking care of travelers

r, beans and a few other groceries, and brought our traps and plenty of ammunition for our guns. It was hard breaking trail through the deep snow on the east side of t

tside' in the summe

rying fish, hunting and getting ready for the winter. Almost all our wants are supplied right here. From the middle

some life!"

reatures. The winter before I was married I spent three months in San Francisco. I nearly died, I was so lonely and homesick. I'd meet thous

Red?" I

t tail, jumped out of a box in the corner, ran to her and up her hand and arm to her shoulder and then down to her knee, where he stoo

er pets besides the wood-mice. There isn't a creature in all the forest that would do me harm unless I hurt it

e chase. Adorning and almost covering one end of the room was an enormous moose head. At the other end was a wonde

skrat and beaver; scores of red fox, with here and there a pric

ending the alternate days caring for the skins. We are making bear traps now, getting ready for Bruin when he comes out of

d learned something of taxidermy, and the heads were nicely preserved, the big teeth and claws showing, the skins being lined with red blankets. The largest of these rugs

on, Joe began eagerly to tell me the sto

ll after supper

meat that grows; omelet made of eggs laid that day; moose-nose cheese, delicately pickled; fine sour-dough bread with raspberry jam and currant jelly; pie made of fresh blueberries, the berries having been picked in the fall and preserved by the simple pro

es, "I'm mighty proud of them rugs. They're Nina's, both of 'em, and I reckon there's no other girl in the world would of tackled the j

"you know you'd have done exac

rted, "but I wouldn't of

Kodia

ight is twice the

dred miles to the store at Ophir to lay in our winter's outfit. The ice towards the coast wasn't strong enough to make safe mushin', and Nina was all alone here

he door, and there, within twenty-five feet of her, were three big Kodiak bears. Two of them stoo

What was your first thought when

ught was, 'What beautiful rugs those are on

use and her such a leetle mite of a thing. She took down that 30-40 Winchester, there, and filled the magazine full (it chambers ten); and then she done a pl

Nina do?

the snap shot, and before the big he-bear was straightened up he got it right between the eyes. Down he tumbled, and the other two was out of sight a

ngth away. Nina swung around and fired pointblank into the bear's breast. It went down on all-fours and came for her with open mouth. There was nothing for it bu

Your escape was miraculous! It frightens me to hear Joe tell of it. Weren'

busy to get scared. But I was awfully p

, she having to climb a tree to adjust the block and tackle so as to move the heavy carcases; and

the people unafraid. The white settlers of Alaska, while by no means all saints, are as a class the strongest, bravest and most resourceful people I know. I have not heard from my brave litt