FROM CANDLE TO FORT GIBBON 387 



parents, coming out in the early morning to give their country- 

 man a .befitting welcome. And not all of them were country- 

 men even, for many Norwegians had also come out to welcome 

 me to the capital of the North, Nome. At their invitation I was 

 not slow to change the dog sledge for the infinitely more 

 comfortable horse sledge, and I immediately felt at home in 

 the company of the people whom I had never met before. In 

 the club-house of " The Sons of the North " we had something 

 to eat, toasts were drunk, appreciative words were spoken, and 

 I had the pleasant sensation of being back in civilization once 

 more ; still more pleasant was it to see that the work we had 

 staked everything to accomplish was highly valued in this northern 

 town, where every one knew what trailing meant. I missed only 

 one friend, my partner Mr. Leffingwell, who at that time was 

 sitting about fifteen hundred miles away on the shores of 

 the Arctic Ocean. I drank a silent toast to him, to the suc- 

 cessful accomplishment of his work, and before all to his safe 

 return to his home and friends. 



The days I then spent in Nome were very pleasant indeed ; 

 every one, my countrymen, the Norwegians, and the Americans, 

 endeavoured to make my stay as happy as possible. Honours 

 were heaped on me, and when at last the time came to leave I 

 was loth to say good-bye. To enumerate the people who were 

 kind to me, a traveller from the north, would be impossible, for 

 never have I met with so much hospitality and such true kind- 

 ness as in Nome, for which I here tender my most heartfelt 

 thanks to every one, the town, the clubs, the people themselves. 



One of the men from the Alaska Mercantile Company, the 

 largest general store in Nome, Mr. Adams, was going to the 

 " outside," and the chief manager, Mr. Campbell, arranged for 

 me to go with him. We got a team of dogs, our clothing was 

 put into shape for the long trip, and on Sunday, January 18, we 

 started, followed by the good wishes of my friends and accom- 

 panied for part of the way by Mr. and Mrs. Campbell. This 

 last tie which bound us to Nome was severed when Mr. and 

 Mrs. Campbell turned back at the road house " Do Drop In," 

 and with them I sent a last greeting to my many friends. Then 

 Mr. Adams and myself struck the trail for good, our dogs pulled 

 well, our sledge was light, and we made splendid progress. 

 Road-house after road-house was passed, the dogs were in good 



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