CONCLUSION 423 



mail couriers who guided the train. At n A.M. we stopped at 

 Yorst road-house, and Captain Clifton and I again said good- 

 bye to each other. 



While we were laid up at Yorst another large troop of strike- 

 breakers came by, almost one hundred men in all. First came 

 the young and the strong ; a short rest, and they were off again ; 



TRAIL NEAR "OUR HOME" ROAD-HOUSE AFTER THE HEAVY SNOWFALL. 



then came the bulk of the men with four teams on which their 

 food and spare clothing were transported. In torn kamicks and 

 worn out rubber boots they went out into the deep overflows 

 (water standing on top of the ice), though we told them that 

 there was much water. But what did they care ? They had 

 now been eleven days on the trail, they were weary and tired, 

 and almost in despair. 



On March 8 we continued the march with our double-enders. 

 The weather was worse than ever ; it was blowing and snowing 

 very hard, so that it was impossible to see any distance ahead. 

 When driving across Summit Lake we met a freighting expedi- 

 tion, who were stuck in the snow and had to empty their 

 sledges of the millinery and dry goods, which were to adorn the 

 fair ladies of Fairbanks. We just saw them when we passed, 

 and five minutes later they were lost in the drifting snow. At 

 last the wide expanse of the lake was passed, and we commenced 



