IN THE ALASKA-YUKON GAMELANDS 



rather cut off a finger than commit a dishonor- 

 able act. 



Billy Wooden is a twin brother to Bill Longley 

 in the feature of work. He seemed to be a glut- 

 ton for exercise and endurance, never waiting 

 for the next man to wrangle horses, wade cold 

 streams or travel the wet underbrush. He al- 

 ways came up with a smile, and never once lost 

 his temper except when Shorty Gwin crossed 

 him. Billy is of small stature, about 40 years 

 old, once ran a roadhouse on the Nizina, and is 

 thoroly familiar with the life of that country. 



Shorty Gwin: Outside of Cap, Shorty was the 

 greatest character in the party. He also is 62 

 years old — short, stocky, beardy and brashy — a 

 man who is at home anywhere in his tracks in 

 the hills; whose bed under a drooping spruce is as 

 good to him as one on a box mattress. When he 

 cast off his old clothes at the end of the trip, 

 dressed up and shaved, his dog Jimmie would 

 have nothing to do with him, but hung around 

 Cap's house like one who had lost a friend. His 

 humor is wholesome and natural and his stories 

 told of evenings were gems of imaginative concep- 

 tion. "Hell! Where's my tobacco?" from Shorty 

 always meant that a good story was coming up. 



Jimmie Brown, the fourth member of the 

 packing force, like Shorty, hadn't very aesthetic 

 tastes regarding his bed and board while in the 

 hills. As a matter of fact, these men cannot be 

 too particular about anything while on the trail, 



34 



