CHAPTER X 



BY SNOW-CLAD VOLCANOES 



1ETTER reading, the soothing touch of the barber, 

 and the first bath since July 10th at Fairbanks 

 refreshed us wonderfully. We purchased photo- 

 graphs, cigars, a few fancy groceries for use on board, 

 and empty whisky barrels for our skins. The wind was 

 steady northwest all day, but we dared not wander out 

 of town lest it should change and make it necessary for 

 the "Abler" to pull off. The fresh food was more wel- 

 come than it seemed possible it could be, and we slept 

 again on shore, as the "Abler" danced a good deal in 

 the open roadstead. I had a little chat with Governor 

 Strong and learned that protests were made against such 

 slaughter of walrus as the "Kit" with her cargo of nine 

 hundred and sixty skins had wreaked. 



Recruiting the crew had detained us two days at 

 Nome. George, the white sailor, and Ikede, the Japanese 

 cook, left us. Kleinschmidt got three new white sailors 

 and another who wanted to work his way to St. Michael, 

 a cook and a steward. The last two were gray-haired 

 little men. The cook wore a white chef's cap and the 

 steward brought on board a large mongrel St. Bernard 

 dog which bit the cook in the hand promptly as the 

 engine started and frightened him. 



The boatmen charged outrageous prices for taking 

 passengers and freight between the ship and the beach. 

 When we first landed, two launches came out; one, 



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