THE BIPED SWINE. 



i93 



otherwise. They use the Russian jargon, 

 as well as their mother tongue. On near- 

 ing a village or camp, one can usually hear 

 the weird chant — " Ah ha! ah ha! ah haka 

 ah ha! " with which the natives accompany 

 all their gambling games. This they sing 

 with a peculiar shrugging of their should- 

 ers, and swaying of their bodies. In gam- 

 bling they choose sides; an equal number 

 of players on each. Then any articles they 

 may have are put up against others of 

 about the same value; say, a pipe against 

 a knife, or a handkerchief against a comb. 

 All articles staked are thrown in a heap, 

 and the game begins. It is played with 2 

 pieces of ivory, or bone, about 2 inches 

 long. These are round and tapering, from 

 the middle to the ends, and one is marked 

 with black. A player takes these bits of 

 ivory, and after rolling them in his hands a 

 while, puts his hands behind his back. The 

 opposite side then guesses which hand the 

 marked ivory is in. Before the players is a 

 pile of small sticks, one for each persoa 

 and at each guess a stick is removed from 



the pile. When all are gone, the success- 

 ful players take the articles put up against 

 their own. 



There has been but little placer gold 

 found, as yet, in this part of Alaska. There 

 are many ledges of micaceous quartz con- 

 taining iron pyrites, which may, or may not 

 prove valuable. Cinnamon bears are quite 

 numerous, and their trails can be seen in 

 many places. Each of these trails seems to 

 be 2, 12 to 24 inches apart; yet both are 

 made by one bear. They always step in 

 the same tracks, making great holes in the 

 moss and muck. While our goods were 

 being packed to the village, by the natives, 

 I unexpectedly ran on a medium sized cin- 

 namon. He sat up on his haunches, and in 

 bear language said " Huh, huh, huh," 

 meaning, I suppose, " Who the dickens are 

 you? " Here was my chance to test my 

 smokeless rifle and soft nosed bullet, at 40 

 yards. As the bear went down, he struck 

 a savage blow at a black alder, 6 inches in 

 diameter, and broke it off as if it had been 

 hit by a cannon ball. 



THE BIPED SWINE. 



s. b. m'manUs. 



In semblance.it might be a man — 

 Its outward bearing and pose, 

 And even shrewdest students can 

 Be quite misled by its clothes, 

 It walks upright, with lordly air, 

 Full jaunty like and debonaire. 



But human tricks and traits are vain — 

 It lacks the human manly soul, 

 Save just the rudiments — a grain 

 Enough to make a loathsome ghoul, 

 It lives detested by all men — 

 And dies — but when? No man knows 

 when! 



It sits all day by pond or lake, 



Or skulks upon the river's brink, 



With ev'ry thought and aim awake 



(Such thoughts as such a thing can think) 



To make its catch a wagon load, 



To weigh it down upon the road. 



Enough is not enough for it — 

 God made the fish for it alone; 

 So might one judge to see it sit 

 And fish until its lungs doth groan; 

 In very prospect of the freight 

 To carry hence — an hundred weight. 



And day by day — all seasons are, 

 Alike to it. It roams the wood 

 And butchers game, fair and unfair 

 Each way — all ways to it are good — 

 Its only thought to butcher — kill, 

 Its pockets and its maw to fill. 



There was no name made for this thing, 

 This hybrid something — man or ghoul — 

 And nameless it went wandering 

 Until some one — a long vexed soul, 

 Evolved the name — most happy dog — 

 And called it lo! The New Game Hog. 



Some day, sometime — when good times 



come — 

 This race shall cease to be a blot — 

 No not a race — this, " It " this scum 

 Shall sometime be as it were not. 

 And then good men will joyful laugh, 

 That it but lives in photograph. 



