^04 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
supplies would hardlj last us to the coast, and it was 
essential that we should get as far as possible before they 
gave otit. 
Jan. 5 the grip was at its height, and the ice the 
oughest of any previously encountered. We were in the 
immediate neighborhood of Rink Rapids, where the cur- 
rent is swifter than for any considerable distance, with the 
exception of the stretch below Le Barge, called the Thirty- 
Mile River. Our advance was over a succession of long 
ice ridges, and one moment we were exerting our strength 
to the utmost to draw the sleds up one of the steep 
faces, and the next holding back desperately on tlie gee- 
pole steering stick to retard the progress down the 
frozen slant, or running and jumping to keep out of the 
way of the coasting sled. Frequently there were upsets 
at the bottoms of these ice ridges, and the sleds had to 
be righted and at times the loads rearranged. At 
night, when we came to look up our position on the 
niap, we found we had gained only two miles all day. 
This was our poorest day's travel. The maximum was 
twenty-five miles, made when our loads had become much 
lighter, over a particularly good stretch of ice above White 
Horse Rapids. Our average for the journey out was. 
something more than thirteen miles a day, measured by 
the map. As a matter of fact, the distances actually 
traveled were considerably in excess of the figures given, 
for the trail, as already stated, was very tortuous. 
Meetings fcy the Way. 
The first party to pass us was composed of A. T. 
Walden, of Boston, Mass.; J, E. Dauchy, of New York; 
E. H. Wells, of the Cincinnati Post, and C. J. Dumbolton, 
who was a Nebraska man, I believe. Dumbolton, who 
went by tlie nickname of Buckin' Joe on the Islander, was 
one of the few men in that boat who got through to 
Dawson. 
Wells was an Alaska pioneer, having been a member 
of the Arkell expedition. Walden had been in the 
freighting business between Circle and Dawson, and be- 
tween Dawson and the mine?,. He had with him a fine dog 
team, consisting of two Tanana dogs, three Malamoots 
and one Siwash. 
Three months later Dauchy called on me in New 
York, and it is hardly remarkable that I did not recognize 
in the well-dressed man of the world the husky, fur-clad 
giant whom I had last seen with frost-covered eyebrows 
and mustache, trotting beside a dog team on the upper 
Yukon. 
Men of a different stamp were Harri.s and partner, who 
passed us Jan. 4, ten days out from Dawson. We had a 
few words with them, and learned that they had gone from 
Dawson to the Stewart River in two days, and were en- 
deavoring to break Jimmy Jackson's twenty-two-day rec- 
ord to the coast. As we learned afterward from "Black^' 
Sullivan, they had good reason to be in a hurry, having, 
according to his statement, stolen the dogs composing their 
team. 
Further on, one night when the moon was shining 
brightly, we heard a jingle of bells, and raising on our 
elbows in our blanket.? — the hour was close to midnight — 
we saw two dog teams in procession hurry past and dis- 
appear in the luminous darkness. It was an unusual cir- 
cumstance, and later, when mentioning the fact, we were 
told that the teams were probably those of the 
Kid and a stockman who followed him 110 miles to 
secure his arrest for theft. 
At Fort Selkirk the stockman hid under his blankets his 
gold sack, containing $8,000 in dust, the proceeds of a 
herd driven in over the Dalton trail, while he walked 
across to the store to make a purchase of furs. Coming 
back, he casually kicked the blankets with his foot, to 
find the gold gone. The Kid was the only other man 
in the neighborhood at the time, and the stockman sus- 
pected him of the theft. He did not mention his sus- 
picions to any one, however, or even the fact of his loss, 
but when the Kid started, the stockman's dogs were in 
harness anJ readj^ to move, and for four days he lagged 
on his heels and never let him out of his sight dui'ing the 
hotirs of travel. The Kid made record time, and traveled 
day and night, but lie could not shake his pursuerer, and 
they reached the police post at the Little Salmon less than 
a pistol shot apart. Here the stockman called on the 
police to take a hand in the game, and the Kid was 
arrested. In real life such stories generally have unsatis- 
factory endings. In this case nothing could be proved, 
and the Kid got off scott free. In relating the story, my 
informant at the post added that the case was one where 
it was absolutely impossible to administer justice or get at 
the rights of affairs. "For all we know," he said, "the 
drover may have robbed himself. By his own admission 
he was only entitled to one-third of the sum he carried, 
having partners who were entitled to the remainder. He 
may have cashed the gold at some camp on the way, and 
gotten up his story, which I admit is plausible, to put 
him in possession of his partners' two-thirds. 
"If this supposition is correct, I shall expect him to 
come in again next year, as a miner, and I shall be on the 
lookout to see if he strikes it rich. If he does, the police 
have some questions to propound that he may find it hard 
to answer." 
Personally, my sympathies are with the stockman. It 
is a terrible responsibilitjr to have to handle other people's 
nroney, and whether he yielded to temptation or not he 
will always suffer from the stigma of suspicion. 
Near Rink Rapids we caught up with a party of good 
Samaritans who were making arrangements for taking a 
sick man out with them to the coast. The poor fellow, 
who Avas said to have consumption, had been deserted by 
his partner and was living entirely alone in a damp dug- 
out on an island. Later we learned that he reached the 
coast in safety. 
Jan. 7 we found a shelter from the wind at the noon halt 
in a water-worn niche in the conglomerate rocks that 
form the west side of Five-Finger Rapids._ The snow, 
propelled by the north wind, was flying in horizontal 
streaks through the rifts in the ancient dam, and though 
the rapid was ice-bound and harmless for the time being, 
we well knew its power for evil, and exoerienced some- 
tin ng of the fairy story sensation of crouching in the anti- 
room of a hot-tempered sleeping giant who might awake 
at any moment. 
Suddenly, and without warning, a dog team trotted 
around the corne:r of the rock and up to our fire, and then 
another, followed by two furred and snow-covered men 
;vvhose appearance in a city at Christmas time, would have 
attracted the children far and near. The men exchanged a 
hearty greeting and halted a minute to take a cup of tea 
with us. One was Dr. Savage, of Chicago, and the other 
was Mr. McNeil, who, at his trade of carpentering,, had 
made $50 a day in Dawson for some months past. 
Five minutes later they had taken the trail again with a 
cheery godspeed to their slower fellow travelers. Such meet- 
ings were common enough at this stage in our journey. 
Five Fingers. 
Four miles above Five Finger Rapids was a little settle- 
ment. Hei'e four parties had been frozen in at the time the 
river closed and gone into winter quarters. Among them 
was Col. Samuel Ward, a wealthy lawyer and mine 
owner of Helena, Mont., who went to the Klondike 
simply because he could not keep away from a mining 
excitement of such prominence. In a nearby cabin lay 
Willie Byrne, waiting for the time when the ice would 
run again and he could take boat for Dawson City and 
so on to the outer world and his home in Chicago. We 
visited Willie, and talked with him, and left a remem- 
brance of our visit, as was the custom. All the men going 
out had done something for the delicate little fellow, who 
bore his hardship and suffering so uncomplainingly. 
Nigger Jim gave him $60 in nuggets, and others had 
been correspondingly liberal. 
We heard from others how Willie had walked five 
days on frozen feet, and never knew the seriousness of 
his trouble till one of his toes came ofl; through a hole 
in his moccasin. He thought his feet wei^e sore from the 
travi 1, and he did not reahze it was the frost in them that 
mac J them rigid at the ankles. Report said that the man 
who had charge of .Willie was wild from fear of tlie cold 
ant' yave the boy no proper care. 
At Five Fingers, where the boy's condition was dis- 
covered, the man tried to desert him, and would have 
done so had he not been taken in hand by the miners, who 
Saw to it that privision was made for the lad's mainte- 
nance and traveling expenses back to civilization, 
J ust above the settlement we met two men of a rkfe and 
picturesque type. They were lean, rangy creatures, with 
the half wild look of domestic animals that have been 
turned loose to forge for themselves. Their clothing 
showed a curious knowledge of ways and means for fight- 
ing off the cold from tlie blanket footgear to fire rude 
homemade fur caps, with their great flapiiing side? that 
were not called into use with the thermometer short of 
forty below. 
The most striking thing a'boUt the men, however, was 
the color of their faces, which, instead of being the visual 
dark tan of most of the Yukoners. was an apoplectic red. 
I do not know the reason for this, but fancy that an ex- 
perience with scurvy may have been responsible for the . 
color. 
We learned from the men that they were old ca^siar 
miners and that they had crossed from the Stikeen River 
to the headwaters of the Hootalinqua and so on down to 
the Yukon over the ice. They had not seen a human 
being until within a few days since November, and they 
had been out of food, and knew what it was to starve 
more than once on the trip. Their names were Alexander 
McMillan and Joseph Pickett. 
J. B. BURNHAM. 
._ 1 
Pioneer Days. — XV. 
BY ROWLAND K. ROBINSON. 
Bennington. 
JosiAH found part of his regiment at Manchester, and 
there, also, not long after, detachments began to arrive 
from Charlestown, whence Gen. John Stark was sending 
them forward as fast as they could be supplied with their 
"much-needed articles: rum, kettles and bullets." Then, 
disregarding Gen. Schuyler's order to join him. Stark 
marched as far as Bennington, where he encamped at the 
request of the Vermont Committee of Safety, and so was 
ready to repel Baum's attempt to seize the public stores 
there. 
Warner was with Stark, but the remnant of his regiment 
in which Josiah Hill was, remained at Manchester under 
command of Lieut.-Col. Safford. Therefore, Josiah had 
no part in the first conflict of that memorable day, which, 
though the troops were insignificant in numbers, was one 
of the decisive battles of the world, for it sealed the fate 
of Burgoyne's army. 
The Hessian redoubt made upon the hill with infinite 
labor in a pouring deluge and the smothering heat of dog- 
day weather, was stormed by the raw Yankee militia with 
their bayonetless guns against the well-appointed, trained 
veterans, who were slain and captured till but few were 
left to be routed. Their Tory allies suffered as over- 
whelming a defeat, the Indians fled yelping from woods 
that were alive with terrible Yankee marksmen, the day 
was won and the victors scattered far over the field to 
gather the spoils of war. Then, when no one suspected 
the coming of an enemy, there arose a martial din of fifes 
and drums, and Brejonan's fresh troops came marching 
along the miry highway with two field pieces belching fire 
and smoke and hurtling showers of grape from their 
brazen throats. 
The scattered Yankees gathered in squads to meet them, 
but were forced to fall back, until Warner's battalion, hur- 
ried on frotn Manchester by Safford, stood like a strong 
tower to shelter them. Now the dispersed militiamen 
rallied and poured deadly volleys upon the red ranks of 
Hessians ; riflemen swarmed like hornets in the woods on 
their flanks, and every bullet struck its living target. 
Again the Hessians were routed ; their cannon were aban- 
doned, hub-deep in the mire ; their brave colonel mortally 
wounded was taken with many of his soldiers; many 
were dead and many wounded. 
As the shadows of night fell and a halt of the pur- 
suers was called, Josiah Hill, standing among the fore- 
most, was thankful" to be one of them to retrieve Hubbard- 
ton's day of disaster. Next day as he was strolling over 
the battleground he was accosted by a little gray-bearded 
man, begrimed with powder smoke, though the half-dried 
corn husk in his hat proclaimed him to be one of yester- 
day's assailants of the redoubt. There was, inoreover, 
something familiar in the toothless grin of greeting when 
he shouted, "Why, boy, have you forgot your ol' mate, 
Sir Kenelm Dalrymple? An' who've you got tu be, n 
tu know ol' friends?" 
There was much for them to talk of, but of all t 
news Kenelm heard, nothing astonished him so much 
Josiab's marriage. "Oh, boy, boy!" he sighed, "ti 
come o' my not stayin' with ye!" 
Strolling about among the prisoners, they saw in d 
group of Tories a tall, lank fellow, who kept his t 
drawn over his black brow. 
"D'ye know this ol' friend^" said Kenelm, as going SI3 
behind the fellow he twitched off the hat and revealed t 
sanctimonious visage of Anthony Capron. "I wish they 
turn him over tu us," said Kenelm, "but they've got 
nice pen built to fat such swine in — an' won't they git f 
though?" 
Josiah had his desire of re^venge more fully gratifi 
when, during the deep snows of the following winter, 
being now a sergeant, received the following order : 1 
"Jan. 12, 1778, 
"To Capt. Sam' I Robinson, Overseer , of Tories: 
"You are hereby required to Detach Ten effective m 
under your Coinmand with proper officers to take chat; 
and March them in Two Distinct files from this pla 
through the Green Mountains to Col. Wm. Willian 
Dwelling house in Draper Alias Wilmington within tl 
State, who are to March & Tread the Snow in Sd. Ro 
to suitable width for a Sleigh or Sleighs with a Span 
Horses on Each Sleigh, and order them to return Marc 
ing in Same manner to this place with all convenie, 
Speed, By order of Council, Jonas Fay, V. P. 
"N. B. You are to order 3 days provisions to each 
such men & the same to be cooked this day & to March , 
6 o'clock to-morrow morning. 
"Attest: Joseph Fay, Sec'y. 
"Jonas Fay, V. P." 
To this was appended this order: 
"To Sargant Josiah Flill, you are hereby ordered J 
execute the within, and make due return thereof. 
"Sam''l Robinson^ Overseer of Tories.**! 
Accompanied by a guard, Josiah went at once to t 
prison which had been specially built for the confineme 
of Tories — a double-walled log house, the space betwe 
the Avails being filled with earth, and the place provid 
with an ample palisaded yard for the exercise of t 
prisoners, for they were treated with due regard to the 
health in this respect, as well as providing wholesor 
food, as may be gathered from an order to furnish thi 
"a wagon load of sauce," presumably garden vegetabli 
which is still "garden sass" in the parlance of oli 
fashioned folk. He presented the order to the keeper, w' 
gave him a list of the prisoners, and he proceeded 
make the required draft. 
"Naow, men, I'm tu give ten on ye a' strornary chan 
tu limber up your laigs an' git a maou'ful o' fresh aii 
he said, addressing the motley crowd. "Don't holler foi 
chance, 'cause I can't take only sech as is suited for t 
business. Anthony Capron, step out. Long-laigged a 
big-footed,, you're built to order ezackly. Abram Benn( 
step aout. ■ Hot-tempered they say you be — stubbed, yi 
sartinly be. You'll du. Peter Bell, step aout. You' 
gittin' tew logy, an' some o' your fat needs workin' off."' 
So he went on until the tally was completed, the mi 
wondering on Avhat disagreeable service they were d 
tailed. They were not long in doubt nor well pleasi 
when they were set to trampling and wallowing throuj' 
the deep snow, when, if one lagged or shirked the for 
most place, when it fell to his turn, he got the prick of 
baj^onet, while the guard marched comfortably in t' 
beaten track at the rear. 
"Capron, I'm a-cal'latin" for you tu hev you work ao 
what you owe me at tew shillin' a day," said Jo.siah, 
the other, short of breath and weary of limb, took his tu; 
at the rear of the file. "Le' me see, twenty-five paouij 
York money'd be five hund'erd shillin', tew'll go in t' 
tCAv hund'erd and fifty times. By the Lord Harry, oil 
winter hain't long enough. Wal, I owe you suthin' fj 
takin' that gal off'm my hands." 
Anthony Capron thought when he was back again in til 
Tory prison, with every muscle sore and every boi] 
aching after three days of wading through the snow, th 
he was not very deeply in debt to the man he hr 
swindled. 
The Smooth-Bore. 
Josiah served in one or another of the Vermont rei 
ments until the end of the war, and was retired from ti 
service with the rank of captain. He bought a right 
land under a Vermont charter in the then almost uni 
habited township of Danvis, and again began pione 
life in the heart of a wilderness. 
Again the quick resonant strokes of his axe wei 
echoed from side to side of a widening clearing. AgaJ 
he rejoiced in the conquest of the forest giants, venerat: 
patriarchs, concerning whose fate he felt no sentiment 
emotion. Again he let a flood of sunlight down upc 
fresh acres of virgin soil, and out of their roughne 
molded grain field and meadow; and again he reared tl 
log walls of a new home, soon made truly a home 1 
the presence of his wife. The brood of younger Torre; 
found in it a home also, to which they gave willing ai 
helpful hands until they were well grown boys at 
girls, able to shift for themselves. 
Josiah was again an owner of oxen, also of cows ai 
a horse, and a flock of long-legged, bare-bellied she* 
ranging the woods as untamed as deer except when fe: 
of wolves and bears became more terrible than fear 
man, or deep snow and starvation made shed, fold ar 
fodder more desirable than freedom. 
The sheep and young cattle were turned out to ranj 
the budding and blossoming woods, and their owner w.- 
out one day with his rifle to look after their welfar 
when he heard the scared bleating of the flock, mingle 
with the spasmodic jangle of the leader's bell. As th< 
came tearing down the mountain path close upon tl 
heels of the hindermost the cause of their flight, 
gaunt she bear, galloped at top speed, her faded, raggd 
coat fluttering like the tatters of a beggar. The shet 
swerved aside to pass Josiah when they saw him, but si 
held straight on, and when he fired, inflicting a sligl 
wound in iher head, she charged furiously upon him. H 
swung the gun aloft and brought it down with all h 
might. By good luck that he was truly thankful for h 
struck the beast a blow on the skull that checked her oi( 
slaught. Another brought her down quite stunned, sj 
that he had no trouble to dispatch her; but it was th 
