The land of ice and snow

Front matter

“ Many of the mountains had snow-clad summits ”

Or, ADVENTURES IN ALASKA

£y

Preface

“ The Land of Ice and Snow ” tells of the adven¬ tures of Happy and some of his friends in Alaska. An effort has been made in this the last volume of The Young Mineralogist Series, to give to its readers the most reliable information of this remote territory of the United States, as found in government reports and in the newspapers of Alaska, to both of which sources the author acknowledges his indebtedness. He is also indebted to various recent works on Alaska, especially to the publication of Major-General Greely.

The author trusts that “ The Land of Ice and Snow,” the sixth and last volume of The Mineralogist Series, besides affording its readers pleasure in hearing of the many adventures and doings of its characters, will not fail to accomplish two other things, i. e., to give some idea of the mineral deposits and minerals of the great Southwest and great Northwest of the United States, as well as to impress on its readers the great truth that there is great good luck in all things, no matter how bad they may seem at first sight, provided only one is willing to determine on believing it so.

E. J. H.

Philadelphia, May, 1912.

Contents

Chapter Page

I. Nearly Stranded in Nome .. n

II. Again at the Gordon Mine. 25

Appendix

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

Page

“ Many of the mountains had snow-clad sum¬ mits ” . Frontispiece

“ The man objected, but under the persuasive

gleaming of the revolvers - ” . ip ^

“ The lad stuck to the animal ”. . .. . 152

“ The other animal . . . made for Happy ” . 22 /'

" Happy sivung the . . . rope around his head ”. 334

“ There was a grand welcome ... at Gordon ”. 391

CHARACTERS

Nicholas Dimitri, son of Professor Dimitri.

Henry Earle Clinton, uncle of Happy.

Robert Harold Gordon, Sr., )

l Mining engineers.

Robert Harold Gordon, Jr., )

Robert Harold Gordon, 3RD, or Rob, only son of Robert Harold Gordon, Jr.

John Alexander Christian, mining engineer and friend of Robert Harold Gordon, Sr.

Prof. Joseph Jackson Engleman, geologist and mining engineer.

Ralph Earle Clinton, or Happy, a confirmed op¬ timist.

Emil Carl Schloss, fond of chemistry.

Norman Edward Taggart, from Boston, nephew of Professor Engleman.

James Patrick McNally, office boy for Professor Engleman.

Heinrich Schloss, Emil’s uncle.

Petrof Blavinski, a Russian nobleman.

Prof. Nicola Dimitri, a Russian nobleman.

B. B. Blank, a Philadelphia detective.

CHARACTERS

Ivan Petromelinski, a Russian detective.

Sigismond Mashinsky, Russian thief and murderer. Colorado Bill, cowboy guide, fond of Happy.

Pete, cowboy, an acquaintance of Bill. Awake-in-the-Night, Indian guide.

Sam Ling, Chinese cook.

Light-of-the-Sun, head shaman of the Pueblos. Scipio, colored cook.

John M. Justice, a Philadelphian, thoroughly con¬ versant with Alaska.

Joe, assistant in Nome restaurant.

Zeke, licensed hunting-guide.

Proprietor of restaurant, Nome. Prospectors, miners, guides, etc. Mounted Police of the Northwest.

Map of Alaska

(From recent United States publications)

CHAPTER I Nearly Stranded in Nome

“ Confound your insolence. Do you take me for a dead-beat ? ”

“ Stranger, what I take ye fer is me own busi¬ ness, but I’ll say I reckon ye’ll either pay for what ye’ve eaten, or I’ll hand ye over ter one of the sheriff’s men.”

“ But I tell you I’ve had my pockets picked in your place and have lost my money. Can’t you trust me for a few dollars, the cost of the meal ? ”

“ Nary a trust,” was the reply. “ Here, Joe,” he said to his assistant, “ go arsk the sheriff to send me one of his men to run this feller in fer tryin’ to do this restaurant out of a meal. I reckon ye’ll find the sheriff at the hotel up the street.”

The above conversation occurred in a restaurant in Nome, on the Seward Peninsula, Alaska, one day near the middle of February, 19—. The man whose arrest was threatened for inability to pay for the meal he had just eaten was about thirty years of age. He had evidently at one time been fairly well-to-do, as could be seen from his clothing, which, like the man himself, showed hard wear.

Like thousands of others, the young man had been attracted by the rich gold deposits of Alaska, es¬ pecially by the beach sands of Nome. He had come from his home in St. Petersburg, Russia, to this part of the land, that for at least eight months of the year is almost entirely isolated.

The young man was Nicholas Dimitri, a nobleman closely related to the Czar of Russia. Despite his appearance, he had put eight hundred dollars in United States bank-notes in an inner pocket of his coat. When he attempted to pay his bill with some loose money he had placed in another pocket, he found that both sums had been stolen.

The man at the restaurant who threatened him with arrest was the proprietor. He had a low, receding forehead and, as was afterward discovered, was as¬ sociated with thieves and card-sharpers.

The Russian again requested that he be trusted for the few dollars, the cost of the meal, as he certainly would be able to pay; for, as he said, he knew some of the people of the town. The proprietor however refused to trust him.

“ Is this the fellow you want run in?” said the sheriff’s aid, who by this time had reached the res¬ taurant.

“ That’s the feller,” was the reply of the proprietor.

“ With what do you charge him ? ”

“ Tryin’ to do this here place out of the price of a meal.”

“What do you say to this charge?” inquired the aid of the Russian. “ Is it true ? ”

“ It is true that I have eaten a meal here that I’ve not paid for. It is not true that I am endeavor¬ ing to beat the place. My pocket has been picked in this place of some eight hundred dollars.”

“ Have you any other money in Nome ? ”

“ No; that was all.”

“ Then I will be obliged to arrest you.”

There were nearly a dozen people in the restaurant, but they seemed to be not at all surprised at what was happening, as if such an occurrence was common. Drawing a pair of handcuffs from one of his coat pockets, the sheriff’s aid said to the Russian:

“ I must ask you to let me put these on.”

“ I will not submit to such indignity,” the Russian replied angrily. “ Never before have I been arrested; I certainly do not intend to be disgraced by hand¬ cuffs. I will pass you my word as a gentleman to go with you wherever you wish to take me and will make no effort to escape.”

The aid appeared disposed to grant the request of the Russian, especially as he spoke of bringing a charge against the restaurant for harboring pick¬ pockets, but the proprietor objected. While they were arguing the matter, a man of about fifty years of age, over six feet in height, and magnificently built, who had been dining alone at a table in a corner of the 13 room, left the table, and coming to the excited group, remarked:

“ Wall, ye fellers sartinly be kickin’ up a tarnation row here. What be it all about? Suppose ye tell me, stranger,” turning to the Russian. “ Ef I kin help ye, I’ll be glad to do it.”

“ You are very kind, sir,” said the Russian. “ This insolent fellow,” pointing to the proprietor, “ claims I’m a dead-beat because, while looking for my pocketbook to pay for what I have eaten, I find I have been robbed; and,” he added, “ robbed in this very room, for I had placed my pocketbook in the inner pocket of my coat when I came here. I ask you,” he said, turning to the man who had just spoken to him, “ do I look like a man who would do such a thing? Come now, you are intelligent and know enough of men to be able to judge. Tell me, do I look like a cheat or dead-beat ? ”

“ Ye kin bet yer bottom dollar ye don’t,” said the man. “ Yer face be the face of an honest man. See here,” he said, turning to the proprietor, “ ye must be very hard up to take on so about the price of a meal, and,” he added, “ ye must be a cheat yerself to sus¬ picion others. What be the amount of that ere bill? Five dollars,” he said, after glancing at it when it was placed in his hand. “ Though not very big, yet it be wery steep for a single eat, much greater than most places would hev axed. I’ll settle it. Now tell me what I owe fer what I hev bought. I’m goin’ to clear out of this place quick, ef ye treat yer customers in 14 this way. I expect ye hev stuck me like ye hev this gent. Five dollars?” he said. “Wall, the total’s ten dollars. Here, take it,” removing a very thin pocketbook from his pocket and taking from it two five-dollar bills. “ Now,” he said to the proprietor, “ I kin say that I think ye be a low-down feller, and ef ye want any satisfaction fer what I hev said, come out¬ side and I’ll give ye a chance.”

“ I only want what’s cornin’ ter me,” said the pro¬ prietor in an angry tone.

“ I reckon ye don’t mean that,” was the reply, “ fer the way I figure it, the biggest licking ye’ve ever had in yef life should be cornin’ ter ye fer not knowin’ a gent when ye see him.”

“ My dear sir,” said the Russian, “ I am greatly obliged to you for helping me out of my little predica¬ ment. This is my name,” he said, handing him a card bearing the name “ Nicholas Dimitri, St. Peters¬ burg, Russia.” “ But do not get into any fight or row with this low fellow. What is your name ? ”

“ Clinton be my name. Henry Earle Clinton.”

“From the United States?”

“ Yes; from Texas.”

“ Have you been an insider here long? ”

“ I hev been in Alaska fer more’n five years. And you? ” said Clinton to Dimitri.

“ I also am an insider, but have been here only two years. But let’s leave this wretched place.”

The two now left the restaurant and walked slowly down the main street.

“ I hope your kind loan of five dollars will not in¬ convenience you,” said Dimitri. “ Since I have been robbed of all my cash, I shall not be able to pay you until I can see someone I know, or obtain some work to see me through the winter here.”

“ Don’t worry yerself about sech a little loan,” re¬ plied Clinton. “ Ye seed how thin my pocketbook was, but thet wur only a bluff. I hev a roll of about eight hundred dollars in an inner pocket. See here,” he said, “ I’ll show it to ye jest to make ye feel com¬ fortable.”

Dimitri watched Clinton as he looked for the pocketbook containing the roll of money in his pocket.

“ Great Scott! I hev been robbed like yerself. Come on,” he said, turning around sharply.

“Where are you going?” inquired Dimitri.

“ Straight back to thet ere place. I remember a feller thar who rubbed up agin me when I war fust goin’ in. I believe he’s the thief. If he’s thar now I’ll make him shell out.

“ Look here, gents,” said the proprietor when the two men entered the room, “ ef ye don’t git out of this here place quick I’ll put ye out.”

“Ye will, will ye?” said Clinton. “Suppose ye begin with me. Ef ye do I reckon ye’ll find it the hardest piece of work you ever undertook sense yer mother weaned ye. I hevn’t any more to say ter ye now, though I reckon I’ll hev a heap that’ll be w*ery disagreeable to ye later on.”

“Do you see the man you are looking for?” in¬ quired Dimitri in a low tone.

“ I do fer a fact,” was the reply. “ Thar he be,” pointing to a man who suddenly rose from the table and walked hurriedly toward the door.

But Clinton slipped between him and the door, and said:

“ I reckon I hev a few words to say to ye afore ye leave this room.”

“What words hev you got to say?” inquired the man in an angry tone.

“ Well, this is what I’ve got to say. I’ll apologize arterwards ef I’m wrong. I believe you’re a thief. Turn out yer pockets so I kin see what ye hev in ’em.”

This demand, made as it was by a man of magnifi¬ cent physique and strength, not only worried the man to whom it was made, but seemed even more to worry the proprietor, who turned pale and, calling to his assistant, said:

“ Joe, go fer that sheriff’s aid agin. I don’t intend thet this place shell hev its repertation hurt by sech fellers as these here; ” and then he said, “ Now I think of it, Joe, ye needn’t go. I’ll go myself,” hurrying toward the door.

“ Not much ye won’t,” said Clinton. “ Ye stay here with the other feller, and when I’m through lookin’ at his pockets I reckon I’ll examine yourn.”

There were at least a dozen men in the restaurant. Like most of those in mining towns, nearly all were square men. The proprietor begged them to help him 17

B throw the two fellows out for kicking up a row, but Clinton, who knew how to handle such men, said:

“ Gents, I’m shore ye be squar men. Now both this gent,” pointing to Dimitri, “ and myself hev been robbed within less than an hour in this here room. I hev good reasons fer thinkin’ this feller is a thief, and I think the man wot keeps the place be no better. Ef they be true men they’ll be all too glad ter prove I’m a liar. Don’t ye think it would be fair, gents, if they turned their pockets inside out?”

The man whom Clinton had recognized as the man who had brushed against him when he entered the room, indignantly protested that he would not submit to such a thing as being searched, nor would he turn his pockets inside out for anybody, much less for one like this fellow, pointing to Clinton.

Almost instantly revolvers appeared in the hands of Clinton and most of the men, with a demand that the search be made.

“ Thar, I telled ye so! ” exclaimed Clinton, as one of the men making the search took a roll of bills out of the suspected man’s pocket. “ Thet be my roll. Now, gents, so I kin prove it, I’ll ask ye,” he said, turning to one of the men, “ to examine it and see ef it corresponds with what I tell ye. Ye will find six one-hundred-dollar bills, two fifty-dollar bills, one hun¬ dred dollars in tens, and some small stuff. I hevn’t troubled myself to remember how much.”

“The roll’s yourn,” said the man, handing it to Clinton.

The man objected . . . but under the per¬ suasive gleaming of the revolvers-”

“ I’m sorry to hev troubled ye, gents,” said the proprietor. “ Please leave my place and let things quiet down.”

“ I reckon,” said Clinton, “ thet you too will hev to turn yer pockets inside out.”

The man objected strenuously, but under the per¬ suasive gleaming of the revolvers pointed at him he permitted his pockets to be gone through, when the wallet that had been stolen from Dimitri was found in a deep, hip pocket under his coat.

“ That’s the pocketbook that was stolen from me! ” exclaimed Dimitri. “ Shall I describe it? ”

“ I reckon ye had better,” said the man to whom it had been handed, “ an’ so make it fair fer both.”

“ You will find it contains eight one-hundred-dollar United States notes. But I can do better than that,” he added; “ the numbers run continuously frorn 51,509 to 51,516. I’m particular about such things.”

“ The figures be correct and the wad is yourn,” said the man.

“ But one moment,” said Dimitri, “ one or the other of these men has two ten-dollar bills stowed away somewhere, since they were also stolen from me.”

A search being made they were found on the pro¬ prietor.

“ Now,” said Clinton, smiling, to the sheriff’s aid who had again come to the place. “ I reckon we kin hand over these fellers to you.”

“ Ye sure kin,” was the reply.

“ We will appear against them in the morning,” said 19

Dimitri and Clinton, as the aid slipped handcuffs on each of the men.

“ And so will we,” added two of the men who had aided in the recovery of the stolen money.

Instead of objecting to going with the sheriff’s aid, the men were apparently only too glad to get safely out of reach of the men who constituted what might have been called a vigilance committee; for one of them had been heard asking for a rope, while threats of stringing up the thieves were heard from several of the others.

“ Gents,” added Clinton, “ the drinks be on me. Bring us clean glasses, Joe,” he said to the proprietor’s assistant, “ and a bottle thet be sealed. I’d hesitate to sample an open bottle in this here place arter wot I hev seed.”

“ Here’s to ye, gents,” said Clinton, after the bottle had been opened and each man had filled his glass with as much as he wished.

After a few minutes’ talk, Clinton and Dimitri had left the restaurant and Were again walking up the main street of Nome.

“ Unless I am mistaken,” said Dimitri, “ what the thief did to you in the saloon would have placed you in the same position in which I was placed. You would have been without any money.”

“ I reckon ye be right,” was the reply. “ Ef I hed not yanked thet out of the feller’s pocket I would hev been without anything to pay fer a bed ternight.”

“ I am much obliged to you for what you have 20 done,” said the Russian. “ I hope you will let me become acquainted with you. I need not tell you how extremely dull Nome is in winter; I know very few people here.” *

“ I kin shake hands with ye thar, stranger,” said Clinton. “ Thar beant any big crowd of fellers wot I know in this town. Moreover, I like yer looks, so we’ll be chums, or pards, whichever ye like, from this time.”

“ Agreed,” said Dimitri. “ What shall I call you? ”

“ They call me Texas Harry,” was the reply. ei Ye kin call me Harry fer short ef ye like. And what shall I call ye ? ”

“ Call me Nicholas,” replied the Russian. “ You are a prospector, are you not? ”

“ Yes.”

“ Have you struck anything? ” inquired the Russian.

“ Yes; and I’ve struck it rich,” replied the Texan.

“ Placer or lode? ”

“ Placer; but tin, not gold.”

“ Far from here? ”

“ No; at a point almost as far west as ye can go in all Alaska.”

“Do you mean near Cape Prince of Wales?” in¬ quired Dimitri.

“ Yes. And hev ye struck anything, Nicholas? ”

“ I have,” was the reply; “ and the curious thing is that my prospect is also a tin prospect, not a placer, but a lode situated near your placer, a short distance farther up the stream to the east.”

A more extended description of the finds of each of these men showed that, while not quite together, they were in practically the same section of country.

“ Ef we two fellers don’t be nateral-born pards I’d like to know the reason,” said Clinton. “ Shall we be chums or pards? Tell me which? ”

“ Well, let’s call it both chums and partners,” said Dimitri. “ Of course it is understood,” he continued, “ that we will put our claims in partnership at a valua¬ tion to be agreed upon. If your claims are more valua¬ ble than mine, I am not willing to take any advantage of your generosity.”

“ Let’s go ter some place whar we kin sit down and chin,” said Clinton.

“ Then come to my shack,” said Dimitri.

“ Suppose ye begin your yarn fust, Nicholas, then I’ll spin mine,” said Clinton, when they had reached the shack.

“ All right, Harry,” replied Dimitri, and then began as follows:

“ I was born in Russia and belong to a rich, influ¬ ential family. My father is Professor Dimitri, a well-known geologist and mining engineer. I have always been interested in prospecting and mining, and left Russia for this country several years ago, attracted by the increasing number of gold-fields that had re¬ cently been discovered.”

“ Hev ye had much luck, Nicholas?” said Clinton.

“ At first I was fairly successful, but afterward I 22 had such poor luck that I have been ashamed to keep my people in Russia acquainted with my movements. The tin prospect I was telling you about, however, is, I think, so valuable that I believe my luck has changed for good.”

“ And ye be up in the lamin’ wot mining fellers are supposed to know? ”

“ I have received an excellent education as a mi¬ ning engineer, both in Europe and America.”

“ Thet will be lucky,” said Clinton, “ when we begin workin’ on our claims.”

“ Now let me hear a little bit of your life,” said Dimitri.

“ It beant so ornamental as yourn,” was the reply. “ I wuz raised on a ranch in Texas, whar I hev a brother livin’ now. At least I hope he be living, but I hev heerd nothin’ from him fer some years.”

“ Had your brother any family? ” inquired Dimitri.

“ When I last seed him he had only one youngster, a lad about nine or ten years of age.”

“ What was his name ? ”

“ Ralph Earle Clinton.”

“ A good, healthy chap? ” inquired Dimitri.

“ Wall, I sartinly reckon he war. My brother’s ranch war a cattle ranch, and he hed a sight of cow¬ boys thar. The youngster war wery much liked by them, and one feller, named Colorado Bill, teached him how to ride and shoot to beat the band.”

“ Have you heard from him lately?”

“ I hev heerd neither from him nor my brother’s 23 family. Like yerself, I too hev been proud and hevn’t written much.”

The above events occurred between two and three years before the events that are to be recorded in the remainder of this book. The good-fellowship between Clinton and Dimitri continued. By a curious coinci¬ dence their claims were not very far from one another, and a report made on them showed they were of about equal value. What the two did together, as well as the curious circumstances under which Clinton and Dimitri were again brought into contact with their families, will be described in subsequent chapters.

CHAPTER II Again at the Gordon Mine

The Gordons, and those who went with them to Phila¬ delphia, had now been back at the mine for several weeks. The farther the work proceeded on the prop¬ erty, the greater bonanza it proved to be. Like all new and great gold mines, it had attracted numbers of men who began prospecting the surrounding coun¬ try, in the hope of finding another vein that had been cut deep below the surface by the eroding power of water.

It was not surprising, therefore, that the neighbor¬ hood of the mine soon became dotted with tents or wooden shacks, occupied by prospectors. As soon as it was found that there were practically no indications of gold, other than those that had already been cov¬ ered by claims, the prospectors began to apply for regular mining work on the Gordon property. There was no difficulty in their obtaining this work, for the proprietors needed help and were glad to engage them. In this way a town, known as Gordon, had already sprung up.

Although, like that of all mining towns, much of Gordon's population was a floating one, its fixed popu¬ lation had rapidly increased, and the general store at the mine was doing a growing business. Contentment and good humor prevailed generally, but there was one man who was especially happy; this was Sam Ling, the Chinese cook. Although the increase in population had imposed harder work on Sam in pre¬ paring food, since many of the visitors to the property were guests either of the Gordons or of the other mining engineers, Sam was happy, for he dearly liked* to hear others talk and to talk himself, especially the latter.

“ Sam Ling velly happy; heap people come to Glordon mine to talkee, talkee.”

For the sake of those who have not read the “ Young Mineralogist Series,” it may be briefly said that the books of this series are six in number; i. e., “ A Chip of the Old Block,” “ The Land of Drought,” “ The Jaws of Death,” “ The Yellow Magnet,” “ Once a Volcano,” and the present volume, “ The Land of Ice and Snow.”

These books tell how a number of boys, living in Philadelphia, began the study of mineralogy and geology with the idea of becoming mining engineers. They afterward traveled extensively through the Western States.

The first volume, “ A Chip of the Old Block,” de¬ scribes, among other things, the boys’ study of miner¬ alogy and their wonderful doings in a cellar labora¬ tory in Philadelphia.

The second volume, “ The Land of Drought,” tells of their wanderings through the great Colorado Desert, a desert not situated in the State of Colorado, 26 as is often imagined, but in southeastern California. The boys had gone to this part of the country in com¬ pany with two professional gentlemen, Prof. Joseph Jackson Engleman, a mineralogist and geologist, and John Alexander Christian, a mining engineer. It w'as not only their professional work that had brought the engineers into this part of the country. It was especially because of rumors, that had reached them, of the appearance of two mining engineers, named Gordon, who had mysteriously disappeared many years before from a place near the northeastern corner of Arizona.

In the remaining volumes an account is given of how the search for these two men led the party to different portions of the great mining regions of the southwestern parts of the United States.

The boys described in these books were healthy, brainy, lively youngsters. There was, therefore, much fun to be had in their every-day happenings in these almost unsettled districts. But, besides mere fun, the books are full of what may be called “ shivers ” the reader experiences, while perusing the many hairraising situations of danger in which the characters find themselves, wondering how they can possibly be delivered from what threatens them, and yet, at the same time, fully convinced that, somehow or other, the author will save their lives for use in other thrill¬ ers. The author, however, has been careful in the preparation of the books of this series to hold the reader’s interest to the last, by not permitting it to 27 become coo evident just how the rescues are to be made possible.

And now a few words as to the character of the boys who accompanied the engineers to these out-of-theway portions of the country. One of them, Robert Harold Gordon, 3rd, was the son of Robert Harold Gordon, Jr., who in his turn was the son of Robert Harold Gordon, Sr., the two men for whom the search was being made.

Robert, or, as he was called for short, Rob, was the “ Chip of the Old Block ” of the first volume. Though inheriting marked abilities as a mineralogist and geolo¬ gist, he remained ignorant of the fact until it had been made clear to him by Professor Engleman, a friend of Robert’s father.

Ralph Earle Clinton was Rob's special chum. He was by far the most interesting of the boys, and is the one to whom reference will most frequently be made in this volume. Ralph was markedly what might be called a boy optimist. He could find good luck in whatever happened. No matter what it might be, he was in the habit of thinking about it with the almost invariable result of soon discovering wonderful good luck therein. Though he would say but little, the fact that he had reached these conclusions was manifested by a pleasing smile that played over his attractive face. This smile was constantly changing as he succeeded in tracing in his mind the additional pieces of good luck that might be expected to arise from that he had 28 already detected. The boy’s happy face had caused him to be known to his friends in camp and elsewhere as “ Happy Clinton ”; or, more frequently, as “ Happy.”

Happy was a general favorite not only with the en¬ gineers and other gentlemen who had joined the camp at different times, but also with the camp followers, such as a Texan cowboy, named Colorado Bill; an Apache Indian, Awake-in-the-Night; a Pueblo shaman, Light-of-the-Sun; and Sam Ling, a Chinese cook. The Apache Indian called him “ Smile-on-his-Face ”; the Pueblo shaman, “ Pahozona,” a word meaning “ al¬ ways happy and the Chinese cook, “ Alle Laugh.”