Into the Unknown

The following summer I fell in with a Miner by the Name of Jack Freeman.

he was well known as a penetrator, He told us that up at point Barrow was all kind of shot gold. this aroused our curiosity again and I thought of my Squaw down at St Michals. Which I felt if I went to Point Barrow I would be obliged to wed. So we evaded the northern fever and planned to trap again somewhere near Candle Creek.

We left Gnome in early autumn and went straight to our old camps. after our usual luck we started in a circuitous route for Gnome. We came to the Buckland River and started up intending to strike the mouth of the Koyukuk but missed our mark striking forty miles above the mouth we had hard times crossing the snow-capped mountains and climbing over Glaciers breaking trails for our dogs, fixing broken sleighs and mending worn out harnesses. tieing up stranded Snow-shoes and facing death in many forms.

Here for the first time in my life I realized I was indeed a very reckless man. Often the boys would get cold and sleepy and I would have to make them march at the point of old glory--my Gun--they would swear and blame every bit of hard luck to me. I held my nerve and had good controll over my men and after a waery march reached the Mouth of the Koyukuk and sold our furs at Rampart, Here Black Dave quit us saying he was going back to Arizonia. Three months later we took a boat and floated down to the mouth of the Yukon followed on to the Lake and after about fifteen days we reached Pay Creek. here we placer mined the whole summer. and agin fell in With Jack Freeman and all planned a trip beyond the haunts of men. We beat down the river that early autumn traded our gold-dust for food, went back to the mouth of the Mullen River, then began our march up mullen river. Always before in my life I had been stepping in the footsteps of some predecessor; but now I was to make tracks where man had never been.

Before begining the Arctic Expedition I called all the men up and explained what it might mean--death hardships were all discussed but they willingly agreed to go, in fact urged the expedition. then I said if you loose your life your blood will be upon your own judgement and not upon my head. If we go we shall brave all-together the severe hardships, if we loose like many others, our funerels will be tearless, and inexpensive, If we win then each shall share a like in the spoils.

We had an elegent supply of foods.

Of Flour, Salt, sugar, rice, corn-starch, block-matches, candles, We had forty pounds of chewing tobacco, and eighty pounds of smoking, we had six bottles of Paroxide--six bottles of Lemon-extract, Blue ointment, Castor oil, ten Irish potatoes, and other medicines in our chest, But I wish the reader to notice that on no trip did I ever allow one drop of liquor in any form to be packed in my load. The worst thing for any man who is fighting cold to do; is to bowl up on red-eye. he is only the worse for it. I was bragging one day on this when a fellow said "I have heard this but how do you get allong when your whole crew are dam drunkards except the Kidd. Well I said I cannot keep them from it in town; but Black Beaver can keep it off the sleigh and when men are where it cannot be secured they do not drink.

And further I argued that I never tasted intoxicants. That The Kidd Tom Bardine and Old Ed Scott were also tetotalers--so the only chance he had for argument was that Black Dave, And a few other lads from Alaska were the only drinkers I ever had.

In addition to our rations we had a great deal of dried fish for our dogs, we had severel candle fish for lights, and a large quant.i.ty of dried fish for fuel.

Early in September We started out for Point Barrow through the interior overland where to my present knowledge man has never traveled. After we reached the head of Mullen river we started up the Arctic divide; and on fifteenth day of October we gained the top of the divide. This was many miles north of the Arctic Circle.

Now I had looked upon many charming scenes in my wild and wandering life; but while standing on the ridge of this great divide which seems to separate the green world and the land of sunshine and birds and flowers from the land of almost intolerable cold crisp snow, giant Iceburgs glaciers and snow-slides--I saw the fairest sight I had ever looked upon. Far westward the dying sun was painting the lofty snow-capped mountains, Northward the borrowed beams were shimering on the polar ice-bergs, in the Arctic Sea, Eastward were the last broken p.r.o.ngs of the defiant mountains known to the world as the rockies; and southward in all its modest beauty lay the mammoth valley of earths greatest river the Yukon. I bid farwell to the known world and sang the old old song--"In far away Alaska, where the Yukon river flows"

And then started down the great Arctic slope into the black bosom of the north. As we waved our hands in parting at southern civilization we hailed with a new delight the mystic and unruly regions of the north.

The first day of our descent the weather lost controll of its furious temper, and how things did hum, Cyclones in Iowa and Colorado, Blizzards in Newbraska and the Dakotas, all which have raged for a thousand years melted into one could not furnish the momentum nor terror of this storm for a second.

We camped under the shelter of a great glacier on top of the south side and there let the weather howl, When the weather abated we took up the march in earnest with all our vigor and after several days we came to a branch of a river--which we have since found out was called by the indians coa-ville river. you could tell that at certain seasons water ran down here, it was by no means a river in the sense of rivers such as they appear in other countries even in the dead of winter. We followed in this water trail about forty miles till we came to a pair of great glaciers which met in the center of the river then we were forced to go back and circle around them which took us two days. When we were again back on the bed of the river and had got along safely for about ten miles suddenly our back sled broke through the ice, and was caught by a mighty current and hurled under the ice--quicker than you could say Jack Rabbit. On this sled was most of our flour--this was ill luck we then named the Stream Lost flour river. Still we continued to go toward the north, the days grew short about three hours of daylight every twentyfour hours. So we had to use what is known as The "Arctic Bug" A tin can with a candle stuck in one side and lighted. Night after night we were surrounded by Siberian Wolves they hungred for our flesh. It was so cold that We had to sleep in our Reindeer sleeping bags through the night--so occasionally we would have to unlace our bags and smoke up the wolves and then depend upon a little rest till they got too fresh again.

Our dogs stood the trip well we fed them once a day gave them a single fish each evening after the days work was done, it is always best to feed in the evening the Husky or Malimouth is a very ferocious dog and if you do not keep them hungry they get lazy and will not mind but will defy you. many a dog-teamseer has accidently fallen down near his team while breaking trail and been eaten up. if you fall down they will jump on you like a lion. It is spectacular to see us feed them we remove the muzzle and harness take our gun in one hand unlock the fish box and call the dogs by name one by one at the same time throwing a fish at the one we mention, they will catch their fish like old Cy Young would a league ball even if it goes much higher than you intended they will climb the sky for fish. The Work dog is a great a.s.set to the travelers in that region. a good team will travel over a broken trail seventy five miles a day. it is a very pretty sight to see a well trained team travel. These dogs can pull a load weighing from one hundred to two hundred pounds according to the road and hills. Examine our big team two of which we had with us on this famous journey. Each day brought its new dangers and difficulties, each night had its terrors the inevitable howl of the wolves, the sneaking glacier bears, the extreme cold, the brilliant glow of the Aurora Borealis Which hissed high over our heads and shot like lightling in varigated rays, in sound resembling a turkey gobbler unfolding his wings. I cannot go into all the details of this trip into the unknown it was up and down glaciers, following often in the path where just recently a great snowslide traveled, carrying hundreds of tons of snow and ice and breaking and crashing like a ruined world. The snow slide is the greatest of all dangers in this region, I have seen as many as five all at one time, some are known as annuals or old faithfulls, others are known as untimely, and treacherous. many an Alaskan lies burried in valleys hundreds of feet below the surface in mountains of snow. I have always escaped the snow slide, I always test the snow as I go. If I get on a slope where Snowslides are frequent I prod deep into the snow to ascertain its actual depth, where the snow is thick it is most apt to slide. The cry is keep close to the rocks and you are safe. After many days of severe suffering and fighting cold we came to a perpendicular ridge of ice which we discovered was a long ridge, there seemed to be no way around so we prepared to let over each other. It was about one hundred feet down to the ice. I was the first to test the ropes, then one by one the dogs, sleighs, guns and all was over except the last man. we had provided for him, the rope was fastened under a huge piece of ice; and after he slid down we all pulled on the rope it brought cake and all over.

We were traveling the next day down the river when one of the boys saw a sleigh setting up a gainst a hill of ice, I went over to examine it and found it to be an Eskimo's Igloo. I got down on my knees and crawled into the hole on the south side. Inside were nine Eskimos, they quickly grabbed their lances, but I spoke to them in their language and they seemed pleased and soon layed down their spears and made me welcome. I backed out of the door and told the boys what I had found, we all went into the house and in less than ten minutes at least one hundred Eskimos were around the hut. Manny of them had never seen a white man and we were to them a wonder they would walk around us and look at us like a batch of monkeys. I gave the Chief's wife a small hand gla.s.s and they all looked into it and behind it like so many animals. I presented the chief with a watch and he gave me a Silver Fox in return. The Eskimos are great Pot-latchers That means givers to each other. they are very free hearted They seldom own anything very long at one time it is given from one to another constantly. We were planning to go on toward the Mouth of Gold river but the Chief told me his daughter was to be married in two moons: we stayed to attend the wedding. So I had a privelege to ascertain how the Eskimos make love and are married. If a girl is in love with an Eskimo she sends for him and combs his hair with her fingers. If he loves her he returns again if not he does not. they are engaged exclusively by the parents, then afterward are informed they are to be married. They are usually married in the moonlight the parents of the bride and groom p.r.o.nounce the cerimony. The bride and groom stand in the center, over a lamp, around them are their parents. around the parents are the next nearest relatives, them around them again are the friends. All form a circle and the inner circle march to the right the next circle march to the left--thus alternating As many times as there are circles. at this wedding there were about ten big circles and they looked funny enough under those bright stars and the great moon painting the ice and snow as far as the eye could reach, all dressed in fur going in opposite directions. They were given an ice house and the bottom was covered a foot thick with fine furs. I explained to the chief whose name was s.n.a.t.c.h-bow, about the warm weather in the south, he watched me in wonder and then stood up and said "Injun have no house he all melt. I no go there" Of course he said this in Eskimo. In his house was a few pieces of furniture. In the center was the knuckle bone of a macedon with a nice dish shaped top this was filled with oil, a string was laid in this; and one end lighted this was their only light. This lamp served also as a nurseing bottle for the babies. They had two round pieces of driftwood they used for chairs. In another hut I found they used hollow bones filled with oil for lamps with a cover over them and a wick made of a sea-weed. The squaws would lift the cover and take a sip out of the lamp and then go on with their work. Oil is their favorite drink. The Eskimos are very hardy so far as enduring cold is concerned--I saw an Eskimo bobbing--that is how they fish--hold a fish on a string just under water and as the big fish comes after it they spear it with a spear they hold in their other hand--This man was bobbing and his squaw was sitting on the sh.o.r.e watching him. on her bosom lay a babe about three months old, it was rapped around with a piece of fur its face was partly bare, it was snowing fine snow resembling frost, it was about 65 below zero, as I pa.s.sed I saw they snow in the babies face and wondered it was not dead just think of a babe under such an temperature sleeping with the snow falling in its tender face. It seems utterly impossible but it is true. But when you look for strength long life endurance or inteligence in the Eskimo you seek in vain. They all have sore matterated eyes, one fifth of them are deformed. one in ten has the consumption. and the average life of the Eskimo is about 30 years. They average to weigh about 90 pounds and stand about four feet and six inches high.

They are perfectly friendly even if they never saw a white man. They wrap up the dead in skins and hang them up, they freeze still and so remin till eaten by some wild beast. The Eskimos are beyond doubt the happiest people on earth, they never lie, steal, cheat, murder nor mix in family intercourse so common among all other indians. They have absolutely no religion, no expectation of ever coming to life when once dead. They are very ignorant and dirty their huts are black with smoke, their faces are oiled and covered with black from the oil smoke. Their huts never get warmer than the freezing point. they undress when they sleep. and use fish to cook their food, when they cannot get driftwood.

A great deal of driftwood floats in around the river mouth which is carried to the Arctic Ocean by the Great Mackinzie river and is distribuated all allong the sh.o.r.e and picked up in the summer and used in the winter. This wood providentialy sent is certainly a blessing to the Eskimos of this region.

As I pa.s.sed from hut to hut trading, I chanced to run across some indians from Candle Creek where I first learned to talk Eskimo. They were very glad to see me and used me fine making it very pleasant for us. One night while traveling from one town to another--for it was nearly all night at that time--two of my men were robbed--that was a piece of wonderment in these parts and in the life of the oldest indian it had never happened. As soon as the boys reported I took the Kidd and we set out to stop the thief--we went less than five miles when we overtook a rather unusual large Indian which I at once reconized as The worst Desperado in Alaska--he had killed several white men and about fifty of his own tribe, I first met him at Candle Creek, I pulled my gun and ordered him to put up his dukes--he did and I said John Spoon I know you and I guess you know me, unload that gold and those furs you took from my men or, I'll let daylight through you--He did a great stunt of obeying he was scared half to death, I had a notion to kill the other half. I was a fool to let him off so easy--But I always hate to shoot even an indian. Well we worked down to the Sea, and a few hours each day dug at placer mining. after forty eight days we took our gold about $4,455,00 and set out for the mouth of the Mackinzie river. This was a terrorable trip The sea had piled up ice-burgs so we had to travel allong the mountain side--Our hardships had been extreme and as we neared the Delta of the great River one day I noticed The Galloping Swede was loosing his mind, or getting crazy with hardships, which is the most incurable of all diseases, He had been snow blind, had had sore eyes, was homesick and lonesome, and the added over exposeures had ruined that bright and cultured mind. Lee Wilda--for this is his name had been with me a long time. his home was in Minnesota, his father was dead but he had a mother and a sister. Twice on our way we had to let our dogs and plunder over ice precipreses, with our lash ropes. Finaly we reached Coleville river and crossed over. it was about a half mile wide at the mouth. Just after crossing over this stream we saw 148 Polar bears on one cake of ice feeding on a dead whale. Allong this trip so near the sea we saw hundreds of seals, and walrus and killed a Muskox the most rare animal in the world. After over forty days we reached the mouth of the Mackinzie river, it is about eight miles across the mouth, and drains The great baer lake, the great slave lake, the lesser slave lake, The peace river the Athabaska river and hundreds of tributaries in to the Sea. It was nearing spring, we had no calendar, and did not even know the month of the year. We were glad: our sleighs were getting worn out, so were our snow shoes, and our provission was nearly gone and Lee was a raving maniac. We still had the main range of the Rocky mountains to cross. We came to a small station about one hundred miles up the Teal river: but the frenchman refused us anything to eat. He was buying fur for a fur Co. and wanted to kill off all indipendent traders. Without his consent I took what grub I wanted, he did not like it much permit me to say--but he choose this in preference to cold lead, I left him his full pay and begn our weary march to head of the Porcupine river. just before we reached the porcupine We met an indian prospector and gave him ten dollars for a pan of flour, and so got on to Fort Yukon.

Our feet were sore, so were our eyes, we were tired and worn out. We rested a few days and agin hit the road, we follwed down the Yukon to the Tannana and up this river a long ways and then struck across The mountains to the Kuskakwim river. And as we were going down marten creek One of my dogs bit me: he tore off the hole end of my finger. It was a bad bite the weather was very cold, and I could not give it proper care.

Four days later blood poison set in, my hand began to swell and pain me, worst of all we were loaded with Polar bear seal and white fox. My hand grew worse and worse I could not travel any longer so we had to throw away all our Polar bear and the dogs had to draw me. It was so cold that I had to walk at times, this lasted for eleven days. And for eleven nights, I walked around while the other boys slept. After this time we struck Shus.h.i.tna Station then we made Knik. from here we started for Seldovia but were foundered for two days near Fire Islands. when Maud the Moose picked us up and took us to Seldovia. Here a Government nurse operated on my finger and by her skill and my nerve she saved my life.

After four weeks I shipped on the Portland for Seattle leaving my men to go back to the claims and stay till I could return. With the exception of Lee Wilda he we sent to Seward to a doctor. During the most excruciating pain I sold my Mine known as the Roving Trapper and completed my Journey to the States, carrying with me a Dr. and A Trained Nurse.

After a long and dedious journey we reached Seattle and there I was confined to a room in the Hospital for four weeks--after which I took the overland limited for Michigan. One the fourth day of June I landed in the old town of my Childhood--Fife Lake.

I learned that my Father and mother still lived but had long since sold the farm and kept a small store in town. Once I could have named every individual I met--but now as I walked up the hill from the depot I was an entire stranger--Twenty years makes a great change, Many were my meditations as I walked over the little marsh where I had so often pa.s.sed when a mere child. I entered the old store, the one in which I spent my babyhood--where Father ran store before he bought the farm An old lady stooped, and seamed came in to ascertain that which I wanted, had I have been any other place I could not have gussed who she was, I told her I wanted a quarters worth of Cigars, I sat down upon the old chest which I still remembered, and began to smoke, memory was busy--Could this be my mother, I saw her last twenty years before, her locks were black as a raven's wing, her eyes like stars in mid-winter, her form straight agile and graceful--A horrorable thought seized me--I threw away the cigar and walked over to mother and told her I was her baby--I took her in my arms--It was a severe shock to mother, she had long mourned me dead, together we wept, she for joy, but I for the greatest mistake of my lifetime those twenty long years of prodigality.

No man ever repented more bitterly over his rash and careless actions than I did that fourth day of june.

Presently my Father came in--he too was old and gray--that step which had ever been so nimble and elastic was now abated, he did not recognize me--till he saw mother had been crying then his suspiction was aroused and I broke down--father took me one his lap; kissed me and welcomed me home.--Boys I have made a great mistake,--I can never recover the loss connected with this carelessness by all means never patron my example.

When the town folks found out who I was and that I was back from far-away Alaska they began to come in to see me--they had a right too They had watched over my dear old mother and father when they were sick as only the best friends on earth know how, how much I owe those dear old neighbours at Fife Lake. They filled the house and store and we had a great time for several days. I had to leave the old folks again without their consent, but not without their knowledge. successively I visited my relation not one of them ever guessing who I was till I informed them.

While visiting among the haunts of civilization I conceived the idea that a splendid outfit of furs, dogs, and other educative curios would be of interest to the folks of the States. so to morrow I set sail for Alaska to secure such an outfit which I hope you may satisfactorly inspect before reading my book.

Yours truly--Black Beaver.

Webster So. Dak. April 17, teenth 1911.

Bits of Information--Characteristics of Black Beaver

Black beaver was never lost but once in his life And that was in Cordalane Idaho. It had a peculiar effect upon him, it made him, sick to his stomach, sleepy and gave him the head ache. He never carried a compa.s.s in his life. can awaken at any hour of the night and point north south east or west.

Black beaver gives a recipe for cureing gray hair. this alone is worth the price of this book--"When I went up to Alaska I was quite gray headed I was crossing Jumbo Glacier, going North-west, they wind was cold and exceedingly stout my steel registered over seventy below zero--I was making good time--I became warm and perspired a little--for about ten seconds I removed my cap when I discovered my scalp was frozen. for nearly a year my hair was all out around my ears--at last it came in just as black as it was when I was a child--(Se my head seeing is believing) Ladies, gentemen freeze your scalp if you are gray"

Black Beaver is a natural tarveler in cold regions because; he is always feeling of himself to see if he is freezing. which is the only way one can tell in extreme cold.

An excciting place to sleep--on a Glacier which moves about ten feet a day--it is cracking, bursting exploding, trembling, groaning and together with the Glacier Bears and howling dogs, and Siberian wolves, and rolling around to keep from freezing is very soothing. Now I have fought buffalo flies in Michigan, Bed Bugs in Wisconsin, Lice in Wyoming, Rattlesnakes in Colorado, Coyotes in North Dakota, Rats in Australia, Spiders in South America,--But Glaciers are of all places I ever attempted the most exciting and difficult to get a little sleep.

The Glacier is moved forward by the compressed air which gets into the crevices behind the glaciers when it is split open by frost--then it freezes again and explodes which moves the great mountain into the river. The Glaciers not only furnish the water supply for the world--but also keep it fresh.

The term Mushing has been used in the book that means to walk.

The term Pan, means one dollar, b.u.m Pan means a half dollar. Hit means five dollars.

A great manny hunters have severe accidents with their guns--often they burst when they are fired off--this is caused by dirt accidently getting into the end of the barrel which so many inexperienced hunters unconscouusly do. I have known an explosion caused by snow in the end of the muzzle.

There was a very bad bear in Wyoming known as "Old Three points" There was an Irishman crossing over his territory and while sitting on a rock he looked up and saw "Old Three Points" coming toward him evidently on his track--for he was putting his noose to the ground seemingly in every track--"The Irishman said" Oh! its tracks ye want--then be gorry I'll make ye some" and he did. as many have done.

I was employed by a Ranchman to kill Three Points--so named because he had a nail torn off and left but three points to his track with his right paw. I took two of the best marksman I had and we rode over into his territory--after we had cooked our meat partly because we were hungry, and partly to draw the old fellow on by the scent--and before we had time to eat our meal the old plough hove in sight--

He was certainly in fighting trim, he came down over the hill--like a Newbraska cyclone--every log he came to he would knock clean out of his road the stones were flying right and left, he would knock rotton logs all to pieces, he would not turn aside for anything, he had been in a fight his hair was ruffled up, he was all covered with blood, and had been wounded several times, all at once we opened up on his with three bullets in his pelt driven there by guns which struck thirty eight hundred pound apiece--he just groaned and staggered a little, and made for us, We split up and gave him dope from three quarters which was more than old Three points had expected; and before he could claw any of our meat he lost his appet.i.te because we had fed him too much lead.

Black Beaver--knows how to live outdoors better than we know how to live indoors. He never catches cold, he positively knows every time just where to sleep, he never sleeps on his back if the ground is cold or damp--always upon his stomache.

He could teach the U.S. Army something worth knowing--about living out doors.

Black Beaver knows what animals think. Can tell just what maneuver a dog, wolf deer, or even a fish will go through on almost every occasion.

The Eskimos at Point Barrow--think the Aurora Borealis is caused by the Great Icebergs toppling over into the water, and the water is so much warmer than the great lump of ice covered with frost that an explosion takes place--caused by the coming together of these two substances so different in temperature. Then the ice splits and the explosion causes light ans makes a noise which is always heard in the Arctics.

The Eskimo scoffs at the idea of man reaching the North Pole. They say the place where the pole is supposed to be, is an unfinished part of creation, and how can man find that which has not been created. They say the north Pole is one continous upheavel of indisscribable explosions.

That not a bear, owl, tomigan, fox, indian or even a whale or fish could live, nor do they live beyond the hut of the Eskimo.

Could you if you could not write, write a better book? I have no vain idle catchy words, but news in a nude form do you appreciate news, gold dug out of mud? then give me credit for what I have done rather than for what I have said. Read my later publications. So excuse the errors of a sourdough, keep track of me I want to talk to you later. Good bye for this time. I shall enjoy being a true friend to every reader of Black Beaver the Trapper.

Ask me questions, if you have my address, write to me while I am in the wilderness. I once stopped and listened for an hour to the disputed music of a Baby's cry.--then if this consoled--perhaps you can, I start tomorrow for the Golden sh.o.r.e Of Alaska, over rough seas, swollen rivers, rocky coasts and s.h.a.ggy hillsides. But I shall return again--From that wilderness, to enjoy and make glad the gentle loving people in the States where the stars and stripes defend, And where maidens and lovers, husbands and wives, enjoy sweet life and charities beyond the possibility of any race in any other land under G.o.d's girdling skies.

THE END.