Part 13 (1/2)

”Oh, quit your cursing, Gibbs,” at last exclaimed the older man, ill-naturedly, ”and let's decide what can be done. I have a plan which I will unfold to you if you can stop swearing long enough to listen.”

”What is it?” moodily asked Gibbs.

”Let the boys go on to Nome and tell as many big yarns as they like about this rich old creek. When we get there we'll go them one better and make the eyes of the Nomites stand out in wonderment. We will then collect money from as many persons as we can successfully hoodwink into believing our stories and then skip back to the Koyukuk. When the ice has left the rivers we can change our currency into gold dust at some trading post and quietly leave for the 'outside'. Afterwards, if we wish, we can carry this scheme a point farther and on the outside sell Midas ground to all who are easily gullible. See?”

As the man said this he leaned forward to get a closer view of his listener's face. What he saw encouraged him to proceed.

”What do you say, will you do it?'”

”It is the only honorable way out of the sc.r.a.pe, eh?” laughed the other.

”Honor be d----d!” exclaimed Dunbar. ”Will you do this or not?”

”I will.”

”Shake!”

The two men then shook hands, sealing a compact diabolical to the last degree, and without further hesitation started for Nome the next morning.

There was great excitement in Nome. Five miners had returned from the Koyukuk country and given out information of a gold ”strike” of exceeding richness. Three of these men had arrived before the others, but all told the same story. A Selawik Eskimo, they said, had recently guided them to the creek where their own discoveries had confirmed his statement. Nothing so rich had they ever before seen. The creek gave promise of being one of the most famous placer gold diggings that had ever been found in Alaska; was in fact a veritable Golconda, and the returned prospectors dilated upon the interesting details of their story with evident enjoyment. They stated that the formation of the country was the very best for gold indications; that the creek was wide and shallow, the benches were broad, and the hills few in number but long and sweeping like the famous hills of Solomon and Anvil.

The two miners went further. While expatiating to their listeners upon the extent of the possible and probable contents of their new creek, each man exhibited with much gusto a medium-sized ”poke” partly filled with coa.r.s.e gold and nuggets which they had panned (they affirmed) from the gravel bed of the stream after cutting away the ice sufficiently; and with these and other plausible tales were the good people of Nome for weeks entertained.

To their three companions Dunbar and Gibbs gave no hint regarding their actual experiences at Midas.

The secret was safer with two than five; but five men could arouse greater interest and raise more funds for their schemes. For this reason the two leaders kept their own counsel, but urged the spreading of the false reports.

Money soon began to flow into their pockets. Everyone wished to have a hand in this wonderful ”strike”, and all were willing to pay for such interests. Not only did mining men go into their bank books, but clerks, stenographers, and small tradespeople pa.s.sed out their hard-earned money. Women also felt reluctant to be left behind at a time of such wondrous opportunity, and plunged their hands into all sorts of nooks and crannies for their long h.o.a.rded but smaller denominations.

A few months and the scene was changed. Two miners poled their small boats down the Koyukuk River. Winter was gone, taking ice and snow with it. Instead of these, the waters of the great river, fed by melted snow and tributaries, surged on mightily, now whirling in swift rapids where huge boulders impeded their progress; or to lower levels where green islands caused a division of the floods allowing reunion later.

The men in the boat talked little. They managed to drift past the princ.i.p.al mining camps during the night in order not to be much seen. To be sure, there was no darkness at this time of the year, but the camps were not stirring much through the night; and in the event of a near approach to a trading post in daylight they rested a few hours among the willows on the river banks or upon some island in mid-stream. When they had slept and eaten before their camp fire their journey was resumed.

In the bow of the boat lay two sacks of very great weight. They were not large, but were made of strong, thick material, such as is used for tents. Great care was given these sacks by the two men. At every halt along the river they were carefully lifted out upon the ground above the reach of the water, and covered by some article of clothing or bedding.

The sacks contained gold.

The men had come from Nome to the Koyukuk, where at a small trading post they had changed a large amount of currency into gold dust and nuggets, mined from adjacent creeks. With this they were making their way south to the Yukon River where they intended to go quietly on board a steamer heading up stream, thus making their way to the Klond.y.k.e and later to the States.

Reaching the Yukon River, a small steamer was hailed; they boarded her and soon smoked contentedly on deck in the suns.h.i.+ne.

”Are you going on to 'Frisco' as you first thought of doing, Dunbar?”

inquired Gibbs, for these were the two Midas Creek promotors.

”You bet I am, and you go, too, for you are pledged to the scheme to the end, you know. You won't back down now, will you?” with some anxiety the question was asked by Dunbar.

”I couldn't with honor, old man, could I?” and the young miner laughed, tossing a handful of gold nuggets up in the air and carelessly catching them as he spoke.

”There you go again!” said the other, ”If I were you I would cut out all the small talk about honor after this. It isn't consistent.”