Part 46 (1/2)
”Nop! Bet your life.”
The ”Salmi of ptarmigan” appeared as a great wash of gravy in which portions of the much cut-up bird swam in vain for their lives. But the high flat rim of the dish was plentifully garnished by fingers of corn-bread, and the gravy was ”galoppshus,” so Potts said.
Salmon P., having appeased the pangs of hunger, returned to his perplexed study of Benham.
”Did I understand you to say you came into this country to _prospect_?”
”Came down the Never-Know-What and prospected a whole summer at Forty Mile.”
”What river did you come by?”
”Same as you go by--the Yukon. Indians up yonder call it the Never-Know-What, and the more you find out about it, the better you think the name.”
”Did you do any good at Forty Mile?”
”Not enough to turn my head, so I tried the Koyukuk--and other diggins too.”
”Hear that, Schiff?” he roared at his bandaged friend. ”Never say die!
This gen'l'man's been at it twelve years--tried more 'n one camp, but now--well, he's so well fixed he don't care a cuss about the Klond.y.k.e.”
Schiff lit up and pulled hard at the cutty.
O'Flynn had taken Kaviak to the fire, and was showing him how to roast half a petaty in wood ashes; but he was listening to the story and putting in ”Be the Siven!” at appropriate moments.
Schiff poured out a cloud of rank smoke.
”Gen'lemen,” he said, ”the best Klond.y.k.e claims'll be potted. Minook's the camp o' the future. You'd better come along with us.”
”Got no dogs,” sighed the Boy; but the two strangers looked hard at the man who hadn't that excuse.
Benham sat and idly watched preparations for the next course.
”Say, a nabob like you might give us a tip. How did you do the trick?”
”Well, I'd been playing your game for three years, and no galley slave ever worked half as hard--”
”That's it! work like the devil for a couple o' years and then live like a lord for ever after.”
”Yes; well, when the time came for me to go into the Lord business I had just forty-two dollars and sixty cents to set up on.”
”What had you done with the rest?”
”I'd spent the five thousand dollars my father left me, and I'd cleaned up just forty-two dollars sixty cents in my three years' mining.”
The announcement fell chill on the company.
”I was dead broke and I had no credit. I went home.”
”But”--Mac roused himself--”you didn't stay--”