Black Beaver Part 2

In Montana we caught fine beaver, The beaver is a very instinctive animal. There are several varieties, The Dam Builder, The Bank Beaver, The Bachelor Beaver and the Drone Beaver. The beaver ranges in color from white to black. I never saw a white one, and but one black one except when I looked in the gla.s.s. The Beaver weighs from twenty to thirty pounds in the United States, and from forty to fifty in Alaska.

His food is bark, young gra.s.s and such foods, They cut timber down and know where it will fall. I ascertained this because I have known them to leave trees alone which leaned the wrong direction for them to use. I saw on the North Platte trees cut down by beaver which were four feet in diameter. They make chips resembling a chopper with a dull ax. He cuts his timber for winter and anchors it down four feet under water with mud useing his tail as a scow and also for a spade.

Beaver dams are great hindrances to the man with a conoe, Beaver meadows are splendid feeding grounds for deer and other animals. I have seen beaver meadows--that is a place where the trees were all cut down and used--covering hundreds of acres.

After breaking Camp we went to Cordelane Idaho, and from here to Frisco then over to Austrailia, We sailed out from the Golden gate on the 5th day of June and on the 20th day we reached Bellmont Aus. From here we went by rail up the Darling river. We spent about fourteen or fifteen days prospecting for a catch but found nothing inticing but hot winds and hot suns.h.i.+ne, so we cut our visit short and returned to 'Frisco the latter part of July--

We next went to Idaho and raked up our old gang with new accessories and began trapping on the Clearwater and camped just below the Continental Divide. We trapped to the St. Joe Divide and as far south as Bald Mountains. The snow fall in this part is very heavy, we were making a Deadfall one day when Billy Thorn made a miss cue with his heavy sharp ax and severed his s.h.i.+n bone and nearly looped off his leg. The ax struck about four inches below the knee, and nearly cut his leg completely off. We were thirteen miles from headquarters camp. We made a litter and carried him all the way. He nearly bled to death on the way.

There was no Dr. with in sixty miles. I thought it was up to me their old Chief to perform an operation. I washed the wound out as clean as posible, cutting away all shreads of flesh with my beaver knife, I hewed out some sweet birch splinters and tied the limb tight with moose wood bark from his ankle to his thigh. In three months he was able to walk and after six months he was trapping as usual. While Thorn was layed up I had a double dose of work to do and grew a little careless, so mush so that something happened which never happened before--I was cleaning my gun and rooled it over on my knee. I had forgotten to remove the loads and off she went tearing a big hole in our camp. I had had a great deal of trouble in my life teaching my men to always be careful about accidents. This same thing had happened severl times to the other fellows but never to me before. Most all old trappers and hunters get into trouble of their own, sooner or later because of carelessness. I never cover up a trap with my hand. I found a trapper starved to death, caught in his own bear trap by both hands; because he was in the habit of covering up his traps by hand. I always school the lads to cover every trap with a stick. It is better because the animal can smell hand marks readily.

After the accident of my gun explosion in camp I went out to look at A trap I had set for a wolverine. I came to the spot and found the chain broken and the trap gone, I began brus.h.i.+ng away the snow supposing he had dodged into a hole near by, the trap was set at the root of a tree Suddenly I heard a growl and down from the limb leaped the darn skunk upon my left shoulder while the trap struck me fair in the face, I did some tall scrambling shook him off and empied my revolver in his skin.

My shoulder was very sore for three months so we had two cripples at once. The next streak of ill luck, another of the gang got lazy and would not wash well in cold water and contracted cold and then Pneumonia--this layed him off for nearly three weeks. Our catch this winter was Wolverine, Lynx, Marten, Ermine, a few Beaver and Otter. but my Marten were of all more valuable.

I was engaged the next summer in Colorado by a ranchman to trap Mountain Lion. The Mountain Lion is a specie of the Eastern Panther they weigh from 80 to 150 lbs. Their color in winter is a steel grey and in summer is a greyish brown. Their food is rabbit and grouse. Their haunts are the Rocky mountains. Their hides are used for rugs and robes and worth from 5-to 15 dollars. They also feed on calves and colts. are very hard on a Horse Ranch-Man. They often attack men, I have known three men to have been killed by Mountain Lions. The Mountain Lion is very shy he can be poisoned the best of any way of taking his life. to trap a Lion you must set all bait traps and deadfalls horse back and be sure your horse has no shoes nor horse nails in their hoofs, if they have the Lion will steer clear of the trap they are very clever in every way. One time I was delayed from Camp it grew dark and I had an awful time to pick my way home I soon discovered that I had more than the dark and difficult roads to battle, For I was being followed by a Lioness five whelps and an old Dog Lion. I was on my Favorite Horse Old Gotch. He feared Lions equally as great as I hated Squaws, They followed me for about three miles and when I reached an open s.p.a.ce in the woods I halted near an old fir stub, I dismounted cautiously I could hear the old Dog growl and the whelps squeal like a flock of young pups. I found some dry leaves and struck a fire breaking off the limbs of the old stub for fuel, After an hour these limbs were all burned up and I had to go about thirty feet to another stub for wood. I had to be pretty foxy for both lioness and Dog kept uncomfortably close to me all the time I carried my six shooter in one hand, and wood on the other arm; just as I was returning with a load of wood the moon broke through a cloud and the old Dog was standing about forty five feet away in a bunch of weeds. I pulled my gun and took a chance shot and as luck would have it I broke his for shoulders and he could leap around but not direct his course. I never heard such a tearing racket; he would leap ten feet high and fall on his head when he struck ground, by this I knew I had fixed his front limbs. At this the Lioness and whelps retreated and after an hour I mounted Gotch and rode up near the tired and crippled Dog and sent a ball through his heart. I returned to the fire and had a little sleep before day-break. I skined the old fellow next morning he was a monster old, rugged, brawny & covered with (23) wounds. he had also been shot three times before.

After we broke camp we went to Mexico and rode a Horse Ranch. following this for several months we worked our way northward taking carefull notation of the changes in Saddles, Horses and riders. I have ridden many wild horses and used many kinds of saddles but the king of all saddles is the Meany. We could tie on to a steer that wieghed a ton and not be afriad of tearing this saddle to pieces.

We loved wild horse riding but we got so beastly full of lice that we quit. We have caught lice several times from the tourists, and tenderfeet but could always get rid of them other places by the cowboy method--At night take off your s.h.i.+rt turn it inside out spread it over an ant-hill, and in the morning the ants have all you company preserved for the coming winter.

The cowboys are a clean lot of brave loyal lads. They carry guns--but not as is supposed to use on one-another--but to shoot wild horses which they are riding--suppose your foot gets fastened in a stirrup and your are thrown, you will not go far till you are dragged to death. this is where the Gun does its intended work.

I have had to take my hat and strike the top of the water to drive the bugs down so I could drink without swallowing bugs, I used to cook and thought nothing of taking my water from a slough where several carca.s.ses of cows wrere putrying. Sometimes I ran short of Soda then I would use the ashes of Buffalo chips for Soda. All this is as harmless to health; as eating asparagra.s.s grown in a manure pile.

Well life grew monotnous, each succeeding year brought but old time haunts and the accostomed experiences. So as we sat at midnight in Portland Oregon in a grand ball room indulging in our only bad habit--smoking, simultaneously The Coyote Kidd and Myself proposed--to the gang let us go up to Alaska" To this we all shook hands.

Off for New Fields of Adventure--Going to Faraway Alaska

We went direct to the Little horn river Montanna and sold our Horses to the Crow Agency. Went to Deadwood S. Dak. picked up our Old Dog "Chum."

and some other property went back to Billings Montana settled up our Business and went to Seattle Wash.

In Seattle we fitted out for a three year expedition.

And on the 20th day of April at 2 P.M. we s.h.i.+pped out of the Harbor on the Old James Dollar--She was agood old s.h.i.+p built in South America made of meteec--.; but had her back broken while being launched Was patched up and yet hardly fit for rough seas.

Our first four days were very pleasant till we struck Millbank sound There we were hit with a heavy sea on our starboard-beam. The old s.h.i.+p would leap almost out of the ocean and then fall back like a wounded duck. she would flounder, pitch, rool and dive come to the surface and wipe off the brine slick as a mole. I felt a little disturbed in the locality of my abdomen, also my appet.i.te failed me for a few days; I was standing one morning on deck by the hand rail just leaning over for convenience--near by stood an Irishman spewing in the sea, a sailor came allong and said to the Irishman" You seem to have a weak stomache." "I don't know" Said the Irishman" I think I can throw it as far as the next one" Over that same rail engaged at the same pa.s.s-time was a young lady, leaning on the arm of her old Dad Between times she repeated"

I'me a fathers only daughter, Casting bread upon the water, In a way I hadent oter, I guess yes.

Casting it like rain, Into the troubled main, Hoping this sour bread will not return again"

We landed in Skagway on the fifth day of May. Now there were no docks in Skagway at that time; so we were unloaded by lighters and run up where the water was about three feet deep, there we had to get on a man's back and be carried ash.o.r.e. We were charged two dollars for the lighters and two dollars for the man craft, so it cost each of us four dollars to land after we had landed.

We arose early the following morning in another world. We knew the wild parts of the States and the beasts and the men, the lay of the cities, the course of thousands of the important rivers The climate, snow fall, cyclones and all other important things to know when your life is an outdoor life; but here we were in a new untried world. One of my failures is when I see a mountain to wish to know how the land lays on the other side, naturally given to adventure I had indulged, and it grew very rapidly upon me, till it got beyond my controll, so I was delighted to discover new fields.

After proper preparations we set out for White horse. After a few days we arrived at the Chilkoot Pa.s.s. The Chilkoot Pa.s.s, is a high pa.s.s about a mile high and steep as a house roof. And is also subject to very heavy snowslides. It was here where a short time before 148 soldiers in the British Army were all burried forever without any Sky-Pilot or Undertaker's a.s.sistance. We crossed through Jacobs Ladder where were six-hundred steps cut into the solid ice. There were several Men known as packers who lived at the foot of the ladder, they packed over loads for 45cts per lb. they wore spurs on the bottom of their moccasins; we were not tenderfeet, but used to the heaviest kinds of packing and you should have seen those sharks look with disdain on us when we made the pa.s.s carrying twice as many pounds up as they could. On this Trip I had The Coyote Kidd, The Galloping Swede, Taxas Tom. and Old Ed Scott. Four just as good men as I had had the pleasure of meeting during twelve years of rough life. And I was pretty sound then--my eyes were keen, my hearing alert my aim acurate, not like I am at this writing.

On the top of this Pa.s.s I had my last opportunity of buying a piece of mince pie which I never neglect--but this piece cost me a Pan or one dollar. The other fellows took lemonade paying the same price per gla.s.s.

I had hunted all kinds of game, common or uncommon in the Western Hemisphere. had led the most daring and dangerous kind of a life, but little did I realize the tiresome dedious and indiscribable journey that now lay before me.

As we crossed Chilkoot pa.s.s and descended through the long indentations leading northward and eastward amid snow ice and severe weather Old Texas Tom. The terror of the West, the old steel man as he was often called grew tired for the first time since our acquaintance. Together we rode the great roundup, together we had braved danger hard-s.h.i.+ps scores of times, at every other event he was cool faithful and ever on the spot; but now he sickened from fatigue to a terrorable back ache and head ache. That night he seemed to recover a little and the next morning shouldered his load and with less of his old time vigor and lightness began the day's journey. But about an hour later he had a relpase and we divided his load among us and he was able to travel till noon. then we camped as he grew worse and wrapped him in our blankest made him a good thick bed out of boughs, and fixed him up just as comfortable as possible. Four days later in the afternoon he called me up to his bed and began to talk about sunny Texas about his dear old mother his sweet young sister and his boyhood days. I tried to encourage him I told him he would soon get well and that he had only a bad cold--but he smiled and said he was not long for this world. He said this feeling was strange and unearthly and he felt the approach of death. Then he rested an hour and then called me up to him and said" Old Chief give me a pull at your pipe--I did he lay back on my knee where he seemed to rest the easiest gasped twice and died.

This was a hard blow on me and the other boys. The snow was deep and the ground frozen down a great depth, so we were forced to bury Our dear old Tom in the beautiful white purified crystal snow A purer and lovlier grave man never filled. we marked the place and summoned our courage and left the Old Texan who was reared amid the flecy cotton, sleeping his last long sleep amid the white flakes in far away Alaska.

We were unfamiliar with this kind of sickness but after we were experienced we knew our pard was afflicted with Spinal Fever. This is caused by the rubbing of a heavy load on the back, it causes perspiration then followed with fatigue the patient in weariness is constrained by this fatighue to lie down upon the ground, and a severe cold is contracted resulting in death. No traveler in that cold barren region should ever under any circ.u.mstances lie down upon the naked earth. Tom and we were all used to lying on the earth and thought nothing of. ignorance and eagerness caused his death, as it has the untimely death of many a mother's boy.

We took up our march sorrowfully and silently till we rached the Horalinqua River. Here he halted and searched for Gold. May I add that the craze for gold lead us into this region of ice and snow. We were unsuccessful but in our rambles we came to Pelley River and found Marten very thick, so we concluded to trap there the next winter. We left our outfit here and began the journey down to Dawson, we had to shoot the far famed Whitehorse rapids. there are seven of them and they are about 3 miles long, and run like lightling, we boarded a raft were cut loose by a half breed Mucklock and away we went almost a mile a minute riding on the crest of the rapid rooling river. Here after the pa.s.sing of the rapids we first met Swift water bill. so named by the Sourdoughs because he would never shoot the rapids. His was a queer experience. he dug out his fortune amid the bars of the river and then went back to Seattle and married a daughter having three homely sisters, and his wife was twice as holely as them all. each year following for four years he returned to Seattle and married a sister every time. and at last having wed the last girl, he broke all rules of life and married his Motherinlaw.

In this locality we made quite a stay mining and prospecting for hunting and trapping till the following spring. which hardly shows his face when autumn drives him off.

It was necessary for us to larn a few lessons so here we began to study.

first we were taught how to bridle a boat. this is done by tieing a rope around the nose of the boat about one third the way aft. then we learned how to make what they call portages--that is--when you come to falls or rapids, relieve the boat of all contents and carry contents and boat around the rapids. Then we were taught how to know quicksand and how dangerous the Overflow is to dogs, and men in extrems winter. an overflow is where the water bursts through the ice in the rivers and for a few feet runs on the top. it cannot run far for it soon freezes. If you put your foot in water or if your dogs step in water your feet and their feet would freeze in two minutes.

The next winter we built a line of camps up the Pelley river about sixty miles, and another line up the McMillian. October 10th we began to set traps for Marten, ermine and wolf. Here we learned that Marten were called Sable they are much larger and more valuable than the Marten of United States Of America. In color they are dark brown and some are almost black, they feed upon grouse and mice and never go near the water, they inhabit the cold regions and breed but once a year. They resemble the house cat in features but have long body like a mink. We took that winter seven hundred, the largest catch ever known to have been taken by any one gang in the world. The weather was exceedingly cold for we were only three hundred miles from the Arctic Circle. Spring came we broke camp and moved down to Dawson, sold our fur and drifted down the Yukon river to the mouth of forty mile creek. Here we turned up in search of placer mining, the short summer soon past and we returned to Dawson and fitted out for the winter.

After we chucked up we turned up toward Steward river, on this trip we met and formed the acquaintance of Geo. MacDonald, a wide world character. At one time he came to Dawson with twenty mules packed with gold. Three years later he died in Circle city a pauper.

Here also we first met the noted Montana Kidd--he swung his team of a dozen dogs around the corner of the road house and shouted to the landlord" Thirteen steaks dam the cost the Kidd always has the price" It cost him thirteen times ten dollars--or one hundred and thirty dollars; ten for himself and one hundred and twenty for his dogs.

After another successful winter we returned to Dawson sold our furs and went first to Eagle and chucked up and journeyed to Fort Yukon. Now Fort Yukon stands in the Arctic Circle and the Steel registers during cold weather 65 below zero. From here we went up the Porcupine river to Rampart Ho on the Eastern boundery of Alaska We did not like the country in this part so we returned to Fort Yukon; and turned down the Yukon river to the Tanana river then we up this last named stream to Fairbanks.

We reached Fairbanks in the early fall and trapped that winter on Beaver creek. having many experiencs but none which I shall record here.--After we broke Camp we sold our fur in Fairbanks and started for the head of Copper river. We followed this stream down till we struck Ambercunbo canyon. Not being acquainted with the river we were into the rapids before we knew it: I shouted to the boys to pull while I leaped for the steering oar, we got through all right but the boat was half full of water--and all the boys pretty badly scared, it was a close shave one adventure I do not care to repeat. We floated down to Katello; and here took a boat for Cook's inlet. We reached Shus.h.i.+tna station And started up Shus.h.i.+tna river till we came to the mouth of the Talketaa: here in search of trapping we failed to find the object of our search--but found something far better a splendid Quartz mine, which averages $93.00 gold per ton of quartz. From here we went to Seldovia and then to Dutch Harbor and on to St. Michels.

It might be well to say briefly that I had considerable exprience during my time with mining, and was no green horn, The Kidd was a natural miner, he would stick his pick, spade or knife into every bit of mother earth to ascertain if there was any color, we not only knew fur, beasts and birds, reptiles, fish, insects, but we knew the earth over which we walked, on which we slept and so contineud for sixteen years. We were full fledged Sour Doughs. We were citizens and Claim holders.

I should also mention that I have but briefly outlined our travel, we had traveled much more than one would naturly suppose from reading these few pages, I ought to say too that We had become expert Dog-teamsters.

And I need not say that not a man in Alaska nor an Indian could beat us on snow shoes.

We incidently fell in with a half breed who was looking for a husband for a half sister I made him believe I was looking for a Wife So he feel in toe. I according to his pleasure met his sister she was a cross between an Eskomo and a Mucklock, she was a charming biddy her eyes were sore, she was terrorably deformed having a large bone resembling a horn growing out of her right shoulder, she was about twenty four years old. and indians at that age are as old as white women are at fifty. if there is any beauty in Creoles, or Indians believe me it fades before they are thirty, and leaves you a homely hag.

Well Her brother told me he had heard about me and If I would consent to wed his sister he would tell me the road to a fortune. I saw he was smart and disclosed considerable truth and displayed considerable inteligence of the interior. He said he would go to that place but owing to physical inability he could not. What could a trapper from the flowery fields of the rockies, and broad basins of the Platte now of the Snow hidden mountains ice bound rivers of Alaska do but inmediately without consulting any parents--become engaged.

We sat down I dismissed the boys and he related to me the following "For a thousand years my people have been kings in these parts. A Few indians have been through the interior of Alsaka from Mt Mckinley to Point Barrow. But no white man ever was. It is well nigh impossible but a giant like you and like your men could go if you prepare properly And have the money to chuck up for two years. Now the fortune lies in what you could tell and what you would know and see rather than in what you could bring back. But should you gain Point Barrow remember there is plenty of gold.--but it can only be mined during the summer while the frost is wore out of the ground by the sea. Now half way through this wilderness of ice, snow, and bursting glasciers is a cave not in a valley but on a mountain above timberline. This mountain lies about ten miles westward of you main course as you go down Dead mans gulch. you will know this gulch by its first horrorable appearance. it makes even an indian shudder to look at it. After you emerge from the gulch take the first indentation leading westward and by all means go to black mountain and find the cave. Now why I wish you to find the cave is I wish you to live. the Wether is extremely cold, you and your men will need a relief from this extreme incessant atmosphere. this cave is of black rock and is as warm underfoot as any soap stone you ever touched.

and when once in the cave you feel warm as in an oven. Here you may recuperate patch up your clothes and make your journey safely." I thought this was hash so parting said I would return and tell him how I prospered. While time and weather would permit we went to Gnome and picked up Black Dave. And purchased severel good Huskeys. sailed back to St. Michals stocked up and set out on our trapping and hunting trip. But finding we had miss judged the lay of the land on the western slope of Alaska we again sailed back to Gnome and then crossed overland to Candle creek. We experienced some very hard travels in crossing the Seward Peninsula when we struck the south west side of the Kalzetpue Sound, from there we went west to Salawak river, then to the lake of that same name here we pitched camp and set our traps. Our game was Polar bear, Arctic Fox, Reindeer and Sable.

Now I was used to all kind of bear except--the Polar which I am free and frank to confess is the worst man eater on earth, not one beast of any country excepted. The Polar averages to weigh about seven hundred pounds his build is different from any other bear, he is long and lanky having giant legs, his color is pure white. Except at times he is yellow around the neck, and shoulders. His food is Walrus and whale which have been killed and cast upon the ice by tremendous storms. They breed but once a year and seldom have more than one cub. he lives exclusively in the Arctic regions. His fur is used for rugs and robes and is worth about $150.00 per pelt. But it is so hard get these skins to civilization that they are rare, often other bear is colored and sold for real Polar.

Between the Polar Bear and Siberian Wolves we had to watch our dogs all night to keep them from being killed, as well as ourselves.

This country was poepled with Eskomos a sort of a cross between them and Mucklock indians. they were very friendly to us. I could address them in their own language which pleased them and we prospered fine. On the first day of Feb. we started back to Gnome.

And for the first time suffered total darkness by day and by night. We had enjoyed the midnight sun, and now must suffer the mid-day dark. The thermoneter lay about seventy below zero and the wind blew a gauger, On this trip back to Gnome I first learned what it was to neglect for hours to wait upon Nature, owing to the suffering of even exposing you bare hand for ten seconds. On this trip our old Chum, the playmate of Texas darling of Wyoming and the tramp of Deadwood So. Dak. got so cold he whined and refused to go. We took him and put him in our sleeping bag. I had taken him because he was fat and I kept him as a reserve food, rather than for actual work. We had a great jag on our sleighs we had to draw fish to feed our dogs, fish for fuel and lights, and with our traps, guns sleeping bags and truck we had great loads.

We reached Gnome without any serious accidents or over severe suffering sold our furs and felt fine over our grand success.