The Wide World Magazine, Vol. 22, No. 129, December, 1908Various
History
The Wide World Magazine, Vol. 22, No. 129, December, 1908
Various
Adventure stories -- Periodicals; English periodicals; History, Modern -- 20th century -- Periodicals; Voyages and travels -- Periodicals
We therefore hitched the twelve dogs on to one sled, and after a
tremendous effort succeeded in getting the sled through the overflow on to
solid ice. The first sled taken through contained the tent and stove, and
while my partner and myself returned for the other sleds our latest ally
pitched the tent and lit the stove, and by the time we got back with the
second sled a good cup of coffee was waiting for us. We then returned for
the third sled, and having succeeded in dragging it through to the tent we
unanimously decided to knock off work, for, although we had only travelled
about half a mile from the hunters’ cabin, we were all satisfied that we
had done a good day’s work.
Next morning we started before daybreak, determined to put in a long day’s
“mush.” The thermometer was down to forty below zero, and we all had the
hoods of our “parkas” drawn tight.
We passed Kokomo Creek and had travelled for about six miles when to our
dismay we came to a place where the river was open, as far as we could see
it round the bend.
The same dreary programme of Chatanika overflow was repeated. Three
journeys were made through the water, which was in some places waist deep
and was over half a mile long. At the end of the first trip my partner
stayed to light a fire. After we had again succeeded in getting the three
sleds high and dry we changed our clothes in front of the fire, and, after
knocking the ice off the harness and sleds, we made a forced march to an
Indian camp about a mile farther ahead. We stayed here for two days, in
order to rest the dogs, as their feet had been badly cut by the ice.
At the end of two days my partner and myself started on alone and, after a
hard struggle through water and drifts, succeeded in reaching a cabin
known as “Cy’s Place,” which is about thirty miles from Cleary Creek. My
partner here threw up the sponge and said he was going back to Fairbanks.
I told him that I was not in the habit of turning back, so we finally
decided to separate, he to go back to Fairbanks, while I made up my mind
to try and reach Circle City, and there wait for some party going to the
Chandelar.
A bad wind-storm had arisen during the night, and up-river no signs of a
trail could be seen, so I left the dogs at “Cy’s Place” and tied on my
snow-shoes. Going ahead I “broke trail” for about six miles, returning at
night to Cy’s. Next morning I started off on my lone trip, and soon came
to the end of my beaten trail. I walked on ahead, wearing my snow-shoes,
and the dogs followed as best they could. Every few yards the nose of the
sled would bury itself in a drift, and the dogs would lie down until I
turned back and dragged it loose.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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