ALONE IN THE VAST SOLITUDE.
A CLAIM ON KLONDIKE
A Romance
OF
THE ARCTIC EL DORADO
BY
EDWARD ROPER, F.R.G.S.
AUTHOR OF
'BY TRACK AND TRAIL THROUGH CANADA,' ETC., ETC.
WITH ILLUSTRATIONS
WILLIAM BLACKWOOD AND SONS
EDINBURGH AND LONDON
MDCCCXCIX
All Rights reserved
ILLUSTRATIONS.
ALONE IN THE VAST SOLITUDE . . . . . . Frontispiece
SHOOTING MYLES CAÑON
LAKE LA BARGE
FIVE FINGERS RAPIDS
ON THE YUKON AT THE MOUTH OF THE KLONDYKE RIVER
OUR DUG-OUT, OUR TUNNEL, AND OUR SLUICE
"WHEN SHE APPEARED AGAIN I WAS GREATLY EMBARRASSED"
MAY AND I IN THE DUG-OUT
"IT WAS A MELANCHOLY UNDERTAKING"
"WELCOME, FRIENDS"
A CLAIM ON KLONDYKE
PREAMBLE.
Somewhere near midnight in January 1897, a man—important to thislittle history—stood on an expanse of glittering snow, amidst lowforest-covered hills and rugged mountains which were draped in the samewhite garb. He was looking eagerly towards the north-west, and waslistening intently.
This man was muffled to the eyes in furs, he wore a rough bearskincoat, and his head was enveloped in a huge capote. He wore snow-shoes,and a gun lay across his arm.
A grand long-haired dog was by his side; he was listening, seemingly asintently as his master.
The moon was shining full, the deep purple sky was sown thick withbrilliant stars,—one could have read small print easily, it was solight.
Not a breath of air was stirring.
The intensity of the cold was indescribable: if there had been theslightest wind, this man could not have stood thus, in this open space,and lived.
He was a large man really, but the immensity of his surroundings, thevast field of dazzling snow on which he stood, made him appear to be apigmy, whilst his loneliness and solitude gave a note of unutterablemelancholy to the scene.
Several minutes passed, neither dog nor man moving from this attitudeof strained attention. All nature was absolutely motionless; no branchstirred in the near forest, nor was one flak