The Magnetic North

hath is a sweet life; but he that findeth a

r pens, their factories, pulpits, and easy-chairs, each man like a magnetic needle suddenly set free and turning sharply to the North; all set pointing the self-same way since that Ju

k of the Yukon, a little detachment of that great army pressin

each Dawson that year. But instead of "getting cold feet," as the phrase for discouragement ran, and turning back as thousands did, or putting in the winter o

oats against the floe-ice, ultimately drove them ashore, and nearly cost the little party their lives. On that last day of the long struggle

. Then came the morning when, out of the monotonous cold and snow-flurries, some

his teeth," said one man,

thought that each day's sailing or rowing meant many days nearer the Klondyke, seemed to inspire a superhuman energy. Day by day each m

, they realised it was to be that abomination of desol

hore. Twice, in spite of all they could do, she was driven within a few feet of what looked like certain death. With a huge effort, that last time, her little crew had just got her well in mid-stream, when a heavy roller breaking on the starb

the cheerful Kentuckian, shipping his oar and knocking off t

an anxious, cast-iron-l

r to get through the ice-co

eemed to be comparatively safe now, with half a mi

ice jacket that cracked and crunched as he bent to h

there they would have to

how it

ad, was a great white-capped "roller" coming-coming, the

boiling middle of what they had thought was foaming "white-cap," the boat struck something solid, shivered, and went shooting down, half under water; recov

ore by--and by--he wouldn't pul

ler, and seized Potts' oar just in time to save the boat from capsizi

But even under the insult of that "meanest word in the language," P

his ain't," he said. "It's p

is senses for the moment, and the Kentuckian, still pulling lik

! Take that rudder! Quick, or we'll kill you!

, Potts

inging mass at the bow, but they kn

ead. The gale was steadily driving them in shore again. Boat and oars alike were growing unwieldy with their co

how it

ckian. "Throw her in!" he shouted to P

hing anybody knew was that the Tulare was on her side and her crew in the water. Potts w

ckian kept turning to look anxiously for any sign of the others, in his heart bitterly blaming himself for having agreed to Potts' coming into the Tulare that day in place of the Kentuckian's own "pardner." When they had piled the resc

was at the bottom of the Yukon, a

d that first night extremely well

une again puts an edge on the circumstance. The next day, not being

in vain for any sign of the Mary C.. They prospected the hills. From the heights behin

ersized timber, plenty of snow and plenty of riv

inky-looking mouth bearing witness to veracity; "and ther

he other, "it's a sor

is point the river was only about two miles wide, and white already with floating mass

cattered growth of scrubby spruce, birch, willow, and cotton-wood. Timber line was only two hun

amp stretching endlessly on either hand, and back from the icy flood as far

arrive at this," said the Kentuckian, looki

grumbled another, "we're still thirteen

ing calculation

t railroad or telegraph, and, now that winter's down on us,

no white trader, nothing to show that any

steps muffled in the clinging snow; and sixty feet above the great river, in a part of the w

olonel" who had never smelt powder, and "the Boy" (who was no boy at all, but a man of twenty-two)-these five set to work felling trees, clearing a

steamer that carried them through the Golden Gate

inspected. But for this foible, as the untravelled considered it, he was well liked and a little feared-except by the Boy, who liked him "first-rate," and feared him not at all. They had promptly adopted each other before th

d seen something of frontier life, and fled it, and MacCann, the Nova Scotian schoolmaster, had spent a mo

n the voyage up. This young man with the big mouth and lazy air had been in the office of a bank ever since he left school, and yet, under pressure, he discovered a natural neat-handedness and a manual dexterity justly envied by some of his fellow-pioneers. His outfit was not more conspicuously meagre than O'Flynn'

spirit. Potts the handy-man was a talker, too, and a good second. But, once in camp, Mac the Miner was cock

new conditions. So the others looked on with admiration and a pleasant confidence, while Mac boldly cut a hole in the brand-new tent, and instructed Potts how to make a flang

r, urged that probably every man had a little "mite o' somethin'" that he had brought specially for himself-somethin' his friends had given him, for instance. There was Potts, now. They all knew how the future Mrs. Potts had brought a plum-cake down to the steamer, when she came to say good-bye, and made Potts promise he wouldn't unseal the packet till Christmas. It wouldn'

hed it!" "Just what I'm sayin'

c wasn't the man to refuse him a little cold pizen; but he must be allowed to keep his own medicine

nly. Whereon a cloud descended on Mr. O'Flynn, and his health began to suffer; but the precious demi-john was put away "in stock" along with th

ide for a level foundation, and

work, and looking at the bleak prospect round him-"

Mac thought; "I

osy along," said Potts; and the

strange voices; looked up from their work, and saw two white men seated on a big cake of ice going down the river with the current. When they recov

ou take us for? Not much! W

man was dressed in magnificent furs, a long sable overcoa

rub?" Mac

want

I thou

o try to live throu

es

ou are i

thought a

hrough? Were they crazy to try it? They had looked forward eagerly to the first encounter with their kind, but this vision floating by on the treacherous ice, of men who rath

a small ramshackle cabin with a tumble-down fireplace, which served them so ill that they ultimately spent all their waking hours in the more comfortable quarters of the Colonel and the Boy. It had been agreed that these two, with the help, or, at all events, the

m each bank of the river. In the middle of the flood the clotted current still r

lliding floes, the sound of the great winds rushing by, and-"Hush! What's that?" Tired men would start up out of sleep and sit straight to

over, the Yukon frozen from bank to bank. No sound from t

r had

the only two people they had thus far seen. Bo

nd said, "That accounts for it," in a tone not intended to flatter. Mac hadn't thought of it before, but he was prepared to swear now tha

all know t

ng hot, was goaded into vaunting the

this man teach school! Doesn't know the difference yet between th

eople of the States have of gobbling the Continent (in talk),

nd then they referred to effete monarchical institutions, and by the time they reached the quest

derness, it was more possible to forgive a man for illusions about the Apostolic Succession and mistaken views upon Church government. The Colonel, at all events, was not so lax but wh

he necessity for "service." For this was an occasion when you couldn't argue or floor anybody, or hope to make Mac "hoppin' mad," or have the smallest kind of a shindy. The Colonel read the lessons, Mac prayed, and they all sang, particularly O'Flynn. Now, the Boy couldn't sing a note, so

ple of grouse and a beaming countenance. Mac, who was cook that week, was th

than his Sunday gloom usually per

t one eye, but he's splendid. Told me no end of things. He's coming here as fast as his foot will let him-he an

overhauling the provi

. I don't know that we've come all th

d fellow. He-he's a converted savage, seems to be quite a Christian." Then, hastily following up his advantage: "He's be

ng out a small panful

e Boy-"big fellows, almost as big

l of beans and then at t

ooking," says he

nows a frightful lot. He's taught me some of his language already. The men with him said 'Kaiomi' to ev

how to sn

go so fast you always trip up! He'll show us how to steer

easuring ou

d a skin kyak from the coast." Then with an inspiration: "His people are the sort of Royal F

his hand on a side of baco

e first village above us here." Mac took up a knife to cut the bacon.

d Mac firmly; "they'r

im his head." But the young face cleared as quickly as it had clouded. After all, the point wasn't worth fig

had gone in the opposite direction, across the river ice to look at an air-h

ented Mac, who had come to the door for a glim

so th

would make two o

be quite as big as that. I was in a hurry, but I suppose

o you

doesn't matter to your stomach whether y

like that. They're the most a

too-big as Nova Scotia-if you'd found 'em-c

is th

He says his father's got a heap of pelts (you could get things for your collection, Mac), and

e quite

the foremost

onth. "This," says he, turning first to Mac and then to the other white men, "this

, and the atmosphere was quickly heavy with their presence. When they slipped back their hoo

the Colonel of the man nearest hi

d the Boy, indicating Nicholas, "and he l

ar is

ut to-night,"

ch w

rked his head

people

nod

e men

ok his

the neares

chism and fixed itself on his race's immemorial pr

said he could

e and I had a great pow-w

ne eye on the bacon that Mac was cutting

said the Boy, "when he

nd now put the frying-pan on an

" inquired

n't you

p time, c

ldn't ea

nodded em

was curious to see if they

d the visitors to the deal box. They made a dart forward, gathered up t

he Colonel un

left into the frying-pan, a

poured the tea, while silence and a strong smell of

olas had gone stone-deaf. There was no

blinking of beady eyes, till the Colonel suggested a smoke. Then they all grinned broadly

las took his pipe out of his mou

y catch fish

ice? No. Ho

down trap-heap

to live on?" a

ish, too, left over fro

snow begin get soft, Pymeuts all go off-" He

there?" Mac was b

bou,

y f

ap ermun

, I suppos

inds. Wolf-muskrat, ott

ins now?" asked

now get soft. You c

been just now?"

Mic

since ye l

ve sl

s thirte

las n

possibly walk

follow the windings of the river, th

ail-big mountain

go to St. Mi

r. Me leave N. A. T. and T.

the great North American Tradi

nny little duck of th

learnt English,"

ish at Holy Cross.

suit missio

ty m

guess you've had enough

follow this observati

u no go any more long w

las g

gimeut-all

at

fea

n mission there

g Innui

he

down to Ikogimeut when Yukon ice get

ny peo

go, plenty

r do th

oserefsky, come from A

n awful distance

his general information, and quite ready, since he had got

ave these-" "Big fire-big feed-tell hea

ear, eh, down

ice, not with any hit of reverence or awe, but with an air

and have a dance w

'Man no dead; man gone up.'" Nicholas pondered

sts are right," s

but for the life of him the B

e stay dead, eh, and you m

we cold, we hungry. We here heap long time. Dead ma

f hearts not ill-satisfied at the evidence of the skin-deep Christianity of a man delivered over to the corrupt teaching of the Jesuits, found in this last fact all the stronger reaso

Mac would himself pray the prayers they couldn't utter for themselves. He jumped up, motioned the Boy to put on more wood, cleared away

e Boy's-being hooked in for service. As long as the Esquimaux were there he couldn't, of course, tear himself away. And here was the chance they'd all been waiting for. Here was a native chock-full of knowledge of

ng open his book, "and we were just going to have church. You

kid me go

u grew up? They still have

Brachet, him

on't y

y conscious of thre

ust take up

do that a

ed to Nicholas before. He sa

onel gravely-"he doesn't like it, doe

urch; him know me ta

he was not growing in popularity. Suddenly that

Brachet and to Mother A

lonel exchange

d the Sisters live whe

ative put two fingers on the floor. "Big white cross in middle"-he laid down his pipe to p

, "we'd be hearing of

im boys how make traps, show him girls how make mucklucks." "Wh

as. "Kaiomi"; and he sho

ys, and"-as though this were a yet

greatly mystifi

off up here nobody will ev

ren has this sh

boys, and-me no savvy how much gi

tting with inward laughter

a native s

otatoes grow-all kinds. Sisters teach girl make dinne

bt of it," s

what darkness must they grope when a sly, intriguing Jesuit (it was well known they were all like that) was for them a type of

. Mac and the Colonel telegraphed agreement on this he

he Jesuits taught you chants and

red Nicholas af

, can't you?"

No, me

oared wit

t. You fellows do the songs, and

ou don't mind being blasphemous for yo

riam dance before the Lord? W

roud of his new friends. There was a great deal at stake. The Boy felt he must walk warily, and he already regretted those light expressions about dancing before the Lord. All

e them; but when, after the Colonel's "Here endeth the second lesson," Mac said, in

n't go in the middle of the meetin

ould end badly, dropped on his knees to add the force of his own example, and through the opening phrases of Mac's prayer the agnostic was heard

emonstrate

ike man go home in the middle. They he

icholas slowly and

y. And first Nicholas, and then

and then over their shoulders at the droning Mac and back, cat

the Lord on behalf of the heathen, he lost count of time. On and on the prayer wound its slow way; involution af

ess, misled by wolves in sheep's clothing-wolv

n covert terms, a due sense of the iniquity of the Jesuits, without, at the same time, stirrin

the Lord without rousing O'Flynn-a piece of negotiation so delicate, calling for a skill in pious invective so i

n iniquity; but they are weak,

visitors shifting from one knee to another, and feared the worst. But he sympathised deeply with their predicament. To ease his own legs

ver his shoulder showed Mac absorbed, and taking fresh breath at "Sixthly, Oh Lord." The Boy put out a hand, and dragged the apple-bag slowly, softly towards him. The Prince dropped the sleeve of his coat, and fixed his

fired a bit of dried apple at him, at the same time putti

l his strong, white teeth, and ecstatically winked his one eye back at t

ac. So the Boy had to feed them, too, to keep them quiet. And still Mac prayed the Lord to catch up this slip he had made here on the Yukon with reference to the n

om the high themes of heaven to the things of common earth, Mac came down out of the clouds w

, and says h

you get t

tared, and seemed in doubt if t

get that coat

mbly. "I told you his fa

e th

olas; "this bel

I thought I'd seen it befor

St. Michael me meet Indian. Heap hungry. Him got bully coat." Nicholas picked it up off the floor. "Him

id he get

e men came down r

s,

big ice here, and one... go down. Indian"-Nicholas imitated throwing out a line-"man tie mahout round-but-big ice come-" Nicholas dashed his hands together, and then paused

white man-what

h it was plain he knew well enough

end of the fellows who

bade Prince Nicholas and his heathen retinue go