eplied the frightened, but grateful youth.

Once more they bent to their work, and pulling themselves together,
succeeded at last in reaching the summit with the second sled, the
whole party utterly used up. Even Jeff Graham sat down on one of the
loads, panting and too tired to speak. When he found voice, he said:

[Illustration: ALL JOINED IN PUSHING AND PULLING ONE SLED.]

"What fools we are! And yet if I went back to 'Frisco, I'd start agin
for the Klondike the next day; so I reckon we'll keep on."

No one responded, for they were so wearied that talking itself was
labor.

Looking to the southwest, they could see the blue shimmer of the
Pacific, where the Gulf of Alaska rolls its white surges against the
dismal shores. Far in the distance a faint line against the sky showed
where a steamer was probably ploughing its way to St. Michael's, with
hundreds of gold-seekers on board, the van of the army that is pushing
toward the Klondike from the West, the South, and the East, until it
would seem that even that immense region must overflow with the
innumerable multitudes, drawn thither by the most resistless magnet
that can make men brave peril, suffering, and death.

Turning in the opposite direction, they saw the mountain slope melting
away in the great valley of the Yukon, with the trail leading through a
narrow, rocky gap, and with naked granite rocks rising steeply to the
partly snow-clad mountains. The party had been fortunate in completing
the ascent in less than a day, when it often requires twice as long.
The first half mile of the descent was steep, when the slope becomes
more gradual. The glare of the snow compelled all to use their glasses,
and seven miles from the summit they reached the edge of timber, where
camp was made.

Freed from all fear of descending avalanches, with plenty of food and
wood for fuel, the exhausted gold-hunters lay down on their blankets,
resting upon more hemlock boughs, and enjoyed the most refreshing sleep
since leaving the steamer at Juneau. It was not until considerably
after daylight that Jeff awoke and started a new fire, with which to
prepare their breakfast, and when that was ready the boys were roused
from slumber.

They were now within three miles of Lake Lindeman, a body of water five
miles in length, and the journey was speedily made. It was on the shore
of this lake that the party expected to build a raft or boat with which
to make the long, rough voyage to the Y