easure house.

"I no lie. I tell um truf," said Pete, looking toward Thomas MacDougall,
remembering that the doubter had frequently called into question his
word.

"We see your gold, Pete, but you must show us a gold creek, too," was
Tom's answer to the Indian.

"I show you. Come!"

* * * * *

Three years passed. The great lakes south of the headwaters of the
Mackenzie River were again frozen. Darkness claimed the land except when
the brilliant low-swinging moon lighted the heavens and snowy earth
below, and the sun for a few brief hours consented to coldly shine upon
the denizens of the wilderness at midday.

A gang of miners worked like beavers in the bed of the stream. With
fires they thawed the ground, after having diverted the creek waters the
previous summer.

Their camp was a large one. Fifty men worked in two shifts, one half in
the daytime, the others at night. At the beginning of each month they
were changed, and night men were placed on the day force; this
alternation being found best in all mining camps. Log cabins and bunk
houses were numerous, large, and comfortable, for forests of excellent
timber dotted the Mackenzie landscape, and men, as ever ambitious for
comfort, had felled, hewed, and crosscut the trees to their liking.

Much that was crude of construction was here in confirmation of the fact
that the camp was far removed from civilization, and men had, with great
ingenuity, supplied deficiencies whenever practicable.

As helpers who were ever faithful there were "Hudson Bay huskies" to the
number of four score who had become real beasts of burden, and vied with
each other as to which should carry the palm for leadership and favor in
their masters' eyes. They were mainly used for hauling wood and ice; the
latter in lieu of water at this season.

For carrying gravel and dirt to the dumps the miners had constructed
rude tramways with small flat cars, which being successfully operated by
gravity in all weather left the dogs free for other service.

No sluicing of dumps could now be done. When summer came again and the
creeks and rivers were full of water, this would be directed into
ditches conveying it to the well arranged heaps of dirt and gravel, and
then these dumps rapidly melted like snow before hot sunshine, leaving
in their wake a stream of yellow metal so coveted by these fearless and
daring miners.

For no small amount of gold had they risked thei