The Project Gutenberg eBook, The Alaskan, by James Oliver Curwood,
Illustrated by Walt Louderback

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Title: The Alaskan

Author: James Oliver Curwood

Release Date: April 1, 2004 [eBook #11867]

Language: English

Character set encoding: US-ASCII

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THE ALASKAN

A Novel of the North

By JAMES OLIVER CURWOOD

With Illustrations by Walt Louderback

To the strong-hearted men and women of Alaska, the new empire rising
in the North, it is for me an honor and a privilege to dedicate
this work.

JAMES OLIVER CURWOOD

Owosso, Michigan August 1, 1923

THE ILLUSTRATIONS

It was as if the man was deliberately insulting her (Frontispiece).

The long, black launch nosed its way out to sea.

The man wore a gun ... within reach of his hand.

Mary sobbed as the man she loved faced winged death.

CHAPTER I

Captain Rifle, gray and old in the Alaskan Steamship service, had not
lost the spirit of his youth along with his years. Romance was not dead
in him, and the fire which is built up of clean adventure and the
association of strong men and a mighty country had not died out of his
veins. He could still see the picturesque, feel the thrill of the
unusual, and--at times--warm memories crowded upon him so closely that
yesterday seemed today, and Alaska was young again, thrilling the world
with her wild call to those who had courage to come and fight for her
treasures, and live--or die.

Tonight, with the softly musical throb of his ship under his feet, and
the yellow moon climbing up from behind the ramparts of the Alaskan
mountains, something of loneliness seized upon him, and he said simply:

"That is Alaska."

The girl standing beside him a