nd I want
you boys to remember it. That's something different from what Admiral
Peary did when he found the North Pole. We are well met here,
Archdeacon, if you will allow me to say so, and if you will accept us
I may say that we all are sportsmen, and sportsmen are always well
met."

He motioned to his young companions, and each of them in turn came up
and shook hands with this explorer of the Far North, who greeted them
with gravity and kindness.

"Well," said he, at length, smiling, "here is our little wretched
town, as bad, perhaps, as any white and Indian settlement in Alaska. I
have spent many years among these people, and I presume I am disliked
as much as any man along the Yukon! As you see, we stand for law and
order here, and we churchmen are hated here for that reason. We arrest
some of the lawbreakers and take them down to Ruby to the courts, and
have them fined or imprisoned. They threaten us--but none the less you
see we have not run away.

"You will come to our services to-morrow?" he added. "Yonder is our
little log church. Perhaps our services will prove interesting for a
special reason. I speak in our tongue, but what I say must be
interpreted to my Indian audience."

"Certainly; we'll be glad," said Uncle Dick. "We feel as though we had
somewhat lapsed these last few weeks. It is fine to be with you here
and in these surroundings."

"I see that your young friends carry books in their pockets, and
papers," rejoined the archdeacon, nodding to Rob and John.

"Oh, that's nothing, sir," said Rob. "We just make notes of things as
we go along, you see. John here is our map-maker. He always makes maps
of the countries which we visit. So you see--"

"And did you make a map of the summit of the Rockies--the old Rat
Portage of the traders, young man?"

"Why, yes, sir," said John. "I put it all down here as we went along,
and Uncle Dick says it's pretty good. He's an engineer."

He now spread out his map upon the table, as their host suggested.

"I'll tell you why I asked," said the latter. "As I have said, I have
been obliged to be an explorer and a traveler myself--my field is very
large. It is nothing for me to travel a hundred miles behind a
dog-sled in the winter-time to hold services or to make a baptism or a
wedding. Sometime I hope to make that very journey that you have made.
At Dawson I have seen some maps, or alleged maps, but no two are
alike."

"That's what Uncle Dick told us and what