, he thought it might be poison, so he
tried it on a half-breed dog-driver. It did not kill him, so
he served it to his friends, and said nothing about it, and
they all thought it was very good! I believe this is a true
story, because so many things happen up in this country
that we don't hear about at home.

"_Monday, August 11th._--This is on the steamship
_Schwatka_, and we are bound up the Yukon! We said good-by
early this morning to the good archdeacon. It was dark when
he heard the dogs howling, and knew a boat was coming, so he
called us and we hurried and got dressed, and just got on
this boat in time. She isn't towing any barge, so ought to
make good time up to Dawson. We were sorry to leave the
archdeacon, but we are glad to be on our way home.

"We get four meals a day on the _Schwatka_, and very good
ones. John is happy! We think we will all put on a little
flesh before we get home. Uncle Dick is writing and going
over his notes. John is making his map. Jesse is reading. So
I write.

"_Tuesday, August 12th._--At 1.30 in the morning we made
Circle City, which, as everybody knows, is right on the
Arctic Circle, or was supposed to be. This was the first
time Uncle Dick could get out any word. He sent out a
message by wireless which will be relayed to Skagway and
cabled to Valdez. He said in about ten days we would be at
Skagway. Our folks will be mighty glad to hear from us--and
how glad we'll be to get home! We are still inside the limit
of the time schedule which Uncle Dick set for us. Now we
think we are safe to finish the journey inside our schedule.
Pretty good, we all think.

"_Wednesday, August 13th._--At 8.30 this morning got to
Eagle, which is an old Alaska settlement and was once an
army post. There is an Anglican mission here. The scenery
around here is far beyond anything that was on the Mackenzie
River. We all like the Yukon better than the Mackenzie. Some
Church people going out on the boat from here.

"I don't know how the Klondikers got up the Yukon after they
had come over the Rat Portage; but Dawson is three days
above Fort Yukon by steamboat. If they tracked or poled or
rowed up I bet it took them a good deal more than three
days.

"Uncle Dick has asked me to set down everything I