were made for the journey down the Yukon to St. Michaels and
the Seward Peninsula, where Colonel Snow had some further business to
transact for the government. Traveling in Yukon and Alaska is expensive,
but Colonel Snow had agreed to defray the expenses of the trip from
Skagway to Nome in payment for the boys' services in the camp, and they
had already confided to him the scheme they had in mind to make some money
for themselves.

The Scouts had given every attention to detail in setting up the machine,
and the apparatus had been given a tryout by frequent runs across the
grass and short lifts into the air. A small grandstand had been built for
the town officials and invited guests, and the Scouts attired in their
khaki uniforms and broad hats acted as a reception committee and as
ushers.

Swiftwater, who was to go down the Yukon to Dawson with them on his way to
the Fairbanks mining district, where he proposed to carve out what he
termed a new "stake," acted as box office man and ticket taker. There were
nearly two thousand persons on the grounds when the boys brought out from
its canvas hanger the neat double plane with its bright motor and
varnished propeller. The skids had been replaced with rubber tired bicycle
wheels and the controls were of the latest pattern. The machine was
dressed with tiny flags, and out of compliment to the neighboring Yukon
territory the British colors shared the display equally with the American
flag.

The hour of the ascent was announced by a bugle call, and the boys
surrounded the aeroplane to keep the crowd back, when Gerald climbed into
the seat. A cleared space of nearly a quarter of a mile had been reserved
for him, and starting the motor he glided gently away over the grass, then
lifted his forward plane and rose into the air. He lifted the plane to
about two hundred feet, circled the lower end of the field and came back
over the heads of the crowd. As he swept over the grand stand the
astonished crowd recovered somewhat from its amazement and sent forth a
mighty cheer that was added to by almost as great a throng outside the
grounds. Having given the crowd an opportunity to inspect the machine at
close quarters, Gerald began to mount in spirals until he reached an
altitude of nearly two thousand feet, after which he headed directly for
the summit of one of the lofty mountains that form the natural features of
the Skagway region. It was nearly a dozen miles away, but he passed ov