uld not lack for water,
and treated him to a dish of salt, and just at sunset said good-by to
him with another twinge of sadness and turned toward the wharf. He
looked very lonely and sad standing there with drooping head in the
midst of the stumps of his pasture lot. However, there was plenty of
feed and half a dozen men volunteered to keep an eye on him.

"Don't worry, mon," said Donald McLane. "He'll be gettin' fat and
strong on the juicy grass, whilst you're a-heavin' out the
gold-dust."

There were about ten of us who lined up to the purser's window of the
little steamer which came along that night and purchased second-class
passage. The boat was very properly named the _Utopia_, and was so
crowded with other goldseekers from down the coast, that we of the
Long Trail were forced to put our beds on the floor of the little
saloon in the stern of the boat which was called the "social room."
We were all second-class, and we all lay down in rows on the carpet,
covering every foot of space. Each man rolled up in his own blankets,
and I was the object of considerable remark by reason of my mattress,
which gave me as good a bed as the vessel afforded.

There was a great deal of noise on the boat, and its passengers, both
men and women, were not of the highest type. There were several
stowaways, and some of the women were not very nice as to their
actions, and, rightly or wrongly, were treated with scant respect by
the men, who were loud and vulgar for the most part. Sleep was
difficult in the turmoil.

Though second-class passengers, strange to say, we came first at
table and were very well fed. The boat ran entirely inside a long row
of islands, and the water was smooth as a river. The mountains grew
each moment more splendid as we neared Skagway, and the ride was most
enjoyable. Whales and sharks interested us on the way. The women came
to light next day, and on the whole were much better than I had
inferred from the two or three who were the source of disturbance the
night before. The men were not of much interest; they seemed petty
and without character for the most part.

At Juneau we came into a still more mountainous country, and for the
rest of the way the scenery was magnificent. Vast rivers of ice came
curving down absolutely out of the clouds which hid the summits of
the mountains--came curving in splendid lines down to the very
water's edge. The sea was chill and gray, and as we entered the mouth
of Lynn