cess consisted of wrapping small bits of laundry soap in paper, and including-or appearing to include-with several of the pieces a bank bill of varying value.

y they would hunt him out in some saloon, gather about him, and play at fighting among themselves. Revolvers would be drawn and shots fired-the man "wanted" would be

h established himself, and law and justice ceased to exist. Gold-seekers were enticed into games, and fleeced or openly robbe

as a candidate for Congress. A body of United States Regulars were stationed at Skagway,

naction told on them, likewise lack of fresh air. They became restless after their evening meal, and George finally said: "Let us go out"-and they went. George did not say where-nor did

en. They moved on to the gaming-tables. John threw a coin on to the Black Jack table. To his surprise he won. He speculated again: again he won. Then he remembered the old dodge of letting the novice win a bit at first, so he decided he would keep on until he found himself losin

ittle while, glance shrewdly at them, and go away. Shortly afterwards another man did the same. John

lay rou

t not often,

d ga

es

shoot

N

n at the end of the

table throwing dice. They watched the game a bit, and found it uninteresting. They turned to go

e dec

ratiating way, "Would you fellows like to see a bi

to a cold room where a few candles were burning on a

id George, "w

tertainer taking one of the candles and holding it at the animal's head. Suddenly they

t's

e door with his right. "Oh! Oh!" came from the room in tones of deepest distress. The fellow handed the candle to John, and then, catching the door with both hands, gave it a mighty wrench. The heavy plank door ope

Soapy has us,"

explored the room. It was not large, and it took h

ght!" was

re: where did the groan

weren't ventriloqui

an and gave the door a kic

hey do with

e'll freeze quick enou

the logs had not been thoroughly filled, and the air came in, there were patches of frost. They searched for some implement. The room was thoroughly bare-there was not even a billet of wood, let alo

They saw their little destiny-to walk, and walk, and walk, and then to lie down and sleep till death, the r

our or more, encouraging ea

A great blow shook the wall, and then another. John shouted; George shouted; the blows were repeate

out of this, or

he voice

en, where a great glare met them. An outhouse was on fire. Men were rushing about and shouting; but Hu

"I go with you"; and through the storm they str

for supper-tea, bacon, and beans. After

got a notion Soapy's men were watching you; so I thought I would watch the whole outfit. I see you go back to the crap-game, and then I see you go into the room with your bunco man-and then I don't see you come out; so I said to myself, you are there for keeps! Now there was with me one fellow I could rely on, so I asked him to keep an eye on tha

mmenced figuring out how I could get you free, and I thought hard. The thing was to get a crowd together; and as a dog fight is no good in Skagway in the middle of the night-especially in a snowstorm-I said to myself, 'Fire!' I remembered a building I took for a wood-shed lying near your skookum house,[5] so I just hunted it up, and after finding there was a lot of wood in it, with some hay, I set a match to it, and got out, taking an axe with me. In five minutes it was going fi

ook Indian term for priso

pressed their grat

ed, "and I figure, as us fellows can't keep cle

cried

idea!" s

was

dozen pairs of blankets, under which the three might sleep. A waterproof, a large tanned moose-skin, and a couple of pairs of blankets would be sufficient to lie upon. Then the commissariat was considered. Sugar, tea, evaporated potatoes, dried fruit, etc., to be used in the