CONTENTS
| PAGE | ||
| Chapter I–Through Enchanting Waters | [11] | |
| The mystery of the Gold Diggers. The story of an Indian capture. Theskipper gives himself a hunch. The lure of the yellow metal. The abodeof an angry spirit. | ||
| Chapter II–The Boys Scent a Plot | [29] | |
| Ned Rector puts his foot in. The man with the combustible whiskers.Tad overhears an exciting conversation. His duty not clear to him.Attacked by a desperado. | ||
| Chapter III–In Desperate Straits | [40] | |
| Almost hurled overboard. Help comes in the nick of time. Tad accuseshis assailant. Whiskers as evidence. Plotters are driven from the shipby young Butler. | ||
| Chapter IV–On the Overland Trail | [48] | |
| “You have neglected your horse education.” Tad amazes a horse trader.Chunky wants no “quick” mules. Driving a keen bargain. The boys decideto guide themselves. | ||
| Chapter V–Traveling a Dangerous Mountain Pass | [59] | |
| The Professor tells the boys about the “great country.” When a fellowneeds a bird’s eye. A toboggan slide that might reach to Asia. PonyRider Boys hear a terrifying sound. | ||
| Chapter VI–Caught in a Giant Slide | [69] | |
| A pack mule swept from the ledge. Tad fires a humane shot. Takingdesperate chances to rescue the pack. “I don’t propose to lose mylasso.” | ||
| Chapter VII–Going to Bed by Daylight | [82] | |
| How the pack mule was buried. Heavy obstacles are overcome. A cure forcold feet. The fat boy knows his own capacity. Tents are swallowed upin the gloom of an Alaskan night. | ||
| Chapter VIII–An Intruder in the Camp | [91] | |
| The fat boy’s singing brings disaster. Professor Zepplin wields hisstick. A wild scrimmage in pajamas. The mystery of the lost ham.“There has been a prowler in this camp while we slept!” | ||
| Chapter IX–A Mystery Unsolved | [103] | |
| “It was an Indian who did this job.” Stacy is roped out of bed. Twofish on one hook. Suspicion is directed toward Tad. Ned’s head suffersthe loss of some hair. | ||
| Chapter X–In the Home of the Thlinkits | [113] | |
| Ned Rector is full of fight. Stacy makes Tad Butler dance. Chunkyplans revenge. The fat boy finds a food emporium. A mother squaw in arage. | ||
| Chapter XI–The Guide Who Made a Hit | [125] | |
| “Me heap big smart man.” Anvik refuses to “mush” because the spiritsare abroad. “Him kick like buck caribou.” Tad Butler gets a new title.Off for the wilds. | ||
| Chapter XII–In the Heart of Nature | [136] | |
| From trail to trackless wilderness. A grilling hike. Tad, in a fineshot, bags an antelope. “Hooray! Maybe that was a chance shot!” Aducking in an icy mountain stream. | ||
| Chapter XIII–A Pony Rider Boy’s Pluck | [146] | |
| Tad carries the dead doe to camp. “Him heap big little man.” Stacyknows how to “skin the cat.” The antelope dressed by the Indian guide.Fresh meat in plenty now. | ||
| Chapter XIV–Stacy Bumps the Bumps | [152] | |
| The difficulty of leading a mule. Chunky and the animal go over thebrink. Tin cans rattle down the mountain side. The fat boy hung up byone foot. | ||
| Chapter XV–The Story in the Dead Fire | [162] | |
| “White boy see almost like Indian.” Campers had left in a hurry. Stacydiscovers something. Eating ice cream with a pickle fork. Surroundedby mysteries in the great mountains. | ||
| Chapter XVI–A Sign from the Mountain Top | [167] | |
| “Him white man smoke.” The wonders of mountain signaling. Friends orenemies? Overwhelmed by an avalanche of ice. A roar and an even moreterrifying silence. | ||
| Chapter XVII–An Unexpected Meeting | [174] | |
| “Innua him mad.” Heap big ice nearly wipes out the Pony Rider Boys’camp. Tad makes a morning excursion and meets an unpleasant surprise. | ||
| Chapter XVIII–An Unfriendly Reception | [178] | |
| Tad boldly faces his accusers. Threats from the prospectors. A man onButler’s trail. Tad takes a pot shot and gets immediate results. “Stopthat shooting, you fool!” The fat boy draws a bead. | ||
| Chapter XIX–The Professor in a Rage | [189] | |
| “It’s a lie!” thunders Professor Zepplin. Ordered out of the hills onpenalty of being shot. “If you are looking for trouble you may haveall you want!” A threat to punch the prospector’s nose. | ||
| Chapter XX–Tad Discovers Something | [198] | |
| Pony Rider Boys off for bear. The fat boy frightened by a totem pole.In a place of many mysteries. Tad makes a great find. A discovery thatled to sensational results. | ||
| Chapter XXI–Conclusion | [203] | |
| Rifle shots fired into the Pony Rider Boys’ camp. Miners in a frenzyof joy. Butler makes a new find. Their boundary markings founddestroyed. Tad starts on a desperate ride. His claim must be filedahead of that of the enemy at whatever cost. A race throughice-clogged waters. A fight to the finish before the clerk’s desk. Atriumph for the Gold Diggers of Taku Pass. The end of the long, longtrail. | ||
11THE PONY RIDER BOYS IN ALASKA
CHAPTER I
THROUGH ENCHANTING WATERS
“Captain, who are the four silent men leaning over the rail on the other side of the boat?” asked Tad Butler. “I have been wondering about them almost ever since we left Vancouver. They don’t seem to speak to a person, and seldom to each other, though somehow they appear to be traveling in company. They act as if they were afraid someone would recognize them. I am sure they aren’t bad characters.”
Captain Petersen, commander of the steamer “Corsair,” which for some days had been plowing its way through the ever-changing northern waters, stroked his grizzled beard reflectively.
“Bad characters, eh?” he twinkled. “Well, no, I shouldn’t say as they were. They’re fair-weather 12lads. I’ll vouch for them if necessary, and I guess I’m about the only person on board that knows who they are.”
Tad waited expectantly until the skipper came to the point of the story he was telling.