So Phil’s scheme proved a success, and for the remainder of that night he and his companions slept in peace. At daylight they visited the scenes of wolfish feasting, and found everywhere plentiful evidence of what had taken place; but this time they gathered in neither rugs nor robes, for only blood-stains, bones, and tattered shreds of fur remained.
Phil’s only regret was that he had not a lot more of those same useful traps, though, as was afterwards proved, they were not needed, for never again during their journey did wolves appear in sufficient numbers to cause them any alarm.
For another week did the sledge party journey down the several streams that, emptying one into another, finally formed the Conehill River, or, as the gold-diggers call it, Forty Mile Creek, because its mouth is forty miles down the Yukon from the old trading-post of Fort Reliance. As the first half of their long journey drew towards a close they became anxious as to its results and impatient for its end. When would they reach the settlement? and could they get there before their rivals who had followed the Yukon? were the two questions that they constantly asked of each other, but which none could answer.
Phil grew almost despondent as he reflected upon the length of time since they left old Fort Adams, and gave it as his opinion that the other party must have reached Forty Mile long since.
Serge also feared they had, though he didn’t see how they could.
Jalap Coombs was firm in his belief that the other party was still far away, and that his would be the first in; for, quoth he, “Luck allers has been on my side, and I’m going to believe it allers will be. My old friend Kite Roberson useter say, speaking of luck, and he give it as his own experience, that them as struck the best kinds of luck was them as worked the hardest for it; and ef they didn’t get it one way they was sure to another. Likewise he useter say, Kite did, consarning worriments, that ef ye didn’t pay no attention to one ’twould be mighty apt to pass ye by; but ef ye encouraged it by so much as a wink or a nod, ye’d have to fight it to git red of it. So, seeing as they hain’t no worriments hove in sight yet, what’s the use in s’arching for ’em?”
As for Kurilla, whenever his opinion was asked, he always grinned and returned the same answer:
“You come pretty quick, mebbe. Yaas.”
So each day of the last three or four brought its fresh hope; at each succeeding bend of the stream all eyes were strained eagerly forward for a sight of the expected cluster of log-huts, and each night brought an added disappointment.
At length one evening, when Phil, who had pushed on longer than usual, in an effort to end their suspense, was reluctantly compelled, by gathering darkness, to go into camp, Chitsah suddenly attracted attention to himself by running to a tree and pressing an ear to its trunk. As the others stared at him, a broad smile overspread his face, and he said something to his father, which the latter instantly interpreted.