THE ALASKA PROSPECTOR.
If you have ever heen a prospector
Ami searched these Alaskan hills,
Then you know how the'vuluable metal is found
That is back of our government bills.
It is not a flower-strewn way for the rich.
But a narrow, rough trail for the poor—
A chance for the man with ambition to rise,
A little comfort in the future make sure.
Perhaps, somewhere, there is a wife and child.
Or else a sweetheart true,
And he wants to try and care for them,
In a way that one should do.
He leaves, with a heavy pack on his back.
Made as light as he possibly can.
Consisting of a bed, a little grub,
A shovel, pich and pan.
The trail, if he finds one, is generally bad.
And a pack is a disagreeable thing.
And when he unpacks at night he 'll find
He has n't brought ull one should bring.
So, tired and hungry, he makes a camp tire,
Puts ou a pan and a pot,
For cooking utensils we know, without doubt.
Enough he has not got.
He is used to privationc, disappointment and toil
And will try and make out somehow.
It seems in the dim future he can see
A recompense, I 'll allow.
He looks at the benches, the creeks ami bars
And the rocky hillsides bare.
And says to himself, as he goes along,
“I wonder if there is anything there.”
You may study the channels, the earth and the rocks.
For every man’s ideas are his.
But it seems that nature has left no clew
To tell you where it is.
Man has made many inventions,
Ami most of them are valuable, too.
But if you are looking for something—to locate the pay—
I '11 tell you what you do:
Just stay by the pick and shovel;
They can lie bought at the lowest bid, [ where
And they are the only implements that will show you just
Earth's storehouses of wealth are hid.
When he sees a place that looks favorable to him.
Throws down his heavy pack.
Takes pick and shovel, clears away the moss,
And says “l ’ll try it a whack”:
When the claim is staked and shafts are sunk.
Though of gold found not a trace.
He has lost time and labor, but still undaunted
Will try in some other place.
But, after oil, it is the time and work.
Exposure, and near despair,
That proves to yourself and the w'orld at large
If there is really unything there.
When you stop and think, there is nothing on earth
Thut is quite so sweet us when
Somewhere in the hills you have found the right rock
Or panned the right gruvel pan.
If you should liuve wealth and to spare, some day—
From the old log cabin you shift—
Won’t you occasionally think of the man with the pack
And give him a little lift?
Though his clothes may be shabby, his hands be rough,
With but little money to spure,
He is generous hearted, reudy to do a good turn,
And you will generally find him squure.
If he should be lucky and strike it rich.
Become inde|>endent some day,
He can say to the world as he glides ulong,
“I have made it honestly.”
I believe his chances for the future as good,
If he lius n’t u very long poke,
Just ns good as many you see around
Thut are weuring a clerical cloak.
A few have got rich where the thousands have lived
Deprived of the comforts of life;
Then say, if you can, that the prospector’s been paid
For his lnbor, privations uiul strife.
But if it was n’t for the labor, disappointments and loss,
And sometimes despair and tears,
Whut would have given the gold the value it has
And retuiued it through all these yeurs?
If it could be quarried out by the hundreds of tons
Without drinking from life’s bitter cup,
I do not believe thut the government stamps
Could have kept its vulue up.
It seems to me that the time will come
When, as money, it w ill lose its worth—
Conditions l»e better and more equalized
But too soon for that progress of earth.
Whether building a cabin, sinking a shaft,
Or on the trail in this northern land.
Good luck to him, whoever he is,
And I would like to grusp his hand;
For he has made a way for the merchant and clerk,
For the farmer, stockman und seer.
He has blazed the trail and traveled it first,
For he is the pioneer.
Some go back to old homes again,
<)thers are beneath mossy mounds
Lain away, for their work is doue
In Alaska's frozen grounds.
THEODORE ISLEY.
AN ECCENTRIC EXPLORER
Rev. Noel Got Started to Descend
Mackenzie and Liard Rivers
and His Fate Unknown.
The route planned by the lost ex
plorer inquired for in the circular printed
iielow would have led by Rampart, j
From Fort McPherson to the mouth of
the Porcupine it would lie in a region
twice traversed bv the distinguished
Norwegian, Amundsen, in the early
spring of ltlOti, and also twice by 8. J.
Marsh in the summer of the same year.
Mr. Marsh is now United States com
missioner at Caro, Alaska. Messrs.
Kinney McLeod and Archie Campbell,
prospectors from Rampart, spent the
winter prospecting between the head of
the Porcupine and the Arctic coast, ami
me twith natives from Herschel Island
There is a trading post at Rampart
House [ Lapierre House?] and there is
occasional communication between that
|*>iut and the Yukon river and also w ith
natives from the Arctic coast. If an ex
plorer had Isen seen by natives or
whites anywhere between the Yukon
river and the Arrtic • wean it is very
proluhle the fact would have become
widely known.
It is therefore moat likely that the
■nan either changed his plans or waa
lost somewhere on the Mackenzie. The
»tt*wtanre <4 the circular follows
The express purpose of Rev. Noel
Got—us explained in his letters from
Skugway in May, 1!H)5—was to make a
solitary trip down the Liard and Mac
kenzie rivers, and thereby via Fort Mc
Pherson and Lapierre House reach the
Porcupine and Yukon rivers, St. Michael
bay and Bering strait
It is now an ascertained fact that he
returned from Skugway to Vancouver,
anil alone, from the Pacific coast through
British Columbia, via Hazleton and
Munson Mines, reached the Peace river
and Fort St. John. There he lived from
October, 1905, till February, l'.KMi, when
he left, proceeding in a northern direc
tion toward Fort Nelson.
It is likely that he succeeded last
spring anil summer in following the
Liard and Mackenzie rivers, then in
reaching the Yukon and Alaska territo
ries. Possibly hunters, trappers, min
ers or Kskimos have met him.
In 190t> Rev. Mr. Got had the appear
ance of a man about 40 years old. He
had u beard and his black hair was in
tersporsed with white or gray. He trav
eled as an Italian and was very s|iaring
of his words, fearing lie would be pre
vented from proceeding on his journey.
In his possession would probably lie
found several letters from home, which
might prove a useful clue to Ids identity.
His whole Is bavior may ap|sur some
what eccentric—though the surgeon of
Fort St. John stated lie was not crazy—
and We should In- very linn'll obliged to
any person for detaining him and in the
meantime communicating with n*.
Kven if lie is only heard of having
passed stu-h or such place we would lie
obliged to you for letting us know. All
necessary e*|wn*e* to our charges.
Ivscriptem—Born Iw. 2!V, l»7\ at
ttonleaiii. Fram-e. High! sis.at &•* ft.
Face oval, drawn, projecting cheek
bones, nose aquiline and large. Eyes
dark brown, beard black anil long.
Strong man, apparently 40 years old.
Adam’s apple very expanded.
Mr. Rene Got,
(Brother of Rev. Noel Got),
Vancouver, b. C.
Care of French Consulate.
F. M. A. L.
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