"Four or
five millions," he said slowly, and held up his hand for silence
as his statement was received with derisive yells. "I'll be real
conservative, and put the bottom notch at a million. And for not
an ounce less'n that will I go out of the country."
Again his statement was received with an outburst of derision.
Not only had the total gold output of the Yukon up to date been
below five millions, but no man had ever made a strike of a
hundred thousand, much less of a million.
"You-all listen to me. You seen Jack Kearns get a hunch
to-night. We had him sure beat before the draw. His ornery
three kings was no good. But he just knew there was another king
coming--that was his hunch--and he got it. And I tell you-all I
got a hunch. There's a big strike coming on the Yukon, and it's
just about due. I don't mean no ornery Moosehide, Birch-Creek
kind of a strike. I mean a real rip-snorter hair-raiser. I tell
you-all she's in the air and hell-bent for election. Nothing can
stop her, and she'll come up river. There's where you-all track
my moccasins in the near future if you-all want to find
me--somewhere in the country around Stewart River, Indian River,
and Klondike River.
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