One might well wonder why the prospectors did not spend more time and effort in an area that was easier to reach instead of embarking on the long and tiring journey to the Klondike with its exorbitant costs.

As the train carried him farther from Montreal and Green Valley, Summy Skim said to himself over and over again, "Really, Uncle Josias ought to have tried his luck in the Cariboo. We'd be there by now. We'd know already what his claim is worth. We'd have cashed it in within twenty-four hours, and been back home within a week."

That was true enough, but it was undoubtedly written in the great book of destiny that Summy Skim would venture into the terrifying Klondike region and wade about in the mud of the Fortymile River.

The train continued on its way toward the Pacific coast of British Columbia, veering to the southwest. The last part of the journey of 2900 miles passed without incident, and after six days the two cousins stepped down from the Canadian Pacific Railway car and set foot in Vancouver.

THE CITY O F VANCOUVER is not located on the large island of the same name that lies off the coast of British Columbia but on a point of land protruding from the mainland. It is a major city, but the provincial capital is Victoria, a city of some sixteen thousand inhabitants on the southeast shore of the island. New Westminster, with its six thousand inhabitants, is also on the island.'

Vancouver lies at the inner end of a harbor opening onto the winding Juan de Fuca Strait, which continues to the northwest. Behind the harbor, the spire of a chapel rises among the thick branches of pines and cedars tall enough to conceal the high towers of a cathedral.

From the southern tip of Vancouver Island (which has borne the names of its first two occupants, the Spaniard Quadra in i 786 and the Englishman Vancouver in 1789),3 the channel turns north between the island and the mainland, where it becomes known as Georgia Strait to the east of the island, and Johnstone and Queen Charlotte straits farther north. The port of Vancouver is therefore easily accessible to ships from the Pacific, whether they come along the Canadian coast or up the coast of the United States.

Did the founders of Vancouver overestimate what the future held in store? It is impossible to answer that question, although the discovery of gold in the Klondike has given rise to lively and exuberant activity. One thing is certain: it could accommodate a population of a hundred thou sand, and traffic would move easily through its checkerboard of streets intersecting at right angles. It has churches, banks, and hotels; is lit by gas and electricity; and draws its water supply from springs located north of Burrard Inlet. There are bridges across the False Bay estuary, and on the northwest peninsula there is a park covering 95o acres.

After leaving the station, Skim and Raddle, following the advice of their guidebook, went to the Westminster Hotel, where they planned to stay until they could leave for the Klondike.

With so many people in town, however, the problem was to find a room in that hotel. Travelers were flooding in as trains and steamships disgorged up to 1200 passengers every twenty-four hours. It is easy to imagine how much profit the city derived from this, especially the citizens who were in the business of lodging and feeding visitors, and charging them exorbitant prices. The visitors would very likely spend as little time there as possible, eager to get to the area where gold attracted them like iron to a magnet. But they still had to find a way to leave, and space was limited on the many northbound steamers that stopped at various ports in Mexico and the United States.

Some took the Pacific route to St. Michael, at the mouth of the Yukon River on the west coast of Alaska.' From there they traveled upstream as far as Dawson City, the capital of the Klondike. Most, however, headed for Victoria or Vancouver, and from there followed the coast up to Dyea or Skagway. Ben Raddle had already decided which route to follow, but in the meantime he and Summy Skim had to make do with a room in the Vancouver Hotel. At least they had no complaints about the food or the service there.

As soon as they had checked in, Skim's first question was, "And how long will we be staying in Vancouver, my dear Ben?"

"About four days," was the reply. "That's when the Football is due to arrive." 5

"The Football? And just what is the Football?"

"It's a Canadian Pacific steamer that will take us to Skagway. I'm going to book passage on it for us today."

"So Ben, you've picked the route that will take us to the Klondike?"

"The choice was obvious, Summy, once I had decided not to go up to the mouth of the Yukon. That's a journey of more than 2800 miles. We'll take the most frequently followed route, up the coast of British Columbia in the lee of the islands. We'll get to Skagway without wearing ourselves out. At this time of year there are still ice floes on the Yukon River, and it isn't unusual for ships to get caught in the ice and sink. Or they could be delayed until July. The Football, on the other hand, will take no more than a week to get to Skagway, or even to Dyea. Mind you, after we disembark we'll have to cross the rugged slopes of the Chilkoot Pass or the White Pass.' But after that we'll travel partly by land and partly across lakes until we reach the Yukon River, which will take us to Dawson City. My guess is we'll get to our destination by the beginning of June, which is a good time to arrive.