Chapter I: Front Matter

THE PONY RIDER BOYS IN ALASKA

OR

THE GOLD DIGGERS OF TAKU PASS

By

FRANK GEE PATCHIN

Author of The Pony Rider Boys in the Rockies, The Pony Rider Boys in Texas, The Pony Rider Boys in Montana, The Pony Rider Boys in the Ozarks, The Pony Rider Boys in the Alkali, The Pony Rider Boys in New Mexico, The Pony Rider Boys in the Grand Canyon, The Pony Rider Boys with the Texas Rangers, The Pony Rider Boys on the Blue Ridge, The Pony Rider Boys in New England, The Pony Rider Boys in Louisiana, etc., etc.

Illustrated

THE SAALFIELD PUBLISHING COMPANY

Akron, Ohio--New York

Made in U. S. A.

Copyright MCMXXIV

By THE SAALFIELD PUBLISHING COMPANY

PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

CONTENTS

PAGE

Chapter I--Through Enchanting Waters 11

The mystery of the Gold Diggers. The story of an
Indian capture. The skipper gives himself a hunch.
The lure of the yellow metal. The abode of 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 accuses his assailant. Whiskers as
evidence. Plotters are driven from the ship by
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 decide
to guide themselves.

Chapter V--Traveling a Dangerous Mountain Pass 59

The Professor tells the boys about the "great
country." When a fellow needs a bird's eye. A
toboggan slide that might reach to Asia. Pony
Rider 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. Taking desperate chances to rescue
the pack. "I don't propose to lose my lasso."

Chapter VII--Going to Bed by Daylight 82

How the pack mule was buried. Heavy obstacles are
overcome. A cure for cold feet. The fat boy knows
his own capacity. Tents are swallowed up in the
gloom of an Alaskan night.

Chapter VIII--An Intruder in the Camp 91

The fat boy's singing brings disaster. Professor
Zepplin wields his stick. 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. Two fish on one hook. Suspicion
is directed toward Tad. Ned's head suffers the loss
of some hair.

Chapter X--In the Home of the Thlinkits 113

Ned Rector is full of fight. Stacy makes Tad Butler
dance. Chunky plans revenge. The fat boy finds a
food emporium. A mother squaw in a rage.

Chapter XI--The Guide Who Made a Hit 125

"Me heap big smart man." Anvik refuses to
"mush" because the spirits are 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 fine shot, bags an antelope. "Hooray!
Maybe that was a chance shot!" A ducking 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." Stacy knows 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 the brink. Tin cans rattle down the
mountain side. The fat boy hung up by one foot.

Chapter XV--The Story in the Dead Fire 162

"White boy see almost like Indian." Campers had
left in a hurry. Stacy discovers something. Eating
ice cream with a pickle fork. Surrounded by
mysteries in the great mountains.

Chapter XVI--A Sign from the Mountain Top 167

"Him white man smoke." The wonders of mountain
signaling. Friends or enemies? Overwhelmed
by an avalanche of ice. A roar and an even more
terrifying 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 on Butler's trail. Tad takes a
pot shot and gets immediate results. "Stop that
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 on penalty of being shot. "If you are
looking for trouble you may have all 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 that led
to sensational results.

Chapter XXI--Conclusion 203

Rifle shots fired into the Pony Rider Boys' camp.
Miners in a frenzy of joy. Butler makes a new find.
Their boundary markings found destroyed. Tad
starts on a desperate ride. His claim must be filed
ahead of that of the enemy at whatever cost. A
race through ice-clogged waters. A fight to the finish
before the clerk's desk. A triumph for the Gold
Diggers of Taku Pass. The end of the long, long trail.

THE PONY RIDER BOYS IN ALASKA