f, not
forgetting the honor of their company, ye will be glad to make a
reduction in your exorbitant rates, Baron Fritz, I am sure."

The phlegmatic German smiled, and in a guttural voice announced that
his terms were three dollars a day, including rooms and meals, which,
when all the circumstances are considered, was not extravagant. The
party carried their luggage to their rooms, where they prepared
themselves for the meal, which was satisfactory in every respect and
better than they expected.

It came out during the conversation that Tim McCabe had not a dollar to
his name, and he spoke the truth when he said that he had not eaten a
mouthful that day. It would have gone hard for him but for the arrival
of Jeff Graham, though there is such a lively demand for labor in
Juneau that he must have soon found means to provide himself with food.

As for Jeff, he was glad in his heart that his old friend was in such
sore straits, inasmuch as it gave him the pleasure of providing for
him. Tim had taken out some five hundred dollars, but a companion whom
he fully trusted robbed him of it, and the small amount left barely
kept the Irishman afloat until the arrival of the old miner.

Jeff Graham showed prudence in bringing a plentiful supply of funds
with him, and since he expected to take back a hundredfold more than he
brought, he could well afford to do so. Stowed away in his safe inside
pocket was fully two thousand dollars, and inasmuch as gold is the
"coin of the realm" in California, as well as in Alaska, the funds were
in shining eagles and half eagles--rather bulky of themselves, but not
uncomfortably so.

The experience of McCabe and Jeff prevented any mistake in providing
their outfit. They had good, warm flannels, thick woollen garments,
strong shoes, and rubber boots. Those who press their mining operations
during the long and severe winter generally use the water boot of seal
and walrus, which costs from two dollars to five dollars a pair, with
trousers made from Siberian fawn-skins and the skin of the marmot and
ground squirrel, with the outer garment of marmot-skin. Blankets and
robes, of course, are indispensable. The best are of wolf-skin, and
Jeff paid one hundred dollars apiece for those furnished to himself and
each of his companions.

The matter of provisions was of the first importance. A man needs a
goodly supply of nourishing food to sustain him through the trying
journey from Juneau to Dawson City