ains referred to were either the great Alaskan
range which swings in a semicircle across the territory from the
international boundary on the Yukon, where the range bears the name of
Nuzotin, west to Cook Inlet, an arm of the North Pacific Ocean or the
Chugach or Kenai ranges nearer the coast. Four great peaks are features of
the Alaskan range, chief of them being Mount McKinley, the highest
mountain in all America--20,464 feet--until recently unconquered by any of
the ambitious mountain climbers who have attacked it.

The chief said further that some of his young men were ambitious to hunt
for this peak, and that he himself would go with them over into the Cook
Inlet region for the salmon fishing, and later would take up a search
through the mountains aided by a remnant of the tribe which still haunts
that section. He promised Rand that should the treasure be found he would
share with the boys who had returned their ancient relic to the village.

While Colonel Snow had little faith in the existence of the cave or the
possibility of its rediscovery, he saw that the spirit of adventure was
aroused in the boys, and as he proposed that they should see as much as
possible of Alaska, and as he himself must later visit the copper mining
region he made an arrangement to meet the chief at Seward in the Kenai
Peninsula, the end of the military cable to Seattle, late in August.

The Indians greatly desired that the boys should visit their village that
night for a "potlatch," but as they could not do so the villagers insisted
on presenting each of the party with a handsome hand woven blanket, the
manufacture of which is the chief native industry.

Meantime, the other boys had paid a visit to the Custom House to give bond
for their airship, but as the collector could find nothing of the kind on
the tariff list, as none had ever been entered at a Yukon customs house,
he concluded it was exempt and allowed it free entry.

"I see that the members of your Congress insist that a protective tariff
is for the primary purpose of preventing foreign competition with home
industries. As I do not believe that you will find an aviation industry on
the Yukon, I guess I am safe in letting you take your machine through."

The boys also visited the police barracks and found their three friends of
the forest patrol whom they again heartily thanked. At seven o'clock, at
what would have been night anywhere else, they went aboard the "Yukoner"
with