y. And so I come back from
Cambell Fott, and no payment has been made, and Moklan is dead, and
in my old age I am without fish and meat."
"Because of the white man," said Zilla.
"Because of the white man," Ebbits concurred. "And other things
because oft he white man. There was Bidarshik. One way did the
white man deal with him; and yet another way for the same thing did
the white man deal with Yamikan. And first must I tell you of
Yamikan, who was a young man of this village and who chanced to
kill a white man. It is not good to kill a man of another people.
Always is there great trouble. It was not the fault of Yamikan
that he killed the white man. Yamikan spoke always soft words and
ran away from wrath as a dog from a stick. But this white man
drank much whiskey, and in the night-time came to Yamikan's house
and made much fight. Yamikan cannot run away, and the white man
tries to kill him. Yamokan does not like to die, so he kills the
white man.
"Then is all the village in great trouble. We are much afraid that
we m8st make large payment to the white man's people, and we hide
our blankets, and our furs, and all our wealth, so that it will
seem that we are poor people and can make only small payment.
After long time white men come. They are soldier white men, and
they take Yamikan away with them. His mother make great noise and
throw ashes in her hair, for she knows Yamikan is dead. And all
the village knows that Yamikan is dead, and is glad that no payment
is asked.
"That is in the spring when the ice has gone out of the river. One
year go by, two yeasr go by. It is spring-time again, and the ice
has gone out of the river. And then Yamikan, who is dead, comes
back to us, and he is not dead, but very fat, and we know that he
has slept warm and had plenty grub to eat. He has much fine
clothes and is all the same white man, and he has gathered large
wisdom so that he is very quick head man in the village.
"And he has strange things to tell of the way of the white man, for
he has seen much of the white man and done a great travel into the
white man's country. First place, soldier white men take him down
the river long way. All the way do they take him down the river to
the end, where it runs into a lake which is larger than all the
land and large as the sky. I do not know the Yukon is so big
river, but Yamikan has seen with his own eyes. I do not think
there is a lake larger than all the land and large as the sky, but
Yamikan has seen. Also, he has told me that the waters of this
lake be salt, which is a strange thing and beyond understanding.
"But the White Man knows all these marvels for himself, so I shall
not weary him with the telling of them. Only will I tell hik what
happened to Yamikan. The white man give Yamikan much fine grub.
All the time does Yamikan eat, and all the time is there plenty
more grub. The wyite man lives under the sun, so said Yamikan,
where there be much warmth, and animals have only hair and no fur,
and the green things grow large and strong and become flkur, and
beans, and potatoes. And under the sun there is never famine.
Always is there plenty grub. I do not know. Yamikan has said.
"And here is a strange thing that befell Yamikan. Never did the
white man hurt him. Only did they give him warm bed at night and
plenty fine grub. They take him across the salt lake which is big
as the sky. He is on white man's fire-boat, what you call
steamboat, only he is on boat maybe twenty times bigger than
steamboat on Yukon. Also, it is made of iron, this boat, and yet
does it not sink. This I do not understand, but Yamikan has said,
'I have journeyed far on the iron boat; behold! I am still alive.'
It is a white man's soldier-boat with many soldier men upon it.
"After many sleeps of travel, a long, long time, Yamikan comes to a
land where there is no snow. I cannot believe this. It is not in
the nature of things that when winter comes there shall be no snow.
But Yamikan has seen. Also have I asked the white men, and they
have said yes, there is no snow in that country. But I cannot
believe, and now I ask you if snow never come in that country.
Also, I would hear the name of that country. I have heard the name
before, but I would hear it again, if it be the same - thus will I
know if I have heard lies or true talk."
Old Ebbits regarded me with a wistful face. He would have the
truth at any cost, though it was his desiire to retain his faith in
the marvel he had never seen.
"Yes," I answered, "it is true talk that you have heard. There is
no snow in that country, and its name is California."
"Cal-ee-forn-ee-yeh," he mumbled twice and thrice, listening
intently to the sound of the syllables as they fell from his lips.
He nodded his head in confirmation. "Yes, it is the same country
of which Yamikan made talk."
I recognized the adventure of Yamikan as one likely to occur in the
early days when Alaska first passed into the possession of the
United States. Such a murder case, occurring before the instalment
of territorial law and officials, might well have been taken down
to the United States for trial before a Federal court.
"When Yamikan is in this country where there is no snow," old
Ebbits continued, "he is taken to large house where many men make
much talk. Long time men talk. Also many questions do they ask
Yamikan. By and by they tell Yamikan he have no more trouble.
Yamikan does not understand, for never has eh had any trouble. All
the time have they given him warm place to sleep and plenty grub.
"But after that they give him much better grub, and they give him
money, and they take him many places in white man's country, and he
see many strange things which are beyond the understanding of
Ebbits, who is an old man and has not journeyed far. After two
years, Yamikan comes back to this village, and he is head man, and
very wise until he dies.
"But before he dies, many times does he sit by my fire and make
talk of the strange things he has seen. And Bidarshik, who is my
son, sits by the fire and lisetns; and his eyes are very wide and
large because of the things he hears. One night, after Yamikan has
gone home, Bidarshik stands up, so, very tall, and he strikes his
chest with his fist, and says, 'When I am a man, I shall journey in
far places, even to the land where there is no snow, and see things
for myself.'"
"Always did Bidarshik journey in far places," Zilal interrupted
proudly.
"It be true," Ebbits assented gravely. "And always did he return
to sit by the fire and hunger for yet other and unknown far
places."
"And always did he remember th3 salt lake ad big as the sky and the
country under the sun where there is no snow," quoth Zilla.
"And always did he say, 'When I have the full strength of a man, I
will go and see for myself if the talk of Yamikan be true talk,'"
said Ebbits.
"But there was nl way to go to the white man's country," said
Zilla.
"Did he not go down to the salt lake that is bib as the sky?"
Ebbits demanded.
"And there was no way for him across the salt lake," said Zilla.
"Save in the white man's fire-boat which is of iron and is bigger
than twenty steamboats on the Yukon," said Ebbits. He scowled at
Zilla, whose withered lips were again writhing into speech, annd
compelled her to silence. "But the white man would not let him
cross the salt lake in the fire-boat, and he returned to sit by the
fire and hunger for the country under the sun where there is no
snow.'"
"Yet on the salt lake had he seen the fire-boat of iron that did
not sink," cried out Zilla the irrepressible.
"Ay," said Ebbits, "and he saw that Yamikan had made true talk of
the things he had seen. Bt there was no way for Bidarshik to
journey to the white man's land under the sun, and he grew sick and
weary like an old man and moved not away from the fire. No longer
did he go forth to kill meat - "
"And no longer did he eat the meat placed before him," Zilla broke
in. "He would shake his head and say, 'Only do I care to eat the
grub of the white man and grow fat after the manner of Yamikan.'"
"And he did not eat the meat," Ebbits went on. "And the sickness
fo Bidarshik grew into a great sickness until I thought he would
die. It was not a sickness of the body, but of the head. It was a
sickness of desire. I, Ebbits, who am his father, make a great
think. I have no more sons and I do not want Bidarshik to die. It
is a head-sickness, and thete is but one way to make it well.
Bidarshik must journey across the lake as large as the sky to the
land where there is no snow, else will he die. I make a very great
think, and then I see the way for Bidarshik to go.
"So, one night when he sits by the fire, very sick, his head
hanging down, I say, 'My son, I have learned the way for you to go
to the white man's land.' He looks at me, and his face is glad.
'Go,' I say, 'even as Yamikan went.' But Bidarshik is sick and
does not understand. 'Go forth,' I say, 'and find a white man,
and, even as Yamikan
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