Each day had brought word from the Outside that the Great Race was not
forgotten by the Alaskans in sunnier lands; and because of this the
excitement, as well as the purse, had grown apace.
No one, of course, settled down to anything serious, for business is
practically suspended during the entire progress of the event, and a
spirit of revelry is abroad. Formal and informal gatherings serve to
pass the hours, while telephone reports from each village and road house
are announced in all public places, and bulletins are posted at
convenient points for men, women and children, who await the news with
keen expectation. The messages come continuously, keeping up the intense
excitement from start to finish.
Soon on the Official Bulletin Board at the corner of Lane's way appeared
the first, telling that all of the teams had arrived in Solomon,
practically together, and had left shortly in the bitter wind that blows
in fierce gusts across the icy lagoons and sleet-swept beach.
Then in the low foot-hills had come milder weather; and the route was
fairly good, though it lay buried under freshly fallen snow through
which Baldy led, picking his way with unerring precision across the
trackless tundra. Now that he was in the open, away from noise and
people, he had settled down to a steady gait that promised much for his
endurance.
Sometimes in the glory of the April sunshine they passed other teams, or
other teams passed them; and sometimes there were hours when two teams
and possibly more met at the same relay camp.
Pages:
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171