Three Years in the Klondyke. By J. Lynch. (E. Arnold.
12s. 6d. net.)—Mr. Lynch draws a vivid picture of the gold region of the far North-West. Some of the colours are very lurid indeed; man does not show to advantage, for the most part, in such places, and woman, certainly, shows to less. Of course, there are exceptions in both cases: the "comely, healthy young woman from Oregon " who is described on p. 161 is an example ; but our lady readers would be aghast at her experiences. Talk of over- crowding, indeed! As a record of mining work and its rewards the book is very interesting. Money was to be made, and made in plenty ; but it was not to be picked up, except, of course, by those lucky strokes which happen in goldfields as they happen everywhere. A man who could and would work hard could make a very good living, even if he never went near the gold drift. Seven dollars a day, for instance, was paid for lumbering. As a man could live for less than half this at an hotel, he might lay by more than £100 in the winter months ; but then he had to work hard ten hours a day in a temperature that showed not un- frequently —50° (Fahr.) Among the entertaining descriptions of the book is that of Captain Starnes, who acted as Judge at Dawson City. His dealing with an old comrade who ventured to presume on old acquaintance it is a treat to read. It was indeed a case of haec Rhadamanthus habet durissima regna. And what, to give another aspect of affairs, do our readers say to a charity bazaar which realised twelve thousand dollars net ?
Previous page
