BALLADS OF A CHEECHAKO ROBERT W. SERVICE - To the Man of the High North MY rhymes are rough, and often in my rhyming Ive drifted, silver-sailed, on seas of dream, Hearing afar the bells of Elfland chiming, Seeing the groves of Arcadie agleam. I was the thrall of Beauty that rejoices From peak snow-diademed to regal star Yet to mine aerie ever pierced the voices, The pregnant voices of the Things That Are. The Here, the Now, the vast Forlorn around us The gold-delirium, the ferine strife The lusts that lure us on, the hates that hound us Our red rags in the patch-work quilt of Life. TO THE MAN OF THE HIGH NORTH The nameless men who nameless rivers travel, And in strange valleys greet strange deaths alone The grim, intrepid ones who would unravel The mysteries that shroud the Polar Zone. These will I sing, and if one of you linger Over my pages in the Long, Long Night, And on some lone line lay a calloused finger, Saying Its human-true it hits me right Then will I count this loving toil well spent Then will I dream awhile content, content. CONTENTS TO THE MAN OF THE HIGH NORTH . My rhymes are rough, and often in my rhyming. PAGE . . v MEN OF THE HIGH NORTH 15 Men of the High North, the wild sky is blazing. THE BALLAD OF THE NORTHERN LIGHTS 18 One of the Down and Out thats me. Stare at me well, ay, stare THE BALLAD OF THE BLACK FOX SKIN . There was Claw-fingered Kitty and Windy Ike living the life of shame. 33 THE BALLAD OF PIOUS PETE 43 I tried to refine that neighbor of mine, honest to God, I did. -THE BALLAD OF BLASPHEMOUS BILL . I took a contract to bury the body of blasphemous Bill MacKie. . 50 THE BALLAD OF ONE-EYED MIKE…. 57 This is the tale that was told to me by the man with thecrystal eye. vii viii CONTENTS PAGE THE BALLAD OF THE BRAND 62 Twas up in a land long famed for gold, where women were far and rare. THE BALLAD OF HARD-LUCK HENRY . Now wouldnt you expect to find a man an awful crank. . 71 THE BALLAD OF GUM-BOOT BEN …. 76 He was an old prospector with a vision bleared and dim. -THE MAN FROM ELDORADO 81 Hes the man from Eldorado, and hes just arrived in town. MY FRIENDS 90 The man above was a murderer, the man below was a thief. THE PROSPECTOR 94 I strolled up old Bonanza, where I staked in ninety-eight. THE BLACK SHEEP 100 Hark to the ewe that bore him. THE TELEGRAPH OPERATOR 105 I will not wash my face. THE WOOD-CUTTER 109 The sky is like an envelope. CONTENTS ix THE SONG OF THE MOUTH-ORGAN. . Im a homely little bit of tin and bone. PAGE . .114 THE TRAIL OF NINETY-EIGHT 118 Gold We leapt from our benches. Gold We sprang from our stools. CLANCY OF THE MOUNTED POLICE . In the little Crimson Manual its written plain and clear…128 LOST 138 Black is the sky, but the land is white. LENVOI 145 We talked of yesteryears, of trails and treasure. ILLUSTRATIONS PAGE YOUR LITTLE SOD-ROOFED CABINS WITH THE SNUGLY MOSS-CHINKED WALLS …. Frontispiece BEAUTY THAT REJOICES FROM PEAK SNOW-DIADEMED TO REGAL STAR 18 OER SOUNDLESS LAKES WHERE THE GRAYLING MAKES A RUSH AT THE CLUMSY FLY 32 THE VASTITUDES WHERE THE WORLD PROTRUDES THROUGH CLOUDS LIKE SEAS UP-SHOALED … 42 FOR ONCE YOUVE PANNED THE SPECKLED SAND, AND SEEN THE BONNY DUST THE BIG, BLUE, SILT-FREIGHTED YUKON …. 70 THE LONELY WAIF OF THE WOOD-CAMP …. 90 NOTHING BUT ROCK AND TREE NOTHING BUT WOOD AND STONE 104 WE TIGHTENED OUR GIRTHS AND OUR PACK-STRAPS WE LINKED ON THE HUMAN CHAIN … .120 THEREWAS THE RAGE OF THE RAPIDS … .138 xi 56