"
Then there were the rest of the old-timers, the men of Forty Mile and
Circle City. At the time of the discovery, nearly all of them were
over to the west at work in the old diggings or prospecting for new
ones. As they said of themselves, they were the kind of men who are
always caught out with forks when it rains soup. In the stampede
that followed the news of Carmack's strike very few old miners took
part. They were not there to take part. But the men who did go on
the stampede were mainly the worthless ones, the new-comers, and the
camp hangers on. And while Bob Henderson plugged away to the east,
and the heroes plugged away to the west, the greenhorns and rounders
went up and staked Bonanza.
But the Northland was not yet done with its joke. When fall came on
and the heroes returned to Forty Mile and to Circle City, they
listened calmly to the up-river tales of Siwash discoveries and
loafers' prospects, and shook their heads. They judged by the
calibre of the men interested, and branded it a bunco game.
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