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Show 157 everyone was leaving the Klondike valley. Some sold their claims, as we had, to large commercial companies who were coming in with heavy raining equipment. Others walked away from their claims-worthless or valuable-without looking back, heading home or toward the new Eldorado in Nome, The great Klondike Gold Rush was ending, as quickly as it had begun-three years almost to the day since George Carmack discovered gold on Bonanza Creek, two years since the Excelsior landed in San Francisco and broadcast it to the world. I was two years older and five inches taller. And I had found my fortune. In Dawson City our pack train caused a considerable amount of attention. In fact, a large crowd followed us, like a parade, as we moved along the south side of town down to the bank on Front Street. The Queen of the Parade rode her black horse in fine style, balancing the pansy hat chandelier on top of her head. She had started out wearing her fur coat, which was now draped like white bunting over the poor horse. Caribou and I looked all right, too, in clean Mackinaw shirts and polished boots. We would be purchasing bearskin coats just as soon as we had time, I heard my name called, and looking up, I saw the three Flower Girls waving feather boas and throwing kisses from the |