Transcriber’s Note
The punctuation and spelling from the original text have been faithfully preserved. Only obvioustypographical errors have been corrected.
BLACK BEAVER
THE TRAPPER
The Only Book Ever
Written by a Trapper
TWENTY-TWO YEARS WITH
BLACK BEAVER
LEWIS AND CLARK
A HUNDRED YEARS LATER
FROM THE AMAZON
TO THE MACKENZIE RIVERS
Copyrighted by Geo. Edward Lewis.
Year 1911.
"THE FOUNDERS OF THE FIRST ARCTIC ALASKAN EDUCATIONAL EXHIBITION."
BLACK BEAVER AS ARCTIC JIM AT CAMP NEAR MT. McKINLEYTHE AUTHOR'S EXCUSE.
I am both sorry and glad to inform my readers—that I can neither readnor write.
It would seem absurd for a blind man to study the stars, Or for a deafman to study music; so it might seem to you absurd for a man who cannotwrite to write a book. But I have an excuse for writing these events.The President of Mexico; and the Governor of Alaska together withseveral hundreds between, equally as popular have urged me to write myhistory. I am sorry I cannot write this with my own fingers but I have asubstitute in my old back-woods chum—The Kidd. Who by the way—neitherwrites very flourishing, because he like myself has done the most of hiswriting with his six-shooter; because you know this a more expressiveway of talking and a more impressive way of writing. I have a brotherwho is a real educated gentleman, he tried to dissuade me frompublishing my history because I think he is afraid he will be outshoneby literary merit. I have no ambition to outshine him, nor WilliamShakespere nor any other erudite. I have a very limited vocabulary, andsince swearing and smoking are not allowed in print, I shall have toloose the biggest half of that. I shall omit foreign language, I couldassault you with Mex—or Siwash but I fear you could not survive thebattery. So I shall confine myself to simple speech, such as I have usedin all lands. From Gotch my bronco to Arctic my dog. It has served mesince I was six summers old It served me amid the bells of Peru and thenafar amid the Agate Eyed squaws of The Kuskokwim; and this ought to be agood excuse.—Yours truly
J.C. LEWIS.
INTRODUCTORY.
I have undertaken the arduous task of rewriting that which was neverwritten. My charge was "fix it up but do not change it." These wordswere hurled at me one morning at four o'clock in the month of April, asmy big brother boarded the Overland Limited bound for the IditarodAlaska. He had in that far-away region five-hundred skins in cache whichhe had taken from the backs of the costiliest animals that ran innorthland world. In various parts of Alaska Black Beaver had treasureswhich he was now intent upon gathering to fit up an outfit to be knownas "The Arctic Alaskan Educational Exhibition" Perhaps no other man inthis count