Page:Looters of the Public Domain.djvu/445

 We found there broad beaches of ruby

And mountains with placers and leads;

But all save the sky was pre-empted

By salt-water sailors and Swedes.

Then we climbed the cold creeks near a mission

That is run by an agent of God,

Who trades Bibles and prayer-books to heathens

For ivory, sealskins, and cod.

At last we were sure we had struck it,

But alas! for our hope of reward—

The landscape from seabeach to sky-line

Was staked in the name of the Lord!

We're too slow for the new breed of miners,

Embracing all classes of men.

Who locate by power of attorney

And prospect their claims with a pen;

Who do all of their fine work through agents

And loaf around town with the sports,

On intimate terms with the lawyers.

On similar terms with the courts.

We're scared to submission and silence

By the men the Government sends

To force us to keep law and order,

While they keep claims for their friends,

And collect in an indirect manner

An exceedingly burdensome tax—

Assumed for a time by the traders.

And then transferred to our backs.

We had some hard knocks on the Klondike

From the Cub-lion's unpadded paws,

And suffered some shocks from high license

And other immutable laws;

But they robbed us by regular schedule.

So we knew just what to expect.

While at Nome we're scheduled to struggle

Until we're financially wrecked.

I'm sick of the scream of the Eagle

And laws of dishonest design,

And Fm going in quest of a country

Where a miner can locate a mine;

So when I have rustled an outfit

These places will know me no more.

For I'll try my luck with the Russians

On the bleak Siberian shore.