the faith of men-第28章

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the　world；　yet　he　gave　them　over　that　he　might　be　on　good　terms

with　God。　　So　it　was　with　Abraham　when　he　prepared　to　offer　up　his

son　Isaac　on　a　stone。　　Isaac　was　very　dear　to　him；　but　God；　in

incomprehensible　ways；　was　yet　dearer。　　It　may　be　that　Abraham

feared　the　Lord。　　But　whether　that　be　true　or　not　it　has　since　been

determined　by　a　few　billion　people　that　he　loved　the　Lord　and

desired　to　serve　him。



And　since　it　has　been　determined　that　love　is　service；　and　since　to

renounce　is　to　serve；　then　Jees　Uck；　who　was　merely　a　woman　of　a

swart…skinned　breed；　loved　with　a　great　love。　　She　was　unversed　in

history；　having　learned　to　read　only　the　signs　of　weather　and　of

game；　so　she　had　never　heard　of　Abel　nor　of　Abraham；　nor；　having

escaped　the　good　sisters　at　Holy　Cross；　had　she　been　told　the　story

of　Ruth；　the　Moabitess；　who　renounced　her　very　God　for　the　sake　of

a　stranger　woman　from　a　strange　land。　　Jees　Uck　had　learned　only

one　way　of　renouncing；　and　that　was　with　a　club　as　the　dynamic

factor；　in　much　the　same　manner　as　a　dog　is　made　to　renounce　a

stolen　marrow…bone。　　Yet；　when　the　time　came；　she　proved　herself

capable　of　rising　to　the　height　of　the　fair…faced　royal　races　and

of　renouncing　in　right　regal　fashion。



So　this　is　the　story　of　Jees　Uck；　which　is　also　the　story　of　Neil

Bonner；　and　Kitty　Bonner；　and　a　couple　of　Neil　Bonner's　progeny。

Jees　Uck　was　of　a　swart…skinned　breed；　it　is　true；　but　she　was　not

an　Indian；　nor　was　she　an　Eskimo；　nor　even　an　Innuit。　　Going

backward　into　mouth　tradition；　there　appears　the　figure　of　one

Skolkz；　a　Toyaat　Indian　of　the　Yukon；　who　journeyed　down　in　his

youth　to　the　Great　Delta　where　dwell　the　Innuits；　and　where　he

foregathered　with　a　woman　remembered　as　Olillie。　　Now　the　woman

Olillie　had　been　bred　from　an　Eskimo　mother　by　an　Innuit　man。　　And

from　Skolkz　and　Olillie　came　Halie；　who　was　one…half　Toyaat　Indian；

one…quarter　Innuit；　and　one…quarter　Eskimo。　　And　Halie　was　the

grandmother　of　Jees　Uck。



Now　Halie；　in　whom　three　stocks　had　been　bastardized；　who　cherished

no　prejudice　against　further　admixture；　mated　with　a　Russian　fur

trader　called　Shpack；　also　known　in　his　time　as　the　Big　Fat。

Shpack　is　herein　classed　Russian　for　lack　of　a　more　adequate　term；

for　Shpack's　father；　a　Slavonic　convict　from　the　Lower　Provinces；

had　escaped　from　the　quicksilver　mines　into　Northern　Siberia；　where

he　knew　Zimba；　who　was　a　woman　of　the　Deer　People　and　who　became

the　mother　of　Shpack；　who　became　the　grandfather　of　Jees　Uck。



Now　had　not　Shpack　been　captured　in　his　boyhood　by　the　Sea　People；

who　fringe　the　rim　of　the　Arctic　Sea　with　their　misery；　he　would

not　have　become　the　grandfather　of　Jees　Uck　and　there　would　be　no

story　at　all。　　But　he　WAS　captured　by　the　Sea　People；　from　whom　he

escaped　to　Kamchatka；　and　thence；　on　a　Norwegian　whale…ship；　to　the

Baltic。　　Not　long　after　that　he　turned　up　in　St。　Petersburg；　and

the　years　were　not　many　till　he　went　drifting　east　over　the　same

weary　road　his　father　had　measured　with　blood　and　groans　a　half…

century　before。　　But　Shpack　was　a　free　man；　in　the　employ　of　the

great　Russian　Fur　Company。　　And　in　that　employ　he　fared　farther　and

farther　east；　until　he　crossed　Bering　Sea　into　Russian　America；　and

at　Pastolik；　which　is　hard　by　the　Great　Delta　of　the　Yukon；　became

the　husband　of　Halie；　who　was　the　grandmother　of　Jees　Uck。　　Out　of

this　union　came　the　woman…child；　Tukesan。



Shpack；　under　the　orders　of　the　Company；　made　a　canoe　voyage　of　a

few　hundred　miles　up　the　Yukon　to　the　post　of　Nulato。　　With　him　he

took　Halie　and　the　babe　Tukesan。　　This　was　in　1850；　and　in　1850　it

was　that　the　river　Indians　fell　upon　Nulato　and　wiped　it　from　the

face　of　the　earth。　　And　that　was　the　end　of　Shpack　and　Halie。　　On

that　terrible　night　Tukesan　disappeared。　　To　this　day　the　Toyaats

aver　they　had　no　hand　in　the　trouble；　but；　be　that　as　it　may；　the

fact　remains　that　the　babe　Tukesan　grew　up　among　them。



Tukesan　was　married　successively　to　two　Toyaat　brothers；　to　both　of

whom　she　was　barren。　　Because　of　this；　other　women　shook　their

heads；　and　no　third　Toyaat　man　could　be　found　to　dare　matrimony

with　the　childless　widow。　　But　at　this　time；　many　hundred　miles

above；　at　Fort　Yukon；　was　a　man；　Spike　O'Brien。　　Fort　Yukon　was　a

Hudson　Bay　Company　post；　and　Spike　O'Brien　one　of　the　Company's

servants。　　He　was　a　good　servant；　but　he　achieved　an　opinion　that

the　service　was　bad；　and　in　the　course　of　time　vindicated　that

opinion　by　deserting。　　It　was　a　year's　journey；　by　the　chain　of

posts；　back　to　York　Factory　on　Hudson's　Bay。　　Further；　being

Company　posts；　he　knew　he　could　not　evade　the　Company's　clutches。

Nothing　retained　but　to　go　down　the　Yukon。　　It　was　true　no　white

man　had　ever　gone　down　the　Yukon；　and　no　white　man　knew　whether　the

Yukon　emptied　into　the　Arctic　Ocean　or　Bering　Sea；　but　Spike

O'Brien　was　a　Celt；　and　the　promise　of　danger　was　a　lure　he　had

ever　followed。



A　few　weeks　later；　somewhat　battered；　rather　famished；　and　about

dead　with　river…fever；　he　drove　the　nose　of　his　canoe　into　the

earth　bank　by　the　village　of　the　Toyaats　and　promptly　fainted　away。

While　getting　his　strength　back；　in　the　weeks　that　followed；　he

looked　upon　Tukesan　and　found　her　good。　　Like　the　father　of　Shpack；

who　lived　to　a　ripe　old　age　among　the　Siberian　Deer　People；　Spike

O'Brien　might　have　left　his　aged　bones　with　the　Toyaats。　　But

romance　gripped　his　heart…strings　and　would　not　let　him　stay。　　As

he　had　journeyed　from　York　Factory　to　Fort　Yukon；　so；　first　among

men；　might　he　journey　from　Fort　Yukon　to　the　sea　and　win　the　honour

of　being　the　first　man　to　make　the　North…West　Passage　by　land。　　So

he　departed　down　the　river；　won　the　honour；　and　was　unannaled　and

unsung。　　In　after　years　he　ran　a　sailors'　boarding…house　in　San

Francisco；　where　he　became　esteemed　a　most　remarkable　liar　by

virtue　of　the　gospel　truths　he　told。　　But　a　child　was　born　to

Tukesan；　who　had　been　childless。　　And　this　child　was　Jees　Uck。　　Her

lineage　has　been　traced　at　length　to　show　that　she　was　neither

Indian；　nor　Eskimo；　nor　Innuit；　nor　much　of　anything　else；　also　to

show　what　waifs　of　the　generations　we　are；　all　of　us；　and　the

strange　meanderings　of　the　seed　from　which　we　spring。



What　with　the　vagrant　blood　in　her　and　the　heritage　compounded　of

many　races；　Jees　Uck　developed　a　wonderful　young　beauty。　　Bizarre；

perhaps；　it　was；　and　Oriental　enough　to　puzzle　any　passing

ethnologist。　　A　lithe　and　slender　grace　characterized　her。　　Beyond

a　quickened　lilt　to　the　imagination；　the　contribution　of　the　Celt

was　in　no　wise　apparent。　　It　might　possibly　have　put　the　warm　blood

under　her　skin；　which　made　her　face　less　swart　and　her　body　fairer；

but　that；　in　turn；　might　have　come　from　Shpack；　the　Big　Fat；　who

inherited　the　colour　of　his　Slavonic　father。　　And；　finally；　she　had

great；　blazing　black　eyesthe　half…caste　eye；　round；　full…orbed；

and　sensuous；　which　marks　the　collision　of　the　dark　races　with　the

light。　　Also；　the　white　blood　in　her；　combined　with　her　knowledge

that　it　was　in　her；　made　her；　in　a　way；　ambitious。　　Otherwise　by

upbringing　and　in　outlook　on　life；　she　was　wholly　and　utterly　a

Toyaat　Indian。



One　winter；　when　she　was　a　young　woman；　Neil　Bonner　came　into　her

life。　　But　he　came　into　her　life；　as　he　had　come　into　the　country；

somewhat　reluctantly。　　In　fact；　it　was　very　much　against　his　will；

coming　into　the　country。　　Between　a　father　who　clipped　coupons　and

cultivated　roses；　and　a　mother　who　loved　the　social　round；　Neil

Bonner　had　gone　rather　wild。　　He　was　not　vicious；　but　a　man　with

meat　in　his　belly　and　without　work　in　the　world　has　to　expend　his

energy　somehow；　and　Neil　Bonner　was　such　a　man。　　And　he　expended

his　energy　in　such　a　fashion　and　to　such　extent　that　when　the

inevitable　climax　came；　his　father；　Neil　Bonner；　senior；　crawled

out　of　his　roses　in　a　panic　and　looked　on　his　son　with　a　wondering

eye。　　Then　he　hied　himself　away　to　a