The Pony Rider Boys in Alaska; Or, the Gold Diggers of Taku Pass

Publisher Marketing: Captain, who are the four silent men leaning over the rail on the other side of the boat? asked Tad Butler. I have been wondering about them almost ever since we left Vancouver. They don't seem to speak to a person, and seldom to each other, though somehow they appear to be traveling in company. They act as if they were afraid someone would recognize them. I am sure they aren't bad characters. Captain Petersen, commander of the steamer Corsair, which for some days had been plowing its way through the ever-changing northern waters, stroked his grizzled beard reflectively. Bad characters, eh? he twinkled. Well, no, I shouldn't say as they were. They're fair-weather lads. I'll vouch for them if necessary, and I guess I'm about the only person on board that knows who they are. Tad waited expectantly until the skipper came to the point of the story he was telling.