Chapter Two

I decided to begin the search by looking in the most obvious places: the cabinet, under the bed, inside the log walls and ceiling, under the floor. After searching for two hours, I came up with a big fat nothing. Then I wandered outside and scoured the tree roots, tree stumps, and spruce cone squirrel mounds. I even climbed on top of the cabin and searched under the spongy tundra of the sod roof. Again, nothing. I found no hidden treasure inside, none outside, and nothing on top of the shack. “That’s three strikes,” I said to the raven nearby. He squawked an unsympathetic reply.

However, things got a little exciting when I poked around in back of the cabin and found an underground cold-storage bin. The lid was a four-by-four piece of treated plywood wrapped in a blue tarp and covered with about five inches of dirt and moss. Upon removing it, I descended into the storage area using a rather flimsy ladder that Henry had fashioned out of spruce limbs and paracord. The dugout was eight feet underground, so it didn’t take long to find solid footing. Very soon, my flashlight illuminated some shriveled potatoes, next, a few empty burlap bags, and then … a coffee can! I became so excited, I dropped my light, grabbed the can and immediately realized it wasn’t heavy enough to contain gold.

“That’s it!” I exclaimed angrily. For the first time in my life, I was disappointed that a coffee can actually contained coffee. I was hoping for something much heavier.

Back inside the cabin, I crawled into my sleeping bag to escape the mosquitos, but the rigors and frustrations of the past couple of days soon caught up with me. After a very long sleep, I boiled some water for java and grits, enjoyed both, and then turned my face toward home. As disappointed as I was at not having found Henry’s treasure, much had been accomplished, considering this was my first attempt. I returned to Fairbanks, and for the next few weeks pondered what I had seen, processed the information gathered, and planned the next foray to search for the gold.

My earliest opportunity would be September. The trip would require at least six days: two days to hike in, two days to search, and two days to hike out, hopefully weighted down with at least seventy pounds of the precious metal.

The temptation