CHAPTER IX
The Flood
Twenty-four hours of a hard, continuous downpour, accompanied by awarm south wind, worked a mighty difference in the aspect of thingsat Roaring Water Portage. By night on the day following thearrival of the mail from Maxokama, the water was coming down therapids with a roar, bringing great lumps of ice with it, whichcrashed to fragments on the rocks, or were washed down with thecurrent to be a menace to the shipping anchored in the river below.All day long, heedless of the pouring rain, the men had worked atgetting the boats free from their winter coating of ice and snow.So when night came, everyone was too thoroughly wet and tired tothink of night school, which gave Katherine a welcome holiday fromteaching.
She spent the time in sewing, and in making herself so generallyentertaining that even her father was more than once beguiled intolaughter. He was better and more hopeful than for a long timepast. He was even led into thinking and talking of the future, andthe work which would have to be done directly the fast-melting snowmade it possible to get about once more. Before daylight faded hehad helped Miles to get the big boat out, and carefully inspectedthe seams to make sure that no caulking was required. They usedbirchbark canoes a great deal at Roaring Water Portage in thesummer-time, but there was too much ice about for birchbarks to besafe yet.
"We will knock up a little shed for the boat above the portage thissummer, then when next winter comes we can lay her up there,instead of having to bring her down here," he said to Miles, as thetwo discussed the probability of being able to get the boat up theportage within a week.
"Oh, don't talk of next winter, Father; we have not got rid of thisone yet!" exclaimed Mrs. Burton, who was entirely happy andcontented to-night, because of the omission of night school.
"It is going very fast anyhow, and I guess we shall see bare groundin places to-morrow," Miles put in, talking in a sleepy tone; forhe too had been breaking out ice that day, and was desperatelytired.
"Yes, it is going, and I'm glad of it, for it has been the hardestwinter to live through that I can remember, and I'm thankful to seethe last of it," 'Duke Radford answered; and something in his lookand tone made Katherine ask quickly:
"Don't you feel well to-night, Father?"
"Yes, I feel better than I have done for many a week past," hereplied promptly; adding, in a tone too low for any but her tohear, "and happier too."
"I believe you will feel better now, and get strong quickly," saidMrs. Burton hopefully. "The winter had thoroughly gripped yoursystem, and that was why you could not get better before."
All night long the roar of the water seemed to grow louder andlouder, while the ice crashed, and the wild wind howled through theleafless trees. But the morning broke fine, and the sun came outto warm up a wet world. Such a very wet world it was, with theriver swollen to twice its ordinary width! But as Miles hadpredicted, there was bare ground visible, and to eyes which hadlooked on snow-covered earth for six long months the sight waswelcome indeed.
When breakfast was over, Katherine and Miles ran the boat down tothe water's edge, and floated it, getting in and paddling up anddown to see that there was no leakage, and to enjoy the novelsensation after the long abstention from boating. But there waswork to be done, and they could not afford to spend even a part ofthe day in rowing for their own amusement. Stores had to be takendown to Seal Cove, and there was some bargaining to be done forsome tusks of narwhal ivory which 'Duke Radford had beencommissioned to obtain if possible. Narwhal ivory was gettingscarcer every year, and the storekeeper at Roaring Water Portagewas prepared to pay a very good price indeed for all that he couldobtain.
The journey down to Seal Cove was performed with ease andswiftness, the only trouble necessary being the steering, whichcalled for the utmost care in that racing current.
"It will be stiff work coming back," commented Miles, thinking howhard they would have to pull to make any sort of headway.
"Yes, I think we had better come home round by the off-creek; thewater won't run so fast down there," replied Katherine: and Miles,being of the same opinion, assented with a nod.
At Seal Cove a curious state of things existed. The barrier of iceat the mouth of the river had not yet given way, and the racingcurrent, penned in by the barrier, was mounting higher and higher,and threatened to flood the whole neighbourhood.
Katherine and Miles delivered as many of their stores as theycould. But it was not possible to go bargaining for narwhal ivory,as the flood made their destination inaccessible, so they turnedback instead, and started to row up a little backwater called theoff-creek, which in summer was too tiny to admit of the passage ofeven a small boat, but was swollen now to the size of a river.This waterway led straight past the unwholesome habitation of OilyDave, which faced the main river, while the creek ran at the backdoor, or where the back door would have been had the tumbledownhouse possessed one. The water was all round the house now, andmust have been creeping in under the edge of the door, only fromthe back of the house they could not see this.
The two rested on their oars watching the scene, wondering whetherthe house would be swept away, and where Oily Dave would buildhimself a new residence, when they heard shouts, and from thedistant bank of the river saw a woman standing waving her arms in afrantic manner.
"It is Mrs. Jenkin. But what can she want, for certainly her housewon't be in any danger yet awhile?" said Miles, looking across thewide waste of waters to where a little brown hut was pitched highup on the bank.
"Hush! What is she saying?" cried Katherine, and put her hand toher ear to show that she was listening.
Mrs. Jenkin saw the motion, and lifted her voice afresh. "Thereis a man--danger--house--Oily Dave!"
That was all they could hear, for the wind carried the words away,and a great block of ice crashed against the front of Oily Dave'sabode, making the wooden hut shiver with the force of the blow.
"Oily Dave is shut up in his house, and Mrs. Jenkin wants us tosave him," said Katherine, waving her arms to show the woman on thebank that she heard and understood.
"The old baggage isn't worth saving, but I suppose we shall have totry what we can do," Miles answered, then shouted to Katherine tolook out.
The warning came only just in time, for at that moment the hugeblock of ice which had struck the house before came swirling roundin their direction, and they had to dodge it as best they could.
"We must get round to the front, if we can," said Katherine, whenthey had got the boat safely away from the danger of collision withthe ice.
"Not possible; look there!" shouted Miles excitedly, as a greatsheet of ice came gaily floating on the swift current, caughtagainst the corner of the house, and stuck there, banging,grinding, and jarring with the movements of the swirling water, andthreatening to beat the house down like a battering ram. At thesame moment they heard a cry for help from inside the house, andthe woman on the far bank shouted and gesticulated more wildly thanbefore, while the whole structure groaned and shivered like acreature in pain.
Katherine turned pale, but seized the oars resolutely. "There isonly one thing to do, Miles, and I am going to do it. Can you holdthe boat at the edge of the ice for five or ten minutes?"
"You are not going to get on to the ice?" he protested, his voicesharp with dismay, as he looked at the bowing, bobbing fragmentmany square yards in extent, which was grinding against the side ofthe house, but which might split into fragments at any moment.
"Yes, I am. Then I shall creep round to the front, so that OilyDave can see me, and then, perhaps, his courage will be equal tocoming outside," she said, standing up and throwing off her thickcoat, for it would not do to be encumbered with much clothing whenany moment might plunge her into the water.
"Katherine, don't go. It is an awful risk, and the old man isn'tworth it!" pleaded Miles, and, despite the fact of his being a boy,there were actual tears in his eyes as he urged her not to go.
But she would not listen, calling out sharply: "Bump he
r againstthe ice and then I'll spring."
Putting out his strength, Miles brought the boat with a bangagainst the floating ice island, and at the same moment Katherinesprang lightly from the boat. But, despite her care, she landed onall-fours, and, as the ice was awash, got rather wet in theprocess. Rising to an erect position after a few preliminarystaggers, she walked cautiously out towards the middle of the iceisland, which would bring her within sight of the prisoner in thehut, and would, she hoped, inspire him with sufficient courage tohelp him in the task of getting him into the boat.
By this time the woman on the bank understood what she was doing,and ceased shouting. It was Katherine's turn to make a noise now,and she did it with all her might. "Oily Dave, come out! We'vegot a boat at the back, and we will save you if you will be quick."
She was making so much noise herself, and picking her way with suchextreme care over the rotten ice, that she failed to hear the firstresponse to her calling, and the next pulled her up with a jerk.
"Oily Dave isn't here, but if you will take me I shall be verythankful."
The voice was a strange one, and had an unmistakable ring ofrefinement and culture. Katherine faced round with such a start ofsurprise as to nearly send her sprawling again, for the ice wasfull of pitfalls. A young man was leaning out through the smallsquare opening which did duty for a window, and her firstimpression of him was of someone extremely tired, and that gave herthe clue to his identity. He must be the Englishman who had comefrom Maxokama with the Indians who had brought the mail.
"Open the door and come out that way," she said in a tone of sharpauthority. "You will never be able to squeeze through that smallwindow unless your shoulders are very narrow indeed."
"Which they are not," he replied, and disappeared from view.
She heard him banging and tugging at the door, but never a jot didit stir, and after about five minutes of this futile work heappeared again at the window. The water was nearly on a level withthe opening now, and rising moment by moment, while there wereominous ripping and rending sounds in Katherine's ice island, whichwarned her that the rescue must take place in the next few minutesif it was to be effected at all.
"The door is jammed. What am I to do?" the unknown asked in a calmtone, with no flurry or fuss. Indeed, Katherine wondered if herealized how great was his peril and her own.
"Break it down, smash it, anything; only be quick, please," shesaid sharply, marvelling a little at his unconcern in the face ofsuch grave danger.
Again he disappeared, and Katherine heard a rain of heavy blowsbeginning to fall upon the door; then with a cracking, splittingnoise the panel gave way, the man inside wrenched off the brokenpart, and stood revealed up to his waist in water. But there was aspace of fully three yards between himself and Katherine's islandof ice, and, as the ground dropped away sharply in front of thehouse, she knew he must not venture to attempt wading.
"Get a plank or Oily Dave's long table," she said, her manner moredictatorial than before, for the unknown was so terribly slow inhis movements, and the water was still rising.
Mrs. Jenkin had commenced shouting again, but Katherine paid noheed to her, for the unknown had appeared with a long, narrowtrestle table, which, resting one set of legs on the doorstep,reached to the ice. But it was a perilous bridge, and Katherineknew it; only there was no other way, so the peril had to be faced.
"Now run, only be ready to spring," she cried, trying to encouragehim.
"Easier said than done," he answered. "I can scarcely walk, muchless run."
"Then you must crawl; only please make haste. The ice is so rottenthat every minute I am fearing it will give way," she said. Thendropping on her knees on the ice, regardless of the water whichwashed over its surface, she tried to hold the edge of the tablesteady for him to cross.
On he came, crawling slowly and painfully. He was so near to hernow that Katherine could hear his panting breath and see the lookof grim endurance on his drawn face. Mrs. Jenkin was shrieking ina frantic manner, and then Katherine heard a shrill cry from Miles,who was out of sight round the corner of the house. But the noiseconveyed no meaning to her. She had just stretched out her hand tograsp that of the unknown, when there came a tremendous crash whichshot her off the ice and into the water. The shock which sent herinto the water, however, steadied the rickety bridge over which thestranger was crawling by jamming the ice closer under it, and theman, catching her as she took her plunge, held her fast, thendragged her up beside him by sheer strength of arm.
The rescue of Jarvis Ferrars.]
"I am afraid you are rather wet," the stranger said in a tone ofrueful apology, keeping his clutch on Katherine as she struggled toa kneeling posture.
Dashing the wet hair from her eyes, Katherine looked anxiouslyround, fearing that their one way of escape had been cut off. Ahuge fragment of ice had cannoned into her island and split off agreat portion. Plainly that was why Mrs. Jenkin had screamed soshrilly, for she had seen what was coming and had tried to warnher. There were other ice fragments about; huge blocks likeminiature bergs were bobbing and bowing to the racing current,while they flashed back the rays of the sun with dazzlingbrilliancy. But there was still time to get round the corner ofthe house to the boat, if only they made haste; and, scramblingfrom her knees to her feet, Katherine cried urgently: "Come, come,we have just time; there is a boat round the corner of the house.If we can get there before the next crash comes we are safe, if notwe may drown!"
"Save yourself. It is no use, I can't hurry; every step istorture," the unknown said, with a groan, as she fairly dragged himon to his feet, which were swathed in towels.
But she would not leave him. "Lean on me as heavily as you please.I am tremendously strong, and I would try carrying you if you werenot so big," she said, with bustling cheerfulness, as, slipping herarm round him, she hurried him forward.
What a walk it was over that cracking, splitting ice! Mrs. Jenkinhad begun screaming again; and although Katherine was wet throughwith ice-cold water, she could feel the perspiration start as shefaced their chances of escape. An oncoming fragment at that momentfouled with a similar piece swirling round from another direction,and the moment thus gained proved their salvation. With quietobstinacy the stranger made Katherine enter the boat first; then,as he stumbled in himself, the two fragments dashed into theisland, which smashed into a thousand pieces.