CHAPTER FIFTEEN.
I FIND MYSELF UNDER THE SNOW--MY ATTEMPTS TO ESCAPE APPEAR TO BE VAIN--STRUGGLE ON--AM FREE, BUT FIND MYSELF ALONE AMONG THE MOUNTAINS--PUSHON--ENCOUNTER A GRIZZLY BEAR--A FIGHT--WILL HE EAT ME, OR SHALL I EATHIM?--THE PLEASANTEST ALTERNATIVE OCCURS, AND BRUIN SAVES MY LIFE--IHURRY ON IN THE HOPES OF OVERTAKING MY FRIENDS--TAKE UP MY LODGING FORTHE NIGHT IN A CAVERN.
When I saw the avalanche come thundering down towards me, although Iused my utmost exertions to escape, I in reality had completely givenmyself up for lost. My feelings were very bitter, but they were ofshort duration, when I was brought stunned to the ground. I came tomyself at last, or I should not be writing this; but where I was, orwhat had occurred, it was some time before I could recollect. At last adim consciousness came over me that something terrific had happened, andI opened my eyes and looked about; I was under the snow, or rather undera mass of ice in a space ten or twelve feet long, and about three high,being rather wider at the base. This was a very respectable sized tomb,and such I feared that it would prove to me, unless I could work my wayout of it. Of course I knew that I might be released when the snowmelted, but I should inevitably be starved long before that event couldtake place, not to speak of dying of chill, and damp, and rheumatism.
My principle has always been never to say die; if it had been otherwiseI should not be again in Old England. My rifle lay on the ground closeto me where I had fallen; my hand still grasped the long pike I alwayscarried, and the ever constant weapon of the backwoodsman, my hatchet,was in my belt. I crawled along to one end of the icy cavern, tappingthe roof to ascertain if there was any crack through which I may work myway, but it was one solid sheet of ice; the end was blocked up also by asolid mass, through which, after making several attempts, I found itimpossible to bore. Finding all my efforts useless at this end, I wentto the other. Appearances were not promising; still I would not allowmyself to believe that by some means or other I might not work my wayout of my icy prison. Not a moment was to be lost; my friends might goaway and suppose I had perished, or I might be starved or exhaustedbefore I could reach the open air. It was a great thing having a littlespace to start from, though it was little enough. I set to work atonce, therefore, with my axe, and began chopping away at the ice. Myidea was to cut myself out a circular shaft, and thus, like a mole, workmy way up. I chopped and chopped away, and when I had cut a couple offeet out of the mass, I carried the chips to the farther end of thecave; my object in doing this was to obtain sufficient air to breathe,for I found that I very soon consumed what there was in the cave, andthat the heat of my body had already begun to melt the ice above me. Isuffered, therefore, rather from heat than from cold; I went chopping ontill I had space enough in which to stand upright. This was a verygreat advantage; I felt most encouraged, and could now work with fargreater ease than at first, when I had to be on my back, and to chopaway above me. I felt very thankful that I was not a miner, either in acoal, iron, or lead mine.
Sometimes as I was working away I fancied that I head the voices of myfriends calling to me, but when I stopped there was again a perfectsilence. On I went again, but still it appeared as if I was as far asever from getting out of my prison. I had now cut my shaft as high as Icould reach, so I had to make steps in the walls on which I could standwhile I worked upwards. This I did till I had got up a dozen feet ormore. It showed me the great thickness of the block of ice which hadfallen above me, and how mercifully I had been preserved, for had itcome upon me, it would have crushed me as thin as a pancake. I was nowexposed to a new danger: should I fall as I was tunnelling away, Ishould break my legs. I already had removed, as I said, a considerableportion of the ice I had cut out to the other end of the cavern. I nowsaw that it would be better not to remove any more; so, securing myrifle at my back, and taking my pike in my left hand, which indeed Ifound very useful in keeping me firm, I determined not again to descend,but to continue working upwards as long as I had strength left.
To decrease the risk of falling down, I contracted the diameter of myshaft, and thus got on also faster. At length, as I gave a blow abovemy head, what was my satisfaction to feel that my axe had entered a massof snow. Ask an engineer if he would rather bore under a river with arocky, or a sandy and muddy bed, and he will tell you that the rock hecan manage, but that the sand or mud is very likely to baffle him. So Ifound with regard to the snow; I got on rapidly through the ice, but asI worked up through the snow, I had reason to dread every instant thatthe superincumbent mass would fall in and smother me. I found that Imade the most progress by scraping it down and beating it hard under myfeet, forming a rude stair as I went on. I had got up ten feet or sothrough it, when either my foot had slipped, or a mass of snow had comedown upon me, I could not then tell; but I know, to my horror, that Ifelt myself sent toppling down, heels over head, as I feared, to thebottom of the shaft. I began to give myself up for lost, and would haveshrieked out; perhaps I did so, in very grief and disappointment morethan through actual fear, when I found that I was brought up by my pike,which had become fixed across the shaft. I held on for some time tillthe snow had ceased sliding down below me, and I looked up, and there tomy delight I saw, far above me, through a narrow aperture, the clearblue sky. I now could have shouted for joy; but my emancipation was notyet complete, the smooth side of the funnel was to be scaled.
Having secured my pike, I set about it. I tried to run up and gain theheight by a dash. That would not do, I quickly found, for the snow sliddown with my feet as fast as I could lift them, and that made still morecome sliding towards me. The only way to gain the top was by slow andpatient progress, I discovered, after many experiments. I thereforecarefully made step above step, beating each one down hard as Iprogressed, and with infinite satisfaction I found that I was againmaking an upward progress. At last my perseverance was rewarded withsuccess, and I found myself standing on a vast mass of snow, whichblocked up the whole of the valley for a considerable distance on theeastern side and for some way on the west, so far, indeed, that my firstdelight at my own deliverance was very much damped by the fears whichseized me for the safety of my friends and companions. There I stood,in the most silent and complete solitude, amid a heaving ocean, as itwere, of snow, with the dark granite peaks rising up here and there outof it, and increasing the appearance of bleakness and desolation whichreigned around. I shouted again and again, in the hopes that possiblysome of my companions might be within hearing; but my voice soundedfaint, and indeed, almost inaudible, it seemed, while no echoes reachedme from the surrounding rocks.
I did not, however, waste much time in hallooing, for instant action waswhat was required. I felt very hungry, and that fact made me supposethat I must have been some time in my icy cavern before I returned to astate of consciousness. I took out my watch; it had stopped. It wasearly in the morning when the Indians had attacked us. The sun had notnow risen any considerable height in the eastern sky. This made me feelsure that one whole day, if not more, had passed since the catastrophe,and that if I would preserve my life I must push on to overtake thetravellers. I had left my snow-shoes in the camp, so that I had greatdifficulty often in making my way over the snow in some of the spotswhere it lay most loosely. More than once I sank up to my shoulders,and had it not been for my pike I should have had great difficulty inscrambling out again. I had got on some way, and was congratulatingmyself on having got over the worst of it, when I felt the snow givingway under my feet. I tried to spring forward, but that only made mesink down faster; down, down, I went in a huge drift. I had sunk to mymiddle; then the snowy mass rose to my shoulders, and, to my horror, Ifound it closing over my head. Though I knew if I went lower I mightstruggle on for some time, yet that death would be equally certain inthe end. My feelings were painful in the extreme. I could not get mypole across above me, but I succeeded in shoving it down below my feet,and, to my infinite relief, after I had made several plunges, it struckthe point of a rock, or a piece of ice. I k
ept it fixed there with allthe strength I could command, and pressing myself upwards gotsufficiently high to throw myself flat on the snow and to scrambleforward. This I did for some distance, holding my staff with both handsbefore me. It was not a pleasant way of making progress, but it was theonly safe one.
At length I got into the main pass, where the snow lay at its usualdepth, and where it was beaten down by the passage of men, and wagons,and horses. This gave me renewed spirits, though, on examining thetraces, I discovered that they were at least a day old, perhaps older.My chief immediate wish was to have something to stop the cravings ofhunger. I felt in my pockets. I had not a particle of food; nor had Ia scrap of tobacco, which might have answered the purpose for a shorttime. I tried chewing a lump of snow--that was cold comfort; so all Icould do was to put my best foot forward, and to try and overtake myfriends as soon as possible. I might have walked on for three or fourhours engaged in the somewhat difficult endeavour to forget how hungry Iwas, and to occupy my mind with pleasing fancies, (I suspect few peoplewould have succeeded under the circumstances better than I did), when Iheard a loud growl, and on looking round to my right, I saw, sitting atthe mouth of a cavern formed in a rock in a side valley of the main passalong which I was travelling, a huge grizzly bear. There he sat,rubbing his nose with his paws, putting me very much in mind of picturesI have seen of hermits of old counting their beads; nor was he, Isuspect, much less profitably employed.
I stopped the moment I heard him growl, and looked firmly at thegrizzly. I knew that it would not do to turn and run. Had I done so,he would have been after me in a moment, and made mincemeat of mycarcass. I do not know what he thought of me: I do know that I thoughthim a very ugly customer. I bethought me of my rifle. The last shot Ihad fired had been at the Indians; I had not since loaded it. I dreadedlest, before I could do so, he might commence his attack, which Iguessed he was meditating. He had probably only just roused up from hiswinter nap, and was rubbing his eyes and snout as a person does, onwaking out of sleep, to recover his senses, and consider what he shoulddo. To this circumstance I owed, I suspected, my present freedom fromattack. I, meantime, loaded my rifle as fast as I could, and felt muchlighter of heart when I once more lifted it ready for use to myshoulder, with a good ounce of lead in the barrel.
"Now, master Grizzly," said I to myself, "come on, I am ready for you."
Bruin, however, was either not quite awake, or wished to consider thebest means of making a prize of me. The truth was that both of us werehungry. He wanted to eat me, and I wanted to eat him: that is to say, Idetermined to do so if I could, should he attack me. If he left meunmolested to pursue my journey--I felt that discretion would be in thisinstance the best part of valour--that it would be wisest to leave himalone in his glory; for a grizzly, as all hunters know, even with arifle bullet in his ribs, is a very awkward antagonist. He was so longrubbing his nose, that I at last lost patience, and began to move on. Ihad not taken a dozen steps when his warning growl again reached myears. I stopped, and he went on rubbing his nose as before.
"This is all nonsense, old fellow," I exclaimed. "Growl as much as youlike. I am not going to stop for you any longer."
So, putting my best foot forward, as I had need of doing, I steppedquickly out. I very naturally could not help turning my head over myshoulder, to see what Bruin was about, and, as I did so, a growl louderthan the previous one reached my ear, and I saw him moving on at aswinging trot after me. This I knew meant mischief. Flight was totallyout of the question. I must fight the battle like a man. It must beliterally victory or death.
Strange as it may seem, my heart felt more buoyant when I had made up mymind for the struggle, independent of certain anticipations of thepleasure I should derive from the bear steaks I had in contemplation,should I be successful. I speak, perhaps, too lightly of the matternow, because I do not want to make more of my deeds than they deserve;but it was in reality very serious work, and I have cause to be deeplythankful that I did not become the victim of that savage beast. Letthis be remembered, that I was then, and I am now even more so, mostgrateful; yet not grateful enough; that I also feel for the merciful wayin which I was brought through all the perils to which I was exposed.This being clearly understood, I shall consider myself exonerated fromthe frequent introduction of expressions to show that I was not aheartless, careless mortal, without a sense of the superintendingprovidence of a most merciful Creator. I do feel, and I have alwaysfelt, that there is no civilised being so odious among all the races ofman as a person of that description.
Well, on came the huge bear. I knelt down and took my pike, as a restfor my rifle. This was a great advantage. Growling and gnashing histeeth, the enemy advanced. I prayed that my arm might be nerved, thatmy hand might not tremble, and that my rifle might not miss fire. ThusI waited till the brute got within six yards of me. Had I let him getnearer, even in his death struggles, he might have grappled me. I aimedat his eye. I fired, and the moment I had done so, I sprang back, anddid not stop till I had placed twenty paces between myself and the bear,scarcely looking to see the effect of my shot. When the smoke clearedoff, I saw the monster struggling on, with the aim, it seemed, ofcatching me. I was thankful that I had been impelled to spring back asI had done, for I certainly had not previously intended doing so. Iknew how hard the old grizzlies often die, and so I put some dozen ormore yards between me and him. He fell, then got up once, and madetowards me again, and then rolled over, and I had great hope life wasextinct. I had meantime reloaded my rifle, and approached him with duecaution, for bears are, I had heard, cunning fellows, and sometimes shamdeath to catch the unwary hunter. When I got near enough I poked at himwith my pike, and tickled him in several places, and as he did not move,I got round to his head, and gave him a blow with my axe, which wouldhave settled him had he been shamming ever so cleverly.
Without loss of time I cut out his tongue and as many steaks as I couldconveniently carry, and stringing them together with a piece of his hidethrew them over my back, and hurried on till I could find a sufficientcollection of wood or lichens, or other substance that would burn, tomake a fire for cooking them. I need not dwell on what I did do, butthe fact was I was ravenously hungry; and let any one, with the gnawingsof the stomach I was enduring, find his nose within a few inches of somefresh wholesome bear's meat, and he will probably do what I did--eat apiece of it raw. I was very glad that I did, for I felt my strengthmuch recruited by my savage meal, especially as I only ate a smallpiece, very leisurely chewing it as I hurried on my road.
It was a satisfaction to believe that I was going much faster than thewomen and vehicles could progress, and so I hoped to overtake them in aday or two at furthest; still, as long as there was daylight, I did notlike to stop, and so on I tramped, till just before it grew dark Ireached a broader part of the pass, where, in a nook in the mountainside, I discovered the remains of the camp formed by my friends, andleft, I had little doubt, that very morning. There was wood enoughabout, with a little more, which I set to work to collect, to keep afire burning all night. While thus engaged I found in the side of therock a cave of good depth. I explored it at once, while there waslight, to ascertain that it was not the abode of another grizzly.Having assured myself that the lodgings were unoccupied, though nosignboard announced that they were to be let, I piled my wood up infront, and collected all the branches of fir trees and moss which Icould find, to form a bed for myself inside. These arrangements beingmade, I lighted my fire and sat down with considerable appetite to cookand eat my bear steaks. My adventures for the night were not over.