_Chapter VI_ DESPERATE HOURS
Freezing to death! The phrase was terrible in its import, yet the dangerwas very near and very deadly, for there was slight chance that the busdriver had gotten through to give a warning of their predicament. Even ifhe had Janet wondered if any searching party could brave the rigors ofthe night.
Outside the boys worked steadily, coming inside in shifts, and then goingback. They could hear the snow thud against the side of the bus as it waspiled higher and higher and the sound of the wind gradually faded as thewall of snow protecting them from it thickened.
The light from the single bulb was ghostly now. The battery seemed to beweakening. Helen looked at her watch. It was just one o'clock when theboys came in, beating their hands and knocking the frost from theirbreath off their coats.
Jim was the last one in and he closed the door carefully after him.
Bernice was crying again and Ed, though half frozen himself, bent downand massaged her feet. Miss Bruder was white and shaken for it was morethan she could cope with and she turned to Ed and Jim to pull themthrough the emergency.
While Ed worked with Bernice's feet, Jim spoke to the group.
"We might as well face this thing frankly," he said. "We're in an awfuljam. It must be fifteen or twenty below right now. The snow has stopped,but the wind is increasing in strength and the snow is drifting badly. Itmay be hours, perhaps a day, before we're discovered."
He paused and watched the conflicting emotions on their faces, thenplunged on.
"We've banked the bus with snow to keep out the worst of the wind, butit's going to be terribly cold just the same. We've got to keep moving,keep up our spirits. If we don't----"
But Jim didn't finish his sentence. There was no need for they all knewwhat would happen once they became groggy and sleepy.
"I'm going to start with a count and I want all of you to beat your feetin time with me. That'll jar your whole body and warm you up a little."
Jim started counting and soon the whole group was stamping their feetmethodically.
Even Janet had not realized how cold she was. Her feet had felt a littlenumb, but under the steady pounding against the floor they started totingle, then burn with an intensity that brought tears to her eyes wherethey froze on her lashes.
"I'm nearly frozen," chattered Margie, huddling closer to Janet. "If itwasn't for your coat I'd be like an icicle by this time."
They kept up the motion with their feet for at least five minutes, andJim called a halt then.
"Everyone feel a little warmer?" he asked.
"My hands are still cold," said one of the girls, but Janet was too stiffto turn around and see who was speaking.
"Then here's an arm drill for everyone," said Jim, starting to swing hisarms in cadence.
When that exercise was completed, most of them could feel their bodiesaglow as the blood raced through their veins.
Ed started to tell funny stories and though he did his best, their ownsituation was so tragic that nothing appeared humorous. But he kept theminterested, which was the main thing.
Helen was the first to break the now monotonous flow of Ed's words.
"Stop, Ed," she said, her voice low and tense. "Shake Miss Bruder,quick!"
Ed turned suddenly to the teacher, who had been sitting back of him. Herhead had fallen forward on her chest and her arms hung limp.
The husky senior picked her up and brought her back under the light, therest crowding around him.
Then Janet took charge. Miss Bruder's eyes were closed, but she wasbreathing slowly.
"I believe she's half frozen. She was sitting where a constant knife ofair was coming in around the door," whispered Jim. "Get busy and massageher."
Janet, with Helen helping her, stripped off Miss Bruder's thin gloves.Her hands were pitifully white.
Ed scooped up a handful of snow where it had sifted in around the doorand used it to rub Miss Bruder's hands while Janet and Helen massaged theupper part of her body and her face.
It was five minutes before the teacher responded to their franticefforts. Then her eyes opened and she tried to smile.
"I must have dozed for a moment," she whispered.
"Don't talk," said Helen. "Rest now."
"Is everyone all right?" insisted the teacher.
"Everybody's here," replied Jim, who was keeping a close eye on Bernice,who seemed the most susceptible to the cold.
Ed pulled Janet to the rear of the bus.
"This thing is getting serious," he whispered. "Some of the girls won'tbe able to stand it until morning unless we're able to keep them warmer.Jim and I have sheepskins. We'll put them down on the floor and you girlsget down and lie on them. Huddle together and cover up with your owncoats. Your body heat should keep you warm and we'll be moving around andtalking to you so none of you will get too drowsy from the cold."
"But you can't do that. You and Jim will freeze," protested Janet.
"Freeze? I guess not. We're too tough for that. Besides, I've got allkinds of clothes on under this sheepskin."
Janet finally agreed to the plan and Ed explained it briefly. Miss Bruderhesitated, but the others overruled her.
Jim and Ed placed their heavy canvas, sheep-lined coats on the floor andthe girls laid down on them like ten pins, huddling together and puttingtheir own coats over them.
"Get just as close as you can so you'll keep each other warm," counseledJim, who, minus his heavy coat, was busy swinging his arms and legs.
In less than five minutes the girls were ready to admit that the plan wasan excellent one, for they were quite comfortable under the mound ofcoats and Janet made them keep up a constant flow of conversation,calling to each girl every few minutes. Up in the front of the bus theycould hear the boys moving steadily and stamping their feet.
How long they had been under the pile of coats Janet couldn't guess, butsuddenly there was a wild pounding on the door of the bus. She managed toget her head out from under the coats in time to see Jim open the door.
"Everyone safe?" cried someone outside.
"We're all right," replied Jim and then Janet saw her father looking downat the huddled group of girls on the floor of the bus. His face wascovered with frost, but he brushed past the boys and knelt beside her.
"All right, honey?" he asked.
"A little cold," Janet managed to smile. "How did you get here?"
"Never mind that. The first thing is to get out of here and where you'llbe safe and warm."
Other men poured into the bus. Janet recognized some of them. Ed's fatherwas there. So was Jim's, Cora's and Margie's. Someone had a big bottle ofhot coffee and cardboard cups. The steaming hot liquid, bitter withoutsugar or cream, was passed around.
Janet drank her cup eagerly and the hot beverage warmed her chilled body.
Extra coats and mufflers had been brought by the rescue party.
"Get as warm as you can. It's going to be a cold ride to the paved road,"advised her father.
They were soon ready and once more the door of the bus was opened.Outside a powerful searchlight glowed and as they neared it Janet saw alarge caterpillar tractor. Behind this was a hayrack, mounted on runnersand well filled with hay.
"Everybody into the rack. Burrow down deep so you'll keep warm."
Janet's father counted them as they got into the rack, yelled to theoperator of the tractor to start, and then piled into the rack himself.
With a series of sharp reports from its exhaust, the lumbering tractorgot into motion, jerking the rack and its precious load behind it.