CHAPTER V
X-RAY STRAPS ON HIS SNOW-SHOES
Long before evening came around Lub had time to recover from hisexcessive labors of the day, so that he was in good trim to startsupper.
"It wasn't so much the strain of fishing, and attending to half a dozentip-ups that knocked me out, as that warm little dance the bear led me,you see, fellows," he explained, when some one chanced to remark that hegot up on his feet as though his knee-joints were stiff and rusty.
"Yes," said Ethan, drily, "this thing of _luring_ is always hard on themuscles and nerves. Only the most rugged constitutions can stand it."
Lub grinned, but did not pursue the subject any further. He was soonbusily engaged in cooking the fish which had been cleaned and preparedlong before.
Luckily they had two good-sized frying-pans with them; for that was oneof the occasions where they came in handy. Nothing would do but theymust have some bear steak, though Phil warned them they were apt to findit rather tough. Still, who would have the heart to complain about alittle thing like that, when the game had fallen to their own rifles,after Lub had gotten in his fine work; certainly none of the MountainBoys, who had gone through too many episodes along these lines not toaccept things as they came, with a laugh and a good word.
That was a bounteous feast, and one to be long remembered. The fishtasted as sweet as shad, and had the same sort of "pitchfork" bones inthem too, which must be watched for, and jealousy guarded against. Ifthe bear steak was hard to masticate, at the same time it was a campdinner, not one served on a damask tablecloth, with cut-glass, andsilver, and napkins to boot!
"Well, it's coming along at last, fellows!" announced X-Ray Tyson, aboutthe time they had finished their meal.
"What's that you're referring to?" demanded Ethan; while Lub lookedhastily on all sides of him, just as though he half expected to see themate of his bear standing there on the border of the camp, and sniffingat the odor of cooked meat that still hung around the scene.
"Why, don't you see 'em trailing down?" demanded X-Ray, who seemed to bequite jubilant over something or other.
"He means it's commenced to snow!" said Ethan.
"Just what," the other added, "and if it gets a good move on perhapsto-morrow will see me gliding along on my snow-shoes that I've ownednearly a year now, and never had a decent chance to use."
He made a dive over to where the said articles were hanging, and takingthem down proceeded to try them on. The others had seen X-Ray do this sooften that it was no novel sight to them.
Phil, who had had considerable experience with snow-shoes, had shown theother some little "wrinkles" in connection with fixing the clumsycontraptions to his feet, so that X-Ray was quite proficient, so far asthat part of it went.
He seemed to fancy that there would be no trouble at all about spinningalong over the country, once he "got the hang of things."
"I'm bound to pull off some stunts while we're up here," he remarked, ashe sat and looked at his prized possessions, now fastened with thestraps to the toes of his shoes, leaving the heels free; "and I onlyhope the snow gets knee-deep by morning. I've read about how hunters uphere in Canada chase the moose when a crust forms on the deep snow, andI want to try it for myself."
"That is reckoned the best time for hunting," Phil explained; "though itdoesn't seem hardly fair to the caribou or the moose. You see, withtheir weight and their sharp hoofs they break through the crust at everyjump, and flounder more or less in the drifts; while the hunter on hisbroad snow-shoes glides swiftly along, and can easily overtake thestrongest of them."
"How about those moose yards I've read about?" asked Ethan, who though adescendant of a New England family knew much less about big-game huntingthan did Phil.
"Oh! they are found in New Brunswick, and parts of Canada as well," theother explained. "When the snow gets very deep, so that the moose findit hard to move around in the woods, they make their way to some placepreviously selected, where they can feed on the tender shoots of certaintrees. There they stay, trampling the snow down constantly, until theplace looks like an enclosure surrounded by walls of snow."
"Then that's how it came to be called a moose yard, I suppose?" venturedLub, who was listening to all of this talk, even though he did notprofess to be very fond of hunting.
"Yes," Phil continued; "and there are some hunters so low down in thescale as real sportsmen that if they ran upon one of these yards theywould take advantage of the opportunity to slaughter every one of themoose in it, no matter if they numbered ten or a dozen."
"But good gracious! isn't there a law limiting the number of moose anyone person can shoot in a year?" asked Lub.
"Of course there is, and it's generally a single specimen, because mooseare getting more and more scarce every season," said Phil; "but whatdoes the game law signify to these hogs? So long as they can feel prettysure of not being found out there's nothing too mean for them to do."
"What a shame they can't all be arrested, and sent up for a term ofyears," Lub remarked, indignantly.
"And don't think for a minute," Ethan broke in with, "that it's theguides who do things like that. They know better than to kill the goosethat lays the golden egg for them. On the contrary, as a rule it is somereckless so-called sportsman who allows his primal passion to have fullplay when he finds himself up against such a golden opportunity. And Isuppose he even makes his boasts of what great feats he performed whenhe finds himself back home with other fellows about the same build ashimself."
The snow was by this time falling heavily. If it kept up at that rate,by morning it would certainly be measured by a dozen inches. X-Ray wasso tickled he could hardly think of taking his snow-shoes off, but satthere a long time admiring the bent wood and stretched gut contrivanceswhich men have used for so many years as a means for getting over thedrifts of these cold countries.
"Looks like you meant to sit up all night, admiring yourself, X-Ray!"suggested Ethan finally, with a little touch of sarcasm in his voice.
"Better put a chain on him, and make sure he doesn't scoot out in thenight!" Lub sang out.
"That word scoot makes me think of the motorboat we had down there onold Currituck Sound a while back," chuckled X-Ray, not at all botheredit seemed by these remarks on the part of his chums; "you remember itwas called the _Skoot_, though for that matter it belied its name, forit never could go fast."
Soon afterward, however, X-Ray relieved Lub's anxious mind by removingthe snow-shoes, and saying as he did so:
"Guess I can wait till to-morrow for my run; and, Phil, remember, yougave me your solemn promise to keep me company the first chance thatcame along?"
"We'll see," was all Phil would admit.
"Lucky we got our bully little shack all done before this started in,eh, boys?" remarked Ethan.
"It held off for us, which was a mighty fine thing for the weather todo," Lub told them, as he changed around in order to get his back warm,for he was now thinking of turning in.
They had arranged it so that the shack could be closed against theweather in time of stress. Phil made sure they had an abundance of fuelhandy, for he said they would need it right along. The fire was to bekept up through the night; for a certain amount of heat might beexpected to enter the lean-to through the opening where the canvas apronwas drawn aside.
The fresh meat was hung from a limb, and high enough from the ground toprevent any wandering wolf from jumping up and carrying it off. Lub hadbeen very solicitous about that part of the program, instructing theothers to make sure by actual tests that it was a sufficient distancefrom the ground.
"Bear meat is too hard to get," he said, with considerable pride, "towant to feed it to the sneaking wolves."
Of course the others indulged in another pantomime laugh, as though theyquite enjoyed hearing the peace-loving Lub talk in that strain. It didthem no harm, and seemed to afford Lub more or less pleasure, so none ofthem attempted to shatter his dream of conquest by rude remarks.
Although X-
Ray Tyson was the one most interested in the snowfall henever aroused himself enough at any time during the night to crawl outand take an observation as to the state of the weather.
Phil and Ethan looked after the fire; though on several occasions whenone of them reentered the shack after performing this duty a sleepyvoice would inquire after the weather conditions, and on hearing thatthe snow was still falling heavily X-Ray would grunt his usual phrase:
"That's hunky-dory; let her come!"
With the arrival of morning there could no longer be any doubt thatwinter had set in for good. A foot of snow on the level, with manydrifts that were several times that deep, told how busy the old manplucking geese aloft had been while the Mountain Boys slept.
X-Ray was wild with delight.
"At last my day has come around!" he kept repeating over and over; "theday I've been waiting for so long. When shall we make a start, Phil?"
"Certainly not till after we've had a good hot breakfast, for onething," asserted the other; "and if it keeps on falling like it does nownothing would tempt me to start out for a snow-shoe tramp."
"But it looks to me like the clouds were ready to break over there inthe northwest," urged the eager one.
"Let her break, then," Phil told him; "time enough to talk about goingwhen we see the sun peeping out. I understand it's no soft snap to gettwisted up in this same Canadian bush, with a blizzard blowing the snowdown, and the cold getting away below zero point."
"Whoo! excuse me if you please," spoke up Lub; "I'll take mine outalongside this cheery blaze. Somebody has got to eat the drumsticks, mymother always says; and even in camp there must be a cook."
"And a jolly good one we happen to have along with us!" remarked X-Ray,generously.
"No taffy, please," warned Lub. "I may take a notion to strike, one ofthese days, and then the rest of you would have to throw up heads ortails to see who takes my place."
"We hope that day will be a long way off," declared the wily Ethan,"because the chances are we'd have to come to eating that _erbswurst_just as it is, because no one could do justice to the culinarydepartment after being spoiled the way we have."
Of course Lub was not so green as to think they meant all they said; yetat the same time it must have been pleasant for him to know his valiantefforts over the fire were appreciated by his chums. He worked harderthan ever, and the satisfied smile that spread over his rosy face toldthat his thoughts were happy.
After all X-Ray was right about those clouds, although he did not claimto be a weather prophet, as he had once done. Even as they sat there andmade away with the fine breakfast that had been prepared a bright ray ofsunlight fell aslant the party; and looking out they could see that thesnow had a dazzling appearance.
"Bully for that!" cried X-Ray; "if I didn't have my breakfast in my lapI'd feel like jumping up and dancing a hornpipe for joy. That meanswe'll soon be starting forth on our snow-shoes, eh, Phil?"
"I suppose you'll never give me a minute's peace until I do go out withyou," the other declared, with a laugh; "though it's pretty hard workpaddling around on snow-shoes when there isn't a trace of crust on topof the fall to hold you up. You see, every step you have to drag a shoeafter you, and when the stuff is soft it means real work."
"Well, you never were known to go back on your word, rain or shine,"said the other, in a satisfied sort of way, as though he did not mean tolet it worry him in the least.
Half an hour later they were getting in readiness for the start.
"We'll carry our guns of course," said Phil, "for we might run across acaribou, and just now a little venison in camp wouldn't come in bad. Andmake sure to take plenty of ammunition along, for while we may not needit you never can tell. Likewise some matches besides your usual supply.I'll put up a snack for our lunch; and besides we can carry some of thatpemmican from the six pound can. Nothing to equal it as a life-saver ina pinch."
"Whew! to hear you talk," said the astonished Lub, "one would think youreally _expected_ to get lost, and roam through the bush for days beforeyou struck our own camp again; but of course you don't, Phil?"
"If I did think so I'd hesitate about going out," the other told him."In doing what I am, Lub, I'm only taking out an insurance policy. Noman expects a fire is really going to come and eat up his house; it'sthe last thing he looks for; and yet all the same he wants his mind tobe at ease. If it should hit him he is in a condition to rebuild again.Well, chances are ten to one we'll bring this condensed food back withus; but in case we _do_ need it we'll be mighty glad we have it along.And that's the right kind of policy to follow when you're off in thebush; for it is often the unexpected that happens."
Presently they had looked after every minute detail that could bethought of; and as X-Ray was very impatient to be off Phil did not havethe heart to delay any longer.
"Here we go to hit the snow-shoe trail!" sang out the exultant X-Ray;and then he found it necessary to go through some violent contortions ofthe body in order to keep himself from tripping over his own feet,encumbered as they were with such unaccustomed appendages.
Phil had given him a staff, however, which he was expected to use incase of any need; and this prevented him from falling.
A minute later, and waving good-by to the others the two started forth.