CHAPTER IV
SNOW-BOUND
"I DON'T believe there ever was such a furious snow-storm as thisbefore!" Toby remarked, after a while, with a little pensive sigh, asthough he had already begun to repent having conceived that brilliantidea, in the following out of which they had fallen into their presentserious predicament.
"Oh! that's because the wish is father to the thought, Toby," Elmer toldhim. "We all like to stand up ahead of the other fellows. If you werehome right now I reckon you'd just say that it was a pretty decent sortof a storm; but being cooped up here in the woods makes things lookdifferent."
"How deep do you think she is on the level, Elmer?" asked Lil Artha; "asmuch as three feet?"
"Nothing like that," replied the other, quickly; "you mustn't judge byseeing what's piled up there. That's a drift, and the eddies of windhave been piling it up all night long. You see the snow is as dry almostas powder, owing to the cold. It's quit falling in big flakes, and issifting down now in fine stuff."
"Yes, and it gets down your back every time, if you don't look out,"complained George. "This beats my time all hollow. I wonder how it'llend."
Elmer purposely made out to mistake the croaker's meaning; he knew thatGeorge was thinking of the dismal outlook by which they were confronted,but chose to pretend it was something else that was intended.
"What, this storm, George?" he said, cheerily; "oh! it'll wind up beforea great while. They all have their innings, you know, some longer thanothers."
"I should say this was one of the longest, then," George affirmed.
"But after it does stop we can make up our plans, and start to carry thesame out," Elmer continued, knowing that if he kept the minds of hiscompanions employed in some fashion they would not find much time toworry. "I'm going to settle down pretty soon by the fire here, andfigure things out again. This time we want to make a sure job of it. Iknow the wiggly route we've taken to get here, following that littlecreek, and I've settled it in my mind just which way we ought to go toremedy our blunder."
"It wasn't so much a mistake as false tips we received, you remember,Elmer," Lil Artha was quick to say.
"Yes, that skunk told us wrong just to have what he thought would be asilly joke on scouts," Toby added. "Guess he thought we consideredourselves some punkins because we wore khaki suits, and he was meanenough to want to take us down a peg. I'd like to see that same chapagain. What I wouldn't do to him wouldn't be worth telling."
"At any rate he's forced us to have a novel experience," Elmer toldthem. "Only for his sending us on a false scent we wouldn't have had thechance to know what scouts can do when storm-bound in a snow forest.Some time, when it's all away back in the past, and you can sit andthink of it without getting furious, perhaps none of us may feel quiteso hard about that young scamp's work."
"Huh! about that time begin to feel of your shoulders," grunted George,"because I reckon the wings will have started to sprout. If I had _my_way I'd condemn that rascal to spend a whole week in a snow camp, withonly six matches along, and just enough grub to keep him from starving.Half rations and George Robbins don't seem to agree very well."
"Nothing seems to agree well with you this morning, George," remarkedLil Artha; "I hope it don't turn out to be catching."
"What do you mean by saying that, Lil Artha?" demanded the other,suspiciously.
The tall scout shrugged his shoulders as he went on to cautiouslyexplain.
"Why, you know we were talking about shipwrecked sailors a while back,and how they often had to go on half rations because they carried solittle in the boat with them?"
"Yes, go on," urged George.
"Once in a while it gets even worse than that," Lil Artha continued,gravely, "and they have to draw lots to see who will be sacrificed, sothat the rest of the bunch can live."
"Aw! come off, and quit that!" cried George; "you're just trying toscare me, and it don't go worth a cent. Nobody is going to starve herein the woods where we can find some sort of meat to eat, even crow, ifwe have to come to it, or perhaps muskrat. That's a mighty poor joke,Lil Artha, let me tell you."
"Well, of course I'm hoping myself that things'll never get _just_ thatbad," the tall scout went on to say, "but only supposin' they did, andthe choice fell on you, I'm wondering if ever afterwards the three of uswould have to go around all our lives finding fault with everything. Iwouldn't like that, George."
"But what about yourself?" demanded the other; "you might happen to bethe first victim after all, Lil Artha."
"That makes me smile," he was informed, coolly; "d'ye think now anybodywith eyes in his head would be so silly as to pick out a bony scarecrowlike _me_ when they could settle on a nice plump chicken of your build?"and he playfully dug his fingers in George's ribs as he said this.
"Let's change the subject," Toby broke in with; "this always talking ofeatin' seems to jar on my nerves. It sets me to thinkin', and that emptylarder stares me in the face. Something's got to be done about it."
"Sure it has," echoed Lil Artha, eying George closer so that the othersquirmed uneasily, and edged further away from him.
"If we stay right where we are nothing will come to us, will there,Elmer?" Toby pursued.
"If you mean anything in the way of game we could hardly expect it,"replied the scout master. "The fellow who generally gets there is theone who goes out and finds what he wants, and doesn't hang around homewaiting for something to turn up. That's what wideawake scouts believein."
"Hurrah! that's the ticket! And when can we make a start?" demandedToby.
"If there's any sign of the storm letting up by noon, we'll clear outand take our chances of finding Uncle Caleb's shack before night-time,"he was told.
"And as the snow's so deep," Toby rattled on, "what's to hinder me fromtrying my bully snow-shoes?"
"Nothing that I know of," Elmer remarked; "only I'm afraid you won'tfind the going as easy as you expect."
"I won't, eh? What's the reason?" asked Toby, who always wanted to beshown.
"You're a new beginner, in the first place, and a knowledge of how towalk on snow-shoes is something that's got to be gained by experience.I've been on them up in Canada; and they had to dig me out lots of timesbefore I learned how to stand straight. If once you slip it's good-byeto you. Down your head goes, and you can't get up alone because of theclumsy big shoes. They always carry a long stick to keep from takingthese headers, especially when going it alone."
"Anything else?" asked the aspiring one, as he took up the pair ofsplendid snow-shoes Uncle Caleb had sent him, and made as if to securehis toe in place with the thong intended for that purpose.
"Yes, there's another thing that will make it doubly hard," Elmerinformed him. "Dry snow like this is the toughest kind to walk over.When hunters go after deer or moose on snow-shoes they always pick atime after a thaw, when a return of the cold has frozen the wet surfaceof the deep snow. Over this thin ice they can run three times as fast asthe poor deer, which breaks through with every jump, and floundersalmost helplessly."
"That sounds almost like plain murder, do you know," Lil Arthavehemently declared, frowning at the idea.
"Well, if you were hungry, and that was the only way to get near avenison mebbe you wouldn't feel so particular," George told him. "I knowright now that I wish a splendid buck was doing some of that samefloundering near us, and Elmer had a chance to settle his hash for him.It'd sure do me a heap of good just to know we had enough grub for aweek, and then some."
"That's a forbidden subject, George," remonstrated Elmer, who wanted toget the minds of his chums directed in more pleasant channels; "let'sall get together and compare notes about direction. I said I had a plan,but then I might be off my base, and some of you could correct me. Fourheads are better than one all the time."
His scheme succeeded, for presently he had managed to get them deeplyinterested in the subject of location, so that one after another putforward some plan.
It was about all they could do, under the
circumstances, that andkeeping the fire burning. Even George so far forgot his troubles as tosuggest several things that were well weighed before being rejected.
As it turned out, after the conference, Elmer had changed his figures alittle, and the latest plan was to head a point south of northwest whenthey started forth in hopes of finding shelter from the storm.
No one knew the grim necessity for action better than Elmer. While hetried to assume a pleasant face in order to keep the courage of theothers up, he understood the serious character of their condition farmore than he was willing to openly admit.
They could not expect any one to come and find them, if they continuedto stay where they were; and besides the scantiness of their provisionsentailed the necessity for doing some sort of hunting in the snow forestin hopes of securing a new supply.
As the morning dragged on many anxious glances were cast out to wherethat fine powdery substance was showering steadily down, adding to thetremendous quantity that was already on the ground. If it would onlybegin to slacken how thankful they would be.
On several occasions some one would exclaim that it looked as though thesnow might be coming down in lessened quantities, but no sooner did theybegin to pay close attention than the storm seemed to start in again asfuriously as ever.
So the time drew near the middle of the day, and as yet they could notsay that there was any hopeful sign.
"If it gets along past noon we're in for another night here, I'mafraid," Lil Artha argued, "because, you remember the old saying,'between eleven and two, it'll tell you what's it's going to do.'Needn't chuckle that way, George, because I've often seen that proved.Seems like that's a turning point most times, if there's going to be anychange."
"All silly bosh!" George went on to say, for at least he was not givento believing in "signs" and such things; "haven't I many a time seen astorm go on past noon, and look as black as a pocket, only to clearhandsomely about four or five, with the grandest rainbow in the west youever saw? Those sayings are all bunco, Lil Artha. I'm surprised at assensible a scout as you admitting that you believe in any of the same.I'm not superstitious, whatever else I may be."
"Oh! well, it doesn't matter which one's right," the tall scoutobserved; "the thing is there's always a fair chance of its breakingaround noon; and let's hope it'll be kind enough to do that sameto-day. I know Elmer wants to make a move as much as any of us, don'tyou, Elmer?"
"Yes, and I don't care how soon it comes along, either," he was toldwithout the slightest hesitation.
"There's one comfort we've got," said Toby.
"I'd like to hear it, then," George muttered, disconsolately, eying theother half suspiciously, as though he feared another trap intended forhis unwary feet.
"We've got stacks of coffee along, and can always have a cup to cheer usup. I think that counts a lot. It not only warms you inside, but givesyou courage to face your troubles like a true scout."
"And yet some scouts are never allowed to drink tea or coffee,"suggested George.
"I'm sorry for them, that's all," Toby continued; "we don't happen tofall in that class, do we, fellows? My folks let me have one cup everymorning; and when I'm in camp I c'n drink all I want. There, look andtell me if you don't think it seems to be lightening in the northwest,Elmer; because that's where all this awful snow is coming from."
"It does look a little better, for a fact!" admitted the scout master,after he had taken a critical observation; "of course I'm not aweather-sharp; and my prediction may not be worth a pinch of salt; butif you asked me I'd like as not say I really believe it was going tobreak."
"Hurrah!" shouted both Lil Artha and Toby in concert; for this was thefirst time Elmer had committed himself to saying what he thought about apossible change in the weather.
More anxiously than ever they waited and watched. The snow did not comedown quite so heavily, and was constantly lessening in force. A stiffwind had arisen that cut like a knife; they hoped this was blowing thegray clouds away, and that soon the cheery face of the sun would peepforth through a gap in the curtain overhead. All of them stood ready togreet his advent with a rousing cheer.
"Here, let's get our coffee started, so we can move out right away, ifthings look good to us!" Elmer told them; and it seemed as though therewere four times as many cooks as the supply of food warranted, becauseevery one wanted to have a hand in preparing their scanty lunch.
As one of them had said it promised to be pretty much "coffee andpoint," and of course he was compelled to tell how the poor Irish duringfamine times were accustomed to hanging a bit of bacon over the table,and as they ate their potatoes they would point the same at it, asthough in imagination they might get some of the flavor that way.
"The Irish were long on praties, and short on bacon," Lil Arthacommented, "and with us it's a case of plenty of coffee, and a famine inother kinds of grub; but better times are coming soon, boys, when we'llhave plenty," and he managed to cast another of his wicked looks in thedirection of George, which being seen by that worthy caused him to curlhis lips in derision, and return the hint with an expression that seemedto say: "you'll have to wait a long time before you taste _me_, LilArtha, and don't you forget that!"
Things got better and better as the cooking progressed; that is to say,overhead the clouds were plainly showing ragged signs, as though theymust presently break, and the storm be of the past.
This fact gave the four boys some reason for cheering up. It was a bleakimmediate future that stared them in the face, but being young and fullof hope they easily found many things to pin their faith on. Youth isapt to be buoyant, and see only the present; George's habit ofcomplaining, and being a pessimist, doubtless sprang from a poordigestion, and could easily be remedied if he went on a plain diet.
"Watch the smoke, how it goes straight up when the wind stops," Elmertold them. "That's a good sign, and every old hunter knows it. Smokehugs the ground when the air is heavy with moisture, and ascends whenit's dry. I'm more certain than ever now that we're seeing the tail-endof our storm."
"The worst is yet to come," croaked George.
"Smells pretty fine to me," said Lil Artha, sniffing the air, which wascharged just then with a delightful aroma of coffee.
"I only wish all of you were as lucky as me," Toby broke in with,showing that he could not tear his mind away from contemplating hispresent. "Think how slick we'd go skimming along over the big drifts onour snow-shoes, and not caring five cents whether school kept or not."
"Mebbe we would, and again mebbe we'd be sorry," George told him."Things ain't always just what they seem. Lots of times you think you'regoing to have a nice swell drink, and swich! the glass drops, and isbroken into bits."
"Well, we've got aluminum drinking cups, so there's no danger of thatthing happening to us," practical Lil Artha assured him, for he neverbothered his head about evil omens, and all such nonsense.
Toby, who had been bending over the fire, happened to look aroundpresently. Perhaps it was his intention to add some brilliant remark towhat he had already said in connection with snow-shoes; but if this wereso the thought was driven completely out of his head by something else.
"Oh! my stars! would you see that?" he almost shrieked.
Startled by his exclamation, and half believing that he must havediscovered at least a hungry lynx about to spring into the camp, theothers whirled around and then they in turn stared as though hardly ableto believe their eyes.
A splendid stag had come bounding along through the deep snowdrifts,unaware of the fact that human enemies were so near by, since the windcarried the scent of their presence, as well as the smoke from the fire,in another direction. He had apparently just discovered them at theinstant they all looked, for with a flirt of his antlered head he wasmaking off, jumping gracefully through the deep snow, and doubtlesspicking his way, even though dreadfully alarmed.
Elmer had started to look for his Marlin, but realizing the hopelessnessof getting a shot he desisted, and watched the splendid a
nimal vanishfrom view.