CHAPTER X.
A GREAT DISASTER.
The stunning crash and the succeeding darkness suggested an earthquaketo the frightened boys. They dropped down on the boughs and lay therewithout moving for nearly a minute.
"Any one hurt?" asked Jerry, in a husky tone.
"I'm not," whispered Brick.
"Neither am I," added Hamp. "But we may be killed any minute. I wonderwhat that was."
"I'll bet I know," exclaimed Jerry. "One of those big pine trees hasfallen right across the ravine. Luckily it hit the rock instead of thecabin, and the thick branches are what makes it dark in here."
To prove his assertion, Jerry removed the plug from the hole over thedoor. Sure enough, a couple of bushy, green limbs were seen protrudingfrom the cabin roof down into the snow.
"It's only the limbs that do that," declared Jerry. "The trunk of thetree is on the rock. If it had fallen a little to this side we wouldhave been crushed like eggshells."
"The cabin is just as firm as ever," said Hamp, as he pressed his weightagainst one side.
"It's firmer," asserted Brick. "It don't wobble one bit now, and it didbefore."
"That's because the outspreading branches of the tree are holding itlike a vise," said Jerry. "I'll tell you what, fellows, this accident isthe best thing that could have happened to us. The cabin is as solid asthough it was built on stone, and the roof can't break down now, nomatter how deep the snow becomes."
This was undoubtedly true, and the boys were vastly relieved to hear it.
"If we only had the matches and provisions here," said Brick. "Then wewould be fixed."
"Yes, we could stand a long siege," assented Jerry. "But we've got to beup and doing. First, we'll have a bite to eat, and then Hamp can tacklethe tunnel."
The storm still raged with unabated fury, and the stinging cold airpenetrated to the cabin. The boys plugged up the hole, and then sat downto the scanty repast, which was soon over.
"Now for the tunnel," said Hamp.
He removed the sled and gingerly unbuttoned the flap of canvas from thedoorway.
The others helped him, and as fast as they removed the snow, they pokedit out through the hole above. Finally the excavation was three feetdeep, and high enough to admit Hamp on his hands and knees.
"You'll have to stop removing the snow now," said Jerry. "I can't pokeany more out, for the drift is up over the hole in the wall."
"All right," replied Hamp, cheerfully, as he crawled into the tunnel."The snow is so light that I can pack it under me and against the sides.It's nice and warm in here, fellows, but it's dark as pitch. I wishthere was a little light."
"You'll have to wish," replied Jerry. "You can strike matches on the wayback from the storehouse."
Hamp laughed, and his voice had a hollow, muffled ring.
"Better let me come in and help you," cried Brick.
"No; stay there," responded Hamp. "If two fellows were working, we wouldsurely have a cave-in. I'm getting along all right."
By this time he was five feet from the cabin. On hands and knees he wentslowly ahead through the intense darkness. He wore stout buckskingloves, and carried a slab of bark, with which he patted down the snowin front of him and slapped it against the sides of the tunnel. He couldhear, as though from a great distance, the ceaseless roar of thetempest. All was quiet in the cabin, and he dared not call out to hiscompanions, for fear his voice would bring an avalanche of snow into thetunnel.
Yet the lad was in a hazardous situation, and to himself he did notdisguise the fact. At any moment might come disaster in the shape of acave-in or a falling tree. Then, in the darkness, he would have littlechance of escape.
He worked forward slowly and bravely. He had a definite plan in mind.Directly out from the cabin door was the fireplace, and two or threefeet to the right of this lay a flat stone, on which the boys hadfrequently sat while cooking the meals. Straight down the ravine fromthe stone was the storehouse. To reach the latter seemed simple enough,but it was not so easy after all.
Now and then he would throw himself flat, and stretch out his arms andlegs to their fullest extent to make sure that the tunnel had no crooks.
At last something occurred that made his heart leap for joy. The slab ofbark struck a hard obstacle. Hamp tore eagerly at the snow with bothhands. Yes, he had found the fireplace. One by one he lifted the charredembers of wood. Here was the half-consumed log that had ceased to burnwhen the storm opened. So far the tunnel was just what he had aimed tomake it.
In a short time Hamp cleared the space round about him, and flattenedthe snow down solidly. He was tempted to push straight ahead for thestorehouse, but a prudent second thought caused him to abandon the rashdesign. He turned to the right, and went on with the excavation. Hopemade the time pass quickly, and he was surprised when he struck the flatstone. He tunneled clear over it with extreme caution. Then he veeredsharply to the left and followed the triangular point of the stone,which he knew pointed straight for the storehouse.
Deeper and deeper grew the tunnel, and soon his feet were quite beyondthe stone. He could barely kick it with his heels when he threw himselfflat. The goal was now within six or eight feet.
Then came a sudden rumble and whirr, and Hamp felt a weight drop uponthe rear part of his body. He knew what had happened, and threw himselfconvulsively forward. He cleared the fallen snow and then wheeledquickly around. The tunnel had disappeared. The roof had fallen in.
Hamp had no way of telling how far back the blockade extended.
"I'll have to turn back and clear the path," he reflected. "The cave-insurely can't reach farther than the stone. This time I'll make the roofstronger. I can be thankful it didn't drop all over me."
The cleared space around him permitted him to turn slowly on his handsand knees. He described a complete revolution, gently patting the roofoverhead to make sure that it was solid.
It was a most stupid thing to do, and when the realization of his follyflashed upon his mind, Hamp felt that he would give much to be able tokick himself. In truth, he had blundered into a most perplexingsituation. He had utterly lost his bearings.
For a moment the lad was simply stupid with horror. He had not the leastidea in which direction lay the cabin or the storehouse, the upper orthe lower side of the ravine.
He was buried under a mighty snowdrift, that might collapse and stiflehim at any instant.