CHAPTER IV.
THE FIRST DEER.
Hamp escaped death by a display of nerve and coolness that wasremarkable in one so young.
The wolf, happily, missed the lad's throat. Instead, the white teethsnapped shut on the thick, furry collar of his overcoat. For an instantthey stuck there, and this gave Hamp his chance.
With one hand he grabbed the wolf's shaggy breast, and pushed againstit; with the other he reached for the long hunting-knife that dangledfrom his belt. He drew it from the sheath, and plunged it fiercely intothe wolf's body.
Twice, thrice the keen blade cut its way deeply through flesh and skin.A vital part was reached at last. With a gurgling cry the brute relaxedits hold, and slipped to one side.
Hamp rolled away from the quivering carcass, and sprang to his feet. Hisclothes were thickly smeared with blood, but a scratch or two was hissole injury.
Meanwhile, Jerry had shown equal coolness in an equally trying ordeal.It will be remembered that he stumbled right in the path of theadvancing buck.
Doubling himself like a ball, he rolled several feet over the smoothice. An instant later the spot that he had just vacated was struck bythe vicious hoofs and antlers. He rolled still further, and staggered tohis feet. His rifle was out of reach, and the shelter of the shore wasequally so.
"Help! help!" he shouted. "Somebody shoot."
With the vengeful buck still at his heels, he dashed blindly towardBrick.
Then it was that the raw New York lad showed of what sterling stuff hewas made.
He made a plucky dash between the two, and struck the savage animal withthe stock of his rifle. The blow landed on the antlers, and its onlyeffect was to check the buck for a few seconds. Then Brick and Jerryfled in opposite directions to get out of reach.
The consequence was that the animal now spied Hamp, and went for himwith a savage snort. The lad had just put his knife away, and was stilla little dazed. But he realized his peril, and knew that he had not timeto pick up his rifle. At his top speed he ran blindly over the ice.
Jerry was now out of danger, and his quick wits told him the best thingto do.
"Run faster, Hamp," he cried. "Circle around, and come back this way."
Then he made for his rifle, which lay within several yards.
Hamp heard, and was cheered. By a sudden spurt he increased his speed.He actually gained several feet on the buck. Then, not being able to seebehind him, he made a natural error. Had he veered to the right, hewould have circled toward Jerry, and given him a shot. Instead, heturned to the left, and bore rapidly down on Brick, who was hardlyprepared for the move.
"He's gaining on me," Hamp cried. "Help! help!"
The lad's situation was truly critical. Jerry was some yards away.Moreover, there was something wrong with the hammer of his gun. ButBrick made himself ready in time. He slipped a few feet to one side, andlifted his rifle. A brief hesitation, then the trigger fell.
Bang! The shrill report echoed across the lake and through the forest.The buck staggered. His forelegs gave way. With a gasping moan hetoppled over, and his life-blood stained the ice.
No words can tell the delight of the young hunters. They cheered untilthey were fairly hoarse. Hamp drew his knife, and sprang astride of thefeebly-struggling animal. By a single pass he slit its throat.
Jerry slapped Brick on the back.
"That was a grand shot," he exclaimed. "I couldn't have done it bettermyself. It was Hamp's only chance. The hammer of my rifle was cloggedwith snow."
Brick was almost speechless. He looked at the buck, and then at hiscompanions.
"Did--did I really kill him?" he gasped. "Is he dead?"
"Dead as a door nail," assured Hamp. "See, the ball went in between theforeshoulders. It must have pierced the heart. You've shot the firstdeer, Brick, and it's something to be proud of."
"I know it is," admitted Brick. "I wish Tom Fordham was here now. Hesaid I'd forget how to shoot when I saw a deer."
"You didn't, though," said Hamp. "You saved my life."
"And mine," added Jerry. "It was a plucky thing to rush in between meand the buck."
"It wasn't much," Brick modestly protested. "You would have done thesame for me."
The boys continued the animated discussion, quite heedless of time. Thedead wolf was examined with wonder, and they removed the scalp, in orderto claim the State bounty. With some difficulty they dragged the buckpartly onto one of the hand sleds.
"I want the antlers," said Brick. "I wouldn't go back to New Yorkwithout them."
"We'll see to that," replied Jerry. "Now, then, if you fellows areready."
A moment later the march toward the headland was recommenced. Theheavily-laden sleds grated over the ice and snow.
Some small animal followed the boys for quite a distance, keeping wellout of sight behind the timber. It had a shrill, rasping voice that wasvery aggravating. Jerry declared it to be a lynx or wolverine, and Hampagreed with him. A little later something more serious occurred. Threehungry wolves stole out of the forest and down to the ice. Theyevidently scented the carcass of the deer. They followed the littleparty persistently, and kept up a mournful howling. Now and then theycircled near with swift leaps, only to bound back toward the shoreagain.
"We must put a stop to this," said Jerry. "Wait a minute."
He discarded his rifle for a shotgun, and, when the trio of scavengersnext approached as close as they dared, he gave them both barrels.
It was long-range shooting, but two of the brutes were slightlycrippled. All three fled, yelping, to the forest, and disappeared.
Darkness was now creeping rapidly on. Colder and colder came the bitterevening breeze. At times the great stretch of ice-bound lake crackedlike a pistol-shot. The boys were anxious to reach their destinationbefore twilight, and they altered their swinging stride to a jog-trot.
At last they gained the jutting headland, and circled around its point.Here, on the shore of the lake, they found choice camping facilities.They picked on a shallow ravine that was comparatively open and ran backinto the forest for thirty or forty yards. On three sides it wassheltered by pine and spruce trees, and had an open frontage on thelake.
"This is just the thing to build our cabin against," said Hamp,indicating a weather-worn block of granite that was almost square inshape. "We're in a great neighborhood for hunting and fishing, too."
"The locality is all right," replied Jerry, "but I don't think it's wiseto build right in the trough of this ravine. A heavy storm would snow usup, and a thaw would wash us out into the lake."
"No danger of a thaw," declared Hamp, as he blew on his numbed fingers,"and I don't believe we're going to have any big snowstorms, either. Youknow your father said there were indications of an open winter.Besides, it will take too long to clear a place for building on higherground. Look how stout the timber is all around us."
"I'm not anything of a woodsman," joined in Brick, "but this hollowlooks like a mighty snug place to me."
Jerry allowed himself to be persuaded.
"All right," he said. "We'll take the chances. Pitch in, fellows."
The sleds were unpacked, and the space in front of the rock was quicklycleared of snow, undergrowth, and loose stones.
Armed with sharp axes, the boys felled and trimmed a number of youngtrees, and, under Jerry's supervision, the lean-to rapidly assumedshape. Nails were freely used to strengthen it. Soft pine boughs werelaid a foot deep on the floor, and an extra covering of the samematerial was put on the roof.
It was dark long before the task was finished, but the boys worked on bylantern light. The exercise made them feel quite warm. It was a proudand happy moment when their labor was done.
The cabin proved snug, and comfortable beyond their expectations. It hada small doorway, that could be closed by buttoning a strip of canvasover it, and the roof sloped at just the right angle.
"We couldn't have more solid comfort if we we
re at home," declaredJerry. "Not a drop of water can get at us."
"And we've got protection from the wind on three sides," added Hamp."I feel like going to bed right now."
"Not before supper?" exclaimed Brick, in a tone of such earnest alarmthat his companions laughed merrily.
But there was much to do before the meal could be prepared, and no timewas wasted. First the traps were carried into the cabin, and arranged inplace. Then all three of the boys set to work on the deer, and partiallyskinned it. They cut off a number of tender steaks, and hung the carcassto the lower limbs of a stout pine tree.
Brick and Jerry gathered a big store of fuel, and built a roaring fire,while Hamp chopped a hole through the ice on the margin of the lake, andbrought a pail of water. Half an hour later, when the hungry and tiredlads sat around the blazing logs appeasing their appetites with crispvenison, and fried potatoes, and crackers, and steaming coffee, theyfelt that their happiness was complete. It was past ten o'clock whenthey crawled into the shanty, and buried themselves between soft boughsand warm blankets. Outside, the logs smoldered and crackled, and thefar-away beasts of the forest wailed to the rising moon.