Chapter XXXI.
ABANDONING THE ISLAND.
After luncheon the three boys went over to inspect their old boat, andcame back towards evening, bringing the oars, some straps of iron thathad guarded her keel, the drag-ropes, and one or two other things.They had succeeded in pulling the boat ashore, but she had been toobadly damaged to be of any further use to them.
Three days were now occupied busily in shooting, fishing, and puttingrunners on the scow. These runners were simply strips of board (whichthey had taken from the house) about four inches wide and fourteenfeet long--the length of the boat's bottom. With the iron from thesled runners and from their own boat they shod these boat runnersrudely, and strengthened the frame.
During this time the dogs had been almost always within sight, andtheir near approach during the night would frequently awaken thesleepers in the cabin, Rex quickest, of course. Katy was sure that ifthe animals could have been fed they would speedily have becomedocile; and when Tug proposed to shoot them for food, everybodyresisted, at least, until they should be in a worse strait than now.Nevertheless it was probably fortunate for the mastiff family that itkept out of gun-range.
The next and last day of their stay on the island was very cold, and aheavy wind brought hosts of birds, so that they captured twentysnow-flakes, and shot over thirty cross-bills, red-polls, and othersmall fry, which were placed on the roof as fast as obtained, wherethey froze solid, and thus kept fresh. This made Katy the most happyof all, for she alone knew that everything was gone except about twomesses of coffee and one potful of corn-meal mush.
"Now, if only we could catch a big fish, we should be fixed grandly,"said Jim, as he went out to look at and bring home the lines. When hecame back, however, he wore the long face and empty hands ofdisappointment, but left one line in hope of taking something duringthe night.
At sunset the gale went down, the stars glistened like gems, and thefrost showed no signs of ceasing. By the light of a great fire ofdrift-wood on the beach the little scow was partly loaded, and thenall hands went for the last time to their mattresses of hemlockboughs. What was ahead they had little notion, but they were now usedto peril, and eager to begin their journey, not only because each onefelt that he could scarcely be worse off, but from the excitement ofcommencing new adventures.
REPAIRING THE OLD SCOW.]
The morning of departure dawned clear and cold, continuing thepromises of good weather.
Jim's early visit to his set-line next morning yielded him one smallpickerel, while the traps gave a solitary snow-bird. These, with someother feathered mites, Katy cooked, while Aleck and Tug finished thepacking. It was not a bad breakfast, you may think, for shipwreckedpersons, but try it once for yourself--fish fried in bacon grease,some fragments of stewed snow-bird, and weak coffee. No bread, nobutter, no potatoes, no green relish, no hot cakes, no anything exceptpickerel and weak coffee. But they thought it the best meal they hadhad on the island; and after a hasty washing and stowing of dishesthey buckled on their skates, took their familiar places at thedrag-ropes, and with a cheer started southward, steering by thecompass.
Their old enemies came dashing down the hillside as the expeditiontook up its march, and stood upon the beach, seeming greatlyastonished at the departure of the people at the cottage. Rex barkedan angry farewell, which caused them to race out upon the ice asthough to punish him for his impertinence; but they stopped short ofbullet-range, greatly to Tug's disgust, and presently turned andtrotted back to resume their wild career. When last seen they wereprowling about the deserted house, trying to push their way into thedoor, or to break through the glass of the little window. I have nodoubt they succeeded; and I hope that they managed to exist until thefishermen came the next summer and took them off, for, after all,these dogs knew no different way of acting, and therefore could not beblamed for their savagery, even though it was needful that our heroesshould guard against it.
The ice was in good condition, and the skaters made fair progress, sothat by noon the dusky line of the mainland was plainly visible ahead.
At last Jim called out that he couldn't skate another stroke, andthrew himself down, utterly "done for." Aleck ordered a halt at once,and began to build a small fire--for fuel had not been forgotten.Nobody understood how fatigued they had become by the unwontedexercise in their weak condition, until they found that an hour's haltseemed of little account, and decided to make it two. After that theywent on slowly and lamely until near sundown, by which time the islandhad almost disappeared, and the mainland was growing distinct. Thenthey camped, stewing snow-birds for supper, and making a big corn-mealcake, which they baked in the skillet. Immediately afterwards bedswere made up on the cargo, underneath the canvas, and each one sleptas well as he could.
The next day several hummocks stood in the way, and just about noonthey came to a channel of open water about a mile wide. It was notrough, and they slid their boat over the edge of the ice into thewater without any difficulty.
"If we had only known enough to have made us a good boat of this shapebefore starting, we should have got along much better," Aleck toldthem, and they all agreed with him, talking it over while they pickeda few lean, and very cool bird-bones for luncheon before beginning theferriage.
The load sank the weak scow so deeply that the water ran into cracksin her side, despite their calking; and as they were afraid to embarkthe whole expedition, two trips were made. This was slow and freezingwork; and when finally all had got across, and had skated on about amile, everybody was so cold and tired and sore that a camp was madeunder the shelter of a tall hummock. Aleck comforted the pride of theyounger ones, who worried over their exhaustion, by telling them itwas because they were so nearly starved; but this was poorconsolation, they thought, so long as there seemed no chance for anyincrease in their supplies, or means of regaining their strength.
"Now," he remarked, "see what we have for supper to-night--twosnow-birds and a small piece of corn-bread apiece. That would not makea full meal for one of us. If any accident prevents our getting ashoreto-morrow I don't know what we shall do, for we have only enough foodfor breakfast, and a 'powerful weak' one at that!"
"That's hardest on me," said Tug, "for breakfast is my strong point.If I can have only one meal a day, I want to take it in the morning."
"That'll be your fix to-morrow, I guess," was the gloomy rejoinder.
* * * * *
The next day's run was a slow one, for the ice was bad in manyplaces, and several hummocks had to be explored to find passablecrossing-places. They could sight islands off at their left, but thenearest was several miles away; and though they knew they belonged tothe Put-in-Bay group, they did not think it would pay to swerve fromtheir course so long as the ice permitted them to advance towards themainland. So they kept on, and the shore came nearer and nearer, untilthey could see that they were entering a great "bight," and that onemass of land, three or four miles towards the left, which they hadtaken for an island, was really a headland; so they shaped theircourse for it.
Near the beach stood a little house surrounded by small fields andhemmed in by the leafless woods. Towards this cottage they made theirway, and its owner evidently saw them coming, for a grizzled old man,helping himself with a cane, hobbled down to meet them as theyapproached the beach.