Chapter IX.
SKATING BY COMPASS.
The next day was Sunday. Fortunately, the sacred day had found them insuch a position that they could spend it quietly. Katy persuaded Jimand the two young men to listen while she read them some chapters fromthe little Testament she had carefully packed among her "necessaryarticles."
This, together with the work that _must_ be done, took up a good partof the morning, and the afternoon was spent in making a trip to theboat, looking the situation over carefully, and laying plans for avery early start the next day. Supper over, they soon crawled intobed, and woke at day break, ready for work, and all the better fortheir day of rest.
After a hasty breakfast camp was broken, and work was resumed at thehummock. All hands labored with such a will that long before noon theyhad let the boat down to the smooth white plain upon the other side;and though it got away from them at the last minute, and went spinningoff on its own account, no harm was done.
The onward march was then resumed, and splendid headway made. At noona short halt was called and gladly accepted, all lounging upon thestraw and boxes in the boat, munching crackers and cheese, anddrinking Katy's cold chocolate. The sun had been out all the morning,and the ice was not only a trifle soft, but frequently rough, whichhad made the skating and dragging a little harder work than before.
No land appeared ahead, but Aleck knew the name and position of alighthouse just visible upon an island at the mouth of a river awayoff at their right. He therefore took out of his pocket a small map ofthe western end of the lake, that he had copied from a big chart, andbegan to study it. He found that it was about fifteen miles across theend of the lake to a certain cape on the southern shore, which laybeyond the great marshy bay into which emptied the river justmentioned. He took the direction of this cape from where they were atpresent, by compass, and made a note of it in his pocket-book. It wasalmost exactly southeast. Aleck reckoned on reaching so near there bysundown that the party could go ashore if very hard pushed by anymisfortune or bad turn of the weather, though it was too long a marchto make unless they were compelled.
"But supposing we find open water, and have to change our course?"asked Katy.
"Well, we shall know, at all events, that we mustn't go east ofsoutheast, and must try to keep as close to that direction aspossible. I don't like this sunshine and westerly breeze. I'd muchrather the weather kept real cold."
"Why?" said Jim. "It's much nicer when it's warm."
"I'm afraid of snow and fogs, Youngster. Now let us be off."
No snow or fog came to bother them, however, and at sunset they wereout of sight of any landmark, and travelling by the compass, like aship at sea.
You may ask, How could they be sure they were following it truly,since they had no object, like a long bowsprit, to guide the eye inranging their course into line with the needle point, as the steersmanon a ship does when he glances across his binnacle?
This is the plan they took: The compass was a small one, but it washung in a box so as always to stand level. It was, in fact, an oldboat compass which Mr. Kincaid had had for many years. This was setexactly in the middle of the seat at the stern of the boat, where Katystill skated, with her hands resting upon the stern-board. Here shecould keep her eye easily upon the face of the compass, and make astraight line from its pointer through the middle of the boat. Whenthe compass point "southeast" and the stem-post of the yawl were inline, she knew they were going on a straight course. When these wereout of line, she knew her team had swerved, and she called out"Right!" or "Left!" to bring them back to the true course, just as aquartermaster would order "Port!" and "Starboard!" to his helmsman.
The sun went down slowly at their right hands as they rushed along,and as Jim saw his shadow stretching taller and taller, he found itdifficult to keep pace with the older lads. Noting this, the Captainordered a halt, and put Jim into the boat as a passenger, tying hissled behind.
"Don't you want to ride also?" asked Tug of Katy, very gallantly.
Katy was tired, and one of her skate-straps chafed her instep alittle, but she didn't propose to give up.
"Oh, no," she said, cheerily. "I have so much help by resting on thestern of the boat that I can go a long time yet before I give in.Besides, who would steer?"
So they rushed away again, the clink-clink of their strokes keepingperfect time on the smooth ice. All at once--it was about four o'clockin the afternoon now--a dark line appeared ahead, and in a few momentsmore they could plainly see open water across their path.
When they became sure of this they went more slowly, and in about tenminutes had approached as close as they dared to a wide space like ariver, beyond which white ice could be seen again. Here all knew theymust spend the night, for it would be foolish to attempt to crossbefore morning.
"Well," remarked Tug, as they came to a halt, "according to orders,it's my duty to take the axe and cut fuel; so I can loaf, for there'sno wood to chop round here that I see;" and he pretended to search inevery direction.
"Loaf? Not a bit of it," shouted Aleck, with a grin. "My order to youis, Unload that tent, and set it up on the ice! Jim will help you.I'll help Katy make a fire."
"I wish you would," said the girl. "I'm 'fraid I shouldn't make it govery well out here. I have never built a kitchen fire on ice."
"This is the best way."
Saying this, Aleck took two of the largest pieces of wood from Jim'ssled, and laid them down a little way apart. Then he laid across thema platform of the next largest sticks, and on top of this arranged hiskindling, ready to touch a match to.
"We won't set the fire going till we are quite ready for it, and--"
"But I'm cold," Jim complained.
"Well, Youngster, I've heard that the Indians never let their boyscome near the lodge fire to get warm, but bid them run till they workthe chill off. You'd better move livelier if you want to get warm,for we can't afford any more fire than is necessary for a short bit ofcooking. Katy, what do you propose to have?"
"I thought I would make tea, boil potatoes, and bake some johnny-cakein my skillet. May I?"
"Oh, yes, but you must economize fuel."
With this warning, Aleck struck a match, and the little fire was soonblazing merrily in the "wooden stove," as Katy called it. Only one ortwo sticks had been burned clear through before the fire had done itswork, and was put out in order to save every splinter of woodpossible. They sat down in the shelter of the boat to eat theirdinner, and enjoyed it very much, in spite of the cold, theirloneliness, and the gathering darkness.
Meanwhile the tent had been set up. Over its icy floor were laid thethwarts taken out of the boat, the rudder, and two box covers, whichnearly covered the whole space. On top of this was placed as muchstraw as could be spared, and upon the straw Aleck and Tug spreadtheir blankets.
Dinner out of the way, the after-part of the boat was cleared out andre-arranged, until a level space was left. Here, upon a heap of straw,beds for the younger ones were arranged. Then the spare canvas wasspread across like an awning, and was held up on an oar laidlengthwise. This made a snug cabin for Katy and the wearied Jim, whowere not long in creeping into it. Rex followed, and slept in thestraw at their feet, which was good for them all.
"THE LITTLE FIRE WAS SOON BLAZING MERRILY."]
With the coming of darkness came also a damp sort of cold, that causedthem to huddle close in their blankets; and though they presently fellasleep, it was with a shivering sense of discomfort that spoiled therefreshment.
Midnight passed, and Aleck, only half awake, was trying to tuck hisblankets closer about him without disturbing his bedfellow, when thetent was suddenly struck by some large object, and considerablyshaken. Alarmed and puzzled at the same time, Aleck paused to listenan instant before rising, when the shrieks and barking of the sleepersin the boat came to his ears. He sprang out of his blankets only intime to see two shadowy objects rise from the camp, and drift awayacross the face of the moon, which was just rising.
> "Wh-what w-was that?" came from two scared figures sittingbolt-upright in the yawl, their tongues stuttering with terror andcold combined.
"I don't know." Aleck was as bewildered, if not quite as muchfrightened, as they.
"Humph!" cried Tug's voice, behind; "you're a pretty set to be scaredout of your wits and wake everybody up on account of two birds.They're nothing but snow-owls. Go to bed, or we'll all freeze."
"Wh-wh-what are they?" asked Jim, his teeth playing castanets in spiteof all his efforts to control them.
"Tell you in the morning," was the reply. "Go to bed. Come in, Cap'n.Owls are nothing. Come to bed."
This seemed good advice, however gruffly given; but you can hardlyexpect a person to mince his phrases at two o'clock of a winter'smorning, on an ice-floe. Aleck was ready to comply, but he was toocold.
"I must get warm first, and so must you, Jim." Katy had wiselydisappeared some time before, and said she was pretty comfortable."Come and run with me till we get our blood stirring."
Neither of the boys had dared undress at all, so it only remained forJim to creep out from under the canvas, and limp stiffly to hisbrother's side. Then hand in hand they raced up and down the ice halfa dozen times in the pale greenish moonlight. Once or twice theydisturbed an owl perched on the ice, or heard wild hooting--a sound sohollow and unearthly that they could not tell whether it came fromnear by or far off.
This strange voice and the gray, silent half-light on the wide wastegave them a very lonely and dismal feeling, and when they had putthemselves into a glow by exercise, they were very glad to creep backinto their beds.