CHAPTER IV
THE WOLF PACK
"BOB! Wake up! The wolves!"
The shout rang out above the noise of the still whining wind. Arousedfrom a sound sleep by the startling cry, Bob struggled to a sittingposition. Fortunately, he was a boy not easily rattled. The sight ofthose gleaming eyes told him what had happened, and it was perhaps morethrough instinct than anything else that he immediately pushed hismusket forward and let fly at the nearest pair.
Sandy was not far behind, and the double report made a crash thatseemed to produce a temporary panic among the gaunt callers. Theyhastily withdrew, though with many snarls and long-drawn howls.
Both boys were now on their feet, ready to swing their guns by thebarrels if necessary, and use them as a further means of defence.Seeing that their enemies had beaten a temporary retreat, Bob sprang tothe fire, and, kicking the partly burned log with his foot, stirredthe flame into new life.
"Throw on some small wood, Sandy!" he called, as he bent over thebarricade to ascertain whether their lead had been wasted, or found itsmark.
"Did we get anything?" demanded the younger boy, understanding theobject of Robert's survey, and being possessed of the frontier hunter'sinstinct, which looked upon the loss of a charge of powder and shot asnext door to a sin.
"One is lying here, and from the snarling over yonder I take it theyare tearing the wounded fellow to pieces," replied the older boy, as heproceeded to reload his musket.
"Well, I want that skin the worst way," ventured Sandy; "and if weleave the beggar outside the fort they will spoil it. So keep a watchwhile I climb over and drag the wolf inside."
"Be careful," warned Bob, who knew his brother's rash inclinations onlytoo well. He stood ready, with both guns within reach, so that, if atany time Sandy seemed to be in peril, he could pour in a hot fire thatmust frighten the four-footed enemy away again.
But Sandy, himself, knew better than to take too much risk. No soonerhad he seized hold of the dead animal than he started to move backwardtoward the logs that had been piled up to form a rampart.
"Hurry!" cried the voice of the one on guard. "They are coming witha rush, and from three quarters! Leave the hide to them, and saveyourself, brother!"
But Sandy was an obstinate lad. He had made up his mind to possess theskin of the dead wolf, and did not want to relinquish it to the tendermercies of the pack.
Having dragged it close to the logs, he exerted himself to the utmostto give the weighty animal a toss that would accomplish his purpose.Nevertheless, but for the prompt assistance of Bob, who clutched thebeast and dragged it over, Sandy must have failed in his endeavor.
"Quick! Climb up! They are here!" he heard shrilled in his ear.
In his hurry his foot slipped and he fell backward to the ground.Just above him there burst out a flash, and a heavy report instantlyfollowed. Sandy knew what it meant, and that his faithful brother wasfiring at the advancing pack in order to stop their rush.
He struggled to his feet, and commenced once more to clamber up therude fortification, at the same time shouting at the top of his voice.This was done with a purpose, for he understood full well that, likemost cowardly animals, wolves greatly fear the voice of man.
Bob, too, was exerting himself to the utmost. Again came thattremendous crash, as the second musket was discharged close to Sandy'sear.
Then an eager hand laid hold of him, and he felt himself dragged overthe topmost log!
Both boys were panting for breath, but, thrusting one gun into Sandy'shands, Bob started to hastily reload the other. They could hear theirenemies not ten feet away, snarling and snapping terribly. It needed noexplanation to tell Sandy what was going on out there in the snow; forhe knew that wolves are cannibals if pressed with hunger.
"It was a pretty close shave, Bob!" he exclaimed, after he had rammed abullet home in his gun, and fixed the priming in the pan.
"And a foolhardy act," returned the other, gravely. "If you had missedyour footing a second time you would have been pulled down in spite ofall I could do, and that would have been the end of us."
Sandy felt abashed. He knew perfectly well that he had been guilty ofa reckless feat that might have cost both of them their lives; forwithout doubt Bob would have leaped over the barrier to his assistance,and shared his sad fate.
Perhaps thoughts of the dear ones at home, who would have mourned themso grievously, may have caused the boy to resolve upon a wiser coursethe next time he found himself tempted to take hazardous chances.
They stood on guard, and waited to see what their enemies would do whenthey had finished their meal.
"I hope they will go away, and leave us alone," said Sandy, uneasily.
"That would be almost too good to be true," remarked Bob, who knew moreabout the habits of animals than his brother. "Instead, I fear that thetaste of food they have had will only make them more savage."
"Look! they are beginning to creep closer again!" exclaimed Sandy, aminute later, with a feeling of renewed uneasiness.
"Then we had better begin to shoot again, and make every bullet count.Let me start the ball rolling, boy," said Bob, as he picked out a darkform advancing slowly over the white snow.
Resting his musket across the upper log, he took a careful aim andfired. With the report a series of howls burst forth, and many formswere seen dashing this way and that. Some fled, only to come back againwhen they scented a new feast, and in another minute the wolf that hadfallen before the gun of the young pioneer was affording his mates anadditional scrap of dinner.
"Now, wait until I have reloaded, and then you do as well," remarkedthe calm Bob, who had learned many valuable lessons from older hunters;and he knew how dangerous it would be for them to be caught with emptyguns, should their foes attempt to rush the shelter in a body.
Sandy, nothing loth, picked out his victim, and when his brother gavethe word he pressed the trigger with more or less delight.
"That is one the less, I reckon," he remarked, as he quickly droppedthe butt of the musket on the frozen ground, and commenced to handlehis powder horn, to measure out sufficient of the precious blackgrains for another charge.
"But I fear that for every beast we drop two new ones come out of thewoods," said Bob, believing that they should understand the worst, andnot deceive themselves with false hopes.
Sandy was for keeping up the fusillade, but his wiser brother hadalready recognized the folly of wasting their scanty ammunition sohastily.
"How many more bullets have you in your pouch?" he asked, quietly.
"Just three," replied the other, his enthusiasm checked.
"And I have only four," Bob went on; "so you see at the most we canonly account for seven of the beasts. After that it would be hand tohand. We must hold off as long as we can, reserving our ammunition fora desperate extremity."
"How long will it be before dawn comes?" asked Sandy, anxiously.
Of watches or clocks the pioneers had none; but most boys knew how totell time from the stars, or from mere instinct; just as one accustomedto arousing at a certain hour realizes that the time has come,although all may be darkness about him.
Bob scanned the dull heavens through the branches of the trees. And asit happened there came a little break in the clouds just then, throughwhich he caught a glimpse of the moon.
"I think that it will only be an hour now before daylight comes," hesaid with a sense of satisfaction in his voice; "and, besides, thestorm is at an end, for there the moon shows through the clouds."
"But the wolves are creeping closer all the time," declared Sandy, ashe looked over the barrier. "Just see, there must be an awful heap ofthe critters, Bob. Do you think they will try to climb over here?"
"It may be," replied the other, "but so long as we can wield our gunsthey shall not get a footing inside our fort. Shoot only as a lastresort. And if the very worst comes--"
"Yes, what then, Bob?"
"Try to climb up to the topmost root above. Perhaps we might mana
ge tohold out until daylight frightens them away. But here they come, Sandy!"
In another minute the two boys were striking at the heads of suchdaring animals as ventured to show above the top of the low rampart.The heavy muskets were fair weapons of offence for such work; thoughmore than once Bob warned his impulsive brother to be careful, lest hestrike a log and break his gun, which would be a serious catastrophe,indeed.
Their quarters were so confined that it was only with considerabledifficulty they managed to strike fairly. But many a venturesome wolfwas knocked back when those rising and falling muskets came in contactwith his hairy head, and, amidst the savage howls that arose withoutthe barricade, snarls of pain might have been distinguished.
At times the work slackened somewhat, allowing the panting boys achance to catch their breath, but only to go at it again with renewedenergy.
How the long minutes dragged by, with all this tremendous excitementstirring their blood to fever heat! Sandy cast many a despairing lookup at the moon, now plainly seen in the clearing heavens, as though hefancied that it must be remaining stationary, and the night becominginterminable.
Would morning never come? Must they carry on this bitter struggle onlyto be overwhelmed by superior numbers in the end?
Three times now one of them had found it necessary to fire, when thingsseemed to have reached a state approaching desperation.
"Courage!" shouted Bob, as he brought his gunstock down on the head ofa hungry wolf. "Look to the east, boy! The dawn has come at last!"
It was even so, and, thrilled with renewed hope, Sandy was enabled tokeep up the good fight until by degrees the wolves began to sneak away,until finally the last of the savage horde had gone.
Would they ever forget that stirring night? Sandy believed nothingcould exceed the excitement through which they had just passed; but,perhaps, if they migrated to that mysterious country beyond the greatchain of mountains, there amid new scenes he might find an opportunityto change his mind.
Over the fire they cooked another meal of the fine venison which theyhad saved from the half-starved wolves.
"And now to head for home!" cried Sandy, as he took up the pack to showthat he wished to do his share of the burden-carrying.
Forgotten were the aches of the night in the thought of once morerejoining those so dear to them about the family hearth, where the fireblazed in the wide-throated chimney, and the brass kettle bubbled onthe hob.
They had been tramping for half an hour, steadily onward, when Bobcalled a halt, declaring that it was high time Sandy turned the bundleof meat over to him.
This the other was really not at all loth to do, for he had beenstaggering of late through the deep snow, as his burden began to tellon him. Still, not for worlds would the proud boy have confessed thathe was actually tired.
Bob fashioned the hitch a little better, so that it would rest easieracross his shoulder. He had just leaned forward, intending to give thebundle a sudden hoist, when he stopped in the act.
From some point not a great way off there came the sudden report of,not a musket with its heavy boom, but a hunter's clear-toned rifle.
And accompanying the sound they caught a loud voice raised in anexcited shout, as though some one was striving against difficultiesthat threatened to overcome him.