CHAPTER TWENTY ONE.
PTARMIGAN-HUNTING--HAMILTON'S SHOOTING POWERS SEVERELY TESTED--ASNOWSTORM.
At about four o'clock on the following morning, the sleepers wereawakened by the cold, which had become very intense. The fire hadburned down to a few embers, which merely emitted enough light to makedarkness visible. Harry, being the most active of the party, was thefirst to bestir himself. Raising himself on his elbow, while his teethchattered and his limbs trembled with cold, he cast a woebegone andexcessively sleepy glance towards the place where the fire had been;then he scratched his head slowly; then he stared at the fire again;then he languidly glanced at Hamilton's sleeping visage; and then heyawned. The accountant observed all this; for although he appeared tobe buried in the depths of slumber, he was wide awake in reality, andmoreover intensely cold. The accountant, however, was sly--deep, as hewould have said himself--and knew that Harry's active habits wouldinduce him to rise, on awaking, and rekindle the fire,--an event whichthe accountant earnestly desired to see accomplished, but which he asearnestly resolved should not be performed by _him_. Indeed, it waswith this end in view that he had given vent to the terrific snore whichhad aroused his young companion a little sooner than would haveotherwise been the case.
"My eye," exclaimed Harry, in an undertone, "how precious cold it is!"
His eye making no reply to this remark, he arose, and going down on hishands and knees, began to coax the charcoal into a flame. By dint ofsevere blowing, he soon succeeded; and heaping on a quantity of smalltwigs, the fitful flame sprang up into a steady blaze. He then threwseveral heavy logs on the fire, and in a very short space of timerestored it almost to its original vigour.
"What an abominable row you are kicking up!" growled the accountant;"why, you would waken the seven sleepers. Oh! mending the fire," headded, in an altered tone; "ah! I'll excuse you, my boy, since that'swhat you're at."
The accountant hereupon got up, along with Hamilton, who was now alsoawake, and the three spread their hands over the bright fire, andrevolved their bodies before it, until they imbibed a satisfactoryamount of heat. They were much too sleepy to converse, however, andcontented themselves with a very brief inquiry as to the state ofHamilton's heels, which elicited the sleepy reply, "They feel quitewell, thank you." In a short time, having become agreeably warm, theygave a simultaneous yawn, and lying down again fell into a sleep, fromwhich they did not awaken until the red winter sun shot its early raysover the arctic scenery.
Once more Harry sprang up, and let his hand fall heavily on Hamilton'sshoulder. Thus rudely assailed, that youth also sprang up, giving ashout, at the same time, that brought the accountant to his feet in aninstant; and so, as if by an electric spark, the sleepers weresimultaneously roused into a state of wide-awake activity.
"How excessively hungry I feel! isn't it strange?" said Hamilton, as heassisted in rekindling the fire, while the accountant filled his pipe,and Harry stuffed the tea-kettle full of snow.
"Strange!" cried Harry, as he placed the kettle on the fire--"strange tobe hungry after a five miles' walk and a night in the snow? I wouldrather say it was strange if you were _not_ hungry. Throw on thatbillet, like a good fellow, and spit those grouse, while I cut somepemmican and prepare the tea."
"How are the heels now, Hamilton?" asked the accountant, who divided hisattention between his pipe and his snowshoes, the lines of whichrequired to be re-adjusted.
"They appear to be as well as if nothing had happened to them," repliedHamilton. "I've been looking at them, and there is no mark whatever.They do not even feel tender."
"Lucky for you, old boy, that they were taken in time, else you'd havehad another story to tell."
"Do you mean to say that people's heels really freeze and fall off?"inquired the other, with a look of incredulity.
"Soft, very soft, and green," murmured Harry, in a low voice, while hecontinued his work of adding fresh snow to the kettle as the process ofmelting reduced its bulk.
"I mean to say," replied the accountant, tapping the ashes out of hispipe, "that not only heels, but hands, feet, noses, and ears frequentlyfreeze, and often fall off in this country, as you will find by sadexperience if you don't look after yourself a little better than youhave done hitherto."
One of the evil effects of the perpetual jesting that prevailed at YorkFort was, that "soft" (in other words, straightforward, unsuspecting)youths had to undergo a long process of learning-by-experience: first,_believing_ everything, and then _doubting_ everything, ere they arrivedat that degree of sophistication which enabled them to distinguishbetween truth and falsehood.
Having reached the _doubting_ period in his training, Hamilton lookeddown and said nothing, at least with his mouth, though his eyesevidently remarked, "I don't believe you." In future years, however,the evidence of these same eyes convinced him that what the accountantsaid upon this occasion was but too true.
Breakfast was a repetition of the supper of the previous evening.During its discussion they planned proceedings for the day.
"My notion is," said the accountant, interrupting the flow of words everand anon to chew the morsel with which his mouth was filled--"my notionis, that as it's a fine, clear day we should travel five miles throughthe country parallel with North River. I know the ground, and can guideyou easily to the spots where there are lots of willows, and thereforeplenty of ptarmigan, seeing that they feed on willow tops; and the snowthat fell last night will help us a little."
"How will the snow help us?" inquired Hamilton.
"By covering up all the old tracks, to be sure, and showing only the newones."
"Well, captain," said Harry, as he raised a can of tea to his lips, andnodded to Hamilton as if drinking his health, "go on with your proposalsfor the day. Five miles up the river to begin with, then--"
"Then we'll pull up," continued the accountant; "make a fire, rest abit, and eat a mouthful of pemmican; after which we'll strike acrosscountry for the southern woodcutter's track, and so home."
"And how much will that be?"
"About fifteen miles."
"Ha!" exclaimed Harry; "pass the kettle, please. Thanks.--Do you thinkyou're up to that, Hammy?"
"I will try what I can do," replied Hamilton. "If the snow-shoes don'tcause me to fall often, I think I shall stand the fatigue very well."
"That's right," said the accountant; "`faint heart,' etcetera, you know.If you go on as you've begun, you'll be chosen to head the nextexpedition to the north pole."
"Well," replied Hamilton good-humouredly, "pray head the presentexpedition, and let us be gone."
"Right!" ejaculated the accountant, rising. "I'll just put my odds andends out of the reach of the foxes, and then we shall be off."
In a few minutes everything was placed in security, guns loaded,snow-shoes put on, and the winter camp deserted. At first the walkingwas fatiguing, and poor Hamilton more than once took a sudden andeccentric plunge; but after getting beyond the wooded country, theyfound the snow much more compact, and their march, therefore, much moreagreeable. On coming to the place where it was probable that they mightfall in with ptarmigan, Hamilton became rather excited, and apt toimagine that little lumps of snow which hung upon the bushes here andthere were birds.
"There, now," he cried, in an energetic and slightly positive tone, asanother of these masses of snow suddenly met his eager eye--"that's one,I'm _quite_ sure."
The accountant and Harry both stopped short on hearing this, and lookedin the direction indicated.
"Fire away, then, Hammy," said the former, endeavouring to suppress asmile.
"But do you think it _really_ is one?" asked Hamilton anxiously.
"Well, I don't _see_ it exactly, but then, you know, I'm near-sighted."
"Don't give him a chance of escape," cried Harry, seeing that his friendwas undecided. "If you really do see a bird, you'd better shoot it, forthey've got a strong propensity to take wing when disturbed."
Thus admonished, Ha
milton raised his gun and took aim. Suddenly helowered his piece again, and looking round at Harry, said in a lowwhisper--
"Oh, I should like _so_ much to shoot it while flying! Would it not bebetter to set it up first?"
"By no means," answered the accountant. "`A bird in the hand,'etcetera. Take him as you find him--look sharp; he'll be off in asecond."
Again the gun was pointed, and, after some difficulty in taking aim,fired.
"Ah, what a pity you've missed him!" shouted Harry. "But see, he's notoff yet; how tame he is, to be sure! Give him the other barrel, Hammy."
This piece of advice proved to be unnecessary. In his anxiety to getthe bird, Hamilton had cocked both barrels, and while gazing, half indisappointment, half in surprise, at the supposed bird, his fingerunintentionally pressed the second trigger. In a moment the pieceexploded. Being accidentally aimed in the right direction, it blew thelump of snow to atoms, and at the same time, hitting its owner on thechest with the butt, knocked him over flat upon his back.
"What a gun it is, to be sure!" said Harry, with a roguish laugh, as heassisted the discomfited sportsman to rise; "it knocks over game withbutt and muzzle at once."
"Quite a rare instance of one butt knocking another down," added theaccountant.
At this moment a large flock of ptarmigan, startled by the doublereport, rose with a loud, whirring noise about a hundred yards inadvance, and after flying a short distance alighted.
"There's real game at last, though," cried the accountant, as he hurriedafter the birds, followed closely by his young friends.
They soon reached the spot where the flock had alighted, and afterfollowing up the tracks for a few yards further, set them up again. Asthe birds rose the accountant fired, and brought down two; Harry shotone and missed another; Hamilton being so nervously interested in thesuccess of his comrades that he forgot to fire at all.
"How stupid of me!" he exclaimed, while the others loaded their guns.
"Never mind; better luck next time," said Harry, as they resumed theirwalk. "I saw the flock settle down about half a mile in advance of us;so step out."
Another short walk brought the sportsmen again within range.
"Go to the front, Hammy," said the accountant, "and take the first shotthis time."
Hamilton obeyed. He had scarcely made ten steps in advance, when asingle bird, that seemed to have been separated from the others, ransuddenly out from under a bush, and stood stock-still, at a distance ofa few yards, with its neck stretched out and its black eye wide open, asif in astonishment.
"Now, then, you can't miss _that_."
Hamilton was quite taken aback by the suddenness of this necessity forinstantaneous action. Instead, therefore, of taking aim leisurely(seeing that he had abundant time to do so), he flew entirely to theopposite extreme--took no aim at all, and fired off both barrels atonce, without putting the gun to his shoulder. The result of this wasthat the affrighted bird flew away unharmed, while Harry and theaccountant burst spontaneously into fits of laughter.
"How very provoking!" said the poor youth, with a dejected look.
"Never mind--never say die--try again," said the accountant, onrecovering his gravity. Having reloaded, they continued the pursuit.
"Dear me!" exclaimed Harry suddenly, "here are three dead birds.--Iverily believe, Hamilton, that you have killed them all at one shot byaccident."
"Can it be possible?" exclaimed his friend, as with a look of amazementhe regarded the birds.
There was no doubt about the fact. There they lay, plump and stillwarm, with one or two drops of bright red blood upon their whiteplumage. Ptarmigan are almost pure white, so that it requires apractised eye to detect them, even at a distance of a few yards; and itwould be almost impossible to hunt them without dogs, but for thetell-tale snow, in which their tracks are distinctly marked, enablingthe sportsman to follow them up with unerring certainty. When Hamiltonmade his bad shot, neither he nor his companions observed a group ofptarmigan not more than fifty yards before them, their attention beingriveted at the time on the solitary bird; and the gun happening to bedirected towards them when it was fired, three were instantly andunwittingly placed _hors de combat_, while the others ran away. Thisthe survivors frequently do when very tame, instead of taking wing.Thus it was that Hamilton, to his immense delight, made such asuccessful shot without being aware of it.
Having bagged their game, the party proceeded on their way. Severallarge flocks of birds were raised, and the gamebags nearly filled,before reaching the spot where they intended to turn and bend theirsteps homewards. This induced them to give up the idea of goingfurther; and it was fortunate they came to this resolution, for a stormwas brewing, which in the eagerness of pursuit after game they had notnoticed.
Dark masses of leaden-coloured clouds were gathering in the skyoverhead, and faint sighs of wind came, ever and anon, in fitful gustsfrom the north-west.
Hurrying forward as quickly as possible, they now pursued their coursein a direction which would enable them to cross the woodcutters' track.This they soon reached, and finding it pretty well beaten, were enabledto make more rapid progress. Fortunately the wind was blowing on theirbacks, otherwise they would have had to contend not only with itsviolence, but also with the snow-drift, which now whirled in bitter furyamong the trees, or scoured like driving clouds over the plain. Underthis aspect, the flat country over which they travelled seemed theperfection of bleak desolation. Their way, however, did not lie in adirect line. The track was somewhat tortuous, and gradually edgedtowards the north, until the wind blew nearly in their teeth. At thispoint, too, they came to the stretch of open ground which they hadcrossed at a point some miles further to the north ward in their nightmarch. Here the storm raged in all its fury, and as they looked outupon the plain, before quitting the shelter of the wood, they paused totighten their belts and readjust their snow-shoe lines. The gale was soviolent that the whole plain seemed tossed about like billows of thesea, as the drift rose and fell, curled, eddied, and dashed along, sothat it was impossible to see more than half a dozen yards in advance.
"Heaven preserve us from ever being caught in an exposed place on such anight as this!" said the accountant, as he surveyed the prospect beforehim. "Luckily, the open country here is not more than a quarter of amile broad, and even that little bit will try our wind somewhat."
Hamilton and Harry seemed by their looks to say, "We could easily faceeven a stiffer breeze than that, if need be."
"What should we do," inquired the former, "if the plain were five or sixmiles broad?"
"Do? why, we should have to camp in the woods till it blew over, that'sall," replied the accountant; "but seeing that we are not reduced tosuch a necessity just now, and that the day is drawing to a close, letus face it at once. I'll lead the way; and see that you follow close atmy heels. Don't lose sight of me for a moment, and if you do by chance,give a shout; d'ye hear?"
The two lads replied in the affirmative, and then bracing themselves upas if for a great effort, stepped vigorously out upon the plain, andwere instantly swallowed up in clouds of snow. For half an hour or morethey battled slowly against the howling storm, pressing forward for someminutes with heads down, as if _boring_ through it, then turning theirbacks to the blast for a few seconds' relief, but always keeping asclose to each other as possible. At length the woods were gained; onentering which it was discovered that Hamilton was missing.
"Hollo! where's Hamilton?" exclaimed Harry; "I saw him beside me notfive minutes ago."
The accountant gave a loud shout, but there was no reply. Indeed,nothing short of his own stentorian voice could have been heard at allamid the storm.
"There's nothing for it," said Harry, "but to search at once, else he'llwander about and get lost." Saying this, he began to retrace his steps,just as a brief lull in the gale took place.
"Hollo! don't you hear a cry, Harry?"
At this moment there was another lull; the drift fell,
and for aninstant cleared away, revealing the bewildered Hamilton, not twentyyards off, standing like a pillar of snow, in mute despair.
Profiting by the glimpse, Harry rushed forward, caught him by the arm,and led him into the partial shelter of the forest.
Nothing further befell them after this. Their route lay in shelter allthe way to the fort. Poor Hamilton, it is true, took one or two of hisoccasional plunges by the way, but without any serious result--not evento the extent of stuffing his nose, ears, neck, mittens, pockets,gun-barrels, and everything else with snow, because, these being quitefull and hard packed already, there was no room left for the addition ofanother particle.