CHAPTER XVI.
AN EXCITING NIGHT IN CAMP.
When the line parted, Foster Portney and Randy were thrown flat on theirbacks in the six inches of slush and water in which they had been wadingalong the edge of the rapids. But they did not care for this, the onethought of both was of Earl and how the boat would fare now that therewas only one line by which to guide her.
As for Earl, the shock also caused him to lose his balance, and he wentdown heavily on one of the packs with which the _Wild Goose_ wasfreighted. But he recovered instantly, and sprang to the bow, oar inhand. The craft had swung around, as has been related, and was on thepoint of smashing on the rocks when he put out the oar and tried tosheer off.
"Hold her! hold her!" roared Captain Zoss to Earl. "Take the line, butdon't pull!" he added to the doctor, and the next instant he was in theicy water up to his waist. He could not reach the bow of the boat, buthe gained the stern, and catching hold of the rudder he swung the _WildGoose_ in toward a rock and held her there.
"Throw the broken line to Earl and let him tie it, quick!" he shouted toFoster Portney; but the broken line was floating amid the loose ice, andit was several seconds before it could be secured. In that time thecurrent again caught the boat from another direction, and sheering alongthe rocks in front, the craft made a wild plunge ahead and downward,dragging the captain in her wake.
"Earl will be killed!" groaned Randy, and his heart leaped into histhroat as the _Wild Goose_ seemed swallowed up in the foaming andboiling waters below them. His uncle did not reply, but darted out ofthe water and down the bank of the river as fast as his feet could carryhim. Dr. Barwaithe, who had been compelled to let go the line in orderto save himself, was also running, and now Randy likewise took to hisheels.
Fortunately for Earl he kept his wits about him, even though he realizedthe great peril he was in. In previous years he had helped raft lumberin Maine during the spring freshets, so that the situation was not sucha novel one. But there was a vast difference between steering logs whichcould not be harmed and navigating a boat loaded with all theirpossessions, and he felt the responsibility. He clung to the long oarand used it as best he could, whenever the opportunity offered, whichwas not often.
In less than ten minutes the ride was over and the _Wild Goose_ shotwith a swish into Lake Bennett. By this time Captain Zoss had managed tocrawl on board and give Earl a helping hand. The craft had struck adozen times, twice rather sharply, but beyond a scraping on one side anda slight crack in the bow, which was speedily caulked up, she escapedinjury. The two on board ran to one shore, to take Dr. Barwaithe onboard, and then stood over to where Mr. Portney and Randy awaited them.
"That was a providential escape!" were Foster Portney's words, when hesaw that Earl was safe. "I wouldn't have you run such a risk again for afortune!"
"And I don't want to run such a risk again," replied Earl, with rather asickly smile. He was greatly shaken up, and it was a long while beforehe felt like himself. Randy could hardly keep from hugging his brotherbecause of the escape.
"It was a fool move of ours from the start," said Captain Zoss, speakingplainly, for the icy bath had not improved his temper. "We should havepacked our outfits along the river and let the boat take care ofherself, with plenty of lines to guide her. I won't stand fer any suchmove as that ag'in; not much, eh?"
"You are right, captain," said Foster Portney, gravely. "We'll be morecautious in the future."
"Yes! yes!" broke in the doctor. "What should we have done had thisyoung man been killed and all our traps been lost? It would have beenbetter to have carried boat and all around from one lake to the next."
It was a sober party which went into camp that night on the rather rockyshore of Lake Bennett, sober and rather out of sorts in the bargain. Thecaptain insisted on building an immense fire, and while he sat dryinghimself by it he found fault with everything which came into view. Lateron the others of the crowd found that the captain got these moods everyonce in a while and never meant all he said, but now they did not knowthis and it made the two boys, at least, unhappy.
"Might have knowed it," grumbled Captain Zoss, "with two kids along,instead o' nothing but growed-up men as know their business. The nexttime I jine a crowd it will be o' those as has at least voted, eh?"
"I can't agree with you that it was the boys' fault," replied Dr.Barwaithe. "The line broke, and that started the whole thing."
"Well, boys is boys, and men wouldn't have let sech a thing happen!"snapped the captain. "See yere, I want my coffee hot!" he roared toRandy, who was preparing supper. "No lukewarm dishwater fer me, eh?"
"I'll give it to you as hot as the fire will make it; I can't do anymore," was Randy's short answer. He was as much out of sorts as any one.Then the captain turned to Earl, and found fault with the timber in theboat; and by the time they sat down to eat, all felt thoroughly put out.
The doctor tried to enliven matters by relating some of his experiencesin college, and he even gave them a song or two, for he was a goodsinger with a sweet tenor voice. All enjoyed the singing, but thecaptain looked as glum as ever.
"I'm sorry we've got that old curmudgeon along," said Earl, as he andRandy turned in together, on the rubber blanket. "Gracious, I neverimagined he could be so disagreeable!"
"Nor I," grumbled his brother. "And to think that we have got to put upwith him until we reach the gold diggings!"
The tent had been pitched in the shelter of a number of high rocks andat some distance from the lake front. The _Wild Goose_ rested in a tinycove, secured by a painter attached to a stake driven deeply into thesandy shore. There was a little swell on the water, caused by the risingwind, but no one supposed this would prove sufficient to do the craftany harm.
As they expected to remain in that camp but one night only, a singletent had been erected for the entire party, so all hands were huddledclosely together. It was not long before they were all asleep.
When Earl awoke it was still dark. He roused up with a start, to findthe wind blowing violently. Outside it was raining and snowingtogether, and it was some snow on his face which had caused him toawake. He was about to get up, when Randy called to him.
"What's up?"
"There's a storm on, snow and rain, and I guess we'll have to look tothe fastenings of the tent," answered Earl.
The talking awoke the others. The wind was increasing rapidly, andalready the front left end of the tent was flapping violently, tornloose from its pegging. Earl donned his overcoat and ran outside to holdit down, while he called to Randy to bring the hammer with which to burythe pegs anew.
"Fasten her tight; I'll take a look after the boat!" cried Captain Zoss,and rushed off in the darkness, followed by Foster Portney. By this timethe doctor was also out, and he and the boys began the task of securingthe shelter. A heavy gust of wind came on, and in a flash the canvas wassailing high in the air, held down only by the pegs on one side. Tosecure the cloth was no mean work, and they had to wait for fully aminute in the rain and snow, until the wind abated.
"This is going to the gold diggings with a vengeance," murmured Dr.Barwaithe.
"A fellow could 'most fly there in this wind!" panted Randy. "Earl, haveyou a peg handy?"
"Not a one."
"Neither have I, and it's as dark as pitch."
"Here are two pegs," said the doctor. "I wonder if I can stir up thatfire," he added, starting to where the campfire had been. The fire wasout, and the sheet-iron stove lay over on its side, with a mess of beansoverturned in the oven. To light a new fire under existing circumstanceswas out of the question, and the medical man went back to assist theboys.
The tent had hardly been secured when there came a great flurry of snowwhich almost blinded them. Randy had been for running down to the lake,but now he crawled under the canvas and hesitated. In the meantime Dr.Barwaithe set the stove up once more and tried to rescue such of thebeans as were worth it.
"The rain is giving way to snow--" began Earl, when he stopped short,
asa faint shout reached them through the whistling wind. "It's Uncle'svoice! We are wanted down there!" he added, and started off on a run. Asthe cry was repeated Randy followed. A minute's run and they reached thebeach a hundred feet above where Captain Zoss and Foster Portney werestanding.
"What's the matter?" demanded Earl, quickly.
"The boat is gone," was his uncle's alarming reply. "She has drifted offin the storm, and we can't catch sight of her anywhere!"