CHAPTER III
NELL MAKES UP HER MIND
Nell Lindsay worked like two people that evening. She put the potatoesinto fur bags as she said, and went over everything of value in theshack. She could not stop to talk, but David--admiring her more andmore--gathered her plans and intentions from what she said as theyworked.
"You see, it didn't come upon me all in one moment," she explained,"because I'd been hacking away at this notion for the last four daysreally. Ever since Dad didn't come, you see, Da. _If_ he didn't come,the only plan was to find out what was wrong from the Chippewas--wecould make their camp and ask--and then simply strike the trail for theFort, because Dad would want us to do that one thing."
David checked with his hands full of potatoes to say:
"But look here--what about Dad now?"
"Well--I don't think I believe all that story. It's got a kind of falsefeeling in it. Dad may have got his knee hurt, but I'm certain sure,Da, he never meant us to leave this and go over to Abbitibbi Lake withStenson. I'm _sure_ he never did. Probably he said to Stenson, 'asyou're bound for Oga's camp, just you look in at the shack and tell themI'm here all right'--do you see, Da? He may be lamed up too much totake the trail for a few days, but I believe that's about the length ofit! He only sent us the news. I sort of _feel_ that in my mind."
"But what----"
"I'm coming to that," Nell checked him. "Here, put this against thepartition, it's warmer than the outside wall. I don't believe they'llfreeze so, Da, the worst of the winter is done." She rested a minute,hands on hips, looking round at her labours. Then she took up the taleof her belief in a much lower voice as though she were afraid of beingoverheard.
"You know about all that money Dad has been saving up to make you into areal good engineer, don't you, Da? Well, it's hidden in this shack andno one knows where it is but Dad and me. It's a good lot, because Dadjust kept the fur money year after year, and we buy things from thetraders--you know. I rather wanted him to take it all down to theSettlement, but he wouldn't leave us here before Mother went, norsince--so it just had to stay, you see what I mean. Well, these men mustknow that. They know Dad's been saving up, and they know the money issomewhere. Now I believe their plan is to get us and Robin out of thehouse, then they'll come and hunt over every inch and steal it."
"They'd get caught and----"
"They can lay it on the Chippewas--Oga's camp isn't so far off. He'sbeen shifting round this district quite a while. Don't you see, Da,they can't do a thing if Dad is here--nor if you and I and Robin arehere. It's a trick to keep us out of the shack."
Nell's cheeks were scarlet with the energy of her whispered story. Whenshe reached the end of it they paled again.
"_That's_ how I seem to see it," she concluded, "and I'm so certain thatI mean to clear out with all that money and take it to Fort St. Louis. Iwant to get twenty-four hours' start of Jan Stenson. I rather hope hemay think we've got so scared about Dad that we've gone ahead down eastto Abbitibbi."
"What about your trail?" suggested David, fervent interest in every lineof his face. He was beginning to understand the amazing plan and thefull danger that was driving Nell into it.
"I believe the snow will help us. It will cover the trail."
"Great snakes! Now I see why you were looking out for snow! But, Nell,if we stay here till Dad comes can't we guard the money? It's a jollybig thing taking the trail to Fort Louis. Can't we stick it out here?"
Nell shook her head and her eyes wavered a little from her brother'seager gaze.
"I don't think they'd stop short of--well--real wickedness, Da, if theycouldn't get the money by a trick. You must remember they've got Dad asa kind of hostage, and they could say, 'If you don't hand over that cashit'll be all the worse for him,' don't you see? Of course, it would bea risk for them, in the end. But men like that chance risks. They couldget away up north--or to the States. There's room--why, thousands ofmiles every way. Ten to one they mightn't be caught."
David realised the position entirely. He was full of sense. Moreover,he had been Nell's companion ever since he could walk and talk, and hercommon sense was notable. He understood, but said no more, for what wasthe good of talking? their business now was to act.
"I know exactly what Dad would wish us to do," went on Nell, "clear offwith that money. Look how he's worked to get it, because you must beproperly educated if you are to get to the top in engineering. The onlything that bothered me for a bit was, if they'd do anything to him,supposing they understand we've gone off like that. I thought andthought, and then I saw they certainly would not, because what would bethe sense of risking prison for nothing at all! They'll try and catchus right enough, and make off with the money."
"Oh, you think they'll come after us, do you?" said David, stoppingshort in his silent by-play of ragging the black dog.
"Rather!" agreed Nell firmly.
David's mouth widened into a grin.
"Do you hear that, Robin?" he said cheerfully. "Then the sooner we jollywell hop it the better, for we've a long, long way to Tipperary."
For hours the brother and sister worked, until indeed David was sosleepy that Nell forced him to undress and roll up in his bunk, where inone minute he was soundly unconscious. That was at one o'clock in themorning, when her neat arrangements were nearly completed.
They were to take the hand sled, to be pulled by Robin and David, andpushed by herself. As a rule, a man who pulls--when there is no dogteam--passes a rope over his shoulder and holds the end in his hands,then he drags, bending forward. It is fearfully hard work and slow,too. Nell's inventive mind planned a kind of harness for David, whowould go first, "breaking trail" with his snowshoes for the feet of thedog who would be nearest the sled. She would go behind the first partof the way, because of the track towards the stream. It would benecessary to hold back the little loaded sled with strength andjudgment. Afterwards, if breaking trail proved too hard for David, shewould pull and he should push at the back.
It will be understood that Nell intended to save the most valuable ofthe skins as well as the money. Fortunately these were, as a rule, thesmaller ones--marten, sable, mink, and beaver. She made close packagesof these pelts and fastened them on the sled, together with afrying-pan, a billy-can for making tea, a small, sharp axe, and theirtwo sleeping bags, double skins with the fur inwards. For food she tookas little as she thought safe--for a reason to be explainedpresently--and nothing cumbersome--for instance, no flour--only driedbeans, bacon, tea, and the compressed meat, called pemmican, which isnot very nice, but very nourishing, as it is pressed into little bagsand a very little contains a lot of meat.
She took some tobacco as a precaution, supposing they should come acrossIndians and want to give a present, and she took flint and steel as wellas matches, in case the latter got damp by any accident.
Lastly she strapped in place her great treasure, a small Winchesterrepeating rifle that her father had given her and taught her to shootwith, and ammunition. She had told David she wasn't going to leave itbehind to be possibly stolen, but her intention was to use it for thedefence of that precious money if need be. Besides the little rifle,both she and David carried automatic pistols; long and careful practicehad made them good shots--it is necessary to know how to protect oneselfin a wild country.
As Nell sat by the stove making harness from strips of hide she thoughta good deal about the money and how she was to hide it. Very little ofit was gold. Nearly all was in dollar bills. She passed in review adozen hiding-places, but dismissed one after another, finally decidingthat the only safe place would be upon her own body. Of course, sherealised that if she were caught that would be suspected, but they mustbe put somewhere and she could defend herself. There was one plan thatkept on coming back into her mind. That was to hide the money in thelog house. Leave it behind carefully concealed, and lead the huntersoff on a false trail. She thought of all the pla
ces in which it couldbe put and could not help knowing that any place inside the log housewould be bound to be discovered.
At the present time the money was laid in a recess under the floor,which was made of logs, more or less flattened on the top. The hunterscould, if they wanted, try everyone of these boards in a fairly shorttime. They could search the berths, empty out the potato sacks--Nellsincerely hoped they wouldn't because of the potatoes! The only realhiding-place would be a hole in the ground outside the house, but howcould she do that when the ground was covered with snow? You can't putback snow without leaving traces of your work, and besides the groundwas hard as wood.
The more she went over these things in her mind, the more definitely shesaw that she must carry the money.
"They'll come and find we are gone," murmured Nell, ticking off theevents with one finger on the spread out fingers of her other hand, "or_he_ will, anyway. He'll think I'm scared about Dad and have gone onahead--I'll fasten up a paper saying, 'Gone on,' that'll be true,anyway." Her mouth twisted into a smile. "I'll fasten up the paper onthe door, _outside_. Then, he'll break it open most likely, and huntover every inch of the place. Then, he'll fix up that I've got themoney on me. Then, he'll sprint off to Abbitibbi and get there in oneday. Then, he'll find we never came and both of them will make out tofollow. Two men travelling light can go very fast. They'll just carrya pack--but they'll come back here to get on to our trail like enough,sure to."
She had used up all her fingers, and the busy hands lay in her lap asshe thought it all over. There was a shadow over her keen eyes, for shecould not hide from herself that the chance was rather a poor one.Indeed, were it not for the two days and more of start there would notbe much chance at all.
Two trappers, the hardiest, toughest men on the Continent, used to milesof travel at great speed, travelling light, and following after a bigfortune in dollar bills to be had for the taking, were bound to overtakeherself and David and the sled! They would not go half as fast, andthey must rest--for David's sake. After all, he was only twelve, and noboy of twelve, however strong, can outlast a tough man in his prime.
It was the start she was counting on, and the fact that the men wouldmake so sure of catching them that they might not put out full effort.These trappers would do the distance in four days, going fast--at least,they often did when in haste--while she and David would take eight days.It was not a cheering calculation, but--she was looking at chances, ashas been said before. Possibly snow, and a lost trail. Lastly, thefarther they two went the more likely would they be to hap on "folk."On the Moose River there were many locations. Life would be stirring.She might strike friends and human dwellings.
Certainly, then, she must carry the money.