CHAPTER TWENTY SIX.
AN EXCURSION--IGLOO BUILDING, AND FISHING UNDER THE ICE--A SNOW-TABLEAND A GOOD FEAST--EDITH SPENDS THE NIGHT UNDER A SNOW-ROOF FOR THE FIRSTBUT NOT THE LAST TIME.
"Now then, Edith," cried Frank, looking in at the door of the hall,"your carriage waits, and Chimo is very restive."
"Coming, coming," exclaimed a treble voice within; "I'm getting newlines put to my snow-shoes, and will be ready in two minutes."
Two minutes, translated into female language, means ten, sometimestwenty. Frank knew this, and proceeded to re-adjust the sash thatsecured his leathern capote, as he walked towards the little sledge infront of the fort. He then tied down the ear-pieces of his fur cap morecarefully, for it was very cold, though clear and sunny. The frost hadset fast the lake opposite the fort, and, by thus removing thefrost-cloud that overhung the open water farther out to sea, relievedthe fort from the mists in which it was usually enveloped. By this timefifteen out of the "two" minutes having elapsed, he re-examined the lockof his gun, and adjusted the warm deerskin robe on Edith's littlesledge, patted Chimo on the head, looked up at the clouds, and began towhistle.
"Now, Frank, here I am," cried Edith, running towards him with hersnow-shoes in her hand, followed by her father and mother.
"Quiet, Chimo--down, sir!" said Frank, restraining the dog as it soughtto bound towards its mistress. Being harnessed to the sledge, this wasa very improper proceeding and was rebuked accordingly; so Chimo wasfain to crouch on the snow and look back at Edith as Frank placed her inthe sledge, and arranged the deerskin robes round her.
Edith wore a long fur cloak and cloth leggings. Her feet were protectedfrom the cold by two pair of blanket socks, besides very thick moccasinsof deerskin. The usual head-dress of civilised females in these regionsis a round fur cap; but Edith had a peculiar affection for the CreeIndian headdress, and, upon the present occasion, wore one which waslined with fur and accommodated with ear-pieces, to defy the wintercold. The child's general appearance was somewhat rotund. Painterswould probably have said there was a little too much breadth, perhaps,in the picture. Her pointed cap, however, with the little bow of ribbonon the top, gave her a piquant air, and did away with the heavyappearance of her costume to some extent; in fact, Edith looked like afat little witch. But if she looked fat before being wrapped up in thesledge furs, she looked infinitely fatter when thus placed, and nothingof her visible except her two twinkling eyes. So grotesque was she thatthe whole party burst into a loud laugh as they surveyed her. The laughmade Chimo start off at full gallop, which caused Frank to grasp theline of the sledge that trailed behind, and hurry over the snow at amost undignified pace.
"Take care of her," cried Mr Stanley.
"Ay, ay," shouted Frank.--"Softly, Chimo--softly, you rascal!"
In ten minutes the travellers were round the point and fairly out ofsight; but the shouts of Frank, and an occasional howl from Chimo,floated back on the breeze as Stanley and his wife returned leisurely tothe hall.
The road, or rather the ground, over which Frank Morton drove Edith thatday was exceedingly rough and rugged--so rough that we will not try theendurance of the reader by dragging him over it. We will merelyindicate its general features. First of all, they drove about threemiles along the level snow at the foot of the mountains. So far theroad was good; and Chimo went along merrily to the music of the littlethimble-like brass bells with which his harness was garnished. Thenthey came to a ravine, and Edith had to get out, put on her snow-shoes,and clamber up, holding by Frank's hand; while Chimo followed, draggingthe sledge as he best could. Having gained one of the terraces, Edithslipped her feet out of the snow-shoe lines, jumped into the sledge, andwas swept along to the next ravine, where she got out again, resumed hersnow-shoes, and ascended as before. Thus they went up the ravines andalong the terraces until the summit of the first mountain range wasreached. Having rested here a few minutes, Edith once more got into thesledge, and Chimo set off. But as there was now a long piece of levelground over which for some miles they could travel in the direction ofthe coast, Frank took the sled-line in his hand, and held the dog at aquick walking pace. Afterwards they turned a little farther inland, andcame into a more broken country, where they had sometimes to mount andsometimes to descend the hills. There were many gorges and narrowfissures in the ground here, some of which were covered over and soconcealed with snow that the travellers ran some risk of falling intothem. Indeed, at one place, so narrow was their escape that Chimo fellthrough the crust of snow, and disappeared into a fissure whichdescended a hundred feet sheer down; and the sledge would certainly havefollowed had not Frank held it back by the line; and Chimo was nothauled up again without great difficulty. After this, Frank went infront with a pole, and sounded the snow in dangerous-looking places ashe went along.
Towards the afternoon they arrived at the lake where they intended toencamp, and, to their great delight, found Maximus there already. Hehad only arrived a few minutes before them, and was just going tocommence the erection of a snow-house.
"Glad to see you, Maximus," cried Frank, as he drove up. "How's the oldwoman, eh?"
"She small better," replied Maximus, assisting Edith to alight. "Disgoot for fish."
Maximus was a remarkably intelligent man, and, although his residence atthe fort had been of short duration as yet, he had picked up a few wordsof English.
"A good lake, I have no doubt," replied Frank, looking round. "But weneed not search for camping ground. There seems to be very little wood,so you may as well build our hut on the ice. We shall need all ourtime, as the sun has not long to run."
The lake, on the edge of which they stood, was about a mile incircumferenee, and lay in a sort of natural basin formed bysavage-looking hills, in which the ravines were little more than narrowfissures, entirely devoid of trees. Snow encompassed and buriedeverything, so that nothing was to be seen except, here and there, cragsand cliffs of gray rock, which were too precipitous for the snow to reston.
"Now, Eda, I will take a look among these rocks for a ptarmigan forsupper; so you can amuse yourself watching Maximus build our house tillI return."
"Very well, Frank," said Edith; "but don't be long. Come back beforedark; Chimo and I will weary for you."
In a few minutes Frank disappeared among the rocks upon the shore; andMaximus, taking Edith by the hand, and dragging her sledge after him,led her a couple of hundred yards out on to the ice, or, more properlyspeaking, the hard beaten snow with which the ice was covered. Chimohad been turned loose, and, being rather tired after his journey, hadcoiled himself up on a mound of snow and fallen fast asleep.
"Dis place for house," said Maximus, pausing near a smooth, level partof the lake. "You stop look to me," he added, turning to the littlegirl, who gazed up in his large face with an expression half of wonderand half of fun. "When you cold, run; when you hot, sit in sled andlook at me."
In compliance with this request, Edith sat down in her sledge, and fromthis comfortable point of view watched the Esquimau while he built asnow-hut before her.
First of all, he drew out a long iron knife, which had been constructedspecially far him by Bryan, who looked upon the giant with specialfavour. With the point of this he drew a circle of about seven feet indiameter; and so well accustomed was he to this operation that hiscircle, we believe, could not have been mended even by a pair ofcompasses. Two feet to one side of this circle he drew a smaller one,of about four feet in diameter. Next, he cut out of the snow a numberof hard blocks, which were so tough that they could not be brokenwithout a severe blow, but were as easily cut as you might have sliced asoft cheese with a sharp knife. These blocks he arranged round thelarge circle, and built them above each other, fashioning them, as heproceeded, in such a manner that they gradually rose into the form of adome. The chinks between them he filled compactly with soft snow, andthe last block, introduced into the top of the structure, was formedexactly on the principle of the key-stone of
an arch. When the largedome was finished, he commenced the smaller; and in the course of twohours both the houses--or, as the Esquimaux call them, igloos--werecompleted.
Long before this, however, Frank had returned, from an unsuccessfulhunt, to assist him; and Edith had wondered and wearied, grown cold andtaken to running with Chimo, and grown warm and returned to her sledge,several times. Two holes were left in the igloos to serve as doors;and, after they were finished, the Esquimau cut a square hole in the topof each, not far from the key-stones, and above the entrances. Intothese he fitted slabs of clear ice, which formed windows as beautifuland useful as if they had been made of glass. There were two doorwaysin the large igloo, one of which faced the doorway of the smaller.Between these he built an arched passage, so that the two were thusconnected, and the small hut formed a sort of inner chamber to thelarger.
"Now, dem done," said Maximus, surveying his work with a satisfiedsmile.
"And very well done they are," said Frank. "See here, Eda, oursnow-fort is finished. The big one is to be the grand hall andbanqueting-room, and yonder little hut is your private boudoir."
"Mine!" exclaimed Edith, running away from Chimo, with whom she had beenplaying, and approaching the new houses that had been so speedily putup. "Oh, how nice! what fun! only think!--a snow bedroom! But won't itbe cold, Frank? And is the bed to be of snow too?"
The black moustache of the giant curled with a smile at the energy withwhich this was said.
"We will make the bedsteads of snow, Eda," replied Frank, "but I thinkwe shall manage to find blankets of a warmer material.--Now, Maximus,get the things put inside, and the lamp lighted, for we're all tired andvery hungry."
The lamp to which Frank referred was one which Maximus had brought,along with a few other articles, from the Esquimau camp. It was made ofsoft stone, somewhat in the form of a half moon, about eight inches longand three broad, and hollowed out in the inside. Esquimaux burnseal-fat in it, and in winter have no other means of warming theirhouses or cooking their food. But for both purposes it is quitesufficient. The heat created by these lamps, combined with the naturalwarmth of the inhabitants, is frequently so great in the igloos of theEsquimaux that they are fain to throw off a great portion of their uppergarments, and sit in a state of partial nudity; yet the snow-walls donot melt, owing to the counteracting influence of the intense coldwithout.
Maximus had brought some seal-fat, or blubber, along with him. Aportion of this he now put into the lamp, and, placing the latter on asnow-shelf prepared expressly for it, he set it on fire. The flame,although not very steady, was bright enough to illuminate the largeigloo, and to throw a strong gleam into the smaller one. Over this lampFrank placed a small tin kettle, filled with snow, which was speedilyconverted into water; and while this was being boiled, he assisted Edithin spreading out the bedding. As we have already said, the floor ofthis snow-house was of the same material as the walls. But one-half ofit was raised about a foot above the other half, according to Esquimaurules of architecture. This elevated half was intended for the bed,which consisted of a large deer-skin robe, spread entirely over it, withthe soft hair upwards. Another large robe was placed above this for ablanket, and a smaller one either for a pillow or an additional coveringif required; but both of these were tossed down in a heap at the presenttime, to form a luxuriant seat for Frank and Edith. As their legs hungover the edge of the elevated couch, they were thus seated, as it were,on an ottoman. A mat of interlaced willows covered the floor, and onthis sat Maximus, towering in his hairy garments like a huge bear, whilehis black shadow was cast on the pure white wall behind him. In themidst stood a small table, extemporised by Frank out of a block of snow,and covered with the ample skirt of his leathern topcoat, which theincreasing temperature of the air inside the igloo rendered too warm.
Beside Edith, on the most comfortable portion of the ottoman, sat Chimo,with an air of majestic solemnity, looking, as privileged dogs always dolook under like circumstances, as if the chief seat belonged to him as amatter not of favour but of right. On the table was spread a solid lumpof excellent pemmican--excellent, because made by the fair hands of MrsStanley. It stood _vis-a-vis_ to a tin plate whereon lay three largesteaming cuts of boiled fresh salmon--fresh, because, although caughtsome months before, it had been frozen solid ever since. There was alarge tin kettle of hot tea in the centre of the board--if under thecircumstances we may use the term--and three tin cups out of which todrink it; besides a plate containing broken pieces of ship-biscuit and asmall quantity of sugar wrapped up in a morsel of paper. Also a littlesalt in a tin box.
All these things, and tempting delicacies, had up till now beencontained within the compass of a small, compact, insignificant-lookingparcel, which during the journey had occupied a retiring position in thehinder part of Edith's sledge--so true is it that the really _great_ andthe _useful_ court concealment until duty calls them forth and revealstheir worth and their importance to an admiring world. The admiringworld on the present occasion, however, consisted only of Frank, Edith,Maximus, and Chimo; unless, indeed, we may include the moon, who at thatmoment poured her bright beams through the ice-window of the hut andflooded the centre of the snow-table with light.
"Aren't we snug, Eda?" cried Frank, as he filled her tin with tea."What a charming house! and so cheap, too! There's sugar beside you.Take care you don't use salt by mistake.--Maximus, hold out yourpannikin. That's the true beverage to warm your heart, if you take ithot enough."
"Tankee, sur," said the giant, extending his cup with one hand, whilewith the other he forced into his capacious mouth as much pemmican as itcould hold.
"Frank," said Edith, "we must build an igloo at the fort when wereturn."
"So we will, now that I know how to do it. Hand me the salt, please,and poke Chimo's nose away from the salmon. Yes, and we'll invite papaand mamma to come and take supper at _our_ house.--Maximus, is this theexact way your friends build their winter houses?"
"Yis, sur," answered the Esquimau, looking up from the cut of salmonwhich he lifted with his fingers in preference to a fork or knife. "Deyalways buil' um so. But not dis t'ing," he added, touching thesnow-table.
"No, I suppose not," said Frank. "I flatter myself that that is arecent improvement."
"We do great many igloo sometime," continued Maximus, "vid two, t'ree,four--plenty pass'ges goin' into von a-doder."
"What does he mean by that?" inquired Edith, laughing.
"I suppose he means that they connect a number of their igloos togetherby means of passages.--And do they keep them as clean and snug as this,Maximus?"
The Esquimau replied by a loud chuckle, and a full display of hismagnificent teeth, which Frank understood to signify a decided negative.
When supper was ended Chimo was permitted to devour the scraps, whileFrank assisted Edith to arrange her little dormitory. It was much thesame in its arrangements as the larger apartment, and was really ascomfortable and warm as one could desire. Returning to the largeapartment, Frank spread out the couch on which he and Maximus were torepose; and then, sitting down beside the stone lamp, he drew forth hisBible, as was his wont, and began to read.
Soon after lying down Edith heard the deep voices of her companionsengaged in earnest conversation; but these sounds gradually died away,and she fell asleep, to dream of her berry-ravine at Fort Chimo. As thenight wore on, the deep breathing of the men told that they, too, hadsought and found repose. The lamp burned slowly down and went out, and,when the moon threw her parting rays over the scene, there was nothingto tell of the presence of human beings in that cold, wild spot, savetwo little white mounds on the frozen lake below.