The Ice Queen Part 22

Then, while Aleck and Jimmy walked out to look at the traps, Tug built a hot fire, and went to work at making bullets of the lead. He melted his old pipe in a piece of tin, which he had hammered into a spoon, and dropped the molten metal into cold water. The bullets, or shot, were not all of the same size, and were more pear-shaped than round; but by whittling and hammering they did very well, and in two hours he had a handful.

"Now," said he, with a vengeful tone in his voice, "just let me get a shot at those or'nary curs!"

Later, Aleck came back, reporting no birds, but bringing a small pickerel.

"But I saw another flock of cross-bills, and I'm going to take my 'pitchfork' and go after them," Jimmy added, eagerly; and at once went out, while Katy put on her hat and started for a short walk.

"Aleck," said Tug, when they were alone, "I have wanted a good chance to talk with you about the fix we're in. I feel sure that, snug as we are, it's no good to stay here."

"How are we going to get away? Our boat is useless for ice travel, now that the sledge is gone, even if we save her in decent condition, which we must see about this afternoon."

"I have been looking at that little scow down on the sh.o.r.e. She is big enough to carry us in water, and I believe we could put a couple of low runners on her bottom, so as to move over an ice-field. Come with me and have a look at her."

So the two lads went down to the old boat, and looked her carefully over, discussing all the repairs she would need, and how they could be made.

"But why don't you think we could stay here longer?" Aleck asked, after a time.

"Because," his companion replied, "we have almost no ammunition and almost no fishing-tackle. In a week from now we should have to live wholly on what we could catch in fishing and by traps, and we get so little now that I think it foolish to risk it if we can get a chance to escape. I reckon it'll freeze up hard again in a few days, but for the last time this winter. Probably the ice'll break up so badly next time it thaws that we couldn't sledge on it; and after that, you know, come the long, stormy months of spring, when, if we tried sailing, our boat wouldn't keep afloat with four people in it during a journey across the lake. If we can't get away over the ice before the next break-up, I believe we're goners."

"It can't be very far to the mainland; but the weather has always been so thick I never could see far southward," Aleck remarked.

"It's clear to-day," said Tug. "Let's go and take a look."

Inspired with hope, the two comrades, forgetful of everything else, hastened up the hillside, and soon reached the pinnacle of rocks that formed their lookout.

The air was clear, the sky cloudless, and the first glance southward showed them, faint upon the low horizon, yet distinct enough to be unmistakable, the long, dark line of the mainland. Between them and it all lay white, mixed with blue--a plain of ice covered with thin patches of rain-water. They could not see more than eight or ten miles; but in no direction except on the northern horizon (towards the centre of the lake) was there any sign of open water. They hoped, and this helped them to believe, that between them and the sh.o.r.e lay an unbroken plain of ice.

"If that is so," said Aleck, "and it will only come on cold before it snows, we could skate right across."

"Take us a couple of days, you'll find," Tug replied.

"Pshaw! it can't be more than twenty miles."

"Yes, but we're not so strong as we were when we started. We've none of us really had a square meal for a fortnight, and some of us have been knocked on the head, you know, and that don't help a man any."

"At any rate, it will be best to get ready right away."

"That's my ticket," Tug replied. "By the way, can we see the _Red Erik_? Oh, yes, there she is--all right, I reckon."

"Yes, she appears to be."

Chapter x.x.x.

KATY TAMES THE WILD DOGS.

When half-way down the hill on their return they saw Katy, who had been at the beach, wave her handkerchief, and turn to come and meet them. At the same instant they caught sight of wolfish figures stealing along among the rocks and bushes at the base.

"The wild dogs!" both exclaimed, in the same breath, and both felt their blood stop flowing for an instant, for in a minute or two more Katy would meet the brutes, and she must do so before they could get there to help her. They shouted to her, as they hurried at neck-breaking speed down the rough ledges; but she did not hear or did not understand them, and then they lost sight of both her and the dogs behind some bushes. A moment later they saw her again, but with what surprise!

The girl stood in the middle of a smooth, gra.s.sy plat, facing the three dogs, which were gathered in a group, the father of the family in front, and only a few feet from her. All were silent, and the big one was stretching his neck forward, as if debating whether he dared lead his mate and the pup any closer. Katy caught a glimpse of the boys, and quickly raised her right hand, as though signing to them not to advance; but she never took her eye off the animals, nor ceased to speak to them in coaxing tones, while she held out her left hand beckoning them to come nearer. Thus far this had had no effect. The big leader could not make up his mind to trust her, though as yet he showed no disposition to attack.

"What shall we do?" Aleck whispered to Tug, in an agony of suspense.

"She can't keep that up long. Let us rush in."

"All right," Tug whispered back; "but we must get a stone or a club!

'Twon't do to go at 'em naked-handed."

Clubs were not handy, but each took heavy stones in both hands, and began a stealthy advance. At that same instant they saw the foremost dog begin to wag his tail slowly, while, one by one, as it were, the hairs upon the back of his neck were lowered. The lads halted, and watched the scene with astonishment and anxiety. Katy still spoke coaxingly, and at last took a gentle step forward. The dog, though suspicious, still wagged his tail. She quietly walked backward three or four steps, and sat down upon a bowlder--an act which the lesser dogs behind at once imitated. "Good dog! fine fellow! come here; come, Tiger," she said, over and over, changing the name every time in hopes of hitting some one that might have been this mastiff's before he was an outcast. Finally, as she sat there with her eyes steadily on his, and beginning to feel very tired, the animal's big square face suggested a picture she had seen of a German prince, just then beginning to become famous.

"Why, Bismarck!" she called out, in confident tones, "don't you know me? and don't you want a bone? Good old Bismarck!"

She knew instantly that she had hit it. The dog dropped his ears and hung his head, walked slowly up, and laid his great muzzle, big as a tiger's almost, in her lap, while slowly and suspiciously his followers came nearer and nearer to her by slow advances.

"Well, I vum!" muttered Tug, in utter amazement, while Aleck was too astounded to say even that much. "I'm 'fraid we shall spoil that very pretty tea-party unless we sneak home another way; and I 'low two or three bullets in the gun would do no harm."

But their first movement was heard. The mastiff lifted his head, erected his mane, and with a hoa.r.s.e growl sprang towards the lads.

Katy was terribly frightened, but kept her presence of mind.

"Bismarck!" she commanded sternly, "keep quiet! come back here, sir!"

and the great dog, growling and showing his teeth, stopped his course, and slowly returned to his mistress.

"Boys," the girl called out, when she saw this, "go right along, and pay no attention to the dogs. When I see you safely near the house I'll come. Don't be alarmed for me."

"Come on, Tug," said Aleck; "the sister knows best."

Just before they reached the door they turned and saw her walking slowly towards them, the huge, lean father-mastiff close by her side, quiet and submissive, and the mother of the wild crew following tamely in his footsteps; while the whelp, that had never known, as the older dogs had, what it was to have a human master, straggled along behind, apparently in great doubt whether his respected parents had not lost their senses.

Tug hastily entered the house, and quickly appeared at the window with his gun at his shoulder, ready to shoot if the mastiff showed any signs of treachery; but he did nothing of the sort. Forty yards or so from the house, however, he declined to go any farther, and Katy, without once looking round, walked steadily on to the door, where her brother caught her in his arms, almost at the point of fainting, for the strain upon her nerves had nearly exhausted her strength.

Chapter x.x.xI.

ABANDONING THE ISLAND.

After luncheon the three boys went over to inspect their old boat, and came back towards evening, bringing the oars, some straps of iron that had guarded her keel, the drag-ropes, and one or two other things.

They had succeeded in pulling the boat ash.o.r.e, but she had been too badly damaged to be of any further use to them.

Three days were now occupied busily in shooting, fishing, and putting runners on the scow. These runners were simply strips of board (which they had taken from the house) about four inches wide and fourteen feet long--the length of the boat's bottom. With the iron from the sled runners and from their own boat they shod these boat runners rudely, and strengthened the frame.

During this time the dogs had been almost always within sight, and their near approach during the night would frequently awaken the sleepers in the cabin, Rex quickest, of course. Katy was sure that if the animals could have been fed they would speedily have become docile; and when Tug proposed to shoot them for food, everybody resisted, at least, until they should be in a worse strait than now.

Nevertheless it was probably fortunate for the mastiff family that it kept out of gun-range.