CHAPTER XII
CARRYING
Pierre's ill-temper was short-lived, but his curiosity remained.However, when Adrian steadily refused to gratify it his interestreturned to himself.
"Say, I've a mind to go the whole way."
"Where?"
"Wherever you're going. Nothin' to call me back."
"Madoc?"
"We might take him along."
"Not if he's sick. That would be as cruel to him as troublesome to us.Besides, you need go no further than yonder shore."
"Them's the woods you got lost in."
"I know them better now."
"Couldn't find your road to save your life."
"I think I could. Besides, you will be wanted at the island. I don'tthink Mr. Dutton is a well man. With nobody but an old woman and ayoung girl he'll need somebody. You're not much good, still----"
Pierre laughed. They had about reached the forest and he rested hispaddle.
"You hear me. I'm going to where you go. That was the master's word. Iwouldn't dare not do it. If I did, my mother'd make me sorry. Sothat's settled."
Adrian had doubts as to the truth of this statement of the islander'scommands. He recalled the words: "as far as you desire." After all,this was not setting a time limit, and it was perfectly natural thatanybody should like company through the wilderness. Why, it would be awild, adventurous journey! the very sort of which he had dreamedbefore he had tasted the prosaic routine of the lumber-camp. He hadhis colors and brushes, the birch-bark which served so many forestpurposes should be his canvas, they had food, and Pierre, at least,his gun and ammunition--no lad could have protested further.
"All right. It will be a lark after my own heart. We can quit as soonas we're tired of it; and--look here. Mr. Dutton said you were paid totake me to the nearest town. How far is that? How long to get there?"
"Oh! I don't know. Donovan's nighest. Might go in four days--might aweek. Canada's closer, but you don't want to go north. South, hesaid."
"Ye-es. I suppose so. Fact is, I don't care where I go nor when. I'min no hurry. As long as the money and food hold out, I'm satisfied."
"Speakin' of money. I couldn't afford to waste my time."
Adrian laughed at this sudden change of front. It was Pierre who hadproposed the long road, but at the mention of money had rememberedprudence.
"That's all right, too. It was of that I was thinking, you greedyfellow. What do guides get, here in the woods?"
Pierre stepped ashore, carefully beached his canoe, and as carefullyconsidered his reply before he made it. How much did this city ladknow? Either at camp or on the island had he heard the just rates ofsuch service?
"Well--how much you got?"
"I'm asking a question, not you."
"About four dollars, likely."
"Whew! not much. You can get the best of them for two. I'll give you adollar a day when we're resting and one-fifty when we're traveling."
Adrian was smiling in the darkness at his own sudden thrift. He hadtaken a leaf out of his comrade's own book, and beyond that, he almostloved his precious earnings, so soon as the thought came of partingwith them. He instantly resolved to put aside a ten dollar piece totake the "mater," whenever he should see her. The rest he would use,of course, but not waste. He would paint such pictures up here aswould make his old artist friends and the critics open their eyes. Thevery novelty of the material which should embody them would "take."Already, in imagination, he saw dozens of fascinating "bits" hung onthe line at the old Academy, and felt the marvelous sums they broughtswelling his pockets to bursting. He'd be the rage, the hit of thenext season; and what pride he'd have in sending newspaper notices ofhimself to Peace Island! How Margot would open her blue eyes, andAngelique toss her hands, and the master slowly admit that there wasgenius where he had estimated only talent.
"There's such a wide, wide difference in the two!" cried Adrian,aloud.
"Hey? What?"
The dreamer came back to reality, and to Pierre, demanding,
"Make it one-seventy-five, and I'll do it."
"Well. I will. Now, for to-night. Shall we camp right here or gofurther into the forest? In the woods I'm always ready for bed, andits later than usual now."
"Here. I know the very rocks you got under in that storm. They'll doas good as a tent, and easier."
Adrian, also, knew that spot and in a few moments both lads wereasleep. They had not stopped even to build the fire that was customaryin such quarters.
Pierre was awake first, on the next morning, and Adrian slowly rose,stretching his cramped limbs and yawning widely.
"Well, I must say that Angelique's good mattress beats rocks. Youdon't catch me doing that again. I guess I'll walk down to the waterand have a last look at the island."
"I guess you won't. You'll eat your breakfast right now. Then you'llfix that birch for the carry. If I do the heavy work you've got to dothe light."
"Sounds fair enough, but you're paid and I'm not."
"It is fair."
Adrian did not contest the point; the less readily because he saw thatthe fried chicken Angelique had given them was rapidly diminishing inquantity.
"Think I'll fall to, myself. My, but I'm hungry! Wish I had a cup ofcoffee."
"Can't waste time now. We'll have some to-night."
"Did they give us some?"
"Look in the pack."
"After breakfast, I'll oblige you."
Pierre grinned and helped himself to a wing.
Adrian seized the tin basin which held the fowl and placed it behindhimself. "Enough's as good as a feast. We shall be hungry again. Seehere. What kind of a bird was this? or birds? all legs and arms, nobodies. Freaks of nature. Eh? How many breast portions have youdevoured?"
"Three."
"Oh! Then, travel or no travel, you get no wage this day. Understand.I'm commander of this expedition. I see to the commissariat. I'lloverhaul the pack, and take account of stock."
Pierre assisted at the task. Though he had been impatient to get awayfrom that locality, still too dangerously near his mother's rule, heintended to keep an eye on everything. Paid or not paid, as Adrianfared so would he--only rather better.
"Why, they must have thought we would be in the woods a long time.They were certainly generous."
They had been, but Pierre considered that they might have been moreso.
"This was for both trips. Half is mine."
"Nonsense. But--there. We're not going to squabble all the time, likechildren. And we both know exactly what we have to depend on. We mustfish and shoot----"
"How'll you do that? The only gun is mine."
"It's part of the outfit. Let's see. A little good tent cloth--not bigenough to cover any but good-natured folks--salt pork, beans, sugar,coffee, tea, flour, meal, dishes---- Hello! We're kings, Ricord!Monarchs of Maine."
"Cut the splints."
After all, it seemed to be Pierre who did the ordering, but Adrian hadsense to see that he was the wiser of the two in woodcraft; eventhough he himself had made it a study during the last weeks. He seizedthe axe and attacked a cedar-tree, from which he had soon cut thebinding strips he wanted. Then he laid the paddles in the boat,fastening them with rootlets to the three thwarts. He also fastenedtwo broad bands of the pliable splints in such a way that when it wasinverted, the weight of the canoe could be borne in part by theforehead and shoulders. He was ready almost as soon as Pierre hadretied the pack, which was to be Adrian's burden.
"All right! I'll swing her up. This 'carry' isn't a long one and thefirst thoroughfare is ten miles before we come to dead water. Butit's up-stream that far and we'll have to warp up some. Part is fair,but more is rips."
If Pierre thought to confound his mate by his woodland slang he wasdisappointed. Margot had been a good teacher and Adrian had been eagerto learn what he had not already done from the loggers. Pierre hadbeen puzzled by "commissariat" and "expedition" and felt that he hadevened matters nicely.
"Oh! I
know. A thoroughfare is a river, and a dead water is a lake.And a carrier is--yourself!"
To show his new skill he caught up the canoe and inverted it over hisown head. He, also, had been calculating a bit, and realized that thebirch was really the lighter burden. So he generously left the pack tohis neighbor and started forward bravely.
"All right, like you say. One little bit, then you change. Then, too,maybe I'm not ready."
With a whistle and spring Pierre hoisted the pack to his shoulders,wound its straps around his body and started off through the forest ata sort of dog-trot pace, pausing neither for swamp nor fallen tree;and Adrian realized that if he were to keep his companion in sight hemust travel equally fast.
Alas! this was impossible. The birch which had seemed so light andromantic a "carry" became suddenly the heaviest and most difficult. Hecaught its ends on tree trunks and righting these blunders he stumbledover the rough way. The thongs that had seemed so smooth cut hisforehead and burned into his chest, and putting pride in his pocket,he shouted:
"Pierre! Pierre Ricord! Come back or you'll get no money!"
It would have been a convincing argument had it been heard, but itwas not. Pierre had already gone too far in advance. Yet at thatmoment a sound was borne on the breeze toward Adrian which effectuallybanished all thought of fatigue or of ill-treatment. A long-drawn,unmistakable cry that once heard no man with the hunter instinct everforgets.
"A moose! And Pierre has the gun!"