CHAPTER XX
THE GRAY BROTHERS
The four girls never knew how long they waited that afternoon in thehunter's cabin. It might have been only minutes, but the minutes seemedto drag themselves into hours. The uncertain fate of the boys, thetragedy that surely awaited perhaps all of them made the situationalmost unbearable.
Grace piled the fireplace high with the remaining wood, but the blazecould not keep away the chill that crept over them as the sun sankbehind the trees. They shivered and drew nearer together for comfort.
Should they ever see their four brave friends again?
And David?
Anne could endure it no longer. She rose and began to move about thehut. There lay her coat and hat. Almost without knowing what she did sheput them on, pulled on her mittens and tied a broad, knitted muffleraround her ears.
"Girls," she said suddenly. She had gone about her preparations soquietly the other three had not even turned to see what she was doing."I'm going. I don't want any of you to go with me, but I would ratherdie than stay here all night without knowing what has happened to Davidand the others."
"Wait a moment," cried Grace, "and I'll go, too. It would be unbearablenot to know--and if we meet the wolves, why, then, as Tom said, we canclimb a tree. Poor Tom!" she added sadly. "I wonder where he is now."
Nora and Jessica rose hastily.
"Do you think I'd stay?" cried Nora. "Not in a thousand years!"
"Anything is better than this," exclaimed Jessica, as she drew on herwraps and prepared to follow her friends into the woods.
Grace opened the door, peering out into the gathering darkness.
"There is not a living thing in sight," she said. "We'd better hurry,girls; it will soon be dark." Then the four young girls started down thetrail and were soon out of sight.
When Tom Gray left old Jean's hut, with nothing between him and theravenous wolves, except the angle of a wall, he took a long, glidingstep, his body swinging gracefully with the motion, and was off like thewind, under a broad avenue of trees. But he had not gone far before oneof the straps loosened and his foot slipped. He fell headlong, but wasup instantly.
It took a few moments to tighten the strap, and it must have been thenthat the wolves caught the scent, and after hurriedly finishing the mealin hand, galloped off for another without taking the slightest notice ofthe fox skin that Reddy had tossed to them. Tom made a fresh start,feeling more confident on his feet than he had at first, and he was wellunder way when he heard the howl of the wolves behind him. Gathering allhis energies together he managed to keep ahead of them until the woodsbecame less dense, and he saw through the interlacing branches the openmeadows and fields.
"They are too hungry to leave off now," he said to himself as hehurriedly searched the valley below for the nearest farmhouse. In frontof him was a very high, steep hill, that same hill, in fact, whereNora's coasting party had taken place. Glancing behind him, he caught aglimpse of the gray brothers trotting through the forest.
"I'll take the hill," he thought. "It's quickest and there must be somekind of a refuge below." With long, swift glides he reached the knobwhich had hidden Miriam's sled from view as she bore down on Anne thenight of the coasting party.
The wolves were right behind him now, and unless something turned up hehardly dared think what would happen.
But Tom Gray had always possessed an indomitable belief that thingswould turn out all right. It seemed absurd to him that he was to be foodfor wolves when he had still a long and delightful life before him.Certainly he would not give up without a struggle.
Perhaps it was this fine confidence that his destiny was not yetcompleted that gave him the strength which now promised to save him. Ashe fled down the hill he saw below an old oak tree whose first brancheshad been lopped off. Exerting every atom of strength in him, just as hereached the bottom Tom gave a leap. He caught the lowest limb with onehand, pulled himself up and calmly took his seat in the crotch of thetree.
He was just in time. The wolves were at his heels, snarling and snappinglike angry dogs. The boy regarded them from his safe perch and burst outlaughing.
Tom Gray Escapes from the Wolves.]
"So I fooled you, did I, you gray rascals?" he said aloud. "You thinkyou'll keep me here all night, do you, old hounds? Well, we'll see whowins out in the long run."
Meanwhile, the wolves ran about howling disconsolately while Tom sat inthe branches of the tree, rubbing his hands and arms to keep warm. Hehad removed the snowshoes and was just contemplating climbing to the topof the tree to keep his blood circulating, when three figures appearedon the brow of the hill.
"As I live, it's the boys," he said to himself. "Go back!" he yelled,waving a red silk muffler. "Climb a tree quickly!"
They had seen and heard him, and making for the nearest tree, eachshinned up as fast as he could.
"Here's a howdy-do," said Tom to himself. "Four boys treed by wolves andnight coming on."
Yet he swung his legs and whistled thoughtfully, while the othersshouted to him, but he could not hear what they said, for the wind wasblowing away from him. In the meantime the wolves did not all desert himand he could only wait patiently, with the others, for something to turnup.
What did turn up was a good deal of a shock to all of them.
Grace, Jessica, Nora and Anne suddenly emerged from the forest, standingout in bold relief on the brow of the hill.
The three boys at the top of the hill all jumped to the ground at once.
"Run for the trees," cried David, for the wolves had caught the newscent and had started toward them on a dead run.
"Crack, crack," went a rifle. Instantly the first wolf staggered andfell backward.
How was it that the boys had not noticed before that the girls were notalone?
Another shot and a second wolf ran almost into their midst, gave a leapand fell dead. One more dropped; and the sole surviving wolf beat afrenzied retreat.
"We found old Jean!" cried Grace. "Wasn't it the most fortunate thing inthe world? And now nobody is killed and we are all safe and I'm sohappy!" She gave the old hunter's arm a squeeze.
Old Jean, enveloped in skins from top to toe, smiled good-naturedly.
"It was the Bon Dieu, mademoiselle, who have preserve you. Do not t'ankole Jean. It was the Bon Dieu who put it in ole Jean's haid to setrabbit trap to-night."
He would accept neither money nor thanks for shooting the wolves.
"I will skin them. It is sufficient."
It was not long before eight very tired and very happy young people wereseated around Mrs. Gray's dinner table. Grace was a little choky andhomesick for her mother, now that all the danger was over, but the weekof the house party was almost up, so she concealed her impatience to behome again.
The softly shaded candles shed a warm glow over their faces, and thelogs crackled on the brass andirons. They looked into each others' eyesand smiled sleepily.
Had it all been a dream, their winter picnic, or was old Jean at thatvery moment really nailing wolf skins to his wall?