XXXI WITH WIND AND WAVES
In the light breeze the bateau sailed but slowly, and the boys, in theirimpatience, strove to increase speed by helping with the paddles. As theywent farther out, however, the wind increased, and before long they laidaside the blades, satisfied that they were making fairly good progress.
Overhead the stars shone dimly. To the south and east, the sky was bankedwith masses of cloud. Hugh, glancing that way, felt uneasy. A rain-stormcoming down upon the heavily loaded, open bateau would be unpleasant ifnot disastrous. From the behavior of the sail, he knew that the wind wasless steady. During the past two months he had learned something of themoods of Lake Superior, and he understood that he must be ready for asudden shift. He had been handling both sheet and tiller, but now heturned the steering over to his brother.
The change of wind came suddenly and with force. For a few moments Hughhad his hands full. Blaise obeyed orders on the instant, sail and boatwere swung about, and were soon running freely before the wind again.
"We may not reach the Kaministikwia so soon as we hoped," Hugh commented,when the momentary danger was past. "The wind seems to be taking us whereit chooses. As near as I can tell we must be running almost directly westnow instead of northwest."
Blaise looked up at the only patch of clear sky visible. "Yes, I think wego west. If the wind holds steady we shall reach the shore somewherebetween the Kaministikwia and the Grand Portage. If it shifts again----"He broke off with a shrug.
"If it shifts again," Hugh took up the words, "we shall reach somewheresometime, unless we go to the bottom. Even that would be a better fatethan falling into Ohrante's hands."
The breeze was increasing in force, the waves running ever higher. Hughand Blaise were kept busy and alert. Before the wind, the bateau wassailing swiftly enough so that there was little danger of following seasactually swamping it, but, heavily laden, it rode low, with littlebuoyancy. Every time it pitched down into the trough of the waves itshipped water. Those were the dangerous moments. With the utmost care inhandling sail and rudder, the brothers could do little to insure againstdisaster. To keep straight before the wind, not to lose control of sailor rudder, and to take the chances with coolness and composure was aboutall there was to do. As they drove on in the darkness, now riding high onthe summit of a wave, now pitching down between walls of water, they lostall count of time.
The waves seemed to be flattening out a little. Surely they were lesshigh and long, yet they were even more troublesome, for they had grownchoppy and uneven. When Blaise steered straight with them, Hugh found thesail swinging around. When he sailed directly before the wind, the boatpitched at an angle with the waves.
"The wind has shifted again," he said anxiously.
"It comes from the northeast now," Blaise returned.
Both were too busy and anxious to talk. Hugh confined his speech tosharply given orders and Blaise to answering grunts. The spray ofbreaking waves soaked them both, time and again. The boat was shipping agood deal of water, but bailing was impossible. The elder brother had hishands full with the sail, the younger was compelled to give all hisattention to steering.
Gradually conditions improved. The wind steadied and the waves obeyed it.Once more the bateau could ride them straight, while running directlybefore the breeze. The clouds were broken now, moving swiftly across thesky, covering and uncovering the moon and stars. Whenever the boys daredto take their eyes from sail and water, they glanced upward. When enoughsky had been blown clean to show them the position of the moon andprincipal stars, both lads were surprised to learn that dawn was notnearer. It seemed to them that they had been pitching about in the wavesfor a very long time, yet the day was still hours away.
The wind continued strong, the waves were higher than ever, but thebrothers had gained more confidence in the sailing qualities of the boatand in their own ability to handle it. Less water was being shipped, andby bailing when they had a chance, they managed to keep it from risingtoo high. Now that the sky was clearing and there was more light on thelake, they could see farther across it. As the boat rose to the top of awave, Blaise said suddenly, "L'isle du Pate."
Hugh looked quickly and, before the bateau pitched down between thewaves, he caught a glimpse of a compact, abrupt, black mass towering fromthe water not many miles to his right. There seemed to be no chance ofreaching the mouth of the Kaministikwia though. To turn and run in pastthe south side of Pie Island was out of the question. The square sailwould be worse than useless, and the laden bateau would inevitably beswamped in the trough of the waves.
The stars were waning in the paling sky. The short summer night wasdrawing to a close and dawn was approaching. South and west of Pie Islandand nearer at hand, lower lines of shore appeared, the chain of islandsfrom one of which the adventurers had set out for the Isle Royale. Thoseislands, across several miles of heaving water, were still too far awayto be reached. Wind and waves were carrying the bateau by. The sun,coming up in an almost clear sky, found the boat still running southweston a course almost parallel with the unattainable chain of islands.
As the hours passed, the boys were encouraged to discover that they weredrawing gradually nearer and nearer to the islands on the right. What wasstill better, they were bearing straight towards land ahead, continuous,high land they knew must be the main shore. It seemed that they mustreach the mainland not many miles to the southwest of the place where thechain of islands diverged from it. Hugh had long since ceased to beparticular where he landed, if it was only in some spot where food mightbe obtained. Rations the day before had been very scanty, and he wasexceedingly hungry.
The wind was strong but steady, the waves long and high. The bateau, asit plunged down into the trough, continued to ship a little water, butthe boys kept it down by bailing when a hand and arm could be spared.They were borne nearer and nearer to the land. As they ran past a groupof small islets not more than a half mile distant, with a larger andhigher island showing beyond them, Hugh glanced that way and consideredtrying to turn.
Blaise guessed his brother's thought. "The mainland is not far now," hesaid, "and we go straight towards it. Let us go on until we can landwithout danger to the furs. There will be more chance to find food on themainland also."
Both of the younger boy's arguments had weight with Hugh. He gave up theidea of attempting to turn, and they went on with wind and waves. At theend of another hour they were bearing down upon an irregular, rockypoint.
"Is that island or mainland, do you think?" Hugh inquired.
"Mainland," was the unhesitating reply. "I remember the place. Have I notpassed it three times in the last two moons?"
Hugh made no answer. He himself must have passed that spot twice withintwo months, but there were so many rocky points along the shore. Hugh wasobserving enough in the white man's way, but he did not see how Blaisecould remember all those places and tell them apart.
The bateau ran close to the point. When a bay came into view, Hughexpected Blaise to steer in, but the latter made no move to do so.
"It is steep and rocky there," he explained, with a nod towards theabrupt-shored cove. "Beyond yet a little way is a better place, shallowand well protected."
Past another point and along a steep rock shore they sailed. Here theywere in much calmer water, for the points broke the force of wind andwaves. As they approached a group of small islands, Blaise remarked, "Itis best to take down the sail. We can paddle in."
Accordingly Hugh lowered the sail and took up his paddle, while Blaisesteered the bateau in among the islets. In a few moments the haven layrevealed, an almost round bay, its entrance nearly closed by islets. Theislands and the points on either side were rocky, but the shores of thebay were low and densely wooded with tamarack, cedar and black spruce.The water was almost calm, and the boys made a landing on a bit of beachon the inner side and under the high land of the right hand point.
Hugh had not realized that he was pa
rticularly tired. The strain of thedangerous voyage had kept him alert, but he had had no sleep for twonights. Now, suddenly, an overpowering weariness and weakness came overhim. His legs almost collapsed under him. He dropped down on the beach,too utterly exhausted to move. He was on solid land again, but he couldscarcely realize it. His head was dizzy, and the moment his eyes closedhe seemed to be heaving up and down again.