Chapter XVIII.
RESCUING THE WANDERERS.
Rex wagged his tail mournfully, and looked at the strange scene,whining as if he understood it all, but was at his wits' end how toact.
"Afloat?" Tug repeated, after a minute. "There are cracks on each sideof us, and a narrow one part way behind, between us and that highhummock over there to the southward, which, in my opinion, hides thelow, flat land, for I think it is only four or five miles to theshore. But it might as well have been four or five hundred while thatsnow lasted. Let's watch, and see if the crack gets wider."
"Do you feel quite sure, Tug, that Aleck and Jim are on one of thosebig cakes of ice?" The tone of Katy's voice was very anxious.
"Yes, I do, Katy. They certainly have not jumped off and drownedthemselves on purpose."
This made Katy smile, in spite of her anxiety.
"They surely are not very far off; but, the most alarming part of thebusiness is, how they are to get to us if that big crack increases tothe size of a river. Can you make up your mind whether it is reallygrowing wider?"
In the course of half an hour it became very plain that the crack wasgetting wider rapidly, and their icy foundation, which they hadthought so fixed, had now become a big raft, slowly drifting down thelake under the pushing of the steady west wind--moving a little fasterthan its companion rafts in the wide waste, because its high hummockserved as a sort of sail. All the cakes our watchers could see weremuch smaller than this one. Occasionally these pieces would crashtogether, and crumble, or one would slide under the other. Sometimestheir own "floe," as Dr. Kane would have called so large a piece,collided with others, but always came off victorious. They came to theconclusion that its having the thick hummock, like a great, solidback-bone, rendered it far stronger than the rest, as well as a bettersailer.
Beside them another floe, also bearing a hummock (a section of theirown), was pressing its way on, to the ruin of smaller ones. It wasseparated from their floe by an open canal, perhaps five hundred yardswide, and floated along about even with them, sometimes swingingnearer, sometimes receding. This great cake, an acre or more inextent, lay in the direction whither the absent ones had gone, and itwas hoped that they were upon it. This would be the next best thingto having them safely back, but the chance was a small one, at best.
Talking over these loopholes of escape, Katy and Tug tried to forgettheir discomforts and dangers, and to show each other cheerful andreliant faces. Nevertheless it was dreary work.
The weary day wore on--the day they thought would perhaps be theirlast--until night, with its starless gloom, was surrounding thedesolate picture of grinding ice and of black, rolling waves, dimlyseen. Chilled to the bone, for neither could bear to stay within thehut, they had grown silent and almost despairing, when Rex suddenlystarted to his feet, and, pricking up his ears, looked intentlytowards the great floe beside them, which had now approached muchnearer. Then, after listening a moment, he uttered a loud bark, andbounded off. The two castaways followed to the edge of the ice, andthere, having silenced Rex, could presently hear a faint halloo--herbrother's voice!
"Halloo! halloo-o!" they shrieked back.
"Let us get the boat, and go after them!" cried Katy, nearly wild withjoy and excitement.
"Can't do it," said Tug, in a discouraged tone. "All four of uscouldn't budge that boat and sledge before morning. It is frozen in,and has got to be chopped out and dried up. Must do something besidesget the boat."
"That floe is nearer than it has been before, Tug. Maybe it'll comequite close."
"Yes, mebbe it will. I 'low that's our only hope. We can do nothing,Katy, but watch, and--and pray, Katy. Let us go back to the fire. Itis cold here, and we can do no good. Once in a while I'll come downand scream across to cheer 'em up."
Reluctantly, therefore, they returned to the igloo, warmed their feet,and picked up something to eat, but did not go to bed. Tug and Rexwould frequently run out and shout across to Aleck, reporting at eachreturn that the water-space (as well as could be guessed in thedarkness) seemed to be surely narrowing. Towards morning Katy waspersuaded to lie down, consenting to do so only when promised that sheshould be roused as soon as daylight appeared. Tug himself fellasleep, but both awoke with the first light of dawn, and hastenedtogether to the edge of the floe, where the water lay calm and smooth,gray as iron and cold as death, between the divided friends.
"Oh, I can see them!" cried the girl, and sent a cheery call acrossthe "lead," which had now narrowed to a few rods. "Poor little Jim!See how he has to lean against Aleck."
"We're safe," came back the shout, "but almost worn-out. Can you movethe boat?"
"No."
"Then unroll the ball of twine, and tie one end of it to theclothes-line, and to the other end of the clothes-line knot all thedrag-ropes put together. Then fasten the loose end of the twine toRex's collar, and make the dog bring it to me. Understand?"
"Yes."
But Tug didn't quite understand. He was off too soon, in his haste toget the twine and clothes-line and ropes. Aleck hadn't finished hisdirections.
"Tell Tug," he shouted again to Katy, "to bring the sled, and fastenthat to the drag-ropes. When I have hauled the ropes across, and gothold of the sled, I'll send Rex back, and you can pull in the twine,and catch the ropes, and tow us across. Hurry up, if you want usalive! This ice may drift apart again."
In five minutes Tug came running back, with all his preparations made.Now everything depended upon Rex. The twine was slipped through hiscollar, and securely knotted, Katy kneeling the while with her armsabout his shaggy head, whispering to him what he was to do. Then, in astern voice, Tug commanded:
"Go, Rex--go to Aleck!" at the same time pushing him into the water,while the Captain coaxed from the other side, and even Jim rousedhimself at this joyful prospect of deliverance.
At first the dog, brave as he was, turned back, whining pitifully atthe freezing water. But they fought him away, and finally poor Rexstruck out and swam across to where Aleck was anxiously waiting tolift him out. Taking hold of the twine the dog had brought, theCaptain reeled it in as rapidly as his stiffened fingers would lethim, until the clothes-line began to come, and after it the heavierdrag-ropes.
But both clothes-line and drag-ropes together proved too short toreach quite across, and the floes seemed to have stopped theirapproach to each other, so that waiting would be useless, if notdangerous.
"There is about ten feet lacking," Aleck shouted. "You must find somemore rope."
"Can't do it, unless I cut it off the mainsail."
"Cut it off, then, and make haste."
Tug went off on a run, and another five minutes passed by before hegot back. Already the canal had begun to widen, so that fifteen feetinstead of ten would be required.
Tossing the rope into the sled-box, Tug screamed, "All right!" and thecaptain began drawing the sled to his side as quickly as possible, sothat the two parties were again disconnected, and wholly reliant uponthe nervous and frightened dog, which Jim was holding firmly, andcoaxing into quiet. Swiftly splicing the rope with the new piece,the dog was let go. This time he leaped eagerly into the water for hisreturn trip, apparently feeling perfectly the responsibility laid uponhim, though perhaps he was only frightened, and eager to get back towhat seemed home.
"REX STRUCK OUT AND SWAM ACROSS."]
Positions were now reversed. Aleck and Jim had the sled--Tug and Katythe twine. Drawing this in, all waited with feverish anxiety to see ifthere would be length of rope enough. There was; but so rapidly hadthe floes drifted apart that Tug held the very end of the taut line inhis outstretched hand, and had not a bit to spare. One minute more,and the lines would not have reached across.
Then they saw Aleck snatch off his overcoat, his undercoat, and hisboots, and put them into the box of the sled, which was floatingunsteadily at the margin of the ice. They saw him half lift theexhausted Jim, helping him to get into the box, and then heard himcall out in quick words:
"Don
't try to pull at all hard until you can catch the big rope. I amgoing to swim and push a little ways, but I expect I shall be toochilled to do more than a little. When I stop pushing, and you gethold of the drag-ropes, haul us both ashore as fast as you can. Heregoes!"
With these words he slid into the water, swimming with his right hand,while with his left he pushed along the box and sled, which was halfsunken, and in which Jimmy crouched, shaking with cold, but afraid tostir.
"Keep it up a little longer!" Tug sung out, as he knelt on the edge ofthe ice, and carefully gathered in the clothes-line until he couldalmost clutch the end of the stronger rope. "I've almost got it! Abouttwo strokes more! All right! Now hold on with both arms, and we'llsoon have you." Whereupon Katy seized the rope with him, and bothtogether pulled as hard and as fast as they knew how.
The strange little ferry-boat and its passengers seemed to approachvery slowly, but finally it came so near that Tug stopped hauling onthe line, and knelt down in order to lean out and grasp the box afterKaty should have pulled it a few inches closer. Jim, seeing thismotion, forgot how delicate was the balance, and rose up, when in aninstant the unsteady craft tipped, and the boy went backward into andunder the blue lake. At any rate, so it seemed to the spectators; butthe little fellow, making a despairing clutch as he went over, hadgripped a runner of the sled, and a second later his face appearedclose by the ice, where the fond sister, pale as he, seized his armand helped him scramble out.