Chapter VII.
THE FIRST DAY ON THE LAKE.
No howling gale disturbed their rest that night, and on the nextmorning, which was Friday, the third day out, breakfast had beendisposed of long before the hour of rising on the previous day. Whathad they for breakfast? Hot and tender buckwheat cakes, with syrupmade from maple sugar melted in a tin cup. The boiled ham and somecrackers were put where they could be got at easily for luncheon.
The stowing of the loose goods in the boat took no longer than Katyrequired to get the mess kit packed after breakfast. As the day wasfine, and the ice, as far as they could see to the southward, whithertheir course lay, was smooth and free from snow, the sled was loadedwith cut wood and rushes, ready for making a fire, and Jim wasappointed to drag it.
As they were leaving the cabin, after a last look to see that nothinghad been forgotten, Katy spoke up:
"Why can't we take along some of this nice straw? It doesn't weighanything to speak of."
"Oh, we can't," says Jim, crossly. "Girls are always trying to dothings they know nothing about."
"May's well begin to rough it now as any time; can't expect a cabinand a straw mattress every night," was Tug's somewhat gruff remark ashe went to the sledge.
"But," the girl persisted, rather piqued when she saw how hersuggestion had been received, "it might be very nice to spread it onthe floor of the tent. Seems to me you might take it."
She was talking to Aleck now, who, she knew by his face, opposed theplan; but he, seeing how much in earnest she was, went back, gatheredup a big armful of the cleanest straw, and heaped it in the stern ofthe boat, while she brought a second bundle.
This matter settled, Aleck and Tug put their heads through the newharness, and were soon rushing along at a stirring pace, while Katyskated behind, holding on to the stern of the boat to steady it; Jimfollowed with his sled, and Rex galloped here and there as suited him.
The ice for miles together had been swept clean by the wind, and waslike a vast, glaring sheet of plate-glass. Most of it was a deep,brilliant green. Here and there would be stretches of milky ice, andnow and then great rounded patches would suddenly meet them, whichwere black or deep brown, and at first frightened them by making thembelieve a patch of open water suddenly yawned in their path. But, whenthey examined closely, they could see that this black ice was two orthree feet thick, like all the rest on the open lake.
They were never at any time more than a mile or so from the edge ofthe great marshes which bordered the low margin of the lake, and atnoon they knew they had skated twelve miles, by reaching a certainisland standing just in front of the reedy shallows.
Thither they gladly turned for luncheon; skates were unbuckled, a bigfire was built, the snow was cleared away, and the spare canvas spreaddown to sit upon, while Katy prepared to warm up the extra supply ofcoffee she had made in the morning for this purpose.
Not much talking had been done on the march; breath was too badlyneeded to be wasted in that way; but now "tongues were loosed," and arattling conversation kept time with the crackle of the dead sticks onthe fire.
"Captain," said Tug, "have you noticed how that ridge in the ice bendsjust ahead, and seems to stand across our course?"
"Yes, I have, and I fear it will be troublesome to cross. Jimkin,you're nimble; climb that cottonwood, and tell us what you can see."
"All right," said Jim, and was quickly in the tree-top.
"It looks like a rough, broken ridge, stretching clear to shore. Iguess we'll have to climb over it. I can't see any break."
"Where do you think is the easiest place?"
"About straight ahead, where you see that highest point. Right besideit is a kind o' low spot, I think."
"Well, then," said the Captain, "we'll aim for that. Hurry up yourlunch, Katy, and let's be off."
Half an hour later they arrived at the bad place.
"It must be a _hummock_," said Katy, "such as I have read about in Dr.Kane's book--only not so large, I suppose. He says that the ice-sheet,or floe, gets cracked and separated a little; then the two floes willcome together again with such force that they lap over one another, orelse grind together, and burst up edgewise along the seam."
"That's just the way this is; but, hummock or no hummock, it must becrossed," said Aleck.
"Mebbe I could find a better place," suggested Jim, "if I should goalong a little way."
"Well, try it, Youngster. And, Tug, suppose you take a scout in theother direction."
Tug went off, but soon returned, reporting a worse instead of betterappearance, and Aleck, who had climbed over, came back to say that theridge was about twenty-five yards wide.
"How does it look?" asked Katy.
"Why, it looks as though a lot of big cakes of ice had been piled upon edge, and then frozen into that rough shape, or lack of shape. Ishould say the ridge is ten feet high in the middle, and on the otherside it is a straight jump down for about six feet. But it's worseeverywhere else. We must take our skates off the first thing."
This done, they stood up, ready to drag the boat as near to thehummock as possible. But it was hard pulling, for the slope was prettysteep and rough.
"Where's that Jim, I wonder?" cried Aleck. "I'll teach The Youngsternot to run off the minute any work is to be done. _Jim!_"
But no boy answered the call, nor several others. Tug stood up on theboat, and Katy climbed to a high point of ice, but neither could seeanything. Then they all became alarmed, fearing he might have falleninto one of those holes that here and there are found in the thickestice, and always stay open. It is an easy matter to skate into one, buta very hard one to get out again. It was the thought of this that madeKaty run in the direction whither Jim had started, but her brothercalled her back.
"Wait, Katy. We'll put on our skates. Probably The Youngster's hiding,and I'll box his ears when I catch him. This is no time for fooling."
With quick, nervous fingers they fastened their straps, and thenrushed down along the foot of the hummock as though on a race, Tugcarrying one of the drag-ropes. The tracks could be followed easilyenough until they left the good ice and turned in towards the hummock,where they came to an end, which looked as though Jim might have takenoff his skates. Here the boys hallooed, then climbed to the top of agreat, upturned table of blue ice, and called again. But the mostcomplete silence followed their words--such a silence as can never beknown on land among the creaking trees or rustling grass; an absolute,painful stillness. Not even an echo came back.
At this they were puzzled and frightened, and Katy wanted to cry, butfought back her tears. They descended, and went slowly onward, now andthen getting upon elevated points, and calling. At last they stopped,utterly at their wits' end where or how to search next, and Katy'stears rolled down her cheeks unchecked.
"Cheer up, Sis," said Aleck, and took her hand in his as they skatedslowly onward; "cheer up! we'll try again on that big block ahead."
This block overlooked a broader part of the hummock, and wasn't farfrom land. They struggled over the jagged border, and hoisted Katyupon it to see what she could see.
"Nothing," was her report; "nothing but ice, and ice, and ice, and agray edge of marsh. Oh, Jim! Jim! where are you?"
"_Here--help me out._"
Each looked at the other in amazement, for the voice, though faint,seemed right beside them.
"_Here, down between the cakes--help me out._"
The words came distinctly, and gave them a clew. Katy peeped over thefarther edge of the block, and there she saw the little fellow's facepeering up at her out of the greenish light of a sort of pit intowhich he had fallen. Two great cakes of ice had been thrown up side byside, leaving a space about two feet wide and ten feet deep betweenthem. The blowing snow that filled most of the crevices of the hummockhad here formed a bridge, which had let Jim through when he steppedupon it, never suspecting the chasm it concealed.
"Hurt?" asked Tug.
"Not a bit, but pretty well scared. I thought you fel
lows were nevercoming. I've been in here two hours."
"Two hours! Oho, that's good! Twenty minutes would about fill thebill. You ain't tired so quick of a warm, snug place like that, areyou?"
"Just you try it, and see how you like its snugness. Drop me an end ofthat rope, will you?"
"Give him the rope's end, Tug; he deserves it in another way, but wehaven't time to-day. Now, then--yo-heave-o!" and up came the lostmember, not much the worse for his adventure.
Then began the difficult work of crossing the hummock. In front of theboat lay a steep slope of glassy ice, and beyond and above that aseries of steps and jagged points, forming about such a plateau as abig heap of building-stone would make, only here the fragments werelarger.
All four, going to the top of the first slope, pulled the boat upwarduntil the forward runners were just balanced on the crest. Then a hookon one of the ropes came loose; four young people fell sprawling; andthe boat dropped backward with a rush to the very bottom of the ridge,where it upset.
"Now," said Aleck, when they had set the boat upright again, and foundnothing broken; "now let us take out all the loose stuff, and solighten her as much as we can."
This was done.
"We three fellows," was the Captain's next order, "will drag her upagain, and Katy must go behind with the boat-hook, and stick it intothe ice behind the boat, to hold it, like a chock-block under a wagonwheel, whenever it shows any signs of slipping back. Now, everybody becareful."
The steady pulling, with Katy's pushing and guiding, got the frontrunners safely over the edge of the sloping side, and gave them achance to rest. But when they tried to move it forward enough to bringthe stern up, the boat couldn't be budged, because the ice in frontwas so full of ruts and ridges.