CHAPTER XVII.
A HUNT FOR FOOD.
Randy and Earl were much dismayed by their uncle's announcement. The_Wild Goose_ had disappeared! Where to? Ah, that was the question. Invain they tried to pierce the darkness of the night and the snow-squall.Nothing in the shape of a craft could be discerned upon the broad watersof Lake Bennett.
"I told ye to mind how ye tied up that yere craft," growled CaptainZoss, wrathfully, to Earl. "Any lubber could have tied her up betterthan you did."
"You expect me to do everything!" retorted Earl, beginning to lose histemper, too. "I did the best I could. Why didn't you look after it?"
"He was too busy taking it easy by the fire," put in Randy, bound tostand up for his brother, as well as to put in a "shot" for himself.
"None o' your impudence, boy!" roared the captain, and he turned as ifto strike Randy. But now Foster Portney caught his arm and threw itback.
"Stop it, all of you!" said he. "This is no time to quarrel. The wind,and not Earl, is responsible for this, for I looked to the tying upmyself, after he was done. We're all out of sorts, but we needn't actlike children over it. Our duty is to find the boat, and that as quicklyas possible."
"I reckon she's gone down the lake," grumbled the captain, after anawkward pause. "The wind's that way."
"We'll go down and see if we can't sight her," answered Foster Portney.
Away they went on a run. Earl, who was tall and light in weight, easilyoutdistanced the rest and reached a rocky cliff, where the lake made aslight bend. He went up the cliff, to stumble headlong into a narrowgulch, cutting his chin and his left hand. Picking himself up, hestarted on, but soon stopped. "I ought to warn the others," was histhought, and he turned and hurried back.
Captain Zoss was ahead of the others and was on top of the cliff whenEarl shouted to him. "Stop, captain, stop, or you'll get hurt!" came atthe top of his voice, and the captain halted just in time to savehimself from a disastrous fall. He climbed down the gulch and up at theother side, and yelled a warning to those behind. Soon all four stoodupon another level stretch of the lake shore.
Nothing was to be seen--that is, nothing but the flying snowflakesdropping into the wind-swept and white-capped waters beneath. Theycontinued to walk on, until the cold chilled each to the marrow of hisbones.
"We might as well get back and wait till morning," said Foster Portney,with a heavy sigh. "We can do nothing in the darkness. Let us hope theboat will beach herself somewhere and remain right-side up."
With chattering teeth they started on the return, Randy by his uncle'sside and Earl behind Captain Zoss. Half the distance to the tent hadbeen covered when the captain paused and ranged up beside Earl.
"Earl, you mustn't mind me when I git in my tantrums," he said jerkily."I git 'em every once in a while, see? It's nateral with me--allers was.But I ain't bad at heart, an' I shan't forgit ye for savin' me a dirtyfall, mark that! And it's not your fault the boat is gone--anythingwould have torn loose in this yere gale." He paused for a moment. "An' Ididn't mean ter hit Randy--it's only a way I have ter frighten folks--apoor way, too, as I acknowledge. Come on." And before Earl could replyhe was stalking on, his head bent far down, to keep the snow from hiseyes. Earl clung close to him, and from that night he and the captainwere better friends than ever. Later on Randy received a like "apology,"and when he got to know the captain better voted him "all right, thougha bit cranky at times."
Dr. Barwaithe was as dismayed as any of them had been, when the newswas broken to him, but he agreed that nothing was to be accomplishedwhile the darkness and the storm lasted. He had dragged the cookingstove up to the entrance to the tent and was trying to start a fire.Twice the tiny flames had flickered and gone out, but now, fannedvigorously, the wood caught, and soon the stove was red-hot, the topspluttering with the snowflakes which fell upon it. The fire warmed theair in the tent, and for the balance of the night the party restedcomfortably in body if not in mind.
With the coming of morning the storm abated, and by eight o'clock thesun was struggling to shine through the drifting clouds. The captain, asif to atone for his misdeeds, prepared breakfast, giving to Earl andRandy the best of the flap-jacks turned out. The captain was a greathand at these cakes, and the party was certain to get them whenever hewas cook.
"For all we know, the boat may have gone clear down to the entrance toTagish Lake," remarked Foster Portney, while finishing the repast. "Isee nothing for us to do but to walk along the lake shore and keep oureyes open."
"Shall we take our traps along?" asked the doctor. "I can carry the cookstove if you can divide the rest of the stuff among you."
A short discussion followed, and feeling certain the boat had gone downthe lake, if anywhere, it was decided by all hands to pack the outfitand take it along. The packing took some time, and when the start wasmade the storm had cleared away entirely, leaving the sky as bright asone could wish.
A mile of the shore had been covered when Foster Portney called a haltand directed attention to an object floating in the direction from whichthey had come. "It's a boat!" he cried, a moment later.
"Our boat?" questioned Randy, eagerly.
"I can't say." Mr. Portney and the others watched the craft withinterest. "No, it's not our boat, but another, and there are severalpeople on board."
"Let's hail 'em, and git 'em to search for the _Wild Goose_," saidCaptain Zoss, and they walked back, and after some trouble succeeded inattracting the attention of the party on the water. There were three menin the boat and a woman, the latter being the same they had met in campat Lake Linderman. To all the newcomers Foster Portney told his story.
"O' course we'll help you," said the miner who had his wife on board."One o' you can git aboard here, and we'll cruise around the lake on ahunt. Ain't got room fer more 'n one," he went on; "and say, who's thedoctor among ye?"
"I am," responded Dr. Barwaithe.
"Then you might ez well do the trick, fer Lizy here don't feel extrywell, an' it will be fair play fer you to give her some medicine, I takeit."
"I'll do what I can for her," said the doctor. "But most of my medicinesare on board of the lost boat."
"Then we've got ter find her, sure pop, fer Lizy does feel mostdistressin' like, with a pain in her head an' a crick in her back," wenton Wodley, the miner.
The doctor hopped on board, and after a few words more the boat set offin search of the _Wild Goose_, and the hunt from the lake shore wascontinued. Slowly the forenoon wore away and still nothing was seen ofthe missing craft. The other boat with the doctor had long since beenlost to view up the lake.
It was getting toward supper time when Foster Portney turned to Earl,who, in addition to some of the camping outfit, carried the shot-gun. "Ijust caught a glance of something on legs up among yonder rocks," hesaid. "If you can, you might as well knock it over, for it won't be longbefore all of us will want something to eat."
Earl was glad enough to try his hand at hunting, and turned over histraps to his companions. Soon he was climbing the rocks to which hisuncle had pointed. He had not gone over five hundred feet when he behelda small deer gazing at him in alarm. Before he could draw a bead on theanimal the deer was gone behind a neighboring cliff.
Feeling moderately sure that this was the animal his uncle had seen, andthat the deer would not go far, but might even come back out ofcuriosity, Earl began to climb the cliff. A profusion of brush grewamong the rocks, and these afforded him a good hand-hold, and he wassoon at the top.
Although hemmed in on three sides by mountains, the way to the lake wasclear, and looking in that direction he saw, far to the opposite shore,the boat containing Dr. Barwaithe and their newly made friends. Hewatched the boat for a minute, when a clatter of sharp hoofs on thecliff made him whirl around, just in time to catch a second sight of thedeer. His gun came up quick enough now, and the charge took the animalfull in the breast.
Struck in this fashion, many an animal would have rolled over dead. Butthe deer of Alaska, whi
ch are growing more scarce every year, are asturdy lot, and though terribly wounded, this specimen did not drop.Staggering for a brief moment, he turned and then fled in the directionfrom which he had come.
Earl was amazed, but, determined not to lose his game after such a shot,he hastily reloaded and made after the game. Less than two score ofsteps brought him almost to the end of the cliff, and he discovered thedeer crouched in the shelter of the rocks, its dark eyes glaringangrily. Up came his gun, and the weapon was discharged just as theanimal sprang forward. The shot was a glancing one, doing little harm,and the next instant the wounded beast was upon the boy.