CHAPTER XXIII
THE BLIZZARD
"Whew! but it's bitter cold this morning!" shouted Sandy Griggs, as heopened the cabin door and thrust his head out.
"Looks like a few flakes of snow shooting past, in the bargain," addedBobolink. "That means that the long expected storm is upon us."
Paul turned to Jack at hearing this, for both of them were hurriedlydressing after crawling out of their comfortable bunks.
"A little snow isn't going to make us hedge on that arrangement wemade the last thing before turning in, I hope, Jack?" he asked,smilingly.
"I should say not!" came the prompt reply. "Besides, if it's going toput a foot or two of the feathery on the ground, it strikes me you'vejust got to get that expensive camera of yours again. I'm with you,Paul, right after breakfast."
Tolly Tip was also in somewhat of a hurry, wishing to make the roundof his line of traps before the storm fully set in.
So it came about that Paul and his closest chum, after a cup of hotcoffee and a meagre breakfast, hurried away from the cabin.
"We can get another batch when we come back, if they save any for us,you know," the scout-master remarked, as they opened the door andpassed out.
"Kape your bearin's, lads," called the old woodsman. "If so be thestorm comes along with a boom it'll puzzle ye to be sure av yer way.And by the same token, to be adrift in thim woods with a howlerblowin' for thray days isn't any fun."
When the scouts once got started they found that the air wasparticularly keen. Both of them were glad they had taken theprecaution to cover up their ears, and wear their warmest mittens.
"Something seems to tell me we're in for a regular blizzard thistime," Jack remarked as they trudged manfully along, at times bowingtheir heads to the bitter wind that seemed to cut like a knife.
"I wouldn't be a bit surprised if that turned out to be true," Paulcontented himself with saying.
They did not exchange many words while breasting the gale, for it wasthe part of wisdom to keep their mouths closed as much as possible.Paul had taken note of the way to the spot where the camera trap hadbeen set in the hope of catching Bruin in the act of taking the sweetbait.
A number of times he turned around and looked back. This was becausehe had accustomed himself to viewing his surroundings at variousangles, which is a wise thing for a scout to do. Then when he tries toretrace his steps he will not find himself looking at a reversepicture that seems unfamiliar in his eyes.
In the course of time the boys arrived at their destination.
"Don't see anything upset around here," observed Paul, with a shade ofgrowing disappointment in his voice; and then almost instantly addingin excitement: "But the bait's gone, all right--and yes! the cartridgehas been fired. Good enough!"
"Here you can see faint signs of the tracks of the bear under this newcoating of snow!" declared Jack, pointing down at his feet.
Paul, knowing that he would not go for his camera until after broaddaylight, had managed to so arrange it, with a clever attachment ofhis own construction, that an exposure was made just at the second thecord firing the flashlight was drawn taut.
It was a time exposure--the shutter remaining open for a score ofseconds before automatically closing again. This was arranged so thatpictures could be taken on moonlight nights as well as dark ones. Hehad tried it on several previous occasions, and with very goodresults.
Brushing the accumulated snow from his camera, he quickly had theprecious article in his possession.
"Nothing else to keep us here, is there, Paul?" asked Jud.
"No, and the sooner we strike a warm gait for the cabin the better,"said the scout-master. "You notice, if anything, that wind is gettingsharper right along, and the snow strikes you on the cheek like shotpellets, stinging furiously. So far as I'm concerned we can't make thecamp any too soon."
Nevertheless, it might have been noticed that Paul did not hurry, inthe sense that he forgot to keep his wits about him. The warning givenby Tolly Tip was still fresh in his ears, and even without it Paulwould hardly have allowed himself to become indiscreet or careless.
Jack, too, saw that they were following the exact line they had takenin coming out. As a scout he knew that the other did not get hisbearings from any marks on the ground, such as might easily beobliterated by falling snow. Trees formed the basis of Paul'scalculations. He particularly noticed every peculiarly shaped tree orgrowth upon the right side while going out, which would bring them onhis left in returning.
In this fashion the scout-master virtually blazed a path as he went;for those trees gave him his points just as well as though theyrepresented so many gashes made with a hatchet.
"I'm fairly wild to develop this film, and see whether the bear paidfor his treat with a good picture," Paul ventured to say when theywere about half way to the camp.
"Do you know what I was thinking about just then?" asked Jack.
"Something that had to do with other fellows, I'll be bound," repliedthe scout-master. "You were looking mighty serious, and I'd wager acookey that you just remembered there were other fellows up here to becaught in the blizzard besides our crowd."
Jack laughed at hearing this.
"You certainly seem to be a wizard, Paul, to guess what was in mymind," he told his chum. "But it's just as you say. Sim Jeffreys toldus the other day that they had come up with only a small amount offood along. If they've stayed around up to now they're apt to findthemselves in a pretty bad pickle."
"That's a fact, Jack, if this storm keeps on for several days, and thesnow happens to block all the paths out of the woods. Let's hope theygave it up, and went back home again. We haven't seen a thing of themsince then, you remember."
Jack shook his head.
"You know how pig-headed Hank Lawson always is," he told his chum."Once he gets started in a thing, he hates everlastingly to give up.He came here to bother us, I feel sure, and a little thing like ashortage of provisions wouldn't force him to call the game off."
"Then it's your opinion, is it, Jack, they're still in that hole amongthe rocks Sim spoke of?"
"Chances are three to one it's that way," quickly replied Jack. "Theyhave guns, and could get some game that way, for they know how tohunt. Then if it came to the worst perhaps Hank would try to sneakaround our cabin, hoping to find a chance to steal some of oursupplies."
A short time later they sighted the cabin through the now thicklyfalling snow, and both boys felt very glad to be able to get undershelter.
Tolly Tip did not return until some hours had passed. By that time thesnow carried by a furious wind that howled madly around the corners,was sweeping past the windows of the cabin like a cloud of dust.
Everybody was glad when the old woodsman arrived. He flung severalprizes down on the floor, not having taken the time to detach thepelts.
"'Tis a screecher av a blizzard we're after havin' drop in on us, bythe same token," he said, with quivering lips, as he stretched out hishands toward the cheerful blaze of the fire.
Being very eager to ascertain what measure of success had fallen tohim with regard to the bear episode, Paul proceeded to develop thefilm.
When he rejoined the other boys in the front room some time later hewas holding up the developed film, still dripping with water.
"The best flashlight I ever got, let me tell you!" Paul exclaimed. Atthis there was a cheer and a rush to see the film.
There was the bear, looking very much astonished at the suddenbrilliant illumination which must have seemed like a flash oflightning to him.
All day long the storm howled, the snow drifted and scurried aroundthe cabin. Whenever the boys went for wood they had to be very carefullest they lose their way even in such a short distance, for it wasimpossible to see five feet ahead. When they went to bed that nightthe same conditions held good, and every one felt that they were inthe grip of the greatest blizzard known for ten years.