CHAPTER VI
A BRIDGE OF BUCKSKIN
The canoe was lost, and all it had contained, or nearly all. Thevoyageurs had saved only their guns, knives, and the powder-horns andpouches, that had been attached to their persons. One other thing hadbeen saved--an axe which Basil had flung upon the rock as he stepped outof the sinking vessel. All the rest--robes, blankets, swans, cookingutensils, bags of provisions, such as coffee, flour, and driedmeat--were lost--irrecoverably lost. These had either drifted off uponthe surface, or been carried under water and hidden among the loosestones at the bottom. No matter where, they were lost; and our voyageursnow stood on a small naked rock in the middle of the stream, withnothing left but the clothes upon their backs, and the arms in theirhands. Such was their condition.
There was something so sudden and awful in the mishap that had befallenthem, that for some minutes they stood upon the spot where they hadsettled without moving or addressing a word to one another. They gazedafter the canoe. They knew that it was wrecked, although they could seenothing either of it or its contents. Thick darkness enveloped them,rendered more intense from the sudden extinction of the torchlight. Theysaw nothing but the foam flickering along the river; like the ghosts ofthe swans they had killed, and they heard only the roaring of the water,that sounded in their ears with a hoarse and melancholy wail.
For a long time they stood impressed with the lamentable condition intowhich the accident had plunged them; and a lamentable condition it was,sure enough. They were on a small rock in the midst of a rapid river.They were in the midst of a great wilderness too, many long miles from asettlement. The nearest could only be reached by travelling throughpathless forests, and over numerous and deep rivers. Impassable swamps,and lakes with marshy shores, lay on the route, and barred the directcourse, and all this journey would have to be made on foot.
But none of our young voyageurs were of that stamp to yield themselvesto despair. One and all of them had experienced perils before--greatereven than that in which they now stood. As soon, therefore, as theybecame fully satisfied that their little vessel was wrecked, and all itscontents scattered, instead of despairing, their first thoughts were howto make the best of their situation.
For that night, at least, they were helpless. They could not leave therock. It was surrounded by rapids. Sharp, jagged points peeped out ofthe water, and between these the current rushed with impetuosity. In thedarkness no human being could have crossed to either shore in safety. Toattempt it would have been madness, and our voyageurs soon came to thisconclusion. They had no other choice than to remain where they wereuntil the morning; so, seating themselves upon the rock, they preparedto pass the night.
They sat huddled close together. They could not lie down--there was notroom enough for that. They kept awake most of the night, one or other ofthem, overcome by fatigue, occasionally nodding over in a sort ofhalf-sleep, but awaking again after a few minutes' uncomfortabledreaming. They talked but little, as the noise of the rushing rapidsrendered conversation painful. To be heard, they were under thenecessity of shouting to one another, like passengers in an omnibus. Itwas cold, too. None of them had been much wetted in escaping from thecanoe; but they had saved neither overcoat, blanket, nor buffalo-robe;and, although it was now late in the spring, the nights near LakeWinnipeg, even at that season, are chilly. They were above the latitudeof 50 deg.; and although in England, which is on that parallel, it is notvery cold of a spring night, it must be remembered that the line ofequal temperature--in the language of meteorologists the "_isothermalline_,"--is of a much lower latitude in America than in Europe.
Our voyageurs were chilled to the very bones, and of course glad to seethe daylight glimmering through the tops of the trees that grew upon thebanks of the river. As soon as day broke, they began to consider howthey would reach those trees. Although swimming a river of that widthwould have been to any of the four a mere bagatelle, they saw that itwas not to be so easy an affair. Had they been upon either bank, theycould have crossed to the other without difficulty--as they would havechosen a place where the water was comparatively still. On the rock theyhad no choice, as the rapids extended on both sides above and below it.Between the boulders the current rushed so impetuously, that had theyattempted to swim to either bank, they would have been carried downward,and perhaps dashed with violence against one or other of the sharpstones.
As soon as it was light, they saw all this; not without feelings ofapprehension and uneasiness. Their whole attention was now occupied withthe one object--how they should get to the bank of the river.
The right bank was the more distant; but the passage in that directionappeared the easier one. The current was not so swift, nor yet did itseem so deep. They thought they might ford it, and Basil made theattempt; but he soon got beyond his depth; and was obliged, after beingcarried off his feet, to swim up under the lee of the rock again.
From the rock to the right bank was about an hundred yards' distance.Here and there, at irregular intervals, sharp, jagged stones rose abovethe surface, some of them projecting three feet or more out of thewater, and looking very much like upright tombstones. Lucien had noticedthese, and expressed the opinion that if they only had a rope, theymight fling it over one of these stones, and then, holding it fast atthe other end, might pass by that means from one to the other.
The suggestion was a good one, but where was the rope to come from? Alltheir ropes and cords--lassoes and all--had been swept away in thewreck. Not a string remained, except those that fastened their horns,flasks, and other accoutrements; and these were only small thongs, andwould be of no use for such a purpose. It would require a rope strongenough to carry the weight of a man impelled by a rapid current--infact, a weight equal to that of several men. They all set to thinkinghow this was to be obtained. Each looked at the other, and scanned thestraps and thongs that were around their bodies.
They were satisfied at a glance that these would not be sufficient tomake such a rope as was wanted. They did not give up the hope of beingable to obtain one. They were all of them accustomed to resort tostrange expedients, and a sufficiently strange one now suggested itself.Basil and Norman seemed to have thought of it at the same time, for bothat once unbuckled their straps, and commenced pulling off their buckskinhunting-shirts. The others said nothing, as they knew well what theywere going to do with them--they knew they intended cutting them intostrips, and then twisting a rope out of them.
All four set to work together. Lucien and Francois held the shirts taut,while Basil and Norman handled the knives, and in a few minutes the rockwas covered with strips of buckskin about two inches wide, by a yard orso in length. These were next joined and plaited together in such amanner that a rope was formed nearly forty feet long. An eye was made atone end, and through this the other end was reeved--so that a runningnoose was obtained, in the same manner as the Mexicans and Indians maketheir lassoes. The rope was now ready for use, and Basil was the veryhand to use it; for Basil knew how to fling a lasso as well as eitherMexican or Indian. He had practised it often, and had lassoed many along-horned bull upon the prairies of Opelousas and the Attakapas. ToBasil, therefore, the rope was given.
He placed himself on the highest part of the rock, having first coiledthe new-made lasso, and hung the coil lightly over his left arm. He thentook the noose-end in his right hand, and commenced winding it aroundhis head. His companions had laid themselves flat, so as not to be inthe way of the noose as it circled about. After a few turns the rope waslaunched forth, and a loud "hurrah!" from Francois announced that thethrow was successful.
It was so in fact, as the noose was seen settling smoothly over thejutting-stone, taking full hold upon it. A pull from Basil fixed it; andin a few minutes it was made quite fast, without the slightest danger ofits slipping off. The other end was then carried round a projectingpoint of the rock on which they stood, and knotted firmly, so that therope was quite taut, and stretched in a nearly horizontal direction,about a foot above the surface of the
water.
The voyageurs now prepared to cross over. Their guns, pouches, andflasks were carefully secured, so that the water could not damage them.Then each took a piece of the buckskin thong, and fastened it round hiswaist, leaving enough to form a running loop. This loop was intended toembrace the rope, and run along it, as they drew themselves forward bytheir hands.
Basil passed over first. He was the oldest, and, as he asserted, it wasbut right he should run the risk in testing the new-fashioned bridge, ofwhich he was the architect. It worked admirably, and sustained theweight of his body, with the whole force of the current acting upon it.Of course he was swept far down, and the rope was stretched to its fulltension, but he succeeded in handing himself along, until he was able totouch the second rock, and clamber upon it in safety. During the passageacross he was watched by his companions with emotions of no ordinarycharacter, but as soon as he had reached the opposite end of the ropeall three uttered a loud and simultaneous cheer. Lucien passed overnext, and after him Francois. Notwithstanding his danger, Francoislaughed loudly all the time he was in the water, while his brothers werenot without some fears for his safety. Marengo was next attached to therope, and pulled safely over.
Norman was the last to cross upon the buckskin bridge, but, like theothers, he landed in safety; and the four, with the dog, now stood uponthe little isolated boulder where there was just room enough to givethem all a footing.
A difficulty now presented itself, which they had not hitherto thoughtof. Another reach of rapid current was to be crossed, before they couldsafely trust themselves to enter the water. This they knew before, butthey had also noticed that there was another jutting rock, upon whichthey might fling their rope. But the rope itself was now the difficulty.It was fast at both ends, and how were they to release it from the rockthey had left? One of them could easily cross over again and untie it,but how was he to get back to the others? Here was a dilemma which hadnot presented itself before, and they now saw themselves no better offthan ever. The rapid that remained to be crossed, was as dangerous asthe one they had succeeded in passing. There was no hope that they couldswim it in safety. They would certainly be swept with violence againstthe rocks below. There was no chance, then, of their going an inchfarther--unless by some means similar to that they had just used, andthe rope was no longer at their service.
For some time they all stood silent, each considering the matter in hisown way. How could they free the rope?
"It cannot be done," said one.
"Impossible," rejoined another. "We must make a second rope. Francois'sshirt still remains, and our leggings--we can use them."
This was the mode suggested by Francois and Norman, and Lucien seemed toassent to it. They had already commenced untying their leggings, whenBasil uttered the ejaculation--
"Stop!"
"Well, what is it, brother?" asked Lucien.
"I think I can free the rope at the other end. At all events, let metry. It will not cost much, either in time or trouble."
"How do you mean to do it, brother?"
"Sit close, all of you. Give me room--you shall see presently."
As directed by Basil, they all cowered closely down, so as to occupy aslittle space as possible. Basil, having uncovered the lock of hisrifle--which had been carefully bound up in a piece of deer'sbladder--placed himself in a firm position, and appeared as if about tofire. Such was his intention--for in a few moments he was seen to raisethe gun to his shoulder, and take aim. None of his companions uttered aword. They had already guessed the object of this movement, and satsilently awaiting the result.
On the rock which they had left, the rope still bound fast passed aroundone of the angles, in such a way that, from the point where Basil stood,it offered a fair mark. It was at this Basil was aiming. His object wasto cut the thong with his bullet. He could not do it with a single shot,as the thong was broader than the bullet, but he had calculated that hemight effect his purpose with several. If he did not succeed in cuttingit clean through, the ball flattening upon the rock would, perhaps, tearthe rope in such a manner that, by pulling by the other end, they mightdetach it. Such were the calculations and hopes of Basil.
A moment more and the crack of his rifle was heard. At the same instantthe dust rose up from the point at which he had aimed, and several smallfragments flew off into the water. Again was heard Francois's "hurrah,"for Francois, as well as the others, had seen that the rope had been hitat the right place, and now exhibited a mangled appearance.
While Basil was reloading, Norman took aim and fired. Norman was a goodshot, though perhaps not so good a one as Basil, for that was no easymatter, as there were few such marksmen to be found anywhere, not evenamong the professional trappers and hunters themselves. But Norman was afair shot, and this time hit his mark. The thong was evidently betterthan half divided by the two bullets. Seeing this, Francois took hold ofthe other end, and gave it a strong jerk or two, but it was still toomuch for him, and he ceased pulling and waited the effect of Basil'ssecond shot.
The later had now reloaded, and, taking deliberate aim again, fired. Therope was still held taut upon the rock, for part of it dragged in thecurrent, the force of which kept pressing it hard downward. Scarcely wasthe report heard, when the farther end of the thong flew from itsfastening, and, swept by the running water, was seen falling into thelee of the boulder on which the party now stood. A third time was heardthe voice of Francois uttering one of his customary "hurrahs." The ropewas now dragged up, and made ready for further use. Basil again tookhold of it; and, after coiling it as before, succeeded in throwing thenoose over the third rock, where it settled and held fast. The other endwas tied as before, and all passed safely to the new station. Here,however, their labour ended. They found that from this point to theshore the river was shallow, and fordable; and, leaving the rope whereit was, all four took the water, and waded safely to the bank.