CHAPTER TEN.
SNOWED UP.
RED SQUIRREL AND ARCHIE DIG A HOLE IN THE SNOW--THE SNOW SHELTER--SLEEP--NO FOOD, AND BURIED IN SNOW--EFFORTS TO DIG OUT--SOME ANIMALSCRATCHES AT THE HOLE--LAST EFFORTS AT DEFENCE.
To leave Hugh was not to be thought of.
"Oh, say what we must do!" I exclaimed, addressing Red Squirrel.
"Make haste," he answered, taking off his snow-shoes.
I took off mine also, and using them as spades, we energetically set towork to shovel up the snow until we had got down to the ground, buildingup a wall with what we had thrown out. There was just sufficient spaceto hold three. We then placed Red Squirrel's shoes on the top, for theywere the longest, and Hugh's above them, while with mine we threw upmore snow to form a roof. As soon as we had got thus far, we loweredHugh into our burrow, that he might be sheltered from the wind, placingthe guns beside him. We then continued throwing up the snow until wehad completely surrounded the hole, leaving only a small aperturethrough which we could crawl in on hands and knees. We next covered oneof my snow-shoes with snow, patted it down until it was like a board,and this served as the door of our burrow. We had just space sufficientto sit up, or lie down packed close together, for we knew that thesmaller its size the warmer it would be, or, rather, the less shouldfeel the cold.
The change from the outer biting air made us feel tolerably comfortable,and we had no great fear of being frozen to death. Hugh, from nothaving exerted himself in building the hut, suffered more than RedSquirrel or I, and as soon as the door was closed I set to work to rubhis hands and feet to restore circulation, for I was afraid that theymight have been frost-bitten.
A very faint light at first came in through the snowy walls, but thislessened, until we could not see our hands held close to our faces.
Night we knew must have at length come on. We were very hungry, but aswe had not a particle of food, there was no use in complaining.
For a long time neither Hugh nor I could go to sleep. At last RedSquirrel set us the example, and when, some time afterwards, I addressedHugh, he did not answer, so that I knew he had forgotten his troubles,and I hoped that perfect rest would enable him to recover from the painhe had been suffering. I at last also dropped off to sleep.
When I awoke the darkness was as complete as ever, though supposing itwas still night, I once more went to sleep. The next time I opened myeyes it was still dark as before. I felt warmer than I had expected,but I was desperately hungry. From this I fancied that another day musthave begun. In a short time my companions awoke. Hugh said the pain inhis instep had gone, but that he would give much for something to eat.Red Squirrel did not suffer as much as we did, for Indians are able toendure hunger and pain a much longer time than can white people.
"Surely it must be day," said Hugh. "We ought to try and get out, andfind our friends. Rose and Uncle Donald will be dreadfully frightenedat having lost us."
"I hope that no accident has happened to them," I could not help saying,for the recollection came upon me that they also had been exposed to thesnow-storm; but then I reflected that they were a large party, and mighthave reached the shelter of a wood. This was some consolation.
"Oh, how hungry I am!" cried Hugh. "We must get out."
I took up my rifle and tried to open the door with the barrel, but,although I ran it up to the lock, on again withdrawing it I could notsee daylight through the hole.
"I am afraid that the snow must be very thick," I said. The dreadfulidea now occurred to me that we were buried alive in a snow tomb. Suchhad happened to other people, I knew, and it might be our fate, for ifthe snow once froze over us we might be unable to force our way out. Iasked Red Squirrel what he thought.
He answered with an ominous "Very bad! Try," he added, and I found thathe was groping about to find the door. He did not speak, but I heardhim scraping away with his hands, just as a terrier does at the entranceof a rabbit burrow, with a vehemence which showed how much he fearedthat we were completely buried. I could feel the snow which he dug upcoming down on my legs.
At last he asked for my gun. He thrust it into the hole he had formed,but still no light streamed through it. We must, however, by some meansor other, force our way out or perish.
"We had better try to work upwards," I observed. "The falling snow hassurrounded the walls of our hut, and though we made the roof prettythick, we are more likely to reach the open air through it than byworking at the sides."
The Indian followed my suggestion. Of course, we could all worktogether, but then we might have pulled a mass of snow down on ourheads. Our object was simply to make a hole through which we could lookout and ascertain if it were daylight, and if so to try and find outwhereabouts we were. We might all the time be close to our party. Iearnestly hoped that we were, so that we might satisfy the cravings ofhunger without delay. The Indian tried to force off the snow-shoe whichformed the door, but found that impossible. He then worked away aboveit. The snow he brought down considerably decreased the size of ourhut. Still he persevered in working away, until I thought that he wouldnever get through the roof. At last he asked me again to hand him up mygun, and having forced the barrel upwards, as he withdrew it we couldfeel the cold air coming down, while a gleam of daylight entered ourburrow. But it would still require much labour before we could enlargethe hole sufficiently to enable us to force our bodies through it.
At last, by dint of hard work, standing on the snow he had brought down,Red Squirrel got out his head. The report he gave was unsatisfactory.Scarcely, however, listening to what he said, I jumped up and thrust outmy head, eager to ascertain the state of affairs. I could see nothingbut a vast plain of snow on every side without a single object to directour steps. Snow was still falling and had already reached above thelevel of our hut. We could not make our way over the vast plain withoutour snow-shoes, and it would take a considerable time before we coulddig them out; and in the meantime we should be well-nigh frozen.
I drew in my head again, my face chilled by the cold air, and, sinkingdown to the bottom of the hut, consulted with Red Squirrel and Hugh asto what was to be done. Hunger made us all anxious to go on; but thenarose the question, In what direction should we go? We might perish inthe attempt to reach our friends. We accordingly agreed to wait untilthe snow had ceased.
Red Squirrel had, in the meantime, stopped up the hole to prevent thecold from getting in. Hunger and darkness soon caused us again to dropoff to sleep, and thus we must have remained some hours. When at lengthI awoke, I had neither the inclination nor power to move.
I called to Hugh. He answered faintly. I had, however, my sensessufficiently about me to be aware of our perilous position. The acutesensation of hunger had gone off, and my only wish was to be left alone.I tried to rouse myself, and endeavour to get up, but sank again to theground. I then asked Red Squirrel to take a look out. He at once roseand scrambled up to the hole. It was some time before he could forceoff the snow. He then told us that the snow had ceased, and that it wasnight, for he could see the stars shining overhead.
"We must wait until morning, then," I said, thankful that I should nothave to move.
Once more we all dropped off into a state of stupor rather than sleep.I don't know how long we had thus remained, when I was aroused by anoise which came down the funnel. It seemed as if some animal werescratching away at the entrance. The idea seized me that it was a bear,and I thought how unable we were to defend ourselves. I felt about formy gun, forgetting that it had refused to go off. Just as I grasped itI remembered this, and desperately plunged my hand into my pouch, whenat the bottom I discovered my pricker, which my numbed fingers hadbefore failed to feel. Clearing out the nipple as well as I could inthe dark, I put on a fresh cap. While doing so, I awoke my companions.Hugh answered faintly. Red Squirrel immediately got up, and together wemanaged to crawl to the opening through which I thrust my rifle, readyto fire should the bear show himself.
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bsp; The scratching continued more vehemently than before. "He'll be upon uspresently," I whispered to Red Squirrel, as a gleam of light came downthrough the aperture. "Do you take the gun; I haven't strength enoughto fire;" and I sank back quite exhausted.