WALLED IN
By daybreak, when all the party were awake, the blizzard foretold by
the native had fully arrived.
It was a terror, indeed. The cold was frightful, and the air outside
was white with snow, which was driven horizontally by the hurricane,
as though shot from the mouths of myriad pieces of ordnance. It
shrieked about the cavern, and drove the white particles so fiercely
through the narrow crevice that Docak hastened to shove his bear-skin
into it. This only partially filled the opening and the snow spun in
around it clean across the flinty floor.
The regular entrance was partly protected by its own projection, but,
at times, a blast entered that fairly took away their breath. The fire
was necessary to keep from freezing, but the supply of fuel was
growing low, and the last stick must soon be reached. What then would
be the fate of the party if the blizzard continued?
It was useless to discuss the future and no one did so; the present
was with them, and the question was how to live from hour to hour.
On shooting the intruding wolf, Rob had flung his carcass away. The
report awakened the others, and, rising to his feet, Docak passed far
enough outside to bring it in again. He did not speak, but all
understood the meaning of the action; that body might be the means of
saving them from starvation.
Enough of the previous night's meal remained to afford a nourishing
breakfast, but they partook sparingly, preferring to use that in
preference to the new supply. Happily thirst was a torture that need
never be apprehended.
Jack Cosgrove braved the blast to that degree that he forced himself
through the opening and stood several minutes outside, shading his
eyes and striving to pierce the blinding turmoil.
All in vain. The gale almost carried him off his feet, and his vision
could no more penetrate the furious swirl of snow than if it were the
darkest night that ever covered the earth. The cold was so piercing
that he was glad to hasten back among his friends, and shiver and
crouch over the fire.
"By the great horned spoon, Docak! s'pose we had started for home last
night?"
"Wish had," was the sententious response.
"Why, we wouldn't have been half-way there by this time, and we would
have perished all together."
"We trabel fast--mebbe storm not dere yet."
This intimation that the blizzard might be less terrific at so slight
a distance was incredible, but the Esquimau was positive that it would
have been far better had they set out early in the evening. By rapid
traveling they might have covered the greater part of the distance
before morning, and could have fought the few remaining miles in the
teeth of the gale.
But it was equally useless to discuss what might have been. They were
imprisoned in the cavern, thirty miles from succor and with no
possibility that any friends would ever take the trouble to search for
their bodies. All they could do was to rely upon Heaven and their own
exertions.
Without any explanation as to his intentions, and leaving his gun
behind him, the native plunged through the opening and disappeared in
the blizzard outside.
Born and reared in Greenland, amid Arctic snows and appalling
tempests, the hardy Esquimau was far better fitted to undergo such
trials of endurance than could be any native of a temperate clime.
"Where do you suppose he has gone?" asked Rob, wonderingly.
"I don't know," replied Jack; "but if he goes far he'll never come
back again."
"It doesn't seem to me," said Fred, coming to the question of the
present for the first time, "that the outlook is as bad as he would
make us believe."
"Why not?"
"We have enough food to last a week or two, or even longer, and the
blizzard certainly won't keep it up that long."
"You can't be sartin about that," said Jack; "it may last for several
weeks, but s'pose it's only for three or four days, there are two big
things that we must face."
"What are they?"
"What to do after it stops; the snow will be several feet deep on top
of that which is now on the ground; it will be too fine and soft to
bear our weight, and can be traveled over only with snow-shoes which
we haven't got. How then are we going to fight our way thirty miles
through it?"
"It will be a hard job, but no greater than that which many explorers
have undergone. With Docak as our guide, I think we can pull through."
"But what is the other matter you refer to?" asked Rob.
"This wood will soon go, and then how are we going to keep from
freezing to death?"
"If we will huddle together as closely as we can with the bear-skin
wrapped about us I think we can stand it."
"I like the way you chaps talk," said the sailor, admiringly, "and if
we have to go down we'll do so with colors flying. It's the
downheartedness of Docak that knocks me askew; if he would show a
braver front I would feel better."
"Possibly he is more hopeful than he pretends."
"No, he isn't that sort of chap; he knows better than we just what all
this means. Whew!"
The exclamation was caused by a sudden outburst that sent the snow
whirling through the opening and the crevice, from which the bear-skin
dropped, as if struck a blow from the other side. Jack ran forward,
picked it up, and thrust it back, hardly able to breathe from the fury
of the gale in his face.
The snow shot through the opening, too, scattering the brands of fire
in every direction. Had the shelter been anything else excepting the
solid rock that it was, it must have been swept like chaff from its
foundations.
The explosion, as it may be called, lasted but a minute or so. The
boys hastily gathered up the scattered brands and flinging them
together they were fanned by the tempest into a vigorous flame, whose
warmth, slight as it was, was grateful beyond measure to the three
gathered around it.
"Docak is wrong in regretting that we did not start last night," said
Jack Cosgrove; "that style of storm is raging at this moment over
hundreds of miles, and it would have made short work of us."
"What about the 'Nautilus,' if she is in it?"
"She can manage it if she has plenty of sea room, but I hope she is
far enough off to dodge this blizzard. She ought to be at any rate."
The gale did the party an unexpected favor. It was a substantial one,
too, which they appreciated. It drove the snow against the troublesome
crevice with such fury that it quickly formed a solid bank, extending
far above it. This ended the drifting of the particles inside and
protected them from the cutting wind.
At the same time it did something of the same nature with the
entrance, where it soon became banked to that extent that little blew
within, and the gale hardly disturbed them.
Seeing what had taken place, Jack withdrew the bear-skin from where it
had been stuffed into the opening and spread it in the farthermost
corner of the cavern.
"Come, my hearties," said he, cheerfully, "we've got nothing to do but
to make ourselves comfortable. We won't burn any more wood till Docak
comes back."
They huddled together, and, though the cold made their teeth chatter
and their bodies shiver, they found considerable relief and were
willing to hope on.
They could feel no anxiety about the absent native. It was certain he
would not go far enough from the cavern to endanger his safety or to
imperil his return. Some definite object must have led him forth.
"I wonder if it is for food," suggested Fred.
"No; for there's no possibility that the wolves left anything,"
replied Rob; "and then, too, we have enough to last a good while."
At that moment there was a flurry at the entrance and the Esquimau,
resembling a snow man, stooped and pushed his way in.
Entering, he flung a half-dozen small sticks upon the tiny pile at the
side of the cavern. He had gone forth in quest of fuel and was able to
secure only that miserable supply, really not worth taking into
account.