A FIRE, AND WHAT FOLLOWED
“Get back there!”
Joe uttered the words mechanically, and as he did so he crouched close
to the fire, and snatching a burning brand from the side, held it up in
front of him.
As is well known, all wild beasts dread the fire, and at once the bear
paused. Then it arose again on its hind legs and uttered a roar that
almost shook the lodge.
“Hello! what does that mean?” cried Fred and Harry, in a breath.
“It means there’s a wild animal in the lodge,” answered Joel Runnell,
and leaped toward the window, gun in hand.
In the meantime the bear continued to stand in front of Joe, as if
meditating an attack in spite of the fire. Once it raised a fore paw as
if to strike the brand from the young hunter’s hand, but Joe did not
permit this, and now the boy caught up a second stick, which was blazing
at one end, and threatened the bear.
Again there was a roar of commingled rage and fear, and the bear leaped
back, wrecking the table as it did so.
It must be confessed that Joe was badly alarmed. He felt that he was in
close quarters, and unless somebody came to his help very quickly, the
bear would, in some manner, get the better of him.
Glancing toward the window, he saw a dark object there. It was the head
of Joel Runnell, and next followed the glistening barrel of the old
hunter’s rifle.
“Hold up the light, Joe,” called old Runnell, and at the sound of his
voice the bear wheeled around and stared toward the window with
interest.
Crack! It was the rifle that rang out. But just as Joel Runnell pulled
upon the trigger the bear turned to one side, so that the ball merely
grazed its neck and side. Then came another roar, and, leaping over the
wrecked table, the beast dove through the doorway leading to the
sleeping apartment of the lodge and disappeared.
“Where did he go to?” cried old Runnell, as he lost no time in
reloading.
“Into the sleeping-room. I don’t think he is hurt very much.”
The doorway was not far from the chimney, and with the firebrands still
in his hands, Joe made his way to the door. Then the fastening was
removed and he plunged outside.
“Good!” cried Harry. “Are you hurt?”
“Not a scratch. But it was a close shave,” and Joe heaved a sigh of
relief.
“What is the bear doing?” asked Fred.
“I don’t know.”
“Fasten the door from the outside,” said Joel Runnell. “We don’t want to
lose that animal.”
A stout stick of wood was handy, and this was propped up against the
door, so that it could not be budged unless torn from its hinges.
While the young hunters were doing this Joel Runnell watched the window,
with his rifle ready for use, should the bear make its appearance.
“You don’t expect to go in there after the bear, do you?” questioned
Fred. “I wouldn’t do that for a million dollars.”
“I shan’t go in there yet,” answered the old hunter. “I know a trick
worth two of that.”
“What will you do?” asked Harry.
“Let us try smoking him out. While I continue to watch the window, you
get a damp tree branch and set it on fire. Then chop a small hole in the
side of the lodge close to the ground, and let the smoke drift inside.”
“That’s a good plan,” said Joe.
The damp branch was procured without difficulty, and soon it was burning
slightly and smoking thickly. While Fred and Joe held the branch, Harry
cut a small hole as directed. In answer to the sound of the ax came a
growl from the bear, proving that the beast was on the alert within.
“Now, Joe, come alongside of me with your shotgun!” called out old
Runnell. “We’ll make sure of him if he does come out.”
Both stood almost facing the window and about twenty feet from it. Then
Fred and Harry let down the branch in the snow, so that the thick smoke
could drift directly into the hole that had been cut.
In less than half a minute they could hear the bear moving around the
inside of the lodge. They heard the beast give a snort, followed by a
sneeze.
“He’s catching it,” whispered Joe, with his gun raised. “I don’t think
he’ll stand it much longer.”
An instant after there came a savage growl, and then straight through
the window shot the black bear, landing at the very feet of those
standing to receive it. Crack! went the rifle, and bang! came from the
shotgun, and the beast tumbled over and began to claw at the air and the
snow, sending the chunks of the latter flying in all directions.
“Hurrah, we’ve got him!” ejaculated Joe, and discharged the second
barrel of his gun close to the bear’s head. This finished the beast, and
it soon stretched out and lay still.
“What a big fellow,” was Harry’s comment, as he came forward to inspect
the game. “Joe, you can be glad he didn’t get his paws around you. He
might have hugged you to death.”
“I am thankful,” was the answer. “But, say, won’t we have fine bear
steaks now! We’ll have all the meat we want, and some to take home in
the bargain.”
“Not to say anything about the skin,” put in Fred.
“Oh, that is to go to Runnell,” said Joe, quickly. “I’m sure he deserves
it,” and the others said the same.
All were so interested in looking the big prize over that the burning
tree branch was, for the time being, forgotten. All had also forgotten
the fire in the lodge and the burning sticks Joe had dropped on the
floor. The wreck of the table was near the sticks, and in a few minutes
Snow Lodge was blazing inside and out.
“Hello, the place is on fire!” shouted Harry, who was the first to
notice the condition of affairs.
“So it is!” added old Runnell. He ran to the door and threw it open.
“Quick, boys, or the lodge will be burnt to the ground!”
With the door and the window open, the fire obtained a good draught, and
of a sudden a blaze shot up, inside and out, that quickly mounted to the
roof.
“This is worse than I supposed,” said old Runnell, and ran in to stamp
the blaze out. But the smoke was blinding and he soon had to retreat.
Then Joe went in, but when some sparks touched him on the cheek he fell
back also.
“The lodge is doomed!” groaned Fred. “And everything inside will be
burnt up!”
“My camera films!” cried Harry. “They are on the shelf! I don’t want to
lose them,” and before anybody could stop him he had leaped into the
burning structure.
“Harry! Harry! come out of there!” yelled Joe. But the younger brother
paid no attention to the warning. On the shelf were all the pictures he
had taken since coming on the outing, and he thought more of these than
he did of the traps and stores.
The flames were now curling all over the roof of the lodge, and with no
water at hand it was easy to see that the structure could not be saved.
Joel Runnell ran in, and in the smoke felt around for Harry and found
him clinging to the shelf, with the rolls of films clutched tightly in
one hand.
“Come out,” he said, in a choking voice. “Come,” and he led the
half-suffocated boy, into the open air. The water was running from
Harry’s eyes, and it was fully a minute before he could get his breath
to talk.
Finding they could do nothing to stop the fire, they set to work to save
what stores they could. This was not an easy task, and they recovered
little more than a couple of blankets, a tin can of coffee, a bag of
salt and a large box of matches. One of the blankets was burnt along the
edge.
Once having gained headway, the flames roared and crackled merrily,
lighting up the clearing and the forest for a goodly distance around. As
the fire increased, they dragged their sleds, the bear and other game,
and the saved stores to a safe distance.
“Do you think it will set fire to the trees?” questioned Fred.
“No, there isn’t wind enough for that,” answered Joel Runnell.
“I guess I am responsible for that fire,” came from Joe. “I remember now
that I dropped those burning sticks on the floor when I opened the
door.”
“And we left the branch at the hole,” said Harry. “Hiram Skeetles will
make us pay for the damage done, I suppose.”
“The lodge wasn’t worth much,” put in Fred. “Not over twenty or thirty
dollars at the most. The back end was almost ready to fall down.”
“Well, if the courts decide that this island and the lodge belong to
Skeetles we’ll pay for the building,” said Joe. “But you can be sure I
won’t pay him any fancy price.”
In less than half an hour from the start of the conflagration the roof
of the lodge fell with a crash, sending the sparks flying in all
directions. Then one side after another followed, and soon all that
remained of the building was a heap of smoldering timbers and the
red-hot stones of the rude chimney.
“That’s the end of Snow Lodge,” said Joe. “We didn’t have very much good
of the place, after all.”
“The question is, where are we to go next?” put in Fred. “The other
shelter was wrecked by the wind. We seem to be unfortunate, no matter
where we stay.”
“Let us have something to eat first,” said Harry. “I’m as hungry as a—a
bear.”
“Then you can dine on bear,” answered Fred, and this caused a laugh in
spite of their downheartedness over the loss of the lodge.
Supper was cooked over the smoldering ruins and on the hot rocks, and
each ate heartily. They talked matters over and decided to remain in
that vicinity until morning.
“Then we can rake the ruins and see if we can find anything of value,”
said old Runnell.
The night was far from being as cold as other nights had been, and they
easily made themselves comfortable among the trees close by the lodge,
propping up the sleds and covering them with branches and bushes and
chunks of snow. Nothing came to disturb them, and all slept soundly
until sunrise.
Immediately after breakfast the ruins were raked over as the old hunter
had advised, and they found several articles of more or less value. But
everything else had been burned up clean and clear.
“And now for new quarters,” said Joe. “I have an idea. Why not camp out
near Needle Rock? We can find a good spot among the rocks, and that will
give us a chance to look for that pocketbook during our off hours.”
“I’m willing,” answered Fred.
So were the others, and soon preparations were made for their departure.
Inside of an hour they were off.
“Good-by to Snow Lodge!” cried Harry. “Perhaps we’ll never see this spot
again.”
“We can build a new shelter,” said Joe. “It needn’t be so big, but I’m
sure we can make it just as comfortable.”
And then they moved on, never dreaming of the surprises that were in
store for them.