THE FIRST DEER.
Hamp escaped death by a display of nerve and coolness that was
remarkable in one so young.
The wolf, happily, missed the lad's throat. Instead, the white teeth
snapped shut on the thick, furry collar of his overcoat. For an instant
they stuck there, and this gave Hamp his chance.
With one hand he grabbed the wolf's shaggy breast, and pushed against
it; with the other he reached for the long hunting-knife that dangled
from his belt. He drew it from the sheath, and plunged it fiercely into
the wolf's body.
Twice, thrice the keen blade cut its way deeply through flesh and skin.
A vital part was reached at last. With a gurgling cry the brute relaxed
its hold, and slipped to one side.
Hamp rolled away from the quivering carcass, and sprang to his feet. His
clothes were thickly smeared with blood, but a scratch or two was his
sole injury.
Meanwhile, Jerry had shown equal coolness in an equally trying ordeal.
It will be remembered that he stumbled right in the path of the
advancing buck.
Doubling himself like a ball, he rolled several feet over the smooth
ice. An instant later the spot that he had just vacated was struck by
the vicious hoofs and antlers. He rolled still further, and staggered to
his feet. His rifle was out of reach, and the shelter of the shore was
equally so.
"Help! help!" he shouted. "Somebody shoot."
With the vengeful buck still at his heels, he dashed blindly toward
Brick.
Then it was that the raw New York lad showed of what sterling stuff he
was made.
He made a plucky dash between the two, and struck the savage animal with
the stock of his rifle. The blow landed on the antlers, and its only
effect was to check the buck for a few seconds. Then Brick and Jerry
fled in opposite directions to get out of reach.
The consequence was that the animal now spied Hamp, and went for him
with a savage snort. The lad had just put his knife away, and was still
a little dazed. But he realized his peril, and knew that he had not time
to pick up his rifle. At his top speed he ran blindly over the ice.
Jerry was now out of danger, and his quick wits told him the best thing
to do.
"Run faster, Hamp," he cried. "Circle around, and come back this way."
Then he made for his rifle, which lay within several yards.
Hamp heard, and was cheered. By a sudden spurt he increased his speed.
He actually gained several feet on the buck. Then, not being able to see
behind him, he made a natural error. Had he veered to the right, he
would have circled toward Jerry, and given him a shot. Instead, he
turned to the left, and bore rapidly down on Brick, who was hardly
prepared for the move.
"He's gaining on me," Hamp cried. "Help! help!"
The lad's situation was truly critical. Jerry was some yards away.
Moreover, there was something wrong with the hammer of his gun. But
Brick made himself ready in time. He slipped a few feet to one side, and
lifted his rifle. A brief hesitation, then the trigger fell.
Bang! The shrill report echoed across the lake and through the forest.
The buck staggered. His forelegs gave way. With a gasping moan he
toppled over, and his life-blood stained the ice.
No words can tell the delight of the young hunters. They cheered until
they were fairly hoarse. Hamp drew his knife, and sprang astride of the
feebly-struggling animal. By a single pass he slit its throat.
Jerry slapped Brick on the back.
"That was a grand shot," he exclaimed. "I couldn't have done it better
myself. It was Hamp's only chance. The hammer of my rifle was clogged
with snow."
Brick was almost speechless. He looked at the buck, and then at his
companions.
"Did--did I really kill him?" he gasped. "Is he dead?"
"Dead as a door nail," assured Hamp. "See, the ball went in between the
foreshoulders. It must have pierced the heart. You've shot the first
deer, Brick, and it's something to be proud of."
"I know it is," admitted Brick. "I wish Tom Fordham was here now. He
said I'd forget how to shoot when I saw a deer."
"You didn't, though," said Hamp. "You saved my life."
"And mine," added Jerry. "It was a plucky thing to rush in between me
and the buck."
"It wasn't much," Brick modestly protested. "You would have done the
same for me."
The boys continued the animated discussion, quite heedless of time. The
dead wolf was examined with wonder, and they removed the scalp, in order
to claim the State bounty. With some difficulty they dragged the buck
partly onto one of the hand sleds.
"I want the antlers," said Brick. "I wouldn't go back to New York
without them."
"We'll see to that," replied Jerry. "Now, then, if you fellows are
ready."
A moment later the march toward the headland was recommenced. The
heavily-laden sleds grated over the ice and snow.
Some small animal followed the boys for quite a distance, keeping well
out of sight behind the timber. It had a shrill, rasping voice that was
very aggravating. Jerry declared it to be a lynx or wolverine, and Hamp
agreed with him. A little later something more serious occurred. Three
hungry wolves stole out of the forest and down to the ice. They
evidently scented the carcass of the deer. They followed the little
party persistently, and kept up a mournful howling. Now and then they
circled near with swift leaps, only to bound back toward the shore
again.
"We must put a stop to this," said Jerry. "Wait a minute."
He discarded his rifle for a shotgun, and, when the trio of scavengers
next approached as close as they dared, he gave them both barrels.
It was long-range shooting, but two of the brutes were slightly
crippled. All three fled, yelping, to the forest, and disappeared.
Darkness was now creeping rapidly on. Colder and colder came the bitter
evening breeze. At times the great stretch of ice-bound lake cracked
like a pistol-shot. The boys were anxious to reach their destination
before twilight, and they altered their swinging stride to a jog-trot.
At last they gained the jutting headland, and circled around its point.
Here, on the shore of the lake, they found choice camping facilities.
They picked on a shallow ravine that was comparatively open and ran back
into the forest for thirty or forty yards. On three sides it was
sheltered by pine and spruce trees, and had an open frontage on the
lake.
"This is just the thing to build our cabin against," said Hamp,
indicating a weather-worn block of granite that was almost square in
shape. "We're in a great neighborhood for hunting and fishing, too."
"The locality is all right," replied Jerry, "but I don't think it's wise
to build right in the trough of this ravine. A heavy storm would snow us
up, and a thaw would wash us out into the lake."
"No danger of a thaw," declared Hamp, as he blew on his numbed fingers,
"and I don't believe we're going to have any big snowstorms, either. You
know your father said there were indications of an open winter.
Besides, it will take too long to clear a place for building on higher
ground. Look how stout the timber is all around us."
"I'm not anything of a woodsman," joined in Brick, "but this hollow
looks like a mighty snug place to me."
Jerry allowed himself to be persuaded.
"All right," he said. "We'll take the chances. Pitch in, fellows."
The sleds were unpacked, and the space in front of the rock was quickly
cleared of snow, undergrowth, and loose stones.
Armed with sharp axes, the boys felled and trimmed a number of young
trees, and, under Jerry's supervision, the lean-to rapidly assumed
shape. Nails were freely used to strengthen it. Soft pine boughs were
laid a foot deep on the floor, and an extra covering of the same
material was put on the roof.
It was dark long before the task was finished, but the boys worked on by
lantern light. The exercise made them feel quite warm. It was a proud
and happy moment when their labor was done.
The cabin proved snug, and comfortable beyond their expectations. It had
a small doorway, that could be closed by buttoning a strip of canvas
over it, and the roof sloped at just the right angle.
"We couldn't have more solid comfort if we were at home," declared
Jerry. "Not a drop of water can get at us."
"And we've got protection from the wind on three sides," added Hamp.
"I feel like going to bed right now."
"Not before supper?" exclaimed Brick, in a tone of such earnest alarm
that his companions laughed merrily.
But there was much to do before the meal could be prepared, and no time
was wasted. First the traps were carried into the cabin, and arranged in
place. Then all three of the boys set to work on the deer, and partially
skinned it. They cut off a number of tender steaks, and hung the carcass
to the lower limbs of a stout pine tree.
Brick and Jerry gathered a big store of fuel, and built a roaring fire,
while Hamp chopped a hole through the ice on the margin of the lake, and
brought a pail of water. Half an hour later, when the hungry and tired
lads sat around the blazing logs appeasing their appetites with crisp
venison, and fried potatoes, and crackers, and steaming coffee, they
felt that their happiness was complete. It was past ten o'clock when
they crawled into the shanty, and buried themselves between soft boughs
and warm blankets. Outside, the logs smoldered and crackled, and the
far-away beasts of the forest wailed to the rising moon.