DECOYED TO DANGER.
The first thing was breakfast. Prudence was no match for ravenous
hunger, and the boys greedily devoured the last scrap of food. They even
searched the pine boughs for fallen crumbs.
"It don't seem as though I had eaten anything at all," said Brick,
mournfully.
"Well, it won't be long till we get a good, square meal," said Jerry.
"The snow must be packed pretty hard by this time, so the tunnel won't
take so long to dig."
"And there won't be much danger of caving in," added Hamp.
The boys sat talking for a while before they began the great
undertaking. Their very lives depended on reaching the storehouse.
"I hope we can get out of this," replied Brick. "I'm sick of this part
of the country. I've been wondering what became of those two men."
"They're either dead, or snowed up so badly that they can't help
themselves," declared Hamp. "It's our duty to go to their assistance as
soon as we get a chance. That fellow, Raikes, put himself in danger to
help us, you know."
It was shortly after midday when the three entered the tunnel in single
file. Jerry took the lead, and the others followed close at his heels.
The snow was rather sticky and compact, and they, took advantage of this
to enlarge the top and sides of the passage as they went along. Not a
single cave-in was found. They easily made the two turns, and reached
the scene of Hamp's disaster on the previous day.
Here the actual work began, for, though the storehouse was close ahead,
the fallen tree effectually barred the way. The boys turned sharply to
the left, and tunneled cautiously along for ten or twelve feet through
the pitch blackness.
Then they struck the bank of the ravine, and followed it down for two
yards.
"We must have passed under the trunk of the tree by this time," said
Jerry. "Now comes a straight course for the storehouse. And it's got to
be straight, for if we dig only a foot or two to right or left, we'll
strike either the tree or the other side of the ravine."
"Go ahead," replied Hamp. "We'll make it, old fellow."
Already more than an hour had passed since they left the cabin. They
advanced with redoubled caution, working two abreast, and patting the
roof and sides of the tunnel to make them secure.
The long and trying ordeal came to an end at last, and glorious was the
reward. The slab of bark, with which Jerry was digging, suddenly struck
something hard. It proved to be a rock, and the boys cleared the space
around it with frantic haste.
A moment later they fairly tumbled into the triangular cavity between
the two great boulders. It was indeed the storehouse.
With greedy hands they tore away the sled and clutched at the precious
supplies lying underneath. The fear of bringing an avalanche down on
their heads was all that kept them from bursting into hearty cheers.
"We are saved," cried Hamp, as he got hold of the tin box of matches
and struck a light.
"Stay right here," said Jerry. "I'll be back in a jiffy."
He snatched a handful of matches, and crawled into the tunnel, striking
light after light as he went along. He was quickly out of sight, but in
less than five minutes he returned with a flaming lantern.
The next step was to enlarge the space in front of the rocks, and when
this was accomplished, the sled was dragged out of the cavity, and the
supplies--snowshoes and all--were securely strapped upon it.
Then the return trip was begun. Jerry crawled ahead with the lantern,
and Hamp and Brick came after him with the sled. Each angle was safely
rounded, and it was a happy moment when the boys entered the cabin.
The first thing they did was to eat a hearty meal, and no banquet could
have tasted better than the dry, uncooked food.
"What time is it?" asked Jerry.
"Just four o'clock," replied Brick, looking-at his watch.
"Then I'll tell you what we had better do," resumed Jerry. "If a thaw
and rain should come--and it feels pretty close now--the cabin would
almost certainly be flooded. Suppose we go back to the storehouse and
dig another tunnel clear out to the lake. I'll bet anything the wind
blew the ice clear of snow. Then, if we reach the open air, we can start
away from here to-morrow morning and hunt another camp. First, we'll
look up those prospectors."
This proposition suited Hamp and Brick. They were just as eager for a
change as Jerry.
Without delay, the boys started back to the storehouse. They took with
them a lighted lantern, and each was provided with a snowshoe for
digging purposes.
The task proved a long and weary one, but they pluckily persevered. They
chiseled a passage straight down the trough of the ravine, guided along
the way by well-remembered landmarks.
Shortly after seven o'clock in the evening Jerry's snowshoe broke
through the thin wall of snow, and the delighted boys tumbled out into
the dusky night air. They found themselves several yards beyond the
mouth of the ravine.
Far in front stretched the lake, its icy surface almost free of snow.
Behind was the great drift, mounting higher and higher as it
receded, until it rose many feet above the banks of the ravine. The tree
that had fallen across the storehouse was utterly invisible, while of
the upper tree only a few protruding limbs could be seen.
Having accomplished their purpose, and thus opened a way of retreat from
the buried cabin, the boys entered the tunnel once more and crawled
back. They were hungry after their toil, and immediately sat down to
another hearty meal. The lamp shed a cheerful glow throughout the snug
little inclosure, and the contented faces of the lads reflected its
beams.
"This is what I call comfort," declared Jerry, as he put away the
provisions.
"It's not bad," assented Brick. "I only wish---- Hullo! what's that?
I heard a cry from, outside, fellows."
"So did I," exclaimed Hamp. "Listen!"
All were silent, and now the faint, far-away sound came again to their
ears.
It seemed to be the voice of some one in distress.
Again it rang faintly on the night air.
"Those men!" exclaimed Jerry.
"I'll bet anything they are out on the lake looking for us. They can't
see the tunnel in the dark."
"Mebbe they are half-starved and need help more than we do," suggested
Hamp. "We've got to go out and see, fellows."
"That's right," cried Jerry. "Come on."
He snatched the lantern and dived into the tunnel, followed by his
companions. They had not the slightest doubt that Raikes and Bogle were
outside.
In their confidence and hurry, they committed the grave error of leaving
their rifles behind. It never occurred to them that the strange cries
might have another and totally different origin.
So, with empty hands, the lads crawled hastily forward on hands and
knees down the long, straight passage that led to the open lake.
Suddenly a sharp, blood-curdling cry vibrated on the pent-in air, and
that instant a long, tawny beast, with glaring eyeballs, took shape in
the gloom, just beyond the lantern's flashing rays.