COMFORT IN A LOG CABIN.
The pain of this farewell did not long cloud their faces. Tug and Jim
had had no luncheon, and were growing anxious for something to eat.
Down at the mouth of the river stood a small cabin, often occupied in
early spring by the sportsmen who went for a day's duck-shooting in
the great marshes that spread right and left on both sides of the
stream. It was buried among big cottonwood and sycamore trees, and was
pretty snug. Besides, it had a fireplace, into which somebody had
stuck a long iron bolt pulled out of some bit of wreckage on the
beach, and which served as a great convenience in the rude cooking of
the sportsmen.
At this cabin our party proposed to spend the first night. They
thought it would be an easy letting down from sleeping in their beds
at home to the tenting they feared they might have to do afterwards.
Katy had been the one to suggest this, and Tug had earnestly supported
the idea.
"Things don't seem so hard when they come upon you gradually, as the
kind-hearted man said when he cut off his dog's tail a little piece at
a time, so the pup wouldn't mind it."
The sun was just disappearing straight up the river behind them as the
cabin came in sight; and before its half-closed door
"'All _bloody_ lay the untrodden snow,'"
as Kate exclaimed, misquoting her "Hohenlinden" to suit the red glow
of the rich evening light.
"Hurrah for supper!" screamed Jim; and with an extra spurt they swung
the boat up to the bank.
A little sweeping with a broom made of an alder branch cleared the
cabin of the snow that had blown into the cracks and fallen down the
mud-and-stone chimney. This done, Aleck called to them to listen to
his first orders, which he had written down in a note-book, and now
read as follows:
CAPTAIN'S ORDER NO. 1.--Any order given by the Captain must be
obeyed by the person to whom it is addressed, unless his reason
for not doing so will not keep till camping-time; merely _not
liking_ the duty is no excuse.
CAPTAIN'S ORDER NO. 2.--The Captain will say when and where
camp shall be made, and immediately upon stopping to camp the
duties of each person shall be taken up as follows: the
Captain shall secure the boat, get out the tent, and proceed to
set it up; Tug shall take the axe and get fuel for the fire;
Kate shall see to the building of the fire and the preparation
of food; Jim shall help Kate, particularly in carrying articles
needed, and in getting water; and all, when these special
duties are finished, shall report to the Captain for further
duty.
CAPTAIN'S ORDER NO. 3.--Any complaints or suggestions must be
made in council, which will commence after camp work is
completed and supper is over, and not before.
"There," said Aleck, "do you agree to that?"
"Yes--agreed!" shouted three voices in chorus.
"Then pitch in, all of you; you know your work."
At this Tug seized the axe, Aleck and Jim went to the sledge, and Katy
began to kindle a little blaze on the hearth with some bits of dry
wood she found lying about, so that when Tug had brought an armful of
sticks, a good fire was quickly crackling. Then the iron pot, full of
water, was hung upon the old spike, where the blaze began curling
around its three little black feet in a most loving way.
"Jimkin," called the girl to her brother, who was gazing with delight
at the bright fire, "Jimkin, bring me all those paper packages at the
stern of the boat, and be careful of the white one--it's eggs."
"I guess there won't be much tent to set up to-night, Aleck," he
remarked, as he found the Captain, who had hauled the sledge well up
on the bank and tied it securely to a tree, now busy in dragging out
the sail.
"No," was the reply, "but the canvas'll come handy. Tell Tug I say
he'd better get a big heap of wood together, for we're going to have a
cold night. The wind has turned to the north, and is rising."
When he had taken the canvas up to the cabin, he called Jim to help
him, and they brought in the mess chest, the rolls of bedding, and the
piece of spare canvas which had covered the prow. Then, telling Jim to
take the little sled that had been dragged behind the boat, and haul
to the door the wood Tug had cut among the trees not far away, Aleck
seized the shovel and began heaping snow against the northern side of
the house, where there were many cracks between the lower logs. But
his hard work to shut them up in this way seemed to be in vain, for
the wind, which was blowing harder and harder every minute, whisked
the snow away about as fast as he was able to pile it up. Kate,
stepping out to see what he was about, came to his rescue with a happy
thought.
"I read in Dr. Kane's book of arctic travels, that when they make
houses of snow they throw water on them, which freezes, and holds them
firm and tight. Couldn't you do that here? It's cold enough to freeze
anything."
Aleck thought he might, and bidding Kate go back to her fireside, he
called the other boys to help him; then, while Jim stuffed the cracks
with snow, Aleck and Tug alternately brought water from a hole cut in
the river ice, and dashed it against the chinking. Some of the water
splashed through, and a good deal was tossed back in their faces and
benumbed their hands, so that it was hard, cold work; but before long
a crust had formed over the snow-stuffed cracks, and Katy came to the
door to say that she couldn't feel a draught anywhere. The roof was
pretty good, and when, tired and hungry, but warm with their exercise
(except as to their toes and fingers), the three lads went in and shut
the door, they found their quarters very snug, and didn't mind how
loud the gale howled among the trees outside. Rex, especially, seemed
to enjoy it, curling down at the corner of the fireplace as though
very much at home.
Meanwhile Katy bustled about, setting out plates, knives, and forks on
the top of the mess chest, which she had covered with the clean white
paper in which her packages had been wrapped. She had put eight eggs
to boil in the kettle, which were now done, and were carefully fished
out, while the coffee-pot was bubbling on the coals, and letting
fragrant jets of steam escape from under the loosely fitting cover. A
cut loaf of bread lay on the table, and beside it a tumbler of currant
jelly, "as sure as I am a Dutchman"--which was Tug's favorite way
of putting a truth very strongly indeed, though he wasn't that kind of
a man at all. The eagerness to taste this sweetmeat brought out the
melancholy fact that by some accident there was only one spoon in the
whole kit.
[Illustration: SUPPER IN THE LOG CABIN.]
"We'll fix that all right this evening," Aleck remarked. "I'll whittle
wooden ones out of sycamore."
"Shall I broil some mutton-chops, or will you save those for
breakfast?"
"Broil 'em now," cried Jim.
"Hold your opinion, Youngster, till your elders are heard," was Tug's
rejoinder. "I vote we save 'em."
"So do I."
"And I."
"Done," says Captain Aleck. "Give us the chops for breakfast, Miss
Housekeeper."
"Then supper's all ready," she said, and took her seat on a stick of
wood, pouring and passing the coffee, while the eggs and the bread and
butter went round. By the time the meal was finished it had become
dark, but this did not matter, since there was no need to go out of
doors.
"How shall I wash the dishes?" asked Katy, with a comical grin, as she
rose from the table. "I couldn't bring a big pan."
"Well," suggested Aleck, "you can clean out your kettle, refill it
with water--Jim, there's business for you!--and then wash them in
that."
"That's a matter never bothered me much when _I_ was camping," added
Tug, dryly. "I just scrubbed the plates with a wisp of grass, and
cleaned the knives and forks by jabbing 'em into the ground a few
times."
While the dishes were washing Aleck opened the tent bundle, and laid
the mast across two pegs that somebody had driven into the north wall
of the room just under the ceiling beams, perhaps to hang
fishing-poles on. Then, with Tug's aid, he tied to the mast the inner
hem of the sail-cloth, which thus hung loosely against the wall, like
a big curtain, shutting out every draught.
"That's splendid!" cried Katy, watching them from the end of the room
where the fire was.
"So is _this_!" came a voice from overhead, making them all look up in
surprise.
It was Jim, who, unnoticed by any one, had clambered into the loft,
which had been floored over about two thirds of the room, and who was
now thrusting his red face down through the open part.
"What do you think I've found?"
"Give it up. I knew of a man who died after asking conundrums all his
life," answered Tug, gravely, "and I've fought shy of 'em since."
"Tell us at once, Jimkin," called out Aleck.
"_Straw!_" shouted Jim.
"Pshaw!" was the next rejoinder heard.
"No rhymes, Katy," Aleck admonished. "Is it clean, Youngster?"
"Cleaner than he is, I should say, by his face," said Tug, and with
some reason, for the loft was dusty.
"Don't know; you can see for yourself," and down came a great yellow
armful.
It was pounced upon, and, proving dry and fresh, the delighted Jim was
ordered to send down all he could find, which was laid on the floor,
not far from the fire, and covered with the spare canvas. This made a
soft sort of mattress, upon which each one could spread his blankets,
and sleep with great comfort, since there was plenty for all.
"Sha'n't have so good a bed as this another night," groaned Aleck.
"Can't tell--maybe better!" said the cheerful Tug.
The warmest place was set apart for Katy, and Aleck made a small
screen, covered with a newspaper curtain, which separated her from the
other three, who were to sleep side by side. These preparations made,
the fire was heaped high with fresh wood, and then the little quartet
took their ease, lounging on the springy straw before it, and
indulging in a quiet talk over the busy day just finished, or what
they were likely to meet on the morrow.
Aleck said something about being able to travel by compass in case
they were caught in a snow-storm, which was what he dreaded the most,
when Jim asked him to explain the compass to him, leaving Katy's side
and going over to where his big brother was stretched out at the other
corner of the fireplace. The girl, thus deserted, went to the valise
in which she kept her small articles, and came back with a book.