THE FIRST DAY ON THE LAKE.
No howling gale disturbed their rest that night, and on the next
morning, which was Friday, the third day out, breakfast had been
disposed of long before the hour of rising on the previous day. What
had they for breakfast? Hot and tender buckwheat cakes, with syrup
made from maple sugar melted in a tin cup. The boiled ham and some
crackers were put where they could be got at easily for luncheon.
The stowing of the loose goods in the boat took no longer than Katy
required to get the mess kit packed after breakfast. As the day was
fine, and the ice, as far as they could see to the southward, whither
their course lay, was smooth and free from snow, the sled was loaded
with cut wood and rushes, ready for making a fire, and Jim was
appointed to drag it.
As they were leaving the cabin, after a last look to see that nothing
had been forgotten, Katy spoke up:
"Why can't we take along some of this nice straw? It doesn't weigh
anything to speak of."
"Oh, we can't," says Jim, crossly. "Girls are always trying to do
things they know nothing about."
"May's well begin to rough it now as any time; can't expect a cabin
and a straw mattress every night," was Tug's somewhat gruff remark as
he went to the sledge.
"But," the girl persisted, rather piqued when she saw how her
suggestion had been received, "it might be very nice to spread it on
the floor of the tent. Seems to me you might take it."
She was talking to Aleck now, who, she knew by his face, opposed the
plan; but he, seeing how much in earnest she was, went back, gathered
up a big armful of the cleanest straw, and heaped it in the stern of
the boat, while she brought a second bundle.
This matter settled, Aleck and Tug put their heads through the new
harness, and were soon rushing along at a stirring pace, while Katy
skated behind, holding on to the stern of the boat to steady it; Jim
followed with his sled, and Rex galloped here and there as suited him.
The ice for miles together had been swept clean by the wind, and was
like a vast, glaring sheet of plate-glass. Most of it was a deep,
brilliant green. Here and there would be stretches of milky ice, and
now and then great rounded patches would suddenly meet them, which
were black or deep brown, and at first frightened them by making them
believe a patch of open water suddenly yawned in their path. But, when
they examined closely, they could see that this black ice was two or
three feet thick, like all the rest on the open lake.
They were never at any time more than a mile or so from the edge of
the great marshes which bordered the low margin of the lake, and at
noon they knew they had skated twelve miles, by reaching a certain
island standing just in front of the reedy shallows.
Thither they gladly turned for luncheon; skates were unbuckled, a big
fire was built, the snow was cleared away, and the spare canvas spread
down to sit upon, while Katy prepared to warm up the extra supply of
coffee she had made in the morning for this purpose.
Not much talking had been done on the march; breath was too badly
needed to be wasted in that way; but now "tongues were loosed," and a
rattling conversation kept time with the crackle of the dead sticks on
the fire.
"Captain," said Tug, "have you noticed how that ridge in the ice bends
just ahead, and seems to stand across our course?"
"Yes, I have, and I fear it will be troublesome to cross. Jimkin,
you're nimble; climb that cottonwood, and tell us what you can see."
"All right," said Jim, and was quickly in the tree-top.
"It looks like a rough, broken ridge, stretching clear to shore. I
guess we'll have to climb over it. I can't see any break."
"Where do you think is the easiest place?"
"About straight ahead, where you see that highest point. Right beside
it is a kind o' low spot, I think."
"Well, then," said the Captain, "we'll aim for that. Hurry up your
lunch, Katy, and let's be off."
Half an hour later they arrived at the bad place.
"It must be a _hummock_," said Katy, "such as I have read about in Dr.
Kane's book--only not so large, I suppose. He says that the ice-sheet,
or floe, gets cracked and separated a little; then the two floes will
come together again with such force that they lap over one another, or
else grind together, and burst up edgewise along the seam."
"That's just the way this is; but, hummock or no hummock, it must be
crossed," said Aleck.
"Mebbe I could find a better place," suggested Jim, "if I should go
along a little way."
"Well, try it, Youngster. And, Tug, suppose you take a scout in the
other direction."
Tug went off, but soon returned, reporting a worse instead of better
appearance, and Aleck, who had climbed over, came back to say that the
ridge was about twenty-five yards wide.
"How does it look?" asked Katy.
"Why, it looks as though a lot of big cakes of ice had been piled up
on edge, and then frozen into that rough shape, or lack of shape. I
should say the ridge is ten feet high in the middle, and on the other
side it is a straight jump down for about six feet. But it's worse
everywhere else. We must take our skates off the first thing."
This done, they stood up, ready to drag the boat as near to the
hummock as possible. But it was hard pulling, for the slope was pretty
steep and rough.
"Where's that Jim, I wonder?" cried Aleck. "I'll teach The Youngster
not to run off the minute any work is to be done. _Jim!_"
But no boy answered the call, nor several others. Tug stood up on the
boat, and Katy climbed to a high point of ice, but neither could see
anything. Then they all became alarmed, fearing he might have fallen
into one of those holes that here and there are found in the thickest
ice, and always stay open. It is an easy matter to skate into one, but
a very hard one to get out again. It was the thought of this that made
Katy run in the direction whither Jim had started, but her brother
called her back.
"Wait, Katy. We'll put on our skates. Probably The Youngster's hiding,
and I'll box his ears when I catch him. This is no time for fooling."
With quick, nervous fingers they fastened their straps, and then
rushed down along the foot of the hummock as though on a race, Tug
carrying one of the drag-ropes. The tracks could be followed easily
enough until they left the good ice and turned in towards the hummock,
where they came to an end, which looked as though Jim might have taken
off his skates. Here the boys hallooed, then climbed to the top of a
great, upturned table of blue ice, and called again. But the most
complete silence followed their words--such a silence as can never be
known on land among the creaking trees or rustling grass; an absolute,
painful stillness. Not even an echo came back.
At this they were puzzled and frightened, and Katy wanted to cry, but
fought back her tears. They descended, and went slowly onward, now and
then getting upon elevated points, and calling. At last they stopped,
utterly at their wits' end where or how to search next, and Katy's
tears rolled down her cheeks unchecked.
"Cheer up, Sis," said Aleck, and took her hand in his as they skated
slowly onward; "cheer up! we'll try again on that big block ahead."
This block overlooked a broader part of the hummock, and wasn't far
from land. They struggled over the jagged border, and hoisted Katy
upon it to see what she could see.
"Nothing," was her report; "nothing but ice, and ice, and ice, and a
gray edge of marsh. Oh, Jim! Jim! where are you?"
"_Here--help me out._"
Each looked at the other in amazement, for the voice, though faint,
seemed right beside them.
"_Here, down between the cakes--help me out._"
The words came distinctly, and gave them a clew. Katy peeped over the
farther edge of the block, and there she saw the little fellow's face
peering up at her out of the greenish light of a sort of pit into
which he had fallen. Two great cakes of ice had been thrown up side by
side, leaving a space about two feet wide and ten feet deep between
them. The blowing snow that filled most of the crevices of the hummock
had here formed a bridge, which had let Jim through when he stepped
upon it, never suspecting the chasm it concealed.
"Hurt?" asked Tug.
"Not a bit, but pretty well scared. I thought you fellows were never
coming. I've been in here two hours."
"Two hours! Oho, that's good! Twenty minutes would about fill the
bill. You ain't tired so quick of a warm, snug place like that, are
you?"
"Just you try it, and see how you like its snugness. Drop me an end of
that rope, will you?"
"Give him the rope's end, Tug; he deserves it in another way, but we
haven't time to-day. Now, then--yo-heave-o!" and up came the lost
member, not much the worse for his adventure.
Then began the difficult work of crossing the hummock. In front of the
boat lay a steep slope of glassy ice, and beyond and above that a
series of steps and jagged points, forming about such a plateau as a
big heap of building-stone would make, only here the fragments were
larger.
All four, going to the top of the first slope, pulled the boat upward
until the forward runners were just balanced on the crest. Then a hook
on one of the ropes came loose; four young people fell sprawling; and
the boat dropped backward with a rush to the very bottom of the ridge,
where it upset.
"Now," said Aleck, when they had set the boat upright again, and found
nothing broken; "now let us take out all the loose stuff, and so
lighten her as much as we can."
This was done.
"We three fellows," was the Captain's next order, "will drag her up
again, and Katy must go behind with the boat-hook, and stick it into
the ice behind the boat, to hold it, like a chock-block under a wagon
wheel, whenever it shows any signs of slipping back. Now, everybody be
careful."
The steady pulling, with Katy's pushing and guiding, got the front
runners safely over the edge of the sloping side, and gave them a
chance to rest. But when they tried to move it forward enough to bring
the stern up, the boat couldn't be budged, because the ice in front
was so full of ruts and ridges.