SAVED FROM STARVATION.
When they arose next morning the air was much lighter, for it was no
longer snowing. Breaking their way out after breakfast, Aleck and Tug
climbed to the crest of the hummock above the house, where pretty soon
they were joined by Katy and Jim, anxious to get a look abroad. There
was not much satisfaction in this, though. On all sides stretched an
unbroken area of white--a spotless expanse of new snow such as you
never can see on land, for there was nothing to break the colorless
monotony, except where the hummock stretched away right and left, half
buried, and as white as the rest, save at a few points where crests of
upturned ice-blocks stood above the drifts.
"There is a higher point a little way over there," said Aleck to Tug;
"let's go across, and see if it will show us anything new."
"Mayn't we come?" asked Jim.
"No, Youngster, stay with Katy. It would be a useless journey for you,
and we'll soon be back."
And off they went, floundering up to their waists much of the time.
"Jim," says Katy, "I see, just beyond the hut"--pointing in the
direction opposite to that in which the lads had gone--"a space under
the edge of the hummock where the ice seems pretty clear. Understand?
And look! don't you see that long, dark line there? I wonder what it
can be? Let us go and find out. We can get along easily enough after a
few steps."
Jim strode ahead, and stamped down a path for Katy through the snow
that lay between their house and the clear space of ice that had been
swept by the eddy under the hummock, until, a moment later, they were
both running along upon a clean floor towards the object they had
seen. Now they could make it out clearly; and at the first discovery
Jim tossed his cap high in the air and gave a hurrah, in which the
girl joined, wishing she too had a cap to throw up. What do you
suppose it was that had so excited and gladdened them? Can't you
guess?
_A log of wood frozen into the ice!_
"Now we can have all the fire we want."
"And I can keep the coffee hot for the second cup."
Then they looked at one another, and laughed and clapped their hands
again. Were two children ever before made so happy by the simple
finding of a log?
Just then they heard Aleck's voice:
"Hallo-o-o! Where are you?"
Jim jumped up, and was about to shout back, but his sister threw her
hand over his mouth.
"Stop, Jimkin! Let them look for us, and have the fun of being
surprised by our great discovery."
So both kept quiet, and let the boys shout. By and by they saw their
heads bobbing over the drift, and presently Tug came running towards
them, with Aleck close behind.
"Why didn't you answer? Didn't you hear us? Hello! Whoop--la! Wood, or
I'm a Dutchman!" and all echoed his wild shout, and tried to imitate
his dance, until the joy was bumped out of them by sudden falls on the
slippery ice.
It was a tree trunk of oak, that had been floating about, frozen into
the ice, above the surface of which fully half of it was to be seen.
The stubs of the roots were towards them, while the upper end of the
tree, which had been a large one, was lost in a drift more than forty
feet distant.
"There is enough good wood here," said Aleck, "to keep us warm for two
months, if we don't waste it; and we ought to be very thankful."
"Then let's have a fire right away!" Jim exclaimed.
"All right, Youngster," was the Captain's response. "Fetch the axe,
and we'll soon light up."
When Jim had disappeared, Katy asked her brother what he had seen.
"Nothing," was the reply. "And it would just be impossible to move
half a mile a day in this snow. It's one of the deepest falls I ever
saw. We've got to stay here, for all I see, till it melts, or crusts
over, or blows away, or something else happens."
"Well, we have plenty of fuel now."
"Yes, but we can't live on oak--though we might on acorns. But here
comes Jimkin. Let's say no more about it now, Katy."
As the chips flew under Tug's blows, Katy gathered an armful, and
hastened back to kindle a fire, while Jim and Aleck busied themselves
in clearing a good path, and in hauling the hand-sled from under the
boat, where it had been jammed into the drift out of the way. By the
time it was ready Tug had chopped a sled-load of wood, and they hauled
it to the house. It had been very awkward climbing over their wall of
boxes, but they had been afraid to move any part of it, for fear of
throwing down the snow which had banked it up and made the place so
tight and warm. However, there was one box which must shortly be
opened in order to get at more provisions; so it was carefully moved,
and the wood piled in its place, leaving a low archway underneath,
through which they could crawl on their hands and knees.
"That's just like an _igloo_," said Katy.
"What's an 'igloo'?"
"An Eskimo house made of frozen snow, in the shape of a dome, and
entered by a low door, just like this one. By the way, are you getting
hungry?"
"Yes; bring us something to eat."
They went back to their chopping. Pretty soon Katy came running out,
bringing some crackers, a little hard cheese, and the last small jar
of jelly--"just for a taste," she explained. Then she broke out with
her story:
"Oh, boys, there's a whole lot of little birds--white and
brown--around the house. They seem to like to get near the smoke. I'm
going to throw out some crumbs."
"Yes, do," said Tug, eagerly, "and I'll get my gun."
"What? to shoot them! Oh, no."
"But they will make good eating."
"Ye-e-s, I suppose so," agreed the kind-hearted girl; "but I hate to
have them shot."
"It's hard, I know," Aleck said, sympathizing more with his sister
than with the birds, I fear; "but we need everything we can get. It
may be a great piece of good-fortune that they have come, and--Hold
up, Tug; aren't you afraid if you shoot at them they will be scared
away for good?"
"No fear of that," was the answer; "and we have no other way. Come
along, Katy, and keep Rex quiet."
Luncheon was stuffed in their pockets, and all hastened towards the
house.
There they still were--several flocks of birds resembling sparrows,
but larger than any common sparrow, and white; so white, in fact, that
they could only be seen at all against the snow by glimpses of a few
brown and black feathers on their backs. In each flock, however, there
were one or two of a different sort, easily distinguishable by their
darker plumage and rusty brown heads. Tug said they were Lapland
longspurs, and had pretty much the same habits as their numerous
associates. The whole flock of birds was very restless, constantly
rising and settling, but showed no disposition to go away, and took
little alarm at the four figures that stealthily approached.
"What are they?" whispered Aleck to Tug.
"White snow-flakes, or snow-buntings," he whispered back. "Mighty good
eating."
Creeping quietly into the house, Tug took his shot-gun out of the boat
and hastily loaded it, but with great care to see that the priming was
well up in the nipple and a good cap on. Then he slung over his
shoulders his shot-pouch and powder-horn--a short, black,
well-polished horn of buffalo, of which he was very proud, for it had
been a curiosity in Monore--and begged them all to stay in the house
and let him alone, unless he called to them, and, above all, to keep
the dog inside.
This said, he crawled forward out of the low doorway, holding his gun
well in front of him, and the other three sat down to wait for the
result.
Scarcely a minute had passed before a sharp report was heard, and a
little thud upon the canvas roof. At this sound Rex leaped up, and was
greatly excited. His ears were raised, his eyes flashed, and he gave
several short, quick barks. But Aleck had twisted his fingers in the
dog's mane, and forced him to drop down and keep quiet.
Very soon afterwards there rang out a second report, and again, after
time enough to reload, a third. Then the sportsman's voice was heard
calling, and all ran out to see how many he had bagged.
[Illustration: "A SHARP REPORT WAS HEARD."]