THE ESCAPE TO THE SHORE.
To rouse themselves, hastily gather a few eatables, and make their way
ashore had been the work of a very short time, though done with great
soreness and much hobbling, after their cramped-up night in the boat.
They halted on the south side of a sheltering rock, where the sun was
beginning to shine against the gray stone. Katy hated to confess it,
but really she was very, very tired, and was quite willing to let
Aleck wrap her up in a thick blanket, and to lie quietly in a sunny
nook of the rock while the boys set a fire crackling as near to her as
was safe, and began to heat water for coffee. The mill had been
forgotten, but Tug had a piece of buckskin in his overcoat pocket, and
folding the grains in this they crushed them between two stones, which
did just as well as grinding them.
This done, the coffee-pot was filled and set upon the embers, and a
moment later four cups were steaming with the hot, reviving liquid,
and four tired hands were reaching towards the little heap of slices
cut from the boiled ham which had been tossed into the boat the night
before, when leaving the ice-raft. It had required all of Rex's
strength of mind to keep his paws off these tempting pieces for some
time past.
"Poor dog!" cried Jim; "we must give you something, if we are pretty
short. Pity there was no fish left for you."
"He can have my slice of ham," Katy said, with a faint smile. "I can't
eat it, somehow."
"Better try to eat a little, sis," Aleck said, "because--"
"Don't you touch a mouthful!" exclaimed Tug, snatching the shaving
from her hand and tossing it to the dog, which swallowed it at a gulp.
"Just you wait a minute! I ought to go and kick myself for not
thinking of it before!" And with this puzzling remark he rushed off
over the ice.
They saw him rummage about the cargo, and then start back, bringing
his gun and a small package.
"Thought it would be just as well to make sure of the gun," he
remarked, as he rejoined them; "and here's something, Katy, you can
eat, I guess!" It was a box containing two dozen preserved figs that
he opened, and handed to her. "I bought 'em just before we left
Monore," he said, "and clean forgot 'em till now--sure as I'm a
Dutchman!"
"Oh, give me one!" cried Jim.
"Jim Kincaid," said Tug, sternly, springing between the boy and Katy's
hand, outstretched in generosity, "if you touch one of those figs I'll
thump you well! I didn't bring them all this way for a lubber like you
to eat!" And in spite of all the girl's protests, Tug would not touch
a fig himself nor allow her to give one to anybody else.
Aleck grinned, and munched his tough morsel; Jim scowled, and gnawed
at his shavings as though he enjoyed viciously tearing them into
shreds; Tug thought his beef was juicy and sweet, as he saw with what
gusto poor Katy ate her fruit; and as for Rex, he dug his teeth into
the tough remnant of the dried shank which had been given to him, as
though he never expected to see another meal.
Refreshed and strengthened by their breakfast, meagre as it was, the
boys prepared to begin the work of bringing the cargo ashore, though
the weather was so cold that a thermometer would have marked nearly
down to zero.
Aleck forbade Katy to help, so she curled up beside the wall of rock,
which acted as a sort of oven to hold the warmth, where presently she
fell asleep, and the boys, when they returned with their first
sled-load of goods, were careful not to awaken her. So much had their
stock been reduced that they found a second trip would enable them to
bring everything of consequence ashore by carrying pretty large
armfuls. They therefore distributed their loads as best they could,
and started back from the abandoned boat, slipping and stumbling over
the rough ice and through the cutting wind.