Edward Huntington

“ Toward night the wind subsided, and the clouds cleared away, so that by the time they had finished their heaping plates of pork and beans the stars were out glistening like steel points in the frosty air. Later in the evening they heard howling in the distance—terrifying sounds to the boy, made by a pack of big timber wolves out on a hunt, as Martin explained. ”

“ They would tell you of the time that a hunting party from the States were lost in the woods in a great November blizzard, and how Martin, frost-bitten and famished, had finally found them and brought them back to the settlement. They could tell of his fight with a wounded moose that had gored another hunter, and would have killed him but for the quick work of Martin’s hunting knife. Indeed, once the old hunter became the theme of their talk, there was no end to the tales the woodsmen would tell of his adventures. ”

“ But the white wolf sank in the snow where it stood, and lay still: the little bullet had “knocked him dead in his tracks” sure enough. With a gulp of exultation Larry slipped in a fresh cartridge and aimed carefully at a wolf that was a little in advance of the other two. Again his aim was true; but this wolf did not drop silently as had the white one. Instead he gave a howl of pain and rolled in the snow, turning it red all about him in his death struggles.
The other two wolves had leaped back at the flash and sound of the rifle as before. ”

“ Sometime in the middle of the night Larry was awakened by flakes of snow driven into his face, and by the sound of the storm howling around the tent. The flakes sputtered in the fire which still flared and struggled to keep burning. The boy was warm and comfortable in the fur bag, however, and after pulling the flap over his head to keep out the snow, he was soon sleeping soundly. When he opened his eyes again it was daylight, and Martin was plodding about in the storm, building a fire close to the tent where the wind struck it least. ”

“ At noon they stopped, the dogs dropping in their tracks, and Larry stretched his aching legs on his load while Martin boiled a pot of tea and heated up their lunch. But in half an hour they were back in the harness again, trudging on silently. Even the dogs seemed to realize that they must do their utmost, straining at the traces all the time, with noses pointed straight ahead, but wasting no energy in useless looking about at interesting objects along the trail as they had always done on their previous journeys. ”

“ One glance at the trampled snow, the dead rabbit still lying where the lynx had dropped it, and the broad twisting trail leading further into the swamp, told him the story of what had taken place more completely than any white man could write it. And almost without pausing he began following this trail cautiously forward, his arrow still poised; for one never knows what a captive animal may do when driven to desperation.
“Suddenly the little Indian stopped, his eyes snapping as he drew the arrow to the head with every ounce of strength in his arms and back. ”

“ The realization that he was utterly alone in the great wilderness with darkness at hand, and a pack of wolves howling at his open door made the boy chill with terror. Instinctively he sought shelter behind the fire near the dogs, who welcomed him with appreciative whines. They looked upon him as a protector, and their faith helped his courage. Martin’s instruction to “give ’em the thirty-eight” also cheered him, and he took out the little gun and prepared for battle.
“Every wolf is a coward,” the old hunter had said; but these wolves were not acting like cowards at all. ”

“ And all the time the movements of the boat kept Larry lying close to the floor, clinging to the edge of the lower bunk to keep from being thrown violently across the cabin.
The dogs, unable to find a foothold when the cabin floor rose beneath them, were often thrown violently about the room, their claws scratching futilely along the hard boards as they strove to stop the impetus of the fall. But the moment the boat righted itself, they crawled whimpering back and crouched close to the frightened boy. ”

“ For we surely have got to work for our lives to-day. If this boat should suddenly take it into her head to slide off into the ocean again, as she may do at any minute, we’re goners, even if we are left on shore, unless we get a winter’s supply unloaded and stored on the rocks. For we are a long way from civilization, I can tell you.”
With that Martin rushed Larry to the galley, dug out some bread, cold meat, and a can of condensed milk. And, grudging every minute’s delay, they stood among the wreckage of the once beautiful cabin, cramming down their cold breakfast as hastily as possible. ”

“ It was winter time, and the snow on the ground was knee-deep with just a little crust on it. On his snow-shoes Weewah glided through the forest, noticing everything he passed and fixing it in his memory instinctively so that he could be sure of finding the back trail. For this day he meant to go deep, deep into the spruce swamp in his hunting. There he would find game worthy of the bow of the mighty hunter he intended to prove himself.
“The tracks of many animals crossed his path, little wood dwellers such as rabbits and an occasional mink. ”

“ The thought that the old man must have been injured, or taken ill, kept forcing itself into the boy’s mind. An experienced hunter like Martin would not lose his way; and moreover, if he should become confused, he would still have his own trail to follow back to camp; for this trail was well marked in the snow. In any event, Larry could not remain inactive any longer with these terrible fears tearing at his heart.
So he harnessed the dogs tandem to one of the empty toboggans, strapped on his snow-shoes, and started out following Martin’s trail of the day before. ”

“ Despite Larry’s efforts, however, the sled received severe bumps at times, that made Martin groan with pain. But the old hunter would not allow any stops or slackening of speed for so trivial a matter as his personal discomfort. His dominant idea was to get back “home” as quickly as possible, and his attitude spurred Larry on to exert himself to the limit of endurance. By sundown they had covered a quarter of the distance to the coast; and in the afternoon of the fourth day they came tearing into the home camp, the dogs barking frantically and Martin and Larry shouting their delight. ”

“ The old hunter smiled and shook his head. “That’s the way I should have talked at your age,” he said. “But I have learned that many things in this world turn out very differently from what we expect, and so I always plan for the very worst that can possibly happen. And it will be a comfort for me to know that there is a big cache of supplies waiting here in case we have to come back, although I haven’t the faintest idea of doing so.”
When the canvasses had been secured to Martin’s satisfaction he made the fastenings all about their camp secure in the same way. ”

“ Of course if the snare was simply fastened to the limb over the path the rabbit would choke himself to death for a certainty, because he never stops pulling and tugging at the noose while he has a kick left in him. But then some fox or weasel would probably come along and get him. But neither of them will get him if he is dangling in the air: the weasel can’t reach him, and the fox is such a crafty fellow, always looking out for traps and tricks, that he won’t go near a dead rabbit hanging on a string, even if he is starving. ”

“ All right, you’ve got something for him, too, and right in the same gun. All you have to do is to shift the little catch on the hammer here which connects with the firing-pin in the lower barrel, draw a bead, and you knock him down dead with the big bullet—as Mr. Ware did last fall up in New Brunswick. There will be a louder report, and a harder kick, but you won’t notice either when you see the big fellow roll over and kick his legs in the air.”
The very suggestion of such a possibility was too much for the boy’s imagination. “Do you really think that I may kill a deer, or a moose, Martin?” ”

“ I’m only a poor little fox, anyway, while you are a big, brave boy, with guns and dogs and traps, and you needn’t even come near enough so that I can bite you. You have been trying to kill me all winter, just because some woman will give you a thousand dollars for the fur I wear to keep warm in, and now you’ve got your chance to do it.’—What would you do, Martin, if a fox looked at you and talked to you with his eyes like that? ”

“ It was in vain that Martin coated the trap with wax to disguise the scent, covering his hands and feet with the skins of the wild animals in setting or approaching the trap. Reynard refused to be deceived.
But perhaps success made him careless, although it was probably the fault of the thin covering of wet snow that fell one day late in the spring. For at last, after Larry had almost given up hope of getting even a single silver fox skin, the inevitable happened. Poor Reynard walked deliberately into a trap that had been set rather carelessly to catch a marten. ”

“ For when we strike out across this country we don’t know what kind of a land we may get into. We may find timber region all the way, and if we do there will be no danger of our freezing. But it’s more than likely that we shall strike barren country part of the time where there will be no fire-wood; and then we will appreciate these fur bags. For I don’t care how cold it gets or how hard it blows, we can burrow down into the snow and crawl into the bags, and always be sure of a warm place to sleep.
“Then again, the very luckiest thing for us was the saving of those two dogs,” Martin continued. ”

“ Then the little Indian broke off branches, thrusting them into the snow about the rabbit, until he had formed a little bower facing the snare. Any animal attempting to seize it would thrust its own head right through the fatal hangman’s loop.
“When Weewah had finished this task he gathered up his tomahawk and bow and arrows, and started back along his own trail. He made no attempt to cover up the traces of his work, as he would if trapping a fox; for the lynx is a stupid creature, like all of his cousins of the cat family, and will blunder into a trap of almost any kind. ”

“ Early the next morning Martin roused Larry for breakfast. The old man had been up an hour and was ready to start on his hunt as soon as breakfast was finished, but he had let the boy sleep as long as possible. While they ate Martin gave Larry final instructions as to what he was to do during the day.
“Rest all you can,” he instructed, “and don’t go far from camp under any circumstances. Don’t let the dogs loose even for a minute. It isn’t likely that they would wander off, but they might get started after a rabbit and wind up chasing caribou or fighting wolves. ”

“ Martin said. “The rabbits make little narrow paths in the snow—thousands of them, running in all directions—and when they are not disturbed and going about their business, they always follow these paths. Now when the rabbit comes to a fallen limb lying across his path a few inches above the ground, he likes to go under the limb rather than hop over it. This simplifies matters for the Indian. He simply hangs his snare in front of the hole under the limb, and is almost sure to catch the first rabbit that comes hopping along that particular path. ”

“ He found that the old hunter, while he was collecting the wood, had unearthed a cooking outfit, and had pots, pans, and kettles strewn about ready for use. Best of all he had hunted out two fur sleeping bags, and had placed a pile of blankets in the little tent, which looked very inviting to the weary boy.
Martin saw his wistful look and chuckled. “Too tired to eat I suppose?” he inquired.
“Well, pretty near it,” Larry confessed. “I was never half so tired in my whole life.”
“All right,” said Martin; “you’ve worked like a real man to-day. ”

“ They broke camp the next day before dawn and headed the dogs out into the open expanse of glistening crust. There was no need to direct their course, nor stimulate them to top speed. A trained sledge dog remembers directions better than a man, and is as keen for the return trip toward home as his human companions. Indeed Jack and Kim showed such enthusiasm and found that their load ran so easily on the hard crust that Larry had difficulty in keeping up with them at times except by clinging to the handles. ”