CHAPTER TEN.
THE SAND-BANK--DISMAL PROSPECTS--CONSULTATIONS--INTERNAL ARRANGEMENTSEXPOSED AND DETAILED.
Of all the changes that constantly vary the face of nature, the calmthat succeeds a storm is one of the most beautiful, and the mostagreeable, perhaps, to the feelings of man. Few conditions of natureconvey to the mind more thoroughly the idea of complete repose--of deeprest after mortal strife, of sleep after exhausting toil; and those whohave passed through the violence of the storm and done battle with itsdangers are, by the physical rest which they enjoy after it is over, themore fitted to appreciate and sympathise with the repose which reignsaround them.
When the sun rose, on the morning after the storm, it shone upon a sceneso calm and beautiful, so utterly unconnected with anything like the sinof a fallen world, and so typical, in its deep tranquillity, of the mindof Him who created it, that it seemed almost possible for a moment tofancy that the promised land was gained at last, and that all the darkclouds, the storms and dangers, the weary journeyings and the troublesof the wilderness, were past and gone for ever. So glorious was thescene that when Edith, rising from her rude couch and stepping over theprostrate forms of her still slumbering companions, issued from theshelter of the canoe and cast her eyes abroad upon the glassy sea, shecould not restrain her feelings, and uttered a thrilling shout of joythat floated over the waters and reverberated among the glittering cragsof the surrounding icebergs.
The island on which the travellers had been cast was a mere knoll ofsand, not more than a few hundred yards in circumference, that scarcelyraised its rounded summit above the level of the water, and at full tidewas reduced to a mere speck, utterly destitute of vegetation. The seaaround it was now smooth and clear as glass, though undulated by a long,regular swell, which rolled, at slow, solemn intervals, in majesticwaves towards the sand-bank, where they hovered for a moment in curvedwalls of dark-green water, then, lipping over, at their crests, fell ina roar of foam that hissed a deep sigh on the pebbles of the beach, andleft the silence greater than before. Masses of ice floated here andthere on the surface of the deep, the edges and fantastic points ofwhich were tipped with light. Not far from the northern extremity ofthe sand-bank a large iceberg had grounded, from the sides of whichseveral pinnacles had been hurled by the shock and now lay stranded onthe beach.
The shout with which Edith had welcomed the morning roused the wholeparty, and in a few minutes they were all assembled outside of theirlittle hut, some admiring the scene, others--of a less enthusiastic andmore practical turn--examining the circumstances of their position, andconsidering the best course that should be pursued in their difficulty.
Mr Stanley, Dick Prince, and Massan, as was their wont, held a councilupon the existing state of things, and after much gazing round at thesea and up at the sky, and considerable grunting of his deep voice andrubbing of his capacious chin, on the part of the latter, he turned toDick Prince, as if appealing to his superior sagacity, and said--
"Well, ye see, my 'pinion's jist this: yonder's the mainland there"(pointing to the eastward, where, about ten miles distant, the rocks andtrees were seen distorted and faintly looming through a tremulous haze),"an' there's our canoes _there_" (jerking his thumb over his shoulder inthe direction of the large canoes, whose torn sides and damaged ribs, asthey lay exposed on the sand, bore sad testimony to the violence of theprevious night's storm), "and there's the little canoe yonder,"(glancing towards the craft in question, which lay on the beach ahopelessly-destroyed mass of splinters and shreds of bark that projectedand bristled in all directions, as in uncontrollable amazement at thesuddenness and entirety of its own destruction). "Now, that bein' thecase, an' the baggage all wet, an' the day parfitly beautiful, an' thesun about hot enough to bile the sea, we can't do better nor stay wherewe are, an' mend the canoes, dry the goods, an' start fair to-morrowmornin'."
Stanley looked at Prince, as if expecting a remark from him; but thegrave countenance of the silent bowman indicated that he was absorbed incontemplation.
"'Tis quite evident, Massan," said Stanley, "that we must repair thecanoes; but a few hours could do that, and I don't like the idea ofstaying another night on a strip of sand like this, which, I verilybelieve, another stiff nor'-wester would blow away altogether.--But whatsay you, Prince? Do you advise our remaining?"
"Yes," replied Dick, "I do. Ye see there's no fear of another stormsoon. 'Tis a good chance for dryin' the goods, so I vote for stoppin'."
"Well, then, we shall stay," replied Stanley. "To say truth, I agreedwith you at first, Massan, but it's always advisable to look at bothsides of a question--"
"Yes, and `in the multitude of counsellors there is wisdom,'" said FrankMorton, coming up at the moment, and tapping his friend on the shoulder."If you will include me in your confabulation, you shall have thebenefit of deep experience and far-sighted sagacity."
"Come, then, Master Frank," replied Stanley, "what does your sagacityadvise on the point of our staying on this sandbank? Shall we spendanother night on it in order to dry the goods, or shall we up and awayto _terra firma_ as soon as the canoes are seaworthy?"
"Stay, of course," said Frank. "As to the sand-bank, 'tis firm enough,to my mind, after resisting the shock of the wave that dashed me ashorelast night. Then we have everything we need--shelter and food, and evenfuel." As Frank mentioned the last word, he glanced round with a ruefulcountenance and pointed to the bark and timbers of his broken canoe.
"True, Frank, we have wherewith to boil the kettle, and as thewater-cask was full when we started yesterday morning, there will beenough at least for one or two days."
"By the way, that reminds me that Eda and your wife are particularlydesirous of having breakfast," said Frank. "In fact they sent mespecially to lay their melancholy case before you; and I have greatfears that Eda will lay violent hands on the raw pork if her morningmeal is delayed much longer. As for Chimo, he is rushing about theisland in a state of ravenous despair; so pray let us be going."
"Be it so, Frank," said Stanley, taking his friend's arm, and saunteringtowards the canoe, while Massan and Prince went to inform their comradesof the determination of their leader.
In an hour after the above discourse breakfast was over, and the men,under Stanley's inspection, arranged and examined the baggage, which,considering that it had been rolled about by the surf for a considerabletime, was not so much soaked as might have been expected. The two kegsof gunpowder were first inspected, being the most valuable part of thecargo, as on them depended much of their future livelihood. They werefound to be quite dry, except a small portion of powder at the seams ofthe staves, which, having caked with the moisture, had saved the restfrom damage. Some of the bales, however, containing knives and otherhardware, were very wet, and had to be opened out and their contentswiped and spread out to dry. Blankets, too, and other woollen garmentsthat had suffered, were also spread out on the sand, so that in a shorttime the little island was quite covered with a strange assortment ofmiscellaneous articles, that gave to it the appearance of a crowdedstore. The entire wealth of the fur-traders was now exposed to view,and it may perhaps be interesting to enumerate the different articles,in order to give some idea of the outfit deemed necessary on such anexpedition.
And, first, there were two kegs of gunpowder, as before mentioned,containing each thirty pounds, with four bags of ball and three of shotof various sizes--in all, about 250 pounds of lead. Six nets of fourand a half inch mesh. A large quantity of twine for making nets--mostof the men being able to construct these useful articles. A small bagof gun-flints. Sixty pounds of roll tobacco. Twelve large axes. Sixaugers. Seven dozen scalping-knives. Six pounds of variously-colouredbeads. Two dozen fire-steels, and a pretty large assortment of awls,needles, thread, nails, and such like small articles, which, thoughextremely useful, were too numerous and comparatively insignificant tomention in detail. Besides these, there was a small bale containinggaudy ornaments and attractive articles, which w
ere intended aspropitiatory presents to the Esquimaux when they should be met with.Then there were two runlets of salt pork, containing about ninety poundseach, and in the centre of each runlet were two hams. A barrel of flourand a barrel of oatmeal constituted all their provision, if we except asmall cask of hard biscuit, and a little tea and sugar, which were theprivate property of Stanley and Frank Morton. There was also a largedeerskin tent, capable of holding from twenty to thirty men, which wasintended to be used while they were engaged in building their winterresidence at Ungava. As to arms, each man had one of the longsingle-barrelled fowling-pieces that are supplied by the Fur Company tothe natives, and are styled Indian guns. Stanley had a double-barrelledflint fowling-piece; and Frank had a rifle, besides a single gun of adescription somewhat finer than that supplied to the Indians. Of courseeach man carried a scalping-knife and an axe in his belt, not for thepurpose of self-defence, but for carving their food and cutting theirfuel.
It may be well to remark here that the goods and provisions which wehave detailed above were merely intended as a supply for their immediatenecessities, and to enable them to commence active operations at once onarriving at their destination, while the heavy stores and goodsnecessary for the year's trade were to be forwarded in a small sloopfrom the depot direct through Hudson's Straits to Ungava Bay.
When the work of unpacking and exposing the things to dry in the sun wasaccomplished, it was long past noon, and high time for dinner; so a firewas lighted by Bryan, who cut up another portion of Frank's canoe forthe purpose. A rasher of pork and a flour cake were disposed of by eachof the party in a surprisingly short time, and then the men bestirredthemselves in mending the canoes. This was a more troublesome job thanthey expected, but being accustomed not only to mend but to make canoes,they worked with a degree of skill and diligence that speedily put allto rights. In Massan's canoe there was a hole large enough, as Bryanremarked, to stick his head through, though it was a "big wan, an' nomistake." Taking up a roll of bark, which was carried with them for thepurpose, Massan cut from it a square patch, which he _sewed_ over thehole, using an awl for a needle and the fibrous roots of the pine tree,called wattape, for thread. After it was firmly sewed on, the seamswere covered with melted gum, and the broken spot was as tight andstrong as ever. There were next found several long slits, one of themfully three feet, which were more easily managed, as they merelyrequired to be sewed and covered with gum. Several broken ribs,however, were not so easily repaired. Had there been any wood on theisland, Massan's quick knife would have soon fashioned new ribs; as itwas, he had to make the best job he could, by splicing the old ones withseveral pieces abstracted from Frank's little canoe.
It was sunset before all was put in complete order, the goods repacked,and placed in readiness for a start at daybreak on the followingmorning. After all was done, the remains of the small canoe wereconverted into a bonfire, round which the tired and hungry travellersassembled to smoke and chat, while supper was being prepared by theindefatigable Bryan and his friend La Roche. As the day faded away thestars came out, one by one, until they glittered in millions in the sky,while the glare of the fire became every moment more and more intense asthe darkness deepened. It was a strange, wild scene,--especially whenviewed from the extremity of the little sand-bank, which was so low asto be almost indiscernible in the dark night, and seemed scarce asufficient foundation for the little busy group of human beings whostood radiant in the red light of their camp-fire, like a blazing gemcast upon the surface of the great, cold sea.
Ungava Page 10
