Ungava

by R. M. Ballantyne

  CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN.

  FRANK MORTON GETS INTO DIFFICULTIES.

  Chimo's loud bark and the angry snarl of a large wolf, as it darted awayto seek the shelter of the kills, were the sounds that awoke ourtravellers in the grey dawn of the following morning.

  Frank started up, seized his gun, and darted through the doorway of theigloo; in doing which he dashed the door of snow to atoms. He had onlythe satisfaction, however, of seeing the wolf's tail flourish in theair, as the animal bounded over a snow-drift and disappeared in aravine.

  "Ha! how cold it is!" he exclaimed, re-entering the igloo hastily; farhaving issued forth without his coat or cap, the two minutes duringwhich he stood exposed to the open air cooled him down nearly to thefreezing point. "Hallo, Maximus! jump up; light the lamp while I fillthe kettle. Heyday! it solidifies the very marrow in one's bones. Ho,Edith! up with you, lazy thing; there has been a wolf to bid yougood-morrow."

  While Frank rattled on thus he belted his leathern coat round him, puton his fur cap, and prepared breakfast; while Edith rose and resumed thecap and cloak which she had put off on lying down to rest.

  "Maximus," said Frank, after the first duties of the day were concluded,"we must now go and set the hooks; but as cutting holes in the ice willoccupy you some time, I'll take a short walk along the margin of thelake with my gun. Be careful of Edith till I return."

  So saying, Frank went off, taking Chimo along with him; while Maximusseized the axe and ice-chisel, and began the laborious process ofdigging through to the water. The ice on the lake was five feet thick,but by dint of great perseverance the Esquimau succeeded in makingseveral holes through it ere Frank returned. Each hole was large enoughto contain the body of a man, but a little wider above than below. Inthese holes were set stout cod-lines, with hooks of about half an inchor more in diameter. They were made of white metal, and clumsy enoughto look at; but fish in the lakes of Ungava are not particular. Thesehooks were baited with lumps of seal-fat, and ere half an hour elapsedthe success of the anglers was very decided and satisfactory.

  Frank hauled up a white-fish of about six pounds weight at the firstdip, and scarcely had he thrown it on the ice when Maximus gave agalvanic start, hauled up his line a few yards with laughable eagerness,then stopped suddenly, under the impression, apparently, that it was afalse alarm; but another tug set him again in motion, and in threeseconds he pulled a fine lake-trout of about ten pounds weight out ofthe hole. Edith, also, who had a line under her care, began to showsymptoms of expectation.

  "Capital!" cried Frank, beating his hands violently against hisshoulders; for handling wet line, with the thermometer at twenty belowzero is decidedly cold work--"capital! we must set up a regular fisheryhere, I think; the fish are swarming. There's another,--eh? no--he'soff--"

  "Oh! oh!! oh!!!" shrieked Edith in mingled fear and excitement, as, ateach successive "oh!" she received a jerk that well-nigh pulled her intothe ice-hole.

  "Hold hard!" cried Frank; "now then, haul away." Edith pulled, and sodid the fish; but as it was not more than five pounds weight or so, sheovercame it after a severe struggle, and landed a white-fish on the ice.

  The next shout that Edith gave was of so very decided and thrilling acharacter that Frank and Maximus darted to her side in alarm, and thelatter caught the line as it was torn violently from her grasp. For afew minutes the Esquimau had to allow the line to run out, being unableto hold the fish--at least without the risk of breaking his tackle; butin a few seconds the motion of the line became less rapid, and Maximusheld on, while his huge body was jerked violently, notwithstanding hisweight and strength. Soon the line relaxed a little, and Maximus ranaway from the hole as fast as he could, drawing the line after him.When the fish reached the hole it offered decided resistance to suchtreatment; and being influenced, apparently, by the well-known proverb,"Time about's fair play," it darted away in its turn, causing theEsquimau to give it line again very rapidly.

  "He must be an enormously big fellow," said Frank, as he and Edith stoodclose to the hole watching the struggle with intense interest.

  The Esquimau gave a broad grin.

  "Yis, he most very biggest--hie!"

  The cause of this exclamation of surprise was the slacking of the lineso suddenly that Maximus was induced to believe the fish had escaped.

  "Him go be-off. Ho yis!"

  But he was wrong. Another violent tug convinced him that the fish wasstill captive--though an unwilling one--and the struggle was renewed.In about a quarter of an hour Maximus dragged this refractory fishslowly into the hole, and its snout appeared above water.

  "Oh! _what_ a fish!" exclaimed Edith.

  "Put in de spear," cried the Esquimau.

  Frank caught up a native spear which Maximus had provided, and just asthe fish was about to recommence the struggle for its life, hetransfixed it through the gills, and pinned it to the side of theice-hole. The battle was over; a few seconds sufficed to drag the fishfrom its native element and lay it at full length on the ice.

  And few anglers have ever had the pleasure of beholding such a prize.It was a trout of fully sixty pounds weight, and although such fish areseldom if ever found in other parts of the world, they are by no meansuncommon in the lakes of North America.

  Having secured this noble fish, Maximus cut it open and cleaned it,after which it was left to freeze. The other fish were then similarlytreated; and while the Esquimau was thus engaged, Frank and Edithcontinued their sport. But daylight in these far northern regions isvery short-lived in winter, and they were soon compelled unwillingly toleave off.

  "Now, Maximus," said Frank, as they rolled up their lines, "I don'tintend to keep you longer with us. Edith and I can manage the fishingvery well, so you may return to your friends at False River, and takethe seal-flesh for the dogs up to the fort. Get the loan of some oftheir dogs and a sled to haul it; and come round this way in passing, soas to pick up any fish we may have ready for you. The moon will be upin a little, so be off as fast as you can."

  In obedience to these orders, Maximus packed up a small quantity ofprovisions, and bidding good-bye to his two friends, set off to make thebest of his way to the coast.

  That night Frank and his little charge sat down to sup together in theigloo at the head of their snow-table, and Chimo acted the part ofcroupier in the room of the Esquimau. And a pleasant evening theyspent, chatting, and laughing, and telling stories, by the light of thestone lamp, the mellow flame of which shed a warm influence over thesparkling dome of snow. Before retiring to rest, Frank said that theymust be up with the first light, for he meant to have a hard day'sfishing; but man little knows what a day may bring forth. Neither Franknor Edith dreamed that night of the events that were to happen on themorrow.

  On awaking in the morning they were again roused by the voice of thewolf which had visited them the day before. In order to catch thiswolf, Maximus had, just before starting, constructed a trap peculiar tothe Esquimaux. It was simply a hole dug down through the ice at theedge of the lake, not far from the igloo. This hole was just wideenough to admit the body of a wolf, and the depth sufficient to renderit absolutely impossible for the animal to thrust his snout to thebottom, however long his neck might be. At the bottom a tempting pieceof blubber, in very _high_ condition, was placed. The result of thisingenious arrangement was most successful, and, we may add, inevitable.Attracted by the smell of the meat, our friend the wolf came trottingdown to the lake just about daybreak, and sneaked suspiciously up to thetrap. He peeped in and licked his lips with satisfaction at thecharming breakfast below. One would have thought, as he showed hisformidable white teeth, that he was laughing with delight. Then,spreading out his fore legs so as to place his breast on the ice, hethrust his head down into the hole and snapped at the coveted blubber.But he had mistaken the depth, and blaming himself, no doubt, for hisstupidity, he slid a little further forward, and pushed his head deeperdown. What! not at it yet? Oh! this is preposterous! Under th
isimpression he rose, shook himself, and advancing his shoulders as far asprudence would allow, again thrust down his head and stretched his neckuntil the very sinews cracked. Then it was, but not till then, that theconviction was forced on him that that precious morsel was totally andabsolutely beyond his reach altogether. Drawing himself back he satdown on his haunches and uttered a snarling bark of dissatisfaction.But the odour that ascended from that hole was too much for the powersof wolfish nature to resist. Showing his teeth with an expression ofmingled disappointment and ferocity, he plunged his head into the holeonce more. Deeper and deeper still it went, but the blubber was yetthree inches from his eager nose. Another shove--no! dislocation alonecould accomplish the object. His shoulders slid very imperceptibly intothe hole. His nose was within an inch of the prize, and he couldactually touch it with his tongue. Away with cowardly prudence! whatrecked he of the consequences? Up went his hind legs, down went hishead, and the tempting bait was gained at last!

  Alas for wolfish misfortunes! His fore legs were jammed immovablyagainst his ribs. A touch of his hind foot on the ice would remedy thismishap, but he was too far in for that. Vigorously he struggled, but invain. The blood rushed to his head, and the keen frost quickly put anend to his pains. In a few minutes he was dead, and in half an hour hewas frozen, solid as a block of wood, with his hind legs and tailpointing to the sky.

  It was at the consummation of this event that another wolf, likewiseattracted by the blubber, trotted down the wild ravine and uttered ahowl of delighted surprise as it rushed forward to devour its deadcompanion--for such is the custom among wolves. And this was the howlthat called Frank forth in time to balk its purpose.

  Frank happened to be completely dressed at the time, and as he saw thewolf bound away up the mountain gorge, he seized his gun and snow-shoes,and hastily slung on his powder-horn and shot-belt.

  "Edith," he cried, as he was about to start, "I must give chase to thatwolf. I won't be gone long. Light the lamp and prepare breakfast,dear--at least as much of it as you can; I'll be back to complete it.--Hallo, Chimo! here, Chimo!" he shouted, whistling to the dog, whichbounded forth from the door of the hut and followed his master up theravine.

  Edith was so well accustomed to solitary wanderings among the ruggedglens in the neighbourhood of Fort Chimo that she felt no alarm onfinding herself left alone in this wild spot. She knew that Frank wasnot far off, and expected him back in a few minutes. She knew, also,that wild animals are not usually so daring as to show themselves inopen ground after the break of day, particularly after the shouts ofhuman beings have scared them to their dens; so, instead of giving athought to any possible dangers that might threaten her, she appliedherself cheerfully and busily to the preparation of their morning meal.First she lighted the lamp, which instantly removed the gloom of theinterior of the igloo, whose little ice-window as yet admitted only thefaint light of the grey dawn. Then she melted a little snow, andcleaned out the kettle, in which she placed two cuts of fresh trout; andhaving advanced thus far in her work, thought it time to throw on herhood and peep out to see if Frank was coming. But there was no sign ofFrank, so she re-entered the igloo and began to set things to rights.She folded up the deerskins on which she had reposed, and piled them atthe head of the willow matting that formed her somewhat rough andunyielding mattress, after which she arranged the ottoman, and laid outthe breakfast things on the snow-table. Having accomplished all this toher entire satisfaction, Edith now discovered that the cuts of salmonwere sufficiently well boiled, and began to hope that Frank would bequick, lest the breakfast should be spoiled. Under the influence ofthis feeling she threw on her hood a second time, and going out upon thelake, surveyed the shore with a scrutinising gaze. The sun was now sofar above the natural horizon that the daylight was pretty clear, butthe high mountains prevented any of his direct rays from penetrating thegloom of the valley of the lake. Still there was light enough to enablethe solitary child to distinguish the objects on shore; but Frank's tallform was not visible anywhere.

  Heaving a slight sigh, Edith returned to the hut, soliloquising thus asshe went--"Dear me! it is very strange that Frank should stay away solong. I fear that the trout will be quite spoiled. Perhaps it would bevery good cold. No doubt of it. We shall have it cold, and then I canget the tea ready."

  In pursuance of this plan, the anxious little housekeeper removed thetrout from the kettle, which she cleaned out and refilled with snow.When this was melted and boiled, she put in the tea. In due time thisalso was ready, and she sallied forth once more, with a feelingapproaching to anxiety, to look for Frank. Still her companion did notmake his appearance, and for the first time a feeling of dread touchedher heart. She strove to avert it, however, by considering that Frankmight have been obliged to follow the wolf farther than he expected orintended. Then a thrill of fear passed through her breast as thethought occurred, "What if the wolf has attacked and killed him?" Astime wore on, and no sound of voice or gun or bark of dog broke thedreary stillness of that gloomy place, a feeling of intense horror tookpossession of the child's mind, and she pictured to herself all kinds ofpossible evils that might have befallen her companion; while at the sametime she could not but feel how awful was her unprotected and helplesscondition. One thought, however, comforted her, and this was thatMaximus would certainly come to the hut on his return to the fort. Thisrelieved her mind in regard to herself; but the very relief on thatpoint enabled her all the more to realise the dangers to which Frankmight be exposed without any one to render him assistance.

  The morning passed away, the sun rose above the hills, and theshort-lived day drew towards its close; still Frank did not return, andthe poor child who watched so anxiously for him, after many short andtimid wanderings towards the margin of the lake, returned to the igloowith a heart fluttering from mingled anxiety and terror. Throwingherself on the deerskin couch, she burst into a flood of tears. As shelay there, sobbing bitterly, she was startled by a noise outside thehut, and ere she could spring from her recumbent position, Chimo dartedthrough the open doorway, with a cry between a whine and a bark, andlaid his head on Edith's lap.

  "Oh! what is it, my dog? Dear Chimo, where is Frank?" cried the childpassionately, while she embraced her favourite with feelings of mingleddelight and apprehension. "Is he coming, Chimo?" she said, addressingthe dumb animal, as if she believed he understood her. Then, risinghastily, she darted out once more, to cast a longing, expectant gazetowards the place where she had seen her companion disappear in themorning. But she was again doomed to disappointment. Meanwhile Chimo'sconduct struck her as being very strange. Instead of receiving with hisusual quiet satisfaction the caresses she heaped upon him, he kept up acontinual whine, and ran about hither and thither without any apparentobject in view. Once or twice he darted off with a long melancholy howltowards the hills; then stopping short suddenly, stood still and lookedround towards his young mistress. At first Edith thought that the dogmust have lost his master, and had come back to the hut expecting tofind him there. Then she called him to her and examined his mouth,expecting and dreading to find blood upon it. But there were no signsof his having been engaged in fighting with wolves; so Edith felt surethat Frank must be safe from _them_ at least, as she knew that Chimo wastoo brave to have left his master to perish alone. The dog submittedwith much impatience to this examination, and at last broke away fromEdith and ran yelping towards the hills again, stopping as before, andlooking back.

  The resolute manner with which Chimo did this, and the frequency of itsrecurrence, at length induced Edith to believe that the animal wishedher to follow him. Instantly it occurred that he might conduct her toFrank; so without bestowing a thought on the danger of her forsaking theigloo, she ran in for her snow-shoes, and putting on her hood and thickmittens, followed the dog to the margin of the lake. Chime's impatienceseemed to subside immediately, and he trotted rapidly towards the ravineinto which Frank had entered in pursuit of the wolf that morning. Th
edog paused ever and anon as they proceeded, in order to give the childtime to come up with him; and so eager was Edith in her adventure, andso hopeful was she that it would terminate in her finding Frank, thatshe pressed forward at a rate which would have been utterly impossibleunder less exciting circumstances.

  At the foot of the ravine she found the remains of the wolf which hadbeen caught in the snow-trap that morning. Frank had merely pulled itout and cast it on the snow in passing, and the torn fragments andscattered bones of the animal showed that its comrades had breakfastedoff its carcass after Frank had passed. Here Edith paused to put on hersnow-shoes, for the snow in the ravine was soft, being less exposed tothe hardening action of the wind; and the dog sat down to wait patientlyuntil she was ready.

  "Now, Chimo, go forward, my good dog. I will follow you without fear,"she said, when the lines were properly fastened to her feet.

  Chimo waited no second command, but threaded his way rapidly up theravine among the stunted willow bushes. In doing so he had frequentoccasion to wait for his young mistress, whose strength was rapidlyfailing under the unwonted exertion she forced herself to make. Attimes she had to pause for breath, and as she cast her eyes upwards andaround at the dreary desolation of the rugged precipices whicheverywhere met her view, she could with difficulty refrain from sheddingtears. But Edith's heart was warm and brave. The thought of Frankbeing in some mysterious, unknown danger, infused new energy into hersoul and strengthened her slight frame. Having now recovered somewhatfrom the nervous haste which urged her to travel at a rate much beyondher capacity, she advanced into the ravines of the mountains with moreof that steady, regular tramp which practice in the use of hersnow-shoes had taught her to assume; so that, being of a robustconstitution naturally, she became stronger and more able for herundertaking as she advanced.

  For nearly two hours Chimo led Edith into the midst of the mountains.The scenery became, if possible, more savage as they proceeded, and atlength grew so rugged and full of precipices and dark gorges, or rather_splits_ in the hills, that Edith had much difficulty in avoiding thedanger of falling over many of the latter, which were partiallyconcealed by, and in some places entirely covered over with, a crust ofsnow. Fortunately, as daylight waned, a brilliant galaxy of stars shoneforth, enabling her to pick her steps.

  Hitherto they had followed Frank's snow-shoe track undeviatingly, butnear the top of a cliff Chimo suddenly diverged to the left, and led hismistress by a steep and tortuous natural path to the bottom. Here heran quickly forward, uttering a low whine or whimper, and disappearedround the corner of the precipice. Hastening after the dog with abeating heart, Edith speedily gained the projection of the cliff, onturning which she was startled and terrified by hearing a loud snarlingbark mingled with a fierce growl. In another moment she beheld Chimobounding towards a gaunt savage-looking wolf, which stood close besidethe body of a man extended at full length upon the snow.

  At first the wolf did not seem inclined to retreat, but the shriek whichEdith uttered on suddenly beholding the scene before her induced him toturn tail and fly. In another moment the terrified child sank exhaustedon the snow beside the insensible form of Frank Morton.