Under the Great Bear

by Kirk Munroe

  CHAPTER XXVIII.

  CABOT IS LEFT ALONE.

  Deeply interested and affected as Cabot had been by the electrician'sstory, his excitement over its conclusion caused him momentarily toforget everything else.

  "Does the ore show anywhere about here?" he asked eagerly.

  "Yes. Lift one of the skins hanging against the wall and you will findit. It is better, though, in the lower portions of the inner cavern,for the deeper you go the richer it gets."

  In another moment our young engineer was chipping bits of rock from thenearest wall, and then he must need explore those of the storeroom,where, on a bank of the subterranean stream, he found ore as rich asany he had ever seen, even in museums. Returning with hands andpockets full of specimens, he said:

  "This is the very thing for which I came to Labrador, but have thus farfailed to find. Of course I have discovered plenty of indications, forthe whole country is full of iron, but nowhere else have I found it inquantity or of a quality that would pay to work. Here you have both,and close to a navigable waterway."

  "On which the largest ships may moor to the very cliffs," added Mr.Balfour.

  "It means a fortune to the owner, and I congratulate you, sir."

  "My dear lad, I don't want it! I am an electrician, not a miner. Evenif I were inclined to work it, which I am not, I should not bepermitted to do so, for my earthly interests are very nearly ended.Therefore I cheerfully relinquish in your favour whatever claim I mayhave acquired by discovery or occupation. If you want it, take it, andmay God's blessing go with the gift. Also, under this bed, you willfind a bag containing more specimens that may interest you. Of them wewill talk at another time, for now I am weary."

  With this the man turned his face to the wall, while Cabot, securingthe bag, quickly became absorbed in an examination of its contents.Among these he found rich specimens of iron and copper ores, slabs ofthe rare and exquisitely beautiful Labradorite, with its sheen ofpeacock-blue, and even bits of gold-bearing quartz. For a long time heexamined and tested these; then, with a sigh of content, he laid themaside and went to bed. His mission to Labrador was at lengthaccomplished, and now he had only to get back to New York as quickly aspossible.

  But getting to New York from that place, under existing circumstances,was something infinitely easier to plan than to accomplish. To beginwith, he had promised to remain with the new-found friend, who was alsoso greatly his benefactor, so long as he should be needed, and he meantto fulfil the promise to the letter. But to do so taxed his patienceto the utmost; for, in spite of the electrician's belief that he hadnot long to live, the passing of many weeks found his condition butlittle changed. At the same time, in spite of Cabot's best nursing andceaseless attention, he failed to gain strength.

  Having once broken his years of silence, he now found his greatestpleasure in talking, and Cabot had frequently to interrupt hisconversation on the pretence of taking outside exercise, to prevent himfrom exhausting himself in that way. He hated to do this, for Mr.Balfour's words were always instructive, and he so freely yielded theestablished secrets of his profession, as well as those of his ownrecent discoveries, to his young friend that Cabot acquired a richstore of valuable information during the short days and long nights ofthat Labrador winter.

  With the apparatus at hand, he was able to conduct many experiments andput into practice a number of his newly acquired theories. The sickman followed these with keenest interest, and aided his pupil withshrewd suggestions. At other times they discussed the mineral wealthof Labrador, and Mr. Balfour drew rough diagrams to show localitiesfrom which his various specimens had been brought. He also gave muchtime to a sketch map of the surrounding country, especially the coastbetween the place where the "Sea Bee" had been left and Indian Harbour,beyond which his knowledge did not extend.

  With these congenial occupations, time never hung heavily in thewilderness home of the Man-wolf, and, though bitter cold might reignoutside, fierce storms rage, and driving snows pile themselves intomountainous drifts, neither hunger nor cold could penetrate its snuginterior, warmed and lighted by the magic of modern science. With thepassing weeks the old year died and a new one was born. January mergedinto February, and days began noticeably to lengthen. Through allthese weeks Cabot kept up his strength by frequent exercise in theopen, where, in conflict with storm and cold, he ever won some part oftheir own ruggedness. At the same time, his patient grew slowly butsurely weaker, until at length he could converse only in whispers, andexperienced such difficulty in swallowing that he had almost ceased totake nourishment. One evening while affairs stood thus, he rousedhimself sufficiently to inquire what day of the month it was.

  "The thirteenth of February," replied Cabot, who had kept careful noteof the calendar.

  Instantly the man brightened, and said, with an unexpected strength ofvoice: "Six years to-morrow since we were married. Five years to-daysince she left me, and to-night I shall rejoin her. Wish me joy, lad,for the long period of our separation is ended. Good-night, good-bye,God bless you!"

  With this final utterance, he again lapsed into silence, closed hiseyes, and seemed to sleep. Several times during that night Cabot stolesoftly to his patient's bedside, but the latter was always asleep, andhe would not disturb him. Only in the morning, when daylight revealedthe marble-like repose of feature, did he know that a glad reunion oflong parted lovers had been effected, and that it was he who was leftalone.

  Although the position in which our lad now found himself was a verytrying one, he had anticipated and planned for it. He had no boardswith which to make a coffin, but there was plenty of stout canvas, andin a double thickness of this he sewed the body of his friend. Beforedoing so he dug away the snow beside a cairn of rocks that marked thelast resting place of her who had gone before, and placed the electricheater, with extended wire connections, on the ground thus exposed.Within a few hours this soil became sufficiently thawed to permit himto dig a shallow grave, to which, by great effort, he managed to removethe shrouded body. After covering it, and piling above it rocks aslarge as he could lift, he returned to the empty dwelling, havingcompleted the hardest and saddest day's work of his life.

  So terrible was the loneliness of that night, and so anxious was Cabotto take his departure, that he was again astir long before daylight,completing his preparations. He had previously built a light sled thathe proposed to drag, and had planned exactly what it should carry. Nowhe loaded this with a canvas-wrapped package of cooked provisions, asleeping bag, a rifle together with a few rounds of ammunition, a lightaxe, his precious bag of specimens, and the Man-wolf's electricflashlight with its battery newly charged.

  With everything thus in readiness he ate a hearty meal, threw thedynamo out of gear, closed the door and shutters of the place that hadgiven him the shelter of a home, adjusted the hauling straps of hissled, and set resolutely forth on his venturesome journey across thefrozen wilderness.

  In his mittened hands Cabot carried a stout staff tipped with aboathook, and this proved of inestimable service in aiding him down theface of the cliffs to the frozen surface of the estuary; for, by Mr.Balfour's advice, he had determined to follow the coast line ratherthan attempt the shorter but more uncertain inland route.

  Although the distance to be covered was but little over one hundredmiles, the journey was so beset with difficulties and hardships thatonly our young engineer's splendid physical condition and recentlyacquired skill, combined with indomitable pluck, enabled him toaccomplish it. While he sometimes met with smooth stretches ofsnow-covered ice, it was generally piled in huge wind-rows, incrediblyrugged and difficult to surmount. Again it would be broken away fromthe base of sheer cliffs, where stretches of open water wouldnecessitate toilsome inland detours over or around lofty headlands. Hewas always buffetted by strong winds, and often halted by blindingsnowstorms. He had no fire, no warm food, and no shelter save such ashe could make by burrowing into snowdrifts. During the weary hours ofone whole night he
held a pack of snarling wolves at bay by means ofhis flashlight. But always he pushed doggedly forward, and after tendays of struggle, exhausted almost beyond the power for further effort,but immensely proud of his achievement, he reached the goal of his longdesire.

  Indian Harbour--with its hospital, its church, its two or three houses,and score of native huts, seemed to our lad almost a metropolis afterhis months of wilderness life, and the welcome he received from itswarm-hearted inhabitants when he made known his identity was that ofone raised from the dead. White Baldwin and Yim had been there manyweeks earlier, and had reported his disappearance under circumstancesthat left no hope of his ever again being seen alive. Then the latterhad set forth on his return journey, while White had joined a mailcarrier and started for Battle Harbour.

  Now occurred what promised to be a serious interruption to Cabot'ssouthward advance, for no one was proposing to travel in thatdirection, and, in spite of their hospitality, his new acquaintanceswere not inclined to undertake the arduous task of guiding him toBattle Harbour, 250 miles away, without being well paid for theirlabour, and our young engineer had no money. Nor, after his recentexperience, did he care to again encounter the perils of the wildernessalone.

  But fortune once more favoured him; for while he was chafing againstthis enforced detention, Dr. Graham Aspland, house surgeon of theBattle Harbour Hospital, who makes a heroic sledge journey to the farnorth every winter, arrived on his annual errand of mercy. He wouldset out on his return trip a few days later, and would be more thanpleased to have Cabot for a companion.

  Thus it happened that one bright day in early March the music of sledgebells and the cracking of a dog driver's whip attracted the inmates ofthe Battle Harbour Hospital to doors and windows to witness an arrival.Two fur-clad figures followed a great travelling sledge, and one ofthem dragged a small sled of his own. As he came to a halt, and beganwearily to loosen his hauling gear, he cast a glance at one of theupper windows, and uttered an exclamation of amazement. Then, with ajoyful cry, he shouted:

  "Hello! White, old man! Run down here and say you're glad I've come!"