CHAPTER TWENTY THREE.
THE HAPPIEST MEETING OF ALL.
The snow was driving through the forests and over the plains of theNorth American wilderness; the wind was shrieking among the tree-tops,and whirling the drift in great clouds high up into the frosty air; andthe sun was setting in a glow of fiery red, when, on the last day of theyear, Robin Gore and his followers came to an abrupt halt, and, with oneconsent, admitted that "the thing was impossible."
"We can't do it, boys," said Robin, resting his rifle against a tree;"so it's o' no use to try. The Fort is good ten miles off, an' thechildren are dead beat--"
"No they ain't," interrupted Roy, whose tone and aspect, however, provedthat his father's statement was true; "at least _I'm_ not beat yet--I'mgame for two or three hours more."
"Well, lad, p'raps ye are, but Nelly ain't; so we'll camp here, an' take'em by surprise in the morning early."
Nelly, who had been carried on the backs of those who had broadestshoulders during the last dozen miles, smiled faintly when spoken to,and said she was "ve-y s'eepy!"
So they set to work in the usual style, and were soon comfortably seatedin their snowy encampment.
Next morning before dawn Robin awoke them.
"Ho!" he cried, "get up, lads, look alive! A happy New Year to 'ee all,young an' old, red an' white. Kiss me, Nell, dear--a shake o' yer paw,Roy. An' it's a good New Year's day, too, in more ways than one, praisethe Almighty for that."
The whole party was astir immediately, and that feeling of kindlybrotherhood which usually pervades the hearts of men on the first day ofa new year, induced them to shake hands heartily all round.
"You'll eat your New Year's dinner at home, after all," said Walter toNelly.
"Sure, an' it's a happy 'ooman yer mother'll be this good day," saidLarry, as he stirred up the embers of the fire, and blew them into aflame.
The kettle was boiled, and a good breakfast eaten, because, although itis usually the custom for hunters to start on their day's journey, andaccomplish a good many miles of it before breakfast, they hadconsideration for Roy and Nelly, both of whom were still suffering alittle from the fatigue of the previous day. They hoped to be at FortEnterprise in about four hours, and were anxious to arrive fresh.
The sun was rising when they reached the top of a ridge, whence theycould obtain a distant view of the Fort.
"Here we are _at home_, Nelly," said Robin, stooping down to kiss hischild on the forehead.
"Darling, _darling_ mother!" was all that poor Nelly could say, as shetried in vain to see the Fort though the tears which sprang to her eyes.
"Don't you see it, Nell?" said Roy, passing his arm round his sister'swaist.
"No, I don't," cried Nelly, brushing the tears away; "oh, _do_ let us goon!"
Robin patted her on the had, and at once resumed the march.
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That morning Mrs Gore rose from her bed about the saddest woman in theland. Her mind flew back to the last New Year's day, when her childrenwere lost to her, as she feared, for ever. The very fact that peopleare usually more jocose, and hearty, and happy, on the first day of theyear, was sufficient to make her more sorrowful than usual; so she gotup and sighed, and then, not being a woman of great self-restraint, shewept.
In a few minutes she dried her eyes, and took up her Bible, and, as sheread its blessed pages, she felt comfort--such as the world can neithergive nor take away--gradually stealing over her soul. When she met herkinsman and his friends at breakfast she was comparatively cheerful, andreturned their hearty salutation with some show of a reciprocal spirit.
"Jeff," said Mrs Gore, with a slight sigh, "it's a year, this day,since my two darlings were lost in the snow."
"D'ye say so?" observed Jeff, as he sat down to his morning meal, andcommenced eating with much voracity.
Jeff was not an unkind man, but he was very stupid. He said nothingmore for some time, but, after consuming nearly a pound of venisonsteak, he observed suddenly--
"Wall, I guess it wor a bad business that--worn't it, missus?"
"It was," responded Mrs Gore; and, feeling that she had no hope ofmeeting with sympathy from Jeff, she relapsed into silence. After atime, she said--
"But we must get up a feast, Jeff. It won't do to let New Year's daypass without a good dinner."
"That's true as gosp'l," said Jeff. "Feed up is my motto, always. Itdon't much matter wot turns up, if ye don't feed up yer fit for nothin';but, contrairy-wise, if ye do feed up, why yer ready for anythin' ornothin', as the case may be."
Having given vent to this sentiment, Jeff finished his meal with aprolonged draught of tea.
"Wall, now," said he, filling his pipe, "we've got enough o' deer's meatan' other things to make a pretty fair feast, missus, but my comradesand we will go an' try to git somethin' fresh for dinner. If we gitnothin' else we'll git a appetite and that's worth a good long march anyday; so, lads, if--"
Jeff's speech was interrupted here by a sudden and tremendous outburstof barking on the part of the dogs of the establishment. He sprang upand hastened to the door, followed by his companions and Mrs Gore.
"Injuns, mayhap; see to your guns, boys, we can niver be sure o' thereptiles."
"They're friendly," observed one of Jeff's friends, as they stood at theFort gate; "enemies never come on in that straightforward fashion."
"Not so sure o' that," said Jeff. "I've seen redskins do somethin' o'that kind when they meant mischief; but, if my eyes ain't telling lies,I'd say there were white men there."
"Ay, an' young folk, too," remarked one of the others.
"Young folk!" exclaimed Mrs Gore, as she shaded her eyes from the sunwith her hand, and gazed earnestly at the band which was approaching.
Suddenly one of them ran a little in advance of the rest, and waved ahandkerchief. The figure was a small one. A faint cheer was heard inthe distance. It was followed, or rather accompanied, by a loud, manly,and well-known shout.
Mrs Gore grew pale, and would have fallen to the ground had not Jeffcaught and supported her.
"Why, I _do_ declare it's Robin--an'--eh! if there beant the childrenwi' 'im!"
The advancing party broke into a run as he spoke, another loud cheerburst forth, and in a few seconds Nelly was locked once more in her dearmother's arms.
CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR.
CONCLUSION.
It is not necessary to say that there was joy--powerful, inexpressible--within the wooden walls of Fort Enterprise on that New Year's morning,and a New Year's hymn of praise welled up continually from the gladmother's heart, finding expression sometimes in her voice, but oftenerin her eyes, as she gazed upon the faces of her dear ones, the lost andfound.
The flag at Fort Enterprise, which had not flaunted its red field fromthe flagstaff since the sad day--that day twelve months exactly--whenthe children were lost, once more waved gaily in the frosty air, andglowed in the beams of the wintry sun. The sound of joyful revelry,which had not been heard within the walls of the Fort for a long, longyear, once again burst forth with such energy that one might have beenled to suppose its being pent up so long had intensified its power.
The huge fireplace roared, and blazed, and crackled, with a log somassive that no other Yule log in the known world could have held acandle to it; and in, on, and around that fire were pots, pans, andgoblets innumerable, all of which hissed, and spluttered, and steamed atLarry O'Dowd, as if with glee at the sight of his honest face once againpresiding over his own peculiar domain. And the parlour of FortEnterprise--that parlour which we have mentioned as being Robin'sdining-room and drawing-room, besides being his bedroom and hiskitchen--was converted into a leafy bower by means of pine branches andfestooned evergreens, and laid out for a feast the like of which had notbeen seen there for many a day, and which was transcendently moremagnificent than that memorable New Year's day dinner which had beencooked, but not eaten, just three hundred
and sixty-five days before.
In short, everything in and about Fort Enterprise bore evidence that itsinmates meant to rejoice and make merry on that first day of a new year,as it was meet they should do under such favourable circumstances.
Jeff Gore had shot a deer not many days before, and one of its fathaunches was to be the great dish of the feast; but Robin said that itwas not enough: so, after the first congratulations were over, he andWalter, and Slugs, and Black Swan, set off into the forest, and ere longreturned with several brace of grouse, and a few rabbits. Roy, with avery sly look, had asked leave to go and have a walk on snow-shoes inthe woods with Nelly before dinner, but his father threatened to lockhim up in the cellar, so he consented to remain at home for that day andassist his mother.
"Now, Nelly, you and Roy will come help me to prepare the feast," saidMrs Gore, whose eyes were swollen with joyful weeping till they lookedlike a couple of inflamed oysters; "not that there's much to do, for,now that Larry is come back, we'll leave everything to him except thepl-plum--poo--poo--ding--oh! _my_ darling!"
Here Mrs Gore broke down for the fifteenth time, and, catching Nelly toher bosom, hugged her.
"Darling mother!" sighed Nelly.
"Och! but it's a sight good for sore eyes, anyhow," exclaimed Larry,looking up from his occupation among the steaming pots and pans.
Wapaw, who was the only other member of the party who chose to remain inthe house during the forenoon of that day, sat smoking his pipe in thechimney corner, and regarded the whole scene with that look of stoicalsolemnity which is peculiar to North American Indians.
"Come, I say, this'll never do, mother," cried Roy, going to theflour-barrel which stood in a corner. "If we're to help you wi' that'ere poodin', let's have at it at once."
Thus admonished, Mrs Gore and her recovered progeny set to work andfabricated a plum-pudding, which was nearly as hard, almost as heavy as,and much larger than a sixty-four pound cannon ball. It would havekilled with indigestion half a regiment of artillery, but it could notaffect the hardened frames of these men of the backwoods!
In course of time the board was spread, the viands smoked upon it, andthe united party set to work. Mrs Gore sat at the head of the table,with Nelly on one side and Roy on the other. Robin sat at the foot,supported by the White Swan on his right, and Wapaw on his left. Rangedbetween these were Walter, Slugs, the Black Swan, Jeff Gore, ObadiahStiff, the two other strangers who came with Jeff, and Larry O'Dowd--forLarry acted the part of cook only, and did not pretend to "wait." Afterhe had placed the viands on the table, he sat down with the rest. Thesebackwoodsmen ignored waiters. They passed their plates from hand tohand, and when anything was wanted by any one he rose to fetch ithimself.
After the plates were cleared away, the tea-kettle was put on the table.In some parts of the backwoods spirits are (fortunately) so difficultto procure, that hunters and trappers live for many months withouttasting a drop, and get into the habit of doing entirely withoutintoxicating drink of any kind. Robin had no spirits except animalspirits, but he had plenty of tea. When it was poured out into hugecups, which might have been styled small slop-basins, and sweetened andpassed round, Robin applied his knuckles to the table to commandsilence.
"Friends," said he, "I niver wos much o' a speechifier, but I couldalways manage to blurt out my meanin' somehow. Wot I've got to say toyou this day is, I'm thankful to the Almighty for givin' me back mychilder, an' I'm right glad to see ye all under my roof this Noo Year'sday, and so's the wife, _I_ know--ain't ye, Molly, my dear?"
To this appeal Mrs G replied with a hysterical ye-es, and anapplication of her apron to the inflamed oysters. Robin continued--
"Well, I'm sorry there ain't nothin' stronger in the fort to give 'eethan tea, but for my part I find it strong enough to keep up my spirits,an' yer all heartily welcome to swig buckets-full o' that. There is anold fiddle in the store. If any o' ye can scrape a tune, we'll have adance. If not, why we'll sing and be jolly."
This speech was followed up by another from Obadiah Stiff, who, with acountenance of the deepest solemnity, requested permission to make a fewbrief observations.
"Friends," said he, turning the quid of tobacco which usually graced hisright cheek into his left, "it's not every day a man's got a chance o'--o' wot I was a-goin' to obsarve is, that men who are so much indebted totheir much-respected host as--as (Nelly happened to sneeze at thispoint, and distracted Stiff's attention) as--yes, I guess we ha'nt oftengot the chance to chase the redskins, and--and--. In short, withoutmakin' an onnecessairy phrase about it--I'm happy to say that _I_ canplay the fiddle, so here's luck."
Mr Stiff sat down abruptly and drained his cup at a draught.
"Pr'aps," said Larry, with a twinkle in his eye, "Mister Stiff wouldfavour the company wi' a song before we commence to cut capers."
"Hear, hear!" from Walter.
"Hurrah!" from Roy.
Mr Stiff cleared his throat and began at once. The tune was sodolorous, and the voice so unmusical, that in any other circumstances itwould have been intolerable, but there were lines in it touching upon"good fellowship," which partially redeemed it, and in the last versethere was reference made to "home," and "absent friends," which renderedit a complete success, insomuch that it was concluded amid rapturouscheering, so true is it, as Walter observed, that, "one touch of naturecovers a multitude of sins!"
"Let's drink to absent friends an' owld Ireland," cried Larry, fillinghis cup and pushing the kettle round.
This was drunk with enthusiasm and was followed by a succession oftoasts and songs, which were drunk and sung not at the table, but roundthe fire, to which the party withdrew in order to enjoy their pipes morethoroughly. Then followed a number of anecdotes of stories--some true,some doubtful, and some fabricated--which were listened to with deepinterest, not only by Roy and Nelly, but by the whole party, includingthe Indians, who listened intently, with faces like owls, although theydid not understand a word that was said.
Many of these stories were so touching that poor Mrs Gore's eyes becamemore inflamed and more oyster-like than ever. Nelly, too, becamesympathetic, and her eyes were similarly affected.
When the evening was pretty well advanced, the violin was sent for andtuned, and Stiff turned out to be a very fair player of Scotch reels; sothe party laid aside their pipes, cleared the floor, and began to dance.
It was rough but hearty dancing. Each dancer composed his own steps onthe spur of the moment, but executed them with a degree of precision andviolence that would have caused civilised dancing masters to blush withshame and envy. Mrs Gore and Nelly danced too, weeping the while withjoy, and so did the White Swan, but her performances were peculiar. Shedanced with a slowness of manner and a rigidity of person that areutterly indescribable. She looked as if all her joints had becomeinflexible, except those of her knees, and her arms hung straight downat her sides, while she pendulated about the floor and gazed at therafters in deep solemnity.
How they did keep it up, to be sure! Men of the backwoods find it noeasy matter to fatigue their muscles or exhaust their spirits, so theydanced all night, and a considerable portion of next morning too. Longbefore they gave in, however, the females were obliged to retire. Theylay down on their rude couches without taking the trouble to undress,and in a few moments after were sound asleep--Nelly locked in hermother's arms, with their two cheeks touching, their dishevelled hairmingling, and a few tears welling from their inflamed eyes, and mixingas they flowed slowly down their united noses. Sleeping thus, themother dreamed of home, and Nelly dreamed of Silver Lake.
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Reader, our tale is told. We have not space to tell of what befellRobin Gore and his family in after life, but we may remark, inconclusion, that although Robin stoutly refused to go back tocivilisation, in the course of a few years civilisation consideratelyadvanced to him, and the wild region, which was once a dense forestaround Fort Enterpri
se, finally became (to Mrs Gore's inexpressiblejoy) a flourishing settlement, in which were heard the sounds of humanindustry, and the tinkle of the Sabbath bell.
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