"Yes; haven"t missed a trip," he answered rather proudly. "Don"t know if I"d have made such a good record if I hadn"t the best snow horse going though. Been snowshoeing it two weeks ago if it wasn"t for Baldy." He stopped to stroke the animal"s nose affectionately. "I vowed this should be his last trip, it"s getting harder and harder; but he"s such good company I hate to give him up."
Next morning, as Burns handed out the return mail, he warned the boy that bad weather was coming, and suggested that he leave the horse behind, for he would be more of a hindrance than a help. "Those black clouds mean that we"re in for a big storm," he said, "and I tell you that you and your horse had better stay here. I can"t boss you, kid, but I advise you not to fool with that storm--it"s coming sure and you don"t know what it means up here." In spite of this John decided to go on Baldy, for he wished to leave him safe at his father"s camp.
The hard travelling had begun to tell on the st.u.r.dy little horse; his body was not so round as formerly, nor his step so springy, but he carried his young rider well for all that and was as knowing and careful as ever.
John tucked the package of precious letters in his saddle-bag, and after calling out a good-by to Burns he set out. He had barely reached high ground when snow began to fall heavily and with it came a bl.u.s.tering, roaring wind that buffeted the travellers roundly. The horse slackened his speed, and, by signs that John knew well, advised retreat. The boy urged him forward, however, saying aloud--for he always felt as if Baldy could understand everything he told him--"No, old man, if we go back now you"ll have to winter in the Ragged Edge gulch and you"ll die sure. We can make it all right." The good beast seemed to acquiesce in his master"s judgment, for he went along without further hesitation. The trail now was covered almost knee deep, and the blinding mist and whirling flakes blotted out nearly all landmarks. They pushed forward, at one moment right in the teeth of the blast, at the next turning a sharp corner and running before it, heads down, eyes almost closed, the rider depending on the keen senses of his steed to find the way.
At length Baldy stopped, and John felt, with a thrill of real alarm, that he had lost the trail. To go forward seemed impossible, to go back almost as bad. To and fro they went, in vain efforts to find the way.
Baldy still floundered along, his hoofs covered with gunny sacks to prevent their sharp edges from cutting through the crust; but his sides began to heave and his legs to shake under him, for the exertion of breaking through the drifts from one wind-swept ridge to another was most exhausting. John could stand it no longer; he slipped off his back and caught his head in both arms: "Why did I bring you out here?" he said, in bitter self-reproach. It was evident that if he did not find shelter soon his old friend would freeze to death.
There was one chance for himself: he was light and might be able to make his way over the snow to Ragged Edge Camp, perhaps; but what would then become of his faithful friend? Could he leave him to such a fate after he had so spent himself for his master"s sake? Baldy stood knee deep in the cruel, treacherous, white snow, his head down, quick, spasmodic puffs coming from his nostrils, his body steaming, and his flanks all in a tremble. There was only one chance for the lives of both. John remembered the abandoned hut at the top of the pa.s.s--if they could possibly reach that, they might be able to weather the storm together.
He determined to try. Fastening Baldy"s bridle rein to his fore leg, so that he could not follow, and giving him an affectionate pat on the nose, he started off, his teeth set determinedly. A few yards away the driving snow shut Baldy off from his sight entirely, but a gentle whinny reached him and brought a lump into his throat.
"That"s all right, old boy," he called aloud; "I"m not going to leave you. I"ll be back." He turned in the direction he thought the cabin should be and fought his way on. The wind seemed like a howling fiend; it tore at his clothing, blew the particles of snow into his eyes, and raised such a veil of mist and frost that he could not see ten yards ahead of him. On the high, bare ridges the blast nearly took him off his feet and in the hollows the snow banks engulfed him. Still he struggled on, straining his eyes forward into the gray chaos that confronted him, determined to find the shelter. A vision of Baldy standing dejectedly alone, his rough brown coat turned white by the sleet, his faithful old eyes half closed, drove the boy on irresistibly, for, next to his brother, he loved his horse better than anything else in the world.
He ploughed through drift after drift, following one ridge, for only by keeping one such landmark in sight was it possible to go in any given direction. Would that haven of rest ever come into view? Even his stout heart began to despair; he was weary, his body bathed in sweat, yet his face, feet, and hands numb with cold; the elements seemed to conspire against him. He was only a boy, and it seemed hard that he should give up his life. He stood still and looked drearily down the hillside.
Nothing, nothing but the deadly snow. He began to wonder if it was worth while to fight against such odds any longer.
And then in this abjectness he suddenly gave a cry of delight. For the wind rent the snow apart for an instant and he caught a glimpse through the driving flakes of a dead tree and near it a peculiarly shaped, great gray rock. They seemed positively human, like old friends, for the shelter he sought stood just to the left of them.
He began at once to look for a place where Baldy might be led down in safety. This was impossible where he stood--it was far too steep and rocky. A detour made with infinite pains and exertion brought him to the cabin by a path that he thought the sure-footed beast might follow.
How John found his way to the half-frozen beast and then slowly got him back to the cabin he never knew. Only his indomitable pluck and his training pulled him through. But at last the terrible journey was safely accomplished, and boy and steed stood before the low door.
John took off the saddle, and the intelligent animal, bending his knees a little, squeezed through. The boy followed, throwing the saddle blanket over the horse"s shivering flanks and wondering if they were safe, even now. At best it was a poor shelter; the wind blew the sharp, powdery snow through the c.h.i.n.ks in the logs and kept the temperature almost as low within as without, but at least there was a roof and a wind break.
After a short rest, John scrambled up the slope to the dead tree and broke off some branches. The wood was still dry, except on the very outside, and made good kindling. Soon a fire was blazing, and boy and beast absorbed the heat gratefully. Only those who have suffered great and deadly cold can realize the delight of sitting before a blaze once more. The very sight of the flames puts life into the veins and makes a mere nightmare of what was just now a grim and awful reality.
Thoroughly warmed, and with new courage and strength, John went outside again and began to stop up the c.h.i.n.ks with snow and to sc.r.a.pe banks of it up against the walls. The heat from within melted the inner surface, which afterwards froze and prevented the wind from blowing it away.
All day John was kept busy gathering wood and patching the walls. By nightfall a good supply of fuel had been collected and the little cabin was by comparison comfortable. There was little sleep for the boy that night, however. The fury of the storm did not abate; the wind howled round their little refuge, shaking it so it seemed as if it would be impossible for it to withstand the blast.
All night long he listened to the roaring of the wind, taking "cat naps"
during the short lulls that came at intervals. The fire required constant replenishment, and Baldy, unaccustomed to confinement in such a small s.p.a.ce, was so restless that continual watchfulness was necessary to keep from under his feet, though the good horse would never have harmed his young master except by accident. Both boy and beast began also to suffer greatly from hunger.
At dawn the gale subsided somewhat, and John realized that he must get food at once if his life and that of his horse were to be saved.
Breaking through the snow bank which had piled up against the rude door, he made his way to a creek half a mile down the mountain and cut with his knife an armful of poplar saplings and carried them back to the hut.
Baldy tore off the bark from these and munched it contentedly; another armful was added to the store, and then John bade his equine friend good-by and started off to find food and shelter for himself.
The six miles that separated the lonely cabin from the mining camp were the longest and most trying that John had ever travelled, he thought.
Great drifts barred his way, the wind, still strong, blew in his face and seemed bent on his destruction, his empty stomach weakened him, and lack of sleep undermined his resolution.
From dawn till noon day he battled with the snow, and when at last he reached his father"s house he was hardly able to answer the questions which his overjoyed family put to him.
A man was sent back to look after Baldy. He found that good horse chewing poplar bark as calmly as if he was in his own stable, though the cabin was so small and the horse so large in comparison that it appeared to be resting on his back, like the howdah on an elephant. For several days Baldy was kept in the cabin and fed on hay, which had to be carried to him on foot; then, after considerable trouble, for a trail had to be stamped down much of the way, he was led back in triumph to the camp, where John, rather weak in the knees, greeted him joyfully.
For a week Ragged Edge Camp did not receive any mail. Late one afternoon John appeared on snowshoes, bearing the precious packet. He had to repeat his story many times, and Burns had the satisfaction of qualifying his admiration of the boy"s pluck with an emphatic "I told you so."
John continued to carry the mail between Ragged Edge Camp and the railroad every three or four days: at first on foot, then, as the snow melted, on his faithful Baldy once more.
Though his work took him away from camp much of the time, John was continually running foul of the boys who belonged to the other faction, and Ben was the object of their unceasing abuse. A crowd of these fellows would stop their games and yell at them those taunts which are so exasperating to a boy:
"There go those Western jays."
[Ill.u.s.tration: HE ... BUCKS, PITCHES, KICKS. (_Page 265._)]
"Look at the kids that don"t know the difference between a baseball and a lump of mud."
It was true that our boys were not up on the national game or any other game played simply for amus.e.m.e.nt; their sports were merely another form of some kind of work.
Then the camp boys began to taunt John on his fighting abilities, their object being to get him to stand up against some one who would be sure to beat him. This was one of John"s weak points; he was immensely proud of his prowess as a fighter; so when one of the boys said in his presence: "Worth said to-day that he could lick Casey," he did not correct the falsehood there and then, but put on an air of superiority that had the effect desired. Casey, though not a big fellow, was out of his "teens, and had the reputation of being a "sc.r.a.pper from "way back,"
as the boys said. He also heard the young mischief-maker"s statement.
"Jab him, Casey; he"s only a bluffer," said several of his companions.
He could not ignore the challenge which was plainly indicated, and, according to boy customs, not to be avoided. Few boys know how much bravery it takes to dare an unjust imputation of cowardice. John and Casey were soon talking hotly--not that they had anything against each other, but they were being egged on and neither could withstand the pressure. The result was a fight, the consequences of which had great influence, on one of the princ.i.p.als at least.
Casey was really a grown man, and John had never fought in earnest with one old enough to wear a mustache, but his blood was up now and he would not back down.
The two retired behind a large stable and a crowd of men and boys formed a ring.
"Keep him at arm"s length," whispered Ben, as he took off his brother"s coat and _cinched_ up his belt firmly round his waist. "Don"t let him hug you and you"ll lick him, sure." Ben spoke confidently, but he was in reality consumed with anxiety. John said nothing, but the look of reckless determination on his face spoke volumes.
The two antagonists now stood face to face, but neither had yet struck a blow. "How do you want to fight?" Casey asked.
"You fight your way and I"ll fight my way," John answered; and at the word struck out. The crowd yelled "Foul," but neither took any notice.
The blow was not a hard one, but it served its purpose, for it stopped the talk and began open hostilities.
Casey came at John, his arms jerking back and forth, but hitting nothing. John drew his lead and then, as his guard was lowered, threw in his own left with staggering effect. This angered Casey greatly, and he rushed his opponent in a vain effort to get in a deciding blow at once; but his rushes were avoided nimbly, and as his defence was careless many blows were rained on his head and body. Evidently the boy knew more about boxing than he did, Casey thought, and as the method of fighting was left undecided he determined to change his tactics. In a rough-and-tumble fight he knew his age and strength would tell. To close in and grapple with John was his purpose now. So far the battle was in the boy"s favor, and a number of the wavering ones came over to his side. "He"s getting low now, Worth. Swing on him," said one of them; and John, acting on the advice, quickly landed a stiff one on the jaw. Casey fell, but John stood to one side and waited till he got up. He was angry clear through. Again and again he rushed, but was beaten off each time.
He aimed a savage blow, which John almost succeeded in dodging. It landed lightly, but gave Casey the opportunity he sought and they clinched, the miner hugging with all his might.
"Oh, John!" muttered Ben.
"Good work," yelled the crowd, who had suddenly deserted to Casey"s side.
It was the greatest squeeze that John had ever had. The blood rushed to his head, his breathing became more and more difficult, but still he struggled, twisted, and strained, and at last both fell and the man"s terrible grip was loosened. He did not let go, however, and in a couple of seconds both were on their feet and struggling with might and main to gain the mastery. Again they went down, this time John underneath and on his back. The crowd paused an instant before pulling Casey off, but during that pause he made good use of his time, raining blow after blow on John"s upturned face. John was licked.
Most of the spectators followed the victor, but some remained behind, not to sympathize and condole, but to jeer at John"s defeat and laugh at his discomfiture. It was gall and bitterness to the boy, and he was glad to get away out of earshot. Ben helped him put on his clothes and led him down to the creek to bathe his bruised face. "What"s the matter with your hand?" Ben said suddenly, as he noticed the blood trickling over the knuckles of his brother"s right hand.
"He chewed it," John answered.
"What! bit you!" Ben exclaimed.
"My arm was around his neck and he grabbed my thumb in his mouth. He wouldn"t have got me so easy but for that."
For a time neither boy said a word. How a man could do such "dirty work" as Ben said, was more than he could understand.[A]
[Footnote A: John Worth bears the marks of Casey"s teeth on his thumb to this day.]
On the way back to the house several fellows stopped to call at John as he went by, for the news had spread. He realized that it would take a long time to live down this disgrace. His heart was sore; it seemed as if this was the culmination of all his hardships; he felt as if his life had been all work and no play, that his efforts to do his duty had not been appreciated, that though other boys might enjoy themselves much of the time (and he had seen them in this very camp) he must work, work, work; he felt, in short, very much abused and at swords" points with everybody--his brother excepted. One more blow of bad luck, he thought, would "cap the climax" and would result in he knew not what desperation.