"A rude fire-bowl was made in the center of the hut and some flint-rock carefully placed in a c.h.i.n.k in the wall. The hut completed, Hal felt relieved, for the winter seemed to hold off for our benefit.
"We chopped wood, and stacked it on one side of the wall, inside, and then started to pile up more on the outside near the door. Some of our food was buried in a pit just outside the hut, but Hal hung all there was room for to the logs of the roof.
"We were feeling quite contented one night, when Hal remarked: "Kid, she"s comin" down on us. I kin tell by the queer sounds through those pines."
""Let her come. We are ready," I laughed.
""All but the beds. I"ll have to go out now and bring in those balsam branches I have been savin" all these days."
"That night we slept upon our fresh balsam beds. When I rose I could not have told whether it was twilight or dawn. The blizzard howled outside, but Hal had a cheerful fire cracking inside."
CHAPTER XIII
A WINTER IN THE FROZEN NORTH
"For ten days that blizzard raged, and I began to think we never would get out again. Then one morning Hal called me to see the beautiful snow.
I stretched and got up. Hal had managed to chop away some of the drift that had piled against the door, and after some digging we squeezed through an aperture and stood without.
"My, but it was grand! One great world of sparkling white, with drifted mountains of snow all over. Even our hut was but a smaller drift in the general picture. While I stood and admired, Hal brought out two pails which we had had in the canoes, and told me how important it was to get some water from the stream. We carried the water carefully to the hut, and then I watched Hal set a bear trap, as well as a trap for small game.
"The dogs enjoyed being out once more and lapped the water greedily while we filled the buckets. We worked several hours taking wood from outside the hut and piling it up on our depleted stack inside. Long before we were done, I heard a distant howling, and looked toward Hal for its meaning.
""Wolves! They scent our meat," he said laconically.
"We managed to fasten our door again, and sat down by the fire while the dogs went over to their corner to sleep.
"That night the thermometer dropped to thirty degrees below zero and stayed there for a week. Everything that could froze up solid, and the wild beasts could catch no more fish or small game, so took long jaunts away from their lairs to find food.
"Inside of forty-eight hours I heard every kind of a growl and howl imaginable, as bears prowled about the hut sniffing at the buried food, or scratching at our hut to get in.
""Wish we could get some of "em in the traps," I said.
""They"d be torn to pieces and soon et up by the other wild beasts,"
replied Hal, as he made another notch in a log where he was keeping record of the days.
"It wasn"t very pleasant that week, for the room was small, and the dogs and meat began to make the air reek, so we were mighty glad, one morning, to wake and find it warmer. Without delay, Hal and I chopped the door out of the ice and snow and got out, followed by the dogs. The air was still so cold that it felt like a knife going through my lungs, but it was sweet and fresh. The dogs, too, were glad to have a run.
"The only thing to mark the hut from the other humps of snow round about was the dirty spot where the smoke came out. While we aired the room we cleaned up whatever debris lay about and filled the pails with some ice that Hal chopped out of the frozen stream.
"Meantime, the dogs were scenting about in the drifts and growling and yelping. Hal looked up and saw that they were off following some tracks.
He ran after them for a few rods and then came back, calling them to come in.
""Those were bear tracks," he explained, as the dogs obeyed most unwillingly. "I wish I had some way to trap them without having the fur ruined by other animals."
""Couldn"t you set a trap right in range with the c.h.i.n.k of the door, and if you hear other animals about you can shoot them," I said.
""But it would waste a lot of valuable ammunition," he replied.
"He set the trap where I had suggested, however, and said he would wait and see what happened.
"We felt better for that day"s fresh air, but the storm settled down again during the night, and it was several days before it stopped snowing. The cold held on longer, but we knew it was clear by the bright gleam of light that filtered through our smoke-hole.
""I wonder if we can get out to-day?" I asked, but at the same time howls were heard coming from the pines.
""Guess you will do better to stay in to-day," smiled Hal.
"That night we found it impossible to sleep, for the wolves howled madly just outside the hut, and some of them pawed at the smoke-hole so that Hal finally picked up a red-hot firebrand and poked it up through the opening just as one of the beasts tried to nose down into the hut. It must have caught him well, for he set up a terrific howling.
"The next night, as the wolves came back again to pay their nightly visit, we heard a new growl coming from a distance. I looked at Hal for information, and he chuckled with satisfaction.
""Ha! I thought so! I was sure a bear would come along before long."
""A bear! Oh, I wish we could get him in that trap!"
""Will he attack the wolves?" I asked.
""He will come sniffing about that pit for meat, and if the wolves bother him they will most likely get into trouble," said Hal, laughing.
""Gracious, Hal! S"pose he gets our meat--what will we do?"
""We"ll have to prevent him from gettin" it, that"s all," said Hal, looking at his rifle to see that it was in good order.
""How are you going to do it?"
""Shoot him while he"s busy with the wolves, or try and get him while he is digging at the pit."
""Wait and try the last plan. Let him kill off a pack of hungry wolves, and when he has driven them away he will come to the pit. Then is your time," I said.
""Kid, you"re comin" on fine! Another season in the north and you will be a regular hunter," laughed Hal.
"I saw that I pleased the old man, and felt happy that I could do it so easily. But my attention was attracted by the din of battle outside, as howls and snarls mixed together so furiously that the dogs huddled down in a corner of the hut and showed their teeth at the doorway.
"We couldn"t tell from the sounds which was being worsted, but the fact that the wolves were so numerous led us to believe that they could finally tear to pieces any bear. Then, while we were checking off the howls, quite a singular snarl came from the opposite direction.
"We could tell from the noises that another bear had taken a hand in the fight, which continued for a long time. Then all was quiet.
"All that night we heard something scratching at the door and climbing up to the smoke-hole, but a firebrand always met the inquisitive nose, for we could hear the snarl of rage as a hasty retreat was made. One queer thing, though, was the fact that we only heard one beast clawing about.
"When light came again, Hal placed his ear to a c.h.i.n.k in the door and listened. He seemed satisfied that the coast was clear, so we started to chop out the snow that bound the door on the outside.
"We got the door open about an inch, and Hal peeped out, but could see nothing. Then we managed to push it open a little further, and still nothing but snow was visible.
"Then suddenly a dark shadow fell across the light from outside. I stood rigid while Hal took a good aim.
""Why don"t you shoot?" I cried, as I saw the largest bear I had ever seen standing there scenting the air.