Two on the Trail: A Story of Canada Snows Page 8

  CHAPTER VIII

  THE MYSTERIOUS CAMP FIRE

  Nell decreed that the second night's camp was to be here. They couldnot go over such difficult ground in the dark, besides which the onlyway to go was to unpack the sled and carry the load down piecemeal.

  "So," explained Nell, "we may as well stop here now, and instead ofloading the sled to-morrow morning we'll take the packs down on ourbacks and then carry the sled. It'll be easiest in the end."

  David was entirely willing. In fact, any plan would have pleased himthat did not involve going on just then! They set to vigorously toclear a place this time. It was a case of axe first, and then usingtheir snowshoes to scrape aside the snow and tangled mess of brushwood.They were pretty well surrounded by rocky hillocks and denseundergrowth, but Nell was content. "We seem safe," she said.

  Then, seeing David standing still, apparently listening, she asked himwhat the matter was?

  "It's the frozen waterfall," said the boy. "Queer it is how you miss thenoise that ought to be there. You feel as if the river was holding itsbreath, just for a minute, and then it would go--_crash_! Don't youremember what a row it makes in the summer on the rocks--you can hear itfor miles. Nell, how many miles have we come, do you think?"

  Nell thought thirty--in the two days. David was disappointed, but thegirl shook her head.

  "You've got to remember how the stream winds about. That's the nuisanceof it all. If you could go to Moose River as the geese and swansfly--well----"

  "Wish we could," said the boy, and then, "never mind, we are jolly luckyto have got so far. I expect we're pretty safe now, Nell, don't you?"

  "Hope so," said the girl. She could not say she believed so--yet.

  The camp was a success in that it was very sheltered and cosy, but thefunniest thing happened to start with almost. The kit was unpacked forcooking and easier conveyance in the morning. Nell put the neat bundlesof pelts in place for pillows--rather a good idea. The two had made agood meal of bacon, beans, and tea, and were sitting very quietly in thewarmth of the fire changing their foot-gear and greasing their wearyfeet. It was a moment of peace. Robin raised his head and growledfaintly in his throat. He was lying on his side, all four feetstretched to the fire and head close to Nell. She laid her hand on hisears, and then looked where his frowning eyes were gazing--something waspushing through the brushwood towards the camp circle.

  In a moment it appeared, and with it came a curious dry, rattling sound.

  It strolled along grubbing a busy snout under dead leaves and rubbish, ahedgehog--quite the most independent of all the forest creatures,because no other animal will attempt to interfere with it or risk beingshot by one of the deadly spines of its queer armoured coat. Even alynx makes a wide circuit round a hedgehog, because if he's angry andejects a quill--or spine--and that sticks, nothing the wounded beast cando will get it out. The spine goes on working itself in and in, andoften causes blood poisoning, apart from the horrible pain.

  Master Hedgehog trotted into the circle of light entirely unashamed,having no reason to fear any person. He was attracted, because the snowwas scraped away and a chance offered of finding amongst the stuffunderneath a few grubs or beetles as food in these hungry days. Herouted about with his odd little pig-like snout, taking no more noticeof the campers than he would have done of a bear, a wolf, or a skunk.No one could touch him. Nell laid a restraining hand on Robin, who waswatching intently, but there was no need, the black dog knew all abouthedgehogs.

  Presently this very self-contained visitor trotted away into thebrushwood, rustling his spines as he went. David laughed and said itwas a pity not to have shot the little pig.

  "We could have baked him in the ashes, Nell," he added regretfully.

  "We mustn't fire shots unless we are forced," she answered, "that wouldnever do. Do you remember the story Dad told us about that fox thattried all ways to get a hedgehog in snow time and couldn't? So heburrowed a tunnel in the snow and came up under the hedgehog and bit itunderneath. Horribly clever, foxes are. I rather love them, don't you,Da? They are so clever."

  Everything seemed to promise a peaceful night. The two got into theirfur bags in peace and quiet. The night was still, there was no soundbut the slipping of snow from branches, as the weight shifted a littlein the thaw.

  And then Nell found she could not sleep. She had that kind of busy mindthat seems straining after sounds. The fact was she was anxious, thoughshe would not allow it. Her mind was craving to get on, and on. Shewould have liked to travel all night as well as all day, but had to keepup a sort of pretence of ease and security for fear of worrying Davidtoo much. He would have taken it to heart, and the strain would havebeen too great, joined to the hard day's pulling.

  Hour after hour the girl lay still, only moving to keep the fire up.She would have given anything to feel sleepy and to stop thinking. Shecould not forget those precious leather bags that she felt against herside; the presence of them forced her to keep on thinking about the longmiles ahead before she could put them in safety.

  Presently something else began to disturb her. That queer feeling ofcertainty that someone is near. She heard no special sound, yet thesense of a presence grew and grew till the commonest noises made herjump. When the faint grey of dawn began to creep around the littlecamp, she crawled out of her bag and stood up. Robin sprang up too andshook himself, then he stretched a very long stretch and yawned, lookingat his mistress in an interested way.

  Nell took him by the ears and whispered to him that he must stop andlook after David. She was going a very short way, but he must guard thecamp. Robin sank down against the boy's side with a sigh. He wanted togo, but he knew his duty. The girl looked to the priming of her pistol,then she stole away alone, into the forest.

  She made a circle round the camp, and when she came to herstarting-point followed on again in a still wider circle. After thatthe high rocks forming the gates of the waterfall stopped a completecircle. She turned and went back outside her own track.

  It was difficult, because of the roughness, but she persevered, to berewarded, for quite suddenly she came upon the ashes of a little campfire. Kneeling down she felt the patch, the ashes were still warm.

  The place lay to the north-west of their own camp--that was, on the backtrack behind them. Whoever made that fire was following the sled pullersmost likely and was travelling light himself, for there was no trace ofsled runners. Nell sought very anxiously for his trail both to and fromthe fire, but it was purposely confused--concealed in the shrewdest way.Just here and there Nell saw obvious "spoor" of human passage. Then itwas gone.

  The fire was very small and round, showing the camp of a "sour-dough,"as an experienced hand is called in the north. But no more could shefeel certain of. There was another very odd thing. It did not appearthat this traveller had found the camp of the fugitives. He had stoppedfor the night in this place, and presumably gone on before the break ofday.

  The girl comforted herself with this reflection. It might be a trapperon his own business passing from one district to another, butunconscious of her and David. She would have liked to go back along theriver trail to look for his spoor, but time was pressing seriously. Asshe went "home" with flying feet she cogitated whether it would be wiseto tell David, and ended in telling him. After all, they were doing thejob in partnership!

  She woke him from sound sleep when she got in, and told him while thefire was burning up. He said nothing for a few minutes. Then he made apractical suggestion.

  "If we take Robin to that camp fire and start him on the scent, he'llfollow it up and be on the man all right."

  "But," said Nell firmly, "we are running away from the trapper. What'sthe sense of going after him?"

  David began to laugh, and laughed so much in a silent and suppressedmanner that he rolled over. Robin looked at them both with such apuzzled gaze under his frowning forehead that it made them
both laughthe more. After that they felt better, and decided to go ahead,thanking God if the man had passed them and gone racing on under amisapprehension. There was a lot of heavy work to do in the portage ofthe sled and packs, Nell knew they would not gain very much indistance--the pursuer might, of course, get on miles before them.

  Snowshoes were very little use at the present, so they slung them ontheir backs in readiness, and after breakfast made tracks for the lowerreach of the river, carrying the bundles of pelts. The stream waswinding and very rugged altogether. The first falls were followed byanother wild and rocky gorge, where the water must race furiously downin summer time. It was some distance before the two could force a waydown to a place that looked like a new start, and plain sailing, as itwere, for the fresh road. But they did come to it at last, and the snowwas smooth and spotless. No one had been before them, certainly, on theriver.

  They put the bundles in safety and went back. The way back did not seemso far--it never does, even in a land of roads. The camp was untouched,and again they loaded themselves with as much as they could carry.Finally they returned for the sled and the sleeping bags. Then Robinwent with them. Up till then he had been guarding the family property,much against his will, but duty demanded the sacrifice of his feelings.

  Then, after a rest and a meal, they started again on the untrodden road.Nor was it very easy going on a fresh trail of softening snow. Theymade themselves very hot, but they were hopeful and contented, becauseNell was sure they would reach the lake that day, and somehow the lakeappeared to them a landmark--a great gain--a sort of half-way house! Itwould not be half-way, hardly a quarter of the way, but at any rate itwas a bad quarter, for the farther they went the nearer they must cometo friends and human habitations.

  It was during this tough bit of the journey that Nell told David aboutthe post-house and the cache, that is to say, the reason before hintedwhy they had so little food with them. On the other side of the lakewhich they must soon cross was a small shack. Just one little room witha rusty stove and a bunk or two. It had been set up for the convenienceof trappers in the coldest time, and was used by any of them going eastto Moose River.

  Andrew Lindsay had told his daughter that close to one angle of this huthe had made a cache. That is to say, he had buried in a small pit andcovered over invisibly a certain amount of canned food, with tea,tobacco, candles, matches, and such little matters as knives, an axe,and so on. A trapper learns by experience that he may be left withnothing, so, like a squirrel hiding nuts, he makes his cache for areserve store.

  Nell was counting on this; moreover, it had more than once occurred toher that, in case of dangerous pursuit she might cache the money she wascarrying, but that would be decided by circumstances.