It was already too late in the season to attempt further distribution of supplies with the canoe. Therefore, the boat and canoe were carried to a safe distance above the river, and a shelter of logs erected1 over them, that they might not be crushed under the weight of snow presently to come.
Two days later the lakes were clogged2 with ice, and a week later the first fall of snow that was to remain throughout the winter fell to a depth of several inches.
Then came an interval3 of waiting, but not of idleness, for Ungava Bob or Ed Matheson. Their new tilts5 were unsupplied with stretching boards for furs and many other necessities, in the preparation of which they occupied themselves at the river tilt4, while the others lent a hand; though nearly every day Dick Blake or Bill Campbell accompanied Shad on hunting expeditions which resulted in keeping the larder6 well supplied with geese, ducks--now in their southward flight--ptarmigans, and an occasional porcupine7.
The birds were all fat and in splendid condition. The ptarmigans, now changing their mottled brown-and-white coat for the pure white plumage of winter, were gathered into large flocks, and easily had. A considerable number were killed with the first blast of frosty weather, and, together with a few ducks and geese, stored where they would freeze and keep sweet for future use.
With the last week of October active trapping began, when fur, though not yet at its best, was in excellent condition.
With November winter fell upon the land in all its sub-Arctic rigour. For a day and a night a blizzard8 raged, so blinding, so terrific, and with the temperature so low that none dared venture out; and when the weather cleared, the snow, grown so deep that snowshoes were essential in travel, no longer melted under the mid-day sun.
Socks of heavy woollen duffel were now necessary to protect the feet, and buckskin moccasins, with knee-high leggings, took the place of sealskin boots.
In the final distribution of supplies among the tilts, long, narrow Indian toboggans were brought into service, and the loads hauled upon the toboggans.
Martens and foxes were the animals chiefly sought at this season. There were two methods followed in setting the marten traps. Where a tree of sufficient diameter was available, it was cut off as high as the trapper could wield9 his axe10 above the snow, and a notch11 about four inches deep and fourteen inches high cut some distance below the top of the stump12 and several feet above the snow. The bottom of this notch was given a level surface with the axe, the trap set upon it, and the bait hung in the side of the notch a foot above the trap. At other times an enclosure was made with spruce boughs13, and in a narrow opening the trap was set, with the bait within the enclosure.
Fox traps were set upon the marshes14, and baited with rabbits which had been hung in the tilt until they began to smell badly, or with other scraps15 of flesh. The trap securely fastened by its chain to a block of wood or the base of willow16 brush, was carefully concealed17 under a thin crust of snow.
The usual routine followed by Ungava Bob, after his trail was once in order and his traps set, was to leave the river tilt on Monday morning, and by a wide circuit around lake shores and marshes, embracing a distance of some fifteen miles, reach his tilt at the far end of the first lake at night. On Tuesday another wide circle of traps around contiguous lakes brought him back again at night to the same tilt. On Wednesday his trail led him to the tilt on the last lake of the old portage trail.
His original intention had been to continue from this tilt to the tilt which the Indians had robbed, and thence to the last tilt on Ed Matheson's trail, some fifteen miles to the northeast. But after the appearance of the Indians it had been deemed unsafe and inadvisable to do this, and the tilt on the river above the portage trail was, therefore, temporarily abandoned.
With this modification18, his Thursday circuit of traps was so arranged that it brought him back at night to the tilt on the last lake, and on Friday he proceeded to Ed Matheson's last tilt. This arrangement carried him during the five days over seventy-five miles of trail along which his traps were distributed.
Ed Matheson's trail was so arranged that he also arrived at his last tilt on Friday evening, and he and Bob thus shared the tilt each fortnight from Friday until Monday.
Saturdays were occupied in making repairs and in doing the thousand and one odd jobs always at hand, Sunday in rest, and on Monday the return journey began which brought them to the river tilt on the following Friday, unless by chance they were delayed by storms.
This was the point of fortnightly rendezvous19 for the four trappers--the junction20 point of all their trails. Dick Blake's and Bill Campbell's trails took them in opposite directions, and during their period of absence from the river tilt neither saw any of his companions.
The fortnightly reunion at the river tilt was naturally an occasion they all looked forward to. It gave an opportunity to compare notes upon their success, to recount experiences, and to satisfy for a time the human craving21 for companionship.
Shad made the first outward journey with Bob, and returned with Ed Matheson. Then he made a round with Dick Blake, and finally a round with Bill Campbell.
Every feature of the work was new and interesting to Shad Trowbridge, and for a time he enjoyed it hugely. But presently it dropped into a dreary22, monotonous23 routine. The vast, unbroken solitude24, the endless tramping over endless snow, day after day, and the lack of adventure to which he had looked forward, served presently to make him moody25 and irritable26.
Shad had hoped for sport with his rifle, but no big game had been seen--not so much as the track of a caribou27. Long before this the last goose and duck had passed southward. Not a bird save the ever-present jay had been encountered in upward of three weeks. Even the rabbits, whose tracks had criss-crossed the early snow in every direction and packed it down along the willow brush, had unaccountably disappeared. The stock of fresh meat, save a pair of geese and three pairs of ptarmigans reserved for a Christmas feast, was exhausted28.
These were extraordinary conditions. The men declared that never before in their experience had they observed so complete a disappearance29 of game. Caribou were usually rather numerous in November. In previous years ptarmigans and spruce grouse30 had been so plentiful31 that they were easily killed when needed. One year in every nine rabbits were said to vanish, but otherwise the total absence of game was inexplicable32.
It was a condition, too, that caused uneasiness. The flour and pork brought into the country by the trappers was far from adequate to supply their needs. Sufficient wild game to at least double their provision supply was an absolute essential if they were to continue on the trails. Thus far the early game had supplied their requirements, but the prospects33 for the future were disquieting35.
At the end of the first week in December, Bill Campbell and Shad returned from their fortnight on the trail to find their friends already at the river tilt and discussing the situation.
"What you havin', this cruise, Bill?" asked Dick, when the greetings were over.
"Th' worst cruise I ever has," Bill replied, as he drew off his adicky. "One white fox--nothin' else, an' no footin' now t' speak of. Shad an' me never see a hair or feather barrin' th' fox I catches, an' he were a poor un."
"I gets one marten an' a red, up an' back," said Dick. "Ed gets nothin', an' Bob gets one marten. 'Tis a wonderful bad showin'."
"Aye, a wonderful bad showin', gettin' never a hair, an' that's what I gets," declared Ed, in disgust. "If th' next cruise don't show a wonderful lot better, I starts for th' Bay th' mornin' after Christmas, an' I'll not be comin' back till th' middle o' February, whatever."
The dough36 bread, fried pork, and tea, which Ed and Bob had been preparing, were ready, and, the meal disposed of, pipes were lighted and the discussion of the all-important question was resumed.
"'Tisn't th' havin' a poor cruise now an' again's what's botherin' me," began Ed, "but they ain't no footin'; and where they ain't no footin', they ain't nothin'; an' where they ain't nothin', they ain't no use huntin' it."
"They ain't even a pa'tridge t' be killed for th' pot," complained Bill.
"No, an' we'll be seein' th' end of our grub, with nothin' t' help out, by th' end o' February, whatever," Ed dolefully prophesied37.
"Isn't there danger of scurvy38 if we have nothing but salt pork to eat?" asked Shad.
"That they is, sure as shootin'," agreed Ed.
"If you'd like to go along with me, Shad," suggested Bob, who up to this time had said little, "we'll take a flat-sled with your tent an' a tent stove, an' a couple weeks' grub, an' go down t' th' nu'th'ard an' see if we can't run onto some deer. Th' deer's somewheres, an' if they ain't here they must be t' th' nu'th'ard."
"Of course I'll go with you, Bob," said Shad, delighted with the prospect34 of individual action and new experiences.
"An' you may be runnin' into some o' th' Mountaineers an' Nascaupees down north, an' let un know about th' tradin' next year," suggested Dick. "If you tells one Injun, th' hull39 passel o' both tribes'll know about un. Things travels wonderful fast among th' Injuns."
The following day two toboggans were packed with the provisions and equipment sufficient for a two weeks' absence, together with a considerable quantity of tea in addition to their probable requirements, and some plug tobacco, designed as gifts for the Indians.
Long before daylight on Monday morning adieus were said and the two young adventurers turned into the frozen, silent wastes to the northward40, Bob in the lead making a rapid pace, Shad following, and each hauling his toboggan.
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ERECTED
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| adj. 直立的，竖立的，笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立，建立 | |
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clogged
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| （使）阻碍( clog的过去式和过去分词 )； 淤滞 | |
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3
interval
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| n.间隔，间距；幕间休息，中场休息 | |
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tilt
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| v.(使)倾侧；(使)倾斜；n.倾侧；倾斜 | |
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tilts
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| （意欲赢得某物或战胜某人的）企图，尝试( tilt的名词复数 ) | |
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larder
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| n.食物贮藏室，食品橱 | |
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porcupine
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| n.豪猪， 箭猪 | |
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blizzard
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| n.暴风雪 | |
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wield
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| vt.行使，运用，支配；挥，使用(武器等) | |
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axe
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| n.斧子；v.用斧头砍，削减 | |
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notch
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| n.(V字形)槽口，缺口，等级 | |
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stump
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| n.残株，烟蒂，讲演台；v.砍断，蹒跚而走 | |
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boughs
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| 大树枝( bough的名词复数 ) | |
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marshes
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| n.沼泽，湿地( marsh的名词复数 ) | |
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scraps
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| 油渣 | |
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willow
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| n.柳树 | |
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concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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18
modification
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| n.修改，改进，缓和，减轻 | |
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rendezvous
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| n.约会，约会地点，汇合点；vi.汇合，集合；vt.使汇合，使在汇合地点相遇 | |
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junction
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| n.连接，接合；交叉点，接合处，枢纽站 | |
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craving
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| n.渴望,热望 | |
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dreary
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| adj.令人沮丧的，沉闷的，单调乏味的 | |
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monotonous
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| adj.单调的，一成不变的，使人厌倦的 | |
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solitude
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| n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方 | |
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moody
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| adj.心情不稳的，易怒的，喜怒无常的 | |
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irritable
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| adj.急躁的；过敏的；易怒的 | |
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caribou
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| n.北美驯鹿 | |
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exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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disappearance
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| n.消失，消散，失踪 | |
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30
grouse
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| n.松鸡；v.牢骚，诉苦 | |
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31
plentiful
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| adj.富裕的，丰富的 | |
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inexplicable
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| adj.无法解释的，难理解的 | |
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33
prospects
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| n.希望，前途(恒为复数) | |
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prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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disquieting
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| adj.令人不安的，令人不平静的v.使不安，使忧虑，使烦恼( disquiet的现在分词 ) | |
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dough
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| n.生面团；钱，现款 | |
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prophesied
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| v.预告，预言( prophesy的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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38
scurvy
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| adj.下流的，卑鄙的，无礼的；n.坏血病 | |
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hull
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| n.船身；(果、实等的)外壳；vt.去(谷物等)壳 | |
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northward
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| adv.向北；n.北方的地区 | |
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