Winnipeg city, with its thousands of inhabitants, now covers the spot to which Antoine Dechamp drove his friend Fergus McKay.
At the time we write of, the only habitation there was Fort Garry, a solitary1 stone building of some strength, but without regular troops of any kind, and held only by a few employés of the Hudson’s Bay Company, who were there only in the capacity of fur-traders.
Here the Governor of the colony received the unexpected guests with hospitality; heard the tale of Fergus with a sympathetic ear, and at once organised a rescue-expedition with dog-sledges3 and provisions.
While this was being done at the fort, Dan Davidson was similarly employed at Prairie Cottage, the residence of his mother, who, since the death of her husband—a farmer from the Scottish Lowlands—had managed her farm with the aid of her two sons, Dan and Peter; the latter being a youth of seventeen. She was also assisted by her only daughter, Jessie, who was over thirteen years of age, and already esteemed4 an authority on the subjects of poultry5, cookery, and dairy produce. A small servant—a French half-breed named Louise—completed the household of the widow Davidson.
On reaching home, Dan, like Fergus McKay, experienced difficulties that he had not counted on, for his overtaxed strength fairly broke down, and he found himself almost incapable6 at first of telling his tale of disaster. Then, when he tried to go about the needful preparations for rescue, he found himself unable to resist drowsiness7, and if he ventured to sit down for a moment he fell sound asleep at once.
Those who have experienced this condition know how overwhelming and intensely disagreeable it is, especially if resistance to it is rendered imperative8 by a matter of life or death. Davidson struggled bravely against it of course, but the struggle had already been so long continued that his efforts were now in vain.
Starting up from the supper which Jessie had spread before him, and which he was languidly attempting to eat, he said, almost fiercely, “Where is the wash-tub, Louise?”
“Here; fetch some cold water.”
“It is full,” said Louise with a strong French accent and a pretty lisp.
Without the ceremony even of throwing back his collar Dan plunged10 his head into the water, and, after steeping it for a few seconds, drew it out refreshed.
His younger brother entered the room at that moment.
“Peter,” he said, drying his head violently with a jack-towel, “have you got the sledge2 ready, and the provisions packed, and the empty sledge wi’ the buffalo-robes?”
“Ay—all ready,” answered the other, for he was a sprightly11, willing youth, who rejoiced in any unexpected demand on his superabundant energies. “But I say, Dan, you are quite unfit to start off again without rest.”
He looked in his brother’s face anxiously, for Dan had seated himself once more to his food, but seemed unable to deal with it properly. “Why, you’ve got the knife and fork in the wrong hands, Dan! You must have an hour’s rest before we start.”
“Impossible,” returned the other with a dazed look, as he seized a mug of water and drank it off. “An hour’s delay may mean death to Elspie and old Duncan McKay.”
“But let me start off at once,” returned Peter, eagerly. “I’ve a pretty good guess, from your description, where you left them. Besides, the gale12 is not so bad now. After an hour’s sleep you will be able to start fresh, maybe overtake me. Jess will be sure to waken you in—”
He stopped, for his brother’s head had bent13 slowly forward while he was speaking, and now rested on his arms on the table. The worn-out man was sound asleep.
“Just leave him, Peter, and be off wi’ the dogs,” said Mrs Davidson. “Okématan will keep you in the right track. I’ll be sure to wake him in time to catch you up.”
“No, mother, not without his leave,” said the youth, firmly. “Dan! Dan! rouse up, old boy! Shall we start without you?”
“Yes, yes—I’m ready,” said the poor fellow, starting up and swaying to and fro like a drunken man; “but—I say, Peter, I’m done for. I depend on you, lad, to keep me up to the scratch. Lay the dog-whip across my shoulders if I try to lie down. Promise me that. D’ee hear!”
“Yes, I understand,” returned the youth with intense earnestness. “Now look here, Dan, you know me: will you trust me?”
“Of course I will,” answered Dan with a languid smile.
“Well, then; come along, we’ll rescue Elspie—you may depend on that. Okématan and I will look after you and see that all goes right. Come.”
He took his brother by the arm, and led him unresistingly away, followed by the dark-skinned Indian, who, with the usual reticence14 of his race, had stood like a brown statue, silently observing events.
Jessie Davidson, who was a fair and comely15 maiden16, touched him on the arm as he was passing out—
“Oh! take care of him, Okématan,” she said, anxiously.
Okématan replied “Ho!” in a sort of grunt17. It was an expressively18 uttered though not very comprehensible reply; but Jessie was satisfied, for she knew the man well, as he had for a considerable time been, not exactly a servant of the house, but a sort of self-appointed hanger-on, or unpaid19 retainer. For an Indian, he was of a cheerful disposition20 and made himself generally useful.
When they were outside, it was found that the gale had abated21 considerably22, and that the moon was occasionally visible among the clouds which were driving wildly athwart the heavens, as though the elemental war which had ceased to trouble the earth were still raging in the sky.
“Peter,” said the brother, as they stood for a moment beside two Indian sledges, one of which was laden23 with provisions, the other empty—“Peter, don’t forget your promise. Lay the whip on heavy. Nothing else will keep me awake!”
“All right! Sit down there for a moment. We’re not quite ready yet.”
“I’d better not. No! I will stand till it’s time to start,” returned Dan with a dubious24 shake of his head.
“Didn’t you say you would trust me?”
“Yes, I did, old boy.”
“Does it look like trusting me to refuse the very first order I give you? What an example to Okématan! I am in command, Dan. Do as you’re bid, sir, and sit down.”
With a faint smile, and a still more dubious shake of the head, Dan obeyed. He sat down on the empty sledge and the expected result followed. In a few seconds he was asleep.
“Now we’ll pack him in tight,” observed his brother, as he and the Indian stretched the sleeper25 at full length on the sledge, wrapped him completely up in the warm buffalo-robes, and lashed26 him down in such a way that he resembled a mummy, with nothing visible of him except his mouth and nose.
Four strong large dogs were attached to each sledge in tandem27 fashion, each dog having a little collar and harness of its own. No reins28 were necessary. A track beaten in the soft snow with his snow-shoes by the Indian, who stepped out in front, was guide enough for them; and a tail-line attached to the rear of each sledge, and held by the drivers, sufficed to restrain them when a stretch of hard snow or ice tempted29 them to have a scamper30.
The road thus beaten over the prairie by Okématan, though a comparatively soft one, was by no means smooth, and the rough motion would, in ordinary circumstances, have rendered sleep impossible to our hero; but it need hardly be said that it failed to disturb him on the present occasion. He slept like an infant throughout the whole night; cared nothing for the many plunges31 down the prairie waves, and recked not of the frequent jerks out of the hollows.
Hour after hour did Peter Davidson with his silent companion trudge32 over the monotonous33 plains—hope in the ascendant, and vigour34, apparently35, inexhaustible. The dogs, too, were good and strong. A brief halt now and then of a few minutes sufficed to freshen them for every new start. Night passed away, and daylight came in with its ghostly revelations of bushes that looked like bears or buffaloes36, and snow-wreaths that suggested the buried forms of frozen men.
Then the sun arose and scattered37 these sombre visions of early morning with its gladdening, soul-reviving rays.
At this point the rescue-party chanced to have reached one of those bluffs38 of woodland which at that time speckled the plains—though they were few indeed and far between.
“Breakfast,” said Peter, heaving a profound sigh as he turned about and checked the teams, for at that point he happened to be in advance beating the track.
Okématan expressed his entire concurrence39 with an emphatic40 “Ho!” The wearied dogs lay down in their tracks, shot out their tongues, panted, and looked amiable41, for well they knew the meaning of the word “breakfast” and the relative halt.
The sudden stoppage awoke the sleeper, and he struggled to rise.
“Hallo! What’s wrong? Where am I? Have the Redskins got hold o’ me at last?”
“Ay, that they have. At least one Red-skin has got you,” said Peter. “Have a care, man, don’t struggle so violently. Okématan won’t scalp you.”
The sound of his brother’s voice quieted Davidson, and at once restored his memory.
“Cast me loose, Peter,” he said; “you’re a good fellow. I see you have brought me along wi’ you, and I feel like a giant refreshed now, tho’ somewhat stiff. Have we come far?”
“I don’t know how far we’ve come, but I know that we’ve been pegging42 along the whole night, and that we must have breakfast before we take another step. It’s all very well for you, Dan, to lie there all night like a mere43 bag o’ pemmican enjoying yourself, but you must remember that your brother is mortal, and so are the dogs, to say nothing o’ the Red-skin.”
While he was speaking, the youth undid44 the fastenings, and set his brother free, but Dan was far too anxious to indulge in pleasantries just then. After surveying the landscape, and coming to a conclusion as to where they were, he took a hurried breakfast of dried meat—cold. The dogs were also treated to a hearty45 feed, and then, resuming the march, the rescuers pushed on with renewed vigour—Dan Davidson now beating the track, and thus rendering46 it more easy for those who came behind him.
All that day they pushed on almost without halt, and spent the next night in a clump47 of willows48; but Dan was too anxious to take much rest. They rose at the first sign of daybreak, and pushed on at their utmost speed, until the poor dogs began to show signs of breaking down; but an extra hour of rest, and a full allowance of food kept them up to the mark, while calm weather and clear skies served to cheer them on their way.
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1
solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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2
sledge
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| n.雪橇，大锤；v.用雪橇搬运，坐雪橇往 | |
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3
sledges
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| n.雪橇，雪车( sledge的名词复数 )v.乘雪橇( sledge的第三人称单数 )；用雪橇运载 | |
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4
esteemed
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| adj.受人尊敬的v.尊敬( esteem的过去式和过去分词 )；敬重；认为；以为 | |
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5
poultry
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| n.家禽，禽肉 | |
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6
incapable
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| adj.无能力的，不能做某事的 | |
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7
drowsiness
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| n.睡意；嗜睡 | |
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8
imperative
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| n.命令，需要；规则；祈使语气；adj.强制的；紧急的 | |
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9
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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10
plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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sprightly
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| adj.愉快的，活泼的 | |
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12
gale
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| n.大风，强风，一阵闹声（尤指笑声等） | |
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13
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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14
reticence
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| n.沉默，含蓄 | |
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15
comely
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| adj.漂亮的，合宜的 | |
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16
maiden
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| n.少女，处女；adj.未婚的，纯洁的，无经验的 | |
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17
grunt
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| v.嘟哝；作呼噜声；n.呼噜声，嘟哝 | |
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18
expressively
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| ad.表示(某事物)地；表达地 | |
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19
unpaid
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| adj.未付款的，无报酬的 | |
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20
disposition
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| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
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21
abated
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| 减少( abate的过去式和过去分词 )； 减去； 降价； 撤消（诉讼） | |
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22
considerably
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| adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上 | |
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23
laden
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| adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的 | |
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24
dubious
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| adj.怀疑的，无把握的；有问题的，靠不住的 | |
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25
sleeper
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| n.睡眠者，卧车，卧铺 | |
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26
lashed
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| adj.具睫毛的v.鞭打( lash的过去式和过去分词 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥 | |
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27
tandem
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| n.同时发生；配合；adv.一个跟着一个地；纵排地；adj.（两匹马）前后纵列的 | |
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28
reins
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| 感情，激情； 缰( rein的名词复数 )； 控制手段； 掌管； （成人带着幼儿走路以防其走失时用的）保护带 | |
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29
tempted
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| v.怂恿（某人）干不正当的事；冒…的险（tempt的过去分词） | |
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30
scamper
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| v.奔跑，快跑 | |
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31
plunges
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| n.跳进，投入vt.使投入，使插入，使陷入vi.投入，跳进，陷入v.颠簸( plunge的第三人称单数 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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32
trudge
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| v.步履艰难地走；n.跋涉，费力艰难的步行 | |
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33
monotonous
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| adj.单调的，一成不变的，使人厌倦的 | |
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34
vigour
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| （=vigor）n.智力，体力，精力 | |
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35
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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36
buffaloes
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| n.水牛（分非洲水牛和亚洲水牛两种）( buffalo的名词复数 )；（南非或北美的）野牛；威胁；恐吓 | |
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37
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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38
bluffs
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| 恐吓( bluff的名词复数 )； 悬崖； 峭壁 | |
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39
concurrence
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| n.同意；并发 | |
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40
emphatic
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| adj.强调的，着重的；无可置疑的，明显的 | |
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41
amiable
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| adj.和蔼可亲的，友善的，亲切的 | |
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42
pegging
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| n.外汇钉住，固定证券价格v.用夹子或钉子固定( peg的现在分词 )；使固定在某水平 | |
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43
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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44
Undid
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| v. 解开, 复原 | |
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45
hearty
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| adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的 | |
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46
rendering
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| n.表现，描写 | |
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47
clump
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| n.树丛，草丛；vi.用沉重的脚步行走 | |
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48
willows
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| n.柳树( willow的名词复数 )；柳木 | |
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