This, together with the work that must be done, took up a good part of the morning, and the afternoon was spent in making a trip to the boat, looking the situation over carefully, and laying plans for a very early start the next day. Supper over, they soon crawled into bed, and woke at day break, ready for work, and all the better for their day of rest.
After a hasty breakfast camp was broken, and work was resumed at the hummock2. All hands labored3 with such a will that long before noon they had let the boat down to the smooth white plain upon the other side; and though it got away from them at the last minute, and went spinning off on its own account, no harm was done.
The onward4 march was then resumed, and splendid headway made. At noon a short halt was called and gladly accepted, all lounging upon the straw and boxes in the boat, munching5 crackers6 and cheese, and drinking Katy's cold chocolate. The sun had been out all the morning, and the ice was not only a trifle soft, but frequently rough, which had made the skating and dragging a little harder work than before.
No land appeared ahead, but Aleck knew the name and position of a lighthouse just visible upon an island at the mouth of a river away off at their right. He therefore took out of his pocket a small map of the western end of the lake, that he had copied from a big chart, and began to study it. He found that it was about fifteen miles across the end of the lake to a certain cape7 on the southern shore, which lay beyond the great marshy8 bay into which emptied the river just mentioned. He took the direction of this cape from where they were at present, by compass, and made a note of it in his pocket-book. It was almost exactly southeast. Aleck reckoned on reaching so near there by sundown that the party could go ashore9 if very hard pushed by any misfortune or bad turn of the weather, though it was too long a march to make unless they were compelled.
"But supposing we find open water, and have to change our course?" asked Katy.
"Well, we shall know, at all events, that we mustn't go east of southeast, and must try to keep as close to that direction as possible. I don't like this sunshine and westerly breeze. I'd much rather the weather kept real cold."
"Why?" said Jim. "It's much nicer when it's warm."
"I'm afraid of snow and fogs, Youngster. Now let us be off."
No snow or fog came to bother them, however, and at sunset they were out of sight of any landmark10, and travelling by the compass, like a ship at sea.
You may ask, How could they be sure they were following it truly, since they had no object, like a long bowsprit, to guide the eye in ranging their course into line with the needle point, as the steersman on a ship does when he glances across his binnacle?
This is the plan they took: The compass was a small one, but it was hung in a box so as always to stand level. It was, in fact, an old boat compass which Mr. Kincaid had had for many years. This was set exactly in the middle of the seat at the stern of the boat, where Katy still skated, with her hands resting upon the stern-board. Here she could keep her eye easily upon the face of the compass, and make a straight line from its pointer through the middle of the boat. When the compass point "southeast" and the stem-post of the yawl were in line, she knew they were going on a straight course. When these were out of line, she knew her team had swerved13, and she called out "Right!" or "Left!" to bring them back to the true course, just as a quartermaster would order "Port!" and "Starboard!" to his helmsman.
The sun went down slowly at their right hands as they rushed along, and as Jim saw his shadow stretching taller and taller, he found it difficult to keep pace with the older lads. Noting this, the Captain ordered a halt, and put Jim into the boat as a passenger, tying his sled behind.
Katy was tired, and one of her skate-straps chafed17 her instep a little, but she didn't propose to give up.
"Oh, no," she said, cheerily. "I have so much help by resting on the stern of the boat that I can go a long time yet before I give in. Besides, who would steer11?"
So they rushed away again, the clink-clink of their strokes keeping perfect time on the smooth ice. All at once—it was about four o'clock in the afternoon now—a dark line appeared ahead, and in a few moments more they could plainly see open water across their path.
When they became sure of this they went more slowly, and in about ten minutes had approached as close as they dared to a wide space like a river, beyond which white ice could be seen again. Here all knew they must spend the night, for it would be foolish to attempt to cross before morning.
"Well," remarked Tug, as they came to a halt, "according to orders, it's my duty to take the axe18 and cut fuel; so I can loaf, for there's no wood to chop round here that I see;" and he pretended to search in every direction.
"Loaf? Not a bit of it," shouted Aleck, with a grin. "My order to you is, Unload that tent, and set it up on the ice! Jim will help you. I'll help Katy make a fire."
"I wish you would," said the girl. "I'm 'fraid I shouldn't make it go very well out here. I have never built a kitchen fire on ice."
"This is the best way."
Saying this, Aleck took two of the largest pieces of wood from Jim's sled, and laid them down a little way apart. Then he laid across them a platform of the next largest sticks, and on top of this arranged his kindling19, ready to touch a match to.
"We won't set the fire going till we are quite ready for it, and—"
"But I'm cold," Jim complained.
"Well, Youngster, I've heard that the Indians never let their boys come near the lodge20 fire to get warm, but bid them run till they work the chill off. You'd better move livelier if you want to get warm, for we can't afford any more fire than is necessary for a short bit of cooking. Katy, what do you propose to have?"
"I thought I would make tea, boil potatoes, and bake some johnny-cake in my skillet. May I?"
With this warning, Aleck struck a match, and the little fire was soon blazing merrily in the "wooden stove," as Katy called it. Only one or two sticks had been burned clear through before the fire had done its work, and was put out in order to save every splinter of wood possible. They sat down in the shelter of the boat to eat their dinner, and enjoyed it very much, in spite of the cold, their loneliness, and the gathering22 darkness.
Meanwhile the tent had been set up. Over its icy floor were laid the thwarts23 taken out of the boat, the rudder, and two box covers, which nearly covered the whole space. On top of this was placed as much straw as could be spared, and upon the straw Aleck and Tug spread their blankets.
Dinner out of the way, the after-part of the boat was cleared out and re-arranged, until a level space was left. Here, upon a heap of straw, beds for the younger ones were arranged. Then the spare canvas was spread across like an awning24, and was held up on an oar12 laid lengthwise. This made a snug25 cabin for Katy and the wearied Jim, who were not long in creeping into it. Rex followed, and slept in the straw at their feet, which was good for them all.
With the coming of darkness came also a damp sort of cold, that caused them to huddle26 close in their blankets; and though they presently fell asleep, it was with a shivering sense of discomfort27 that spoiled the refreshment28.
Midnight passed, and Aleck, only half awake, was trying to tuck his blankets closer about him without disturbing his bedfellow, when the tent was suddenly struck by some large object, and considerably29 shaken. Alarmed and puzzled at the same time, Aleck paused to listen an instant before rising, when the shrieks30 and barking of the sleepers31 in the boat came to his ears. He sprang out of his blankets only in time to see two shadowy objects rise from the camp, and drift away across the face of the moon, which was just rising.
"Wh-what w-was that?" came from two scared figures sitting bolt-upright in the yawl, their tongues stuttering with terror and cold combined.
"I don't know." Aleck was as bewildered, if not quite as much frightened, as they.
"Humph!" cried Tug's voice, behind; "you're a pretty set to be scared out of your wits and wake everybody up on account of two birds. They're nothing but snow-owls32. Go to bed, or we'll all freeze."
"Wh-wh-what are they?" asked Jim, his teeth playing castanets in spite of all his efforts to control them.
"Tell you in the morning," was the reply. "Go to bed. Come in, Cap'n. Owls are nothing. Come to bed."
This seemed good advice, however gruffly given; but you can hardly expect a person to mince33 his phrases at two o'clock of a winter's morning, on an ice-floe. Aleck was ready to comply, but he was too cold.
"I must get warm first, and so must you, Jim." Katy had wisely disappeared some time before, and said she was pretty comfortable. "Come and run with me till we get our blood stirring."
Neither of the boys had dared undress at all, so it only remained for Jim to creep out from under the canvas, and limp stiffly to his brother's side. Then hand in hand they raced up and down the ice half a dozen times in the pale greenish moonlight. Once or twice they disturbed an owl14 perched on the ice, or heard wild hooting—a sound so hollow and unearthly that they could not tell whether it came from near by or far off.
This strange voice and the gray, silent half-light on the wide waste gave them a very lonely and dismal34 feeling, and when they had put themselves into a glow by exercise, they were very glad to creep back into their beds.
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1
testament
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| n.遗嘱；证明 | |
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2
hummock
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| n.小丘 | |
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3
labored
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| adj.吃力的，谨慎的v.努力争取(for)( labor的过去式和过去分词 )；苦干；详细分析；（指引擎）缓慢而困难地运转 | |
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4
onward
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| adj.向前的，前进的；adv.向前，前进，在先 | |
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5
munching
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| v.用力咀嚼（某物），大嚼( munch的现在分词 ) | |
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6
crackers
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| adj.精神错乱的，癫狂的n.爆竹( cracker的名词复数 )；薄脆饼干；（认为）十分愉快的事；迷人的姑娘 | |
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7
cape
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| n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风 | |
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8
marshy
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| adj.沼泽的 | |
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9
ashore
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| adv.在(向)岸上，上岸 | |
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10
landmark
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| n.陆标，划时代的事，地界标 | |
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11
steer
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| vt.驾驶，为…操舵；引导；vi.驾驶 | |
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12
oar
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| n.桨，橹，划手；v.划行 | |
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13
swerved
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| v.（使）改变方向，改变目的( swerve的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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14
owl
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| n.猫头鹰，枭 | |
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15
tug
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| v.用力拖(或拉)；苦干；n.拖；苦干；拖船 | |
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16
gallantly
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| adv. 漂亮地，勇敢地，献殷勤地 | |
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17
chafed
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| v.擦热（尤指皮肤）( chafe的过去式 )；擦痛；发怒；惹怒 | |
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18
axe
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| n.斧子；v.用斧头砍，削减 | |
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19
kindling
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| n. 点火, 可燃物 动词kindle的现在分词形式 | |
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lodge
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| v.临时住宿，寄宿，寄存，容纳；n.传达室，小旅馆 | |
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21
economize
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| v.节约，节省 | |
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22
gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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23
thwarts
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| 阻挠( thwart的第三人称单数 )； 使受挫折； 挫败； 横过 | |
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24
awning
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| n.遮阳篷；雨篷 | |
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25
snug
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| adj.温暖舒适的，合身的，安全的；v.使整洁干净，舒适地依靠，紧贴；n.（英）酒吧里的私房 | |
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26
huddle
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| vi.挤作一团；蜷缩；vt.聚集；n.挤在一起的人 | |
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27
discomfort
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| n.不舒服，不安，难过，困难，不方便 | |
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28
refreshment
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| n.恢复，精神爽快，提神之事物；（复数）refreshments:点心，茶点 | |
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29
considerably
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| adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上 | |
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30
shrieks
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| n.尖叫声( shriek的名词复数 )v.尖叫( shriek的第三人称单数 ) | |
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31
sleepers
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| n.卧铺（通常以复数形式出现）；卧车( sleeper的名词复数 )；轨枕；睡觉（呈某种状态）的人；小耳环 | |
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32
owls
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| n.猫头鹰( owl的名词复数 ) | |
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33
mince
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| n.切碎物；v.切碎，矫揉做作地说 | |
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34
dismal
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| adj.阴沉的，凄凉的，令人忧郁的，差劲的 | |
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