Tug knew what that meant, and that there was not an instant to spare. Tearing off his coat—he had thrown aside his overcoat in the heat of the work before-he watched till he saw Aleck rising through the clear water, then dashed in, followed by the noble dog, and grasped his hair. Aleck hung in his hold a dead weight, as though life had gone; but Tug knew that the fatal end had not come yet, and that this was only the fainting of utter exhaustion4 and the cramping5 paralysis6 of cold. Cold! Tug had felt the dreadful chill striking through and through him the instant he had touched the water. Already it was clogging7 his motions and overcoming his strength with a fearful numbness8 that would fast render him powerless. And Aleck had been in that stiffening9, paralyzing flood several minutes!
All this went through Tug's mind, as on a dark night a flash of lightning enters and leaves the pupil of the eye; it took "no time at all," and the instant he had hooked his fingers in Aleck's hair he shouted to Katy to shove out the sled where he might reach it. She did so, and by it drew both the lads to the ice, the brave rescuer grasping the friendly box and towing his senseless Captain.
Then a new difficulty presented itself. Aleck was perfectly10 helpless, and like a log in the water; or worse than that, for he would sink if Tug loosed his hold. How should they get him out?
Katy saw this problem, and said to Tug, as soon as the ice had been reached, while she knelt at the brink11 of the splashing water:
"Let me hold his head up—I can do it—until you can climb out; then both of us together, I guess, can drag him up on to the ice. Oh dear! will he ever come to?"
Her tears blinded her eyes, but she dashed them away, and took firm hold upon Aleck's collar, while Tug scrambled12 out. Then, while Katy held his head above the curling, gurgling little waves that the wind was chasing, Tug slipped one end of the rope under Aleck's arms, and made a loop about his body, by which they were able to drag his lifeless form out upon the ice, as though he were a fish or a seal.
"Now let's have the sled!" screamed Tug, minding neither his own freezing garments nor Katy's anguish14; and having pulled this from the water, he and Katy lifted Aleck upon it, and set off as fast as they could for the tent, whither the miserable15 Youngster had already started in a staggering trot16, with many groans17 and rough tumbles. The others overtook him, and all went on together; but Jimkin got no comfort, for Aleck might be drowned—they did not know; while Jim, though certainly miserable, was alive and active, enough so, at least, to look after himself.
"How fortunate that there happened to be a kettle of hot water on the fire!"
"Yes. Now here we are. We'll have to drag him through the low doorway19 heels first. Help me lift him off the sled, Katy."
Laid on straw and overcoats by the warm fire, Tug quickly stripped off the Captain's wet clothes, while Katy brought warm blankets, and wrapped him in them.
"Didn't you say you had a little bottle of brandy, Katy?"
"Yes; Miss Marshall told us we ought never to go on a long journey without it, and I brought it along for fear something like this might happen. Here it is."
Taking the bottle, Tug forced a few drops between Aleck's lips and saw them trickle20 down his throat. A minute later there was a stronger throb21 of the fluttering heart, a quiver of the eyelids22, and a faint, sighing groan18, which the anxious watchers could just hear. At this sign of returning life they rose and grasped each other's hands. The tears Katy had so bravely kept back when she had had work to do and no time to cry came now in an unrestrained shower; but they were tears of joy, for the Captain was waking up all right.
Now poor little Jim got some attention, and Katy left them to themselves while the three boys helped each other to get rid of their icy clothes and crawl into the blankets and warm straw of their bedrooms, as they called the hull23 of the boat. This done, Katy came back and made hot tea for her three tucked-up patients, which so revived them that Tug and Jim begged to be allowed to get up as soon as their clothes had been dried; but Aleck said he wanted to sleep two weeks, and so would stay in bed a little longer.
As for Rex, whose heroism24 in bringing back Aleck's floating coat, when he was unable to aid his drowning master himself, had been forgotten until now, he was content to lie in a snug25 corner and wait for the half-frozen fish his mistress had promised him should presently be the reward of his faithfulness.
That eventful day came to an end without anything further to disturb their peace. Aleck rose towards evening, and went out fishing with Jim and Tug, catching26 two or three pickerel. The night passed in unusual quiet, for the wind, though steady, was not a whistling gale27, nor did the grinding roar of moving ice come to their ears, as it had sometimes during the previous daytime.
In the morning the same clouds were overhead, the same vague haze28 hid the horizon, the same waste of ice and water surrounded their lonely camp, the same quiet breeze breathed steadily29 across the lake, and, but for occasional noises of their own making, the whole world seemed profoundly still. This was depressing, and the spirits of each one of our young adventurers sank to a level with the flat ice and the dull gray sky; yet it was evident that nothing could be done except to wait as patiently as possible for some change.
"If yez can't be aisy, be as aisy as ye can," remarked Tug, quoting an excellent Irish rule of life under adverse30 circumstances; but the pleasantry met with only a faint smile from his disheartened companions. All thought that any active perils31 would be better than this motionless, objectless gloom, so threatening because so still and uncertain.
"I wonder if we haven't stopped drifting," said Katy, as they were pretending to eat a bit of luncheon32, for which nobody had much appetite; and, more for the sake of doing something than because it seemed to make much difference whether they had come to a standstill or not, they took a few chips to the edge of the floe33, and threw them into the water. These tossed up and down on the gentle waves, but did not change their position at all, so our navigators concluded their floe to be at last stationary34.
"How far do you think we have drifted?" Jim asked his brother.
"Well," Aleck replied, "I've been studying over that. We don't know just when we started nor exactly when we stopped—if we have stopped—nor whether we have gone steadily on. I have seen something of drifting ice, and I should say we had gone probably between twenty and twenty-five miles, all right out into the middle of the lake."
"Then you have some idea of where we are?"
"Oh, yes; that's quite easily calculated by 'dead-reckoning,' as sailors say."
The west wind now began to subside35, and before long the air became still and the mists thicker, with dense36, low clouds massing close overhead. On land it must have been a warm, thawing37 day. Out here it was always chilly38, but the four persons were not uncomfortable, even when their overcoats were unbuttoned, partly, however, because they had become accustomed to constant exposure.
Before the sun went down the air grew much cooler, and the fog thinned out, while the wind freshened and worked around until it blew briskly and very cold from the north. This soon swept away the mists, but not the clouds; yet light enough remained just before dusk to give Aleck a brief look to the northward39. He could see a great field of rough ice, apparently40 made up of broken pieces crushed and jammed together, stretching in that direction to the horizon. This horizon was broken in one place, however, by a darker patch, that looked as though it might be land; but before he could examine it more carefully it had become lost in the darkness.
Returning to the house, the Captain ordered every preparation to be made for a possible removal. While Katy cooked their evening meal, the boys worked with axe41 and shovel42 until they had freed the runners under the boat, so that she could be dragged away quickly. Then the wall was taken down, and the boxes stowed carefully. Several of them had been emptied during the long halt, and it made the lads feel very grave to notice how low their stock of provisions and lamp-oil had run. Jimmy refused to see the use of all this hard work when everything seemed as safe as ever it was, and Aleck confessed that he had no better reason for his precautions than that the weather had changed, and it was best to be on the safe side—in which he showed himself a good commander.
"We won't take the tent down, Jim, nor throw in the mess kit43, nor roll away our good beds, till we find we have to; but, if the ice should drop from under our feet at this moment, we could scramble13 into the boat, and have our necessary property with us."
Katy, meanwhile, had set half a ham boiling—they had only one more left after this—and was only waiting for it to be done before going to bed, for it was late in the evening, and much colder than usual, since the hummock44 no longer sheltered them from this new wind, which blew in under the boat where the snow had been shovelled45 away, and threatened to tear the frail46 hut to pieces. Finally the ham was done, and the girl crept shivering to Jim's side amid the straw and quilts, thoroughly47 frightened and weary.
She had not been there five minutes when there came a quick series of crashing reports, such as she had heard before. The ice was breaking up again. Tug was quickest to jump out, calling to all to stay in the boat till he came back. They could feel the ice shake and tip under them—or, at any rate, imagined they could—while the wind was blowing snow-flakes in their scared faces. It seemed an age, though really it was hardly a minute, before Tug came back and said they were afloat upon a small piece—a piece only a few yards square.
"Then," said Aleck, decisively, "we must take to the boat and get off this cake, for the wind is blowing us right back into the open lake, and we couldn't live out there. I think I saw land just north of us, and we must try to reach it, or, at any rate, to get upon the big ice-field in front. It's our only hope."
He and Tug were buttoning their overcoats and tying tippets about their heads and necks, but talking at the same time.
"Now for our orders, Captain."
"Well, then, listen. Katy and Jim must not step out of the boat unless I say so. They must light the lantern, ship the rudder, roll up the bedding and stow it under the thwarts48, and fix everything as snug as they can. Jim's place will be forward; Katy will stay by the tiller; and remember, whatever happens, that the compass direction is due north. Now, Tug," he continued, "you and I will throw this kitchen stuff aboard, and let The Youngster pack it away the best he can. Then, down with the oars49 and mast and canvas. We must hurry."
So saying, he snatched the kettle, ham and all, from the fire, and tossed it into the boat, where it lit on Jim's foot, and was greeted with an angry howl. The other goods and the spare canvas followed. Then they began to tear down the roof, and in five minutes this had been piled in a stiff, frozen heap on the bow of the boat, for they thought there would be no time to bend and fold it into shape. It was all the united efforts of the four could do to hoist50 it over the low gunwale.
All these preparations took perhaps fifteen minutes—a quarter of an hour of terror, for now the great cake was plainly rocking under their feet. Then calling Jim out of the boat to help them, the three put their heads through the collars of the drag-ropes, and tried their best to move the boat, but it wouldn't budge51 an inch.
"We must throw off that icy canvas. I should think it weighs a hundred pounds," Tug remarked.
"Yes, off with it!" ordered Captain Aleck.
This done, they tried again, and slowly and laboriously52 worked the boat twenty or thirty paces towards the edge of the ice, when it became clogged53 with the fast-falling snow, and could be pushed no farther.
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1
disappearance
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| n.消失，消散，失踪 | |
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regain
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| vt.重新获得，收复，恢复 | |
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tug
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| v.用力拖(或拉)；苦干；n.拖；苦干；拖船 | |
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exhaustion
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| n.耗尽枯竭，疲惫，筋疲力尽，竭尽，详尽无遗的论述 | |
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cramping
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| 图像压缩 | |
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paralysis
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| n.麻痹(症)；瘫痪(症) | |
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clogging
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| 堵塞，闭合 | |
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numbness
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| n.无感觉，麻木，惊呆 | |
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stiffening
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| n. (使衣服等)变硬的材料, 硬化 动词stiffen的现在分词形式 | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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brink
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| n.(悬崖、河流等的)边缘，边沿 | |
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12
scrambled
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| v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
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13
scramble
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| v.爬行，攀爬，杂乱蔓延，碎片，片段，废料 | |
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anguish
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| n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦，烦恼 | |
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miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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16
trot
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| n.疾走，慢跑；n.老太婆；现成译本；(复数）trots:腹泻（与the 连用）；v.小跑，快步走，赶紧 | |
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17
groans
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| n.呻吟，叹息( groan的名词复数 )；呻吟般的声音v.呻吟( groan的第三人称单数 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦 | |
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groan
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| vi./n.呻吟，抱怨；(发出)呻吟般的声音 | |
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doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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trickle
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| vi.淌，滴，流出，慢慢移动，逐渐消散 | |
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throb
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| v.震颤，颤动；(急速强烈地)跳动，搏动 | |
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eyelids
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| n.眼睑( eyelid的名词复数 )；眼睛也不眨一下；不露声色；面不改色 | |
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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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heroism
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| n.大无畏精神，英勇 | |
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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
catching
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| adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住 | |
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gale
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| n.大风，强风，一阵闹声（尤指笑声等） | |
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28
haze
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| n.霾，烟雾；懵懂，迷糊；vi.(over)变模糊 | |
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29
steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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adverse
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| adj.不利的；有害的；敌对的，不友好的 | |
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perils
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| 极大危险( peril的名词复数 )； 危险的事（或环境） | |
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luncheon
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| n.午宴，午餐，便宴 | |
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floe
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| n.大片浮冰 | |
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stationary
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| adj.固定的，静止不动的 | |
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subside
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| vi.平静，平息；下沉，塌陷，沉降 | |
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dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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37
thawing
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| n.熔化，融化v.（气候）解冻( thaw的现在分词 )；（态度、感情等）缓和；（冰、雪及冷冻食物）溶化；软化 | |
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38
chilly
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| adj.凉快的，寒冷的 | |
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northward
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| adv.向北；n.北方的地区 | |
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40
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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41
axe
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| n.斧子；v.用斧头砍，削减 | |
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42
shovel
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| n.铁锨，铲子，一铲之量；v.铲，铲出 | |
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43
kit
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| n.用具包，成套工具；随身携带物 | |
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44
hummock
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| n.小丘 | |
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45
shovelled
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| v.铲子( shovel的过去式和过去分词 )；锹；推土机、挖土机等的)铲；铲形部份 | |
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frail
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| adj.身体虚弱的；易损坏的 | |
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thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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48
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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49
oars
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| n.桨，橹( oar的名词复数 )；划手v.划（行）( oar的第三人称单数 ) | |
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50
hoist
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| n.升高，起重机，推动；v.升起，升高，举起 | |
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51
budge
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| v.移动一点儿；改变立场 | |
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52
laboriously
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| adv.艰苦地；费力地；辛勤地；（文体等）佶屈聱牙地 | |
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53
clogged
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| （使）阻碍( clog的过去式和过去分词 )； 淤滞 | |
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