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13 - In the Heart of the Rockies by G A Henty · In the Heart of the Rockies

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Speaker 1: Public Domain read by Alan Kammer, Chapter twelve, the snow fort.
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Speaker 1: The hut was quiet at an unusually early hour, for
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Speaker 1: the men had done a very hard day's work and
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Speaker 1: felt the strain after the long weeks of inactivity. At
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Speaker 1: daybreak they were up and about, but could remain out
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Speaker 1: but a few minutes, for the cold was so intense
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Speaker 1: that they felt unable to face it until they had
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Speaker 1: taken some hot tea and eaten something Half an hour
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Speaker 1: sufficed for this early breakfast. Hunting dog was again left
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Speaker 1: behind by the chief when he started two eyes enough,
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Speaker 1: the latter said, hunting dog more use here. The wall
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Speaker 1: of blocks was raised three more feet during the day,
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Speaker 1: as it was agreed to devote all their efforts to
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Speaker 1: this and to defer the work of thickening it until
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Speaker 1: the next day, for the snow had now been cleared
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Speaker 1: so far from its foot that it could no longer
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Speaker 1: be thrown inside. Though but six feet above the snow level,
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Speaker 1: it was at least three feet more above the level
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Speaker 1: of the rock, and its face was a solid sheet
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Speaker 1: of ice. Tom having during the two days made innumerable
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Speaker 1: journeys backwards and forwards with snow water, another couple of feet,
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Speaker 1: and it will be high enough for anything. Harry said,
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Speaker 1: I don't believe that the Indians will venture to attack us,
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Speaker 1: but it is just as well to have it so
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Speaker 1: high that they can't help each other up to the top.
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Speaker 1: If they knew how strong it is, I'm sure they
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Speaker 1: would not attack and would leave us alone altogether. But
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Speaker 1: if a hundred of them creep up in the dark
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Speaker 1: and make a rush, they will do their best to
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Speaker 1: try to climb it. Anyhow, we shan't need to make
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Speaker 1: the bank behind very high. If it goes to within
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Speaker 1: four feet and a half to the top, so that
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Speaker 1: we can stand and fire over the wall, that is
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Speaker 1: all that is wanted. Leaping Horse returned at dusk. As before,
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Speaker 1: he uttered a warm approval of the work. When he
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Speaker 1: had examined it. Good fort, he said, better than palisades. Indian, no,
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Speaker 1: I'm over it. No opening to fire through good as
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Speaker 1: wall of town house. I think they will be puzzled
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Speaker 1: when they get here. Chief must watch well to night,
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Speaker 1: the chief said, Indian scout. Sure to come. Two men
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Speaker 1: keep on watch. Two better than one. That is so, Chief.
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Speaker 1: We will change every hour, but it will be mighty cold.
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Speaker 1: I don't see why we shouldn't rig up a shelter
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Speaker 1: against the wall and have a bit of a fire there.
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Speaker 1: Then the two on watch can take it by turns
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Speaker 1: every few minutes to come in and get a warm.
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Speaker 1: With poles and skins, a lean to was speedily constructed
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Speaker 1: against the wall. The snow was hammered down, and a
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Speaker 1: hearth made of half a dozen logs packed closely together.
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Speaker 1: Some brands were brought up from the fire in the hut,
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Speaker 1: and the skins across the end of the lean to
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Speaker 1: dropped so that the air within could get warm. While
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Speaker 1: they were at supper hunting. Dog and Tom shall take
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Speaker 1: the first watch, Harry said Sam, and I will take
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Speaker 1: the next, Jerry and Ben the third. The new chief
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Speaker 1: can take the next leaping horse watch by himself. The
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Speaker 1: Senecas said, his eyes will be open very well. Chief,
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Speaker 1: I know you are as good as any two of us,
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Speaker 1: so that will give us each one hour out and
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Speaker 1: three hours in bed. Wrapping buffalo robes around them, Tom
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Speaker 1: and the young Indian went up to the fort. Tom
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Speaker 1: drew aside one of the skins and looked into the shelter.
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Speaker 1: The hearth was in a glow, and two logs lying
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Speaker 1: on it were burning well. The night was very still,
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Speaker 1: except for the occasional rumble of some distant snowslide. For
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Speaker 1: a few minutes they stood looking over the wall, but
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Speaker 1: keeping far back so that only their heads were above
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Speaker 1: its level. Tom go in by the fire, the Indian said,
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Speaker 1: all white, no need for four eyes. Very well, I
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Speaker 1: will go in first, but mind, you have got to
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Speaker 1: go in afterwards. I shan't go in if you don't.
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Speaker 1: After waiting for a few minutes in the shelter, Tom
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Speaker 1: went out again, and hunting dog took his place. It
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Speaker 1: was his first war path, and nothing would have persuaded
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Speaker 1: him to retire from the watch had he not felt
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Speaker 1: sure that even white men's eyes could not fail to
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Speaker 1: detect any dark object moving on the surface of the snow.
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Speaker 1: But although all white, the surface was not level here,
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Speaker 1: and there were sudden elevations marking rises in the rock beneath. Still,
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Speaker 1: it seemed impossible to Tom that any one could approach unseen.
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Speaker 1: In spite of the protection of the buffalo robe. It
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Speaker 1: was intensely cold outside, and he was glad each time
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Speaker 1: when his turn came for a warm by the fire.
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Speaker 1: The changes, too, made the time pass quickly and he
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Speaker 1: was quite surprised when his uncle and Sam came out
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Speaker 1: to relieve them. The other two men and the chief
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Speaker 1: were still smoking by the fire. There was tea in
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Speaker 1: the kettle, and they evidently did not mean to lie
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Speaker 1: down until after their first watch. Every few minutes, the
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Speaker 1: chief got up and went out to the platform and
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Speaker 1: stood listening there intently for a short time, just before
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Speaker 1: for it was time to change the guard again, he said,
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Speaker 1: when he returned Indian down in valley, have you heard them? Chief?
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Speaker 1: Leaping horse? Heard a dead stick crack that might have
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Speaker 1: been a deer, Ben suggested. The Chief shirk his head, rapahole,
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Speaker 1: heard guns strike tree? Then I reckon they will be
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Speaker 1: up on our watch, Ben said, well, we shall be
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Speaker 1: ready for them. Perhaps come, perhaps not come, Perhaps scout
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Speaker 1: up valley first to see if some of us there,
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Speaker 1: and look for horses. Perhaps some come up path, but
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Speaker 1: crawl up slow, not know whether look out there. Well,
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Speaker 1: I don't envy them if they've got much crawling to
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Speaker 1: do tonight it is cold enough to freeze one's breath.
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Speaker 1: Rap a hole, not like cold, the chief said, But
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Speaker 1: once scalp bid that makes his blood warm. I will
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Speaker 1: let some of it out, Jerry said, wrathfully. If I
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Speaker 1: get a chance to lay a bead on one of them,
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Speaker 1: don't you be afeared. Chief? We will look out sharp enough,
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Speaker 1: you bet. While I reckon, it is about our time
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Speaker 1: to turn out. Ben Jerry tells me that you have
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Speaker 1: heard noises below, Chief Harry said. When he came in,
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Speaker 1: we heard nothing, But it ain't easy to hear well
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Speaker 1: with these hoods over one's head. Wood's bad for here,
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Speaker 1: the chief assented. Leaping Horse heard plain indians down below. Well,
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Speaker 1: it is only what we expected. Chief. Anyhow, we are
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Speaker 1: ready for them when they come. Tom lay down now
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Speaker 1: and knew nothing more till hunting dog touched him. Time
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Speaker 1: to go and watch, he said, Has everything been quiet?
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Speaker 1: The Indian nodded, no, come yet. Leaping Horse remained at
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Speaker 1: his post. After they came out to relieve him. Tom
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Speaker 1: made no comment. Harry had impressed upon him the necessity
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Speaker 1: for absolute silence. If they hear voices, they will never
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Speaker 1: come near us, he had said, And we would rather
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Speaker 1: they came than stopped away. The sooner we get this
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Speaker 1: job over, the better. The chief stood with his head
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Speaker 1: slightly bent forward, and the hood of his hunting shirt
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Speaker 1: thrown back, listening attentively. Then he touched hunting dog, and,
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Speaker 1: stooping low down, whispered something in his ear, and then
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Speaker 1: both stood again listening. Tom too threw back his hood,
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Speaker 1: but he could hear nothing whatever, and was soon glad
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Speaker 1: to pull it forward over his ears. Again. He strained
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Speaker 1: his eyes in the direction towards which they were listening,
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Speaker 1: which was apparently towards the edge of the ravine, where
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Speaker 1: the Indian trail came up from below. All seemed to
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Speaker 1: him to be white and bare. Presently the chief's rifle
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Speaker 1: went up to his shoulder. There was a sharp crack,
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Speaker 1: and a dark figure leaped up from the snow fifty
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Speaker 1: yards away, and then fell headlong down again. It seemed
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Speaker 1: to Tom almost magical. His eyes had been fixed in
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Speaker 1: that direction for the last five minutes, and he could
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Speaker 1: have sworn that the surface of the snow was unbroken.
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Speaker 1: A minute later, the other four men came running up.
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Speaker 1: What is it, Chief Harry whispered, leaping horse pointed to
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Speaker 1: the dark figures stretched out on the snow. So you
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Speaker 1: have got the varmint? Good? Do you think there are
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Speaker 1: any more of them? About? More? They're sure, the chief said,
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Speaker 1: pointing to the path up from below. Perhaps more there,
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Speaker 1: And he pointed to a broad black line from the
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Speaker 1: foot of the cliffs to the edge of the ravine,
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Speaker 1: where three days before an avalanche from the hills above
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Speaker 1: had swept the rock clear of snow. They must have
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Speaker 1: made sure that we were all asleep, or that fellow
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Speaker 1: would never have shown himself on the snow. Harry said,
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Speaker 1: he did not show himself. Uncle. How he got there,
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Speaker 1: I don't know, but I was looking at the spot
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Speaker 1: when the chief fired, and I saw no signs of him. Whatever.
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Speaker 1: How he hid himself, I don't know. If it had
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Speaker 1: been anywhere else, I should have said, he must have
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Speaker 1: had a white sheet over him. It certainly was not that.
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Speaker 1: Whatever it was, Tom, however, we shall see in the morning. Well,
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Speaker 1: we may as well turn in again. Will they try again,
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Speaker 1: d'ye think, chief? Not try to night? Too cold? If
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Speaker 1: any there, we'll hide up till daybreak. Now they know
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Speaker 1: we are awake, will not venture on snow. Half an
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Speaker 1: hour later, a great fire was lighted out of gunshot
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Speaker 1: range lower down the valley, and three or four figures
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Speaker 1: could be seen round it. Too. Cold, hunted Dog said
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Speaker 1: to Tom, all gone down to get warm. The watches
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Speaker 1: were relieved regularly through the night, but there was no
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Speaker 1: further alarm until just after daylight had broken, when Sam
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Speaker 1: Hicks suddenly discharged his rifle. The others all turned out
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Speaker 1: at once. He had fired at a bush just at
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Speaker 1: the point where the trail came up from below, and
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Speaker 1: he declared that he had seen a slight movement there,
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Speaker 1: and that some pieces of the snow had dropped from
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Speaker 1: the leaves. We will make sure that there is no
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Speaker 1: one there, Harry said, and then we will turn out
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Speaker 1: and have a look. It is like enough that one
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Speaker 1: of the Redskins from below came up the path to
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Speaker 1: have a look at us this morning. He took a
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Speaker 1: steady aim and fired. Fetch up an axe, Tom, We
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Speaker 1: will cut that bush away at once. It is lucky
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Speaker 1: that Sam caught sight of the Red Skin. If he
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Speaker 1: had not done so, he might have got a bullet
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Speaker 1: in his own head, for when the Red Skin had
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Speaker 1: finished taking a view of the fort, he would certainly
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Speaker 1: have picked off Sam or myself before he went down.
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Speaker 1: It is a weak point that from here one can't
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Speaker 1: command the path. If they come in force, we shall
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Speaker 1: have to keep watch on the platform two. From there
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Speaker 1: you can get a sight of two or three of
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Speaker 1: its turnings. They went out together, and as they passed,
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Speaker 1: stopped to look at the body of the Indian the
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Speaker 1: chief had shot. He was a young brave of two
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Speaker 1: or three and twenty, and the manner of his advance,
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Speaker 1: so far unperceived, was now evident. Favored by a slight
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Speaker 1: fall in the ground, he had crawled forward, scooping a
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Speaker 1: trench wide enough for his body afoot and depth, pushing
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Speaker 1: the snow always forward, so that it formed a sort
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Speaker 1: of bank in front of him and screened him from
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Speaker 1: the sight of those on watch. The chief's keen eye
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Speaker 1: had perceived a slight movement of the snow, and after
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Speaker 1: watching a moment, had fired at the point where he
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Speaker 1: judged any one concealed by it must be. He had
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Speaker 1: calculated accurately. The ball had struck on the shoulder, close
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Speaker 1: to the neck, and had passed down through the body.
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Speaker 1: The Indian had brought no rifle with him, but had
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Speaker 1: knife and tomahawk in his belt. Poor young fellow Harry
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Speaker 1: said he wanted to win a name for himself by
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Speaker 1: a deed of desperate bravery. It has cost him his life,
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Speaker 1: but as he would have taken ours if he had
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Speaker 1: had a chance. It is of no use regretting it.
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Speaker 1: They now went on to the bush. You are right, Sam,
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Speaker 1: he went on, as they saw the impression on the
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Speaker 1: snow made by a figure lying down behind it. There
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Speaker 1: was an Indian here, sure enough, and here is the
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Speaker 1: mark of the stock of his rifle. And no doubt
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Speaker 1: he would have picked off one of us if you
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Speaker 1: had not scared him. I don't expect you hit him.
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Speaker 1: There are no signs of blood. Fire too high, the
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Speaker 1: chief said, pointing to a twig that had been freshly
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Speaker 1: cut off two feet from the ground. Always shoot low
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Speaker 1: at man behind bush. Man cannot float in air. There
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Speaker 1: was a general laugh at Sam, who replied, I did
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Speaker 1: not suppose he could. Chief. I just fired where I
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Speaker 1: saw the snow fall, without thinking about it one way
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Speaker 1: or the other. I was an all fired fool. But
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Speaker 1: I shall know better the next time. The bush was
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Speaker 1: cut down, and also two or three others that grew
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Speaker 1: along by the edge of the ravine. On their way
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Speaker 1: back to the hut, Harry stopped by the dead Indian.
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Speaker 1: Fetch me a shovel, Tom, he said, I will dig
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Speaker 1: a hole in the snow. It ain't a pleasant object
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Speaker 1: to be looking at. Anyway. Tom fetched the shovel, Harry
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Speaker 1: duck down in the snow till he reached the rock.
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Speaker 1: Then he and Jerry laid the body in it and
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Speaker 1: filled in the snow again. The Chief looked on bears
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Speaker 1: get him, he said, when they had finished. That is
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Speaker 1: like enough, Chief. But we have done the best we
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Speaker 1: can for him. There is no digging into the rock.
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Speaker 1: I thought the Indians always scalped enemies they shot Tom. Afterwards,
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Speaker 1: said to his uncle, so they do, Tom. But you see,
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Speaker 1: the chief is a sort of civilized Indian. He has
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Speaker 1: consorted for years with whites, and he knows that we
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Speaker 1: don't like it. I don't say he wouldn't do it
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Speaker 1: if he were on the war path by himself, but
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Speaker 1: with us he doesn't at any rate, not openly. I
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Speaker 1: have no doubt it went against his grain to see
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Speaker 1: the red skin buried with his hair on. For the
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Speaker 1: scalp would have been a creditable one, as it would
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Speaker 1: not have been got without a clear eye and good
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Speaker 1: judgment in shooting. I have no doubt he has got
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Speaker 1: some scalps about him now, though he won't show them.
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Speaker 1: But they will be hung up some day if he
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Speaker 1: ever settles down in a wigmam of his own. Well, Chief,
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Speaker 1: and what do you think, he asked sleeping horse, as
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Speaker 1: after returning to the hut they set down to breakfast.
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Speaker 1: Will they come or won't they? I think they no come,
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Speaker 1: the chief said, scalp behind bush. Will tell them fort
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Speaker 1: too strong to take, must cross snow, and many fall
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Speaker 1: before they get to it, very hard to climb, no light, cold.
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Speaker 1: Deeping Horse thinks they will stop in wigwams. No fools either,
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Speaker 1: Jerry agreed. A man would be worse than natural if
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Speaker 1: he were to go fooling about in this weather and
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Speaker 1: run a pretty good, big risk of getting shot, and
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Speaker 1: nothing much to gain by it. They know we have
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Speaker 1: left their country now and ain't likely to come back again,
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Speaker 1: either to hunt there or to dig gold, and that
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Speaker 1: all we want is to get away as soon as
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Speaker 1: we can. I allow that the Chief is right, and
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Speaker 1: that we sha'n't hear no more of them anyhow, not
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Speaker 1: for some time. The Chief nodded. If come again, not
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Speaker 1: come now, wait to moon. Then think perhaps we sleep
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Speaker 1: sound and try again, But more likely not try much
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Speaker 1: more likely, Harry assented, unless they can do it by
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Speaker 1: a surprise. Indians are not fond of attacking. They know
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Speaker 1: we shoot straighter than they do and have better rifles.
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Speaker 1: You remember that time when you and I and Jersey
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Speaker 1: Dick kept off a party of Navajos from sunrise till
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Speaker 1: sunset down near the Emigrant Trail. It was lucky for
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Speaker 1: us that a post rider who was passing along heard
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Speaker 1: the firing and took the news to a fort, and
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Speaker 1: that the officer there brought out fifty troopers just as
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Speaker 1: the sun went down, or we should have been rubbed
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Speaker 1: out that night. Sure, the Seneca nodded, How was it, Harry?
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Speaker 1: Sam Hicks asked, it was just the usual thing. Sam.
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Speaker 1: We had left the trail two days before and were
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Speaker 1: hunting on our own account. When the Navajos came down.
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Speaker 1: We had just time to throw the three horses and
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Speaker 1: lie down behind them. They were within two hundred yards
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Speaker 1: when I began and fetch the chief who was leading
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Speaker 1: them out of his saddle. Leaping horse brought down another one,
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Speaker 1: and Jersey Dick held his fire, and instead of keeping
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Speaker 1: straight on, they began to straggle around. And they kept
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Speaker 1: at that all day. Sometimes we would get in pretty
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Speaker 1: close but each time they did. The chief brought down
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Speaker 1: a horse, and when his rider, who was of course
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Speaker 1: hanging on the other side of him, got up to run,
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Speaker 1: I fetched him down. Dick wasn't much of a shot,
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Speaker 1: so we would not let him fire. It discourages Redskins
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Speaker 1: mightily when they see that there is never a shot
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Speaker 1: thrown away, and that it is sure death whenever one
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Speaker 1: draws a trigger. So at last they got careful and
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Speaker 1: held off, knowing as they would get us at night,
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Speaker 1: when they could have crawled up on foot and made
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Speaker 1: a rush when they got close to us. The worst
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Speaker 1: of it was we hadn't struck water the evening before,
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Speaker 1: and it was just one of the hottest days on
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Speaker 1: the plains, and we were pretty nigh mad with thirst
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Speaker 1: before evening. I believe when the soldiers rode up, I
16:35
Speaker 1: was about as glad to get a drink from one
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Speaker 1: of their bottles as I was. That the Navajos bolted
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Speaker 1: when they saw them coming. No, the Redskins ain't any
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Speaker 1: good for an open attack. They would have lost fewer
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Speaker 1: men by riding straight at us than they did by
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Speaker 1: fooling around, But they could not bring themselves to do it,
16:52
Speaker 1: and I reckon, that is what it will be here.
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Speaker 1: They may, as the Chief says, try, say six weeks
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Speaker 1: on when the frost begins to break, in hopes that
17:00
Speaker 1: we may have given up keeping watch. But if they
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Speaker 1: find us awake, they will never try an open attack,
17:06
Speaker 1: for they could not reckon on taking the place without
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Speaker 1: losing a score of men and doing so. If the
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Speaker 1: snow was off the ground, it would be different. Then
17:15
Speaker 1: of a dark night they could crawl up close and
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Speaker 1: make a rush. After breakfast, the chief and hunting dog
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Speaker 1: went out scouting. When they returned, they brought news that
17:24
Speaker 1: three Indians had come over the snow along the side
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Speaker 1: of the hills, that three others had come up the valley,
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Speaker 1: and that in a wood half a mile below where
17:32
Speaker 1: they had seen the fire, there had been a large
17:35
Speaker 1: party encamped. I reckon that would be about it. Chief,
17:39
Speaker 1: three fellows came along over the hill in case we
17:41
Speaker 1: should be keeping guard at the top of the path,
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Speaker 1: and they had a big force somewhere down below, so
17:46
Speaker 1: that if the scouts reported that there was nothing to
17:49
Speaker 1: prevent them falling on us, they would come up before
17:51
Speaker 1: morning and wipe us out. I suppose they have all
17:54
Speaker 1: ridden off all gone. Leaping horse and hunting dog followed
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Speaker 1: right down valley, no step anywhere, gone back to lodges.
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Speaker 1: Then in that case, Harry, we had better get the
18:04
Speaker 1: critters down to the shed again. They have eaten all
18:07
Speaker 1: that stuff they brought up three days ago. I gave
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Speaker 1: them the last of it this morning. The Indians know
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Speaker 1: that we keep a pretty sharp lookout during the day,
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Speaker 1: and there ain't no fear of their coming up here
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Speaker 1: when it is light. As the chief was also of
18:19
Speaker 1: opinion that there was no danger, the horses were taking
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Speaker 1: down the path into the valley, where on having their
18:25
Speaker 1: bridles unbuckled, they at once trotted off to their own
18:28
Speaker 1: accord towards the beaver meadow. For the next six weeks
18:31
Speaker 1: a watch was kept regularly, but by only one man
18:34
Speaker 1: at a time. The horses were driven down to the
18:37
Speaker 1: valley every morning and brought up again before sunset. There
18:41
Speaker 1: was little hunting now, for they had as many skins
18:43
Speaker 1: as they could carry comfortably, and a supply of frozen
18:46
Speaker 1: meat sufficient to last well into the spring. In March,
18:50
Speaker 1: the weather became perceptibly warmer, and the snow in the
18:53
Speaker 1: valley began to melt, where the full power of the
18:55
Speaker 1: sun at midday fell upon it. Day by day the
18:59
Speaker 1: crashes of distance an avalanches became more frequent, and they
19:02
Speaker 1: began to look forward to the time when they should
19:05
Speaker 1: be able to proceed on their journey. One night towards
19:10
Speaker 1: the end of the month, tomls on watch when he
19:12
Speaker 1: heard a rustling sound far up beyond the wall of
19:14
Speaker 1: cliff in front of him. It grew louder and rose
19:17
Speaker 1: to a roar, and then a white mass came pouring
19:20
Speaker 1: down over the cliff. Leaping from the wall, he dashed
19:23
Speaker 1: down the path to the hut. It needed no word
19:26
Speaker 1: to call the men to their feet, for a deep
19:28
Speaker 1: rumbling filled the air, and the rocks seemed to quiver.
19:32
Speaker 1: The horses struggled to break their head ropes and snorted
19:35
Speaker 1: with fright your back's to the wall, Harry shouted, and
19:39
Speaker 1: as all leapt across at his order, there was a
19:41
Speaker 1: crash overhead. The roof above them fell in, and a
19:45
Speaker 1: mass of snow followed. A minute later, a deep silence
19:48
Speaker 1: followed the deafening roar. Anyone hurt, Harry shouted, and the
19:53
Speaker 1: replies came in muffled tones. Tom was jammed against the
19:56
Speaker 1: rock by the snow he was nearest to the entrance.
20:00
Speaker 1: His uncle was next to him. I am all right
20:03
Speaker 1: at present, Uncle, but I feel half smothered. All right, lad,
20:07
Speaker 1: I am pretty free and I will soon clear you
20:10
Speaker 1: a bit. The snow was pushed away from before Tom's face,
20:14
Speaker 1: his left arm was cleared, and then his uncle, with
20:17
Speaker 1: a vigorous pull, brought him back close to him. Here
20:20
Speaker 1: he was comparatively free, for a part of the roof
20:23
Speaker 1: had fallen close to the wall and had partially kept
20:26
Speaker 1: off the snow. Then Harry turned and with some difficulty,
20:30
Speaker 1: managed to get Jerry, who was next to him, freed
20:33
Speaker 1: from the snow. Now, Jerry, you work along that way
20:37
Speaker 1: and get at the others. Tom and I will try
20:39
Speaker 1: to burrow a way out. It was a difficult task.
20:43
Speaker 1: Once through the passage in the log wall, they pushed
20:45
Speaker 1: to the left towards the edge of the platform, taking
20:48
Speaker 1: it by turns to go first until the snow became lighter. Then,
20:52
Speaker 1: by a vigorous effort, Harry rose to his feet, sending
20:55
Speaker 1: a mass of snow tumbling over the edge of the platform.
20:59
Speaker 1: As soon as Tom had joined him, they set to
21:01
Speaker 1: work with hands and knives, and soon cleared a passage
21:04
Speaker 1: back to the entrance. Just as they did so, Jerry
21:08
Speaker 1: crawled out from within. Are they all right, Jerry? Yes,
21:12
Speaker 1: the others are coming. Only about twelve feet of the
21:14
Speaker 1: roof caved in, and the two Indians and Sam soon
21:17
Speaker 1: got in among the horses. I had a lot of
21:20
Speaker 1: trouble with Ben. He had been knocked down, and I
21:23
Speaker 1: thought that he was gone when I got him out.
21:25
Speaker 1: But he's all right now. Though we can't walk yet.
21:28
Speaker 1: The Indians of Sam have got the shovels and are
21:31
Speaker 1: working away to clear a passage along by the wall.
21:33
Speaker 1: There's no getting Ben out through that rabbit hole you've made.
21:38
Speaker 1: Thank god, we are all right, Harry said. It does
21:41
Speaker 1: not matter a bit now that we know no one
21:43
Speaker 1: is badly hurt. We will begin at this end, but
21:45
Speaker 1: we shan't be able to do much until we get
21:47
Speaker 1: the shovels. The snow will fall in as fast as
21:50
Speaker 1: we get it out. They soon found that they could
21:52
Speaker 1: do nothing in this way. We will try to tunnel
21:56
Speaker 1: in again, Harry said. It is not more than ten
21:58
Speaker 1: feet along. If we get in and hump ourselves, we
22:01
Speaker 1: shall soon get it big enough to drag Ben out.
22:04
Speaker 1: Then the others can follow and we can set to
22:06
Speaker 1: work with the spades to clear the place. After a
22:09
Speaker 1: good deal of effort, they succeeded in enlarging the hole
22:12
Speaker 1: and then got Ben through it, one crawling backwards and
22:15
Speaker 1: pulling him while the other shoved at his legs. How
22:19
Speaker 1: do you feel, Ben, Harry asked him when they laid
22:22
Speaker 1: him down outside. I don't know, Harry. I'm afraid my
22:26
Speaker 1: back is badly hurt. I don't seem to feel my
22:28
Speaker 1: legs at all. I expect they are numb from the
22:31
Speaker 1: weight of the snow on them. I will crawl into
22:34
Speaker 1: our store and fetch out the keg I reckon a
22:37
Speaker 1: drop of whiskey. Will do me good of anything? Will?
22:40
Speaker 1: Ben said? I was crushed pretty near flat, and if
22:43
Speaker 1: my head hadn't been against the wall, I should have
22:45
Speaker 1: been smothered. Are you all right, young Tom? Yes, I
22:48
Speaker 1: am not hurt at all. The snow squeezed me against
22:51
Speaker 1: the rock and I could not move an inch, but
22:54
Speaker 1: Uncle managed to get me a little free and then
22:56
Speaker 1: pulled me out of it. Harry soon came back with
22:59
Speaker 1: a whisky and was followed by the Indians and Sam,
23:02
Speaker 1: who found that they could do nothing but the snow,
23:04
Speaker 1: which fell in as fast as they cleared it. Their
23:07
Speaker 1: first step was to dig out a buffalo robe to
23:10
Speaker 1: wrap men in. His voice was stronger after he had
23:13
Speaker 1: drank some spirit, and he said that he felt better already.
23:17
Speaker 1: The others at once set to work with the shovels.
23:20
Speaker 1: They first cleared the platform along by the wall to
23:22
Speaker 1: the entrance, and then attacked the snow which filled the
23:25
Speaker 1: space between the two rock walls to the top. Two
23:29
Speaker 1: of them worked with poles, loosening the snow above and
23:32
Speaker 1: bringing it down in masses, while those with shovels cast
23:35
Speaker 1: it out onto the platform, going out occasionally to throw
23:38
Speaker 1: it over into the ravine. Hunting dog made his way
23:41
Speaker 1: up over the snow to the top of the path
23:44
Speaker 1: and called down to say that the fort was entirely
23:47
Speaker 1: swept away, and the chief told him to take up
23:50
Speaker 1: his post at once at the top of the path
23:52
Speaker 1: leading from below. He need not have told us that
23:56
Speaker 1: the fort was gone, Jerry grumbled. If it had been
23:59
Speaker 1: made of cast iron, it would not have stood. The
24:02
Speaker 1: sooner we get our rifles out, the better. This could
24:05
Speaker 1: not be done for a time, for the loosening of
24:07
Speaker 1: the snow above had caused that below to slip, and
24:10
Speaker 1: the passage along by the wall had fallen in. The Indians, however,
24:15
Speaker 1: who had slept beyond the part filled by snow, had
24:18
Speaker 1: brought their pieces out with them and could have defended
24:20
Speaker 1: the path alone. Several times those at work were buried
24:24
Speaker 1: by falls of snow and had to be dragged out
24:26
Speaker 1: by the others. By daylight, a considerable gap had been
24:30
Speaker 1: made in the snow and they were able to get
24:33
Speaker 1: into the space beyond the fall. A number of logs
24:37
Speaker 1: and a joint of meat that had been taken in
24:39
Speaker 1: the day before to Thal were brought out, and a
24:41
Speaker 1: fire was soon blazing on the platform. I wonder why
24:45
Speaker 1: the snow did not shoot over it as before. Ben,
24:48
Speaker 1: who was now able to sit up, remarked, I reckon
24:51
Speaker 1: it is the fort, did it? Harry said? Of course
24:54
Speaker 1: it went, but it may have checked the rush of
24:56
Speaker 1: the snow for a moment, and those thick walls couldn't
24:59
Speaker 1: have got the same way on as the rest of
25:01
Speaker 1: the snow had. But the fort wasn't over the roof.
25:04
Speaker 1: Uncle Tom remarked no, but it may have blocked the
25:08
Speaker 1: slide a little and thrown some of it sideways. You see,
25:11
Speaker 1: it is only this end that gave while it shot
25:14
Speaker 1: right over the rest of the roof, just as before.
25:17
Speaker 1: It is mighty lucky it did not break in all along,
25:20
Speaker 1: Sam Hicks said, for it would have left us without
25:23
Speaker 1: horses if it had, and it would have been plenty
25:26
Speaker 1: rough on us to have lost them, just as we
25:28
Speaker 1: are going to want them after our taking such pains
25:31
Speaker 1: with them all through the winter. The chief took hunting
25:34
Speaker 1: Dog's place as soon as he had finished his meal,
25:36
Speaker 1: and remained on watch all day. The men worked without ceasing,
25:41
Speaker 1: but it was not until sunset that the snow was
25:44
Speaker 1: completely cleared away. I reckon that we shall have to
25:47
Speaker 1: be starting before long, Jerry said, as they sat round
25:50
Speaker 1: the fire and what they before called their store room,
25:53
Speaker 1: Having driven the horses as far in as possible to
25:56
Speaker 1: make room. We could have held out before as long
25:59
Speaker 1: as we liked. But it is different now. The rocks
26:02
Speaker 1: cleared now for a hundred yards on each side of us.
26:05
Speaker 1: Our fort's gone, and there is nothing to prevent the
26:07
Speaker 1: Redskins from crawling close up the first dark night and
26:10
Speaker 1: making a rush. They are like enough to be sending
26:14
Speaker 1: scouts up the valley occasionally, and it won't be long
26:17
Speaker 1: before they hear that our fort has gone and the
26:19
Speaker 1: ground cleared of snow. Leaping horse nodded. Two men must
26:24
Speaker 1: watch at top of path. He said, that is right enough, Chief,
26:29
Speaker 1: But we know three of them came along the hills before,
26:32
Speaker 1: and tis like enough they will all come that way
26:34
Speaker 1: next time they are safe to reckon that we shall
26:37
Speaker 1: hold the path. It is very unfortunate, Harry said, in
26:41
Speaker 1: another month we should have been able to travel. Anyhow,
26:44
Speaker 1: it seems to me that we have got to try now.
26:48
Speaker 1: It would never do to be caught in here by
26:50
Speaker 1: the redskins. If we are to go, the sooner the better.
26:53
Speaker 1: All our meat has been carried over the edge. This
26:56
Speaker 1: is about the time we expected the Indians back, and
26:59
Speaker 1: it would be dangerous to scatter hunting. It is a
27:02
Speaker 1: big risk too taking the horses down to the meadow. No,
27:06
Speaker 1: I think we can manage to get over the pass.
27:09
Speaker 1: The snow gets softer every day when the sun is
27:11
Speaker 1: on it, but it freezes at night. We have the
27:14
Speaker 1: moon too, so we shall be able to travel then.
27:17
Speaker 1: And even if we take three or four days getting
27:19
Speaker 1: over the divide, we can sleep in the daytime. We
27:22
Speaker 1: must get a little more meat anyhow, before we start,
27:25
Speaker 1: Jerry said, this joint ain't more'n th enough for another
27:28
Speaker 1: square meal for us. And though I reckon, the big
27:31
Speaker 1: horns will be coming up to the hills again now,
27:33
Speaker 1: it won't do to risk that we have the pack horses. Jerry, yes,
27:39
Speaker 1: I did not think of them. Horse flesh ain't so
27:42
Speaker 1: bad on a pinch, But I don't want to lose
27:44
Speaker 1: our skins. Better our skins than our hair. Sam laughed.
27:47
Speaker 1: That is right enough, Sam, but I would like to
27:50
Speaker 1: save both. Perhaps there is some of the meat under
27:52
Speaker 1: the snow, Tom suggested. It hung near the wall, and
27:56
Speaker 1: the snow must have come straight down on it from above,
27:58
Speaker 1: as it did in here. That is so, Tom, We
28:01
Speaker 1: will have a look the first thing in the morning.
28:04
Speaker 1: I am so tired now I would not dig for
28:06
Speaker 1: it if it were gold. As soon as it was
28:09
Speaker 1: light the next morning, they began to clear the snow
28:12
Speaker 1: from the rest of the platform and found, to the
28:14
Speaker 1: great satisfaction four bare hams. The rest of the meat
28:18
Speaker 1: had been swept over the edge. The two Indians had
28:21
Speaker 1: not shared in the work, having started away early without
28:24
Speaker 1: saying where they were going. They returned to breakfast, each
28:27
Speaker 1: carrying a hind quarter of venison, which they had found
28:30
Speaker 1: in the snow below. It was agreed that a start
28:33
Speaker 1: should be made that evening. By sunset, the horses were loaded,
28:37
Speaker 1: and half an hour later they moved away. Ben Galston
28:41
Speaker 1: had to be assisted on to his horse, for although
28:44
Speaker 1: in other respects recovered, it was found that he had
28:47
Speaker 1: so severely strained his back across the loins that he
28:50
Speaker 1: was scarcely able to walk afoot. The moon was shining brightly,
28:55
Speaker 1: and as soon as they were on the snow they
28:57
Speaker 1: could see as plainly as if it were day. All
29:00
Speaker 1: were in high spirits that they had left the spot
29:02
Speaker 1: where for six months they had been prisoners. They had
29:06
Speaker 1: difficulty in restraining themselves from shouting and singing, but the chief,
29:10
Speaker 1: before starting had warned them of the necessity for traveling silently.
29:15
Speaker 1: Snow slides very bad now shouting might set them going.
29:19
Speaker 1: The others looked rather incredulous, but Harry said, I know
29:23
Speaker 1: he is right, boys, for I have heard that in
29:25
Speaker 1: the Alps the guides always forbid talking when they are
29:27
Speaker 1: crossing places exposed to avalanches. At any rate, we may
29:31
Speaker 1: as well give the snow as little chance as may
29:34
Speaker 1: be of going for us, they traveled an Indian file
29:37
Speaker 1: from habit rather than necessity, for the snow was firm
29:40
Speaker 1: and hard, and the horses made their way over it
29:43
Speaker 1: without difficulty. There had been some debate as to the
29:46
Speaker 1: way they should go, but they determined at last to
29:49
Speaker 1: take the valley through the cliff wall, and to strike
29:52
Speaker 1: to the right whenever they came upon a likely spot
29:54
Speaker 1: for crossing. Two such attempts were made in vain, the
29:58
Speaker 1: upper slopes of snow being found too steep for the
30:01
Speaker 1: horses to climb. But at the third, which was made
30:04
Speaker 1: just after morning broke, they succeeded in getting up the
30:07
Speaker 1: hill to their right, and after great difficulty, descended into
30:11
Speaker 1: another valley. This they had little doubt was the one
30:15
Speaker 1: that led to the pass, for from the hill they
30:17
Speaker 1: could see the great peak along whose foot the trail ran.
30:21
Speaker 1: It was ten o'clock before they got down into the valley.
30:24
Speaker 1: The snow was beginning to be soft on the surface,
30:27
Speaker 1: and the horses were tired out. They therefore halted, made
30:31
Speaker 1: a fire with two or three of the logs they
30:33
Speaker 1: had brought with them for the purpose, bold water, and
30:36
Speaker 1: had breakfast, and gave half a bucket of gruel to
30:39
Speaker 1: each of the animals. Then wrapping themselves in their buffalo robes,
30:43
Speaker 1: they lay down and slept till late in the afternoon.
30:47
Speaker 1: The journey was resumed at sunset, and before morning they
30:50
Speaker 1: had crossed the divide, and when the sun rose, obtained
30:53
Speaker 1: a view over the country far to the south. End
30:57
Speaker 1: of chapter twelve,