CHAPTER XXVI
WALLED IN
By daybreak, when all the party were awake, the blizzard foretold bythe native had fully arrived.
It was a terror, indeed. The cold was frightful, and the air outsidewas white with snow, which was driven horizontally by the hurricane,as though shot from the mouths of myriad pieces of ordnance. Itshrieked about the cavern, and drove the white particles so fiercelythrough the narrow crevice that Docak hastened to shove his bear-skininto it. This only partially filled the opening and the snow spun inaround it clean across the flinty floor.
The regular entrance was partly protected by its own projection, but,at times, a blast entered that fairly took away their breath. The firewas necessary to keep from freezing, but the supply of fuel wasgrowing low, and the last stick must soon be reached. What then wouldbe the fate of the party if the blizzard continued?
It was useless to discuss the future and no one did so; the presentwas with them, and the question was how to live from hour to hour.
On shooting the intruding wolf, Rob had flung his carcass away. Thereport awakened the others, and, rising to his feet, Docak passed farenough outside to bring it in again. He did not speak, but allunderstood the meaning of the action; that body might be the means ofsaving them from starvation.
Enough of the previous night's meal remained to afford a nourishingbreakfast, but they partook sparingly, preferring to use that inpreference to the new supply. Happily thirst was a torture that neednever be apprehended.
Jack Cosgrove braved the blast to that degree that he forced himselfthrough the opening and stood several minutes outside, shading hiseyes and striving to pierce the blinding turmoil.
All in vain. The gale almost carried him off his feet, and his visioncould no more penetrate the furious swirl of snow than if it were thedarkest night that ever covered the earth. The cold was so piercingthat he was glad to hasten back among his friends, and shiver andcrouch over the fire.
"By the great horned spoon, Docak! s'pose we had started for home lastnight?"
"Wish had," was the sententious response.
"Why, we wouldn't have been half-way there by this time, and we wouldhave perished all together."
"We trabel fast--mebbe storm not dere yet."
This intimation that the blizzard might be less terrific at so slighta distance was incredible, but the Esquimau was positive that it wouldhave been far better had they set out early in the evening. By rapidtraveling they might have covered the greater part of the distancebefore morning, and could have fought the few remaining miles in theteeth of the gale.
But it was equally useless to discuss what might have been. They wereimprisoned in the cavern, thirty miles from succor and with nopossibility that any friends would ever take the trouble to search fortheir bodies. All they could do was to rely upon Heaven and their ownexertions.
Without any explanation as to his intentions, and leaving his gunbehind him, the native plunged through the opening and disappeared inthe blizzard outside.
Born and reared in Greenland, amid Arctic snows and appallingtempests, the hardy Esquimau was far better fitted to undergo suchtrials of endurance than could be any native of a temperate clime.
"Where do you suppose he has gone?" asked Rob, wonderingly.
"I don't know," replied Jack; "but if he goes far he'll never comeback again."
"It doesn't seem to me," said Fred, coming to the question of thepresent for the first time, "that the outlook is as bad as he wouldmake us believe."
"Why not?"
"We have enough food to last a week or two, or even longer, and theblizzard certainly won't keep it up that long."
"You can't be sartin about that," said Jack; "it may last for severalweeks, but s'pose it's only for three or four days, there are two bigthings that we must face."
"What are they?"
"What to do after it stops; the snow will be several feet deep on topof that which is now on the ground; it will be too fine and soft tobear our weight, and can be traveled over only with snow-shoes whichwe haven't got. How then are we going to fight our way thirty milesthrough it?"
"It will be a hard job, but no greater than that which many explorershave undergone. With Docak as our guide, I think we can pull through."
"But what is the other matter you refer to?" asked Rob.
"This wood will soon go, and then how are we going to keep fromfreezing to death?"
"If we will huddle together as closely as we can with the bear-skinwrapped about us I think we can stand it."
"I like the way you chaps talk," said the sailor, admiringly, "and ifwe have to go down we'll do so with colors flying. It's thedownheartedness of Docak that knocks me askew; if he would show abraver front I would feel better."
"Possibly he is more hopeful than he pretends."
"No, he isn't that sort of chap; he knows better than we just what allthis means. Whew!"
The exclamation was caused by a sudden outburst that sent the snowwhirling through the opening and the crevice, from which the bear-skindropped, as if struck a blow from the other side. Jack ran forward,picked it up, and thrust it back, hardly able to breathe from the furyof the gale in his face.
The snow shot through the opening, too, scattering the brands of firein every direction. Had the shelter been anything else excepting thesolid rock that it was, it must have been swept like chaff from itsfoundations.
The explosion, as it may be called, lasted but a minute or so. Theboys hastily gathered up the scattered brands and flinging themtogether they were fanned by the tempest into a vigorous flame, whosewarmth, slight as it was, was grateful beyond measure to the threegathered around it.
"Docak is wrong in regretting that we did not start last night," saidJack Cosgrove; "that style of storm is raging at this moment overhundreds of miles, and it would have made short work of us."
"What about the 'Nautilus,' if she is in it?"
"She can manage it if she has plenty of sea room, but I hope she isfar enough off to dodge this blizzard. She ought to be at any rate."
The gale did the party an unexpected favor. It was a substantial one,too, which they appreciated. It drove the snow against the troublesomecrevice with such fury that it quickly formed a solid bank, extendingfar above it. This ended the drifting of the particles inside andprotected them from the cutting wind.
At the same time it did something of the same nature with theentrance, where it soon became banked to that extent that little blewwithin, and the gale hardly disturbed them.
Seeing what had taken place, Jack withdrew the bear-skin from where ithad been stuffed into the opening and spread it in the farthermostcorner of the cavern.
"Come, my hearties," said he, cheerfully, "we've got nothing to do butto make ourselves comfortable. We won't burn any more wood till Docakcomes back."
They huddled together, and, though the cold made their teeth chatterand their bodies shiver, they found considerable relief and werewilling to hope on.
They could feel no anxiety about the absent native. It was certain hewould not go far enough from the cavern to endanger his safety or toimperil his return. Some definite object must have led him forth.
"I wonder if it is for food," suggested Fred.
"No; for there's no possibility that the wolves left anything,"replied Rob; "and then, too, we have enough to last a good while."
At that moment there was a flurry at the entrance and the Esquimau,resembling a snow man, stooped and pushed his way in.
Entering, he flung a half-dozen small sticks upon the tiny pile at theside of the cavern. He had gone forth in quest of fuel and was able tosecure only that miserable supply, really not worth taking intoaccount.
Among the Esquimaux; or, Adventures under the Arctic Circle Page 27