Finding the Lost Treasure
Page 22
CHAPTER XXII CAUGHT BY STORM
Jack had seen the storm approaching as he was driving along a lonely roadabove a valley in the late afternoon, but it would have been about as farto turn back to the nearest shelter as it would to go on as fast as hecould to the next. Urging the horses to do their best (for during thesevere weather he was using the team), he drew up the robe, turned downthe sides of his cap, and fastened up his coat collar. The snow came downfaster and faster.
"Good thing there's no wind," he muttered; but even as he spoke aspiteful gust snatched up an armful of snow, and whirled it into hisface. The horses did their best, but the road seemed endless; nothingcould be seen except limitless stretches of white country, and treeswhose branches sagged under their heavy loads.
There was a sudden crash, and right across his way dropped a huge limb ofa birch tree, stretching from one side of the road to the other. Thehorses stopped, snorting with fright, and when Jack had quieted them, hereached into the back of the wagon for the axe, and got out to clear apathway. He dared not try to drive around it; for he could not tell, onaccount of the snow, just where the ground began to slope sharply awaytoward the valley; and he wasn't really anxious for a roll down thosehills.
Chopping the way through was a hard task for one, and Jack had to stopvery often to rest; by the time he finished, it was dark.
"Well, now we're going on," he said cheerily, giving a pat to eitherhorse as he passed their heads after dragging out the cut section of thetree. The patient animals had stood quietly, heads dropped, bodiesrelaxed, while he worked. He had thrown blankets across them, and therest had given them a chance to get their wind again. So they threwthemselves gallantly forward to their task, and soon pulled the wagondown into the valley.
Here the road was not so good; for the snow had blown down the sides ofthe hills and settled in drifts, some small and fairly passable, othersmost difficult to plough through. Several times Jack had to get out andshovel before the horses were able to get the wagon any farther on itsway. The lanterns on the wagon gave a fair light, with the help of thewhiteness all about them, but the road became increasingly difficult tofollow; and at last Jack had to admit to himself that he was lost. He hadno idea which way to turn; but it was impossible to stand still for thenight--they would be buried before morning if the snow kept on, and thehorses would perish. Recalling various stories of the intelligence, orinstinct, of animals under like circumstances, he decided to give thehorses a loose rein and trust to Providence. The faithful beasts ploddedon and on, while Jack strained his eyes through the whirling snowflakes,searching for signs of habitation.
Some time during the night he saw a dim outline in front of him, and thehorses stopped. With an unspoken prayer of gratitude, he dropped downfrom the seat, stiffly walked a few steps to the house, and knocked.