The Cruise of the Snowbird: A Story of Arctic Adventure
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its Creator.
"I'm very much mistaken," said McBain, "if this isn't just the kind ofcountry you boys wished to find."
"The land of our dreams," said Rory.
"The land," said Ralph, "on which the ubiquitous Englishman has neveryet set foot. There is nothing hackneyed about this country, I'llwager."
"Well, then," said Rory, who was always the first to suggest somethingnew, "if Captain McBain will call away a boat, Allan and I will go onshore for a walk, and if we do find anything hackneyed we'll come onboard and let you know, Ralph."
McBain laughed.
"I don't mind," he said. "We came out from England bent on enjoyingourselves, so off you go, but mind you don't get lost this time. Youwon't find a trapper Seth everywhere to look after you. I'll give youfour hours, and expect you to bring something fresh and nice fordinner."
Allan and Rory were delighted to find themselves once more in their ownlittle boat, and bounding away shore-wards over the blue and ripplingsea. It was a gladsome and joyous day, and its joy seemed to instilitself into their hearts, and cause them to feel in unison with allnature.
When near the shore they pulled in their oars, and allowed the boat todrift or float as she pleased, for, on rounding a point of land theycame upon a scene of animation that, although I have gazed on many likeit, I never could find words in which to describe. It was noontide onthat peaceful seashore, and both beasts and birds were enjoyingthemselves to the full, each in his own fashion. Although they musthave wondered what species of animal Rory and Allan were, and where theyhad dropped from all of a sudden, of fear they evinced not the slightestvestige. Here, in the foreground, a pair of young seals gazed at themwith their marvellous eyes, but seemed hardly to care to move.
"They are curious-looking creatures, I admit," one seal seemed to bewhispering to the other; "but they are just as tame as we are, and I'msure they won't harm us."
Malleys and gulls came floating around them, nearer and nearer, tack andhalf tack, so close at last that they could have stretched out theirhands and touched them on their beautiful breasts. Fulmars trottedabout, nodding their heads and looking for the little fishes the tidehad left in the pools. Looms, love-making on stone tops, stared at themwith a kind of sleepy surprise. Great auks and penguins, that lined theshore in rows, flapped their apologies for wings, but never dreamed ofmaking their escape. High in air, too, circled their friend andnamesake the snowbird; and not far off the restless allan and thejet-black boatswain bird; while on the land itself were dozens ofstrange fowl that they could not even name.
The very tameness of all these creatures seemed proof, that they hadnever before been disturbed in their haunts by the presence of man.
Allan and Rory rowed into a beautifully-wooded bay, and inland along aquiet, broad-bosomed river. They landed on many parts of its banks, butremembering McBain's words, they did not venture too far into theforest, but nevertheless they found track of deer, and trace, too, ofheavier and wilder game. They did not make much of a bag, only a fewbirds and a hare or two [probably the _Lepus Americanus_, or JackRabbit], but they were quite satisfied with their four hours on shore,and were off to time, much to McBain's joy and satisfaction.
In the saloon that day, while the _Snowbird_ lay quietly at anchorin-shore, there was a dinner-party, at which were present not only thetwo mates belonging to the yacht, but the mate of the unfortunate_Trefoil_.
"Farther to the west," McBain observed, "the land gets much more wildand hilly, and with the glass I can from the crow's-nest see ruggedmountains covered with snow. To the west, then, I purpose going; but Ihave not forgotten,"--this to the mate of the _Trefoil_--"that you, MrHill, and your men, are passengers. I would fain send you home, but howcan I do so?"
"You can't, that is evident," said Mr Hill, "and both myself and my menhave made up our minds to stop in your ship as long as you'll let us--all the voyage, indeed, and return with you to England."
"Well, I'm glad of that," McBain said, "it relieves me of all anxiety."
So it was arranged that both Mr Hill and the rest of the shipwreckedmariners should sign articles, and become part and parcel of the crew ofthe _Snowbird_. It must be remembered that she was a roomy yacht, andthat the addition of twelve or thirteen new hands could hardly crowdher.
Ralph's father was right when he advised our heroes to seek foradventures in the far west before journeying onwards to the moredesolate and mysterious regions of the far north. He was a man ofexperience, and as such knew well that the sportsman, unlike the poet,is not _born_ but _made_. But the wild land in which the travellersfound themselves a day or two after their little dinner-party in thesaloon, was just the place to brace the nerves and steel the muscles,for here was game of every kind, and it only wanted a certain amount ofdaring to bring it to bag.
The _Snowbird_ was brought to anchor in a land-locked arm of the sea, anatural harbour large enough for the combined fleets of the whole worldto ride with safety in. As there would be barely three months beforethe onset of the severe Arctic winter, McBain lost no time in preparingfor the rigours they would doubtless have to encounter, before springwould once more return and release them from their self-chosenimprisonment. The vessel was anchored as close to the shore as wascompatible with her safety. Here she could ride and here she couldswing, until King Frost descended from the distant mountains and lockedher in his icy embrace.
About half a mile from where she lay there fell into the sea a broad andplacid river. They found this navigable, even to the cutter, for manymiles inland, and the scenes that lay before them, as reach after reachand bend after bend of it was opened out, was romantic and beautiful inthe extreme. The stream ran through the centre of a lovely glen orgorge, "o'erhung," as the poet says, "by wild woods thickening green."Here was every variety of foliage--trees, and shrubs, and flowers. Attimes it would be a dense forest all around them, but in the very nextreach perhaps, the banks would be green-carpeted with moss and grass,with rocks rising upwards here and there be-draped with wild vines. Onthe higher lands commenced a forest of pines; far beyond theseweird-looking trees the snow-clad peaks of rugged mountains could beseen. In exploring this river they were much struck at the multitude oftributaries it had, little streamlets that stole down through boskyravines, following the course of any of which brought the travellers tothe table-land above. Here was the forest, and here too were broadtracks of a kind of prairie land covered with a carpet of buffalo-grass.
In a country like this it would be patent to any one that there existedunlimited scope for sport of all kinds, for while the woods and junglesand plains abounded in game of every sort, from the strange little rockrabbit to the lordly elk and bison, the rivers they soon found outteemed with fish. They were not long, however, in making a discovery ofnot quite so pleasing a character. This was due to Seth's sagacity.
"I guess," he said one evening, "we've got some of my old friends here."
"What! not Indians?" asked Rory, opening wide his eyes.
"I don't allude to them 'xactly," said Seth; "but I does allude to thegrizzlies."
"Oh! I should like to have an adventure with one of these chaps,shouldn't you, Ralph?"
"I don't know," replied Ralph, with a quiet smile; "I think I shouldrather run from one than fight him, if all stories I've heard about thembe true."
"What is your opinion of their character?" asked McBain of Seth.
"They're the all-firedest fellows to fight, when they do fight," saidSeth, "in creation! I've had a bit of fun in my time with pumas andpanthers both, down south, but I'd rather fight a dozen o' either thanone grizzly after he turns rusty."
"Do you mean rusty in coat?" asked Rory.
"No, sir," said the Yankee, "I guess I means rusty in temper. But thenit ain't often that that occurs, for he'll run like a deer if he gets achance; but just wound him, then is the time to see him with his birseon end, I can tell you! But I don't like 'em. Down in Texas acompanion o' mine, when out shooting, ran right ag
in one o' thesegentry; a great she one it was, with two cubs alongside of her. Thatwas what made her so touchy, I reckon. Howsomever, she didn't give mypoor friend Obadiah Johnson much time to prepare. I never seed such asight in my life! She was on to him, and downed him before you'd say`bullet.' One great claw had gone right over his shoulder and rippedhis side clean open. With the two hind claws of her she just about torehis legs into piecemeal. I fired right down her throat. Then she wason to me, and my knife was into her. But she didn't seem to have akill. I don't remember very much more o' that fight--kind o'