CHAPTER VI
In their rambles through this little Arctic fairy land, Tom noticed thatthe squirrels were now busy every day running away to their holes withnuts and leaves. Of course they might have young ones to feed, hethought; but surely it was something more than this which made them actthus.
Creeping all alone one morning through the bushes, as quietly as a mouse,Tom came upon a sight which taught him a useful lesson. For high up inthe trunk of an old tree was a big round hole with a squirrel's tailhanging out. Presently up ran another squirrel, carrying a great mouthfulof leaves and clay.
The new-comer made a slight noise, when out came No. 1 and took thebundle from No. 2, which then darted off for more.
"Ho! ho!" said Tom to himself, "they seem to be storing up food forwinter. Heigho! I thought it would always be summer in this fairyland.But thank you, Master Squirrel, I shall go and do the same." So off wentTom to tell Frank and the girls what he had seen the squirrels doing.
"As there is no sign of the ship coming back for us, children," he saidsomewhat seriously, "and we may have to spend the winter here, I think,you know, we ought to be making ready for it."
"So do I," said Pansy, looking very wise. "We want food, and we want woodand all, doesn't we, Tom?"
"It won't be very, very cold in this island," said her brother, "becausewe have the warm-water lake all round us. But perhaps the squirrels knowbest."
So now began a very busy season indeed, for everybody went nut-gathering.
Tom opened up a squirrel's store, and a pretty noise the little creaturemade about it. But he did not rob it; he only wanted to learn a lesson.
He noticed that the nuts it had collected were a little green on oneside, so these must be the best. Then he looked at the leaves and claythat were packed over them, and thought he would get some just the same.
This going a-nutting in fairyland was real fine fun, and to have heardtheir merry voices, talking and laughing and singing, with every now andthen Briton's great bass "Wowff!" and Veevee's shrill "Wiff!" no onewould have taken them for castaways and Crusoes.
Nutting made everyone so hungry too!
Rabbits were very plentiful on the island. The boys caught them by meansof snares made of a kind of tough creeper. And bonny Flossy caught asmany fish as would have kept a large family alive.
Tom seldom used his rifle, though he always carried it. The cartridgeswere too precious to waste.
Another thing which these Crusoes had to be very careful to do was neverto let the fire go out. It was easily kept in by placing a kind of mossypeat among the hot ashes and covering it quite over.
* * * * *
So they collected an immense quantity of nuts, and these were placed inholes found in the rocks, and covered right up with the same sort ofcement as the squirrels used. The roots that served them instead of breadevery day, and which were cooked by placing them for a short time in thehot ashes, they also collected and stored. So when the harvest was allover, Tom told Frank and his sisters that they needn't be afraid to spendtheir Christmas in this beautiful island.
"Oh, but, Tom," said Pansy, "we'll all be home long, long beforeChristmas, won't we?"
Poor child! She was beginning to long for her mother's cosy cottage onthe cliff, and for the fires that in the long winter evenings alwaysburned so brightly in the parlour grate.
"Now, about light for the long Arctic winter night, which will soon behere?"
This was the question that Tom put to Frank just after sunset onebeautiful evening as the snow on the tops of the highest mountains waschanged to a rose tint in the sun's parting rays.
"It is a very serious question, you know," he added.
"Very serious," said Pansy, who heard him, shaking her wise, wee head.
Sitting by the camp fire there, with its lights and shadows chasing eachother over her face and through her sunny hair, Pansy looked a verybeautiful child indeed.
For some time they had all been sitting round the fire, watching thecurling smoke and the dancing flames, everyone intent on his or her ownthoughts. Aralia had been wondering what they were all doing at home, andif her father and mother were anxious about her and Pansy. It was such along, long time--hundreds of years it seemed--since they had sailed away;so many strange things had happened since that day. Pansy was a littlemaiden who took the world very easily, and enjoyed each day and hour asit passed. Her thoughts were hardly worth a penny. Frank was not unlikePansy, and took things as they came, and if they were not nice, just letthem slide. The mastiff was asleep, so was Veevee, and both seemed to bedreaming, and talking in their dreams. But Flossy's eyes were very wideopen now. She was really wondering if she could catch another fishto-night. Flossy had lately taken to waddling away towards evening for aswim in the warm lake, and never came back without something in hermouth.
So nobody was surprised when they missed her from the fire, only, as shestayed rather longer to-night than usual, and as the long twilight wouldsoon end, Tom took up his rifle and went off all by himself to look forher.
"Oh, dear!" cried Pansy, as the sound of a shot startled everyone in thefort. "Tom's gone and killed something!"
"Let's run and see," said Frank. Veevee and Briton had already rushedoff.
They found Tom at the lake-side, standing over a huge dead bear, withFlossy near him.
"That bear," said Tom, laughing, "was keeping poor Floss in the lake; buthe won't do so again. Isn't he a fine one?"
"Yes," cried Frank; "he is indeed."
"And now, children," said Tom, when he was once more seated in front ofthe camp fire, "the question of lights is settled for good. Frank and Iare going to make candles out of that bear's tallow."
"Yes, Pansy, we are. Oh, we shouldn't be half Crusoes if we couldn't makecandles!"
So the boys arranged to start work the very next morning at sunrise.
"But first let us have a look through this beautiful isle of the sea,while the girls are asleep. There may be more bears. Briton, you muststay and watch. Veevee, you may come."
Though Veevee searched every bush and grove, no bear was found. The oneTom had so cleverly killed must have crossed to the island alone by thebridge of rocks.
So, after breakfast, the boys built their fire. With big blocks of lavathey made a sort of stove, and on top of this was placed a large cup-likestone, which they had chanced to find. Into this they put the tallow tomelt. In the meantime Tom pulled a quantity of thick rushes, and setFrank and the girls to peel them, while the dogs looked on as ifwondering what it was all about.
"It's something to eat, I suppose," said Briton, looking very wise.
"A sort of soup of some kind from the smell of it, I should think," wasVeevee's remark.
The long threads of white pith were about as thick as a penholder, andthese were to form the wicks. When dried they were tied two and two byone end.
Then between two uprights Tom placed a long willow rod, with three dozenstrong thorns stuck in it about two inches apart, to serve as hooks.
By this time the tallow was melted and all was ready.
"Now, ladies and gentlemen," said Tom, "you shall see how candles werebuilt in the Royal Navy when Uncle was a boy." He rolled up his sleeves,and, picking up a double wick, dipped it in the pan, and then hung it onthe first peg for the tallow to set. He did the same with all the rest,and by the time he had the thirty-sixth wick hung up, No. 1 was ready tobe taken down and dipped again. So on he went all along the row, till hehad dipped them a dozen times at least, when, lo! and behold! they werethick and beautiful candles, each one strong enough to give the light ofhalf a dozen ordinary ship's candles.
He worked for two days, and made about a hundred in all, so there was nofear of their having to sit in the dark.
Next night, while the moon was shining low over the snow-clad hills, thewhole camp was alarmed by the fierce barking of Briton. The mastiff was"wowffing", Veevee was "wiffing", and Flossy was moaning and wagging hertail in t
he air. Though it was long past midnight, Briton wanted to beoff out and kill something or somebody he had heard, and Veevee wouldalso go on the war-path for fear Briton might get hurt.
Almost immediately after came the most tremendous yelling the Crusoes hadever heard, and it was clear that a whole pack of foxes had invaded theisland, and if Briton and Veevee had been allowed to go out, they wouldboth have been torn to pieces. The awful din lasted for hours, with asound now and then of fighting.
Then it stopped, and all was still.
Everybody went quietly off to sleep again, but next day, when they wentto the lake-side, behold not a trace of the bear was to be seen. Thebeasts had eaten all the flesh, and carried away the bones and skin.
"Now, what if these wild dogs return some night," said Tom to Frank, "andattack the camp. Although no bear could squeeze in here, these half-bredwolves might, and tear us all in pieces.
"Don't frighten a fellow, Tom," said Frank. "But I say, old man, we mustpuzzle our heads once again and make a gate."
"Well, that's good!" cried Tom, laughing; "why, there is only one headbetween the two of us, and that belongs to me, Master Frank; and don'tyou forget it."
"Well, well, you may have it, only for goodness' sake make good use ofit!"
The cup-like top of the hill in which our Crusoes were living had but oneentrance, as I have before told you, and the path leading to it was verysteep, and made up of large stones and lumps of lava.
"It would be a good thing," Tom said, "to get a lot of these inside. Theywould come in very handy to throw at an enemy, eh?"
"That they would," said Frank.
Well, it took them three whole days to make and fix up a gate, which theycould raise or lower before the entrance by means of ropes made out oflong trailing weeds, or creepers.
Then, after they had carried about a hundred big stones inside, theybegan to feel happier and safer.
Crusoes of the Frozen North Page 6