CHAPTER XIII
OVER THE PASS
Gratitude had longer to wait than even Foster-father, who always took agloomy view of things, had thought for, since the next morning found theshed almost hidden beneath a snowdrift. Still, as Old Faithful remarked,it was not altogether to be regretted since the covering kept out thecold and allowed them to save their small store of firewood for cooking.The lack of light was, however, terrible until Old Faithful, whoseexperience with Babar the brave made him full of expedients, hit on theplan of setting Tumbu to work to dig out a hole through the drift, forthey had nothing with them to use as a spade. What he did was to set thedoor wide, cut a narrow tunnel with his sword as far as he could reachin the banked-up snow, and thrust a bit of food in its farther end. ThenRoy brought Tumbu and said:
"Fetch it out, good dog! fetch it out!" while Mirak and Bija looked ondelightedly, calling, "Good dog! Dig it out! dig it out!" Tumbu, themost playful of animals, soon entered into the fun, and set to workshovelling out the snow till he found the food. Then another bit wasthrust in, always in an upward direction.
"'Tis slow," said Old Faithful, "but not so slow as trampling down aroad!"
Not half so slow, for after a time Tumbu seemed to understand what theywould be at, and needed no more bits of food to make him dig, but wenton solidly, every now and again giving a yap just to make himselfbelieve he really _was_ digging something out. In fact, he got on sofast that Roy, who, as the slimmest of the party, had to keep the tunnelclear of the dug-out snow, had almost more to do than he could manage.It was frightfully exciting, and Mirak and Bija were dancing about,unable to keep still, when a sudden shaft of light that burst into thedark shed, and a furiously joyful barking that came down the funnel asif it had been a speaking trumpet, announced Tumbu's arrival in freeair.
"Now, we shall do," said Old Faithful with much importance. "Lo! how oneclever idea begets another. But for Firdoos Gita Makani trampling a roadI should never have thought of a tunnel!"
Roy, however, was already hard at work improving on the idea by wideningthe way with Old Faithful's sword, being only let from doing more byHead-nurse's exclamation that the melting snow would flood the shed.
"Let be, boy!" said Foster-father; "the hot air from within, risingthrough the tunnel, will melt the sides by degrees. To-morrow will seeit large enough for you, at any rate, to pass through."
And so it proved. Not next day, but the day after, not only Roy, butMirak and Bija, had managed to climb up to the outer world by thenotches which Roy cut in the snow walls.
It was a strange, chill world which they saw. Far as the eye couldreach, nothing but snow, the air frosty and sharp, though the sun wasshining once more. Mirak was keen to snowball, but Roy would not hear ofit; the snow was melting with the faint heat of the mid-day sun, hesaid, and a step might make the frost film break, and down into thepowdery drift they might go, never to come up again. So they only stoodlooking about them for a few minutes and then prepared to go back.
"Take care, my lord, take care!" cried Roy, as Mirak, who was preparingto descend legs foremost, as he had been told to do, suddenly looked upwith a face full of mischief, let go with his hands, and pouf!disappeared down the slippery tunnel like a pea in a pea-shooter. Aburst of laughter from below told them he had arrived safely, andnothing would suit Bija but to do likewise, Roy being still too tight afit to slide quickly. In fact, the children were eager to climb up oncemore and do it again, but Head-nurse said she could not hear of it;their clothes were wet enough as it was; besides, it was mostunlady-like for a real Princess!
The days, therefore, did not pass so uncomfortably, though pressinganxiety sat on Foster-father's honest face, and every time Roy returnedfrom a climb up to outer air he would ask him if he had seen anything.
"Nothing," Roy would reply, "and the snow wastes but little, we are sohigh up."
At last one night, after the children were asleep, Foster-fathersummoned a council of war. It would not be wise, he said, to remainwhere they were, without making any effort at escape, until theirprovisions were exhausted. Then they would be helpless. Now they stillhad enough for two or three days, and it behooved them to make apush--but whither?
"Not back on our steps," advised Old Faithful. "Firdoos Gita Makanialways said: 'No retreat till there is no advance.' Besides, see you, ifwe go down, the snow will be melting and give us no foothold. But atnight the frost will hold on the pass. And it is but little farther tothe next shelter; for, see you, I have come twice this way fromKandahar; but never the other way back. So my memory of land-marks--ifthere be any--would be nothing on the downward journey. But upward itmight come to life. Again, upward there is less chance of missing theway, as all the valleys converge to the Pass, whereas downward theyspread out in different directions."
In fact, there were so many points in favour of advance that thedecision was made for it, and the next night settled on for the start.There were not many preparations to make except for the women, who hadto bake what flour they had into hearth cakes. They had a little wheatand pulse, too, and this they roasted and tied up in the corners oftheir veils. Everything that was heavy had to be left behind, for theyknew that even unburdened they might have difficulty in getting thefrost film on the snow to bear their weight. It was a bright, starlightnight when, the snow tunnel having been enlarged by Roy, regardless offlooding the shed, the whole party crept out and stood on the wide,snowy expanse. Tumbu was first, and with joyful yaps began to careerabout in circles curved like a comma, biting and snapping at the snow.Down came last, and _meaowed_ piteously, lifting up first one cold foot,then another, and shaking it in disgust. Finally an idea seemed to comeinto her head; she made a bound toward Tumbu, and the next moment was onhis back, clawing onto his fluffy black fur; whereat everybody laughed.So, with many a prayer for guidance, the little party set off, OldFaithful leading the way. At first they managed pretty well, though themen and women, being heavy, sank over the ankles at each step. But bothBija and Mirak, and even Roy, being light, found the surface hard enoughto bear them; so they ran on ahead and chattered and laughed, the wholebusiness being to them a huge joke. Thus an hour passed cheerfullyenough; then Bija began to get tired, and Foster-father took her in hisarms. The result sent his heart into his mouth with sudden fear, suddencertainty that no help could come that way. Even her slight additionalweight sent him almost waist deep into the snow. He could scarcely move!And ere long the Heir-to-Empire would doubtless weary also; then whatwas to be done? For every hour after midnight would bring the thawingsun nearer and nearer; they might have to remain on the Pass till nightbrought frost again, and in that case what would become of the children?
Then suddenly his eye caught Tumbu, who was marching along sullenly,Down nestling, fast clawed in his broad, furry back. Could the dog carrya child? A creature with four feet had greater purchase of foothold thanone with two.
"Roy," he said, "turn the cat off and put the Heir-to-Empire on thedog's back; he must be tired also."
Mirak, nothing loath, climbed quickly to his mount; but ere he hadsettled himself on its back Tumbu had begun to sink slowly. The littlelad's weight was too much for even four feet; there was a struggle, overwent the little Prince, and both he and Tumbu had to be picked up andset on their legs again on a fresh, unbroken place.
Foster-father looked in despair at Old Faithful, and for a minute noone said anything. Then the old man's face lit up. "Lo! I had forgottenit utterly, but the time and place bring memory back. Firdoos GitaMakani--who knew all things under the sun--had a favourite horse, thatstrained itself falling into a drift. They were for leaving it to die,but that did not suit Firdoos Gita Makani, who was kind to all God'screatures. So, having read of the like somewhere, he set us to make asort of platform with our lances and blankets underneath the poor brute,and so we dragged him over the snow, until we reached a place wherethere was water and grass."
"We have no lances," said Foster-father, "and there is no wood." Helooked around helplessly.<
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"My lord has a sword," put in Roy eagerly, "and so has Faithful. If hewere to tie them crossways to the scabbards--" He had already thrown offhis skin coat and was unwinding his long muslin waistband to tear itinto strips to use as a cord.
"It is worth the trying, friend Foster-father," said Old Faithful,unbuckling his sword.
"Aye!" continued Roy, elated with the idea, "and Tumbu can drag it. Hemakes no mark on the snow, so it will be smooth and slippy--and thecurved scabbards will be like runners."
His dexterous fingers were hard at work binding the long sword blades toplace. Then a strip of woollen shawl was fastened to them as a seat,Meroo's turban served as harness, and in less time than could have beenimagined the quaint sledge was ready for trial.
Mirak sat on it first. "Now then, Tumbu! Good dog!" said Roy in aflutter for fear of failure. Tumbu turned round, looked at his littlemaster with a broad grin of red tongue and white teeth, gave a littlegrunt, and started.
The sledge slid on over the frozen snow quite easily!
"Now praise be to God!" cried Foster-father, overjoyed.
"And Grand-dad!" said the little Prince, who always listened toeverything; "but I knew he would help us, didn't you, Bija?"
"But I want to go on the thing, too," she whimpered.
"Mayhap it might support them both," put in Head-nurse; "she is but afeatherweight, and there is plenty of room."
Ere five minutes were over the little party, greatly heartened up byfinding this unexpected way out of their difficulties, started oncemore, Roy encouraging Tumbu, who, in truth, seemed to feel his taskquite a light one, while Foster-father, in his relief and gratitude,allowed Down, the cat, to creep once more inside his fur coat. Herweight made him sink a little farther into the snow, but he was strong,and felt he could have done more for the sake of the children's safety.
On and on they went, the frost film giving firmer foothold on thetop of the pass, while the chill which always precedes dawn took awaystill more from the difficulty of Tumbu's task. In fact, the curvedscabbards slipped over the hard snow as if it had been ice.
_Ahead of them, a shadow showed, a shambling shadow!Tumbu ... with a bound was off full tilt after it._]
So they went on till a glimmer of dawn showed them that the summit hadbeen reached, the downward slope begun. But still, far and near, nothingbut snow was to be seen. Then suddenly, ahead of them, a shadow showed,a shambling shadow! Tumbu stopped dead, sniffed, then with a bound wasoff full tilt after it, the sledge, with the two children in it, flyingbehind him!
For an instant the others were too much astonished to speak. Then Roy,with frantic cries to Tumbu to come back, was off after them. In vain!As he crested a little rise he saw by the growing light a big brownIsabelline bear shambling along contentedly, seeming to go no pace atall, yet gaining steadily on the sledge that was giving chase.
"I will follow as fast as I can!" panted the Rajput lad breathlessly, asFoster-father, Meroo, and Old Faithful, hampered by their greaterweight, ran up. "It is a bear; but they cannot catch it--and Tumbu willtire--then he always comes back. Follow you on my tracks with thewomen."
With that he was off like an arrow from a bow behind the bear, Tumbu,the sledge, the Heir-to-Empire and the Princess Bakshee Bani Begum, whoby this time had all disappeared behind the hilly horizon.
The Adventures of Akbar Page 16