Troop One of the Labrador by Dillon Wallace

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"The Bay's to the suth'ard, whatever," he calculated. "If the Bay's to
the suth'ard the brook's to the east'ard. I'll be lettin' the compass
pilot me to the east'ard. 'Twill take me the right direction
whatever."

Levelling the compass carefully in his hand so that the needle swung
freely he found the east, and as rapidly as his little legs would
carry him set out again in his effort to escape the two sleeping men
and to find camp and his friends.

At intervals he stopped to consult his compass. Then he would hurry
forward again as fast as ever he could go through the snow, looking
behind him fearfully, half expecting each time to see the men in close
pursuit, and always with the dread that a gruff voice in the rear
would command him to halt, or that a rifle bullet would be sent after
him without warning.

As time passed and there was no indication that he was followed, Jamie
began to feel some degree of security. Because of the storm it was
unlikely that the men would venture upon the Bay. They had kept late
hours drinking at the bottle, and unless they were awakened by the
cold they would in all probability sleep late and therefore not
discover his absence until the thickly falling snow had so far covered
his trail as to preclude the possibility of them following it with
certainty.

With his mind more or less relieved on this point, Jamie suddenly
realized that he was hungry. It was nearing midday. He had eaten
nothing for twenty-four hours, and he had the normal appetite of a
healthy boy. The snow had perceptibly increased in depth since his
escape from the lean-to, and walking was correspondingly hard. He was
so hungry and so weary that at length he could scarcely force one
foot ahead of the other.

The wind was rising, and in crossing an open frozen marsh the snow
drifted before the gale in clouds so dense as to be suffocating. The
storm was attaining the proportions of a blizzard, and when Jamie
again reached the shelter of the forest beyond the marsh he found it
necessary to stop to rest and regain his breath.

"'Twill never do to try to cross another mesh," he decided. "I'm like
to be overcome with un and perish before I finds my way out of un to
the timber. I'll stick to the woods, and if I can't stick to un I'll
have to bide where I is till the snow stops. I wonders now if Doctor
Joe and David is out lookin' for me. I'm not thinkin' they'd bide in
the tent with me lost out here and they not knowin' where I is."

When he was rested a little he arose, took his direction with the
compass, and floundered on through the snow.

"They's sure out somewhere lookin' for me," he thought, "but 'tis
snowin' so hard they never will find me! I'll have to keep goin' till
I finds camp. 'Tis strange now I'm not comin' to the brook, 'tis
wonderful strange. I'm thinkin' though I were crossin' two meshes with
the men in the night, and I've only been crossin' one goin' back
to-day. I'm fearin' I'll never be able to cross un though, when I
comes to the next un."

Presently, as Jamie had thought would be the case, he came to another
marsh. It satisfied him that he was going in the right direction, but
at the same time it lay out before him as a well-nigh impassable
barrier. The wind was driving the snow across it in swirling dense
clouds, and he stood for a little in the shelter of the trees and
viewed it with heavy heart.

"'Tis a bigger mesh than the other," he commented to himself, "but
I'll have to try to cross un. I can't bide here. I'll freeze to death
with no shelter and I has no axe for makin' a shelter. I'm not knowin'
what to do."

For a little while he hesitated, then he plunged out upon the edge of
the marsh. He was nearly swept from his feet, and to recover his
breath he was forced to retreat again to the woods. Three times he
tried to face the storm-swept marsh, but each time was sent staggering
back to shelter. It was a task beyond the strength and endurance of so
young a lad, and utterly exhausted and bitterly disappointed, he sat
down upon the trunk of a fallen tree to rest.

"I never can make un whilst the nasty weather lasts," he acknowledged.
"I'm fair scrammed and I'll have to wait for the wind to ease before I
tries un again."

He could scarce restrain the tears. It was a bitter disappointment. He
was so hungry, and so weary, and wished so hard to reach the safety of
camp and freedom from the still present danger of being recaptured.

"I'll have plenty o' grit and a stout heart like a man," he presently
declared. "I don't mind bein' a bit hungry, and I'll never be givin'
up! I'll never give up whatever! Pop says plenty o' grit'll pull a man
out o' most any fix. I'm in a bad fix now, and I'll have grit and
won't be gettin' scared. 'Twill never do to be gettin' scared
whatever."

Jamie sat quietly upon the log, and presently found himself dozing. He
sprang to his feet, for sleeping under these conditions was dangerous.
He tried to walk about, but was so tired that he again returned to the
log to rest. It was growing colder, and he shivered. The storm was
increasing in fury.

"I'm not knowin' what to do!" he said despairingly. "If I goes on
I'll perish and if I keeps still I'll freeze to death and I'm too
wearied to move about to keep warm. 'Tis likely the storm'll last the
night through whatever, and I'll never be able to stick un out that
long."

Jamie again found himself dozing, and again he got upon his feet.

"I'll have to be doin' somethin'," said he. "I'll keep my grit and try
to think of somethin' to do or I'll perish."

Jamie was right. He was in peril, and grave peril. Even though the
storm-swept marsh had not stood in his way he was quite too weary to
walk farther. He was thrown entirely upon his own resources. His life
depended upon his own initiative, for he was quite beyond help from
others. It was a great unpeopled wilderness in which Jamie was lost,
and he was but a wee lad, and even though Doctor Joe and David were
looking for him there was scarce a chance that they could find him in
the raging storm.

CHAPTER XVIII

A PLACE TO "BIDE"

Dazed and almost hopeless Jamie stood and gazed about him at the thick
falling snow. His body and brain were tired, but some immediate action
was imperative or he would be overcome by his weariness and the cold.

"If I were only bringin' an axe, I could fix a place to bide in and
cut wood for a fire," he said. "If I were only bringin' an axe!"

He thrust his hands deep into his pocket and felt the big, stout
jack-knife that Doctor Joe had given him, and he drew it out.

"Maybe now I can fix un with just this," he said hopefully. "I've got
to have grit and I've got to try my best whatever."

He looked up and there, within two feet of the log upon which he had
been sitting, were two spruce trees about six feet apart.

"Maybe I can fix un right here," he commented, "and maybe I can lay a
fire against the log and if I can get un afire she'll burn a long
while and keep un warm."

With much effort he cut and trimmed a stiff, strong pole. The lower
limbs of the trees were not above four feet from the ground, and upon
these he rested his pole, extending it from tree to tree. This was to
form the ridge pole to support the roof of his lean-to, for he was to
form a shelter similar to that improvised by the two men the evening
before.

Then he cut other poles to form the roof, and resting them upon the
ridge pole and the ground at a convenient angle to make a commodious
space beneath, he covered them with a thick thatch of boughs, which
were easily broken from the overhanging limbs of surrounding trees.
This done he enclosed the ends of his shelter in like manner, and laid
beneath it a floor of boughs.

Jamie surveyed his work with satisfaction and hope. No snow could
reach the cave-like interior; it was as well protected and as
comfortable as ever a lean-to could be made, and a very little fire
would warm it. Though much smaller, it was quite as good a shelter as
that made by the two men, and possessed the added advantage of closed
ends, which would render it much easier to heat. He had occupied more
than two hours in its construction, and it had called for ingenuity
and much hard work.

The opening of the lean-to faced the fallen tree trunk, which lay
before it in such a position that it would serve excellently as a
backlog.

Though he had no axe with which to cut firewood, he soon discovered
upon scouting about that scattered through the forest were many dried
and broken limbs that could be had for the gathering, and in a little
while he had accumulated a sufficient supply to serve for several
hours.

This done he pushed away the snow from before the fallen tree trunk as
best he could. Using as tinder a handful of the long hairy moss that
hung from the inner limbs of the spruce trees, he lighted it with a
match from the tin box salvaged the previous day at the big rock.
Placing the burning moss upon the cleared spot next the log he applied
small sticks and, as they caught fire, larger ones, until presently a
fire was blazing and crackling cheerily in front of his lean-to with
the fallen tree as a backlog to reflect the heat.

Utterly weary Jamie stretched himself upon his bed of boughs, and it
seemed to him that he had never been in a cosier place in all his
life.

"Pop were sayin' right when he says grit will help a man over any
tight place," breathed Jamie contentedly. "If I were givin' up I'd
sure perished before to-morrow mornin', for 'tis growin' wonderful
cold; but I has grit and a stout heart like a man, and I gets a place
to bide and a fine warm fire to heat un."

With the first moments of relaxation, Jamie became aware that his
wrists were exceedingly painful, and upon examination he discovered
that they had been burned much worse than he had realized in his
attempts to sever the string that bound them. Large blisters had been
raised, and one of the blisters had been broken, doubtless while he
was engaged in building his lean-to shelter. The loose skin had been
rubbed off, and the angry red wound left unprotected.

"I'll have to fix un," he declared. "The sore places'll be gettin'
rubbed against things, and be a wonderful lot worse and I leaves un
bide as they is."

In the course of the first aid instruction, Doctor Joe had taught
Jamie, as well as David and Andy, the art of applying bandages, but
now Jamie had no bandages to apply. For a little while he helplessly
contemplated his wrists. But for the fact that they were becoming
exceedingly painful he would have decided to ignore them, for in his
wearied condition it was an effort to do anything.

"I knows how I'll fix un," he said at length. "I'll cut pieces from
the bottom o' my shirt to bind un up with. They'll keep un from
gettin' rubbed whatever, and when I gets back to camp Doctor Joe'll
fix un up right."

This he proceeded to do at once with the aid of his jack-knife, and
presently had two serviceable bandages ready to apply.

"Doctor Joe were sayin' how to keep the air away from burns by usin'
oil or molasses or flour or somethin'," he hesitated. "And he were
sayin' to keep sores from gettin' dirt into un whatever. He says the
sores'll be gettin' inflicted or infested or somethin'--I'm not
rememberin' just what 'twere, but somethin' bad whatever--if they gets
dirt into un. I've been wearin' the shirt three days, and I'm thinkin'
'tis not as clean as Doctor Joe wants the bindin' for sores to be, and
I'll cover the sore place where the blisters were rubbin' off with
fir sap. That'll keep un clean. Pop says 'tis fine for sores."

Crawling out of his nest Jamie found a young balsam fir tree, and with
his sharp jack-knife cut from the bark several of the little sacs in
which sap is secreted. He had often seen Thomas cut them and daub the
contents upon cuts and bruises, and sometimes even have him and the
other boys take the sap as medicine. Returning to the lean-to he
pierced the ends of the sacs with the point of his knife, and
carefully smeared the contents over his burned wrist where the skin
was broken, taking care that all of the exposed flesh was well covered
with the sap. Jamie had, indeed, fallen upon the best antiseptic
dressing that the surrounding woods supplied.

This done to his satisfaction, he bound his wrists with the improvised
bandages, applying them carefully, after the manner in which Doctor
Joe had taught him in his lessons in first aid.

"'Tain't so bad," commented Jamie holding the wrists up and surveying
them with satisfaction. "They feels a wonderful lot easier, whatever.
But I'd never been knowin' how if 'tweren't for Doctor Joe showin'
me."

Jamie stretched himself upon the bed of boughs, and for a time lay
watching the fire and thickly falling snow and listening to the wind
shrieking and howling through the tree tops. Several times he fancied
he heard the report of distant rifle shots, and at these times he
would start up and listen intently and look cautiously out, half
expecting and fearful that he would see the two lumbermen coming to
recapture him.

But no one came to disturb him, and he assured himself at length that
he had heard only the cracking of dead branches in the storm, and that
there had been no rifle shots. Then, at last, his eyes drooped and he
slept.

Hours afterward Jamie awoke. He was shivering with the cold. The fire
had burned out, save the backlog which still glowed. It was night. The
storm had passed and the wind dropped to fitful blasts. The stars were
shining brightly, and the sky was clear save for feathery, fast moving
cloud patches.

Jamie rebuilt the fire, and lay down to await morning. He was so
hungry that he could scarce lie still, but again his eyes drooped and
again he slept.

It was near daybreak when Jamie was startled by some unusual noise,
and sat up with a jerk. He listened intently, and satisfied that
someone was approaching sprang up and looked cautiously out, seized
with panic and ready for flight. In the dim starlight he could plainly
see two men coming toward him over the marsh.

CHAPTER XIX

SEARCHING THE WHITE WILDERNESS

Nearly three hours passed before Doctor Joe and David returned to
camp, disheartened and thoroughly alarmed, to report that they had
found no trace of Jamie. In the thick-falling snow and darkness they
had been forced to relinquish the search until daylight should come to
their assistance.

Andy and the boys were dazed. It could hardly be comprehended or
credited that Jamie was, indeed, lost. They ate their belated supper
in silence, half expecting that he would, after all, come walking in
upon them. Doctor Joe was grave and preoccupied. Several times, now
he, now David, went out into the night to stand and listen in the
storm, but all they heard was the wail of wind in the tree tops.

At last, with heavy hearts, they went to bed, upon Doctor Joe's
advice. Andy asked that he might pass the night in the tent with
Doctor Joe and David, and so it was arranged. Neither Andy nor David,
more worried than they had ever been in all their lives before, felt
in the least like sleep. Doctor Joe did not lie down with them. For a
long while the two lads lay awake and watched him crouching before the
stove smoking his pipe, his face grave and thoughtful. He had spoken
no word of encouragement, and the lads knew that he was troubled
beyond expression.

The wind was rising. In sudden gusts of anger it dashed the snow
against the tent in swirling blasts, and moaned dismally through the
tree tops. The crackling fire in the stove, usually so cheerful, only
served now to increase their sorrow. It offered warmth and comfort and
protection from the night and cold and drifting snow, which Jamie, if
he had not perished, was denied. They could only think of him as
wandering and suffering in the cold and darkness, hungry and
miserable, and they condemned themselves.

When sleep finally carried the lads into unconsciousness, Doctor Joe's
tall figure was still crouching before the stove, and when they awoke
he was already up and had kindled a fresh fire in the stove, though it
was not yet day, and the tent was lighted by the flickering flame of
a candle.

"'Twill be daylight by the time we've finished breakfast," said Doctor
Joe as the lads sat up. "It's snowing harder than ever, but I think we
had better go out as soon as we can see and have a look up the brook.
Jamie may not be so far away. We may find him bivouacked quite close
to camp. The snow is getting deep and we shall not find travelling
easy."

"We'll be lookin' the best we can, whatever," agreed David. "I
couldn't bide in the tent with Jamie gone. I'm wakin' with a wonderful
heavy heart. I'm findin' it hard to believe he's not about camp, and I
were just dreamin' about he bein' lost."

"That's the way I feels too," said Andy. "I wakes feelin' most like
I'd have to cry. Can't I be goin' with you and Davy? I never can bide
here whilst you're away, Doctor Joe."

"Yes, we three will go and we'll take some of the other lads with us,
though we'll have to leave somebody in camp to keep the fire going,"
agreed Doctor Joe. "We'll need warm tents when we come back, if we
bring Jamie with us, and I hope we'll find him none the worse for his
night out."

"'Tisn't like 'twere winter," suggested David hopefully. "'Tisn't so
cold, if he were havin' matches to put on a fire, but I'm doubtin' he
has matches."

"Let us hope he had. Andy, suppose you call the others," suggested
Doctor Joe. "Breakfast is nearly ready."

Andy was already dressed, and hurrying out he presently returned with
the other lads. Breakfast of venison and bread with hot tea was
hurriedly eaten, while they put forth all sorts of theories as to the
cause of Jamie's disappearance and the possibilities of finding him.

"I'm thinkin' now," said David with a more hopeful view as daylight
began to filter through the tent, "that Jamie'll be knowin' how to fix
a shelter, and that we'll be findin' he safe and that he'll be just
losin' his way a bit in the storm. If he has matches he'll sure be
puttin' a fire on."

"I'm doubtin' he has the matches," suggested Andy discouragingly. "He
weren't thinkin' to be away from camp and he weren't takin' any. He
were never on the trails, and he'd sure be forgettin' to take un."

"Let us hope he has them," Doctor Joe encouraged. "If he has matches
I'm sure he'll be safe enough."

"'Twere my fault he were gettin' lost," said Seth. "He'd never been
gettin' lost if I'd only kept he in sight the way you said to do."

"No," objected Doctor Joe, "we'll not say it was anybody's fault."

Presently they were ready. Seth and Micah were detailed to remain in
camp, and the others set forth, David and Doctor Joe carrying their
rifles.

In much the same manner as that adopted in the search for the rock the
previous day, Doctor Joe and the boys spread out on the left, or
westward, side of the brook. Now, however, they were much closer
together, because they could see so short a distance through the snow.
Walking was much harder, and their progress correspondingly slower.

Thus they continued to the farthest point reached before turning back
the previous day, David or Doctor Joe now and again firing shots from
their rifles. Then they turned back, making the return just to the
westward of the trail made by Doctor Joe, who was on the left flank as
they passed up the brook.

"There's a rock! There's a big rock!" shouted David, as the rock
where Jamie had begun his search for the cache loomed high through the
snow.

Every one ran to the rock, and as they gathered by its side, Andy
exclaimed:

"I knows now what Jamie does! He were near enough to see the rock! He
were the last one beyond Seth, and he finds un and he goes huntin' the
cache by himself, and it gets dark and he gets lost when the snow
comes!"

"That sounds reasonable," admitted Doctor Joe. "I shouldn't be the
least surprised if you were right! It's more than probable that's just
what happened! The thing now is to find the direction Jamie probably
took from here, and the snow has covered all trace of him."

"With his trail all covered, there'll be no trackin' he. What'll we do
about un?" asked David. "'Tis hard to think out what way Jamie'd be
like to go from here."

"Let's try goin' the way the paper said the cache was," suggested
Andy. "Maybe Jamie finds un in the tree and climbs the tree and falls
and hurts himself."

"Andy is right," agreed Doctor Joe. "It is quite likely he used his
copy of the directions to find the cache, and that he went in the
direction specified. We'll do the same."

It did not take them long to find the hackmatack tree, and in doing so
they stumbled upon the pile of rocks Jamie had built up for a compass
rest. It was covered with snow, but was high enough to be discernible,
and a careful clearing of the snow discovered the fact that the stones
had been recently piled.

"They may have been piled by the man who made the cache," suggested
Doctor Joe.

"He'd never been doin' that!" objected David. "'Twould make the tree
too easy to find. I'm thinkin' 'twere Jamie piles un."

"What would Jamie be pilin' the stones for now?" asked Lige
sceptically. "He'd not be takin' time to go pilin' up stones that
way."

"He piles un to pilot us when we comes huntin' he," suggested David.

They took the next direction, and in due time discovered the round
rock, the top of which they likewise cleared of snow that they might
make quite certain it was the rock for which they were searching.
Then, in due time, Jamie's second pile of rocks and finally the birch
tree were located.

At the birch tree all clues were lost. Vainly they circled the
surrounding country, firing rifles occasionally until they came to the
edge of the marsh.

"We'd never be findin' he on the mesh, if he gets out there,"
suggested David.

"No," agreed Doctor Joe, "and there's no reason to suppose that he
crossed it to the other side."

"That's what I thinks," said David. "He's somewheres this side of the
mesh. He'd never cross un. He'd be knowin' there's no mesh between
here and camp."

"He'd know 'twere not the way to camp," declared Andy. "Jamie'd never
be forgettin' that he crosses no mesh comin' from camp however turned
about he is. He'd never be so turned about as that."

"We'll search all the country, then, between this marsh and the
brook," suggested Doctor Joe.

They could not know that Jamie, on the opposite side of the marsh, was
at that moment in a snug shelter, and had been listening to their
rifle shots, and supposing them to be the breaking of dead branches in
the wind. Jamie was too small and too inexperienced to face and
weather the storm on the marsh, unassisted, but Doctor Joe or David or
even Andy might have crossed it. How often it happens that an obstacle
that might be surmounted turns us back at the very door of success!

Wearily they trailed back through the woods, and up and down until
darkness finally forced them to return to camp unsuccessful and heavy
hearted. The younger lads were almost too weary to drag their feet
behind them. They had eaten nothing since their early breakfast, but
Seth and Micah, anxiously watching and hoping, had a hot supper of
fried venison and bread and tea ready, and as soon as they had
finished their meal, Doctor Joe directed that they go to bed and rest.

Long before daybreak Doctor Joe was stirring. He lighted the fire, and
when the kettle boiled roused David. Breakfast was ready when Andy
awoke.

"Is you startin' so early?" he asked, rubbing his eyes. "'Tis
wonderful early. We can't see to travel till light with snow fallin'."

"Clear and fine outside!" said Doctor Joe, "I'm not satisfied that
Jamie didn't cross the marsh. It's likely to be a long hard tramp and
David and I are going alone this morning because we can travel faster.
If we don't find Jamie by noon we'll come back after you and the other
lads. You'll be fresh and rested then for the afternoon's search. We
can't give it up till we find Jamie."

"I'd be keepin' up with you," protested Andy.

"If you go we'll have to take some of the others," objected Doctor
Joe. "The snow is deep and they'll not be able to travel as fast as we
shall. Let us go alone and if we need you we'll come for you."

And so it was arranged.

Presently David and Doctor Joe set forth in the frosty starlit
morning. They turned their steps toward the marsh, and were near its
eastern border when David stopped and sniffed the air.

"I smell smoke!" he exclaimed eagerly.

"Are you sure?" asked Doctor Joe, also sniffing. "I don't smell it."

"There's a smell o' smoke!" insisted David. "The wind's from the
west'ard, and the smoke comes from over the mesh. There's a fire
somewheres over there."

"Your nose is keener than mine," said Doctor Joe hopefully. "Go
ahead, Davy. We'll see if you really smell smoke."

David led the way out upon the marsh, and they had gone but a short
distance when Doctor Joe was quite sure that he, also, smelled smoke.
David hurried on with Doctor Joe at his heels.

"There's somebody movin'!" exclaimed David presently. "See un? See un?
'Tis sure Jamie!"

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