Part 16 (1/2)

”Well, Jacques, and if we had, I'm sure an old hunter like you, who have roughed it so often, need not complain,” said Charley, smiling.

”As to that, master,” replied Jacques, ”I've roughed it often enough; and when it does come to a clear fix, I can eat my shoes without grumblin' as well as any man. But, you see, fresh meat is better than dried meat when it's to be had; and so I'm glad to see that you've been lucky, Mr. Charles.”

”To say truth, so am I; and these fellows are delightfully plump. But you spoke of eating your shoes, Jacques. When were you reduced to that direful extremity?”

Jacques finished reloading the canoe while they conversed, and the two were seated in their places, and quietly but swiftly ascending the stream again, ere the hunter replied.

”You've heerd of Sir John Franklin, I s'pose?” he inquired, after a minute's consideration.

”Yes, often.”

”An' p'r'aps you've heerd tell of his first trip of discovery along the sh.o.r.es of the Polar Sea?”

”Do you refer to the time when he was nearly starved to death, and when poor Hood was shot by the Indian?”

”The same,” said Jacques.

”Oh, yes; I know all about that. Were you with them?” inquired Charley, in great surprise.

”Why, no--not exactly _on_ the trip; but I was sent in winter with provisions to them--and much need they had of them, poor fellows! I found them tearing away at some old parchment skins that had lain under the snow all winter, and that an Injin's dog would ha' turned up his nose at--and they don't turn up their snouts at many things, I can tell ye. Well, after we had left all our provisions with them, we started for the fort again, just keepin' as much as would drive off starvation; for, you see, we thought that surely we would git something on the road. But neither hoof nor feather did we see all the way (I was travellin' with an Injin), and our grub was soon done, though we saved it up, and only took a mouthful or two the last three days. At last it was done, and we was pretty well used up, and the fort two days ahead of us. So says I to my comrade--who had been looking at me for some time as if he thought that a cut off my shoulder wouldn't be a bad thing--says I, 'Nipitabo, I'm afeard the shoes must go for it now;' so with that I pulls out a pair o' deerskin moccasins. 'They looks tender,' said I, trying to be cheerful. 'Wah!' said the Injin; and then I held them over the fire till they was done black, and Nipitabo ate one, and I ate the tother, with a lump o' snow to wash it down!”

”It must have been rather dry eating,” said Charley, laughing.

”Rayther; but it was better than the Injin's leather breeches, which we took in hand next day. They was _uncommon_ tough, and very dirty, havin' been worn about a year and a half. Hows'ever, they kept us up; an' as we only ate the legs, he had the benefit o' the stump to arrive with at the fort next day.”

”What's yon ahead?” exclaimed Charley, pausing as he spoke, and shading his eyes with his hand.

”It's uncommon like trees,” said Jacques. ”It's likely a tree that's been tumbled across the river; and from its appearance, I think we'll have to cut through it.”

”Cut through it!” exclaimed Charley; ”if my sight is worth a gun-flint, we'll have to cut through a dozen trees.”

Charley was right. The river ahead of them became rapidly narrower; and either from the looseness of the surrounding soil, or the pa.s.sing of a whirlwind, dozens of trees had been upset, and lay right across the narrow stream in terrible confusion. What made the thing worse was that the banks on either side, which were low and flat, were covered with such a dense thicket down to the water's edge, that the idea of making a portage to overcome the barrier seemed altogether hopeless.

”Here's a pretty business, to be sure!” cried Charley, in great disgust.

”Never say die, Mister Charles,” replied Jacques, taking up the axe from the bottom of the canoe; ”it's quite clear that cuttin' through the trees is easier than cuttin' through the bushes, so here goes.”

For fully three hours the travellers were engaged in cutting their way up the enc.u.mbered stream, during which time they did not advance three miles; and it was evening ere they broke down the last barrier and paddled out into a sheet of clear water again.

”That'll prepare us for the geese, Jacques,” said Charley, as he wiped the perspiration from his brow; ”there's nothing like warm work for whetting the appet.i.te, and making one sleep soundly.”

”That's true,” replied the hunter, resuming his paddle. ”I often wonder how them white-faced fellows in the settlements manage to keep body and soul together--a-sittin', as they do, all day in the house, and a-lyin'

all night in a feather bed. For my part, rather than live as they do, I would cut my way up streams like them we've just pa.s.sed every day and all day, and sleep on top of a flat rock o' nights, under the blue sky, all my life through.”

With this decided expression of his sentiments, the stout hunter steered the canoe up alongside of a huge flat rock, as if he were bent on giving a practical ill.u.s.tration of the latter part of his speech then and there.

”We'd better camp now, Mister Charles; there's a portage o' two miles here, and it'll take us till sundown to get the canoe and things over.”

”Be it so,” said Charley, landing. ”Is there a good place at the other end to camp on?”