Part 27 (1/2)

His eye making no reply to this remark, he arose, and going down on his hands and knees, began to coax the charcoal into a flame. By dint of severe blowing, he soon succeeded, and heaping on a quant.i.ty of small twigs, the fitful flame sprang up into a steady blaze. He then threw several heavy logs on the fire, and in a very short s.p.a.ce of time restored it almost to its original vigour.

”What an abominable row you are kicking up!” growled the accountant; ”why, you would waken the seven sleepers. Oh! mending the fire,” he added, in an altered tone: ”ah! I'll excuse you, my boy, since that's what you're at.”

The accountant hereupon got up, along with Hamilton, who was now also awake, and the three spread their hands over the bright fire, and revolved their bodies before it, until they imbibed a satisfactory amount of heat. They were much too sleepy to converse, however, and contented themselves with a very brief enquiry as to the state of Hamilton's heels, which elicited the sleepy reply, ”They feel quite well, thank you.” In a short time, having become agreeably warm, they gave a simultaneous yawn, and lying down again, they fell into a sleep from which they did not awaken until the red winter sun shot its early rays over the arctic scenery.

Once more Harry sprang up, and let his hand fall heavily on Hamilton's shoulder. Thus rudely a.s.sailed, that youth also sprang up, giving a shout, at the same time, that brought the accountant to his feet in an instant; and so, as if by an electric spark, the sleepers were simultaneously roused into a state of wide-awake activity.

”How excessively hungry I feel! isn't it strange?” said Hamilton, as he a.s.sisted in rekindling the fire, while the accountant filled his pipe, and Harry stuffed the tea-kettle full of snow.

”Strange!” cried Harry, as he placed the kettle on the fire--”strange to be hungry after a five miles' walk and a night in the snow? I would rather say it was strange if you were _not_ hungry. Throw on that billet, like a good fellow, and spit those grouse, while I cut some pemmican and prepare the tea.”

”How are the heels now, Hamilton?” asked the accountant, who divided his attention between his pipe and his snow-shoes, the lines of which required to be readjusted.

”They appear to be as well as if nothing had happened to them,” replied Hamilton: ”I've been looking at them, and there is no mark whatever.

They do not even feel tender.”

”Lucky for you, old boy, that they were taken in time, else you'd had another story to tell.”

”Do you mean to say that people's heels really freeze and fall off?”

inquired the other, with a look of incredulity.

”Soft, very soft and green,” murmured Harry, in a low voice, while he continued his work of adding fresh snow to the kettle as the process of melting reduced its bulk.

”I mean to say,” replied the accountant, tapping the ashes out of his pipe, ”that not only heels, but hands, feet, noses, and ears, frequently freeze, and often fall off in this country, as you will find by sad experience if you don't look after yourself a little better than you have done hitherto.”

One of the evil effects of the perpetual jesting that prevailed at York Fort was, that ”soft” (in other words, straightforward, unsuspecting) youths had to undergo a long process of learning-by-experience: first, _believing_ everything, and then _doubting_ everything, ere they arrived at that degree of sophistication which enabled them to distinguish between truth and falsehood.

Having reached the _doubting_ period in his training, Hamilton looked down and said nothing, at least with his mouth, though his eyes evidently remarked, ”I don't believe you.” In future years, however, the evidence of these same eyes convinced him that what the accountant said upon this occasion was but too true.

Breakfast was a repet.i.tion of the supper of the previous evening.

During its discussion they planned proceedings for the day.

”My notion is,” said the accountant, interrupting the flow of words ever and anon to chew the morsel with which his mouth was filled--”my notion is, that as it's a fine clear day we should travel five miles through the country parallel with North River. I know the ground, and can guide you easily to the spots where there are lots of willows, and therefore plenty of ptarmigan, seeing that they feed on willow tops; and the snow that fell last night will help us a little.”

”How will the snow help us?” inquired Hamilton.

”By covering up all the old tracks, to be sure, and showing only the new ones.”

”Well, captain,” said Harry, as he raised a can of tea to his lips, and nodded to Hamilton as if drinking his health, ”go on with your proposals for the day. Five miles up the river to begin with, then--”

”Then we'll pull up,” continued the accountant; ”make a fire, rest a bit, and eat a mouthful of pemmican; after which we'll strike across country for the southern woodcutters' track, and so home.”

”And how much will that be?”

”About fifteen miles.”

”Ha!” exclaimed Harry; ”pa.s.s the kettle, please. Thanks.--Do you think you're up to that, Hammy?”

”I will try what I can do,” replied Hamilton. ”If the snow-shoes don't cause me to fall often, I think I shall stand the fatigue very well.”