Part 24 (1/2)

”Dog,” said Tregelly, ”smelling after grub. The poor brutes seem half starved. Hasn't taken a bit out of either of you, has he? Good-night, my sons; I was dreaming I'd hit upon heaps of gold.”

Dallas sank back with a sigh of relief, and dropped off into a restful sleep, which lasted till morning, when they were aroused by a terrific sound of cracking as of rifles, mingled with a peculiar roar, and a strange rus.h.i.+ng sound.

”What is it?” cried Abel, who was one of the first to spring up; ”an earthquake?”

”Like enough, my son,” said Tregelly. ”I'm ready for anything here.

Sounds like the mountains playing at skittles.”

”She's going at last,” cried a voice outside. ”By jingo! it's fine.

Come and look.”

”It's the ice breaking up,” cried Dallas excitedly.

”Then we will go and look,” said Tregelly, ”though that chap wasn't speaking to us.” And, no dressing being necessary, all hurried out, to find that the fettered Yukon was completely changed, the ice being all in motion, splitting up, grinding, and crus.h.i.+ng, and with blocks being forced up one over the other till they toppled down with a roar, to help in breaking up those around.

The previous evening it would have been possible for a regiment to cross the river by climbing over and among the great blocks which were still frozen together, but now it would have been certain death for the most active man to attempt the first fifty yards.

Every one was out in the bright sunny morning watching the breaking up; and among the first they encountered were the judge, of the last night's episode, and their friend the gold-finder, both of whom shook hands heartily, but made no allusion to the trial. ”Good job for every one,”

said the judge; ”we shall soon be having boats up after this. We shall be clear here in a couple of days.”

”So soon?” said Dallas.

”Oh, yes,” replied his informant. ”There's a tremendous body of water let loose up above, and it runs under the ice, lifts it, and makes the ice break up; and once it is set in motion it is always grinding smaller, till, long before it reaches the sea, it has become powder, and then water again.”

”I say,” cried the miner, ”there's some one's dog out yonder. He's nipped by the legs, and it's about all over with him, I should say.”

”Here, stop! What are you going to do?” cried the judge.

But Dallas did not hear him. He had been one of the first to see the perilous position of a great wolfish-looking hound some twenty yards from the sh.o.r.e, where it was struggling vainly, prisoned as it was, uttering a faint yelp every now and then, and gazing piteously at the spectators on the bank.

”The lad's mad,” cried the judge, going closer to the ice.

But, mad or no, Dallas had, in his ignorance of the great danger of the act, run down, boldly leaped on the moving ice, and stepped from block to block till he reached the dog, which began to whine and bark loudly, as it made frantic efforts to free its hindquarters. In another minute it would have been drawn down farther, but for the coming of the young man, who, heedless of the rocking and gliding motion of the ice, strode the narrow opening between the two ma.s.ses which held the dog, stooping down at the same moment, and seizing the poor brute by the rough hair about its neck.

For a few moments his effort seemed vain, and a roar of voices reached him, as the spectators shouted to him to come back.

Then the two pieces swayed slightly, and gradually drew apart, and the dog was at liberty, but apparently with one leg crushed, for it lay down, howling dismally after an effort to limp back to the land.

There was a great strap round its neck, and this was joined to another just behind its shoulders, and, seizing this, Dallas flung the poor animal on its side and dragged it after him as he began to step cautiously back from block to block, now sinking down, now rising, and now narrowly escaping being caught between the moving pieces; but he kept on, conscious, though, that the bank seemed rising upward; while the crus.h.i.+ng and roar of the breaking ice prevented him from hearing the words of advice shouted by his friends.

He could not hear, but he could see Bel, who was forcing his way through the crowd to keep alongside, ready to help him when he came within reach, if ever he did, and it was from him that he afterwards learned that the advice shouted was to let the dog take his chance.

Twice over the set of the ice was off the sh.o.r.e, and matters looked bad for the young adventurer, but he stuck to the dog, and, just when the chance of reaching the sh.o.r.e seemed most hopeless, a couple of large flat floes rose up, and, making a dash, Dallas went boldly across them, reaching others that did not yield so much, and the next minute there was a cheer which he could hear, for he reached the sh.o.r.e with the dog, which looked up in his face and whined, and then limped off through the crowd.

”Life seems cheap your way, my fine fellow,” said the judge. ”Five minutes ago I wouldn't have given a grain of gold for yours. We don't do that sort of thing out here for the sake of a vicious, thieving dog.”

”I could not stand by and see the poor brute die,” said Dallas quietly.