CHAPTER XVI.
SETTLING DOWN IN CAMP.
It certainly was a dismal outlook, lost on the lake in a howling snowstorm, and night coming on. Small wonder that all of the members of the Zero Club were filled with fear as to the outcome of the unexpected situation.
The wind blew sharper than ever, cutting like a knife, and causing their teeth to chatter in spite of themselves. The snowflakes settled on their faces and had to be brushed off their eyebrows that they might see.
“Here’s a state of things, and no error,” remarked Boxy, as he joined Harry and Jack in front of the big snowdrift. “Have we got to go through this?”
“We’ve got to do something,” returned Jack, with a certain sort of desperateness in his voice. “If we stay out here much longer we’ll be frozen to death and buried in the snow!”
“We must push on ahead--it’s our only salvation,” added Harry. “If we keep on in a straight line we are bound to fetch up somewhere sooner or later.”
“We may walk clean up to the upper end of the lake,” said Andy, in a low voice. He was too exhausted to speak louder.
“Well, that would be better than remaining here,” replied his big brother. “Come, fellows, brace up and put your best leg forward,” he went on, in an effort to cheer up their lagging spirits.
Pulling and pushing the sled as best they could, they attacked the huge drift before them. In a couple of minutes they were on the other side. All had had tumbles, but to these they paid no attention.
“By golly! but I would give all I kin rake an’ scrape togedder to be in a warm kitchen jess about now!” puffed Pickles. “My two feet dun got froze as stiff as two chunks ob ice!”
“We’re all in the same boat,” replied Boxy. “I can scarcely drag one foot after the other.”
“And I feel like sitting down and going to sleep,” put in Andy. “Let us rest.”
“No! no!” rejoined his elder brother, quickly. “If you rested and went off into a doze you would never wake up again. We must keep on by all means!”
And on they pressed, slowly and painfully, growing more weary at every step. The snow and wind continued, and it grew steadily darker. Would that awful trip across the lake never come to an end?
At last, when they were about ready to give up in despair, Harry, in advance of all the rest, gave a joyous little shout.
“The shore, boys!”
“Where? where?” they cried out in chorus, and clustered around him.
“Just off to our right. We have been walking along within fifty feet of it.”
“Gracious, you don’t mean it!” exclaimed Boxy. “True enough, boys; come on to land and get a fire started!”
Boxy set off as fast as he could on skates through the snow. The others followed, Jack and Pickles dragging the sled.
They were soon off the lake and huddled in a group behind a number of trees and bushes, which afforded a fair shelter from the wind and snow. Here they paused to catch their breaths and gaze around them.
“I imagine we are at least a mile above the spot we struck out for,” observed Jack. “But that doesn’t matter, so long as we have crossed the lake in safety. What shall we do, light a fire or hunt a place to camp for the night first?”
“Let’s light a fire and get warmed up,” answered Andy. “I am sure none of us can do much in our present condition.”
His idea was warmly seconded by the others, and soon a heap of brush was collected in a convenient spot and set on fire. They drew up to it as close as they dared, and warmed their chilled bodies. The sled load was again attacked, and crackers and cut-up smoked beef passed around. It was wonderful what appetites all hands had whenever the least sign of a meal appeared. It seemed they could eat all the time.
Down in their hearts all were deeply grateful that the perils of a possible night on the lake were passed. They were certain that, had they been compelled to remain in that wind and snow, some of them would have perished.
Jack and Harry were the first to declare themselves warm and comfortable once more, and, allowing the others to remain seated around the fire, they started off to locate some suitable spot where they might settle down for the balance of the outing.
“We don’t want any more snakes’ nests,” remarked Harry, with a laugh. “One is a-plenty.”
“Right you are,” replied Jack. “What do you say if we find a circle of trees and build a sort of hut? We can cut down a number of small trees with the ax and fill up the openings by twining in brush and then heaping up snow on the outside.”
“Boxy was speaking of that sort of place. We will see what we can find.”
They passed along the shore of the lake until they came to a small creek. They walked up the bank of this for a distance of a hundred feet, and suddenly Harry came to a halt.
“How is that spot over to the other side?” he cried.
“Just the cheese!” responded Jack.
The place to which Harry had called attention was one where four trees stood in almost a square. Between the two trees farthest back and those to one side there was a mass of thick brush, while between the two trees on the other side were several large rocks, which had rolled down from a hill beyond.
“We can build a hut there without difficulty,” said Harry.
“That’s so. First we can clear out the square and pile it up on the rocks to the right. Then we can cut a few slender trees and brace up that brush in the rear and on the left. But how about a roof?”
“We can cris-cross half-a-dozen poles in the lowest branches of the four corner trees and pile brush and leaves on top. That ought to make a good enough roof for the time we want to stay. The brush can be twisted pretty tight, you know.”
They looked the spot over carefully for snakes, and, finding none, returned to the fire.
“That ought to do first-rate,” said Boxy, when he had heard their report. “But we can never build that hut to-night.”
“We can fix it up enough to sleep in,” returned Jack. “Come on. We will start another fire on the bank of the creek.”
“It’s good it’s on the creek,” said Andy. “If a thaw comes up the water will have a chance to flow away.”
“I dun racken we won’t hab no thaw jess yet!” put in Pickles. “It’s gwine to keep on a-snowin’ fo’ a month or moah!”
Everybody laughed at this, and they pulled the sled off to the spot beside the creek. Here a second fire was built, and Pickles vowed that he was going to do all in his power to keep it going until they left for home.
“To-morrow I’ll git some big knots ob wood an’ a log or two, an’ da’ll burn a week,” he said.
It was now six o’clock in the evening, and they set to work with a will to clear out the space between the four trees selected to become the corners of the hut. The brush taken out was piled against the other bushes between the trees, and more cut from a distance away was also added.
This work was performed by Andy, Boxy and Pickles. In the meantime Jack and Harry cut twenty-odd saplings, and trimmed them as much as necessary.
The young trees were then taken to the cleared square, and four of them were put up to rest from corner to corner, about ten feet from the ground. When they were secure, ten of the poles were placed across the opening. Then brush was handed up and piled on, and a pole or two was fastened over the top to keep it from blowing away.
“Now we’ve got a good enough roof for anybody,” said Jack, when the job was finished. “It’s not very fine-looking, but it will keep out the snow and a good bit of the cold, and that’s what we want.”
Two of the remaining saplings were placed at right angles to make a small doorway alongside of one of the trees, and the others were taken inside to brace up the several walls of brush and stone.
By the time all this was accomplished, it was after eight o’clock, and every one of the boys was completely fagged out.
“Fix up the fire for the night and we’ll go to bed,” said Harry. “We have more than earned a night’s rest.”
“You’re right,” added Boxy. “And don’t any one dare to wake me until eight or nine o’clock to-morrow morning.”
“We haven’t named the Camp yet,” said Andy. “Let’s do that before we retire.”
“It’s Camp Rest as much as anything,” replied his brother, and then and there the spot was so christened.
Pickles lost no time in replenishing the fire. Then the sled, with all of the other traps, was dragged into the hut and a heavy blanket was fastened up over the doorway.
It took the boys some little time to arrange themselves to their satisfaction, but, being so tired, they were not as particular as they otherwise might have been.
Harry took a place nearest the doorway, with Jack close behind him. Pickles lay over in a corner by himself, and Boxy and Andy chummed up close in another corner.
Soon every one was asleep, and not a sound save the heavy breathing of the boys, the singing of the wind through the tree branches and the crackling of the fire broke the stillness of the night. The thick snow still came down, but so softly it was not heard.