A Countess from Canada | Page 8

I
must pack the snow a bit before I can get firm standing ground."
Slipping her father's snowshoes, one of which was broken, from his
feet, she took the broken part and proceeded to beat the snow firm all
round the trees. This took perhaps ten minutes, although she worked so
hard that she perspired despite the cold. The snow was firm now; she
could stand without sinking, and going round in front of her father she
exerted all her strength and lifted him up a little. He was bleeding from
a wound on his face, and seemed to be quite dazed.
"Can you help yourself at all?" she asked urgently, knowing that it was
quite impossible for her unaided strength to get him clear of the fork.
But his only reply was a groan, and Katherine began to grow frightened.
It was quite impossible to leave him while she went to summon aid,
and equally impossible to get help without going for it. Meanwhile the
cold was so intense that every moment of waiting became a risk. Even
the dogs were whining and restless, impatient to get off again for the
last stage of their journey.
"Father, you must help yourself," the girl cried despairingly. "I can't
possibly get you out of the tree alone, and you will just freeze to death
if you are not quick."
The urgency of her tone seemed to rouse him a little, and, seeing that
he appeared to be coming to himself again, she rubbed his face briskly
with snow, which quickened his faculties, and incidentally made the
wound on his cheek smart horribly; but that was a minor matter, the
chief thing being to make him bestir himself. Then by a great effort she
lifted him up again, and this time he put out his hand and clutched at
the trunk of the tree, and so kept himself from slipping back into the
fork, while she ran round and pulled him clear of the trees, making him
lean upon her whilst she debated on her next move.

"I don't know how we shall get home; I can't walk," he said feebly.
"Of course you can't; that is entirely out of the question," she said
briskly. "I must unload the two sledges, and cache the things close to
this tree, under your sledge; then the dogs can draw you home. There is
not much over three miles to be done, so we shall not be long."
She made him sit on the snow while she set about her preparations, for
he seemed too weak to stand alone. Most of the goods were taken from
the dog sledge and piled in a heap at the foot of the forked trees. The
other sledge was brought alongside and unloaded also, then Katherine
dragged the hand sledge on to the top of the packages, with the runners
sticking upwards, so that a curious wolf might think it was a trap of a
fresh shape, and avoid it accordingly. All this took time, however, and
when she had got her father packed into the sledge in readiness for a
start it was almost dark, while the snow was coming down thicker than
ever. The brown-and-white dog was howling dismally again, while the
black one which had a cropped ear seemed disposed to follow suit.
It was of no use trying to guide the dogs now, and, falling into the rear,
Katherine shouted to them to go forward, and left it to their instinct to
find the way home. She had to keep shouting and singing to them the
whole of the way. If from very weariness her voice sank to silence, they
dropped into a slow walk; but when it rang out again in a cheery shout,
they plunged forward at a great pace, which was maintained only so
long as she continued shouting. But at last, after what seemed an
interminable time, she heard the noise of the water coming over
Roaring Water Portage; the dogs heard it too, and the need for shouting
ceased, for they knew they were almost at the end of the journey.

CHAPTER III
Outwitting the Enemy
Among his neighbours at Seal Cove, 'Duke Radford counted one very
pronounced enemy, and that was Oily Dave, master of one of the

sealing boats, and keeper of the only whisky saloon within twenty or
thirty miles of Roaring Water Portage. The cause of the enmity was
now nearly two years old, but like a good many other things it had
gained strength with age. Oily Dave had been supplying the red man
with liquor, and this in defiance of the law which forbade such sales;
'Duke Radford reported him, and Oily Dave was mulcted in a fine so
heavy that it consumed all the