Adrift in the Ice-Fields | Page 7

Kennedy's
other bird, with three which lay where "the Baby" had hurled her four
ounces of "treble B's." Composing the dead bodies in the attitude of rest
among the other decoys, he returned to the boat, and for the first time
perceived that the geese were not the only bipeds which had suffered in
the late bombardment.
Leaning over the side-boards of the boat, the fastenings of which were
broken or unfastened, appeared Kennedy, apparently engaged in deep
meditation, for his head was bowed until the broad rim of his
preposterous head-covering effectually concealed his face from view.
"Here, Kennedy, both your birds are dead, and noble ones they are."
"I'm glad of it, for I'm nearly dead, too," came in a melancholy snuffle
from the successful shot, at whose feet La Salle for the first time
perceived a huge pool of blood.
"Good Heavens! are you hurt? Did your gun burst?" asked La Salle,
anxiously.
"No, I've nothin' but the nose-bleed and a broken shoulder, I reckon.
Braced my back against that board so as to get good aim, and I guess
the pesky gun was overloaded; and when she went off it felt like a
horse had kicked me in the face, and the wheel had run over my
shoulder."
"Didn't you know better than to put your shoulder between the butt of a
gun like that and a half ton of ice?" asked La Salle. "Why, you've
broken two brass hooks, and knocked down all the ice-blocks on that
side. Can't I do anything to stop that bleeding? Lay down, face upward,
on the ice. Hold an icicle to the back of your neck."
"No, thank you; I guess it will soon stop of itself. A little while ago I
cut some directions for curing nose-bleed out of the Tribune, and I
guess they're in my pocket-book. Yes, here they are: 'Stuff the nostrils
with pulverized dried beef, or insert a small plug of cotton-wool,

moistened with brandy, and rolled in alum.' I'll carry some brandy and
alum the next time I go goose-shooting."
"Or provide a lunch of dried beef," laughed La Salle; "but you had
better keep your shoulder free after this, and you'll have no trouble.
There, the bleeding has stopped, and you'd better load up, while I clean
away this blood, and cover the boards with clean ice."
In a short time the marks of the disaster were removed, and the hunters
again took shelter from the increasing storm, which had set in harder
than ever. The snow, however, inconvenienced the friends but little,
and as Kennedy could not read, they talked over the cause of his little
accident.
"I had no idea that a gun could kick with such force. I shan't dare to fire
her again, if another flock puts in an appearance," said the disabled
goose-shooter.
"Had your shoulder been free, you would not have felt the recoil, which,
even in a heavy, well-made gun, is equal to the fall of a weight fifty to
sixty pounds from a height of one foot, and in overloaded or defective
guns, exceeds twice and even three times that. It is a wonder that your
shoulder was not broken, and a still greater wonder that you killed your
birds."
At this moment a hail came from the direction of the other boat, which
was answered by La Salle, and in a few moments, after several halloos
and replies, two human forms were seen through the scud, and Ben and
Creamer made their appearance, gun in hand. A brace of geese, held by
the necks, dangled by the side of the latter, and showed that their shots
had not been thrown away.
"This storm will last all night," said Davies, anxiously, "and we're only
an hour to sundown. Creamer, here, started a little while ago to find out
what you had shot. He lost his way, and was going right out to sea past
me, when I called to him, and I thought we had better try to get ashore
before it gets any darker."

"Does any one know in just what direction the Point lies?" asked
Creamer, with that "dazed" expression peculiar to persons who have
been "lost."
"Our boat lies nearly in a direct line east and west, and a line
intersecting her stem and stern will fall a few rods inside of the island.
We are about three quarters of a mile from the house, and by counting
thirteen hundred and twenty paces in that direction, we should find
ourselves near the shore, just below the house, if our course was
correct," said La Salle.
"Yes," said Creamer, "but no man can keep a straight line in a storm
like this, when one hummock looks just like another, and there isn't a
star