To Win or to Die | Page 9

was another dull heavy thud,
and some one hissed as if drawing in his breath to suppress the strong
desire to utter a cry of pain.
It was horrible in that intense blackness to crouch there with pistols
held ready directed towards the spot where whoever it was had fallen,
for there could be no doubt whatever. There had been the fall, not many
yards from where they knelt, and they listened vainly for the rustling
that must accompany the attempt to get up again.
At last the faint rustling came, and the temptation to fire was almost too
strong to be resisted. But they mastered it, and waited, both determined
and strung up with the desire to mete out punishment to the cowardly
miscreants who sought for their own gain to destroy their
fellow-creatures.

"Don't fire till you are sure it is they," each of the two young men
thought. "It is impossible to take aim in this darkness."
And they waited till the rustling ended in a sort of whisper.
Once more all was silent, and the suspense grew maddening, as they
waited minutes which seemed like hours.
But the enemy was evidently astir, for there was another whisper, and
another--strange warning secretive whispers--and a sigh as of one in
pain.
At this one of the listeners thrust out a hand, and the other joined in an
earnest grip, which told of mutual trust and determination to stand by
each other to the death, making them feel that the terrible emergency
had made them, not acquaintances of an hour's length, but staunch
friends, both strong and tried. Then they loosened the warm, manly grip,
and were ready for the worst.
For there was no longer any doubt: the enemy was close at hand,
waiting the moment for the deadly rush. The only question was whether
they should fire at once--not with the thought of hitting, but to teach the
scoundrels how thoroughly they were on the alert, and in the hope of
driving them into taking to flight once more.
But they doubted. A few shots had done this once, but now that the
miscreants had had time to recover from their panic, would it answer
again?
Thud! thud! in front, and then a far heavier one behind them. They
could not hold out much longer. The enemy was creeping towards
them.
At this moment there was a tremendous crack, a hissing roar, and a
terrific concussion, the defenders of the tiny fort being struck down
behind their little breastwork.
But this onslaught was not from the enemy they awaited. The

ever-gathering snow from far above, loosened by the hot current of air
ascending from the fire, had come down in one awful charge, and the
marauders' camp was buried in an instant beneath thousands of tons of
snow.
CHAPTER FIVE.
HAND IN HAND.
There was the sense of a terrible weight pressing the sufferers down,
with their chests against the soft load bound upon the sledge in front;
and utterly stunned, they lay for a time motionless, and almost
breathless.
Then one began to struggle violently, striving to draw himself back,
and after a tremendous effort succeeding, to find that beneath him the
snow was loose, there being a narrow space along by the side of the
sledge, and that though his breath came short he could still breathe.
He had hardly grasped this fact when the movement on his right told of
a similar action going on, and he began to help his companion in
misfortune, who directly after crouched down beside him, panting
heavily, in the narrow space, which their efforts had, however, made
wider.
"Horrible!" panted the second at last. "An avalanche. Surely this does
not mean death."
There was no reply, and in the awful darkness a hand was stretched out
and an arm grasped.
"Why don't you say something?" whispered the speaker hoarsely.
"What can I say, man? God only knows."
"But it is only snow. We must burrow our way out. Wait a moment.
This way is towards the open valley."

"No, no; this. Beyond you is the wall of rock. Let me try."
For the next ten minutes there was the sound of one struggling to get
through the snow, and then it ended with the hoarse panting of a man
lying exhausted with his efforts.
"Let me come and try now," came in smothered accents.
"It is of no use. The snow was loose at first, but farther on it is pressed
together hard like ice. Try your way."
The scuffling and tearing commenced now to the right.
"Yes; it's quite loose now, and falls down. Ah! no good; here is the
solid rock running up as far as I can reach."
"I can hardly breathe. It is growing hotter every moment."