Ned Wilding's Disappearance Part 4

They went slowly, picking their way as best they could among the trees.

On a down grade, where two were enough at the rope, Bart and Frank went ahead to see if they could observe any signs of game. Frank killed a fat rabbit, but Bart fired at one and missed.

They went about four miles farther into the forest and, as they saw turkey tracks, they decided to camp there.

"We'll have an early dinner, put the turkey hen on to roast, and go off hunting the rest of the day," decided Fenn.

The turkey was prepared in a somewhat rough fas.h.i.+on and put to roast in the oven of the portable stove. When it was nearly done the fire was allowed to cool down.

"All we have to do when we get back is to start a small blaze and we'll have hot turkey," explained Fenn. Some dry wood was placed within the tent to keep it safe in case it began to snow again, and, fastening the flaps, the boys set off.

They had better luck this time, and managed to get a turkey apiece, though they were only hens, and not very large.

"We ought to each get a big gobbler before we go back home," Bart said.

"You fellows want to look alive. I've got mine."

"You had all the luck," retorted Ned.

But the gobblers seemed too wise to come within the reach of the boys'

guns, and when it came time to make back-tracks for camp there was none numbered among the slain. Several more rabbits had been secured, however, and the boys were well satisfied.

"My mouth waters for that roast turkey," exclaimed Ned, as he tramped through the snow. "I want a piece of the breast and some of the brown skin. Just a bit of dressing, please, and a spoonful of gravy!"

"Let up!" cried Bart. "I'm half starved!"

Ned's antic.i.p.ations of the turkey were fully realized. It may not have been done just to the turn a French chef would call proper, but the boys thought they had never eaten anything half so good. There was little left when they had finished.

"We'd better circle around so's to fetch up near where Jim's to meet us to-night," remarked Bart as they crawled out of the blankets Wednesday morning. The cold had increased and the wind was blowing half a gale.

The tent was struck, after a hasty breakfast, and, with the other things, not forgetting the game, was packed upon the sled. The boys started off, intending to make a large circle and bring up that evening where Jim had left them, in time to meet him. They would not erect the tent again.

They managed to kill several hen turkeys, another gobbler, which fell to Ned's gun, and a couple of rabbits, but most of the game seemed to have disappeared, and there was no more in the vicinity of where the boys tramped, dragging the sled after them.

They halted for dinner in a dense part of the forest, and, after the meal, started for the place where the corduroy road ended. They judged it to be about six miles from where they were, and knew it would take them about until night-fall to reach it.

It was hard work, pulling the sled, but the exercise kept them warm, and they trudged on, plunging into drifts which the wind quickly raised. It started to snow again and the flakes began to blow across their path whipped into stinging particles by the force of the gale. They were enveloped in a white cloud through which they could see only dimly.

"Say, it's getting worse and worse!" exclaimed Ned, as he paused for breath after a particularly stiff bit of pulling.

"Boys, it's a regular blizzard, that's what it is," cried Bart. "We're certainly in for it now. I don't believe Jim will come for us in a storm like this."

"If it isn't a blizzard it's the best imitation of one I ever saw,"

remarked Frank. "What are we going to do?"

"Only thing is to keep on," replied Bart.

"Are we going in the right direction?" asked Ned. "Fenn, suppose you take a look at the compa.s.s."

Fenn, who carried the little instrument, reached in his overcoat pocket for it. He did not find it. Then he looked in several other pockets.

"What's the matter? Haven't lost it, have you?" asked Bart.

"I'm afraid so. Didn't I give it to you, Ned, this morning?"

"Never saw it," replied Ned.

Fenn made a more thorough search. The compa.s.s was not to be found. The boys stood there helplessly, in the midst of the howling storm, which was now at its height.

The snow was a blinding, scurrying, ma.s.s of flakes which stung their faces like needles. Overhead the trees were bending to the blast and the gale was roaring through the branches. There was no path. Ten feet ahead it looked like a blank white wall.

"Boys, we're lost in the woods, and the blizzard is getting worse!"

cried Bart, almost having to shout to make himself heard above the storm.

CHAPTER VI

A LONELY CABIN

"What's to be done?" asked Fenn.

"Keep on! We may find the place where we were to meet Jim," advised Frank.

"No," Bart said. "That would be foolish. Jim would never come for us on such a night. Besides, we don't know which way to go. We'd better camp here until the storm blows over. We've got everything we need, but it's not going to be much fun under a tent in this weather."

"Let's get down more in a hollow," suggested Fenn. "We're on a hill here and get the full force of the wind. If we go on a bit we may find a better place."

"Good idea!" exclaimed Bart. "Come on, fellows!"

He seized hold of the sled rope and began to pull, the others joining him. There was no choice of direction, so they turned to get the wind on their backs.

With grim perseverance they kept on. The wind seemed fairly to carry them forward, though it was hard to struggle through the drifts they encountered every once in a while. As they had no particular path to take, they avoided the big hummocks of snow as much as they could.

"I'll have to stop!" declared Fenn, after a bit of hard pulling. "My wind's giving out!"

"I wish the wind up above would," murmured Bart as he tried to peer through the clouds of flakes to see where they were.

"Let's stay here," suggested Fenn. "If we've got to camp in the storm this place is as good as any."

"That's what I say," remarked Frank. "This seems to be well sheltered."

There came a momentary let-up to the gale. The snow did not seem to fall so thickly and the boys eagerly looked around them.

"There's something over that way!" cried Ned, pointing to the left. "It looked like a barn or house. Let's try for it!"

Then the wind swept down on them again, blotting out, in the swirl of flakes, whatever Ned had seen. But he had an idea of the direction it was in, and started off toward it.

"Here, come back and help pull the sled!" cried Bart, and the four boys, led by Ned, dragged the heavy load toward the spot where the building had been noticed.