“He is certainly hurt quite seriously,” said Andy. “I hope he doesn’t die on our hands.”
“Do you know his name, or where he comes from?”
“No, but I guess we can find that out by looking in his pockets. He must have cards or a notebook, or something.”
“He looks as if he was well off. That gun is an A No. 1 piece.”
“Yes, and look at the fine clothing he is wearing.”
It was a hard walk, and they had to take turns in carrying the unconscious man. To add to the gloom of the situation, it now commenced to snow again.
Presently they reached a spot that looked good to them. There were a series of rocks to the northward, backed up by a thick growth of pines. At the foot of the rocks grew some brushwood.
Chet had calculated to spend some time hunting, and had with him a hatchet, with which to cut firewood. In a very few minutes he had cut out some of the brushwood, leaving a cleared space about eight feet square. Over the top of the cleared space he threw some saplings and pine branches, and then “wove in” pine branches around the sides. By this means he soon had a shelter ready, which, while it was by no means air-tight, was a great deal better than nothing. On the floor of the shelter he placed other pine branches, and there he and Andy made the suffering man as comfortable as possible. As soon as they had reached the spot, Andy had started up a fire, right in front of the opening, and this now gave out a warmth that was much appreciated.
With some warm water made from melted snow, the lads washed the wounds of the man, and then bound them up with strips torn from their shirts. They used other water for making coffee, and poured some of this down the man’s throat. They also rubbed his hands and wrists, doing what they could think of to revive him.
In the meantime the snow continued to come down, lightly at first, and then so thickly that the entire landscape around the shelter was blotted out.