So great had been the excitement that, until now, they had not noticed the cold, but now the wind seemed to penetrate to the very marrow of their bones.
“If we don’t get down pretty soon I’ll turn into a human icicle,” Jack declared after a half hour had passed.
“I guess it’ll be safe enough to risk it,” Bob replied, his teeth chattering so that he could hardly talk. “I don’t think they’ll come back again and if they do we can climb back.”
A glance at his watch, just as he crawled once more into his sleeping bag, told Bob that it was nearly four o’clock. How good the thick warm bags felt after the cold exposure of the tree. In less than five minutes he was, as he told Jack, “as warm as toast.” He resolved that he would not go to sleep, as he still feared the return of the wolves, but he said nothing of it to Jack, knowing that the generous boy would insist in keeping awake also. So he lay there on the spruce boughs listening to the storm. It took all his will power to keep his eyes from closing, but not once did he yield to the drowsiness. About five o’clock he noticed that the wind was dying down and that the snow had all but ceased falling. It seemed as though the next hour would never pass, but at last the hands of the watch pointed to six and very carefully, so as not to disturb his brother, he crept out of his bag. It was still very dark but he knew that daylight was near at hand and realizing the importance of getting an early start he tied on his snow-shoes and, ax in hand, started for the dead pine.
No sound had been heard from the wolves since shortly after three o’clock and he felt certain that they had left the vicinity. Fully two feet of light snow had fallen during the night and he found the tree nearly buried. But by dint of much hard work he managed to secure what he judged would be enough to cook breakfast with. “Provided the wolves have left anything,” he thought as he picked up an armful of the dead branches and started back.
The first faint indication of the approaching dawn was creeping through the forest as he lit the fire. Jack was still sleeping soundly, but the crackling of the flames soon woke him.
“It’s a wonder you wouldn’t call a fellow,” he said with a yawn, as he sat up and rubbed his eyes.
“No need of both of us getting up so early and I happened to be awake so I thought I might as well get the wood,” Bob replied easily, as he threw more wood on the fire.
“I’ll bet you didn’t go to sleep at all, now did you?” Jack asked as he got out of his bag and came close to the fire.
Pinned down, Bob had to acknowledge that he had kept watch.