Journey Days of Henry McAlister

                        Journey Days of Henry McAlister
                              CHAPTER TWENTYTHREE
                            Chapter twenty-three-part one

     Henry piled the last of the firewood he had pried loosed from the snow and ice that encased the wrecked passenger car into his arms and plodded his way back through the snow drifts, stopping suddenly at hearing a cracking echo from the valley. The second echo caused Henry to drop the firewood and race towards the train, listening for the faint sound of what he was sure was a shotgun blast. Henry steadied himself atop of the ice and snow covered passenger car, and looked towards where he thought the sound had come from. He could barely make out the jagged moving forms of three dog sled teams heading towards him in the distance. ‘Hello, hello’ he shouted into the wind, ‘over here’, and jumped down into the snow bank that surrounded the train. ‘Katherine, they’re here, they’re here’, he shouted as he raced down the aisle to his cabin, his snow covered boots slipping on the wooden planks.
     “Kay they’re here, they’ve come,” shouted Henry, shaking Katherine to wake her.
     “What? Go away Henry, let me sleep.”
     “No Katherine! Wake up, we’re rescued, they’re here, I saw them. Wake up.”
     Henry left Katherine and raced towards the back of the train, the figures were more distinct now, three teams of sled teams hurrying towards them, their sleds loaded with supplies and the dogs straining to gain another foot forward along the buried train tracks. Henry fired his revolver into the air and shouted ‘over here, over here’.
     “Good God man, you’re alive,” said Captain Frank Oakland of the RCP, jumping from his sled in front of Henry. “We feared the worst. You men there, check inside.”
     “Hurry, hurry, Katherine’s in need of help, she’s in a bad way,” pleaded Henry. “You must hurry.”
     “Calm down man, we’re here now. We’ve brought a doctor,” Captain Oakland said, following Henry into the train.
     “There she is, do something!”
     “Doctor, Doctor, over here. What’s your name? Are there any others? Sergeant Mac Elroy, unload the supplies and get some fires going, heat up some food,” ordered the Captain.
     “How’s Katherine? How is she?” Said Henry. “Do something”
     “Calm down boy,” said the Doctor. “I’ve given her a shot, it should help. She’s emaciated and weak, but her heart sounds strong.”
     “What’s that mean?” Asked a frustrated anxious Henry.
     “It means she needs some hot food and care. I think she’ll be fine, it appears we arrived in time.”
     “Where are the others?” Asked Captain Oakland.
     “Captain, we found someone, it appears to be the porter.”
     “Doctor come with me,” ordered Captain Oakland.
     “No! What about Katherine?” Pleaded Henry.
     “Calm down boy, let the medicine do its work, I’ll be back in a few minutes,”
said the Doctor.
     Henry knelt in front of Katherine, rubbing her hands, “Kay can you hear me?” He said softly.
    “Huh? Oh it’s you Henry.”
    “They’re here, we’re saved,” smiled Henry, tears streaking into his beard.
                                                              #
To be continued.........