The Red Cloud chief., 1881-11-10

with our hands. Fifty or sixty feet
up the shoot from the hole. / found the
cause Of the mischief. One of the long.
square timbers OF the bed had vkSed
from its matchlngs. a. the upper end.
1t was against the end OF this timber,
which proje ted three or four inches.
that the logs had studied and glanced.
A little work with the adze and a few
extra nails would make all right. but i,
was getting dusk. and, re iecting that
should have time the following morn
ing for so short a job. before the days
work began, ! sent word To the upper
gang 10 commence work on time as
usual.
Next morning it was showing thickly,
and We at the lower camp were rather
late astir. 1 had finished breakfast by
six o clock, however, and at once sci
off to climb up the slide, taking Tort
with me Ia carry the anger and "A hand
about rs much as i could manage TO
climb up the smooth planking with.
ON coming TO the ''break." We found
the hole nearly full Of snow. but cleared
it partly out and got down into the
shoot. / then looked at my watch. and
found that there remained only twenty
minutes before seven O'Clock. But as
The men rarely began running down
logs much before eight, | felt very litt.a
uneasiness on that account. l bored
my holes, drove the tree-naiis. and
then leisurely aided of the still pro
jecting edge of the timber. Meanwhile
1 had sent Tort farther up the shoot TO
see if there were any other timbers
similarly sprung. He came sliding
back just as l had finished. 1t then
lacked one minute OF seven. We
picked up the tools and started to make
our way back down TO he hole, holding
on by the joists, when | noted a slight
grating. creaking noise on the planking
overhead. Tort heard it, too. and bet
ter than l, he could interpret the sound.
"INoH Ueu,' he screamed. "U est
ke i'll dc Ia ci0chc. Sau:! Saut!r OTIS
the beli-wire! Jump! Jump)
He dropped auger and tree-nails, and.
springing franticallv to the little joist
rafters over our heads, drew his body
up and clurg IL them like q bat. 1
scarcely know how l did it, but next in
slant | was clinging to the under side
OF those sticks Of jOist. in much the
same way-and none too quickly, either.
There came a rushing noise. The joist-
sticks thrilled in fingers. The tim
bers shook violently; and, amid a hur-
ricane of ice dust, bits of pine bark and
slivers, which seemed to almost burst
the shoot. the great log. like a black
habl.in shot 1nUn hannafh my hank
The wind it raised nearly blew u after
it. Tort dropped to his feet.
"Descende.n' he screamed to me i'm
French. Get down to the hole and
get out before another comes!'
His boot. corks helped him to keep
his feet on the icy side. The lad hall
ran, half slid down the steep incline,
and catching by the splintered edges of
the hole, drew himself out. But J.,
plunging blindly after him, with smooth
boot-so.es, slipped headlong, and went
sliding wildly down past the aperture.
Again that low. horrible, rafting,
creaking sound on the planks. Another
log vas coming. 1t was death to lie
sprawlng there. With a mighty effort
i stopped myself and sprang up -but
slipped again. 1t was cominy. l felt
the jar-heard the rumble above-and
with "a c~onvulsive squirm of my body.
Rugged TO the right shore and partially
rolled myself up on the timber. Next
moment. peppered with bits OF bark,
ice and ~slivers, | was fairly btOUn down
the shoot in the wake of the log which
had hOUted by, SO close as almost TO
Craze my outer leg.
/ have heard it said that a cannon-
shot may pass so closely to a man as to
kill him. without actually hitting him.
| am inclined to believe it. So near
had that log come to me in its swift
course, that [ felt for the moment quite
nerveiesss and stunned, and went
rolling and sliding down after it for
fifty feet or more. But the thought
that other logs were to follow stimulat-
ed me to check myself. Getting on the
shore and climbing bat-like again to
the joists in the corner of the boxing. l
waited the onset-for ] could hear the
creakrng again. 1t soon came. with
the same whirlwind rush, nearly tear
ing me from my perch. But l held
fast; and in this not very easy position,
L the passage OF three more
logs. Then came a respite.
Tort had run to the bottom of the
shoot, shouting that the boss was
killed. In fact, l had heard his
cry of terror. when looking in
at the hoe through which he had but
barely escaped himself, he saw that
second log whiz down upon me. But
before he could run to the foot of the
shoot. the shovel and adze had come
flying out at the toe; and the men there,
knowing something must be wrong,
had raised the semaphore and signaled
to the gang above to stop running in
logs.
1 heard them hurrying up on the out
side of the shoot. They came to the
hole and shouted. L answered. and
was glad to wait for them to crawl
down to me and help me out; for l was
too weak and overcome to get out
alone.
And to this day, whenever l take cold
and have a feverish night, l am almost
certain to dream of the terrible rush
and hoWi with which those logs tore
past me in the shoot down the side of
Dial Co.. Wis,