Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1881-12-14

usual.
Next morning it was showing thick
IL, and We at the lower camp wer,
rather late astir. / had finished break
fast by six o'clock, however, and al
once set off TO climb up the slide, tax
ing Tort with me 10 carry the auEeI
and q handful of tree-nSii-. Shove
and adj were about as much as ! C1Ii-
manage 70 climb up the smooth plank
ing with. On coming % the break
We found the hole nearly fUl. Of snow
but cleared il partly ont and Got down
into the shoot ! then looked n my
watch. and found that there r5maiHcd
only twenty minutes before seven
O'Clock. But as the men rarely hc-a-
running down logs much before eight
felt very little Uneasiut>s au tina, ae.
count I bored ny holes. ir5ve the
trec nails. and then leisurely allied -.
The still projecting edge q. the timber
Meanwhile ! had sent Teri farther Ur
the shoot 10 see II there r7t-c any o.as.
thinkers similarly sprung. H- came
sliding hack Just a ! had finished L.
then lacked enc minute Of seven. We
picked mp the tools and started o
make cur way hack % the hole. hold
ing ON by the joists, when I rc,si @
slight grating, creaking noise IA .l-
p,anhiug overhead. Tor, heard IL.
too. and better than I. he could inter
pref the sound.
Non Diat." he screamed. II et
Z ~ de E1 c'9ciei .SalN > Sau!" Il,
the bell-wire, jump. Jump,
He dropped auger and trcc-nail,.
and, bringing frantically To the little
iCisJ rafters over our head, drew his
body up and chung 10 them ike BAT
I scarcely know how | did IL. but next
instant ! was clinging 10 the under side
Of those sticks Of joist, IN much the
same wav-and none TOO quickly.
either There came a rushing noise
The ioist->ticks thrilled in our fingers.
The timbers shook violently; and,
amid a hurricane Of Ice dust. bits of
pine bark and sliyers, which seemed 10
almost burst the shoot, the great log
ike a black bobbin, shot down beneath
my back. The wind it raised nearly
blew Us after it. Tort dropped 10 his
feet.
"Dcscnde." he screamed to me il
French. Get down 10 the hole and
yet out before another comes =.
HI, boot-corks helped him to keep
bis feet on the icy side. The lad half
ran. halfslid down the steep incline,
and catching by the splintered edge Of
he hole, drew himself out. But ],
blindly after him, with smooth
505t-,oias, slipped headlong. end went
siding down past the aperture.
Again that low, horrible, rafting,
.cakiug sound on the planks. An
.tAcr log wa. coming. 1t was death to
lie ~prawling there. With a mighty
..iyrt / stopped myself and spraug up
but slipped again. Ii was coming
felt the jaT-heard the rumble above
and with q convulsive squirm Of my
5ody, hugged to the right shore and
partially rolled myself up ON the tim
Der. Next moment, peppered with
bits of bark, ice and slivers, ] was
'airly blown down the shoot in the
wake Of the log which had howled by,
70 close rs almost 10 Craze my outer leg
have heard it said that a cannon
hot may pass 80 closely TO man IS 70
ST. him. without actually hitting him.
ara inclined TO believe il. - near
ai tina. log come TO Inc in i,s -wif.
Ir,e, that I felt for the moment quite
lrvcle,, and stunned, and went rolling
u3 sliding down after It for hfty feet
y more. But the thought that other
O. were 10 follow stimulated lac 70
heck myself. Getting on the Shore
nd climbing bat-like again O. tie
li,.s IN the corner Of the boxing.
-aitcl the onset-for | could hear the
reaking again. 1t soon came. with
be same vhirlwind rush. nearly .car.
lg me from my perch. But J held
as- and in this not very easy po-
ition, ] weathered the passage Of three
lere logs. Then came a respite.
Tort had run 10 the bottom Of the
boot, shouting that the "boss" was
,illed. In fact / had heard his cry OF
error, when looking in at the hole
Trough which he had but barely
scaped himself, he saw that second log
yhiz down upon me. But before he
.ould run to the foot of the shoot.
he shovel and adze had conc flying
,ut at the toe; and the men there.
something must be wrong,
lad raised the semaphore and signaled
% the gang above TO stop running in
og..
heard them hurrying up on the
outside of the shoot. They came to
he hole and shouted. ] answered, and
vas glad TO wait for them to crawl
Town to me and help me out for
vas too weak and overcome to get out
.loue.
And to this day, whenever | take
old and have a feverish night. l am
almost certain TO dream Of the terrible
ush and howl with which those logs
ore past me in the shoot down the side
f Black Stoss.