Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1883-01-04
Life In a Redwood Logging Camp.

Life In Redwood Logging Camp.
Earnest Ingersol, In Harper's Magazine.
1t is a curious social life existing in
these forest communities, the member
ship of which is constantly changing,
and whose scene is annually shifted. AT
this camp there were only two families,
but they had nothing to do with the
housing or feeding of the sixty or more
men (half Chinese), who messed by
themselves, and slept in slab shanties
near by, the Cinnamon having group
of well-mottoed houses to themselves.
John Ch:naman is in force here, as
everywhere, for all help-work. His
slight, why frame, with its shoulder UNI
der the lever, shows as much tough
strength as that of his burly white
neighbor, and he grinds all day at the
J feed-cutter, or totes kegs of water, bal
anced across his neck, up and down the
rough declivities from morning till
night. without seeming TO tire out or
ever think of holiday. His il is also
to manage the kitchen of the camp.
John, where can we get something to
eat p we ask, as the sun begins to send
|
the soldierly sequoias.
Heap catchum cook-house,' he an
swers, and following his beck, our ex-
perience shows him capital bread
maker, and beef-roaster, but not care
full washer of dishes.
The men had gathered in the long
wooden shed for supper, eating on
wooden tables, but with an abundance
of furniture and a plentiful bill of fare.
Supper was hurried through this even
ing, for the men had on hand frolic
which had also the serious purpose of
Kidding the camp of an obnoxious old
boar that had acquired troublesome
taste for the blood of Mongolian shanks,
whose shunken lines could i'll spare the
commodity. Re-enforced with great
heartiness by the Chinese contigent, the
whole camp therefore turned out on a
boar hunt, assisted by several dogs even
more diverse in breed than their mas
tiers. The approved weapons for this
sort of chase. understand, are rifles,
spears and knives but here were to be
seen only club or two and some ropes
: Topped with lassos, except that a valiant
wielder of the brush brought up the
rear with a six-shooter tightly clutched
in his red right hand. The advance was
not incautious. That pig had long
made himself respected to the extent
that when he appeared every man not
only gave him the right of the road, but
fastened to climb upon stump, so as to
run no risk of incommoding his swine
ship in the least by his presence.
1t was not long, however, before "a
series Of energetic grunts was heard
ahead, and the army stopped, the artist
mounting very high stump. He said
he thought they had stumbled on bear,
and he wanted to be where he could
| FIRE over the heads Of all the men.
Though only black and brstling pig,a
bear of the biggest kind could not have
| held the army at bay more thoroughly.
II he had charged, tremble to think
what might have happened but he
rushed away into the bushes and ran
into corner, where he became the VIC
tim of strategy, and was presently
tound and led forth in degrading cap
tvty, followed by a possession of one
art st, score of grinning lumbermen,
and mob of chattering and dancing
kill him, but only tn eradicate his pug
nacious propensities.
This done, the painter put up his pis-
toll, and we all adjourned to the big
shanty, where some of the men pulled
off their boots and stretched themselves
in restful ease upon their hunks, while
others shuffled the cards for a little
game or did odd jobs of tinkering.
1t was strange and interesting pic
ture the interior Of the big shanty made
as the darkness of the outside with
drew all the light from within, and left
the walls and the faces illumined only by
q great fire of resinous redwood chunks
built upon q raised earthen hearth that
occupied the whole centre of the cabin,
and the smoke of which escaped up
big bell-hooded fire in the ceiling.
The talk fell upon the enemy ignobly
conquered; upon their work, and the
probable plans of the old man. mean
ing their employer upon some men who
had just departed. which carried it
away to Frisco, and drifted it upon the
familiar ground of "reminiscences of the
dance-house, the poker table, and the
men who were always waiting to'get the
drop on somebody, or watching that
somebody didn't get the drop on them.
String stories some of them, but as I'M
reportable rs the vigorous metaphors In
which they were protrayed. Many Of
these men did not know the names of
their mates beyond a Sam or Jack to
call them by /; and they had no special
curiosity to know, this atmosphere max
ing man tender about asking his neigh
Dor personal questions, being shy of dis
turbing the pleasant status quowhich rests
upon careless ignorance. Would old
Folinsbee's daughter have enjoyed the
ball at Poverty Flat, think you, and the
better for knowing all about her part
ner, when she
Danced down the middle
With the man that shot Sandy Mctiee ~
l think not. In California one lay his
course by Mrs. Partington's philosophy,
no longer trite:
'Wherc ignorance Is bliss,
81 ELL. -. IA