Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-06-08

never forget the weird sound Of tina
! Indians voice as his yells pierced m.
sleep-laden cars We all jumped to on
feet and stood shivering. wondering
what had taken possession ct 6apeo
when Sabat suddenly grabbed his bowl
knife and with q blood-curdling IndlaI
yell sprang upon the PROSTATE formW ga
PEG Solomon. and still yelling hashe;
| the glitterlng blade in the air an,
brought It down on the scalp Of Sapeo
/ made a wild rush to stop the butch
cry, as 1 really believed It was. whils
the either members OF the crew stood
transfixed with surprise at Sabat'i
queer actions. Just then Snbat dragged
Sapeo to his feet and left the glory cl
his tawny locks hanging to the rock
| I like scalp Indian said Sabat, and h
kturned Sapeo round so that we NIGH
see the back Of his head. He had GU
his hair close almost to the skin, leav
| ing q big bare patch In the abundan
growth about 1t. Sspeo was something
of dude and his appearance for many
weeks was a source Of annoyance t.
| him and a great source Of merrimen
| to Sabat and his fellows. We al
laughed ourselves warm that morning
| "Sabat was the smartest man at work
| and the cheeriest man In camp that
| ever saw. He made us laugh without
| talking much. He was not great talk
err Oh, he was an actor. Rast LOveland
| thought the world of him. When Rast
| would 20 out splitting timber or explor-
| Ing he generally took the camp boss with
| him. On those occasions he used to put
Sabat in charge of the crew. One day
| he said to Sabat: II won't be back for
/ m the inst
MS " II was your own.
IAN right. Mis- Loveland'. said Sabat.
| Lovekind was barely out of sight when
| Sabat passed word around for the men 10
| Wednesday. but the boys. with few ex-
l ceptions. made a holiday OF 1t. Next
| morning instead of turning out at dark
as usual the sun vas well risen before
| we arose. Then the cook got breakfast
| lcisurely and we went to work We had
| an early lunch and were back in camp
| long before shutdown.
| at was eight o'clock in the morning OF
| the third day. The men were on the dea-
| con seat telling stories and chatting each
other while the cook and cookie we're
| gradually getting breakfast ready when
Rast and the boss came into camp.
| never saw Rast LovelanJ unable to
| sneak before. He simply glared at ey-
| cry one OF US and then at Sabat. He
| tried to speak but he looked as il he was
/
| Then the boss spoke up to Sabat and
said. What's the matter here. Sabat?'
"'Oh. nothing said Sabat, slowly pull
/ ing on his moccasin. Mis- Lovelan he
| tell me manage crew same's mine. Dat, $
my way. OATS all. / better git good will
| forty man n cuss OF one. dan cuss forty
men n good will of one
II never heard Rast Loveland laugh as
| he did after Sabat had delivered him.
self OF that explanation, but the next
/ mo- yrftp nd Vrarv mi
| of the winter we went to work by the
| first flush of the morning star and night
found us still working in the chopping.
Every man hung by that winter and
we were all together on the drive: Black
| Sabat was Hike some good spirit for
whenever there was trouble among the
men which might end in a free fight,
| Sabat would side over towards them
and .grunt out some uproariously funny
criticism of their conduct the men would
| be friends before they had done laughing.
'.'We we're in a cove on Rfpogenus lake
one day after we had broken camp and
were driving the logs We were booming
the logs across Ripogenus against a
heavy headwind- You know how it's
done. suppose First boom is strung
all around the logs. (There were 2.00O. 900
inside of our bOom.) Then float or
platform with q windlass and an anchor
Is rugged up The windlassmen row the
platform several hundred feet ahead OF
the logs and anchor 1t, then with wind
lass and hawser they warp the logs up
to 1t. It's slow work. sometimes. when
the wind blows hard as it did that day.
Sabat and two others were sent ahead to
anchor the windlass when they got sight
of a flock of young ducks. The two in
the boat with Sabat forgot everything
but the ducks and gave chase to them.
Meanwhile the boom deprived of its an
chorage, had drifted hundreds of rods
with the wind. Loveland came along just
as the logs had been warped again close
to the platform. Sabat had one of two
young ducks which they had captured,
| in his arms. He did not see Loveland I'M
til he spoke to Sabat.
".What's that you've got? asked Rast.
Duck said Sabat What you tink
of I'll?
Its a beauty said Rast.
THAT'S So said Sabat. Ought to be
putty good, too. Cost you moren twenty
dollars.
When we came to Ripogenus we met
the first setback the drive had received.
There was big rock near the center on
| the west of the stream. There was no
way to dodge that rock only to hope for
luck. Well. log came down and struck
crosswise against the rock and in few
minutes there was mountain OF logs
piled across Ripogenus rips. 1t looked as
| if it never could be made to haul away.
but close down at the rock Rast Love-
land say, the key which had caused the
jam and which alone must start 1t. One
slight tap of an AK would cause 1t to
snap and let loose the jam and Rast was
wild He called for volunteers to break
the jam. but every man looked at the
towering mass OF logs piled above the
hcylog and drew back. The drive was
hung up. While the water rose in Ripo-
genus and the logs continued piling in
from the rear the men sat around on the
ank of the stream and waited tor some
thing to happen.
Sabat had been in many places similar
to that before and had distinguished him
self by his daring in breaking jams be-
fore This time he went down close by
the bottom of the jam and seated him
self in "a sunny spot, lit his pipe and be-
gan to gaze fixedly at the key-log.
"Rast thought that Sabat had some no.
ton of venturing out to break the jam.
He might have been considering the
thing but if Rast expected him to so he
was disappointed.
".Sabat.' said he, 'if you go out and
break that jam, I'll put your name In the
paper when we get down river
'Sabat sat in deep silence and let the
smoke from his pipe roll lazily up over
his hat band. Ten minutes went by and
then Sabat drew his eyes from the key
log and spoke. Il better like stay ashore.
Miss Lovelan' an not let you see my
name in paper for dead Injun.
"'Ho! no! Sabat's a scaret! yelled one
of the boys standing by.
"Sabat made no sign.
FIFTY dollars to the man who will
start the JAM. said the boss.
"'Tll take that, said Big Mike WEIGH
as he grabbed an axe and made toward