The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-03-18
DOWN THE OLD FLAMBEAU

Andy" and Big Dan" brought the dugouts over from Fifield on couple of lumber racks. It was a long, slow
 drive of thirty miles through the big
 woods, and the guides had beguiled the 1 way with frequent draughts from a bottle of "alky." Thus it happened that when after dusk had fallen they turned into the clearing at the edge of Rolling Stone Lake they were shouting the
 chorus of an old French Canadian lum-
 bering song:
 Running down the rapids of the old Flambeau,
 Belle Marie, Belle Marie. With fifteen boys in the big bateau,
 Belle Marie, Belle Marie, Belle Marie" They stopped their teams with a jolt
 at the big log barn where in the good
 old days the oxen that drew the log
 skids were stabled, and half fell off
 their seats. A dozen of the other guides
 went out to meet them. Presently
 there was waited down to the eating
 shack the sound of a shrill dispute It
 developed that Andy" had been en-
 trusted with dollar when he went to
 town for the purpose of purchasing a
 quart of ''alky' to be brought to the
 camp and delivered to "Swede Pete"
 The first part of this commission he had properly fulfilled. The "alky" had been purchased and put away safely in
 the horses feed bag. But after Big Dan" and Andy had finished their own supply of alcoholic stimulants the devil had tempted them and they had uncorked and finally emptied the bot tie paid for with "Pete's'' money. It was necessary for "Old Man Feeley'' to go and exert his influence to prevent the thirsty Pete" and his comrades from giving Andy" and Big Dan" ad- dition cause for having bad headaches the next morning.
 The dugouts had been brought out to the lake for the use of three Chicago men whom Andy and Big Dan" had agreed to guide down the fifty miles of rapids which lay along the south fork of the Flambeau between the lake and town. When the tenderfeet from the city saw the condition in which their guides had arrived they were dubious about starting with them next morning on a trip which was certain to require ] quick eye and a steady hand. But the old Man" treasured them.
 Don't worry about them boys" he said. They'll be as frislly as colts in the morning. That's the beauty of alky. It's powerful strong, but it ain't lasting They'll take you through the 1 Big Run rapids without shipping tea spoonful of water"
 The tenderfeet were awakened the | next morning by the sound of an arm 'ul of wood dumped down on the floor if the shack. Looking out from their ,unks they saw Big Dan" still drip ping from a plunge In the lake. Time Q be up, boys" he said, with the fa-i which Is no kin ta contempt. | Suns up an hour ago and we start at ! !: 30"
 It was a gray morning, threatening l ain. The sun was fighting hard to pierce an opening through the bank of 'louds in the east. The lake was 'steaming" and the tall fringe of burnt black pines across the brown water oomed like specters. Andy and Big Dan" were busy putting the finishing ouches to their big dugouts.
 They were rival river men and each ook a lovers pride in his boat. As far IS the untraned eye could see there vas little to choose between the two raft. It had taken a magnificent pine o make each of them. Dams was a rifle the larger, thirty feet long and nore than two feet wide inside. At he gunwales the wood had been cut own to an inch in thickness, growing onstantly narrower toward the bottom. was without keel, so that 1t might un through the rapids and over the ocks without striking and 1t was paint d. inside and out, dull black. In alf an hour the traps had been stored way in either end of the dugouts. In ne grain sack were packed loaves of read @ huge slab of bacon, tin boxes of office, tea, sugar and salt, and dozen ans of fruit. In another were fry 1g pan, coffee pot and other simple ooking appliances. There were other ags of bed clothing for use in the oming nights along the shore. with othing overhead but the pine trees and he stars.
 In the large canoe two of the ten effect took their places, one in the ow and the other in the stern Andy" Y