The Savannah morning news., 1902-11-02

Injin Charles, slight and enigmatical
as ever, had constructed log shack
near little creek in the hardwood.
There he attended diligently to the
business of trapping. Thorpe rarely
found time to visit him, but he often
glided into the office. smoked pipeful
of the white mans tobacco in friendly
fashion by the stove, and glided out
again without having spoken dozen
words.
Wallace made one visit before the
big SHOWS came, and was charmed. He
ate with gusto of the salt horse"
baked beans, stewed prunes, mince pie
and cakes. He tramped around gaily
in his moccasins or on the fancy snow
shoes he promptly purchased of Injin
Charley. There was nothing new to re-
port in regard to financial matters. The
loan had been negotiated easily on the
basis of a mortgage guaranteed by
Carpenters personal signature. Moth
ing had been heard from Morrison &
DAILY.
By the end of the winter some four
million feet of logs were piled in the
bed or upon the banks of the stream.
To understand what that means, you
must imagine a pile of solid timber
mine in length. This tremendous mass
lay directly in the course Of the stream.
When the winter broke UP, it had to
he separated and f1oated piecemeal
down the current. The process is an
interesting and dangerous one, and ono
of great delicacy. 1t requires for its
successful completion picked men of
skill, and demands as toll it's yearly
quota of cripples and dead. While on
the drive men work fourteen hours
day, up to their waists in water filled
with floating ice
On the Ossawinamakee, as has been
stated, three dams had been erected to
simplify the process of driving. When
the logs were in right distribution, the
gates were raised, and the proper head
of water floated them down.
Now the river being navfgable,
Thorpe was possessed of certain rights
on it. Technically he was entitled to
normal head of water. whenever he
needed 1t; or a special head, according
to agreement with the parties owning
the dam. Early in the drive, he found
that Morrison & Daily intended to
cause him trouble. 1t began in a mar
rows of the river between high. rocky
banks. Thorpe's driver was floating
through close-packed. The situation
was ticklish. Men with spiked boots
ran here and there from the bobbing
log to another, pushing with their pea
veys, hurrying one log, retarding an
other, working like beavers to keep the
whole mass straight. The entire surface
of the water was practically covered
with the floating timbers.
In a moment, as though by magic,
the loose wooden carpet ground to-
gether. A log in advance appended; an
other thrust under it. The whole mass
ground together. stopped, and began
rapidly to pile up. The men escaped to
the shore in a marvellous manner of
their own.
Tim Shearer found that the gate at
the dam above had been closed. The
man in charge had simply obeyed Or
ders. He supposed M. & d. wished to
back up the water for their own logs
Tim INDUCED in some picturesque
language.
You amt got no right to close off
more'n enough to leave us tn natral
flow unless by agreement" he conclud-
ed. and opened the gates.
Then it was a question of breaking
the jam. This had to be done by pull
ing out or chopping through certain
key" logs which locked the whole
mass. Men stood under the face of i'm
minent ruin-oVer them browning
sheer wall of bristling logs. behind
which pressed the weight of the rising
waters-and hacked and tugged calmly
until the mass began to stir Then they
escaped. A moment later, with a roar
the jam vomited down on the spot
where they had stood 1t was danger
Gus work Just one half day later it
had to be done again, and for the same
reason.
This time Thorpe went back with
Shearer. No one was at the dam. but
the gates were closed. The two opened
them again.
That very evening a man rode up on
horseback inquiring for Mr.. Thorpe
I'm he" said the young fellow.
The man thereupon dismounted and
served a paper. 1t proved to be an in
junction issued by Judge Sherman en-
joining Thorpe against interfering with
the property of Morris & Daly-to wit,
certain dams erected at designated
points on the Ossawinamakee. There
had not elapsed sufficient time since
the commission of the offense for the
other firm to secure the issuance of
this interesting document, so it was at
once evident that the whole afair had
been prearranged. After serving the
Injunction the official rode away.
"Of all the consummate gall" ex-
ploded Thorpe. Trying to enjoin me
from touching a dam when they're re-
fusing me the natural flow! They
must have bribed the fool judge. Why,
his injunction isn't worth the powder
to blow it uni"
Then you're all right, amt ye?" in
quired Tim.
It'll be the middle of summer be-
fore we get a hearing in court" said
he "Oh, they're a cute layout! They
expect to hang me up until it's too
late to do anything with the seasons
cuti'
He arose and began to pace back and
forth.
Tim" said he, "is there man in
the crew who's afraid of nothing and
will obey orders?"
"A Dozen" replied Tim promptly.
who's the best?"
"Scotty Parsons"
ASK him to step here"
In moment the man entered the Of
fee.
"Scotty," said Thorpe, 81 want you
to understand that 1 stand responsible
for whatever 1 order you to do"
"All right, SIR" replied the man.
I'm the morning." said Thorpe, you
take two men and build some sort of a
shack right over the sluice-gate of that
second dam. l want you to live there
day and night Never leave it, not
even for a minute. The cookee will
bring you grub. Take this Winchester.
If any of the men from up-river try
to go out on the dam, you warn them
off. If they persist, you shoot near
them. If they keep coming, you shoot
at them. Understand"
You bet" answered Scotty with en-
thusiasm.
"All right" concluded Thorpe.
Next day Scotty established himself,
as had been agreed. He did not need
to shoot anybody. DAILY himself came