Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1904-01-14

part OF the fall IN that 01Strlct. he
could hardly expect to escape notice.
by the indications on the river he
Judged that crew Of men had shortly
before taken out drive of logs. After
the timber had been RATED and towea
to Marquette they would return. He
might be able to hide In the forest, but
sooner or later, he was sure, one Of the
company's land lockers or hunters
would stumble on his camp. Then his
very concealment would tell them
what he was after. The risk was too
great, for. above all things, Thorpe
needed time. He had, as has been said,
to ascertain what he could offen Then
he had to offer it. He would be forced
to interest capital, and that is a matter
of persuasion and leisure.
Finally his shrewd, intuitivc good
sense flashed the solution on him. lie
returned rapidly to his pack, assumed
the straps and arrived at the first dam
about dark Of the long summer day.
There he looked carefully about him.
Some fifty feet from the waters edge
birch knoll supported, besides the
birches, a single big hemlock. With
his belt ax Thorpe cleared away the
little white trees. Tie stuck the sharp
ened end Of one Of them in the bark Of
the shaggy hemlock, fastened the other
end in crotch eight or ten feet dis
tant, slanted the rest of the saplings
along one side of this rldgepole and
turned in, after hasty supper, leaving
the completion Of his permanent camp
to the morrow.
In the morning he matched smooth
the roof Of the shelter, using for the
purpose the thick branches Of hemlocks,
placing two green spruce logs side by
side rs cooking range, slung his pot on
rod across two forked sticks, cut
and split quantity Of wood, spread
his blankets and called himself estab-
lished.
For some days he made no effort to
look over the pine, nor did he intend
to begin until he could be sure Of doing
80 in safety. His object now was to
give his knoll the appearance Of a
trapper's camp.
Toward the end of the week he re-
ceived bis first visit. Evening was
draw wing on. Thorpe was busily en-
gagged In cooking painful Of trout.
Suddenly he became aware OF a pres
ence ut his side.
How do?" greeted the newcomer
gravely.
The man was an Indian, silent. SOL
Will, ha CT ir1 III iv,<p
gaze of his race.
How do?" replied Thorpe.
The Indian without further cere-
mony threw his pack to the ground,
and, squatting on his heels, watched
the white mans preparations. When
the meal was cooked he coolly pro-
duced knife, selected clean bit Of
hemlock bark and helped himself.
Then he lit a pipe and gazed xeenly
about him.
What you do?" he inquired after a
long silence, punctuated by the puffs
of tobacco.
Hunt, trap, fish," replied Thorpe,
with equal sententiousness.
Good" concluded the Indian after
d rumlnatlVe pause.
That night he slept on the ground.
Next day he made better shelter than
Thorpe's IN less than half the time and
was of hunting before the sun was an
hour high. He was armed with an
old fashioned smooth bore muzzle load
err, and Thorpe was astonished after
he had become better acquainted with
his new companions method to find
that he hunted deer with fine bird shot.
The Indian never expected TO kill or
even mortally wound his game, but he
would follow for miles the blood drops
caused H. his little wounds until the
animals . sheer exhaustion allowed
him TO approach close enough for a
dispatching blow. At 2 o'clock he re-
turned with small buck, tied scientif-
ically together for totina. with the
waste parts cut away. but every ounce
Of utility retained.
81 show" said the Indian, and he did.
Thorpe learned the Indian tan.
The Indian appeared to intend max.
ing the birch knoll his permanent head
quarters. Thorpe was Mt first n littl
suspicious of his new companion. but
the man appeared scrupulously honest,
was never intrusive and even seemed
genuinely DESTROYS of teaching the
white little tricks Of the woods brought
to their perfection by the Indian alone.
He ended by liking him. The two rare
ly spoke. They merely sat near each
other and smoked. tSle evening the In
dian suddenly remarked:
you look 'um trce?'
"Whnt's that?" cried Thorpe, star
tied.
You no hunter, no trapper. You look
'um tree for make 'um lumber
What makes you think that. Char
ley:' he asked.
You good man in woods" replied
lnjun Charley sententiously. Il tell
by way you look at him pine
Thorpe ruminated.
"Charley" said he "why are you
staying here with me-"
big frien'," replied the Indian
promptly.
"Why are you my friend? What have
l ever done for you?"
You got 'um chiefs eye" replied his
companion, with simplicity.
Thorpe looked at the Indian again.
There seemed to be only one course.
Yes, I'm lumberman," he confess
ed, land I'm looking for pine. But,
Charley. the men up the river must not