The Redwood gazette., 1905-01-18

"How about the men?" asked Wal
lace. isn't there something | can
do?"
"You can head hunt down the riv-
err" answered Thorpe Il think it is
useless until the water goes down.
Poor Jimmy! He was one of the best
men had l wouldn't have had this
happen
The horror of the scene was at last
beginning to filter through numbness
into Wallace Carpenters Impressions
BILE imagination.
'sNo, nor' he cried vehemently.
'There is something criminal about it
to me! I'd rather lose every log in the
riverr'
Thorpe looked at him curiously. ut
is one of the chances of war" said
he.
I'D better divide the crew and take
In both banks of the river suggested
Wallace.
"See if you can't get volunteers from
this crowd" suggested Thorpe. Il can
let you have two men to show you
trails. | need as many of the crew as
possible to use this food water"
"Oh, Harryr' cried Carpenter, shock
ed. You can't be going to work again
today before we have made the slight
est effort to recover the bodiesv
''If the bodies can be recovered, they
shall be- replied Thorpe quietly. "But
the drive will not wait. We have no
dams to depend on now, you must re-
member, and we shall have to get out
on the freshet water"
"Your men won't work. I'd refuse
/ just as they willr' cried Carpenter, his
sensibilities still suffering.
Thorpe smiled proudly. "You do not
know them"
"By Jover' cried the journalist in
sudden enthusiasm. "By Jove, that is
magnificent
The men on the river crew had
crouched on their narrow footholds
while the jam went out Each had
chung to his peavey, as is the habit of
river men,. Down the current past
their feet swept the debris of food.
Soon logs began to swirl by-at first
| few, then many-from the remaining
rollways which the river had automat-
ically broken. In little time the eddy
caught up some of these logs, and i'm
mediately another jam threatened. The
river men, without hesitation, as calm
ly as though catastrophe had not
| thrown the weight of its moral terror
| against their stoicism, sprang, peavey
in hand, to the insistent work.
Thorpe's face lit with qualification.
He turned to the young man.
"You see" he said in proud simplicity.
With the added danger of freshet wa
ter, the work went on.
At this moment Tim Shearer ap-
preached from inland. his clothes drip
ping wet, but his face retaining it's ha-
bitual expression of iron calmness.
Anybody caught?" was his first ques-
tion as he drew near.
give men under the face" replied
Thorpe briefly.
Shearer cast a glance at the river.
He needed to be told no more.
81 was afraid of it," said he. 'The
rollways must be all broken out. It's
saved us that much, but the freshet
water won't last long It's going to be
a close squeak to get 'em out now.
Don't exactly figure on what struck the
dam. Thought first I'd go right up
that way, but then came down to see
about the boys"
'Where were you?' asked Thorpe.
"On the pole trail got in a little
as you see."
In reality the foreman had had 9
close call for his life.
"We'd better go up and take look, y
he suggested. "The boys has things
going here all right"
The two men turned toward the
brush.
Hi, Timw called voice behind
them.
Red Jacket appeared, clambering W
the cliff.
"Jack told me to give this to you,'
he painted, holding out a chunk Of
strangely twisted wood
''Where'd he get thisY' inquired
Thorpe quickly. 'It's a piece of tht
dam," he explained to Wallace. wht
had drawn near.
"Picked it out of the current" re
piled the man.
The foreman and his boss bent ca
gerly over the morsel. Then the.
: stared with solemnity into each other
eyes.
"Dynamitew exclaimed Shearer.
(yrr A Dn,I1D vvTv