The Yale expositor., 1905-01-27

have his own way no matter what diff
ficultles or consequences might tend to
deter him. And that Is the kind OF man
they liked.
Injun Charley, silent and enigmatical
as ever, had constructed log shack
near little creek In the hard wood.
There he attended diligently to the
business of trapping. Thorpe rarely
found time to visit him, but he often
| glided into the Office, smoked a pipeful
OF the white mans tobacco In friendly
fashion by the stove and glided out
again without having spoken a dozen
words.
Wallace made one visit before the
big SHOWS came, and was charmed. He
nte with gusto of the salt horse"
baked beans, stewed prunes, mince pie
and cakes. He tramped around gayly
In his moccasins or on the fancy snow
shoes he promptly purchased of Injun
Charley. There was nothing new to
report 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 4,000,-
900 feet of logs were piled in the bed or
upon the banks of the stream. To un-
derstand what that means you must
imagine pile of solid timber a mile in
fs, n
rectly in the course of the stream.
When the winter broke up 1t had to be
separated and floated piecemeal down
the current. The process is an interest
ing and dangerous one and one of
great delicacy. 1t requires for its sue
cessful completion picked men of skill
and demands as toll its yearly quota of
cripples and dead. While on the drive
men work fourteen hours n day up to
their waists in water filled with float
ing 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 navigable,
Thorpe was possessed of certain rights
on it. Technically he was entitled to a
normal head of water whenever he
needed it. or a special head, according
to agreement with the parties owning
the dam. Early in the drive he found
that Morrison 81 DAILY intended to cause
him trouble. 1t began in a narrows Of
the river between high, rocky banks.
Thorpe's drive was floating though
close packed. The situation was tic
klish. Men with spiked boots ran here
and there from one bobbing log to an
other, pushing with their peaveys, hur-
rying one log, retarding another, work
ing like beavers to keep the whole mass
straight. The entire surface Of the wa
ter was practically covered with the
floating timbers.
In n moment, as though by magic,
the loose wooden carpet ground togeth-
er. A log in advance up-ended, another
thrust under it. The whole mass ground
together, stopped and began rapidly to
pile up. The men escaped to the shore
in 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 NJ. & ID. wished to
back up the water for their own logs.
Tim indulged in some picturesque
language.
You amt got no right to close off
more'n enough TO leave us tn nat'ral
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 frowning
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
dangerous 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.
FRO mr. CoNTrNIrEDl