Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1905-08-16
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
. A FOREST FIRE. /
BIZ JOHN 8. WILLIAMS. |
This fire ,ras actually witnessed
by the author in the man
ner described.
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It was a beautiful June day. Tow.
ard the North was an Indian village
with panorama of dogs, ponies, wo-
men, children and few men; toward
the South and West were unbroken,
primeval pine forests; away to the
southeast was a great cloud of white
smoke. boiling up into the air as II
the world were on fire.
While was watching the antics
Of some dogs an Indian came run.
ming up and said,
Waugh! Big fire! Want see?"
l sprang to my feet and answered
in the Affirmative. The Indian beck.
oned and said: "Come!"
The lake Nett Lake, MIMI was
two hundred yards away. but we soon
covered the distance. We sprang in
to birch-bark canoe and went skim
ming over the water with the speed
Of the wind.
The Indian did the rowing and 1t
was pleasure to see him ply the
paddle. His dull, copper colored
arms. barred to the elbows, were
network of muscles almost as hard
as Iron.
AS we few along took in the seem
cry. Here and there was loon,
great aquatic bird, bobbing on the
gently rolling surface for an instant,
when-fiap went his little short
wings and out went his little short
legs. and presto. he disappeared be-
meath the surface.
Over to the left was great flock
OF wild ducks, surrounded by skir-
mishing line of old brakes, whose In
cessant "quack, quack." was almost
urbearable. Soon we were Swimming
through a patch OF wild rice and yon-
der to the right wriggled flock Of
downy little wild ducks. There was
q great tapping Of little wings and
kicking of little red legs and millions
of shrill little peep. peeps" that
made the air hideous.
Now 1t was flock Of noisy crows
on a sandbar to the left. quarreling
over some dead fish that had been
washed ashore.
Yonder. to the northeast. quarter
OF . mile away. red deer came
bounding through the shrubbery as II
pursued by all the dusky hunters Of
the village. while from aloft bald
eagle looked down upon the scene.
Waugh" said the Indian.
This means look out" and indeed
the warning was necessary, for, as
he spoke. he gave one mighty sweep
with his oar to the left, which turned
our frail craft almost completely
around and shot 1t, at least twenty
yards. up into the mouth of little
river.
The scene now changed. There was
nothing to SO but tall grass and reeds,
and little. crooked, black line run.
ming between, which. for courtesy,
have called river. For the next few
minutes l watched the great cloud of
smoke. rising almost directly in front,
and only half mile away. 1t seemed
as II the world were being consumed.
A few more sweeps of the oar, and
we were directly in front of the fire.
Ugh! See 'em fre?"
Yes, saw it, in all of its fearful
glory, great pillows of fame, swelling
and tossing, seething, cracking, de-
stroying.
"Waugh!"
The nose of our canoe was now
resting on the shore. We quickly
landed and the Indian dragged it out
Of the water where we left 1t lying in
the tall grass.
We tore our way through the tan.
gle of grass and reeds that fringed
the river, ran down a little hill and
up the opposite side, where we climb.
cd upon the fiat top of large rock.
In front was ravine. to the right
the fire. while to the left was a small
grove. The long ridge upon which
this grove stood skirted the ravine on
one side and large plot of marsny
grass land on the other.
Waugh! Watch, see something
l looked toward stately old pine
tree. standing all alone. about thirty
yards from the main forest. Sure.
ly," thought l. those flames will spare
that one" But not SO. A great. red
fash lesped down from the seething
forest, caught this lone tree by the
lower branches, ran its full length,
jumped of at the top and spent Its
fury in the air.
In almost a twinkling. the old tree
was blackened trunk.
"Wuagh! Look"
At that moment moose tore his
way out of the burning forest. He
sprang across the ravine in three
Jumps. his long. sharp hoofs kicking
up clouds of sand and gravel at every
leap, and disappeared in the grove to
the left.
Next came the three wolves, with
great. red tongues hanging out of
their mouths.
Then came five deer, with tails up
and antlers lying back upon their
necks and shoulders. They passed
10 quickly that they might. be de-
scribed as "a flash and vanish"
They were followed by an old zoe
and her fawn. The little fawn was
very much frightened. Y kept run