The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1907-10-02

\&
ribly harrassed by the depredations OF large
= timber wolves and "Injun devils the
Cougars of that region were called.
Not only did those beasts make fearful havoc
upon the farmers focks, but they also made it
perilous for man to journey alone night
Sometimes they even ventured to attack single
traveller in broad daylight.
Perhaps exciting incident of this kind as
is still told by the living participants in those
pioneer times is the adventure with an "Injun
devil which befell a young "kanuck' cook in
October, 1913
The lumber camp in which he was employed
was located on the northwest fork of the Mirami-
chi River, about forty miles from the city of New
castle, which has since been completely swept
away by fire.
The choicest timber-and in those days lumber
men dsdaned to cut anything else-had been
logged for radius of nearly two miles around
the camp.
This too great distance for the oggers to
travel for their midday meal, so Pierre lie Clair
the cook, instructed to bring their dinner into
the woods, where they working. and to get
there at IL o'clock sharp, for no class OF men in
the world have keener appettes than lumber
men,
The cook was habitually as punctual as the sun.
But day, when noon came no cook was to be
seen. Those readers who have houseful of
hungry boarders waiting for belated meal can
form faint idea of the temper of that gang of
loggers, they sat around, on logs and stumps.
eyaiting for chance to lay violent hands upon the
contents of the two big tin pals in which the cook
brought their dinner. Only faint idea, however,
for these men fearfully and awfully hungry,
and their opinions of a cook that would starve a
gang of honest loggers, in the heart of the Mram-
chi woods. expressed without any symptom
of the restraints of clearinghouse etiquet!
One O'Clock and still no cook! Something was
plainly the matter at camp. The boss or fore
man. as he would be called ordered the men
to proceed to camp. where they could manage to
pick up dinner. whether the cook was dead or
alive.
But to to the cook. He had prepared the
dinner with his customary promptness. and at the
usual hour had placed it--hot and smoking-into
his mammoth pals. and set out for the loggers.
The woods seemed wonderfully still and lonely,
ana at first he whistled the stirring, revolutionary
strains of the MdrSeiHaise. But the pals of din
ner were so heavy that he soon tired of spending.
in whistng. breath that was needed in "toteing,
and amused himself by silently watching the down
ward dodgers of the "sap-suckers, as they grdled
the pines with their cork-screw course, from
branches to butt.
Meantime delicious odor of roast beef was dis
ting from under the lids of his pals, and float
ing away into the forest, like fragrant incense.
was enough to have tempted the appetite of
"irahamite"-to say nothing of an "Injuns devil
which is quite correctly supposed to unite an In
dams Unsuitable hunger with the finer virtues
of veritable demon
the "Injuns devil" was and the first sniff of the
savory steam from the cooks pals drew him
from his midday hiding place, upon the cooks
trail. The supple cat glided swiftly and silent
Nv through the woods, until he only
few rods behind the cook Whep the
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