The Washington herald., 1907-01-13

"walI. ef ye're bound to make it. said
Dill. getting ~ and suitiag the action 20
the word "I'H see ye acrost the creek
with the lantern" and so saying both
men stepped out into the dark. pulling 70
the cabin door with some difficulty behind
them.
II might have been ten OF fifteen min
utes after that a low. deep sound quite
distinct from that made by thc wind and
rain dashing outside. or tie swirl Of the
water tapping the banks OF The stream
some fifty yards below the cabin, sud
denly fell upon their ears Both the
woodsmen in the cabin jumped To their
feet simultaneously. and l cid likewise
The logs hez busted" cried jim. AN
the chances IS rs now Dan Higgins an
Bill hain't got acrcst yet. Like enough
theys got caught. an ef so, God help
en-" and the logger caught uD a Ian
tern and jumped out Of the cabin without
waiting 10 put on his hat. speedily fol-
lowed by his partner and myself all %
us making our way in the direction
OF the creek. The mufiled sound Ike
the deep. distant rumbling Of thunder,
came heavier, and began 10 resolve itself
in the grinding and groaning Of the
trunks of the gigantic trees. now rather
felt than seen. moving down the creek
slowly TO the position where We stood
Thar they are"' exclaimed Jim. his
already blanched face foo2ing even more
CHASTITY beneath the rays Of the lantern
carried in his partners hand Thar they
are. both the two O. them! Don't yer see
their lantern shinin' uD from the front
logs?''
f~f frzfr 1Ta
upstream. nlckefed and danced a htfuI
spark. osciIlating from side 10 side with
the motion OF the log on which The men
evidently stood. though l could not dis
tinguish their forms through the darkness
and binding rain.
Two minutes more and the dread pro
cessiOn had approached near enough for
Us TO distinguish the figures and their
peril They were standing near the hithe-
end Of gigantic redwood trunk. the
foremost Of the floating squadron of trees
and logs. coming down. as inexorable rear
guard. directly upon i. and threatening
70 Overwhelm. or snap, or crush it by
sheer weight II Il offered the least Obsta-
Gle to their majestic onward sweep. The
two woodsmen had evidently chosen, or
rather shifted. their position as near %
the shore as possible where they could
Z
lantern, just as We saw them by theirs
But the unequal distribution Of gravity
which this very step OF self-preservatiCn
involved. was eVeTy moment causing the
tree to assume "A more and more trans
verse position 10 the stream. so that il be
came evident 70 an experienced eye that
il vas only a matter Of time before il
would again stretch the same barriers
from shore 10 shore that il had done be-
fore starting upon It's compulsory voyage.
This. however. Intellectual as it would
have been % protect the lives upon it
from the irresistible force now being pro
jeCted against il, was not destined 20 be
accomplished. Foot by f00t the wall Of
trees ard logs behind it was approaching.
owing 10 the decreased momentum Of the
trausvcrsely floating tree in front
Suddenly a shrek divided the compara-
/ lively deep Stiffness Of the night. 80 in
tent had all the actors been on the press
ing necessity OF the moment. even 10 haZ-
ard az exclamation 4 female figure came
fying down the slope from the camp
above. and as she dashed 10 the bank Of
the creek IL. became evident that she was
swinging q RATA above her head. The
leather thong whizzed through the air
straight for the man. standing now not
more than fifty feet abreast uf US on the
trunk OF the tree. Bill, who was hc.a-
ing the lantern. caught the moose, and,
/ slipping il over the head Of Dan H:S-
gins till the thong caught around his
waist. said in a voice We could hear
form the bank:
Thar We are. kin ketch Oh to the
/ back % the loon an make the bank 5
auick's yerself 1 hain't got no wife n
/ family to sport. noways. jump
/ So saying. both men leaoad headlong
: into the current. eis--t strong arms strain
( ing every energy 10 drag them Through
The eddy made by the tree, now relieved
Of its weight. swinging slowly around
/ toward leHgthw!se OF the stream Thirty
! feet and both men would have been safe.
! but, IT last. the great supporting beam
Was being driven sheer eadways down
the channel the shorter logs. ROW with
/ free room u PLAY. surEiug and driving
past il on every side. One of these bore
straight down UpCn the woodsDen- With
a gigantic effort, bred from the dread
dargcr before them, the pull upon the
1 leather rope By the men on shore seemed
/ for moment to make the nearly sub
merged bodies fairly leap from the water.
Next moment both men disappeared from
view beneath the ponderous trunk, and
when. five seconds later, the burden st
the end Of the RATA was dragged 10
shore. it was lighter by one.
Nothing could be done for the generous
ard adventurous man who had in a
measure. sacrificed his own single life 70
save that OF his married partner-for he
might well have appropriated the saving
moose Eut when. three days afJcrwaTl
his body was washed buck from the bar
at the rivers mouth, not an eye was Cry,
and not q man WdS absent from the
funeral procession of the rude WoCdsmdu.
who was not lSnown-and, as far as my
inquiries could stretch, never had been
known-by any other name than that OF
Bill"