The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1916-02-03
Hampton wouId be supreme In the

NO, by heaven, ed want her to 20
through dead or alive, an I'll see her
there! was Daily's ultimatum as he
rose from the log in the pink flare Of
sunrise, and could he have known all
mat Sandry would lose with that con-
tract and the Dillingworth his hatred
or Hampden would have been deeper
sui, for Sandry was his friend.
He went back to the huddled Indians
and the silent figure on its blankets.
"Memmiloo," he said decisively,
make quick a pole sling. You an
big Bill an Multoowah an Jim Pine
tree will take Sandry back to camp.
Go first TO Toledo an get Doc Hooker
have him do what he can there an
go along to camp Tell him to stay
with Sandry day an night till | get
back. Hurry now"
Without a word, the four Indians
picked out by name set about their
appointed task. In less time than a
white man would take to begin they
had laid clean saplings along blankets
edges, warped a short spreader at top
and bottom to hold the poles the width
OF a mans shoulders apart, and the
sling was ready.
Now" said Daily grimly, travel
like hell, boys, but carry him soft, for
he's broke like the ferns when a pine
falls.
Tcnderly they lifted the owner OF
the DiIlingworth and laid him in the
hollow of the blankets.
His foreman cast one took at him as
the Indians swung away ON the back
trail and turned his face to the
damned raft. He studied the problem
from all sides. Then he took his re-
naming Indians, for none of them
were beyond work from their shaking
up, got off the mooring chains and
snubbed the monster TO the shore
pines fore n aft. Then he calmly
prepared to wait the turn of the tide.
She would loose herself.
The damage at the prov was slight.
The lift had come a moment too soon
to hurt the big raft much. Several OF
the binding chains at the extreme
head Of her had been broken, loosen
ing the ends Of the logs which slid
downward and apart, giving her the
appearance Of a ragged broom.
Snamishta, like all the coast Indi-
ans, was a good waterman. He Of
fered to dive for the broken chains
and Daily let him go. In three hours
he had found all the ends, fastened
to them hauling lines, which the others
used to bring them up, the breakage
was repaired, and Daily was ready to
mend the broken nose as we'll as he
could. He needed to circle the zoos
ened logs with the chains again, and
he went about it in a simple manner
There vas no getting under the raft
from the front because OF the jam
against the shore, even if Snamishta
could have managed the tide and en-
dured the time under water. There
fore it must be done from the other
end.
So Daily laid the chains across the
spreading nose, attached a long tow
line to the shore ends and dropped
them into the water. The line was
then led to the stern, under the moor
ing chains, around and forward to the
prov.
He then lay down for a needed rest
until the sucking green water grew
slower and slower and finally stopped
altogether.
With the first insidious movement Of
the food tide the grooming and creak.
ing set up again throughout the giant,
and the foreman was on his feet at
once as she began, almost impercep-
tibly, to back out from the shore. The
ends OF the chains were hauled up,
slipped forward and fastened securely
after the logs had beer coaXed to-
gether as much as was possible with
rope and peavey and cant hook.
"By jingo!" said Daily, but that
was a blast. The son-Of-a-gun must
have had a wagon-loan o sticks. An
it was a plant, all right, Must We had
some batt'ries an a trigger wire. But
he hain't smart enough to tigger out
such things. Twa'n't tn right slant,
or she'd a hit us amidships an opened
us up proper-an' we'd a-gone to sea
in pieces
The hours of the food tide were irk-
some to HIM, waiting, wondering how
it Jared with Sandry swinging be-
tween the Indians, and thinking Bit
terly of Hampden, who was proving
himself a dangerous enemy.
But he thought also of the steamer
blowing down from Portland, which
would stand in at Yaquina, and he
knew he would be ready to turn over
the raft in spite of all.
B a damn hard matter to tow by
that head" he told himself; guess
we can drift her out an turn her tail
on"
Then he fell to wondering IL San
dry would ever know Of the big check,
or If it would travel east with him to
the old man in the wheeled chair on
Riverside drive-mute evidence of the
tenderfoots arst and last fight!
CHAPTER XVII.