The Washburn leader., 1916-05-05
III HAD SPORTING SPIRIT
WHY WoopsMEN LET THE LONE
WOLF ESCAPE.

Had ~Put Up q Good Fight" and HIss
Natural Enemies Spared His Life
N Token Of Their Admiration .
for Him.
4 The earliest streaks Of dawn were
tightening the eastern sky when the
creaking Of the windlass and the rattle
Of chains announced that the men
were drawing the stop logs from the
dam.
With grand flourish the last log
: was laid on the platform and the great
t0Frent Of green,and-white water went
f6hming down the slide. Then the
boom that held back the logs was
drawn aside. and down they came like
. flock Of sheep heading for the fold.
r. SKIES and sevens they plunged into
tho pool below, rising again in the
swift torrent at various angles; then
circling madly round until at last they
made their way through the narrows
and on down the river.
Dave Mordaunt, the foreman, whis-
tied gayly as he watched the logs pass.
But suddenly he saw with uneasiness
that the men stationed at the narrows
could not keep the logs moving fast
enough. A jam was beginning to
form.
"shut. her off," he called, "and hus-
tie down here! The narrows are
choked!"
The men swiftly swung out the light
boom and checked the flow of logs.
Then, shouldering their poles, the ten
of them marched after their boss down
the narrow path that led to the lower
end of the bay.
The path was merely a shelf In the
face of the cliff, which rose above it
for nearly a hundred feet. Ten feet
below was another shelf, the lower
path. It was even narrower and more
slippery.
The men loosened the jam, and the
logs once bore hurried down the
stream. Then they shouldered the long
poles again and started back up the
path toward the dam.
"Hark!!" shouted the foreman, hold
ing up his hand for silence. From their
left, above the roar of the water, came
yelping of pack of wolves.
"They are after q deer!" cried Ben
Ford.
Even as he spoke the deer came In
sight. It was hard pressed; clouds of
steam rose from its painting sides, and
its dropping head and protruding
tongue showed that it was completely
exhausted. s..-e
The men. cheered as 1t passed. but
It paid no attention to them. Round
the narrow lower path it stumbled,
and on reaching the narrows, which
were now free Of logs, it plunged in.
The rushing current carried it down
the river, but it gained the other shore
at last and lay down, painting.
'sNow, boys" cried Mordaunt. "the
wolves will follow the path the deer
took! Gather a lot of rocks and spread
yourselves along the path. When the
wolves are past me will give the sig
nal. Then let 60 the stones. After
that you can go to them with the pike.
Don't let one get through"
The men made every preparation to
give the wolves . warm reception. In
few minutes the animals appeared,
six of them, running close together.
As they reached the narrow path they
fell into single file without 1essening
their speed. As they ran they gave
occasional short yelps.
Their tongues were hanging out and
there was foam about their mouths
and cleaning teeth. Without an up
ward glance they ran in between the
wall and the rushing. foaming water.
H. .Now for them!" shouted Dave.
with yell the men sent down q show
or Of stones on the unsuspecting pack.
with howls Of pain and surprise tho
wolves looked up and saw their foes.
Down went their tails and they tried
to retreat; but they were in a trap.
One by one they were pushed OF into
the hurrying water.
Only the leader OF the pack was lett
alive. He had been knocked into the
water by stone, but had managed to
gain q footing on two logs that were
floating close together. As the logs
drifted apart, he mounted the larger.
on which he crouched, a picture of alb
ject fear. The log began to move slow
" toward the narrows. Nearer and
nearer it came to the mighty mass OF
water pouring out through the gorge.
The wolf backed to the far end Of the
log and crouched there. shivering.
.'"I hate wolf worse than poison"
said Job Nelson, "but ! can't see that
brute scared plumb to death before
being drowned" @
.sNeither can !, Job said the fore
man, "and he sure put up good fight
for IT,
The circling current brought the log
to point just below where the men
stood.
with spring, Job landed on the
rv..3 hi mil