760 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



SLUICING LOGS AT A DAM. 



and crackling sparks peppered the soft 

 tops with a steady bombardment. At 

 last, with a final shift or two of the 

 pans, to even up each one's share of 

 sparks, that "stomach burglar," com- 

 monly known as a cook, with a deft 

 twist, turned each pan upside-down on 

 the board table, and offered for our 

 delectation that steaming creation tech- 

 nically called "sinkers." At this signal 

 to "fall to," the dim forms of the river 

 drivers moved, tin plate in hand, around 

 the fire, seeking their turn at the 

 various pails and pans, a cookee stand- 

 ing meanwhile at each side with steam- 

 ing kettles of tea to fill their proft'ered 

 cups, each calling out the while the 

 exceeding great merit of his own decoc- 

 tion over that of his comrade, and 

 embellishing his claim for attention by 

 serving up in fancy all kinds of 

 favorite drinks, both to show their 

 whereabouts in the dark mass of fig- 

 ures and to relieve the tense gloom of 

 the men. Beyond their frequent calls, 

 like guiding bells in a fog, nothing but 

 low murmurs were heard, for the river 

 driver commonly arises stiff and sore 



and eats his mince pie with his "hat 

 on." Neither is he given to joking until 

 his sore feet have become accustomed 

 to the stiffened and cold driving shoes 

 in the softening influence of the water, 

 and the boss is at such times some- 

 times referred to as "Bruin," on account 

 of the growl which he hands out to 

 some would-be deserter in pointed ref- 

 erence to their past, present and future 

 characters and possible condition. That 

 they are stiff and sore is not to be won- 

 dered at, for all the previous day they 

 had been waist deep in icy water from 

 early dawn to twilight, and had 

 tramped through the snow and slush in 

 the gloaming back to camp, and, after a 

 hasty change of wet for dry nether gar- 

 ments, had crawled in between the 

 spreads to rest, dry out and sleep all 

 that was possible ; which to the tender- 

 foot was not a large item, due to the 

 tuneful notes emanating from the more 

 hardened. 



As the river mists lift to the hill tops 

 like a gauzy veil, one by one, the men 

 disappear down the dark road where it 

 wound cavernous beneath the roof of 



