144 A RAFT PILOT'S LOG 



tion. On making inquiry of Captain Dan Rice, a big, 

 rough-looking chap with his pants inside big, high 

 boots, as to what his plans or intentions were, he told 

 me that was his business not mine. I then went back 

 up to the other boats and got the captains together and 

 told them that if we waited on Rice to get out of our 

 way, we would all freeze in here. "Let's go down to- 

 gether and hold an 'inquest' over him," was proposed. 

 We went and Rice at first was surly and stubborn, but 

 we convinced him be must act at once and he did as we 

 suggested. He cut ofif that corner that was aground 

 (about one hundred and twenty-five logs) and took his 

 raft through the cut all right. By the close of the short 

 day we were all through, coupled up and on our way 

 for a good run through Lake Pepin. 



We had two days of bad weather but got our raft 

 safely placed in Lansing bay, hitched into our fuel 

 barge, and "lit out" from Lansing at 2 A.M., on Novem- 

 ber 16, for LeClaire. It turned cold at dark when we 

 passed Clinton. We reached LeClaire at 9 :30 P.M. ; put 

 off surplus stores, took on coal, paid off the deck crew 

 and cooks and early in the morning of the seventeenth 

 with the "Irene D." hitched in alongside, made for 

 Wapsie bay, ten miles up river. Wapsie Slough had 

 frozen over during the night. We had to break our way 

 in. It was a cold day to "Lay-up" and drain steamboats, 

 but we did it, only stopping for coffee and sandwiches 

 at noon. 



We carried our baggage and walked ashore before 

 night over the ice that had made again since we broke 

 in earlier in the day. 



That was my thirty-fifth birthday and a good hard 

 one. By walking two and one-half miles to Folletts I 

 caught a train to Noels Station. I was very hungry but 



