762 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



every direction and in the most perverse 

 way, twist as if alive and "gill-poke" 

 into every "logan" and estuary. 



Both men had a small coterie of old 

 hands who followed their fortunes year 

 by year and upon whom they put the 

 most important work, who tended dam 

 or telephone, watched gorge or eddy, 

 ready to blow up with rend-rock a 

 quick-forming jam, or were to be relied 

 upon wherever especial diligence and 

 alacrity was demanded. \Yith such a 

 nucleus, a various and motley crew had 

 been gathered together, composed of 

 every nationality and color, the body of 

 whom possessed a certain swing and 

 balance that bespoke the woodsman, but 

 inevitably containing some specimens of 

 the "farmer" and "gill-poke" variety, 

 soon to be weeded out by a process of 

 "white water" isolation. The retribu- 

 tion of such incompetents, taken along 

 on their sole statement of ability, was 

 swift and certain when the logs, being 

 all rolled in from the landings on the 

 banks, began to run in quick water and 

 their awkwardness became apparent, or 



they were found hugging the shore, not 

 being able to "cuff them out" with the 

 others. Immediately they would be 

 spotted by the irate boss, followed by 

 an invitation to see the clerk about 

 "time," and started with little clue them 

 on a long walk back to the settlements 

 from which they had so lately come in 

 teams as "white water," "crack-a-jack" 

 drivers. 



\Ye had but four miles to drive to 

 reach the mouth of our stream, and 

 conflicting rumors had reached us over 

 the telephone of the whereabouts of the 

 other rear, sent out apparently to avoid 

 disclosure and lull the immediate activ- 

 ity of our division. But after a careful 

 estimate of the situation, held in front 

 of the fire in the evening, it was decided 

 that to be at all safe, a special effort 

 must be made to reach the conflux of 

 the brooks the following day. 



It was given out among the crew that 

 the rival crew would surely be there 

 and that their only hope rested on a 

 few hours. Immediately a messenger 

 was sent off into the darkness to carry 



LOGS GOING OVER A DAM OX THE WAY TO THE MILL. 



