RIVER DRIVING 



763 



A "WING" OF LOGS. 



the word many miles above to the great 

 pond dam to lift all the gates at mid- 

 night and allow the imprisoned body of 

 water stored there to rush down in a 

 flood that would reach us by dawn and 

 furnish the power to raise and loosen 

 the tightly snarled "jams" and "wings." 



One day alone could be drawn from 

 this reservoir, and that exhausted, the 

 golden opportunity would be lost, so all 

 the hostages possible having been given 

 to fortune and the dim twinkle of the 

 messenger's lantern having danced to 

 nothing among the trees, we at length 

 follow the tired crew and await the 

 events of the coming momentous day. 



Not many minutes had we reached 

 the banks that gray morning and the 

 men scarcely taken their first cold 

 plunge, when far above came a long, 

 low rumble on the wind, accompanied 

 by a faint intonation of the booming of 

 logs, and the word was passed around 

 that the "head" was coming. Little by 

 little, the roar of the surging water 

 seeking an outlet increased in volume, 

 and the deeper notes of the great butts 

 resounded like cannon. Up a clear 

 stretch of stream from our vantage 



point a thin, silvery line of water glis- 

 tened first and rapidly grew into a dark 

 flood wall, upon the face of which a 

 seething mass of sticks tumbled over 

 and over and swept everything before 

 them. Loose logs, caught up by the 

 rapidly hurrying water, ran continu- 

 ously where the current was swiftest 

 and were soon borne to the front as 

 the shores retarded the side water, 

 causing them to outrun the flood itself 

 and charge again and again to the shal- 

 lows as if taking a fortress. 



Instinctively we drew back as this 

 pounding mass rushed by, and then all 

 hands to work with a will on the now 

 floating and impatient "wings," trem- 

 bling with vibrant energy. Here the 

 men ran, unloading a log or twisting 

 one there, until, of a sin!'k:i, the front 

 of the "wing" gave way. and a quick 

 scramble for shore ensu' v Erom off tin- 

 moving pile as it slowly nm-olled in the 

 quickening water. Often llu-iv was not 

 even time to reach the short-, and a few 

 were seen performing to the best of 

 their ability a lively sample of footwork 

 on the largest stick obtainable, their 

 cant-dog used for a balancing poU- and 



