126 I^EW BRUNSWICK. 



THE GHOST OF DEADMAN S LAUDING. 



" You saw that point? of land we came by the other 

 day, where I told you a dead man was carried out from 

 the woods? Well, I was there when he was killed. 

 "We had been logging in the woods, and doing' pretty 

 well till we tried to draw out an uncommon heavy stick 

 of timber. Sam Masters was with us — ^we used to call 

 him Swearing Sam, from a bad habit he was given to — 

 and Sam had taken a great idea to have that stick of 

 timber taken out before night ; but the horses were tired 

 and it was late, and after we had dragged it part of the 

 way all but Sam proposed to leave it till to-morrow. 

 But Sam insisted that he was not going to give up, and 

 when- we all agreed to quit, he got mad and swore he 

 would have that timber out alone if he had to go to 

 hell for it, and work till the day of judgment. We 

 tried to persuade him off, but stay he would, and we left 

 him with the horses and returned to our camp, which we 

 had made at the landing. After supper was finished, 

 and it began to be late, we became anxious about Sam, 

 and when he did not arrive, at near midnight, ail hands 

 set out to look him up. 



" We had not much trouble to find the horses ; they felt 

 cold and hungry, and were neighing for their supper, 

 but were surprised to see the log rolled off the truck, 

 and Sam gone. But the next thing we noticed was 

 ^ Sam's head just out from the edge of the log, that lay 

 across his body. It was an awful sight ; the moon was 

 shining bright on his face, that was turned up toward 



