登陆注册
5169000000059

第59章

Thorpe had instinctively seized the only method by which these strong men could be impressed.A rough-and-tumble attempt at ejectment would have been useless.Now the entire crew looked with vast admiration on their boss as a man who intended to have his own way no matter what difficulties or consequences might tend to deter him.And that is the kind of man they liked.This one deed was more effective in cementing their loyalty than any increase of wages would have been.

Thorpe knew that their restless spirits would soon tire of the monotony of work without ultimate interest.Ordinarily the hope of a big cut is sufficient to keep men of the right sort working for a record.But these men had no such hope--the camp was too small, and they were too few.Thorpe adopted the expedient, now quite common, of posting the results of each day's work in the men's shanty.

Three teams were engaged in travoying, and two in skidding the logs, either on the banking ground, or along the road.Thorpe divided his camp into four sections, which he distinguished by the names of the teamsters.Roughly speaking, each of the three hauling teams had its own gang of sawyers and skidders to supply it with logs and to take them from it, for of the skidding teams, one was split;--the horses were big enough so that one of them to a skidway sufficed.Thus three gangs of men were performing each day practically the same work.Thorpe scaled the results, and placed them conspicuously for comparison.

Red Jacket, the teamster of the sorrels, one day was credited with 11,OOO feet; while Long Pine Jim and Rollway Charley had put in but 1O,500 and 1O,250 respectively.That evening all the sawyers, swampers, and skidders belonging to Red Jacket's outfit were considerably elated; while the others said little and prepared for business on the morrow.

Once Long Pine Jim lurked at the bottom for three days.Thorpe happened by the skidway just as Long Pine arrived with a log.The young fellow glanced solicitously at the splendid buckskins, the best horses in camp.

"I'm afraid I didn't give you a very good team, Jimmy," said he, and passed on.

That was all; but men of the rival gangs had heard.In camp Long Pine Jim and his crew received chaffing with balefully red glares.

Next day they stood at the top by a good margin, and always after were competitors to be feared.

Injin Charley, silent and enigmatical as ever, had constructed a log shack near a little creek over in the hardwood.There he attended diligently to the business of trapping.Thorpe had brought him a deer knife from Detroit; a beautiful instrument made of the best tool steel, in one long piece extending through the buck-horn handle.One could even break bones with it.He had also lent the Indian the assistance of two of his Marquette men in erecting the shanty; and had given him a barrel of flour for the winter.From time to time Injin Charley brought in fresh meat, for which he was paid.This with his trapping, and his manufacture of moccasins, snowshoes and birch canoes, made him a very prosperous Indian indeed.

Thorpe rarely found time to visit him, but he often glided into the office, smoked a pipeful of the white man's tobacco in friendly fashion by the stove, and glided out again without having spoken a dozen words.

Wallace made one visit before the big snows came, and was charmed.

He ate with gusto of the "salt-horse," baked beans, stewed prunes, mince pie, and cakes.He tramped around gaily in his moccasins or on the fancy snowshoes he promptly purchased of Injin Chariey.

There was nothing new to report in regard to financial matters.

The loan had been negotiated easily on the basis of a mortgage guaranteed by Carpenter's personal signature.Nothing had been heard from Morrison & Daly.

When he departed, he left behind him four little long-eared, short-legged beagle hounds.They were solemn animals, who took life seriously.Never a smile appeared in their questioning eyes.

Wherever one went, the others followed, pattering gravely along in serried ranks.Soon they discovered that the swamp over the knoll contained big white hares.Their mission in life was evident.

Thereafter from the earliest peep of daylight until the men quit work at night they chased rabbits.The quest was hopeless, but they kept obstinately at it, wallowing with contained excitement over a hundred paces of snow before they would get near enough to scare their quarry to another jump.It used to amuse the hares.All day long the mellow bell-tones echoed over the knoll.It came in time to be part of the color of the camp, just as were the pines and birches, or the cold northern sky.At the fall of night, exhausted, trailing their long ears almost to the ground, they returned to the cook, who fed them and made much of them.Next morning they were at it as hard as ever.To them it was the quest for the Grail,--hopeless, but glorious.

Little Phil, entrusted with the alarm clock, was the first up in the morning In the fearful biting cold of an extinct camp, he lighted his lantern and with numb hands raked the ashes from the stove.A few sticks of dried pine topped by split wood of birch or maple, all well dashed with kerosene, took the flame eagerly.Then he awakened the cook, and stole silently into the office, where Thorpe and Shearer and Andrews, the surveyor, lay asleep.There quietly he built another fire, and filled the water-pail afresh.

By the time this task was finished, the cook sounded many times a conch, and the sleeping camp awoke.

同类推荐
  • Volume Seven

    Volume Seven

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 灵宝归空诀

    灵宝归空诀

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 佛说帝释所问经

    佛说帝释所问经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 芦浦笔记

    芦浦笔记

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 百千印陀罗尼经之二

    百千印陀罗尼经之二

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 西平孤城

    西平孤城

    刺客家族,变故接踵,一个个流落四海,卷入新的恩怨。饱尝混迹红尘的艰辛,却放不下心中执念。终于回头,也只剩空城一座。
  • 穿越女尊夫郎太可爱

    穿越女尊夫郎太可爱

    她是最强的杀手,也是最厉害的医生,一次背叛让她穿越到了天旋大陆,这里女尊男卑。让她穿到了一个纨绔身上,在这里,她爹不疼、娘不爱,谁都可以欺负!怎么可能!她的家人将她宠上了天!在这里,遇见了他。
  • 法藏碎金录诗话辑录

    法藏碎金录诗话辑录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 网游之超能妖皇

    网游之超能妖皇

    这天再也遮不住我的眼,因为我要将其毁灭。这地再也阻挡不了我的道路,因为它已灰飞烟灭。天地待我不公。,我便毁天灭地。万物待我不公,我变诛杀天下生灵。神也罢,魔也罢。都只不过是我的奴隶而已。“混沌之初妖皇生,作恶多端无人敌。谈其色变胆矣破,却因错事醉天下。天下高手尽相约,与其一战终不还。妖皇最终禁不起,最终堕落于深渊。人们欢呼与雀跃,以为天下已太平。不知妖皇已转世,今朝觉醒屠苍生。”
  • 雷池果武侠合集

    雷池果武侠合集

    收录雷池果中短篇武侠小说。刀光剑影,风云变幻;是是非非,恩恩怨怨;儿女情长,英雄气短;有心伤怀,无处凭栏。笔下的各种江湖,其实就在每个人身边。
  • 放羊的女人

    放羊的女人

    “中国当代西部文学文库”之一的《放羊的女人》收录中国作家会员、宁夏文联委员、一级作家漠月的短篇小说23篇。其中,《湖道》和《放羊的女人》曾占据中国小说学会和中国当代小说文学作品排行榜榜首,不光是对他个人,对整个宁夏的文学创作也是有着相当的激励作用。
  • 海外新闻出版实录2009

    海外新闻出版实录2009

    《海外新闻2009出版实录》内容包括:走近美国康泰纳仕国际集团、从《衬衫换甜点》看美国出版新变化、国际出版界热炒“雷曼兄弟”、美国财经图书行情依然看好、《美国地区英语辞典》即将全部完成、从两本中美版权合作杂志看去、浅谈《悦己SELF》的广告与发展、美国杂志编辑出版的奥妙、中外合作杂志是中国期刊界的“狼图腾”? 中国《读者》可否收购美国《读者文摘》、“卡斯特罗语录”在古巴出版、欧洲报纸出版商想到美国收购、金融危机影响英国出版的编印发等。
  • 奶牛高效养殖技术

    奶牛高效养殖技术

    《奶牛高效养殖技术》以公害、环保新技术为基础,以实现奶牛高产、优质、生态为目标,介绍了奶牛的优良品种,奶牛饲料的节约化、生态化使用,奶牛的优质繁殖和高效培育,奶牛常见病防治等内容。
  • 全职管家

    全职管家

    高考零分怕什么,哥自有妙招活下去!吃吃霸王餐,被车撞了?还获得神奇异能?哈哈,赚了!邂逅二美女,没想被逼做管家!还是全职的?这是艳福吗?!不料体内恶魔重生,展开了一场颠覆乾坤的阴谋,他勇担大任,创造世纪神话!
  • 豹隐纪谈

    豹隐纪谈

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。