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第44节

the riverman-第44节

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called a 〃boomerang。〃



〃Invention of my own;〃 he explained to Newmark。  Secret invention 

just yet。  I'm going to hold up the drive in the main river until we 

have things bunched; then I'm going to throw a big crew down here by 

the swing。  Heinzman anticipates; of course; that I'll run the 

entire drive into the booms and do all my sorting there。  Naturally; 

if I turn his logs loose into the river as fast as I run across 

them; he will be able to pick them up one at a time; for he'll only 

get them occasionally。  If I keep them until everything else is 

sorted; only Heinzman's logs will remain; and as we have no right to 

hold logs; we'll have to turn them loose through the lower sorting 

booms; where he can be ready to raft them。  In that way he gets them 

all right without paying us a cent。  See?〃



〃Yes; I see;〃 said Newmark。



〃Well;〃 said Orde; with a laugh; 〃here is where I fool him。  I'm 

going to rush the drive into the booms all at once; but I'm going to 

sort out Heinzman's logs at these openings near the entrance and 

turn them into the main channel。〃



〃What good will that do?〃 asked Newmark sceptically。  〃He gets them 

sorted just the same; doesn't he?〃



〃The current's fairly strong;〃 Orde pointed out; 〃and the river's 

almighty wide。  When you spring seven or eight million feet on a 

man; all at once and unexpected; and he with no crew to handle them; 

he's going to keep almighty busy。  And if he don't stop them this 

side his mill; he'll have to raft and tow them back; and if he don't 

stop 'em this side the lake; he may as well kiss them all good bye

except those that drift into the bayous and inlets and marshes; and 

other ungodly places。〃



〃I see;〃 said Newmark drily。



〃But don't say a word anywhere;〃 warned Orde。  〃Secrecy is the 

watchword of success with this merry little joke。〃



The boomerang worked like a charm。  The men had been grumbling at an 

apparently peaceful yielding of the point at issue; and would have 

sacked out many of the blazed logs if Orde had not held them rigidly 

to it。  Now their spirits flamed into joy again。  The sorting went 

like clockwork。  Orde; in personal charge; watched that through the 

different openings in his 〃boomerang〃 the 〃H〃 logs were shunted into 

the river。  Shortly the channel was full of logs floating merrily 

away down the little blue wavelets。  After a while Orde handed over 

his job to Tom North。



〃Can't stand it any longer; boys;〃 said he。  〃I've got to go down 

and see how the Dutchman is making it。〃



〃Come back and tell us!〃 yelled one of the crew。



〃You bet I will!〃 Orde shouted back。



He drove the team and buckboard down the marsh road to Heinzman's 

mill。  There he found evidences of the wildest excitement。  The mill 

had been closed down; and all the men turned in to rescue logs。  

Boats plied in all directions。  A tug darted back and forth。  

Constantly the number of floating logs augmented; however。  Many had 

already gone by。



〃If you think you're busy now;〃 said Orde to himself with a chuckle; 

〃just wait until you begin to get LOGS。〃



He watched for a few moments in silence。



〃What's he doing with that tug?〃 thought he。  〃O…ho!  He's stringing 

booms across the river to hold the whole outfit。〃



He laughed aloud; turned his team about; and drove frantically back 

to the booms。  Every few moments he chuckled。  His eyes danced。  

Hardly could he wait to get there。  Once at the camp; he leaped from 

the buckboard; with a shout to the stableman; and ran rapidly out 

over the booms to where the sorting of 〃H〃 logs was going merrily 

forward。



〃He's shut down his mill;〃 shouted Orde; 〃and he's got all that gang 

of highbankers out; and every old rum…blossom in Monrovia; and I bet 

if you say 'logs' to him; he'd chase his tail in circles。〃



〃Want this job?〃 North asked him。



〃No;〃 said Orde; suddenly fallen solemn; 〃haven't time。  I'm going 

to take Marsh and the SPRITE and go to town。  Old Heinzman;〃 he 

added as an afterthought; 〃is stringing booms across the river

obstructing navigation。〃



He ran down the length of the whole boom to where lay the two tugs。



〃Marsh;〃 he called when still some distance away; 〃got up steam?〃



There appeared a short; square; blue…clad man; with hard brown 

cheeks; a heavy bleached flaxen moustache; and eyes steady; 

unwavering; and as blue as the sky。



〃Up in two minutes;〃 he answered; and descended from the pilot house 

to shout down a low door leading from the deck into the engine room。



〃Harvey;〃 he commanded; 〃fire her up!〃



A tall; good…natured negro reached the upper half of his body from 

the low door to seize an armful of the slabs piled along the narrow 

deck。  Ten minutes later the SPRITE; a cloud of white smoke pouring 

from her funnel; was careening down the stretch of the river。



Captain Marsh guided his energetic charge among the logs floating in 

the stream with the marvellous second instinct of the expert tugboat 

man。  A whirl of the wheel to the right; a turn to the leftthe 

craft heeled strongly under the forcing of her powerful rudder to 

avoid by an arm's…length some timbers fairly flung aside by the 

wash。  The displacement of the rapid running seemed almost to press 

the water above the level of the deck on either side and about ten 

feet from the gunwale。  As the low marshes and cat…tails flew past; 

Orde noted with satisfaction that many of the logs; urged one side 

by the breeze; had found lodgment among the reeds and in the bayous 

and inlets。  One at a time; and painfully; these would have to be 

salvaged。



In a short time the mills' tall smokestacks loomed in sight。  The 

logs thickened until it was with difficulty that Captain Marsh could 

thread his way among them at all。  Shortly Orde; standing by the 

wheel in the pilot…house; could see down the stretches of the river 

a crowd of men working antlike。



〃They've got 'em stopped;〃 commented Orde。  〃Look at that gang 

working from boats!  They haven't a dozen 'cork boots' among 'em。〃



〃What do you want me to do?〃 asked Captain Marsh。



〃This is a navigable river; isn't it?〃 replied Orde。  〃Run through!〃



Marsh rang for half…speed and began to nose his way gently through 

the loosely floating logs。  Soon the tug had reached the scene of 

activity; and headed straight for the slender line of booms hitched 

end to end and stretching quite across the river。



〃I'm afraid we'll just ride over them if we hit them too slow;〃 

suggested Marsh。



Orde looked at his watch。



〃We'll be late for the mail unless we hurry;〃 said he。  Marsh 

whirled the spokes of his wheel over and rang the engine…room bell。  

The water churned white behind; the tug careened。



〃Vat you do!  Stop!〃 cried Heinzman from one of the boatse; his head still out

the door; looked back。  〃Slow down; Marsh;〃 

said he。  〃Let's see the show。〃  Already the logs caught by the 

booms had taken their motion and had swept past the opening。  

Although the lonesome tug Heinzman had on the work immediately 

picked up one end of the broken boom; and with it started out into 

the river; she found difficulty in making headway against the sweep 

of the logs。  After a long struggle she reached the middle of the 

river; where she was able to hold her own。



〃Wonder what next?〃 speculated Orde。  〃How are they going to get the 

other end of the booms out from the other bank?〃



Captain Marsh had reversed the SPRITE。  The tug lay nearly 

motionless amidstream; her propeller slowly revolving。



Up river all the small boats gathered in a line; connected one to 

the other by a rope。  The tug passed over to them the cable attached 

to the boom。  Evidently the combined efforts of the rowboats were 

cou。



Orde stuck his head from the pilot…house door。



〃You're obstructing navigation!〃 he yelled。  〃I've got to go to town 

to buy a postage…stamp。〃



The prow of the tug; accurately aimed by Marsh; hit square in the 

junction of two of the booms。  Immediately the water was agitated on 

both sides and for a hundred feet or so by the pressure of the long 

poles sidewise。  There ensued a moment of strain; then the links 

snapped; and the SPRITE plunged joyously through the opening。  The 

booms; swept aside by the current; floated to either shore。  The 

river was open。



Ordnted on to hold the half…boom across the current while the tug 

brought out the other half。  When the tug dropped the cable; Orde 

laughed。



〃Nobody but a Dutchman would have thought of that!〃 he cried。  〃 Now 

for the fun!〃



Immediately the weight fell on the small boats; they were dragged 

irresistibly backward。  Even from a distance the three men on the 

SPRITE could make out the white…water as the oars splashed and 

churned and frantically caught crabs in a vain effort to hold their 

own。  Marsh lower

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