Kennebec. Before I'm sawed up I'd like to forgit this triflin'
brook in the sight of a good-sized river, an' rest my eyes on
some full-grown logs,'stead o' these little damn pipestems you
boys are playin' with!"



THE GAME OF JACKSTRAWS

There was a roar of laughter at the old man's boast, but in a
moment all was activity. The men ran hither and thither like
ants, gathering their tools. There were some old-fashioned
pickpoles, straight, heavy levers without any "dog," and there
were modern pickpoles and peaveys, for every river has its
favorite equipment in these things. There was no dynamite in
those days to make the stubborn jams yield, and the dog-warp was
in general use. Horses or oxen, sometimes a line of men, stood
on the river-bank. A long rope was attached by means of a steel
spike to one log after another, and it was dragged from the
tangled mass. Sometimes, after unloading the top logs, those at
the bottom would rise and make the task easier; sometimes the
work would go on for hours with no perceptible progress, and Mr.
Wiley would have opportunity to tell the bystanders of a
"turrible jam" on the Kennebec that had cost the Lumber Company
ten thousand dollars to break.

There would be great arguments on shore, among the villagers as
well as among the experts, as to the particular log which might
be a key to the position. The boss would study the problem from
various standpoints, and the drivers themselves would pass from