Now that was not so very hard as it looks from where you sit, For there the trees grew close enough to chop one with each bit. And every cussed feller used both ends of his swing, And forests went like snow drifts before an early spring. And talk about your skidding; although, perhaps they lied, They said the trees were in the pond before the echo died. But I've seen one yoke skidding for seven falling crews, And Bunyan bought an iron mine to keep his stock in shoes. We sure got out the round stuff, but still we were too slow, And just a trick of Bunyan's had brought us all our woe. 'Twas long and crooked skid roads that made our logging late, And Bunyan took his old Blue Ox and pulled his skid roads straight. Now when you slick shod loggers call this here logging fast, It sure makes us old timers just hanker for the past. SOME LOGGER This is one of the Eastern stories, but with numerous Western additions, chief of which is the introduction of Noah. In the pre-historic ages, e're the Swedes ruled Minnesota, Fairest spot in all the Westland was the woodland of Dakota. 'Twas a land of timbered ridges long before the axe was known, And there grew the largest timber on which the sun had ever shown. Many tales are told about it, how it grew so very high, That the tops were broke and shattered where they rubbed against the sky. And no man had ever ventured in that forest deep and dark Till old Noah got to thinking he would build himself an ark. So he looked the timber over and decided it would take Every tree if he would carry every bird and beast and snake; If he just could get it yarded; there he had a serious doubt, Till Paul Bunyan finally told him he would get the round stuff out. So he harnessed up his Blue Ox, took the big logs on the run. Never even stopped for dinner, worked right through from sun to sun. Many logs he dogged together, took three hundred turns a day; Still Old Noah hollered "Faster," said that snail's pace didn't pay. Then old Bunyan got quite peevish, sent the loggers all to camp; Started hauling in the sections; he'd put Noah on the tramp. But he bragged a bit too early, tho each day he hauled eight score, Noah cleared them off by noontime and sat down and yelled for more. Paul got madder than a logger, cussed and jumped upon his hat; Noah was a domned slave driver, contract didn't call for that. But old Noah only guyed him, called his ox a lazy slob, Then to keep Paul Bunyan working put a bonus on the job. Next Paul hooked upon a township and the ox pulled with a will, But the cable only parted when it caught upon a hill; Broke in twenty-seven pieces; the Blue Ox sure had the power; Then Paul set his splicing record, twenty-six within an hour. But he never got discouraged, he would still show Noah that A true logger always finished anything he started at.