The Pioneer Woodsman as He Is Related to Lumbering in the Northwest — John Shaqi
The Pioneer Woodsman as He Is Related to Lumbering in the NorthwestWarren, George Henry
History
The Pioneer Woodsman as He Is Related to Lumbering in the Northwest
Warren, George Henry
Camping; Lumbering -- Northwestern States
That night the stars shone brightly above the sleepers' faces, the
waters of Superior broke gently along the beach, and the tall pines lent
their first lullaby to willingly listening ears.
"The waves have a story to tell me,
As I lie on the lonely beach;
Chanting aloft in the pine-tops,
The wind has a lesson to teach;
But the stars sing an anthem of glory
I cannot put into speech.
They sing of the Mighty Master,
Of the loom His fingers span,
Where a star or a soul is a part of the whole,
And weft in the wondrous plan."
The next morning broke bright and clear, and the sun sent a sheen upon
the dimpled waters of old Superior that gave us a touch of regret at the
parting of the ways; for the members, one by one, after a well relished
breakfast, shouldered their packs and fell into single file behind the
Indian guide who led the way to the trail through the woods, forty miles
long, to the Flambeau Reservation.
Two days and the morning of the third brought the party, footsore in new
boots and eaten by mosquitoes, to the end of the trail. Now, lakes must
be crossed, and the Flambeau River navigated for many days. In the
Indian village were many wigwams, occupied by the usually large
families of two or three generations of bucks, squaws, children, from
the eldest down to the liquid-nosed papoose, and their numerous dogs
that never fail to announce the approach of "kitchimokoman," the white
man.
Some of the old men were building birch canoes, and many birch crafts of
different ages and of previous service were to be seen in the camp. From
among them, enough were bought to carry all of the men of the party and
their outfits. The last canoe bought was a three-man canoe, which leaked
and must be "pitched" before it could be used.
At this point let it be explained that every woodsman, trapper, pioneer,
settler, or camper who depends upon a birch canoe for navigation should,
and generally does, provide himself with a quantity of commercial resin
and a fireproof dish in which to melt it. The resin is then tempered by
adding just enough grease to prevent the mixture, when applied to the
dry surface of a leaky spot on the canoe, and cooled in the water of the
lake or river at the time of using, from cracking by reason of too great
hardness. The surface must be dry or the "pitch" will not adhere firmly
to the leaky seam or knot in the bark of the canoe. The drying is
quickly done by holding a live ember or firebrand close to the surface
of the wet bark.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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