Camp Mates in Michigan; or, with Pack and Paddle in the Pine Woods

by St. George Rathborne

  CHAPTER II

  PADDLING AGAINST THE CURRENT

  “Any more around that you can see?” Teddy went on to call out,hilariously. “If there are, let ’em step right up to the pursers’office, and settle. But I rather think the pair I potted look sort ofsmall for the lynx tribe. I guess they must be half-grown cubs, afterall; and you got the mother, Dolph.”

  “Just what they are,” announced Amos, who had strode forward, and wasbending over the last victim of Teddy’s snap shots. “But pretty toughlookin’ customers at that, I tell you, boys. I kinder guess they’d putup a rushin’ fight, if cornered. But you wound ’em up one, two, three,Teddy, with that gun of yours.”

  Amos was a real Michigan boy. He had been in logging camps ever sincehe was “knee high to a grasshopper,” as he always said; and was astough as a pine-knot, so far as physical endurance went. Teddy hadknown him several years; and once before they had hunted in companyaround this very region. While the lumberman’s son and his friendfrom Cincinnati laid out this summer trip with pack and paddle throughthe pine woods of the upper reaches of the Wolverine State, Teddy hadsuggested hiring Amos to go along, not exactly in the nature of aguide, nor yet as a cook, but simply for company. And knowing that whenfar away from civilization two boys are apt to find it a bit lonely,Dolph had readily agreed.

  He had heard his friend tell more or less about the natural abilityAmos possessed as a doctor; and that it was the ambition of his lifeto later on take a regular course in some medical school. And Teddyhad also confided to Dolph the fact that he meant to coax his fatherto see that the woods boy had his chance, when he reached an age toallow of such a thing; because he would make a fine doctor some day,as his whole heart was set on curing ailments, binding up wounds, andalleviating pain.

  So it came that there were three of them in the party, with two canoesinstead of just one overcrowded boat. Most of the duffle, such as thetent and the blankets, they usually stored in this one canoe, with asingle occupant to ply the paddle, while the other two campers tookcharge of the second craft.

  They had laid out a regular course, which would take them through thewildest part of the country of the peninsula, starting in at Manistiqueon the southern shore, where the waves of Lake Michigan beat the sandystrand, and following the winding, picturesque river up to the lakesthat were said to be its source. At this point they expected to findsome man who had a team capable of taking their light canvas canoesacross country, until beyond the railroad they could be launched in thewaters of the Tahquamanon river; following which to its mouth wouldbring the adventurous cruisers into the celebrated White Fish Bay ofLake Superior; and here they could skirt the shore until finally theyarrived at Saulte Ste. Marie, where the waters of Superior rush downthe mighty rapids into St. Mary’s river, thence through Lakes Huron,Erie and Ontario, and afterwards being carried along the mighty St.Lawrence river to the sea.

  It was a noble trip to lay out, and the three boys had already spentsome time making their way to the point where we find them passing anight on the bank of the river, at the time the wildcats invaded theircamp, and produced such consternation, although paying dearly fortheir fun.

  “Now come and take a look at your prize, Dolph!” Teddy called out, “andthen it’s back to my downy for me; because I’m shaking all over, like ajelly-fish.”

  He dragged the now defunct lynx out nearer the still blazing fire, sothat the others could look it over.

  “Ugh! I’m right glad now that root tripped me up,” remarked Dolph.“Only for that, those claws might have ripped me considerably beforethe beast keeled over.”

  “I should say, yes,” chuckled Teddy. “And now excuse me, please, butI’m in for the grand disappearing act. I’ll chuck that fine ham insidethe tent as I go. Better follow my example, Dolph, if you don’t want tocatch cold. Get your gun to work yet?”

  “Why, yes, it seems to; but I’m rather discouraged about the thing,”the other remarked. “Guess these repeating guns are a bit unreliable ina pinch.”

  “H’m! not if you keep your wits about you, and do the right thing; butfor any one apt to get rattled, the old style might be best. Not thatI’m blaming you, this time, Dolph, because you had an ugly tumble, yousee. Well, so-long.”

  As neither of the other lads chanced to be feeling any too warm aboutthen, they waited not upon the order of their going, but ducked intothe tent soon after Teddy vanished. Amos, however, with the instinctof one who had spent pretty much all of his young life in the forest,waited long enough to throw several more large pieces of wood on thefire, meaning to find something warm when morning came along, for theair was sure to be cool up to the time the sun rose part way up in theeastern heavens.

  There was no further alarm; and when dawn came peeping through thepines the campers were soon astir. However, no one seemed anxious totake the customary morning dip in the stream, so sharp was the air.Dolph had his fishing-rod jointed, it being a steel affair calculatedto resist the rush of even a furious muscallonge. So, being anenthusiast in this sport, he was out the first thing, having a try tosee whether he could not pick up a mess of trout for breakfast.

  Fortune smiled on his efforts too, for he made several fairly decentcaptures, which Amos cleaned in the most approved style as fast as thefisherman threw them to him.

  And in the end, just as the first rays of the sun found them out, fromthe delicate odors that were going up from that fire, such as coffeeand trout, it was evident that the boys were in for a treat they nevertired of.

  While Dolph was doing the fishing, and Amos looking after breakfast,the third member of the expedition had another sort of job laid outfor his amusement. This consisted in taking off the furry coats ofthe three dead lynx. They were all in a fair condition, though theshot holes would have to be hidden by the man who eventually made theminto a rug; and for the summer season, when furs are generally pretty“skimp,” Teddy said they passed muster.

  Amos knew how to cook trout so as to brown them in a crisp manner. Hefirst of all “tried out” several slices of fat salt pork; and after theresulting liquid had become furiously hot, he dropped in the fish, thathad first been dipped in cracker crumbs. It was very much after themanner in which the New England cook manages with her crullers, only nolard was used.

  Each of the boys was gifted with a hearty appetite; and when breakfastwas declared closed there were precious few crumbs to throw away,outside of the fish-bones. Yet Amos had seen to it that enough had beenprovided to satisfy all.

  Afterwards came the duty of taking down the tent, and packing thingsaway in the canoe that was used partly for their transportation, beingpaddled by Amos himself, the huskiest of the lot.

  They had this thing reduced to a science, from long practice.Everything went in a particular place, and thus they economized in thematter of space, which counted for much on a trip of this sort.

  “All ready?” sang out Dolph, as he balanced his paddle, sitting in thefront of the canoe which he and Teddy managed.

  “Just a minute more, while I throw some water on what’s left of thefire,” said Teddy. “You see, I’m a lumberman’s son, and I never like tothink of taking chances of having the wind scatter the red-hot embersof a deserted camp fire, to start a forest blaze that might burn upmillions and millions of feet of fine timber.”

  “Yes’m you’re right, I believe in the same thing!” declared Dolph,“though I look at it from the view of a true sportsman, who will never,never leave a fire burning after him, when he breaks up camp. I was inone woods’ fire up in the Adirondacks two years back, and came mightynear having my crop of hair singed off; and they said it started justin that way, on a windy day. Why, in Maine, they won’t let huntersgo into the woods without a licensed guide along, who is supposed tosee to it that no chances are taken with fires left by careless citysportsmen; or rather men who like to call themselves by that name,though they are often a disgrace to the cloth.”

  “Yes, I’ve run across a-plenty of that kind up here in Michigan,
andover in Wisconsin,” remarked Amos. “We call ’em fish hogs up here,because, when they strike a lake where the trout bite free-like, theykeep on throwing bushels out on the bank to die and rot. I hate thebreed, and I think they just ought to be tarred and feathered, that’swhat.”

  “Same here,” remarked Teddy. “In my opinion every fellow who wants tocall himself a true sportsman should give the animals and fish a chanceto breed. When he’s caught all he can use, he ought to stop fishing,unless he happens to be using artificial flies, when he can put all therest he takes back again, because they won’t be hurt that way. I’vestopped many a time when using live minnow, because I knew that whenbass gorge the bait, they’re sure to die, even if you do throw themoverboard again. The hook tears them more or less. Well, everybodyready now?”

  “O. K. here!” sang out Amos.

  “Then let’s be off, for we’ve got a strong bit of work before us today,with all this water coming down the old Manistique,” and as he spoke,Teddy thrust his paddle deep in the running water of the river, andgave a thrust that started the canoe on its farther journey northward.

  As they labored with regular movements the boys often indulged inlaughter, and even broke out at times in bits of song; for they werelight-hearted, and seemed to have few cares or troubles sitting ontheir broad shoulders. Indeed, the millionaire’s son, and the heir ofthe wealthy lumberman, certainly knew nothing at all of anxiety withregard to their well-being. Amos, being a poor boy, often doubtlesstried to lift the veil of the future, eager to ascertain what lay instore for him there; but he was still young, and care does not weighdown youth very often. Besides, he enjoyed the company of his campmates so much, that for the time being the woods boy felt supremelyhappy.

  This sort of work continued until the sun had reached a position sonear the zenith that they knew it must be close to the noon hour. Andas their muscles had for some little time now, been feeling more orless sore, because of the constant labor, it was decided as usual totake a rest.

  They would not let a chance pass by to have a fire going, even thoughthe day had turned out quite warm. With such vast quantities of easyburning pine all around them, and Amos just wild to always take careof the fire, which he dearly loved, of course, they could not resistthe temptation; and soon a crackling blaze was sending up its cheerysong, such as has bolstered up the spirits of many a lonely camper allover the known world; for the fire is certainly one of man’s finestservants; but like some other things, a very bad master, once it isallowed to have its own head.

  About an hour and a half afterwards, the voyage was resumed, thoughnone of the boys paddled with just the same vim that had marked thestart. It was now more in the nature of pure grit that carried themsteadily along; the pleasure had mostly petered out during that harddash of the morning.

  And as the afternoon shadows began to lengthen perceptibly, it mightbe noticed that they were more frequently mentioning the fact thatthis place or that seemed to offer pretty fine prospects for a night’slodging, though thus far no one openly advocated bringing the day’s runto a close.

  There were parts of this section of country where the great OvertonLumber Company had its numerous squads of men busy in the winterseason, cutting timber, which, however was getting more and more scarcein the peninsula of Michigan every year.

  It chanced that there was a rival company, also a big corporation,which, being exceedingly jealous of the success attending the work ofthe Overton, never tired of trying all sorts of games calculated to runthe other out of the district. Teddy amused his camp mates many times,when sitting around the fire of nights, by relating how his fathermanaged to outwit the owners of this rival concern on more than a fewoccasions, when they came to loggerheads.

  And the men were almost as bitter toward each other as their employers;so that each, winter there were one or more regular battles when theOverton loggers chanced to be cutting within a few miles of the rivalcamp.

  “We’ve all got to clear out of this before a great while,” Teddywould remark, doubtless echoing the words he had heard his fathersay; “because the available timber is getting less and less everyyear. That’s what makes things so warm between the two companies,you see. Amos, here, used to work for the Combine once, and he knowswhat underhanded tricks they keep on trying to play, with the idea offorcing us out of the State, so as to leave things to them. But itdon’t work. My dad is some fighter himself; and with the law back ofhim, he just laughs at threats. But sometimes it makes mother afraidthat they may do something desperate. Once a shot was fired at him, andthe bullet clipped a piece out of his hat. Never learned who did it;but dad always believed it was a thug hired by the other company toscare him a little. But we’re still here on deck, and this year expectto cut more timber than ever. Might as well get our share of it whilethe stuff lasts.”

  The three paddlers kept up their steady work, as the sun headed downinto the western sky.

  “How about those clouds over yonder, Teddy?” asked Dolph, when theafternoon was possibly two-thirds gone. “Looks a little like rain,don’t you think?”

  “Where?” ejaculated the other, eagerly, as though he just welcomed achance to call a halt upon the day’s doings. “Well, yes, to be surethey have got a sort of ugly look. P’raps we’d just as well draw in atthat point ahead, and make things snug for the night. Because we’vebeen favored with good weather up to now, mustn’t make us think we’realways going to have the same. You never know what’s going to come upin a night; and for that reason I always make it a point, even whenthings look as peaceful as they could, to secure the canvas of a tent,just as if I knew a terrible storm was going to break on me. Got leftonce, with my canvas carried high up in the branches of a tree, justthrough pure carelessness; and it served as a lesson I’ll never forget.Head in, Amos; we’re going to land there under that leaning tree. Lookslike a dandy camp site, with all those extra big trees around. Andhonest, fellows, I must say I’m pretty near played out with fightingthat pesky current all the live-long day. Here’s where we find rest.Hurrah for the next camp! for every new one is the best, you know!”