Charlie's wanigan, in case you do not happen to know what such a thing may be, was a scow about twenty feet long by ten wide. It was very solidly constructed of hewn timbers, square at both ends, was inconceivably clumsy, and weighed an unbelievable number of pounds. When loaded, it carried all the bed-rolls, tents, provisions, cooking utensils2, tools, and a chest of tobacco, clothes, and other minor3 supplies. It was managed by Charlie and his two cookees by means of pike-poles and a long sweep at either end. The pike-poles assured progress when the current slacked; the sweeps kept her head-on when drifting with the stream.
Charlie's temperament4 was pessimistic at best. When the wanigan was to be moved, he rose fairly to the heights of what might be called destructive prophecy.
The packing began before the men had finished breakfast. Shortly after daylight the wanigan, pushed strongly from shore by the pike-poles, was drifting toward the chute. When the heavy scow threatened to turn side-on, the sweeps at either end churned the water frantically5 in an endeavour to straighten her out. Sometimes, by a misunderstanding, they worked against each other. Then Charlie, raging from one to the other of his satellites, frothed and roared commands and vituperations. His voice rose to a shriek7. The cookees, bewildered by so much violence, lost their heads completely. Then Charlie abruptly8 fell to an exaggerated calm. He sat down amidships on a pile of bags, and gazed with ostentatious indifference9 out over the pond. Finally, in a voice fallen almost to a whisper, and with an elaborate politeness, Charlie proffered10 a request that his assistants acquire the sense God gave a rooster. Newmark, who had elected to accompany the wanigan on its voyage, evidently found it vastly amusing, for his eyes twinkled behind his glasses. As the wanigan neared the sluice11 through which it must shoot the flood-water, the excitement mounted to fever pitch. The water boiled under the strokes of the long steering12 oars13. The air swirled14 with the multitude and vigour15 of Charlie's commands. As many of the driving crew as were within distance gathered to watch. It was a supreme16 moment. As Newmark looked at the smooth rim17 of the water sucking into the chute, he began to wonder why he had come.
However, the noble ship was pointed18 right at last, and caught the faster water head-on. Even Charlie managed to look cheerful for an instant, and to grin at his passenger as he wiped his forehead with a very old, red handkerchief.
"All right now," he shouted.
Zeke and his mate took in the oars. The wanigan shot forward below the gate--
WHACK19! BUMP! BANG! and the scow stopped so suddenly that its four men plunged20 forward in a miscellaneous heap, while Zeke narrowly escaped going overboard. Almost immediately the water, backed up behind the stern, began to overflow21 into the boat. Newmark, clearing his vision as well as he could for lack of his glasses, saw that the scow had evidently run her bow on an obstruction22, and had been brought to a standstill square beneath the sluice-gate. Men seemed to be running toward them. The water was beginning to flow the entire length of the boat. Various lighter23 articles shot past him and disappeared over the side. Charlie had gone crazy and was grabbing at these, quite uselessly, for as fast as he had caught one thing he let it go in favour of another. The cookees, retaining some small degree of coolness, were pushing uselessly with pike-poles.
Newmark had an inspiration. The more important matters, such as the men's clothes-bags, the rolls of bedding, and the heavier supplies of provisions, had not yet cut loose from their moorings, although the rapid backing of the water threatened soon to convert the wanigan into a chute for nearly the full volume of the current. He seized one of the long oars, thrust the blade under the edge of a thwart24 astern laid the shaft25 of the oar6 across the cargo26, and by resting his weight on the handle attempted to bring it down to bind27 the contents of the wanigan to their places. The cookees saw what he was about, and came to his assistance. Together they succeeded in bending the long hickory sweep far enough to catch its handle-end under another, forward, thwart. The second oar was quickly locked alongside the first, and not a moment too soon. A rush of water forced them all to cling for their lives. The poor old wanigan was almost buried by the river.
But now help was at hand. Two or three rivermen appeared at the edge of the chute. A moment later old man Reed ran up, carrying a rope. This, after some difficulty, was made fast to the bow of the wanigan. A dozen men ran with the end of it to a position of vantage from which they might be able to pull the bow away from the sunken obstruction, but Orde, appearing above, called a halt. After consultation28 with Reed, another rope was brought and the end of it tossed down to the shipwrecked crew. Orde pointed to the stern of the boat, revolving30 his hands in pantomime to show that the wanigan would be apt to upset if allowed to get side-on when freed. A short rope led to the top of the dam allowed the bow to be lifted free of the obstruction; a cable astern prevented the current from throwing her broadside to the rush of waters; another cable from the bow led her in the way she should go. Ten minutes later she was pulled ashore31 out of the eddy32 below, very much water-logged, and manned by a drenched33 and disgruntled crew.
But Orde allowed them little chance for lamentation34.
"Hard luck!" he said briefly35. "Hope you haven't lost much. Now get a move on you and bail36 out. You've got to get over the shallows while this head is on."
"That's all the thanks you get," grumbled37 Charlie to himself and the other three as Orde moved away. "Work, slave, get up in the night, drownd yourself--"
He happily discovered that the pails under the forward thwart had not been carried away, and all started in to bail. It was a back-breaking job, and consumed the greater part of two hours. Even at the end of that time the wanigan, though dry of loose water, floated but sluggishly38.
"'Bout1 two ton of water in them bed-rolls and turkeys," grumbled Charlie. "Well, get at it!"
Newmark soon discovered that the progress of the wanigan was looked upon in the light of a side-show by the rivermen. Its appearance was signal for shouts of delighted and ironic39 encouragement; its tribulations--which at first, in the white-water, were many--the occasion for unsympathetic and unholy joy. Charlie looked on all spectators as enemies. Part of the time he merely glowered40. Part of the time he tried to reply in kind. To his intense disgust, he was taken seriously in neither case.
In a couple of hours' run the wanigan had overtaken and left far behind the rear of the drive. All about floated the logs, caroming gently one against the other, shifting and changing the pattern of their brown against the blue of the water. The current flowed strongly and smoothly41, but without obstruction. Everything went well. The banks slipped by silently and mysteriously, like the unrolling of a panorama--little strips of marshland, stretches of woodland where the great trees leaned out over the river, thickets42 of overflowed43 swampland with the water rising and draining among roots in a strange regularity44 of its own. The sun shone warm. There was no wind. Newmark wrung45 out his outer garments, and basked46 below the gunwale. Zeke and his companion pulled spasmodically on the sweeps. Charlie, having regained47 his equanimity48 together with his old brown derby, which he came upon floating sodden49 in an eddy, marched up and down the broad gunwale with his pike-pole, thrusting away such logs as threatened interference.
"Well," said he at last, "we better make camp. We'll be down in the jam pretty soon."
The cookees abandoned the sweeps in favour of more pike-poles. By pushing and pulling on the logs floating about them, they managed to work the wanigan in close to the bank.
Charlie, a coil of rope in his hand, surveyed the prospects50.
"We'll stop right down there by that little knoll," he announced.
He leaped ashore, made a turn around a tree, and braced51 himself to snub the boat, but unfortunately he had not taken into consideration the "two ton" of water soaked up by the cargo. The weight of the craft relentlessly52 dragged him forward. In vain he braced and struggled. The end of the rope came to the tree; he clung for a moment, then let go, and ran around the tree to catch it before it should slip into the water.
By this time the wanigan had caught the stronger current at the bend and was gathering53 momentum54. Charlie tried to snub at a sapling, and broke the sapling; on a stub, and uprooted55 the stub. Down the banks and through the brush he tore at the end of his rope, clinging desperately56, trying at every solid tree to stop the career of his runaway57, but in every instance being forced by the danger of jamming his hands to let go. Again he lost his derby. The landscape was a blur58. Dimly he made out the howls of laughter as the outfit59 passed a group of rivermen. Then abruptly a ravine yawned before him, and he let go just in time to save himself a fall. The wanigan, trailing her rope, drifted away.
Nor did she stop until she had overtaken the jam. There, her momentum reduced by the closer crowding of the logs, she slowed down enough so that Newmark and the cookees managed to work her to the bank and make her fast.
That evening, after the wanigan's crew had accomplished60 a hard afternoon's work pitching camp and drying blankets, the first of the rear drifted in very late after a vain search for camp farther up stream.
"For God's sake, Charlie," growled61 one, "it's a wonder you wouldn't run through to Redding and be done with it."
Whereupon Charlie, who had been preternaturally calm all the afternoon, uttered a shriek of rage, and with a carving-knife chased that man out into the brush. Nor would he be appeased62 to the point of getting supper until Orde himself had intervened.
"Well," said Orde to Newmark later, around the campfire, "how does river-driving strike you?"
"It is extremely interesting," replied Newmark.
"Like to join the wanigan crew permanently63?"
"No, thanks," returned Newmark drily.
"Well, stay with us as long as you're having a good time," invited Orde heartily64, but turning away from his rather uncommunicative visitor.
"Thank you," Newmark acknowledged this, "I believe I will."
"Well, Tommy," called Orde across the fire to North, "I reckon we've got to rustle65 some more supplies. That shipwreck29 of ours to-day mighty66 near cleaned us out of some things. Lucky Charlie held his head and locked in the bedding with those sweeps, or we'd have been strapped67."
"I didn't do it," grumbled Charlie. "It was him."
"Oh!" Orde congratulated Newmark. "Good work! I'm tickled68 to death you belonged to that crew."
"That old mossback Reed was right on deck with his rope," remarked Johnny Simms. "That was pretty decent of him."
"Old skunk69!" growled North. "He lost us two days with his damn nonsense. You let him off too easy, Jack70."
"Oh, he's a poor old devil," replied Orde easily. "He means well enough. That's the way the Lord made him. He can't help how he's made."
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bout
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| n.侵袭，发作；一次(阵，回)；拳击等比赛 | |
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utensils
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| 器具，用具，器皿( utensil的名词复数 )； 器物 | |
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minor
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| adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修 | |
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temperament
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| n.气质，性格，性情 | |
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frantically
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| ad.发狂地, 发疯地 | |
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oar
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| n.桨，橹，划手；v.划行 | |
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shriek
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| v./n.尖叫，叫喊 | |
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abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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indifference
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| n.不感兴趣，不关心，冷淡，不在乎 | |
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proffered
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| v.提供，贡献，提出( proffer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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sluice
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| n.水闸 | |
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steering
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| n.操舵装置 | |
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oars
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| n.桨，橹( oar的名词复数 )；划手v.划（行）( oar的第三人称单数 ) | |
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swirled
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| v.旋转，打旋( swirl的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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vigour
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| （=vigor）n.智力，体力，精力 | |
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supreme
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| adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的 | |
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rim
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| n.(圆物的)边，轮缘；边界 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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whack
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| v.敲击，重打，瓜分；n.重击，重打，尝试，一份 | |
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plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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overflow
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| v.(使)外溢，(使)溢出；溢出，流出，漫出 | |
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obstruction
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| n.阻塞，堵塞；障碍物 | |
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lighter
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| n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级 | |
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thwart
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| v.阻挠，妨碍，反对；adj.横(断的) | |
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shaft
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| n.(工具的)柄，杆状物 | |
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cargo
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| n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物 | |
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bind
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| vt.捆，包扎；装订；约束；使凝固；vi.变硬 | |
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consultation
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| n.咨询；商量；商议；会议 | |
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shipwreck
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| n.船舶失事，海难 | |
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revolving
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| adj.旋转的，轮转式的；循环的v.（使）旋转( revolve的现在分词 )；细想 | |
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ashore
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| adv.在(向)岸上，上岸 | |
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eddy
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| n.漩涡，涡流 | |
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drenched
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| adj.湿透的；充满的v.使湿透( drench的过去式和过去分词 )；在某人（某物）上大量使用（某液体） | |
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lamentation
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| n.悲叹，哀悼 | |
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briefly
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| adv.简单地，简短地 | |
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bail
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| v.舀（水），保释；n.保证金，保释，保释人 | |
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grumbled
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| 抱怨( grumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 发牢骚； 咕哝； 发哼声 | |
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sluggishly
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| adv.懒惰地；缓慢地 | |
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ironic
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| adj.讽刺的，有讽刺意味的，出乎意料的 | |
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glowered
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| v.怒视( glower的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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smoothly
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| adv.平滑地，顺利地，流利地，流畅地 | |
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thickets
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| n.灌木丛( thicket的名词复数 )；丛状物 | |
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overflowed
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| 溢出的 | |
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regularity
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| n.规律性，规则性；匀称，整齐 | |
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wrung
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| 绞( wring的过去式和过去分词 )； 握紧（尤指别人的手）； 把（湿衣服）拧干； 绞掉（水） | |
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basked
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| v.晒太阳，取暖( bask的过去式和过去分词 )；对…感到乐趣；因他人的功绩而出名；仰仗…的余泽 | |
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regained
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| 复得( regain的过去式和过去分词 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地 | |
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equanimity
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| n.沉着，镇定 | |
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sodden
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| adj.浑身湿透的；v.使浸透；使呆头呆脑 | |
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50
prospects
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| n.希望，前途(恒为复数) | |
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51
braced
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| adj.拉牢的v.支住( brace的过去式和过去分词 )；撑牢；使自己站稳；振作起来 | |
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52
relentlessly
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| adv.不屈不挠地；残酷地；不间断 | |
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53
gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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54
momentum
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| n.动力，冲力，势头；动量 | |
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uprooted
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| v.把（某物）连根拔起( uproot的过去式和过去分词 )；根除；赶走；把…赶出家园 | |
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desperately
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| adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地 | |
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runaway
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| n.逃走的人，逃亡，亡命者；adj.逃亡的，逃走的 | |
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58
blur
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| n.模糊不清的事物；vt.使模糊，使看不清楚 | |
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outfit
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| n.（为特殊用途的）全套装备，全套服装 | |
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accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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growled
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| v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说 | |
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appeased
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| 安抚，抚慰( appease的过去式和过去分词 )； 绥靖（满足另一国的要求以避免战争） | |
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permanently
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| adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地 | |
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heartily
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| adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很 | |
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rustle
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| v.沙沙作响；偷盗(牛、马等)；n.沙沙声声 | |
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mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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strapped
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| adj.用皮带捆住的，用皮带装饰的；身无分文的；缺钱；手头紧v.用皮带捆扎(strap的过去式和过去分词)；用皮带抽打；包扎；给…打绷带 | |
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68
tickled
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| （使）发痒( tickle的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）愉快，逗乐 | |
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69
skunk
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| n.臭鼬，黄鼠狼；v.使惨败，使得零分；烂醉如泥 | |
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jack
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| n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克 | |
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