They could always retreat to the
"shanty," which Solon kept well filled with warmth and comfort, and
they had the satisfaction of an uninterrupted progress. The management
of the raft called for a vast amount of hard and monotonous work; but
it gave them splendid muscles and tremendous appetites. They were
obliged to maintain a constant lookout for bars, reefs, snags, and
up-bound river craft, and by means of the long sweeps at either end of
the raft head it this way or that to avoid these obstacles and keep the
channel. They were always on the move from sunrise to sunset, and
generally travelled on moonlit nights as well. If the night promised
to be dark or stormy they tied up at the nearest bank.
At such times the outside blackness, the howling wind, driving
rain-squalls, and dashing waves only heightened the interior cosiness,
the light, warmth, and general comfort of their floating home. In it
they played games, sang songs to the accompaniment of Solon's banjo,
told stories, taught the dogs tricks; or, under Billy Brackett's
direction, pegged away at engineering problems, such as are constantly
arising in the course of railway construction. Even Winn tried his
hand at these; for under the stimulus of his companions' enthusiasm he
was beginning to regard the career of an engineer as one of the most
desirable and manly in which a young fellow could embark.
Pages:
256
257
258
259
260
261
262
263
264
265
266
267
268
269
270
271
272
273
274
275
276
277
278
279
280