%* A Pacific Tribune writing contest selection

Loggers’

holiday

By SAMMY WOODMAN
THE STORY THUS FAR: A group of loggers, on

their way to the city for the Christmas holidays, are riding
the crummy from the camp to the wharf when they find
the track blocked by a derailed logging train. Rather than
lie around camp for two weeks, they decide to walk the

remaining seven or eight miles through heavy snow . . .

E’RE WALKING about an

hour or a little better and
we seen to be holding our own.
Haywire says it’s a good four
miles from the wrecked train
to this bridge we're starting to
eross. Also, we’re closer to-
gether now than when we start
out, except for Wally. He’s no-
where to be seen. Even if there
was a five-mile stretch on the
track we wouldn’t be able to
see him anyway. It’s snowing
too heavy to enjoy distant
scenery at this time.

I’m over the bridge now and
about ready to forget it’s ever
been there, when I hear Little
Frank behind me saying, “I
knew it. I knew it. I knew it.
I told you so. I knew some-
thing like this would happen.”

I stop to see what Little
Frank is raving about. So do
the other boys who hear him.

Then I see Yodelling Nor-
wegian lying between the
rails in the middle of the brid-
ge, his suitcase in front of him.
He’s on his belly and his right
leg seems to be out of sight
from where I am.

Being the nearest, I holler,
“What’s the trouble?” Little
Frank says with great emo-
tion, “I heard his leg bone
snap in two.”

Naturally, I throw off my
pack and head back to give him
a hand. By the time I get to
the scene of misfortune, Little
* Petér is standing astraddle
over Yodelling Norwegian’s
hip pockets, (which is quite
a chore in itself), his arms
round his waist and is reefing
to get him upright, and Yodel-
ling Norwegian is moving his
head from side to side, like
steers will d6 when they’re
butchered. Also, his face is
getting mighty white.

I see plainly that just. up-
righting him won't do as his
leg is practically lodged be-

tween two ties, so I get hold
of him under his shoulders
from the front. That way Lit-
tle Pete and I upright Him,
with Little Frank down there
turning his foot while Little
Pete and I turn his body to
get his foot in line with the
crack. Finally, we get him in
position so we can hoist him
straight out of that crack.

With Haywire Sandy’s help,
we get him out. Then he puts
in a first, somewhat feeble
squawk. What do we think he
is, a sack of meal? “Put me
down,” he says.

So we lay him down on his
back, Little Frank still steer-
ing the broken leg. Haywire
Sandy picks up Little Pete’s
packsack and shoves it under
Yodelling Norwegian’s head
for a pillow. He looks like he’s
going to faint, then he calls
for water.

Though there’s an oversized
creek about forty or fifty feet
below us, who’s. going to
scramble down that canyon
and up again with a hat full
of water at that short notice?

“You can suck on some
snow,” Haywire says, “because
it’s hard to get water right
now,” and he scoops up a
handful of snow from one of
the ties and puts it in Yodel-
ling Norwegian’s mouth. Then
for good measure he scoops up
both hands full and rams it
on Yodelling Norwegian’s
whole map this time, his gen-
eral idea being to head off
any faint feeling Yodelling
Norwegian may feel coming
on.

Everyone is on the bridge
now except Wally, of course—
he doesn’t know anything
about this. There’s Axel
Gloomberg and Gus Houl-
strum, a couple of old hands

Vat
2
~—_

in the woods who can size up
a situation like this in no time
flat.

I often hear guys accusing
Axel of being a little on the
sarcastic side. But I believe
at least half of his sarcastic
remarks are meant to be hu-
mor. The reason people often
take him hard is because he
pulls his remarks at such ap-
propriate. times, and _ pulls
them off without cracking a
smile.

Axel comes forward, takes
a squint at Yodelling Norwe-
gian and says, slow like, “Yah.
Vell, now Hugo, aye should
tink yo vould know better
than to yam yore laig in de
crack.” (Hugo Olsen was ‘Yo-
delling Norwegian’s name

when he landed in Vancouver

from Norway.)

“Vell now,” Axel continues,
“Gus, you haf a good belt. Aye
don’t tink yo vill lose yore
pants if yo take it off.” He’s
yarding his own belt off while
he’s talking.

Then he pulls off the bone
dry that he’s wearing,crumples
it as he’s squatting down and
shoves the hat between Yodel-
ling Norwegian’s legs. just be-
low the knees for a_ spacer.

'

4

Gus hands him his bone dry
to do the same with. He
shoves this one just above the
ankles for a lower spacer, then
goes to work and wraps the
belts around both legs right
over each hat.

Now, I’ve seen many a first-
aid man performing but I’ve
never seen one put a splint
on a leg so fast and with so
few medical supplies to work
with. Axel performs the whole
operation in just about three
minutes.

They roll Yodelling Norwe-
gian on his side. “Leave me
alone. Let me lie still,”he says.

Axel comes back with, “Vell
now. You can’t just lie on de
middle of de bridge and die
yo know. Ve’ll take yo a vays
down de road and make a fire,
vere yo can keep vorm.”

Gus wraps his right arm
above the knees with his left
arm, That way they can hoist
him up to their armpits, and
around Yodelling Norwegian’s
chest and Axel takes his legs
they start walking off the
bridge with Yodelling Nortve-
gian’s left arm dragging in the
snow. The rest of us follow.

Bee! guess it looks something
like a funeral march along

July 20, 1956 —

with everybody looki
mad or sad. Hard to té
though. I expect so
bers in the party are
Yodelling Norwegian ©
trip and fall off the brida
together and meet 4™
rock with his head fii

hind picking up packsae ;

suitcases as we go.

We’ve gone maybe
hundred yards when
him down between
I can see an old fir ¥

a few yards off thé ;

that’s been levelled of,

twenty feet from the
It looks to be about Wy
four feet off the groull
maybe five and a half?
feet through at the buth

Axel goes up and 100
der it and around it.
turns and hollers, “Ge
von of de boys and bri
here.” Haywire Sandy
Yodelling Norwegial»
and with Gus helping li
over and dumps him um
windfall, which has #

three-foot strip bare of 6

By now we've alreaé
ed a good fifteen m
our travelling time.

“Vell now, who
take a chance in mis»
tub and stay vit Hug
sings.

Little Frank comes ™
and says, “Sure, 50
ought to stay with ™
keep the fire going
speeder gets here.”
“T might as well stay W
I can’t help but thi
Frank is not staying W
delling Norwegian j
pure goodheartednes®
Any amateur psycholé
see the old jinx has
over the barrel now
just looking for an
stop travelling till
cools off some.

The way I look at di
a jinx and want some
I wouldn’t think of #
guys on such a, har
this and suffer al?
them, even though I
dirty little trick
there.

“What I’d do is 8?
warm comfortable P#
pull some queer
making tricks on its ©
Then I'd get back
cozy corner to enjoy
vest. But, not know!
ture of jinxes, I
cize them any more:
they like roughing it~

(To be ©
PACIFIC TRIBUNE —