One day a teamster who sometimes came to the college, told Paul of a
sheet of water that was much larger than the swimming hole. He called
it "Bruce's Dam." Next morning Paul and a Philadelphia boy named
Stockdale, who was his particular chum, obtained permission to go out of
bounds. They had managed during breakfast to appropriate a sufficient
supply of bread and butter for all day. They started out to find Bruce's
dam. A long and weary tramp they had over the mountains. They turned
aside often to chase the gray squirrels that abounded in that country,
and they wasted much time in a fruitless attempt to dig out a red fox,
that had crossed their path and shot down a hole in the ground. They
were so long reaching the dam that they thought they must have been
misdirected. They were about to return, when Paul suddenly said, "Hark!
I think I hear water!" They listened intently for a few seconds. A
sound again came through the woods. They struck out a little to the
right and were soon at the long-sought, dam. It was a body of water
about one hundred yards wide and five hundred yards long. Enormous pine
stumps protruded through the surface. There was a miserable looking
saw-mill situated at the lower end. Two men were employed in drawing out
logs and ripping them up into boards.
Pages:
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42