The Lumberjack Sky Pilot

nity. The lumberjacks that are in a camp this winter are scattered all through the north with the opening of the next logging season, for there is little to tie a man to one employer in preference

rom eight to twenty, and from camp to camp he goes with his tidings of salvation, holding meetings every night in a different camp. The work is strenuous, and he must have a heart warm with the love for souls of men who would willingly, faithfully

workers are laboring. He is constantly on the go, "a sort of walking boss for the Sky Route Co." The scatte

degrees below zero, not seldom reaching a much lower mark. If a strong wind is blowing when the temperat

G WIT

long you are transporting a mountain that has developed from a peak to an endless range of Himalayas. The fun has departed and only the hard spirit of fatigue is your company. Every step is an effort, every blast of the wind reaches the marrow: the exposed face feels like cold onyx, and the wind-inflamed eyes look through frozen lashes for the smoke of the cookshed above the distant trees. The fingertips send to the brain their protest against the numbing cold that stiffens them, and the arms are swinging to aid the frozen blood to reach the pained extremities. Mile after mile, endlessly the trail stretches into the forest; mile after mile the pain and suffering continue; mile after mile the weary feet drag the heavy burden to carry the message of a Savior t

camp. The day is spent in passing from one camp to another, for often the camps

de the long journey between the camps. The idea of using a dog team is a very practical one. It furnished an easy means of locomotion, the task of stabling was not difficult and the cost of food

on into easy paths. The lumberjacks are passionately fond of animals, and the advent of the dog team made a favorable first impression in almost every camp. The doors of many bunkhouses are secured by a sliding latch, and when pressure is brought to bear against the outside of the door it will open without the raising of the latch. On arriving at the camp in the evening the miss

they would drag their sled at the rate of six or eight mi

ne stump and wood collected for the night. The only food Mr. Higgins had with him was a rabbit he had shot, and this was divided between himself and the dogs. It was the only food since breakfast. The sweet green boughs of the pines furnished a bed above the snow and the robes from the sled

ls of their eyes, while their voices were distinct and near. Arising, the missionary replenished the fire, and when it broke into a

on arrived at the village of Little Forks, where he condu

sense of direction was lost in the raging blizzard. The dog team wandered from the beaten path into the muskeg and in the swamp they were c

y thought it was due to overwork and reproached himself for being thoughtless of his friends. Later he went to them again, but they would not touch a morsel of food. With a sore heart the

ogs yours?" aske

if the man was going to add to the reproa

pper last night. The hungry cannibals swiped half a hog and ate it. I

reacher's mind and before, the proprietor had finished he found his auditor laughing with hearty

asked to pay their board, and I assure you they earned

f the compass are soon lost even to the well tried woodsman. The description of a blizzard may

loose snow and filled the air with its choking mass. The wooded shore was soon hidden by the veiling snow and all sense of direction had disappeared. Down the twent

sed his prayer for help, and what man could not do was done by the leading of the ever-

d in the unbroken forest, and near the low hour of midnight he came to the miserable shack of an Indian squaw. His scanty knowledge of the Indian to

fore wrote to the churches in the state asking them to collect old magazines and ship them to him for distribution. The churches responded and soon he and his helpers were distributing literature to about one hundred camps. From five to seven tons of magazines are distributed in a season. Great good has come from this feature of the work; it gave

gazines. Immediately there was a rush for the reading matter and then for the wannigan to buy lanterns by which to read. In a

ce a little later. "Are you trying to turn the bunkshack into a night school? I'

nes so the boys can read a little i

the guy that splashes ink." "This neck of the woods will hav

ct to the boys reading

e remembered that a clerk has lots of time to read and h

e of the reading matter bef

ome forward to receive their share in the distribution. These magazines are passed from one to another until they are

t to a neighboring camp. The tote-team driver came in, somewhat the worse for the liquid refreshment he had taken. While looking over

npusher, who is this for? Is it for

man," replie

mistake here, penpusher, the Sky Pilot's no reverend, he

t to the sleigh, still mumbling, "H

f the title "Sky Pilot,

ilot Davis," "Sky Pilot Date," and others. He had heard the term used in reference to Mr. Higgins and naturally assumed th

hat way? You'd think the woods were full of Sky Pilot

alone, although it is occasionally given to the others, but seldom

rotestants or left undone. A priest could hardly do the work. It would be difficult to go through the forms and ceremonies of

ciate the idea that all men were striving to p

White sees to the cuttin' on thirty-six, while every gang is landing its stuff on the same lake and in the spring they'll make the drive together down the river. Gettin' out logs is what they're paid for and the lumber king in Minneapolis foots the bill for the whole works. So what's the

in the progress of the work, for they know that it does not strive to make Protestants of them, but that its end and aim is to lead the lumberjacks to a better life throu

ad been with their loads. On returning to the camp they learned that the Sky Pilot was holding service and came in supperless to enjoy the meeting. Few of our towns people would forego the pleasures of the table, after the appetite had been sharpe

of its vitality, the severe temperature and the strong breath of the wind d

was accentuated by the cold. Drearily he plodded on, hoping that some tote-team would come that way and carry him to the camp, but no welcome conveyance appeared. Unable to proceed any further, he at last sat down in the drifted snow to rest. Through the cut over lands the cold wind swept its unobstructed way, chilling the sick man to the marrow. Off in the far north the tall Norways lifted their long arms

nd pained, pressing on in spite of illness until the smoke of the cookshed showed itself above the hollow in which the buildings were located. There the lumberjacks found him and assisted him to the shelter of the camp, where they tenderly worked to warm and

ll cook, "and we ought to do something to help t

ing for one that's a

skey in this camp? You know that Sweeny's tongue has been hanging

they were not to be found. The men w

e can't give him any medicine for we haven't it, but I'll tell

ut we've never logged much on that land. You start the deal, Johnson, for you're onto that game

led in a rude prayer, and silently the men, who prayed not for themselv

wept himself to sleep. The morning brought a brighter day to the men, for they he

ch that no liquor enters; with its introduction trouble begins and a reduced output of logs is the result. Yet in spite of the care exercised by respectable foremen, it makes its way into the camp, being carried by the tote-teams, the bootlegger, and the men when returning from the neighboring towns. Men with strong app

" with squirrel whiskey from early morn. At the afternoon meeting the spirit of whiskey showed itself in many disturbances. One intox

o a friend, the lumberjack he had ejected from the camp came staggering up. The campm

amp?" asked the man of the sudden exit. There was pass

drawing himself up and advancing toward the l

ily as his unsteady legs would allow him, and s

TAKING A MAN T

hink I want to say anything against it. I just wanted to know if you was the man, that's all. You'r

her lumberjacks,

not tried to help you? Yet for the sport of the thing you try to get this poor, drun

ter beaten cheek. That night in a nearby camp almost e

we came at you, but you know it wasn't us, it was Whiskey. That'

have already. Giv

ar. Church quarrels have bounds, but where are the limits of the quarrels of the lumberjacks? From words they readily pass to blows and in a moment's

Deer River squirrel whiskey, and in a short time things were moving at a terrific rate. You may call it a tempest in a teapot, but never have I seen anything like the affair; no human tongue could describe the sight. The Irish, the S

, the conditions were soon beyond me, for it was impossible, even for a traveling missionary, to be in

tered beyond recognition. I pulled off the chastiser, but did not succeed in releasing the old man before one of his eyes had been closed and the mouth and face were covered with blood. No sooner had the champion of this

had to literally drag them through the snow away from the track, so they would

rain. A sober woodsman who saw the fight of the drunken lumberjacks said, 'Pilot, why do you continue to work among such men?' and I made answer, 'Because my

nverted into an ambulance and men who have met with accidents are carried to the nearest hospital for treatment. If the accident is severe he visits the wounded to give cheer

money to meet the expense, but the minister makes all arrangements for the funeral and after the body is entombed he goes back to th

rist brought his strong salvation to me,"

ems more real than if it were the message of the preacher. When the testimony comes from their own mates they are more receptive to the g

ghboring camp they are often found at the bunkhouse meetings. Mr. Higgins is practically the only pastor who visits the scattered peasantry; he conducts their marriage ceremonies, baptizes their children and speaks the last words over their dead. Into these homes he alone comes bearing spiritual tidings. Some of these homesteaders work their farms in summer and in the winter help ou