Vietnam or Thailand ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
Updated: June 28, 2025
Men got rich very quickly at this business. And there existed this great advantage in favour of the dive-keeper: nobody cared what happened to a riverman. You could pound him over the head with a lead pipe, or drug his drink, or choke him to insensibility, or rob him and throw him out into the street, or even drop him tidily through a trap-door into the river flowing conveniently beneath.
He turned to see old Jim Tally bent over to light his pipe behind the mahogany of his curved hand. "Want to take in Marion, bub?" he enquired. "Sure!" cried Bob heartily, surprised at this mark of favour. "Come on then," said the old riverman, "the lightning express is gettin' anxious for us." They tramped to the station and boarded the single passenger car of the accommodation.
Ordinarily from very early in the morning until very late at night the riverman is busy every instant at his dangerous and absorbing work.
Old riverman that he was, Uncle Henry was pretty sure of what was about to happen. The huge log came tearing on, butt first, a wave of troubled water split by its on-rush. Turner was watching the person bringing him the axe, and never once threw a glance over his shoulder. Suddenly Nan cried out and seized Uncle Henry's arm. "Look! Oh, Uncle! It's Rafe!" she gasped, pointing.
"He's a good riverman, but he's no river boss. Too easy-going. Well, all he has to do is to direct the work, luckily. If anything really goes wrong, Darrell would be down in two jumps." "Grub pile!" remarked the cook conversationally. The men seized the utensils from a heap of them, and began to fill their plates from the kettles on the table. "Come on, bub," said Welton, "dig in!
As it was, his clothes were literally torn to ribbons, one eye was blacked, his nose broken, one ear hung to its place by a mere shred of skin, and his face and flesh were ripped and torn everywhere by the "corks" on the boots. Any but a riverman would have qualified for the hospital. Dan rolled to the other side of the table, made a sudden break, and escaped.
These gave him either the sullen, biding look of an Indian or an air of set determination, as the observer pleased. Just now he contemplated the fire rather gloomily. Welton sat down on the same log with him. "Well, bub," said the old riverman good-naturedly, "so you thought you'd like to be a riverman?" "Yes, sir," replied the boy, with a certain sullen reserve.
Mordaunt asked of Colonel Zane's party. "Thank you, some other time, with pleasure. We have our drink now," Colonel Zane said courteously. Meantime Brandt had been whispering in Case's ear. The little man laughed at something the riverman said. Then he shuffled from behind the table. He was short, his compact build gave promise of unusual strength and agility.
And when Allison raised his brows, interrogatively, McLean dropped one hand upon the boy's shoulder, a bit of pride in the gesture. "Holler she is," he agreed, and he added: "An' I'll be afther knowin' where to find a riverman av the old school, I'm thinkin', some day whin the need arises!"
"No, ma'am," replied a gigantic riverman who was working near at hand, "that ain't nothin'. Ordinary, however, we travel that way on the river. At night we have the cookee pass us out each a goose-ha'r piller, and lay down for the night." Carroll looked at him in reproof. He grinned slowly. "Don't git worried about me, ma'am," said he, "I'm hopeless.
Word Of The Day
Others Looking