At the Cedars by Duncan Campbell Scott. Edmund Clarence Stedman, ed. 1895. A Victorian Anthology, 1837-1895

Verse > Anthologies > Edmund Clarence Stedman, ed. > A Victorian Anthology, 1837–1895

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Edmund Clarence Stedman, ed. (1833–1908). A Victorian Anthology, 1837–1895. 1895.

At the Cedars

Duncan Campbell Scott (1862–1947)


YOU had two girls—Baptiste—
One is Virginie—
Hold hard—Baptiste!
Listen to me.

The whole drive was jammed,	5
In that bend at the Cedars;
The rapids were dammed
With the logs tight rammed
And crammed; you might know
The Devil had clinched them below.	10

We worked three days—not a budge!
“She ’s as tight as a wedge
On the ledge,”
Says our foreman:
“Mon Dieu! boys, look here,	15
We must get this thing clear.”

He cursed at the men,
And we went for it then;
With our cant-dogs arow,
We just gave he-yo-ho,	20
When she gave a big shove
From above.

The gang yelled, and tore
For the shore;
The logs gave a grind,	25
Like a wolf’s jaws behind,
And as quick as a flash,
With a shove and a crash,
They were down in a mash,
But I and ten more,	30
All but Isaéc Dufour,
Were ashore.

He leaped on a log in the front of the rush,
And shot out from the bind
While the jam roared behind;	35
As he floated along
He balanced his pole
And tossed us a song.
But, just as we cheered,
Up darted a log from the bottom,	40
Leaped thirty feet fair and square,
And came down on his own.

He went up like a block
With the shock;
And when he was there,	45
In the air,
Kissed his hand
To the land.
When he dropped
My heart stopped,	50
For the first logs had caught him
And crushed him;
When he rose in his place
There was blood on his face.

There were some girls, Baptiste,	55
Picking berries on the hillside,
Where the river curls, Baptiste,
You know,—on the still side
One was down by the water,
She saw Isaé	60
Fall back.

She did not scream, Baptiste,
She launched her canoe;
It did seem, Baptiste,
That she wanted to die too,	65
For before you could think
The birch cracked like a shell
In that rush of hell,
And I saw them both sink—

Baptiste!	70
He had two girls,
One is Virginie;
What God calls the other
Is not known to me.

CONTENTS · BIBLIOGRAPHIC RECORD

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