Scoop Schovle

(from a recording made of Niels Fugal in the 1950s, Listen Here)

I ust want to tell you bout dis Oxle Londstrem. He was the bigest fool I ever kno. He all the time gettin me into troubles. I think the most troubles he got me into was vhen ve both come to des contry. We hav been working at yumber lak at yumber camp up in Oregon. Ve have been working there for some sex week and one day day boss he come to me and he say "Lars, I think it best that you and Oxle take the gun and go up on the moutain and shoot the deer so we can have fresk meet for the camp." Well here been the river, and here on the bank of dem viver been dem camp, and bak of de camp been a great big high mountain. Oh, she be about em mile high! And she been cover all over vith rock and tree and stump and ting like yat you see.


Well, we ust got started climb up the mountain and I say to Oxle, "Look Oxle, there go a deer, shoot em quivk!" An Oxle, he say em, "No Lars, da boss say, 'we skall shoot the deer on top of da moutain'. Vell, vhile I'm telling em what I tink of em, da deer gets avay, so we have to climb clear up to the top of dat moutain. Dat vas the voorse climb I ever have. I tink we valk for seven miles for we come to da top. And then ve have to valk for some moor to hunt da deer. But, avter a vile I say to Oxle again, "look Oxle, right over there, bak on dat tree, been another deer. Now you shoot him or by son lingen heck I skall shoot you!" So he take good aim, and bang, he shoot da deer. Dats been a great big fella, so we take and tie his legs together and put him on a pole and carry him back to where we climb up on da mountain.

And I am looking down to camp, by heck I'm a tellin you that she ben twice so high down as she be far up, and I say to Oxle, "er, how are we goin to get way down dar to camp with this here dear?" He say, "I don't know, I's so tired I tink we better roll down". I say, "Oh, no. I got use for my neck yet!" He say, "vell, um we stay up here we freeze to death". I say "ya, and we roll down there and we break our kneck, and I think I'm feeling better with my freeze to death than with my neck broke." Well, we looking around through da trees and pretty soon I see somting. Wat you tink it vas? Well, it was one of dem der things ...a ...what you call on enlish a um, a um, well, anyhow, it one of dem things that you start from way up top of dem mountain and comes down and, um, well anyhow, it is a place where we shoot lumber shoot, it is the place where we shoot lumber. Now you know what a lumber shoot it is. So I say to Oxle, "look Oxle, der been am old lumber shoot."

He say, "by heck I got a good idea. We skall find a log, and we skall put the log in the lumber shoot and then we shall put the deer on the log, and we skall get on the log with the deer, and then we'll shoot the shoot!" I say, "you bet you life, if we goin to shoot down there, we have to have something to set on, elsk there been too many slivers". Vell a, I'm looking down to camp again, and I'm getting cold feet, so I say to Oxle, "this been your idea, you can go first, and den I see how you do it." But I guess Oxle, he been getting chill blanes too, and he says, "no, I mores tired than yous, yous better go first, and den when you come down to camp, you can bring the log back up to me". Vell, I'm valking around in the leaves to keep warm and pretty soon my feet him something. What do you tink it vas? It was one of dem things um, a, that you call on englis, a um, a ah, a shoop schovle. That is what it was, it was a shoop schovle.

I say to Oxle, "I got a good idea. One of us will take the log, and I'll take the shoop schovle." "Alright," he say, "lets go. I'm pretty near freezed to death." I say "allright, you can go first, and den you get there quicker." So, we pack the log. We could only find one log big enough for one fella to sit on, and we take dat log and put em in the lumber shoot, and den, a, we put da deer on da log. And den Olxe, he get on da log with the deer. And den I get on my shoop schovle back of de log. An he say,"now be shorn, dont forget to roll off when you come down to camp." I say, "maybe so I roll off before I come to camp". "Are you ready?" I say, "alright, let er go". He say "I cant, she stuck, give er a push." So I put my foot on der log, and I count "one, tow, tree . . ." Ha, ha, ha, ha! I never seen a fellow go so fast in all my life. Why I only got one good look at Oxle, and den I couldn't see him any more for the dust he vas makin. I say, "com bak Oxle, com bak," but he didn't come back. He ust kept on goin.

Den, when I thow my hands up, then I went. And I went ust like the wind. I don't have gone but 50 feet when I wush I was back where I had started frum, but when I com out over da first loop, den I can see Oxle. He vas clear down to camp, and ust as I look at him, the big fool, he roll off. Ya, he roll off alright, but he didn't stop. He ust kept on goin. First Oxle was on top of the log and der deer, and den the deer was on top of Oxle. And I say to my self, there's another fellow goin break his neck. You bet your life I'm goin to stick to my shoop schovle. And I stick to it, and I went ust like the vind, downd past da camp, and 50 feet out into the river. By heck, I'm a tellin you, I didn't get there any too quick ether, because my shoop schovle was red hot! Well, den I swim out to the bank of da river and climb out, and you know, I have to climb clear up to the top of dat moutain again to get my cap dat blowed off when I started.