Charlie, the Lonesome Cougar Page #3

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They'll make sure there aren't

any major centerjams or wing jams

or any other kind of hang-ups.

Last to leave would be the cook,

in a well-stocked floating kitchen

called the Little Wonigan.

Moving out now, the Big Wonigan.

For the next 10 or 15 days,

these seagoing shacks

would be living quarters

for the whole drive crew - about 40 men.

Well, the big push was over now

for Jess and Charlie.

They figured things would be

getting back to normal again.

Come on, Charlie.

Let's go home.

But old fickle fate had other ideas.

It seems Potlatch had brought the ton

of food it took the feed the river crew.

- Hiya, Jess!

- Hello, Potlatch.

He'd also brought 15 pounds of trouble.

- You got 'em all loaded, ready to go?

- Hey, Charlie!

You get that drive started OK?

Hey, window's open!

- Chainsaw, get back!

- Charlie, come back here!

Chainsaw! You leave that cat alone!

Charlie! Charlie!

Come back here!

Charlie!

Charlie!

Charlie, come back here!

Chainsaw, stop!

Hey, Potlatch, they're coming your way!

Head 'em off!

Hey, grab him!

Hey, that's enough of that.

Charlie had left one problem behind

only to head straight for another.

This cook was a new man. He'd never

even heard of Good-Time Charlie.

Well, he was about

to make his acquaintance.

Whoa!

- Cougar!

- Yeah, I know.

There's a cougar!

Charlie! Charlie!

Hold on, Charlie!

Oh, great.

Charlie had already

found himself a lifeboat.

But Jess just kept going down and down

with the ship.

Charlie!

Charlie!

Jess figured if he was gonna save

the Wonigan and his cougar and himself,

he'd better be dressed for the occasion.

There was white water ahead,

and plenty of it.

All Jess could do now was steer

a middle course, stay in the main stream

and hope somehow to salvage

that cougar from his one-log catamaran.

The current was doing about 15 knots,

and that can use up

an awful lot of river in a hurry.

Rescue wasn't getting one quarter-inch

closer as far as Charlie could see.

Then came along this chance

to get out of his own little jam

by getting onto a bigger one.

Now he'd just wait here for the boss

to drop by and pick him up.

Charlie!

Charlie! Charlie!

Charlie! Stay right there!

I'll be back for you!

It looked like Charlie

had sure missed the boat.

All he'd got was promises,

when what he really needed was help.

So being left to his own natural resources,

Charlie figured he'd just have

to launch out on his own.

That free-floating kitchen

was getting quite a bit behind schedule,

and now a search party

was on its way upriver.

Hey, there it is!

Hey, it's Jess Bradley.

- When did you take up cooking, Jess?

- And what did you do with our cook?

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