You had two girls -- Baptiste -- One is Virginie -- Hold hard -- Baptiste! Listen to me. The whole drive was jammed 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. 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, 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; When she gave a big shove From above. The gang yelled and tore For the shore, The logs gave a grind 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, All but Isaàc 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; 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, Leaped thirty feet square and fair, And came down on his own. He went up like a block With the shock, And when he was there In the air, Kissed his hand To the land; When he dropped My heart stopped, 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, Picking berries on the hillside, Where the river curls, Baptiste, You know -- on the still side One was down by the water, She saw Isaàc Fall back. She did not scream, Baptiste, She launched her canoe; It did seem, Baptiste, That she wanted to die too, For before you could think The birch cracked like a shell In that rush of hell, And I saw them both sink -- Baptiste ! -- He had two girls, One is Virginie, What God calls the other Is not known to me.