I
Thetimewastheyear1872，andtheplaceabendintheriverabovealongpondterminatinginadam。Beyondthisdam，andonaflatlowerthanit，stoodatwo—storymillstructure。Saveforasmall，stump—dottedclearing，andtheroadthatledfromit，allelsewasforest。Hereinthebottom—lands，followingthecourseofthestream，thehardwoodsgrewdense，theiruppermostbranchesjustbeginningtosprayoutinthefirstgreenofspring。Fartherback，wherethehigherlandsarosefromtheswamp，couldbediscernedthegracefulfrondofwhitepinesandhemlock，andthesturdytopsofNorwaysandspruce。
Astrongwindblewupthelengthofthepond。Itruffledthesurfaceofthewater，swoopingdowninfan—shaped，scurryingcat’s—
paws，turningthedark—bluesurfaceasoneturnsthenapofvelvet。
Attheupperendoftheponditevensucceededinraisingquiterespectablewavelets，whichLAPLAPLAPPEDeagerlyagainstabarrieroffloatinglogsthatfilledcompletelythemouthoftheinletriver。Andbehindthisbarrierwereotherlogs，andyetothers，asfarastheeyecouldsee，sothattheentiresurfaceofthestreamwascarpetedbythebrowntimbers。Amancouldhavewalkeddownthemiddleofthatriverasdownahighway。
Onthebank，andinasmallwoods—opening，burnedtwofires，theirsmokeduckingandtwistingunderthebuffetingofthewind。Thefirstofthesefiresoccupiedashallowtrenchdugforitsaccommodation，andwasoverarchedbyarusticframeworkfromwhichhungseveralpails，kettles，andpots。Aninjured—looking，chubbymaninabatteredbrownderbyhatmovedhereandthere。Hedividedhistimebetweentheutensilsandanindifferentyouth——his\"cookee。\"Theother，andlarger，firecentredarectanglecomposedoftallracks，builtofsaplingsandintendedforthedryingofclothes。Twolargetentsgleamedwhiteamongthetrees。
Aboutthedrying—fireweregatheredthirty—oddmen。Somewerehalf—
recliningbeforetheblaze；otherssatinrowsonlogsdrawncloseforthepurpose；stillotherssquattedlikeIndiansontheirheels，theirhandsthrownforwardtokeepthebalance。Nearlyallweresmokingpipes。
Everyagewasrepresentedinthisgroup，butyoungmenpredominated。
Allworewoollentrousersstuffedintoleatherbootsreachingjusttotheknee。Thesebootswerearmedonthesoleswithrowsofformidablesharpspikesorcaulks，ahalfandsometimeseventhreequartersofaninchinlength。Thetightdriver’sshoeand\"stagged\"trousershadnotthencomeintouse。Fromthewaistdownthesemenworeallalike，asthoughinauniform，theoutwardsymboloftheircalling。Fromthewaistupwasmorelatitudeofpersonaltaste。Oneyoungfellowsportedabright—colouredMackinawblanketjacket；anotherworearedknitsash，withtasselledends；athird’sfancyrantoabrightbandanaabouthisneck。Head—gear，too，coveredwidevariationsofbroaderornarrowerbrim，ofhigherorlowercrown；andthefacesbeneaththosehatsdifferedaseverywherethehumancountenancediffers。Onlywhentheinspection，passingthegradationsofbroadornarrow，thickorthin，bonyorrounded，restedfinallyontheeyes，wouldtheobserverhavecaughtagainthecaste—markwhichstampedthesemenasbelongingtoadistinctorder，andseparatedthemessentiallyfromothermeninotheroccupations。
Blueandbrownandblackandgraytheseeyeswere，butallsteadyandclearwiththesteadinessandclaritythatcomestothosewhosedailyworkcompelsthemunderpenaltytopaycloseandundeviatingattentiontotheirsurroundings。Thisistrueofsailors，hunters，plainsmen，cowboys，andtugboatcaptains。Itwasespeciallytrueoftheold—fashionedriver—driver，foramisstep，amiscalculation，amoment’sforgetfulnessofthesullenforcesshiftingandchangingabouthimcouldmeanforhimmaimingordestruction。So，finally，tooneofanimaginativebent，theseeyes，likethe\"corkboots，\"
grewtoseempartoftheuniform，oneofthemarksoftheircaste，theoutwardsymboloftheircalling。
\"Blow，yousonofagun！\"crieddisgustedlyoneyoungfellowwitharedbandana，apostrophisingthewind。\"Iwonderifthere’sANYsideofthisfirethatain’tsmoky！\"
\"Keepyourhairon，bub，\"advisedacalmandgrizzledold—timer。
\"There’snevernosmokeontheOTHERsideofthefire——whicheverthathappenstobe。Andasforwind——shejustmakesholidayfortheriver—hogs。\"
\"Holiday，hell！\"snortedtheyoungerman。\"WeoughttobedowntoBull’sDambeforenow——\"
\"AndBull’sDamishalf—waytoRedding，\"mockedareptilianandred—
headedgiantonthelog，\"andReddingisthehappychildhoodhomeof——\"
Theyoungmanleapedtohisfeetandseizedfromapileoftoolsapeavy——adangerousweapon，likeaheavycant—hook，butarmedattheendwithasharpsteelshoe。
\"That’saboutenough！\"hewarned，raisinghisweapon，hisfacesuffusedandangry。Thered—headedman，quiteunafraid，roseslowlyfromthelogandadvanced，bare—handed，hissmalleyesnarrowedandwatchful。
Butimmediatelyadozenmeninterfered。
\"Dryup！\"advisedthegrizzledold—timer——TomNorthbyname。\"You，Purdy，setdown；andyou，youngsquirt，subside！Ifyou’regoingtohaveructions，why，have’em，butnotondrive。Ifyoudon’tlookout，I’llsetyoubothtorustlingwoodforthedoctor。\"
Atthisthreatthebelligerentsdroppedmutteringtotheirplaces。
Thewindcontinuedtoblow，thefirecontinuedtoflareupanddown，themencontinuedtosmoke，exchangingfromtimetotimedesultoryandaimlessremarks。OnlyTomNorthcarriedonaconsecutive，low—
voicedconversationwithanotherofabouthisownage。
\"Justthesame，Jim，\"hewassaying，\"itisalittletoughontheboys——thisnewsluice—gatebusiness。They’vebeensortofexpectin’
achanceforadayortwoatRedding，andnow，ifthissonofagunofawindhangsout，Idon’tknowwhenwe’llmakeher。TheshallowsatBull’swasalwaysbadenough，butthisisworse。\"
\"Yes，Iexpectedtopickyouup’waybelow，\"admittedJim，whose\"turkey，\"orclothes—bag，athissideproclaimedhimanewcomer。
\"Hadquiteatramptofindyou。\"
\"Thisstretchofslackwaterwasalwaysaterror，\"wentonNorth，\"andwehadfairlytopike—poleeverystickthroughwhenthewindblew；butnowthatdam’sbackedthewaterupuntiltherereelyain’tnocurrentatall。Andthisbreezehasjuststoppedthedrivedeadasasmelt。\"
\"Don’topeningthesluice—gatesgiveheradraw？\"inquiredthenewcomer。
\"Notagainstthiswind——andnotmuchofadraw，anyway，Ishouldguess。\"
\"Howlongyoubeenhung？\"
\"Justto—day。IexpectJackwillbedownfromtherearshortly。
Oughttoseesomething’swrongwhenherunsagainstthetailofthisjamofours。\"
Atthismomentthelugubrious，round—facedmaninthederbyhatsteppedasidefromtherowofsteamingutensilshehadbeenarranging。
\"Grubpile，\"heremarkedinaconversationaltoneofvoice。
Thegrouparoseasonemanandmovedupontheheapofcutleryandoftinplatesandcups。Fromtheopenfifty—poundlardpailsandkettlestheyhelpedthemselvesliberally；thenretiredtosquatinlittlegroupshereandtherenearthesourcesofsupply。Mereconversationyieldedtoanindustrioussilence。Sadlythecooksurveyedthescene，hisarmsfoldedacrossthedirtywhiteapron，animmensementalreservationaccentingthemelancholyofhiscountenance。Aftersomemomentsofcontemplationhemixedafizzlingconcoctionofvinegarandsoda，whichhedrank。Hisrotunditytothecontrarynotwithstanding，hewasravagedbyagnawingdyspepsia，andthesightofsixeggseatenasasidedishtosubstantialscarriedconsternationtohisinterior。
Sobusilyengagedwaseachafterhisownfashionthatnobodyobservedtheapproachofasolitaryfiguredownthehighwayoftheriver。Themanappearedtinyaroundtheupperbend，momentlygrowinglargerasheapproached。Hisprogresswasjerkyandonanunevenzigzag，accordingasthelogslay，byleaps，shortruns，briefpauses，asarivermangoes。Finallyhesteppedashorejustbelowthecamp，stampedhisfeetvigorouslyfreeofwater，andapproachedthegrouparoundthecooking—fire。
Noonesawhimsavethecook，whovouchsafedhimastatelyandlugubriousinclinationofthehead。
Thenewcomerwasamansomewhereaboutthirtyyearsofage，squarelybuilt，bigofbone，compactinbulk。Hisfacewasburly，jolly，andreddenedratherthantannedbylongexposure。Apairoftwinklingblueeyesandahumorouslyquirkedmouthredeemedhiscountenancefromcommonplaceness。
Hespreadhisfeetapartandsurveyedthescene。
\"Well，boys，\"heremarkedatlastinarollickingbigvoice，\"I’mgladtoseethesituationhasn’tspoiledyourappetites。\"
Atthistheylookedupwithaspontaneousansweringgrin。TomNorthlaidasidehisplateandstartedtoarise。
\"Sitstill，Tom，\"interposedthenewcomer。\"Eathearty。I’mgoingtofeedyetmyself。Thenwe’llseewhat’stobedone。Ithinkfirstthingyou’dbetterseetohavingthiswindturnedoff。\"
Afterthemealwasfinished，Northandhisprincipalsaunteredtothewater’sedge，wheretheystoodforaminutelookingatthelogsandtheruffledexpanseofwaterbelow。
\"Mightaswellhavesailsonthemandbedonewithit，\"remarkedJackOrdereflectively。\"Couldn’thold’emanytighter。It’sapitythatoldmossbackhadtoputinamill。Thewaterwasslackenoughbefore，butnowthereseemstobenocurrentatall。\"
\"Caseofwaitforthewind，\"agreedTomNorth。\"OldDalywillbered—headed。Hemustbeaboutoutoflogsatthemill。Theflood—
water’sgoingdowneveryminute，andit’llmaketherifflesaboveReddingaholyfright。AndIexpectJohnson’sdrivewillbedownonourrearmostanytime。\"
\"It’stherealready。Let’sgotakealook，\"suggestedOrde。
Theypickedtheirwayaroundtheedgeofthepondtothesiteofthenewmill。
\"Sluiceopenallright，\"commentedOrde。\"Thoughtshemightbeclosed。\"
\"Isawtothat，\"rejoinedNorthinaninjuredtone。
\"’Course，\"agreedOrde，\"buthemighthavedroppedhershutonyoubetweentimes，whenyouweren’tlooking。\"
Hewalkedoutonthestructureandlookeddownonthesmoothwaterrushingthrough。
\"Oughttomakeadraw，\"hereflected。Thenhelaughed。\"Tom，lookhere，\"hecalled。\"Climbdownandtakeasquintatthis。\"
Northclamberedtoapositionbelow。
\"Thesonofagun！\"heexclaimed。
Thesluice，insteadofbeddingatthenaturalchanneloftheriver，hadbeenbuiltagoodsixfeetabovethatlevel；sothat，evenwiththegateswideopen，a\"head\"ofsixfeetwasretainedintheslackwaterofthepond。
\"Nowonderwecouldn’tgetadraw，\"saidOrde。\"Let’shuntupoldWhat’s—his—nameandhaveapow—wow。\"
\"HisnameisplainReed，\"explainedNorth。\"Therehecomesnow。\"
\"Saintedcats！\"criedOrde，withoneofhisbig，rollickingchuckles。\"Wheredidyoucatchit？\"
Theownerofthedamflappedintoviewasalankandlengthyindividualdressedinloose，longclothesandwearinga—topabatteredold\"plug\"hat，thenapofwhichseemedalltohavebeenrubbedoffthewrongway。
Asheboredownontheintruderswithtremendous，nervousstrides，theyperceivedhimtobeanoldman，whiteofhair，cadaverousofcountenance，withthin，straightlips，andburning，fanaticeyesbeneathstiffandbushybrows。
\"Good—morning，Mr。Reed，\"shoutedOrdeabovethenoiseofthewater。
\"Good—morning，gentlemen，\"repliedtheapparition。
\"Nicedamyougothere，\"wentonOrde。
Reednodded，hisfieryeyesfixedunblinkingontheriverman。
\"Butyouhaven’tbeenquitesquaretous，\"saidOrde。Youaren’tgivingusmuchshowtogetourlogsout。\"
\"Howso？\"snappedtheowner，histhinlipstightening。
\"Oh，Iguessyouknow，allright，\"laughedOrde，clamberingleisurelybacktothetopofthedam。\"Thatsluiceisagoodsixfoottoohigh。\"
\"Isthatso！\"criedtheoldman，plungingsuddenlyintoacrazeofexcitement。\"Well，letmetellyouthis，Mr。Man，I’mgivingyouallthelawgivesyou，andthat’sthenaturalflowoftheriver，andnotathingmorewillyouget！Youthatcomestowasteanddestroy，toarrogateuntoyourselvesthekingdomsoftheyearthandallthefruitsthereof，letmetellyouyoucan’toverrideSimeonReed！I’mengagedhereinapeacefulandfittin’operation，whichistofeedthehungrybymeansofthisgrist—mill，nottorampageandbringdestructiontothenobleforestsGodhasplanted！I’vegiveyouwhatthelawgivesyou，andnothin’more！\"
Somewhatastonishedatthisoutbreak，thetworivermenstoodforamomentstaringattheoldman。ThenasteelyglintcreptintoOrde’sfrankblueeyeandthecornersofhismouthtightened。
\"Wewantnotroublewithyou，Mr。Reed，\"saidhe，\"andI’mnolawyertoknowwhatthelawrequiresyoutodoandwhatitrequiresyounottodo。ButIdoknowthatthisistheonlydamontheriverwithsluicesbuiltupthatway，andIdoknowthatwe’llnevergetthoselogsoutifwedon’tgetmoredrawonthewater。Good—day。\"
FollowedbythereluctantNorthhewalkedaway，leavingthegauntfigureofthedamownergazingafterthem，hisblackgarmentsflappingabouthim，hishandsclaspedbehindhisback，hisruffledplughatthrustfromhisforehead。
\"Well！\"burstoutNorth，whentheywereoutofhearing。
\"Well！\"mimickedOrdewithalaugh。
\"Areyougoingtoletthatoldhigh—bankerwalkalloveryou？\"
\"Whatareyougoingtodoaboutit，Tom？It’shisdam。\"
\"Idon’tknow。Butyouain’tgoingtolethimbangusuphereallsummer——\"
\"Surenot。Butthewind’sshifting。Let’sseewhattheweather’sliketo—morrow。To—day’sprettylate。\"
II
Thenextmorningdawnedclearandbreathless。Beforedaylightthepessimisticcookwasout，hisfirewinkingbravelyagainstthedarkness。Hisonlysatisfactionofthelongdaycamewhenhearousedthemenfromtheheavysleepintowhichdailytoilplungedthem。Withthefirstlighttheentirecrewwereatthebanksoftheriver。
Assoonasthewinddiedthelogshadbeguntodriftslowlyoutintotheopenwater。Thesurfaceofthepondwascoveredwiththescatteredtimbersfloatingidly。Afterafewmomentstheclankofthebarsandratchetwasheardastwoofthemenraisedtheheavysluice—gateonthedam。Aroarofwater，momentlyincreasing，markedtheslowriseofthebarrier。Averyimaginativemanmightthenhavemadeoutatendencyforwardonthepartofthosetimbersfloatingnearestthecentreofthepond。Itwasaverysluggishtendency，however，andthemenwatchingcriticallyshooktheirheads。
Fourmorehadbythistimejoinedthetwomenwhohadraisedthegate，andalltogether，armedwithlongpikepoles，walkedoutonthefunnel—shapedboomsthatshouldconcentratethelogsintothechute。Heretheyproddedforwardthefewtimberswithinreach，andwaitedformore。
Thesewerealongtimecoming。Membersofthedrivingcrewleapedshoutingfromonelogtoanother。Sometimes，whenthespaceacrosswastoowidetojump，theypropelledalogovereitherbyrollingit，paddlingit，orprojectingitbytheshockofaleapononeend。
Inaccomplishingthesefeatsoftight—ropebalance，theystooduprightandgraceful，quiteunconsciousofthemselves，theirbodiesaccustomedbylonghabittoniceandinstantobediencetothealmostunconsciousimpulsesofthebrain。Onlytheireyes，intent，preoccupied，blazedoutbysheerwill—powertheunstablepaththeirownersshouldfollow。Onceattheforefrontofthedrive，themenbeganvigorouslytourgethelogsforward。Thistheyaccomplishedalmostentirelybymainstrength，forthesluggishcurrentgavethemlittleaid。Underthepressureoftheirfeetastheypushedagainsttheirimplements，thelogsdipped，rolled，andplunged。
Nevertheless，theyworkedassurelyfromthedecksoftheseunstablecraftasfromthesolidearthitself。
Inthismannerthelogsinthecentreofthepondwereurgedforwarduntil，abovethechute，theycaughttheslightlyacceleratedcurrentwhichshouldbringthemdowntothepike—polemenatthedam。
Immediately，whenthisstrongerinfluencewasfelt，thedriverszigzaggedbackupstreamtostartafreshbatch。Inthemeantimeagreatmanylogsdriftedawaytorightandleftintostagnantwater，wheretheylayabsolutelymotionless。Themovingofthemwasdeferredforthe\"sackingcrew，\"whichwouldbringuptherear。
JackOrdewanderedbackandforthoverthework，hishandsclaspedbehindhisback，ashortpipeclenchedbetweenhisteeth。Totheedgeofthedriveherodethelogs，thentooktothebankandstrolleddowntothedam。Therehestoodforamomentgazingaimlesslyatthewatermakingovertheapron，afterwhichhereturnedtothework。Nocloudobscuredtheserenegood—natureofhisface。MeetingTomNorth’stroubledglance，hegrinnedbroadly。
\"Toldyouwe’dhaveJohnsononournecks，\"heremarked，jerkinghisthumbuprivertowardarapidlyapproachingfigure。
Thissoondefineditselfasatall，sun—reddened，veryblondindividualwithacholericblueeye。
\"Whatinhell’sthematterhere？\"heyelled，assoonashecamewithinhearingdistance。
Ordemadenoreply，butstoodcontemplatingthenewcomerwithaflickerofamusement。
\"Whatinhell’sthematter？\"repeatedthelatterviolently。
\"Bettergothereandinquire，\"rejoinedOrdedrolly。\"Whatailsyou，Johnson？\"
\"We’rerightatyourrear，\"criedtheother，\"andyouain’tevenmadeastartgettin’throughthisdam！We’lllosethewaternext！
Whyinhellain’tyouthroughandgone？\"
\"Keepyourshirton，\"advisedOrde。\"We’regettingthroughasfastaswecan。Ifyouwanttheselogspushedanyfaster，comedownanddoityourself。\"
Johnsonvouchsafednoreply，butsplashedawayoverthelogs，examiningindetailtheprogressofthework。Afteralittlehereturnedwithinhailingdistance。
\"Ifyoucan’tgetoutlogs，whydoyoutakethejob？\"heroared，withastringofoaths。\"Ifyouhangmydrive，damnyou，you’llcatchitfordamages！It’sgettin’toapurtypasswhenanyoldhighbankerfromanywherescangetoutandplayjackstrawsholdin’upeverydriveintheriver！Itellyouourmillsneedlogs，andwhat’smorethey’reagoin’toGITthem！\"
Hedepartedinarumbleofvituperation。
Ordelaughedhumorouslyathisforeman。
\"Johnsongetssomadsometimes，hisskincracks，\"heremarked。
\"However，\"hewentonmoreseriously，\"there’saheapinwhathemeans，ifthereain’tsomuchinwhathesays。I’llgolabourwithouroldfriendbelow。\"
Heregainedthebank，stoppedtolighthispipe，andsauntered，witheveryappearanceofleisure，downthebank，pastthedam，tothemillstructurebelow。
Herehefoundtheowneroccupyingachairtiltedbackagainstthewallofthebuilding。Hisruffledplughatwasthrust，asusual，wellawayfromhishighandnarrowforehead；thelongbroadclothcoatfellbacktorevealanunbuttonedwaistcoattheflappingblacktrouserswerehitchedupfarenoughtodisplaywoollensockswrinkledaboutbonyshanks。Hewaswhittlingapinestick，whichheheldpointingdownbetweenhisspreadknees，andconversinganimatedlywithayoungfellowoccupyinganotherchairathisside。
\"Andtherecomesoneof’emnow，\"declaimedtheoldmandramatically。
Ordenoddedbrieflytothestranger，andcameatoncetobusiness。
\"Iwanttotalkthismatteroverwithyou，\"hebegan。\"Wearen’tmakingmuchprogress。Wecan’taffordtohangupthedrive，andthewaterisgoingdowneveryday。We’vegottohavemorewater。I’lltellyouwhatwe’lldo：Ifyou’llletuscutdownthenewsill，we’llreplaceitingoodshapewhenwegetallourlogsthrough。\"
\"No，sir！\"promptlyvetoedtheoldman。
\"Well，we’llgiveyousomethingfortheprivilege。Whatdoyouthinkisfair？\"
\"ItellyeI’llgiveyouyourlegalrights，andnotacentmore，\"
repliedtheoldman，stillquietly，butwithquiveringnostrils。
\"Whatisyourname？\"askedOrde。
\"MynameisReed，sir。\"
\"Well，Mr。Reed，stopandthinkwhatthismeans。It’samoreseriousmatterthanyouthink。Inalittlewhilethewaterwillbesolowintheriverthatitwillbeimpossibletotakeoutthelogsthisyear。Thatmeansalargeloss，ofcourse，asyouknow。\"
\"Idon’tknownothin’aboutthepeskybusiness，andIdon’twanto，\"
snortedReed。
\"Well，there’sborers，foronething，tospoilagoodmanyofthelogs。Andthinkwhatitwillmeantothemills。Nologsmeansnolumber。Thatisbankruptcyforagoodmanywhohavecontractstofulfil。Andnologsmeansthemillsmustclose。Thousandsofmenwillbethrownoutoftheirjobs，andagoodmanyofthemwillgohungry。Andwiththestreamfulloftheoldcutting，thatmeanslesstodonextwinterinthewoods——morementhrownout。Gettingoutaseason’scutwiththeflood—waterisaprettyseriousmattertoagreatmanypeople，andifyouinsistonholdingusuphereinthisslackwaterthesituationwillsoonbecomealarming。\"
\"Yefinished？\"demandedReedgrimly。
\"Yes，\"repliedOrde。
Theoldmancastfromhimhishalf—whittledpieceofpine。Heclosedhisjack—knifewithasnapandthrustitinhispocket。Hebroughttoearththefrontlegsofhischairwithathump，andjammedhisruffledplughattoitsproperplace。
\"Andifthewholekitandkaboodleofyestarvedout—right，\"saidhe，\"itwouldbutbethefulfillin’ofthewordoftheprophetwhosays，’SowillIsenduponyoufamineandevilbeasts，andtheyshallbereavethee，andpestilenceandbloodshallpassthroughthee；andIwillbringthesworduponthee。ItheLordhavespokenit！’\"
\"That’syourlastword？\"inquiredOrde。
\"That’smylastword，andmyfirst。YethatmakeofGod’ssmilin’
landwasteplacesandawilderness，byyourownfollyshallyeperish。\"
\"Good—day，\"saidOrde，whirlingonhisheelwithoutfurtherargument。
Theyoungman，whohadduringthiscolloquysataninterestedandsilentspectator，aroseandjoinedhim。Ordelookedathisnewcompanionalittlecuriously。liewasaveryslenderyoungman，taut—muscled，taut—nerved，butimpassiveindemeanour。Hepossessedashrewd，thinface，steel—gray，inscrutableeyesbehindglasses。
Hiscostumewasquitesimplyanoldgraysuitofbusinessclothesandagrayfelthat。Atthemomentheheldinhismouthanunlightedandbadlychewedcigar。
\"Nice，amiableoldparty，\"volunteeredOrdewithachuckle。
\"Seemstobe，\"agreedtheyoungmandrily。
\"Well，Ireckonwe’lljusthavetoworryalongwithouthim，\"
remarkedOrde，strikinghissteelcaulksintothefirstlogandpreparingtocrossoutintotheriverwheretheworkwasgoingon。
\"Waitaminute，\"saidtheyoungfellow。\"Haveyouanyobjectionstomyhangingaroundalittletowatchthework？MynameisNewmark——
JosephNewmark。I’moutinthiscountryagooddealformyhealth。
Thisthinginterestsme。\"
\"Sure，\"repliedOrde，puzzled。\"Lookallyouwantto。Thescenery’sfree。\"
\"Yes。Butcanyouputmeup？CanIgetachancetostaywithyoualittlewhile？\"
\"Oh，asfarasI’mconcerned，\"agreedOrdeheartily。\"But，\"hesupplementedwithoneofhiscontagiouschuckles，\"I’monlyriver—
boss。You’llhavetofixitupwiththedoctor——thecook，Imean，\"
heexplained，asNewmarklookpuzzled。\"You’llfindhimatcampupbehindthatbrush。He’saslim，handsomefellow，withajollyexpressionofcountenance。\"
Heleapedlightlyoutoverthebobbingtimbers，leavingNewmarktofindhisway。
Inthecentreofthestreamtheworkhadbeengraduallyslowingdowntoastandstillwiththesubsidenceofthefirstrushofwaterafterthesluice—gatewasopened。TomNorth，leaninggracefullyagainsttheshaftofapeavy，lookedupeagerlyashisprincipalapproached。
\"Well，Jack，\"heinquired，\"isittobepeaceorwar？\"
\"War，\"repliedOrdebriefly。
