第19章

it。"

"No，"heansweredaquery。"Iwasn’twhatyou—allwouldcallscairt，thatis，notreallySistenfohmybell。Yousee，Cap’nMa’sh，hewasincha’ge。"

"No，sir，"CaptainMarshwassayingemphaticallytohisemployer。

"Ican’tfigureitoutexceptononething。Youseeit’sstovefromUNDERNEATH。Aseawouldhavesmasheditfromabove。"

"Perhapsyougroundedinbetweenseasoutthere，"suggestedOrde。

Marshsmiledgrimly。

"IreckonI’dhaveknownit，"saidhe。"No，sir！Itsoundswild，butit’stheonlypossibleguess。Thatlastseamust’veliftedusbodilyrightoverthecornerofthepier。"

"Well——maybe，"assentedOrdedoubtfully。

"Surething，"repeatedMarshwithconviction。

"Well，you’dbetternottell’emsounlessyouwanttorankinwithOldManAnanias，"endedOrde。"Itwasagoodjob。Prettydustyoutthere，wasn’tit？"

"Prettydusty，"grinnedMarsh。

TheyturnedawaytogetherandwereatoncepouncedonbyLeopoldLincolnBunn，thelocalreporter，acallowyouthaflamewiththechanceforabigstoryofmorethanlocalinterest。

"Oh，CaptainMarsh！"hecried。"Howdidyougetaroundthepier？

Itlookedasthoughthewavehadyoucaught。"

Ordeglancedathiscompanionincuriosity。

"Onrollerskates，"repliedMarsh。

Leopoldtitterednervously。

"Couldyoutellmehowyoufeltwhenyouwereoutthereintheworstofit？"heinquired。

"Oh，hell！"saidMarshgrumpily，stalkingaway。

"Don’tinterviewforacent，doeshe？"grinnedOrde。

"Oh，Mr。Orde！Perhapsyou——"

"Don’tyouthinkwe’dbetterlendahandbelow？"suggestedOrde，pointingtothebeach。

Thewildandpicturesqueworkofrescuewasunderway。Thelinehadbeensuccessfullybroughttotheleftofthelighthouse。Toithadbeenattachedtherope，andtothattheheavycable。Thesethecrewoftheschoonerhaddraggedoutandmadefasttoamast。Theshoreendpassedoveratallscissors。Whenthecablewastightenedthebreechesbuoywasputintocommission，andbeforelongthefirstmemberofthecrewwashauledashore，plunginginandoutofthewavesastheropetightenedorslackened。Hewasaflaxen—hairedNorwegian，whostampedhisfeet，shookhisbodyandgrinnedcomicallyatthoseabouthim。Heacceptedwithequanimityadozendrinksofwhiskythrustathimfromallsides，swiggedamugofthecoffeeafewpracticalwomenweremakingoveranopenfire，andopposedtoLeopoldLincolnBunn’sfranticeffortsastolidandbafflingdensity。Ofnoneoftheseattentionsdidheseemtostandinespecialneed。

Thecrewanditsvolunteersworkedquickly。Whenthelastmanhadcomeashore，thecaptainofthelife—savingserviceenteredthebreechesbuoyandcausedhimselftobehauledthroughthesmothertothewreck。Afteraninterval，asignaljerkedback。Thebuoywaspulledinemptyandthesurfcarsubstituted。Initwerepiledvariousutensilsofequipment。Onemanwentwithit，andseveralmoreonitsnexttrip，untilnearlythewholecrewwereaboardthewreck。

CarrollandMinastayeduntilduskandafter，watchingthelongheavylabourofrescue。Lineshadtoberocketedfromtheschoonertotheothervessels。Thenbytheirmeanscablecommunicationhadtobeestablishedwiththeshore。Afterthisitwasreallyamatterofroutinetorunthecrewtothebeach，thoughcruel，hardwork，anddangerous。Thewreckswerecontinuallysweptbythegreatseas；

andatanymomentthetorturedfabricsmightgiveway，mightdissolvecompletelyintheelementsthatsobatteredthem。Thewomenmakingthehotcoffeefoundtheirservicesbecomingvaluable。

Bigfiresofdriftwoodwereignited。Theywereusefulforlightaswellaswarmth。

BytheirilluminationfinallyOrdediscoveredthetwogirlsstanding，andpausedlongenoughinhisownheavylabourofassistancetodrawCarrolloneside。

"You’dbettergohomenow，sweetheart，"saidhe。"Bobby’llbewaitingforyou，andthegirlsmaybehereinthecrowdsomewhere。

There’llbenobodytotakecareofhim。"

"Isupposeso，"sheassented。"Buthasn’titbeenexciting？Whosevesselswerethey；doyouknow？"

Ordeglancedatherstrangely。

"Theywereours，"saidhe。

Shelookedupathim，catchingquicklythewrinklesofhisbrowandtheharassedanxietyinhiseyes。Impulsivelyshepulledhimdowntoherandkissedhim。

"Nevermind，dear，"saidshe。"Icareonlyifyoudo。"

Shepattedhisgreatshoulderslightlyandsmiledupathim。

"Run，help！"shecried。"Andcomehomeassoonasyoucan。I’llhavesomethingniceandhotallreadyforyou。"

Sheturnedaway，thesmilestillonherlips；butassoonasshewasoutofsight，herfacefellgrave。

"Come，Mina！"shesaidtotheyoungergirl。"Timetogo。"

Theytoiledthroughtheheavysandtowhere，hoursago，theyhadleftPrince。Thatfaithfulanimaldozedinhistracksandawokereluctantly。

Carrolllookedback。Thefiresleapedredandyellow。Againstthemwerethesilhouettesofpeople，andinthefarthercircleoftheirilluminationweremorepeoplecastinbronzethatflickeredred。Incontrasttotheirglowthenightwasverydark。Onlyfromthelaketheredisengagedafaintgraylightwherethewatersbroke。Thestrengthofthefailingwindstillliftedthefinerparticlesofsand。Theorganofthepoundingsurffilledthenightwiththegrandeurofitsmusic。

XXXV

Ordemountedtheofficestairsnextdaywithaveryheavystep。ThelossoftheNORTHSTARandofthetwoschoonersmeantagreatdealtohimatthattime。

"Itkicksusintosomewhatofahole，"hegrumbledtoNewmark。

"Alossisneverpleasant，"repliedthelatter，"anditputsusoutofthecarryingbusinessforawhile。Butwe’reinsured。"

"Ican’tunderstandwhyFloydstarted，"saidOrde。"Heoughttoknowbetterthantofacesureprospectsofafallblow。I’lltanhissoulforthat，allright！"

"I’mafraidI’mpartlyresponsibleforhisgoing，"putinNewmark。

"You！"criedOrde。

"Yes。YouseethatSmithandMableyshipmentwasimportantenoughtostrainapointfor——andit’sonlytwenty—fourhoursorso——anditcertainlydidn’tlooktoseemeasifitweregoingtoblowverysoon。PoorFloydfeelsbadenough。He’saboutsick。"

Ordeforthefirsttimebegantoappreciatethepressureofhiscircumstances。Thelossonthecargoof"uppers"reachedabout8，000，000feet；whichrepresented$20，000inmoney。AsfortheNORTHSTARandherconsorts，savefortheinsurance，theyweresimplyeliminated。Theyhadrepresentedproperty。Nowtheyweregone。Thelossof$60，000orsoonthem，however，didnotmeanadiminutionofthecompany’spresentcashresourcestothatamount；

andsodidnotimmediatelyaffectOrde’scalculationsastothepaymentofthenoteswhichwerenowsoontocomedue。

Atthistimethewoodsworkincreasinglydemandedhisattention。Hedisappearedforaweek，hisorganisingabilitiesclaimedforthedistributionoftheroadcrews。Whenhereturnedtotheoffice，Newmark，withanairofsmalltriumph，showedhimcontractsfortheconstructionofthreenewvessels。

"Igetthemfor$55，000，"saidhe，"with$30，000ofitonlongtime。"

"Withoutconsultingme！"criedOrde。

Newmarkexplainedcarefullythattheaction，seeminglysoabrupt，hadreallybeentakingadvantageofaluckyopportunity。

"Otherwise，"hefinished，"weshouldn’thavebeenabletogetthejobdoneforanotheryear，atleast。IfthatbigCronincontractgoesthrough——well，youknowwhatthatwouldmeanintheshipyards——

nobodywouldgetevenalook—in。AndMcLeodiswilling，inthemeantime，togiveusapricetokeephismenbusy。SoyouseeIhadtocloseatonce。Youcanseewhatashortchanceitwas。"

"It’sagoodchance，allright，"admittedOrde；"but——why——thatis，Ithoughtperhapswe’djobourownfreightingforawhile——itneveroccurredtomewe’dbuildanymorevesselsuntilwe’drecoveredalittle。"

"Recovered，"Newmarkrepeatedcoldly。"Idon’tseewhat’recovered’

hastodowithit。Ifthemillburneddown，we’drebuild，wouldn’twe？Evenifwewereembarrassed——whichwe’renot——we’dhardlycaretoacknowledgepubliclythatwecouldn’tkeepupourequipment。Andaswe’remakingtwelveorfifteenthousandayearoutofourfreighting，itseemstometoogoodabusinesstoletslipintootherhands。"

"Isupposeso，"agreedOrde，atriflehelplessly。

"ThereforeIhadtoactwithoutyou，"Newmarkfinished。"Iknewyou’dagree。That’sright：isn’tit？"heinsisted。

"Yes，that’sright，"agreedOrdedrearily。

"You’llfindcopiesofthecontractonyourdesk，"Newmarkclosedthematter。"Andthere’sthetaxlists。Iwishyou’drunthemover。"

"Joe，"repliedOrde，"I——Idon’tthinkI’llstaydowntownthismorning。I——"

Newmarkglancedupkeenly。

"Youdon’tlookabitwell，"saidhe；"kindofpalearoundthegills。Bilious。Don’tbelievethatcampgrubquiteagreeswithyouforasteadydiet。"

"Yes，thatmustbeit，"assentedOrde。

Heclosedhisdeskandwentout。Newmarkturnedbacktohispapers。

Hisfacewasexpressionless。Fromaninnerpocketheproducedacigarwhichhethrustbetweenhisteeth。Thecornersofhismouthslowlycurvedinagrimsmile。

Ordedidnotgohome。Instead，hewalkeddownMainStreettothedockswherehejumpedintoarowboatlyinginaslip，andwithafewrapidstrokesshotoutonthestream。Inhisyoungerdayshehadbelongedtoaboatclub，andhadrowedinthe"four。"Hestilllovedtheoar，andthoughhisracingdayswerepast，hemaintainedaclean—lined，ratherunstablelittlecraftwhichitwashisdelighttopropelrapidlywithlongspoon—oarswheneverheneededexercise。

To—day，however，hewascontenttodrift。

Themorningwasstillandgolden。Thecrispnessoflatefallhadinfusedawineintotheair。Theskywasasoft，blue—gray；thesand—hillswereadazzlingyellow。Ordedidnottrytothink；hemerelyfacedthesituation，staringitinthefaceuntilitshouldshrinktoitstruesignificance。

Onethinghefeltdistinctly；yetcouldnotwithoutastrugglebringhimselftosee。TheCalifornialandsmustbemortgaged。Ifhecouldraiseareasonablesumofmoneyonthem，hewouldstillbeperfectlyabletomeethisnotes。Hehatedfiercelytoraisethatmoney。

Itwasentirelyamatterofsentiment。Orderealisedthefactclearly，andbrowbeathisotherselfwithasavagecontempt。

Neverthelesshisdreamhadbeentokeepthewesterntimberfreeandunencumbered——forBobby。Dreamsarehardertogiveupthanrealities。

Hefellintothedeepestreflectionswhichwerebrokenonlywhenthepoundingofsurfwarnedhimhehaddriftedalmosttotheopenlake。

Afterall，therewasnoessentialdifferencebetweenowingmoneytoamaninMichiganandtoamaninCalifornia。Thatwasthenetresultofhisstruggle。

"Whenthetimecomes，we’lljustborrowthatmoneyonalong—timemortgage，likesensiblepeople，"hesaidaloud，"andquitthiseverlastingscrabbling。"

Backtotownhepulledwithlongvigorousstrokes，skitteringhisfeatheredspoon—oarslightlyoverthetopsofthewavelets。Atthesliphemadefasttheboat，andafewminuteslaterre—enteredtheoffice，hisstepspringy，hisfaceglowing。Newmarkglancedup。

"Hullo！"saidhe。"Backagain？Youlookbetter。"

"Exercise，"saidOrde，inhisheartymanner。"Exercise，oldboy！

Yououghttotryit。Greatestthingintheworld。Justtookarowtotheendofthepiersandback，andI’masfitasafiddle！"

XXXVI

OrdeimmediatelysetintomotionthemachineryofbankingtoborrowontheCaliforniatimber。Taylortookchargeofthis，astheonlymaninMonroviawhohadOrde’sconfidence。AttheendofanecessarydelayOrdereceivednoticethattheWesthadbeenheardfrom。Hesteppedacrossthehalltothelawyer’soffice。

"Well，Frank，"saidhe，"gladwemanagedtopushitthroughwithsolittletrouble。"

Taylorarose，shutcarefullythedoorintohisouteroffice，walkedtothewindow，lookedcontemplativelyoutuponthehotelbackyard，andreturnedtohisdesk。

"Butthereistrouble，"saidhecurtly。

"What’sthematter？"askedOrde。

"Thebanksrefusetheloan。"

Ordestaredathiminblankastonishment。

"Refuse！"heechoed。

"Absolutely。"

"Whatgroundscantheypossiblyhaveforthat？"

"Ican’tmakeoutexactlyfromtheseadvices。It’ssomethingaboutthetitle。"

"ButIthoughtyouwentoverthetitle。"

"Idid，"statedTayloremphatically；"andI’llstakemyreputationasalawyerthateverythingisstraightandclearfromtheLandOfficeitself。I’vewiredforanexplanation；andweoughtsurelytoknowsomethingdefinitebytomorrow。"

WiththisuncertaintyOrdewasforcedtobecontent。Forthefirsttimeinhisbusinesscareerarealanxietygnawedathisvitals。Hehadbeeninmanytightplaces；butsomehowheretoforesuccessorfailurehadseemedtohimaboutimmaterial，likepointsgainedorconcededinthegame；afreshstartwasalwayssoeasy，andwhathadbeenalreadywonasyetunreal。Nowthegameitselfwasatissue。

Property，reputation，andthefamily’sfuturewereatstake。Whenthethreehadlivedinthetinyhousebythechurch，ithadseemedthatnoadversitycouldtouchthem。Butnowthatlongusehadaccustomedthemtolargerquarters，servants，luxuries，OrdecouldnotconceivethepossibilityofCarroll’severreturningtothatsimplestexistence。Carrollcouldhavetoldhimotherwise；butofcoursehedidnotasyetbringthepossibilitybeforeher。Shehadeconomisedclosely，theselastfewyears。Ordewasproudofher。

Hewasalsofiercelyresentfulthathisownfoolishness，oruntowardcircumstances，oracombinationofbothshouldjeopardiseherfuture。Thereforeheawaitedfurthernewswiththegreatestimpatience。

Themessagecamethefollowingday，asTaylorhadpredicted。Taylorhandedittohimwithoutcomment。

"LandOfficeunderinvestigation，"Orderead。"Fraudulententriessuspected。Alltitlescloudeduntildecisionisreached。"

"Whatdoyousupposethatmeans？"askedOrde，althoughheknewwellenough。

Taylorglancedupathisdulleyeswithcommiseration。

"Theysimplywon’tlendgoodmoneyonanuncertainty，"saidhe。

"Frank，"saidOrde，rousinghimselfwithaneffort，"I’vegottobehere。Icouldn’tgetawaythiswinterifmylifedependedonit。

AndIwon’tevenhavetimetopaymuchattentiontoitfromhere。I

wantyoutogotoCaliforniaandlookafterthoseinterestsforme。

Nevermindyourpractice，man，"asTaylortriedtointerrupthim。

"Makewhatarrangementsyouplease；butgo。It’llbelikeasortofvacationtoyou。Youneedone。AndI’llmakeitworthyourwhile。

TakeClarawithyou。She’lllikeCalifornia。Nowdon’tsayno。

It’simportant。Straightenitoutasquickasyoucan：andtheminuteitISstraightborrowthatmoneyonit，andsenditonp。d。q。"

Taylorthoughtfullytappedhispalmwiththeedgeofhiseye—

glasses。

"Allright，"hesaidatlast。

"Good！"criedOrde，risingandholdingouthishand。

Hedescendedthedarkstairstothestreet，whereheturneddowntowardtheriver。Therehesatonapilefornearlyanhour，quiteoblivioustothekeenwindoflatterNovemberwhichsweptupoverthescumicefromtheLake。AtlengthhehoppeddownandmadehiswaytotheofficeoftheWeltonLumberCo。

"Lookhere，Welton，"hedemandedabruptlywhenhehadreachedthatoperator’sprivateoffice，"howmuchofacutareyougoingtomakethisyear？"

"Abouttwentymillion，"repliedWelton。"Why？"

"Justfiguringonthedrive，"saidOrde，noddingafarewell。

Hehadtheteamharnessed，and，assuminghisbuffalo—furcoat，drovetotheofficesofallthemenowningtimberupanddowntheriver。

Whenhehadcollectedhisstatistics，hereturnedtohisdesk，wherehefilledthebacksofseveralenvelopeswithhischaracteristicallyminutefigures。Atthecloseofhiscalculationshenoddedhisheadvigorouslyseveraltimes。

"Joe，"hecalledacrosstohispartner，"I’mgoingtocutthatwholefortymillionwehaveleft。"

Newmarkdidnotturn。Afteramomenthisdryexpressionlessvoicecameback。

"Ithoughtthatwefiguredthatasatwo—years’job。"

"Wedid，butI’mgoingtocleanupthewholethingthisyear。"

"Doyouthinkyoucandoit？"

"Surething，"repliedOrde。Thenunderhisbreath，andquitetohimself，headded："I’vegotto！"

XXXVII

Theduelhadnowcometograpples。Ordewasfightingforhisverylife。ThenotesgivenbyNewmarkandOrdewouldcomeduebythebeginningofthefollowingsummer。BeforethattimeOrdemustbeabletomeetthempersonally，or，asbytheagreementwithNewmark，hisstockintheBoomCompanywouldbeturnedintothefirm。Thiswould，ofcourse，spellnearlyatotallossofit，asfarasOrdewasconcerned。

Thechiefanxietyunderwhichtherivermanlaboured，however，wastheimminentprospectoflosingunderthemortgagealltheNorthernPeninsulatimber。Hehadthoughtthatthefirmwouldbeabletostepinforitsredemption，evenifhepersonallyfoundhimselfunabletomeettheobligation。Threehundredmillionfeetwouldseemtobetooimportantamattertoletgoundersosmallamortgage。Nowasthetimeapproached，herealisedthatifhecouldnotpaythenotes，thefirmwouldcertainlybeunabletodoso。

Whatwiththesecondmortgage，duetwoyearslater，andtobemetbyNewmark；withtheoutstandingobligations；withthenewenterpriseofthevesselsorderedfromDuncanMcLeod，NewmarkandOrdewouldbeunabletoraiseanythinglikethenecessaryamount。TohispersonalanxietiesOrdeaddedadeepandbitterself—reproachathavinginvolvedhispartnerinwhatamountedtoatotalloss。

Spurreddoublybytheseconsiderations，then，hefelluponthewoodsworkwithunparalleledferocity。Acutandsaleofthefortymillionfeetremainingofthefirm’sup—riverholdings，togetherwiththetollstobecollectedfordrivingtheriverthatspringwould，ifeverythingwentrightandnochangeinthesituationtookplace，bringOrdethroughtheventurealmostliterallyby"theskinofhisteeth。"Tocutfortymillionfeet，evenintheselatterdaysofimprovementsthenunknown，wouldbeatasktostraintotheutmosteveryresourceofenergy，pluck，equipmentandorganisation。

In1880—81theoperatorsontheriverlaughedgood—humouredlyoveranevidentmadness。

NeverthelessOrdeaccomplishedthetask。Tobesurehewaslargelyhelpedbyafavourablewinter。Thecoldweathercameearlyandcontinuedlate。Freezingprecededthesnow，whichwasdeepenoughforgoodtravoyingandtoassureabundantfreshetwaterinthespring，butnottoodeeptointerferewiththework。Ordeincreasedhiswoodsforce；and，contrarytohiscustom，hedrovethemmercilessly。Hewasthatwinterhisownwalking—boss，andlivedconstantlyinthewoods。TheRoughRedhadchargeofthebanking，wherehisaggressive，brutalpersonalitykepttherollwaysfreefromcongestion。Forcongestiontheremeansdelayinunloadingthesleighs；andthatinturnmeansadraginthewoodsworkneartheskidwaysattheotherendoftheline。TomNorthandTimNolanandJohnnySimsandJimDenningwereforemenbackintheforest。Everyonehadanidea，moreorlessvague，thattheOldFellowhadhisbacktothewall。Lateintothenighttherudetorches，madequitesimplyfrombrownstonejugsfullofoilandwithwicksintheirnecks，casttheirflickeringglareovertheiceofthehaul—roads。

AndthoughgenerallyinthatpartofMichiganthethawsbeginbythefirstorsecondweekinMarch，thisyearzeroweathercontinuedeventotheeighthofApril。Whenthedrivestarted，faruptowardheadwaters，thecutwasbankedformilesalongthestream，fortymillionfeetofittothelasttimber。

Thestrainover，Ordeslepttheclockaroundandawoketothefurtherbutfamiliartaskofdrivingtheriver。Hewasverytired；

buthisspiritwasatpeace。Asalwaysaftertheevent，helookedbackonhisanxietieswithafaintamusementovertheirfutility。

FromTaylorhehadseveralcommunications。ThelawyerconfessedhimselfbaffledastothepurposeandbasisoftheLandOfficeinvestigation。Thewholeaffairappearedtobetangledinamazeoftechnicalitiesandasnarlofred—tapewhichitwouldtakesometimetounravel。InthemeantimeTaylorwasenjoyinghimself；andwasalmostextravagantinhisdelightovertheclimateandattractionsofSouthernCalifornia。

Ordedidnotmuchcareforthisdelay。HesawhiswaycleartomeetinghisobligationswithoutthenecessityofhypothecatingtheCaliforniatimber；andwasthebetterpleasedforit。Withthebreak—upofspringhestartedconfidentlywiththelargestdriveinthehistoryoftheriver，amatterofovertwohundredmillionfeet。

Thistremendousmassoftimbermovedpracticallyinthreesections。

Thefirst，andsmallest，comprisedprobablythirtymillions。Itstartedfromthelowermostrollwaysontheriver，droverapidlythroughthemoreunobstructedreaches，andwasearlypocketedaboveMonroviaintheCompany’sdistributingbooms。Thesecondandlargestsectionofahundredmillioncamefromthemainriveranditslargesttributaries。Ittoomadeasafedrive；andwasbroughttorestinthemainboomsandinaseriesoftemporaryoremergencyboomsbuiltalongtherightbankandupstreamfromthemainworks。

Thethirdsectioncontainingaremainderofaboutseventymillionhadbythetwenty—sixthofJunereachedtheslackwaterabovethecityofRedding。

XXXVIII

ThemorningofJunetwenty—sixthdawnedclear。Ordewasearlyontheroadbeforetheheatoftheday。Hedrovehisbuckboardrapidlyoverthetwelvemilesthatseparatedhishomefromthedistributingbooms，forhewantedatoncetoavoidtheheatofthefirstsunandtoarriveatthecommencementoftheday’swork。Afteraglanceattheriver，heenteredthetinyofficeandsetabouttheexaminationofthetallysheetsleftbytheforeman。Whilehewasengagedinthischecking，theforeman，TomNorth，entered。

"Theriver’srisingalittle"？heremarkedconversationallyashereachedforthesecondsetoftallyboards。

"You’recrazy，"mutteredOrde，withoutlookingup。"It’sclearasabell；andtherehavebeennorainsreportedfromanywhere。"

"It’srisingalittle，justthesame，"insistedNorth，goingout。

AnhourlaterOrde，havingfinishedhisclericalwork，walkedoutoverthebooms。Thewatercertainlyhadrisen；andconsiderablyatthat。Adecidedcurrentsuckedthroughtheintersticesinthepiling。Thepennedlogsmoveduneasily。

"Ishouldthinkitwasrising！"saidOrdetohimself，ashewatchedtheslowlymovingwater。"Iwonderwhat’sup。Itcan’tbemerelythoserainsthreedaysago。"

Hecalledoneoftheyoungerboystohim，JimmyPowersbyname。

"Here，Jimmy，"saidhe，"markoneofthesepilesandkeeptrackofhowfastthewaterrises。"

Forsometimetheriverremainedstationary，thenresumeditsslowincrease。Ordeshookhishead。

"Idon’tlikeJunefloods，"hetoldTomNorth。"Afellowcanunderstandanordinaryspringfreshet，andknowsabouthowfaritwillgo；butthesesummerfloodsaresoconfoundedmysterious。I

can’tfigureoutwhat’sstrucktheoldstream，unlessthey’rehavingalmightyheavyrainsupnearheadwaters。"

Bythreeo’clockintheafternoonJimmyPowersreportedarisesincemorningofsixinches。Thecurrenthadproportionatelyincreasedinpower。

"Tom，"saidOrdetotheoldriverman，"I’mgoingtosendMarshdownforthepile—driversandsomecable。Thebargecompanyhassomefifteeninchmanilla。"

Northlaughed。

"Whatinblazesdoyouexpecttodowiththat？"heinquired。

"Wemayneedthem，"Ordestatedwithconviction。"Everything’ssafeenoughnow；andprobablywillcontinueso；butIcan’taffordtotakechances。Ifthoselogseverbreakthroughthey’llgoonouttoLakeMichiganandtheretheywouldn’tbeworththesalvage。"

TomNorthstaredathisprincipalinsurprise。

"That’samightylongchance，"hecommented。"Neverknewyoutocomesonearcroakingbefore，Jack。"

"Ifthisdrivegoesout，itsurelybustsme，"repliedOrde，"andI’mnottakingevenlongchances。"

CaptainMarsh，returningwiththeSPRITE，broughtaneveningpaperandnewsfromthetelegraphoffices。AcloudburstintheChinaCreekdistrictfollowedbycontinuedheavyrainswasresponsiblefortheincreasedwater。Thepapersmentionedthisonlyincidentally，andinexplanation。Theircolumnswerefilledwithanaccountofthebiglogjamthathadformedabovetheironrailroadbridge。Theplaningmill’sboomshadgivenwayunderpressureandthecontentshadpileddownstreamagainstthebuttresses。Beforestepscouldbetakentocleartheway，theheadofthedrive，hurriedbytheexcesswater，hadpiledinontop。Immediatelyajamformed，increasinginweighteachmoment，untilpracticallytheentirethirdsectionhadpiledupbackofthebridge。

Thepapersoccupiedthemselveswiththepicturesquesideoftheaffair。Noneexpressedanyanxietyastothebridge。Itwasanewstructure，eachofwhosebentsweighedoverahundredtons。Afallofafewinchesonlywouldsufficetolockthejamsolidly，thusrelievingwhateverpressurethemassexertedagainsttheironbridge。Thatthewaterwouldshortlygodownwasofcourseinevitableatthistimeofyear。Itwouldbeabigjamfortherivermentobreak，however。

"Doyouthinkyou’llgoupthere？"askedNorth。

Ordeshookhishead。

"They’reinanicepickle，"heacknowledged；"butNolan’sinchargeandwilldohisbest。Ithinkwemayhavetroublesofourownrighthereathome。"

Hesleptthatnightatthebooms。Thewater，contrarytoallexpectation，rosesteadily。Bymorningithadcreptsofarupthepilesthattherebegantobedangerthatitwouldoverflowtheirtops。Inthatcase，ofcourse，thelogsintheboomswouldalsorunout。

"Guessit’stimewedidalittlework，"remarkedOrde。

Hesetacrewofmentoraisingtheheightofthepilingbytyinglogsfirmlytotheboltedtimbersatop。Thiswouldtakecareofanextratwofeetofwater；atwofeetbeyondallpreviousrecords。