The next morning dawned clear and breathless. Before daylight the pessimistic cook was out, his fire winking1 bravely against the darkness. His only satisfaction of the long day came when he aroused the men from the heavy sleep into which daily toil2 plunged3 them. With the first light the entire crew were at the banks of the river.
As soon as the wind died the logs had begun to drift slowly out into the open water. The surface of the pond was covered with the scattered4 timbers floating idly. After a few moments the clank of the bars and ratchet was heard as two of the men raised the heavy sluice-gate on the dam. A roar of water, momently increasing, marked the slow rise of the barrier. A very imaginative man might then have made out a tendency forward on the part of those timbers floating nearest the centre of the pond. It was a very sluggish5 tendency, however, and the men watching critically shook their heads.
Four more had by this time joined the two men who had raised the gate, and all together, armed with long pike poles, walked out on the funnel-shaped booms that should concentrate the logs into the chute. Here they prodded6 forward the few timbers within reach, and waited for more.
These were a long time coming. Members of the driving crew leaped shouting from one log to another. Sometimes, when the space across was too wide to jump, they propelled a log over either by rolling it, paddling it, or projecting it by the shock of a leap on one end. In accomplishing these feats7 of tight-rope balance, they stood upright and graceful8, quite unconscious of themselves, their bodies accustomed by long habit to nice and instant obedience9 to the almost unconscious impulses of the brain. Only their eyes, intent, preoccupied10, blazed out by sheer will-power the unstable11 path their owners should follow. Once at the forefront of the drive, the men began vigorously to urge the logs forward. This they accomplished12 almost entirely13 by main strength, for the sluggish current gave them little aid. Under the pressure of their feet as they pushed against their implements14, the logs dipped, rolled, and plunged. Nevertheless, they worked as surely from the decks of these unstable craft as from the solid earth itself.
In this manner the logs in the centre of the pond were urged forward until, above the chute, they caught the slightly accelerated current which should bring them down to the pike-pole men at the dam. Immediately, when this stronger influence was felt, the drivers zigzagged15 back up stream to start a fresh batch16. In the meantime a great many logs drifted away to right and left into stagnant17 water, where they lay absolutely motionless. The moving of them was deferred18 for the "sacking crew," which would bring up the rear.
Jack19 Orde wandered back and forth21 over the work, his hands clasped behind his back, a short pipe clenched22 between his teeth. To the edge of the drive he rode the logs, then took to the bank and strolled down to the dam. There he stood for a moment gazing aimlessly at the water making over the apron23, after which he returned to the work. No cloud obscured the serene24 good-nature of his face. Meeting Tom North's troubled glance, he grinned broadly.
"Told you we'd have Johnson on our necks," he remarked, jerking his thumb up river toward a rapidly approaching figure.
This soon defined itself as a tall, sun-reddened, very blond individual with a choleric25 blue eye.
"What in hell's the matter here?" he yelled, as soon as he came within hearing distance.
Orde made no reply, but stood contemplating26 the newcomer with a flicker27 of amusement.
"What in hell's the matter?" repeated the latter violently.
"Better go there and inquire," rejoined Orde drolly28. "What ails29 you, Johnson?"
"We're right at your rear," cried the other, "and you ain't even made a start gettin' through this dam! We'll lose the water next! Why in hell ain't you through and gone?"
"Keep your shirt on," advised Orde. "We're getting through as fast as we can. If you want these logs pushed any faster, come down and do it yourself."
Johnson vouchsafed30 no reply, but splashed away over the logs, examining in detail the progress of the work. After a little he returned within hailing distance.
"If you can't get out logs, why do you take the job?" he roared, with a string of oaths. "If you hang my drive, damn you, you'll catch it for damages! It's gettin' to a purty pass when any old highbanker from anywheres can get out and play jackstraws holdin' up every drive in the river! I tell you our mills need logs, and what's more they're agoin' to GIT them!"
He departed in a rumble31 of vituperation.
Orde laughed humorously at his foreman.
"Johnson gets so mad sometimes, his skin cracks," he remarked. "However," he went on more seriously, "there's a heap in what he means, if there ain't so much in what he says. I'll go labour with our old friend below."
He regained32 the bank, stopped to light his pipe, and sauntered, with every appearance of leisure, down the bank, past the dam, to the mill structure below.
Here he found the owner occupying a chair tilted33 back against the wall of the building. His ruffled34 plug hat was thrust, as usual, well away from his high and narrow forehead; the long broadcloth coat fell back to reveal an unbuttoned waistcoat the flapping black trousers were hitched35 up far enough to display woollen socks wrinkled about bony shanks. He was whittling36 a pine stick, which he held pointing down between his spread knees, and conversing37 animatedly38 with a young fellow occupying another chair at his side.
"And there comes one of 'em now," declaimed the old man dramatically.
Orde nodded briefly39 to the stranger, and came at once to business.
"I want to talk this matter over with you," he began. "We aren't making much progress. We can't afford to hang up the drive, and the water is going down every day. We've got to have more water. I'll tell you what we'll do: If you'll let us cut down the new sill, we'll replace it in good shape when we get all our logs through."
"No, sir!" promptly40 vetoed the old man.
"Well, we'll give you something for the privilege. What do you think is fair?"
"I tell ye I'll give you your legal rights, and not a cent more," replied the old man, still quietly, but with quivering nostrils41.
"What is your name?" asked Orde.
"My name is Reed, sir."
"Well, Mr. Reed, stop and think what this means. It's a more serious matter than you think. In a little while the water will be so low in the river that it will be impossible to take out the logs this year. That means a large loss, of course, as you know."
"I don't know nothin' about the pesky business, and I don't wan20 to," snorted Reed.
"Well, there's borers, for one thing, to spoil a good many of the logs. And think what it will mean to the mills. No logs means no lumber42. That is bankruptcy43 for a good many who have contracts to fulfil. And no logs means the mills must close. Thousands of men will be thrown out of their jobs, and a good many of them will go hungry. And with the stream full of the old cutting, that means less to do next winter in the woods--more men thrown out. Getting out a season's cut with the flood-water is a pretty serious matter to a great many people, and if you insist on holding us up here in this slack water the situation will soon become alarming."
"Ye finished?" demanded Reed grimly.
"Yes," replied Orde.
The old man cast from him his half-whittled piece of pine. He closed his jack-knife with a snap and thrust it in his pocket. He brought to earth the front legs of his chair with a thump44, and jammed his ruffled plug hat to its proper place.
"And if the whole kit45 and kaboodle of ye starved out-right," said he, "it would but be the fulfillin' of the word of the prophet who says, 'So will I send upon you famine and evil beasts, and they shall bereave46 thee, and pestilence47 and blood shall pass through thee; and I will bring the sword upon thee. I the Lord have spoken it!'"
"That's your last word?" inquired Orde.
"That's my last word, and my first. Ye that make of God's smilin' land waste places and a wilderness48, by your own folly49 shall ye perish."
"Good-day," said Orde, whirling on his heel without further argument.
The young man, who had during this colloquy50 sat an interested and silent spectator, arose and joined him. Orde looked at his new companion a little curiously51. He was a very slender young man, taut-muscled, taut-nerved, but impassive in demeanour. He possessed52 a shrewd, thin face, steel-gray, inscrutable eyes behind glasses. His costume was quite simply an old gray suit of business clothes and a gray felt hat. At the moment he held in his mouth an unlighted and badly chewed cigar.
"Nice, amiable53 old party," volunteered Orde with a chuckle54.
"Seems to be," agreed the young man drily.
"Well, I reckon we'll just have to worry along without him," remarked Orde, striking his steel caulks55 into the first log and preparing to cross out into the river where the work was going on.
"Wait a minute," said the young fellow. "Have you any objections to my hanging around a little to watch the work? My name is Newmark--Joseph Newmark. I'm out in this country a good deal for my health. This thing interests me."
"Sure," replied Orde, puzzled. "Look all you want to. The scenery's free."
"Yes. But can you put me up? Can I get a chance to stay with you a little while?"
"Oh, as far as I'm concerned," agreed Orde heartily56. "But," he supplemented with one of his contagious57 chuckles58, "I'm only river-boss. You'll have to fix it up with the doctor--the cook, I mean," he explained, as Newmark look puzzled. "You'll find him at camp up behind that brush. He's a slim, handsome fellow, with a jolly expression of countenance59."
He leaped lightly out over the bobbing timbers, leaving Newmark to find his way.
In the centre of the stream the work had been gradually slowing down to a standstill with the subsidence of the first rush of water after the sluice-gate was opened. Tom North, leaning gracefully60 against the shaft61 of a peavy, looked up eagerly as his principal approached.
"Well, Jack," he inquired, "is it to be peace or war?"
"War," replied Orde briefly.
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1
winking
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| n.瞬眼，目语v.使眼色( wink的现在分词 )；递眼色（表示友好或高兴等）；（指光）闪烁；闪亮 | |
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toil
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| vi.辛劳工作，艰难地行动；n.苦工，难事 | |
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plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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sluggish
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| adj.懒惰的，迟钝的，无精打采的 | |
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prodded
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| v.刺，戳( prod的过去式和过去分词 )；刺激；促使；（用手指或尖物）戳 | |
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feats
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| 功绩，伟业，技艺( feat的名词复数 ) | |
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graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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obedience
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| n.服从，顺从 | |
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preoccupied
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| adj.全神贯注的，入神的；被抢先占有的；心事重重的v.占据（某人）思想，使对…全神贯注，使专心于( preoccupy的过去式) | |
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unstable
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| adj.不稳定的，易变的 | |
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accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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implements
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| n.工具( implement的名词复数 )；家具；手段；[法律]履行（契约等）v.实现( implement的第三人称单数 )；执行；贯彻；使生效 | |
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15
zigzagged
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| adj.呈之字形移动的v.弯弯曲曲地走路，曲折地前进( zigzag的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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batch
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| n.一批(组，群)；一批生产量 | |
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stagnant
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| adj.不流动的，停滞的，不景气的 | |
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deferred
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| adj.延期的，缓召的v.拖延，延缓，推迟( defer的过去式和过去分词 )；服从某人的意愿，遵从 | |
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jack
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| n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克 | |
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wan
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| (wide area network)广域网 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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clenched
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| v.紧握，抓紧，咬紧( clench的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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apron
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| n.围裙；工作裙 | |
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serene
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| adj. 安详的，宁静的，平静的 | |
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choleric
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| adj.易怒的，性情暴躁的 | |
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contemplating
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| 深思，细想，仔细考虑( contemplate的现在分词 )； 注视，凝视； 考虑接受（发生某事的可能性）； 深思熟虑，沉思，苦思冥想 | |
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flicker
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| vi./n.闪烁，摇曳，闪现 | |
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drolly
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| adv.古里古怪地；滑稽地；幽默地；诙谐地 | |
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ails
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| v.生病( ail的第三人称单数 )；感到不舒服；处境困难；境况不佳 | |
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vouchsafed
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| v.给予，赐予( vouchsafe的过去式和过去分词 )；允诺 | |
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rumble
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| n.隆隆声；吵嚷；v.隆隆响；低沉地说 | |
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regained
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| 复得( regain的过去式和过去分词 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地 | |
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tilted
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| v. 倾斜的 | |
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ruffled
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| adj. 有褶饰边的, 起皱的 动词ruffle的过去式和过去分词 | |
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35
hitched
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| （免费）搭乘他人之车( hitch的过去式和过去分词 )； 搭便车； 攀上； 跃上 | |
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36
whittling
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| v.切，削（木头），使逐渐变小( whittle的现在分词 ) | |
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conversing
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| v.交谈，谈话( converse的现在分词 ) | |
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animatedly
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| adv.栩栩如生地，活跃地 | |
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briefly
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| adv.简单地，简短地 | |
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promptly
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| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
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41
nostrils
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| 鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 ) | |
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42
lumber
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| n.木材，木料；v.以破旧东西堆满；伐木；笨重移动 | |
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43
bankruptcy
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| n.破产；无偿付能力 | |
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44
thump
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| v.重击，砰然地响；n.重击，重击声 | |
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45
kit
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| n.用具包，成套工具；随身携带物 | |
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46
bereave
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| v.使痛失(亲人等)，剥夺，使丧失 | |
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pestilence
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| n.瘟疫 | |
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48
wilderness
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| n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠 | |
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49
folly
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| n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话 | |
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50
colloquy
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| n.谈话，自由讨论 | |
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51
curiously
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| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
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52
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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53
amiable
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| adj.和蔼可亲的，友善的，亲切的 | |
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54
chuckle
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| vi.／n.轻声笑，咯咯笑 | |
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55
caulks
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| vt.堵（船的）缝（caulk的第三人称单数形式） | |
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56
heartily
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| adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很 | |
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57
contagious
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| adj.传染性的，有感染力的 | |
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58
chuckles
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| 轻声地笑( chuckle的名词复数 ) | |
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59
countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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60
gracefully
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| ad.大大方方地；优美地 | |
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61
shaft
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| n.(工具的)柄，杆状物 | |
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