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。