第2章
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  III

  Atthismomentthecooksteppedintoview,and,makingatrumpetofhistwohands,sentacrossthewateralong,weird,andnotunmusicalcry。Themenatoncebeganslowlytodriftinthedirectionofthecamp。There,whenthetinplateshadallbeenfilled,andeachhadfoundaplacetohisliking,Ordeaddressedthem。Hismannerwascasualandconversational。

  \"Boys,\"saidhe,\"theoldmossbackwhoownsthatdamhascomeuphereloadedtoscatter。He’sbuiltupthesillofthatgateuntilwecan’tgetadrawonthewater,andherefusestogive,lend,orsellustherighttocutherout。I’vemadehimeveryreasonableproposition,butallIgetbackisquotationsfromtheprophets。

  Now,we’vegottogetthoselogsout——that’swhatwe’reherefor。A

  finebunchofwhitewaterbirlerswe’dlookifwegothungupbyanoldmossbackinaplughat。JohnnySims,what’stheanswer?\"

  \"Cutherout,\"grinnedJohnnySimsbriefly。

  \"Correct!\"repliedOrdewithachuckle。\"Cutherout。But,myson,it’sagainstthelawtointerferewithanotherman’sproperty。\"

  Thiswassoobviouslyhumourousinintentthatitsonlyreceptionconsistedofmoregrinsfromeverybody。

  \"But,\"wentonOrdemoreseriously,\"it’squiteajob。Wecan’tworkmorethansixoreightmenatitatatime。Wegottoworkasfastaswecanbeforetheoldmancaninterfere。\"

  \"Thenearestsheriff’satSpruceRapids,\"commentedsomeonephilosophically。

  \"Wehavesixtymen,alltold,\"saidOrde。\"Weoughttobeabletocarryitthrough。\"

  Hefilledhisplateandwalkedacrosstoavacantplace。HerehefoundhimselfnexttoNewmark。

  \"Hello!\"hegreetedthatyoungman,\"fixeditwiththedoctorallright?\"

  \"Yes,\"repliedNewmark,inhisbrief,drymanner,\"thanks!IthinkIoughttotellyouthatthesheriffisnotatSpruceRapids,butatthevillage——expectingtrouble。\"

  Ordewhistled,thenbrokeintoaroarofdelight。

  \"Boys,\"hecalled,\"oldPlugHat’sgotthesheriffrighthandy。I

  guesshesortofexpectedwe’dbethinkingofcuttingthroughthatdam。How’dyouliketogotojail?\"

  \"I’dliketoseeanysherifftakeustojail,unlesshehadanarmywithhim,\"growledoneoftheriver—jacks。

  \"Hasheaposse?\"inquiredOrdeofNewmark。

  \"Ididn’tseeany;butIunderstoodinthevillagethatthegovernorhadbeenadvisedtoholdStatetroopsinreadinessfortrouble。\"

  Ordefellintoabrownstudy,eatingmechanically。Themenbegananeagerandsomewhattruculentdiscussionfulloflawlessandbloodthirstysuggestion。SomesuggestedthekidnappingandsequestrationofReeduntiltheaffairshouldbefinished。

  \"How’dhegetholdofhisoldsheriff,then?\"theyinquiredwithsomepertinence。

  Orde,however,paidnoattentiontoallthistalk,butcontinuedtofrownintospace。Atlasthisfacecleared,andheslappeddownhistinplatesoviolentlythattheknifeandforkjumpedoffintothedirt。

  \"Ihaveit!\"hecriedaloud。

  Buthewouldnottellwhathehad。Afterthenoonhourheinstructedahalf—dozenmentoprovidethemselveswithsaws,axes,picks,andshovels,andallmarchedinthedirectionofthemill。

  Whenwithinahundredyardsorsoofthatstructuretheadvancingrivermansawthelank,blackfigureofthemillownerflapintosight,astrideabonyoldhorse,andclatteraway,coat—tailsflying,uptheroadandintothewaitingforest。

  \"Now,boys!\"criedOrdecrisply。\"He’llbebackinanhourwiththesheriff。Lively!\"Herapidlydesignatedtenmenofhiscrew。\"Youboysgettoworkandmakethingshum。Getasmuchdoneasyoucanbeforethesheriffcomes。\"

  \"He’llhavetobringallofSpruceCountytogetme,\"commentedoneofthosechosen,spittingonhishands。

  \"Me,too!\"saidothers。

  \"Now,listen,\"saidOrde,holdingthemwithanimpressivegesture。

  \"Whenthatsheriffcomes,withorwithoutaposse,Iwantyoutogopeaceably。Understand?\"

  \"Cavein?Notmuch!\"criedPurdy。

  \"Seehere,\"andOrdedrewthemasidetoanearnest,low—voicedconversationthatlastedseveralminutes。Whenhehadfinishedheclappedeachofthemontheback,andallmovedoff,laughing,tothedam。

  \"Now,boys,\"hecommandedtheothers,\"norowwithoutorders。

  Understand?Ifthere’sgoingtobeafight,I’llgiveyouthewordwhen。\"

  Thechoppingcrewdescendedtothebottomofthesluice,thegateofwhichhadbeenshut,andbeganimmediatelytochopawayattheapron。Asthewaterinthepondabovehadbeendrawnlowbythemorning’swork,noneoverflowedthegate,sothemenwereenabledtoworkdry。Belowtheapron,ofcourse,hadbeenfilledinwithearthandstones。Assoonastheaxe—menhadeffectedanentrytothisdeposit,othermenwithshovelsandpicksbegantoremovethefilling。

  TheworkhadcontinuednearlyanhourwhenOrdecommandedthefiftyormoreidlersbacktocamp。

  \"Getout,boys,\"heordered。\"Thesheriffwillbehereprettyquicknow,andIdon’twantanyrow。Getoutofsight。\"

  \"Andleavethemtofightheroutalone?Guessnot!\"grumbledatall,burlyindividualwitharedface。

  Ordeimmediatelywalkeddirectlytothisman。

  \"AmIbossingthisdrive,oramInot?\"hedemanded。

  Therivermangrowledsomething。

  SMACK!SMACK!soundedOrde’sfists。Theman,takenbysurprise,wentdowninaheap,butimmediatelyreboundedtohisfeetasthoughmadeofrubber。ButOrdehadseizedapeavy,andstoodoveragainsthisantagonist,themurderousweaponupraised。

  \"Liedown,youhound,orI’llbrainyou!\"heroaredatthetopstrengthofhisgreatvoice。\"Wantfight,doyou?Well,youwon’thavetowaittillthesheriffgetshere!Youmakeamove!\"

  Forafullhalfminutethemancrouchedbreathless,andOrde,hisruddyfacecongested,heldhisthreateningattitude。Thenhedroppedhispeavyandsteppedaside。

  \"March!\"hecommanded。\"Getyourturkeyandhitthehaytrail。

  You’llgetyourtimeatRedding。\"

  Themansullenlyaroseandslouchedaway,grumblingunderhisbreath。Ordewatchedhimfromsight,thenturnedtothesilentgroup,anewcrispnessinhismanner。

  \"Well?\"hedemanded。

  Hesitating,theyturnedtotherivertrail,leavingthetenstillworkingatthesluice。Whenwellwithinthefringeofthebrush,Ordecalledahalt。Hiscustomarygood—humourseemedquiterestored。

  \"Now,boys,\"hecommanded,\"squatdownandlaylow。Yougivemeanache!Don’tyousupposeIgotthisthingallfiguredout?Iffightwoulddoanygood,youknowmightywellI’dfight。Andtheboyswon’tbeinjailanylongerthanittakestogetawiretoDalytobailthemout。Smokeup,anddon’tbother。\"

  Theyfilledtheirpipesandsettleddowntoanenjoymentofthesituation。Ordinarilyfromveryearlyinthemorninguntilverylateatnighttherivermanisbusyeveryinstantathisdangerousandabsorbingwork。Thoseaffairswhichdonotimmediatelyconcernhistask——astheswiftnessofrapids,thestateofflood,thecurvesofstreams,theheightofwater,theobstructionsofchannels,thequantitiesoflogs——passbytheouterfringeofhisconsciousness,ifindeedtheyreachhimatall。Thus,oftenheworksalldayuptohiswaistinacurrentbearingtherotteniceofthefirstbreak—up,orenduresthedrenchingofanearlyspringrain,orbattlestherigoursofabelatedsnowwithapparentindifference。YouorI

  wouldbeexceedinglyuncomfortable;wouldrequireaneffortoffortitudetomaketheplunge。Yetthesemen,absorbedinthemightyproblemsoftheirtask,havelittleattentiontosparetosuchthings。Thecold,thewet,thediscomfort,thehunger,theweariness,allpassasshadowsonthebackground。Inlikemannerthesoftermoodsofthespringrarelypenetratethroughtheconcentrationoffacultiesonthework。Thewarmsunshines;thebirdsbythousandsflutterandtwitterandsingtheirwaynorth;thedelicategreenofspring,showeredfromthehandofthepassingSower,sprinklesthetopsofthetrees,andgraduallysiftsdownthroughthebranches;thegreat,beautifulsilvercloudssaildownthehorizonlikeshipsofastatelierage,astotallywithoutactualexistencetothesemen。Thelogs,theriver——thoseareenoughtostrainallthefacultiesamanpossesses,andmore。

  Sowhen,asnow,achancecombinationofcircumstancesbringsthemleisuretolookaboutthem,theforestandtheworldofout—of—doorscomestothemwithafreshnessimpossibleforthecitydwellertorealise。Thesurroundingsareaccustomed,buttheybringnewmessages。Tomostofthem,theseimpressionsneverreachthepointofcoherency。Theybrood,andmuse,andexpandintheactualandfigurativewarmth,andprofferthegeneralopinionthatitisadamnfineday!

  Anotherfullhalfhourelapsedbeforethesituationdevelopedfurther。ThenTomNorth’sfriendJim,whohadgatheredhislongfigureonthetopofastump,unclaspedhiskneesandremarkedthatoldPlugHatwasback。

  Themenarosetotheirfeetandpeeredcautiouslythroughthebrush。

  TheysawReed,accompaniedbyathick—setmanwhomsomerecognisedasthesheriffofthecounty,approachtheedgeofthedam。A

  momentlatertheworkingcrewmountedtothetop,stackedtheirtoolsneatly,resumedtheircoatsandjackets,anddeparteduptheroadinconvoyofthesheriff。

  Agaspofastonishmentbrokefromtheconcealedrivermen。

  \"Well,I’llbedamned!\"ejaculatedone。\"Whatarewecomin’to?

  That’sthefirsttimeIeverseeonelonesomesheriffgatherintenriver—hogswithouttheaidofagatlin’oranambulance!What’sthematterwiththatchicken—liveredbunch,anyway?\"

  Ordewatchedthem,hiseyesexpressionless,untiltheyhaddisappearedinthefringeoftheforestThenheturnedtotheastonishedgroup。

  \"Jim,\"saidhe,\"andyou,Ellis,andyou,andyou,andyou,andyou,gettoworkonthatdam。Andrememberthis,ifyouarearrested,gopeaceably。Anyresistancewillspoilthewholegame。\"

  ThemenbrokeintomingledcheersandlaughterasthefullsignificanceofOrde’splanreachedthem。Theystreamedbacktothedam,wheretheyperchedprofferingadviceandencouragementtothoseabouttodescend。

  Immediately,however,Reedwasout,hiseyesblazingeithersidehishawknose。

  \"Here!\"hecried,\"quitthat!I’llhaveyearrested!\"

  \"Arrestahead,\"repliedOrdecoldly。

  Reedstormedbackandforthforamoment,thendepartedatfullspeeduptheroad。

  \"Now,boys,getasmuchdoneaspossible,\"urgedOrde。\"Webettergetbackinthebrush,orhemaytrytotakeinthewholeb’ilingofusonsomesortofablanketwarrant。\"

  \"Howabouttheotherboys?\"inquiredNorth。

  \"IgaveoneofthematelegramtosendtoDaly,\"repliedOrde。

  \"Dalywillbeuptobailthemout。\"

  Oncemoretheyhidinthewoods;andagain,afteralongerinterval,themillownerandthesheriffreappeared。Reedappearedtobeexpostulatingviolently,andanumberoftimespointedupriver;butthesheriffwentaheadstolidlytothedam,summonedthoseworkingbelow,anddeparteduptheroadasbefore。Reedstooduncertainuntilhesawtherivermenbeginningtore—emergefromthebrush,thenfollowedtheofficerattopspeed。

  Withoutthenecessityofcommand,ahalf—dozenmenleapeddownontheapron。Thepreviouscrewshadmadeconsiderableprogressinweakeningtheheavysupports。Assoonastheseshouldbecutoutandthebackingremoved,themeresawingthroughofthemassivesillshouldcarryawaythewholeobstruction。

  \"Nexttimewilldecideit,\"remarkedOrde。\"Ifthesheriffbringsaposseandsitsdowntolayforus,ofcoursewewon’tbeabletogetneartofinishthejob。\"

  \"Ididn’tthinkthatofGeorgeMorris,\"commentedSimsinanaggrievedway。\"Hewasarivermanhimselfoncebeforehewassheriff。\"

  \"He’sgottoobeyorders,andserveawarrantwhenit’sissued,ofcourse,\"repliedOrdetothis。\"Whatdidyouexpect?\"

  Attheendofanotherhour,whichbroughtthetimetofouro’clock,thesheriffmadehisthirdappearance——thistimeinaside—barbuggy。

  \"IwishIdaredjointhatconfab,\"saidOrde,\"andhearwhat’sgoingon,butI’mafraidhe’djugmesure。\"

  \"Hewouldn’tjugme,\"spokeupNewmark。\"I’llgodown。\"

  \"Bullyforyou!\"agreedOrde。

  Theyoungmandepartedinhisprecise,methodicalmanner,pickinghiswayrathermincinglyamongtheinequalitiesofthetrail。Inspiteofthewornandwrinkledconditionofhisgarments,theyretainedsomethingofacityhangandsmartnessthatsharplydifferentiatedtheirwearerfromeventhewell—dressedcitizensofasmallertown。Theyseemedtomatchtherefined,shrewd,butcoldintelligenceofhisleanandnervousface。

  Aboutsunsethereturnedfromascenewhichthedistantspectatorshadwatchedwithbreathlessinterest。Itwasinessenceonlyarepetitionofthetwothathadprecededit,butReedhadevidentlygonealmosttothepointofviolenceinhisinsistence,andthesheriffhadshakenhimoffrudely。Finally,Morrisandhissixprisonershadtrailedaway。ThesheriffandNorth’sfriendoccupiedtheseatofthebuggy,whiletheotherfivetrudgedpeaceablyalongside。OnceagainReedclatteredawayonhisbonysteed,butthistimeaheadoftheofficialparty。

  Withawhooptherivercrew,nowreducedtoascantdozen,rusheddowntomeetthetoodeliberateNewmark。

  \"Well?\"theydemanded,crowdingabouthim。

  \"Reedwantedthesherifftostayandprotectthedam,\"reportedNewmarkinhisbrief,drymanner。\"Sheriffrefused。Saidhisdutywassimplytoarrestonwarrant,andasoftenasReedgotoutwarrants,he’dservethem。Reedsaid,then,heshouldgetaposseandhuntupOrdeandtherestofthem。Sheriffrepliedthatasfarashecouldsee,thetermsofhiswarrantwerecoveredbythemenhefoundworkingonthedam,Reeddemandedprotection,Sheriffsaidforhimtogetaninjunction,anditwouldbeenforced。\"

  \"Well,that’sallright,\"interjectedOrdewithsatisfaction。

  \"We’llhavehercutthroughbeforehegetsthatinjunction,andI

  guessI’vegotmenenoughhereanddownrivertogetthroughbeforewe’reALLarrested。\"

  \"Yes,\"saidNewmark,\"that’sallverywell。Butnowhe’sgonetotelegraphthegovernortosendthetroops。\"

  Ordewhistledajigtune。

  \"Kindofexpectedthat,boys,\"saidhe。\"Let’ssee。ThenexttrainoutfromRedding——They’llbeherebyfiveinthemorningatsoonest。

  Hopeit’llbelater。\"

  \"Whatwillyoudo?\"askedNewmark。

  \"Takechances,\"repliedOrde。\"Allyouboysgettowork。Zeke,\"hecommandedoneofthecookees,\"gouproad,andreportifMorriscomesback。Ireckonthistimewe’llhavetoscatterifhecomesafterus。Ihopewewon’thaveto,though。LiketokeepeverythingsquareonaccountofthisStatetroopbusiness。\"

  Thesunhaddroppedbelowthefringeoftrees,whichimmediatelyetchedtheirdelicateoutlinesagainstapale,translucentgreensky。Twostraight,thincolumnsofsmokerosefromtheneglectedcamp—fires。Orde,glancingaroundhim,noticedthese。

  \"Doctor,\"hecommandedsharply,\"getatyourgrub!Makesomecoffeerightoff,andbringitdown。Getthelanternsfromthewanigan,andbringthemtothedam。Comeon,boys!\"

  Overascoreofmenattackedthesluice—way,forbynowpartoftherearcrewhadcomedownriver。Thepondabovehadrecovereditsvolume。Waterwasbeginningtotrickleoverthetopofthegate。

  Inashorttimeprogressbecamedifficult,almostimpossible,Themenworkeduptotheirkneesinswiftwater。Theycouldnotsee,andthestrokesofaxeorpicklostmuchoftheirforceagainsttheliquid。Duskfell。Thefringeoftheforestbecamemysteriousinitsvelvetdark。Silverstreaks,ofasupernalcalm,suggestedthereachesofthepond。Above,thesky’sdaysurfaceunfoldedandrecededanddissolvedandmeltedawayuntil,throughthepaleafterglow,onesawbeyondintotheinfinities。Downbythesluiceadozenlanternsflickeredandblinkedyellowagainsttheblue—

  blacknessofthenight。

  AftersometimeOrdecalledhiscrewoffandopenedthesluice—

  gates。Thewaterhadbecometoodeepforeffectivework,andahalfhour’sflowwouldreducethepressure。Thetimewasoccupiedineatingandindryingoffaboutthehugefirethesecondcookeehadbuiltcloseathand。

  \"Watercold,boys?\"askedOrde。

  \"Some,\"washisreply。

  \"Wanttoquit?\"heinquired,withmocksolicitude。

  \"Naryquit。\"

  Orde’sshoutoflaughterbrokethenightsilenceofthewhisperingbreezeandtherushingwater。

  \"We’llstickto’emlikedeathtoadeadnigger,\"washiscomment。

  Newmark,havingextractedakindofcardiganjacketfromthebaghehadbroughtwithhimasfarasthemill,lookedatthesmooth,iron—

  blackwaterandshivered。

  Whenthemealwasfinished,themenlittheirpipesandwentbacktoworkphilosophically。Withentireabsorptioninthetask,theydug,chopped,andpicked。Thedullsoundofblows,thegurgleandtrickleofthewater,theoccasionalgruntorbriefcommentofarivermanalonebrokethecalmofevening。Nowthatthesluice—gatewasdownandthewaterhadceasedtemporarilytoflowoverit,theworkwentfaster。Orde,watchingwiththeeyeofanexpert,vouchsafedtothetaciturnNewmarkthathethoughtthey’dmakeit。

  Nearmidnight,however,aswayinglanternwasseenapproaching。

  Orde,leapingtohisfeetwithacurseattheboyonwatch,heardthesoundofwheels。Amomentlater,Daly’sbulkyformsteppedintotheilluminationofthefire。

  Ordewanderedovertowherehisprincipalstoodpeeringabouthim。

  \"Hullo!\"saidhe。

  \"Oh,thereyouare!\"criedDalyangrily。\"Whatinhellyouuptohere?\"

  \"Runninglogs,\"repliedOrdecoolly。

  \"Runninglogs!\"shoutedDaly,tuggingathisovercoatpocket,andfinallyproducingamuch—foldednewspaper。\"Howaboutthis?\"

  Ordeunfoldedthepaperandloweredittothecampfire。Itwasanextra,screamingwithwoodtype。Hereaditdeliberatelyover。

  WAR!

  theheadlineran。

  RIOTINGANDBLOODSHEDINTHEWOODS

  RIVERMENANDDAMOWNERSCLASH!

  Therefollowedavagueandhighlycolouredstatementtotheeffectthataninitialskirmishhadleftthefieldinpossessionoftherivermen,inspiteofthesheriffandalargeposse,butthattroopswerebeingrushedtothespot,andthatthis\"high—handeddefianceofauthority\"wouldundoubtedlysoonbesuppressed。Itconcludedtruthfullywiththestatementthatthelossoflifewasasyetunknown。

  Ordefoldedupthepaperandhandeditback。

  \"Don’tyouknowanybetterthantogetintothatkindofarowdownhere?\"Dalyhadbeensaying。\"Doyouwanttobringusupforgoodhere?Don’tyourealisethatthisisn’tthenorthernpeninsula?

  Whatareyoutryingtodo,anyway?\"

  \"SureIdo,\"repliedOrdeplacidly。\"ComealongheretillIshowyouthesituation。\"

  Tenminuteslater,Daly,relievedinhismind,wasstandingbythefiredrinkinghotcoffeeandlaughingatOrde’sdescriptionofReed’splughat。

  ToOrde’ssatisfaction,thesheriffdidnotreappear。ReedevidentlynowpinnedhisfaithtotheStatetroops。

  Allnighttheworkwenton,themenspellingeachotheratintervalsofeveryfewhours。Bythreeo’clockthemainabutmentshadbeenremoved。Thegatewasthenblockedtopreventitsfallwhenitsnethersupportshouldbewithdrawn,andtwomen,leaningovercautiously,beganatarm’s—lengthtodelivertheiraxe—strokesagainstthemiddleofthesill—timbersofthesluiceitself,notchingeachheavybeamdeeplythattheforceofthecurrentmightfinallybreakitintwo。Thenightwasverydark,andverystill。

  Eventhenightcreatureshadfallenintothequietudethatprecedesthefirstmorninghours。Themuffled,spacedblowsoftheaxes,thelow—voicedcommentsordirectionsoftheworkers,thecrackleofthefireashorewerethrownbycontrastintoanundueimportance。Meninblankets,awaitingtheirturn,sleptclosetotheblaze。

  Suddenlythevastsilenceofbeforedawnwasbrokenbyaloudandexultantyellfromoneoftheaxemen。Atoncethetwoscrambledtothetopofthedam。Theblanketedfiguresaboutthefiresprangtolife。Abriefinstantlaterthesnappingofwoodfibresbeganliketherapidexplosionsofinfantryfire;acrashandbangoftimberssmotetheair;andthentheriver,exultant,roaringwithjoy,rushedfromitspentquietudeintothenewpassageopenedforit。

  Atthesamemoment,asthoughatthesignal,asinglebird,premonitoroftheyetdistantday,lifteduphisvoice,clearlyaudibleabovethetumult。

  Ordestormedintothecampupstream,hiseyesbright,hisbigvoiceboomingexultantly。

  \"Rollout,youriver—hogs!\"heshoutedtothosewhohadworkedouttheirshiftsearlierinthenight。\"Rollout,youweb—footedsonsofguns,andhearthelittlebirdssingpraise!\"

  Newmark,whohadsatupthenightthrough,andnowshiveredsleepilybythefire,begantohuntaroundforthebed—rollhehad,earlierintheevening,dumpeddownsomewhereincamp。

  \"Isupposethat’sall,\"saidhe。\"Justacaseofrunlogsnow。

  I’llturninforalittle。\"

  ButOrde,athicksliceofbreadhalf—waytohislips,hadfrozeninanattitudeofattentivelistening。

  \"Hark!\"saidhe。

  Faint,stillinthedepthsoftheforest,thewanderingmorningbreezeboretotheirearsasoundwhosedifferencefromtheloudernoisesnearerathandalonerendereditaudible。

  \"Thetroops!\"exclaimedOrde。

  Heseizedalanternandreturneddownthetrail,followedeagerlybyNewmarkandeverymanincamp。

  \"Troopscoming!\"saidOrdetoDaly。

  Themendrewalittletooneside,watchingthedimlineoftheforest,darkagainstthepalingsky。Shadowsseemedtostirinitsblackness。Theyheardquitedistinctlytheclinkofmetalagainstmetal。Amanrodeoutoftheshadowandreinedupbythefire。

  \"Halt!\"commandedaharshvoice。Therivermencouldmakeoutthetroops——threeorfourscoreofthem——standingrigidatattention。

  Reed,afootnowinfavourofthecommandingofficer,pushedforward。

  \"Whoisinchargehere?\"inquiredtheofficercrisply。

  \"Iam,\"repliedOrde,steppingforward。

  \"Iwishtoinquire,sir,ifyouhavegonemadtocounselyourmentoresistcivilauthority?\"

  \"Ihavenotresistedcivilauthority,\"repliedOrderespectfully。

  \"Ithasbeenotherwisereported。\"

  \"Thereportshavebeenfalse。Thesheriffofthiscountyhasarrestedabouttwentyofmymensingle—handedandwithouttheslightesttrouble。\"

  \"Mr。Morris,\"criedtheofficersharply。

  \"Yes?\"repliedthesheriff。

  \"Iswhatthismansaystrue?\"

  \"Itsureis。Neverhadsolittlefussarrestin’rivermenbeforeinmylife。\"

  Theofficer’sfaceturnedaslowbrick—red。Foramomenthesaidnothing,thenexplodedwiththeutmostviolence。

  \"ThenwhythedevilamIdraggedupherewithmymeninthenight?\"

  hecried。\"Who’sresponsibleforthisinsanity,anyway?Don’tyouknow,\"heroaredatReed,whothatmomentswungwithinhisrangeofvision,\"thatIhavenostandinginthepresenceofcivillaw?Whatdoyoumeangettingmeupheretoyourmiserablelittlebackwoodssquabbles?\"

  Reedstartedtosaysomething,butwasimmediatelycutshortbytheiratecaptain。

  \"I’venothingtodowiththat;settleitincourt。Andwhat’smore,you’llhavesomethingyourselftosettlewiththeState!About,face!Forward,march!\"

  Themenfadedintothegraylightasthoughdissolvedbyit。

  Adeepandrespectfulsilencefelluponthemen,whichwasbrokenbyOrde’ssolemnanddramaticdeclamation。

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