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。