The Blazed Trail

t became necessary to begin on section fourteen, which lay two miles to t

from the level of a marsh. In ordinary conditions nothing would have been easier than to have ploughed roads

r would have caused. All the season Radway had contended with this condition. Even in the woods, muddy swamp and spring-holes caused endless difficulty and necessitated a great deal of "corduroying," or the laying of poles side by s

light weight of a man sometimes broke the frozen skin of the marsh. By night a road of trampled snow, of greater or less length, was marked out across the expanse. Thus the blanket was thrown back from the warm earth, and thus the cold was given

ing surface of the plains, and tore around the corners of the islands. T

k before their work had warmed them again. All of the skidways had to be placed on the edges of the islands themselves, and the logs had to be travoyed over the steep little knolls. A single

ude but that of absolute confidence in their intentions. His anxiety was natural, however. He realized the absolute necessity of skidding and hauling this job before the heavy choking snows of the latter part of January

k carried with it. Radway's anxiety for their comfort, however, caused them finally to imagine that perh

is there could be no objection-except on the part of the cook, who was supposed to attend to his business himself-for the scaler was active in his work, when once he began it, and could keep up with th

ears and feet. She'll warm up a little by to-morrow, and perhaps the wind'll die. I can catch

way assented, a

r hung out a thermometer, which he used to consult. The men

, the Frenchman who played the fiddle. "He freeze t'r

ure a holy fright

rammin' around yesterday askin' us if we found her too cold? He k

ar path on a warm day in July," s

're barn-boss. You don't h

s intervention went for a

es," went on Baptiste. "He can mak'

ratton, "they's the west half

tion to Radway. Big N

o cold to work on them plains to-d

at the business to make

e, boys,

lligerency. The doubtful cases, those on the subtle line of indecision, found him weak. He could be so easily persuaded that he was in the wrong. At times it even seemed that he was anxious to be proved at fault, so eager was he to catch fairly the justice of the other man's attitude. He held his men inexorably and firmly to their work on the indisputably comfortable days; but gave in often when an able

f a taskmaster. His anxiety as to the completion of the work overlaid his morbidly sympathetic h

alk with the supply-teamster, a

ake charge, and I guess you'd better let the scaling go. We can get the tally at the banking grounds when

scrutably insolent that Radway never saw the insolence at all. He thought this a poor year for

t believe it's really necessary to lay off any more there on account of

, sir," re

arp eye on the details of the work. His practical experience was sufficient to solve readily such problems of broken tackle, extra

m often through his doze, just as he heard the chore-boy come in to build the fire and fill the water pail afresh. After a time the fire,

ters; besides which, on sleigh-haul, they are supposed to serve a breakfast at three o'clock for the loaders and a variety of lunches up

does it well. For this he needs actual experience at the work itself, but above all zeal and constant presence. He must know how a thing ought t

rt of a lunch to do him until dinner time. As he stepped from the door of the office he caught sight of two men hurrying from the cook camp to the men's camp. He

his time between them and the task of sticking on the log walls pleasing patterns made of illustrations from cheap papers and the gaudy labels of canned goods. Dyer sat do

e long this morning," he remarked

ttle action indicating at the same time that he had heard, but inten

to the marsh on time," su

is paper and looked t

I'm the cook," said h

used, the paste b

he emergency. Without another word he pushed back his coff

ermen. As a matter of fact, not a man had stirred out that morning. This was more for the sake of giving Dyer

Dyer sharply; "why aren

d for a minute

. Meester Radway he spik dat we ki

the precedent w

ight then?" he asked, st

w us where to begin," draw

arp on his hee

he!" commented old Jack

ok, "Well, anyway, we'll have dinner early

cook," said he, "and I'm getting the meals on time. Dinner wil

tures of ladies to whom the illustration

d the lumber-jack's unaided conscience is likely to allow him a certain amount of conversation from the decks of skidways. The work moved slowly. At Christmas a nu

ve "Pain Killer," "Hinckley" and Jamaica Ginger was appeased, they were not much good. Instead of keeping

have known where to fill their places. This lay in Radway's experience. Dyer felt that responsibilities a little too great had been forced on him, which was partly