the riverman-第25节

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to　'tell　the　truth　and　shame　the　devil。'　　Oh；　he　must　be　dying　of　

mortification　this　evening！〃　　She　struck　a　great　crashing　chord；　

holding　the　keys　while　the　strings　reverberated　and　echoed　down　

slowly　into　silence　again。　　〃It　isn't　fair；〃　she　went　on；　〃for　you　

big　simple　men　to　disarm　us。　　I　don't　care！　　I　have　my　private　

opinion　of　such　brute　strength。　　JE　ME　MOQUE！〃



She　wrinkled　her　nose　and　narrowed　her　eyes。　　Then　ruthlessly　she　

drowned　his　reply　in　a　torrent　of　music。　　Like　mad　she　played；　

rocking　her　slender　body　back　and　forth　along　the　key…board；　holding　

rigid　her　fingers；　her　hands；　and　the　muscles　of　her　arms。　　The　bass　

notes　roared　like　the　rumbling　of　thunder；　the　treble　flashed　like　

the　dart　of　lightnings。　　Abruptly　she　muted　the　instrument。　　Silence　

fell　as　something　that　had　been　pent　and　suddenly　released。　　She　

arose　from　the　piano　stool　quite　naturally；　both　hands　at　her　hair。



〃Aren't　Mr。　and　Mrs。　Hubbard　dear　old　people？〃　said　she。



〃What　is　your　address　in　New　York？〃　demanded　Orde。　　She　sank　into　a　

chair　nearby　with　a　pretty　uplifted　gesture　of　despair。



〃I　surrender！〃　she　cried；　and　then　she　laughed　until　the　tears　

started　from　her　eyes　and　she　had　to　brush　them　away　with　what　

seemed　to　Orde　an　absurd　affair　to　call　a　handkerchief。　　〃Oh；　you　

are　delicious！〃　she　said　at　last。　　〃Well；　listen。　　I　live　at　12　West　

Ninth　Street。　　Can　you　remember　that？〃　　Orde　nodded。　　〃And　now　any　

other　questions　the　prisoner　can　reply　to　without　incriminating　

herself；　she　is　willing　to　answer。〃　　She　folded　her　hands　demurely　

in　her　lap。



Two　days　later　Orde　saw　the　train　carry　her　away。　　He　watched　the　

rear　car　disappear　between　the　downward　slopes　of　two　hills；　and　

then　finally　the　last　smoke　from　the　locomotive　dissipate　in　the　

clear　blue。



Declining　Jane's　kindly　meant　offer　of　a　lift；　he　walked　back　to　

town。







XV





The　new　firm　plunged　busily　into　its　more　pressing　activities。　　Orshovels；　axes；

and　

scrapers　were　cutting　out　and　levelling　a　road　which　would；　when　

finished；　meet　the　county　road　to　town。　　The　numerous　bayous　of　

great　marsh　were　crossed　by　〃float…bridges；〃　lying　flat　on　the　

surface　of　the　water；　which　spurted　up　in　rhythmical　little　jets　

under　the　impact　of　hoofs。　　Down　stream　eight　miles；　below　the　

mills；　and　just　beyond　where　the　drawbridge　crossed　over　to　

Monrovia；　Duncan　McLeod's　shipyards　clipped　and　sawed；　and　steamed　

and　bent　and　bolted　away　at　two　tugboats；　the　machinery　for　which　

was　already　being　stowed　in　the　hold　of　a　vessel　lying　at　wharf　in　

Chicago。　　In　the　storerooms　of　hardware　firms　porters　carried　and　

clerks　checked　off　chains；　strap　iron；　bolts；　spikes；　staples；　band　

iron；　bar　iron；　peavies；　cant…hooks；　pike…poles；　sledge…hammers；　

blocks；　ropes；　and　cables。



These　things　took　time　and　attention　to　details；　also　a　careful　

supervision。　　The　spring　increased；　burst　into　leaf　and　bloom；　and　

settled　into　summer。　　Orde　was　constantly　on　the　move。　　As　soon　as　

low　water　came　with　midsummer；　however；　he　arranged　matters　to　run　

themselves　as　far　as　possible；　left　with　Newmark　minute　instructions　

as　to　personal　supervision；　and　himself　departed　to　Redding。　　Here　

he　joined　a　crew　which　Tom　North　had　already　collected；　and　betook　

himself　to　the　head　of　the　river。



He　knew　exactly　what　he　intended　to　do。　　Far　back　on　the　head…waters　

he　built　a　dam。　　The　construction　of　it　was　crude；　consisting　merely　

of　log　cribs　filled　with　stone　and　debris　placed　at　intervals　across　

the　bed　of　the　stream；　against　which　slanted　logs　made　a　face。　　The　

gate　operated　simply；　and　could　be　raised　to　let　loose　an　entire　

flood。　　And　indeed　this　was　the　whole　purpose　of　the　dam。　　It　

created　a　reservoir　from　which　could　be　freed　new　supplies　of　water　

to　eke　out　the　dropping　spring　freshets。



Having　accomplished　this　formidable　labourfor　the　trees　had　to　be　

cut　and　hauled；　the　stone　carted；　and　the　earth　shovelledthe　crew　

next　moved　down　a　good　ten　miles　to　where　the　river　dropped　over　a　

rapids　rough　and　full　of　boulders。　　Here　were　built　and　placed　a　row　

of　stone…filled　log　cribs　in　a　double　row　down　stream　to　define　the　

channel　and　to　hold　the　drive　in　it　and　away　from　the　shallows　near　

either　bank。　　The　profile　of　these　cribs　was　that　of　a　right…angled　

triangle；　the　slanting　side　up　stream。　　Booms　chained　between　them　

helped　deflect　the　drive　from　the　shoals。　　Their　more　important　

office；　however；　was　to　give　footing　to　the　drivers。



For　twenty…five　miles　then　nothing　of　importance　was　undertaken。　　

Two　or　three　particularly　bad　boulders　were　split　out　by　the　

explosion　of　powder　charges；　a　number　of　snags　and　old　trees　were　

cut　away　and　disposed　of；　the　channel　was　carefully　examined　for　

obstructions　of　any　kind　whatever。　　Then　the　party　came　to　the　

falls。



Here　Orde　purposed　his　most　elaborate　bit　of　rough　engineering。　　The　

falls　were　only　about　fifteen　feet　high；　but　they　fell　straight　down　

to　a　bed　of　sheer　rock。　　This　had　been　eaten　by　the　eddies　into　pot…

holes　and　crannies　until　a　jagged　irregular　scoop…hollow　had　formed　

immediately　underneath　the　fall。　　Naturally　this　implied　a　ledge　

below。



In　flood　time　the　water　boiled　and　roared　through　this　obstruction　

in　a　torrent。　　The　saw　logs；　caught　in　the　rush；　plunged　end　on　into　

the　scoop…hollow；　hit　with　a　crash；　and　were　spewed　out　below　more　

or　less　battered；　barked；　and　stripped。　　Sometimes；　however；　when　

the　chance　of　the　drive　brought　down　a　hundred　logs　together；　they　

failed　to　shoot　over　the　barrier　of　the　ledge。　　Then　followed　a　jam；　

a　bad　jam；　difficult　and　dangerous　to　break。　　The　falls　had　taken　

her　usurious　share　of　the　lives　the　river　annually　demands　as　her　

toll。



This　condition　of　affairs　Orde　had　determined；　if　possible；　to　

obviate。　　From　the　thirty…five　or　forty　miles　of　river　that　lay　

above；　and　from　its　tributaries　would　come　the　bulk　of　the　white　and　

Norway　pine　for　years　to　follow。　　At　least　two　thirds　of　each　drive　

Orde　figured　would　come　from　above　the　fall。



〃If；〃　said　he　to　North；　〃we　could　carry　an　apron　on　a　slant　from　

just　under　the　crest　and　over　the　pot…holes；　it　would　shoot　both　the　

water　and　the　logs　off　a　better　angle。〃



〃Sure；〃　agreed　North；　〃but　you'll　have　fun　placing　your　apron　with　

all　that　water　running　through。　　Why；　it　would　drown　us！〃



〃I've　got　a　notion　on　that；〃　said　Orde。　　〃First　thing　is　to　get　the　

material　together。〃



A　hardwood　forest　topped　the　slope。　　Into　this　went　the　axe…men。　　

The　straightest　trees　they　felled；　trimmed；　and　dragged；　down　travoy　

trails　they　constructed；　on　sleds　they　built　for　the　purpose；　to　the　

banks　of　the　river。　　Here　they　bored　the　two　holes　through　either　

end　to　receive　the　bolts　when　later　they　should　be　locked　together　

side　by　side　in　their　pawhorses　and　piled　them　also　for　a　

possible　future　use；　blocked　the　temporary　channel　with　a　tree　or　

soand　earth。　　The　river；　restored　to　its　immemorial　channel　by　

these　men　who　had　so　nonchalantly　turned　it　aside；　roared　on；　

singing　again　the　song　it　had　until　now　sung　uninterruptedly　for　

centuries。　　Orde　and　his　crew　tramped　back　to　the　falls；　and　gazed　

on　their　handiwork　with　satisfaction。　　Instead　of　plunging　over　an　

edge　into　a　turmoil　of　foam　and　eddies；　now　the　water　flowed　

smoothly；　almost　without　a　break；　over　an　incline　of　thirty　degrees。



〃Logs'll　slip　over　that　slick　as　a　gun　barrel；〃　said　Tom　North。　　

〃How　long　do　you　think　she'll　last？〃



〃Haven't　an　idea；〃　replied　Orde。　　〃We　may　have　to　do　it　again　next　

summer；　but　I　don't　think　it。　　There's　nothing　but　the　smooth　of　the　

water　to　wear　those　logs　until　they　begin　to　rot。〃



Quite　cheerfulllaces。　　As　fast　as　they　were　prepared；　men　

with　cant…hooks　rolled　them　down　the　slope　to　a　flat　below　the　

falls。　　They　did　these　things　swiftly　and　well；　because　they　were　

part　of　the　practised　day's　work；　but　they　shook　their　heads　at　the　

falls。



After　the　trees　had　been　cut　in　sufficient　numberthere　were　

seventy…five　of　them；　each　twenty…six　feet　longOrde　led　the　way　

back　up　stream　a　half　mile　to　a　shallows；　where　he　commanded　the　

construction　of　a　number　of　exaggerated　sawhorses　with　very　

widespread　slanting　legs。　　In　the　meantime　the　cook…wagon　and　the　

bed…wagon　had　evidently　been　making　many　trips　to　Sand　Creek；　

fifteen　miles　away；　as　was　attested　by　a　large　pile　of　heavy　planks。　　

When　the　sawhorses　were　completed；　Orde　directed　the　picks　and　

shovels　to　be　brought　up。



At　this　point　the　river；　as　has　been　hinted；　widened　over　shoals。　　

The　banks　at　either　hand；　too；　were　flat　and　comparatively　low。　　As　

is　often　the　case　in　bends　of　rivers　subject　to　annual　floods；　the　

banks　sloped　back　for　some　distance　into　a　lower　black…ash　swamp　

territory。



Orde　set　his　men　to　digging　a　channel　through　this　bank。