第20章

Anothercrewstretchedthefifteeninchmanillacablesacrossthefieldoflogsinordertosegregatethemintoseveralunitsofmass，andsopreventthemfrompilingupatthedown—streamendoftheenclosure。Thepile—driverbegantodropitshammeratspotsofweakness。Inspiteoftheacceleratedcurrentandtheincreasedvolumeoftheriver，everythingwassoonshipshapeandsafe。

"We’reallrightnow，"saidOrde。"TheonlythingI’malittleuneasyaboutisthoseconfoundedtemporaryboomsupstream。Stillthey’reallrightunlesstheygettopilingup。Thenwe’llhavetoseewhatwecandotoholdthem。Ithinkassoonasthedriveristhroughdownatthesortingend，she’dbetterdriveafewclumpsofpilestostrengthentheswingwhenitisshut。Thenifthelogspiledownonusfromabove，wecanholdthemthere。"

Abouttwohourslaterthepile—drivermovedup。Theswingwasopened；andthemenbegantodriveclumpsofpilesinsuchapositionastostrengthentheswingwhenthelattershouldbeshut。

Itwasaslowjob。Eachpilehadtobetakenfromtheraftatthesternofthescow，erectedinthe"carrier，"andpoundedintoplacebytheheavyhammerraisedandletdropinthederrickatthebow。

Longbeforethetaskwasfinished，thelogsinthetemporaryboomshadbeguntoslideatoponeanother，tocrossandtangle，untilatlasttheriverbedinsidetheboomswasfilledwithajamofformidabledimensions。Frombeneathitthewaterboiledineddies。

Orde，lookingatit，rousedhimselftosuddenactivity。

"Getamoveon，"headvisedCaptainAspinwallofthedriver。"Ifthatjambreaksonus，wewanttobeready；andifitdon’tbreakbeforeyougetthisswingstrengthened，maybewecanholdherwheresheis。There’snoearthlydoubtthatthoseboompileswillneverstandupwhentheygetthefullpressureofthefreshet。"

Hedepartedupriveronatourofinspectionfromwhichhereturnedalmostimmediately。

"Hurryup！Hurryup！"hecried。"Shecan’tlastmuchlonger！"

Indeedeventothemenonthepile—driver，evidencesofthepressuresustainedbytheslenderboompileswerenotwanting。Abovethesteadygurgleofthewaterandtheintermittentpuffingandothernoisesofthework，theycouldhearacreakingandgroaningoftimbersfullofportenttothosewhocouldreadthesigns。

Thedriver’screwlaboureddesperately，hoistingthepilesintothecarriage，trippingtheheavyhammer，sendingitaloftagain，bindingfeverishlytheclumpsofpilestogetherbymeansofcables。Eachmanworkedwithaneyeoverhisshoulder，fearfulofthepowerthatmenacedhim。

Twooftheclumpshadbeenplacedandbound；athirdwasnearlyfinished，whensuddenly，withacrackandaroartheupperboomsgaveway，projectingtheirlogsupontheopeningandthedriver。

Thehalfdozenmembersofthecrew，caughtutterlyunawareinspiteofthehalfwarningtheyhadbeenreceivingforanhourpast，werescatteredbythewindsofapanic。Twoorthreeflungthemselvesontheirfaces；severalranfromoneendofthescowtotheother；oneleapedintotheriver！Imminentdestructionseemeduponthem。

TomNorth，atthewinchthatoperatedthearmoftheswing，however，retainedhispresenceofmind。Atthefirstsagoutwardoftheboompileshesetinoperationthemachinerythatclosedthegate。

Clumsyandslowaswashismechanism，heneverthelesssucceededingettingthelongarmstarted。Thelogs，rushinginbackofit，hurrieditshut。Immediatelytheyjammedagain，andheapedupinaformidabletanglebehindthebarrier。TomNorth，hislittleblackpipebetweenhisteeth，stoodcalm，theleverofhiswinchinhishand。Ashortthreefeetfromthespotonwhichhestood，thefirstsawlogofthemanythatmighthaveoverwhelmedhimthrustforwarditsuglyhead。Thewashofthewaterliftedthehugepile—driverbodilyanddepositeditwithacrashhalfonthebankandhalfinthewater。

InstantlyafterthefirstbreakOrdehadcommencedrunningoutovertheboomsfromtheshore。

"Goodboy，Tom！"heshotatNorthashepassed。

Acrossthebreastofthejamhehurried，andtotheotherbankwherethepile—driverlay。Thecrewhadrecoveredfromtheirpanic，andwereashoregazingcuriouslyunderneaththescow。CaptainAspinwallexaminedthesupportsofthederrickondeck。

"Thatwaslucky，"saidOrdebrieflytoAspinwall。"How’sthedamage？Stoveyouin？"

"I——Idon’tthinkso，"repliedthecaptain，turningaratherperturbedfacetoOrde。

"That’sgood。I’llsendoverthetugtohelpgetherafloat。We’vegotourworkcutoutforusnow。Assoonasyou’reafloat，blowyourwhistleandI’llcomeovertotellyouwhattodo。"

"Youdon’texpectmetoworkmydriverunderthefaceofthatjam！"

criedthecaptain。

"Certainly，"snappedOrde，wheeling。

"Notme！"saidAspinwallpositively。"IknowwhenI’vegotenough！"

"What’sthematter？"askedOrde。

"Itisn’tsafe，"repliedthecaptain；"andIdon’tintendtoriskmymenormydriver。"

Ordestoodforamomentstock—still；thenwithasnortofangerheleapedtothedeck，seizedthemanbytheneckandthrusthimbodilyoverthesidetothebank。

Safe，youwhite—liveredskunk！"heroared。"Safe！Gooverinthemiddleofthatten—acrelotandliedownonyourfaceandseeifyoufeelsafethere！Getout；thewholepackofyou！I’minchargeherenow。"

CaptainAspinwallpickedhimselfup，hisfaceredwithanger。

"Getoffmydriver，"hesnarled。"Putthatmanoff。"

Ordeseizedashortheavybar。

"Thisdriverisrequisitioned，"saidhe。"Getout！Ihaven’ttimetofoolwithyou。I’vegottosavemylogs。"

Theyhesitated；andwhiletheydidsoTomNorthandsomeothersofthecrewcamerunningacrossthejam。

"Getacabletothewinch，"Ordeshoutedattheseassoonastheywerewithinhearing。"AndgetMarshupherewiththeSPRITE。We’vegottogetafloat。"

Hepaidnomoreattentiontotheejectedcrew。Thelatter，overawedbytherivermen，whonowgatheredinfullforce，tookthepartofspectators。

Afewminutes’hardworkputthedriverafloat。Fortunatelyitsraftofpileshadnotbecomedetachedintheupheaval。

"Tom，"saidOrdebrisklytoNorth，"youknowthepile—driverbusiness。Pickoutyourcrew，andtakecharge。"

Intensecondsoftimethesituationhadchangedfromoneofcomparativesafetytooneofextremegravity。Thelogs，brokenloosefromtheuppertemporarybooms，nowjammedagainsttheswingandagainsttheotherlogsalreadyfillingthemainbooms。Alreadythepressurewasbeginningtotell，asthewaterbankedupbehindthemass。Thefifteen—inchcablestightenedslowlybutmightily；

someofthepilesbegantogroanandruboneagainsttheother；hereandtherealogdeliberatelyup—endedabovethelevel。

Ordetookchargeofthesituationinitsentirety，asageneralmight。HesetNorthimmediatelytodrivingclumpseachofsixteenpiles，boundtosoliditybychains，andsoarrangedinanglesandslantsastodirecttheenormouspressuretowardeitherbank，thussplittingtheenemy’spower。ThesmalldriverownedbytheBoomCompanydrovesimilarclumpshere，thereandeverywherethatneedaroseorweaknessdeveloped。Seventy—fivemenopposed，totheweightoftwentymilliontonsoflogsandariverofwater，theexpedientsinventedbydeterminationanddesperation。

Asinavirulentdisease，thesymptomsdevelopedrapidlywhenoncethecourseofthemaladywasassured。Afterthefirstrush，whentheupperboomsbroke，nothingspectacularoccurred。Steadilyandrelentlesslythelogs，packedclosetogetherdowntotheverybedofthestream，pressedoutwardagainstthefraildefences。Ordesoonfoundhimselfforcedfromtheconsiderationofdefiniteplansofcampaign。Hegaveoverformaldefences，andthrewhisenergiestosavingtheweakplaceswhichrapidlydeveloped。Bythemosttremendousexertionsheseemedbutjustabletokeepeven。Socloselybalancedwastheequilibriumbetweentheimprovisationofdefenceandtheincreaseofpressurebehindthejamthatitseemedasifevenamoment’sbreathingspellwouldbringthedeluge。Pilesquivered，bentslowlyoutward——immediately，beforethelogsbehindthemcouldstir，thepile—drivermustdoitswork。BackandforthdartedtheSPRITEandhersister—tugtheSPRAYtowingthepile—

driversorthestringsofpiles。Underthefrowningdestructionthatabreathmightloosen，thecrewshadtodotheirwork。Andifeverthatbreathshouldcome，therewouldbenochanceforescape。

Crushedandburied，themenandtheircraftalikewouldbebornewiththebreakingjamtoanunknowngraveintheLake。Everymanknewit。

Darknesscame。Noonestoppedforfood。Bythelightoflanternsthestrugglewenton，doublyterrifyinginthemysteryofnight。Bydaythemen，practisedinsuchmatters，couldatleastjudgeoftheprobabilitiesofabreak。Atnighttheyhadtoworkblindly，uncertainatwhatmomenttheforcestheycouldnotseewouldcutloosetooverwhelmthem。

Morningfoundnochangeinthesituation。Thewaterrosesteadily；

thelogsgrewmoreandmorerestive；thedefencesweakerandmoreinadequate。Ordebroughtoutsteamingpailsofcoffeewhichthemengulpeddownbetweenmoments。Noonethoughtofquitting。Theywereafirewiththeflameofcombat，andweresetobstinatelyonwinningeveninthefaceofodds。Aboutteno’clocktheywerereinforcedbymenfromthemillsdownstream。TheOwnersofthosemillshadnomindtolosetheirlogs。Anotherpile—driverwasalsosentupfromtheGovernmentwork。Withoutthisassistancethejammustsurelyhavegoneout。Spectatorsmarvelledhowitheldasitdid。Themassseemedconstantlytoquiverontheedgeofmotion。Hereandthereoverthesurfaceofthejamsinglelogscouldbeseenpoppingsuddenlyintotheair，propelledasanappleseedisprojectedfrombetweenaboy’sthumbandforefinger。Someofthefifteen—inchcablesstretchedtotheshoreparted。One，whichpassedoncearoundanoaktreebeforereachingitsshoreanchorage，actuallyburieditselfoutofsightinthehardwood。Bunchesofpilesbent，twisted，orwerecutoffasthoughtheyhadbeenbutshocksofIndiancorn。Thecurrenthadbecomesoswiftthatthetugscouldnotholdthedriversagainstit；andasaconsequence，beforecommencingoperations，specialmooringpileshadtobedriven。Eachminutethreatenedtobringanendtothejam，yetitheld；andwithoutrestthedoggedlittleinsectsunderitsfacetoiledtogainaninchonthewaters。

XXXIX

Allthatdayandthenextnightthefightwashandtohand，withouttheopportunityofabreathingspace。ThenOrde，bareheadedanddishevelled，strungtoahighexcitement，butcoolasaveteranunderfire，begantobeharassedbyannoyances。Thepilesprovidedforthedriversgaveout。Newmarkleft，ostensiblytopurchasemore。Hedidnotreturn。TomNorthandJimDenning，theireyesburningdeepintheirheadsforlackofsleep，cametoOrdeholdingtohimsymbolicallytheiremptyhands。

"Nomorepiles，"theysaidbriefly。

"Get’em，"saidOrdewithequalbrevity。"Newmarkwillhaveenoughhereshortly。Inthemeantime，getthem。"

Northandhisfrienddisappeared，takingwiththemthecrewsofthedriversandthetwotugs。Afteranintervaltheyreturnedtowingsmallraftsofthelongtimbers。Ordedidnotmakeanyinquiries；

noruntildayslaterdidheseeacopyofthenewspapertellinghowalawlessgangofrivermenhaddrivenawaytherailroadmenandstolentherailroad’sproperty。Thesepileslastedfiveorsixhours。TomNorthplacedanddrovethemaccuratelyanddeliberately，quiteunmindfuloftheconstantdanger。Acoldfireseemedtoconsumetheman，inflaminghiscourageandhisdoggedobstinacy。

Onceawingofthejambrokesuddenlyjustashiscrewhadplacedapileinthecarrier。Thescowwaspickedup，whirledaround，carriedbodilyahundredfeet，anddepositedfinallywithacrash。

Theinstantthecraftsteadiedandevenbeforeanyonecouldtellwhetherornothedangerwaspast，Tomcutloosethehammeranddrovethatpile！

"IputyouinthatcarriertobeDROVE！"heshoutedviciously，"anddroveyou’llbe，ifweAREgoin’tohell！"

WhentheSPRAYshoulderedthescowbacktopositionthatonepilewasleftstandinguprightinthechannel，amonumenttotheblinddeterminationoftheman。

Fortunatelythewingbreakcarriedwithitbutafewlogs；butitsufficedtoshow，ifdemonstrationwereneeded，whatwouldhappenifanymoreseriousbreakshouldoccur。

Ordewaseverywhere。Longsincehehadlosthishat；andoverhisforeheadandintohiseyesthestrandsofhishairwhippedtousledandunkempt。Milesandmileshetravelled；runningalongthetopsofthebooms，overthesurfaceofthejam，spyingtheweakeningplaces，andhurryingtothemarescue。Heseemedtireless，omnipresent，alivetoeveryneed。Itwasasthoughhispersonalityaloneheldincorrelationthesestrugglingforces；asthoughwerehetorelaxforaninstanthisefforttheywouldburstforthwiththeexplosionoflong—pentenergies。

Towardnoonthepilesgaveoutagain。

"WhereinHELLisNewmark！"explodedOrde，andimmediatelywashimselfagain，controlledandresourceful。HesentNorthandacrewofmentocutpilesfromstandingtimberinfarmwoodlotsneartheriver。

"Haulthemoutwithyourwinch，"saidhe。"Iftheownersobject，standthemoffwithyourpeavies。Getthemanyway。"

AboutthreeoftheafternoontheLUCYBELLEsplatteredupstreamfromthevillage，carryinganexcursiontoseethejam。CaptainSimpsonbroughtherascloseinaspossible。Thewavesraisedbyherawkwardpaddle—wheelandherclumsylinessurgedamongthelogsandpiles。Ordelookedonthiswithdistrust。

"Gotellhimtopulloutofthat，"heinstructedJimmyPowers"Theconfoundedoldfooloughttoknowbetterthanthat。Tellhimit’sdangerous。Ifthejamgoesout，it’llcarryhimtoKingdomCome。"

JimmyPowersreturnedred—facedfromhisinterview。

"Hetoldmetogotohell，"hesaidshortly。

"Oh，hedid，"snappedOrde。"Ishouldthinkwehadenoughwithoutthatoldidiot！"

WiththeshortnervousleapsofasuppressedangerherandowntowheretheSPRITEhadjusttowedtheNumberOnedriverintoanewposition。

"LaymealongsidetheLUCYBELLE，"hetoldMarsh。

ButSimpson，inapositionofimportanceatlast，wasdisinclinedtolisten。Hehadwornhisblueclothesandbrassbuttonsforagoodmanyyearsinchargeonlyofboxesandbarrels。Nowatastrokehefoundhimselfcommanderovertenscorepeople。Likewise，atfiftycentsahead，heforesawagoodthingaslongashighwatershouldlast。Hehadrisennoblytotheoccasion；forhehadevenhoistedhisbuntingandbroughtwithhimthelocalbrassband。Orde，brusqueinhisdesiretohurrythroughanaffairofminorimportance，rubbedthemanthewrongway。

"IreckonI’vesomerightsonthisriver，"CaptainSimpsonconcludedtheargument，"andIain’tagoin’tobebulldozedoutofthem。"

Theexcursionists，typical"trippers"fromRedding，Holland，MonroviaandMuskegon，cheeredthissentimentandjeeredatOrde。

Ordenoddedbriefly。

"Marsh，"saidhetohiscaptaininalowvoice，"getacrewandtakethemincharge。Run’emoff。"

Assoonasthetugtouchedthepiling，hewasoffandaway，payingnofurtherattentiontoamatteralreadysettled。CaptainMarshcalledadozenrivermentohim；laidtheSPRITEalongsidetheLUCY

BELLE，andinspiteofSimpson’sscandalisedprotestsandanincipientpanicamongthepassengers，thrustasidetheregularcrewofthesteamshipandtookcharge。Quitecalmlyhesurveyedthescene。Fromtheheightofthesteamer’sbridgehecouldseeabroadoverthecountry。AwarmJunesunfloodedthelandscapewhichwasfilledwiththepeaceofearlysummer。Theriverseemedtoflowsmoothlyandquietlyenough，inspiteoftheswiftnessofitscurrentandtheswollenvolumeofitswaters。Onlyupstreamwherethebigjamshruggedandgroaneddidanyelementjaronthepeaceofthescene；andeventhat，incontrasttotherestofthelandscape，affordedsmallhinttotheinexperiencedeyeoftheimminenceofamightydestruction。

CaptainMarshpaidlittleattentiontoallthis。Hiseyesweptrapidlyupanddownwherethebanksusedtobeuntilhesawacrosscurrentdeeperthantherestsweepinginathwarttheinundatedfields。Heswungoverthewheelandrangtotheengine—roomforhalfspeedahead。SlowlytheLUCYBELLEanswered。QuitecalmlyCaptainMarshrammedherthroughtheopeningandoutoverthecornfields。TheLUCYBELLEwasatypicalriversteamboat，builtlightinthedraughtinordertoslideoverthenumerousshiftingbarstobeencounteredinhercustomarybusiness。WhenCaptainMarshsawthathehadhittheopening，herangforfullspeed，andrammedthepooroldLUCYBELLEhardagroundinaboutafootofwaterthroughwhichafewmournfuldriedcornstalkswereshowingtheirheads。Then，hishandsinhispockets，hesaunteredoutofthepilot—housetothedeck。

"Nowifyouwanttopicnic，"hetoldtheastonishedandfrightenedexcursionists，"gotoit！"

Withentireindifferencetothewater，hevaultedoverthelowrailandsplashedaway。Therivermenandtheengineerwhohadaccompaniedhimlingeredonlylongenoughtostartuptheband。

"Nowyou’resafeasacowtiedtoabrickwall，"saidtheRoughRed，whoseappearancealonehadgonefartowardoverawingthepassengers。

"Bejoyful。Startupthemusic。Startherup，Itellyou！"

Thebandhastilybegantosquawk，verymuchoutoftime，andsomewhatoutoftune。

"That’sright，"grinnedtheRoughRedsavagely，"keepherup。IfyouquitbeforeIgetbacktowork，I’llcomebackandtakeyouapart。"

Theywadedthroughtheshallowwaterinthecornfield。AfterthemwaftedtheratherdisorganisedstrainsofWHOA，EMMA。CaptainSimpsonwasindulginginwhatresembledheatapoplexy。AfteratimetheLUCYBELLE’Screwrecoveredtheirscatteredwitssufficientlytotransportthepassengersinsmallboatstoapointnearthecountyroad，whencealltrudgedtotown。TheLUCYBELLEgrewinthecornfielduntilseveralweekslater，whentimewasfoundtopullheroffonrollers。

ArrivedattheboomsCaptainMarshshooktheloosewaterfromhislegs。

"Allright，sir，"hereportedtoOrde。"Iran’emashoreyonder。"

Ordelookedup，brushingthehairfromhiseyes。Heglancedinthedirectionofthecornfield，andaquickgrinflickeredacrosstheabsorbedexpressionofhisface。

"Ishouldthinkyoudid，"saidhebriefly。"Iguessthat’llendtheexcursionbusiness。NowtakeNumberTwoupbelowtheswing；andthenrundownandseeifyoucandiscoverTom。Hewentsomewhereafterpilesaboutanhourago。"

DownriverthevariousmillownerswerebusywithwhatmentheyhadleftinstringingdefencesacrosstheriverincaseOrde’sworksshouldgoout。WhenOrdeheardthishesworevigourously。

"Crazyfools，"hespatout。"They’dbealotbetteroffhelpinghere。Ifthisgoesout，theirlittleboomswon’tamounttoawhiffofwind。"

Hesentwordtothateffect；but，lackingtheenforcementofhispersonalpresencehismessagesdidnotcarryconviction，andthepanic—strickenownerscontinuedtolabour，eachaccordingtohisideas，onwhatOrde’sclearervisionsawtobeaseriesofalmostcomicalfutilities。However，Weltonansweredthesummons。Ordehailedhiscomingwithashout。

"Iwantadredge，"heyelled，assoonasthelumbermanwaswithindistance。"IbelievewecanrelievethepressuresomewhatbyachannelintoSteam’sbayou。GetthatGovernmentdredgeupandthroughthebayouassoonasyoucan。"

"Allright，"saidWeltonbriefly。"Canyouholdher？"

"I’vegottoholdher，"repliedOrdebetweenhisclenchedteeth。

"HaveyouseenNewmark？WhereinHELLisNewmark？Ineedhimforfiftythings，andhe’sdisappearedoffthefaceoftheearth！

Purdy！thatsecondcable！She’ssnappedastrand！Getareinforcinglineonher！"HeraninthedirectionofthenewdangerwithoutanotherthoughtofWelton。

Bythelateafternooncasualspectatorsfromthecountrysidehadgatheredinsomenumber。Thebolderormorecuriousoftheseaddedafurthertouchofanxietytothesituationbyclamberingoutoverthejamforabetterview。Ordeissuedinstructionsthattheseshouldkeepoffthelogs；butinspiteofthat，withtheimpertinentperseveranceofthesight—seer，manypersistedfromtimetotime，whentherivermenweretoobusilyengagedtoattendtothem，inventuringoutwheretheywerenotonlyindangerbutalsointheway。TomNorthwouldhavenoneofthisonhispile—driver。Ifamanwasnotactuallyworking，hehadnobusinessonNumberOne。

"But，"protestedaspectatormildly，"IOWNthisdriver。Ihaven’tanyobjectionstoyourgrabbingherinthisemergency，evenifyoudidmanhandlemycaptain；butsurelyyouarenotgoingtokeepmeoffmyownproperty？"

"Idon’tgiveatinker’sdamnwhoyouare，"repliedNorthsturdily。

"Ifyou’renotworking，yougetoff。"

Andgetoffhedid。

Thebroaddeckofthepile—driverscowwasatemptingpointfromwhichtosurveythework，andtheuglyjam，andthewaterboilingangrily，andthehollow—eyed，dishevelledmaniacswhoworkeddoggedlywithsetteethasthoughtheyhadnotalreadygonewithouttwonights’sleep。Northhadoftentoorderashoreintruders，untilhistempershortenedtothevanishingpoint。Onebighulkingcountrymanattemptedtoarguethepoint。Northpromptlyknockedhimoverboardintotheshallowwaterbetweenthedriverandthebank。

Hedidnotrise；soNorthfishedforhiminthemostmatter—of—factwaywithaboathook，threwhimonthebankunconscious，andwentondrivingpiles！Theincidentraisedalaughamongthemen。

Butfleshandbloodhasitslimitofendurance；andthatlimitwasalmostreached。Ordeheardthefirstpremonitionsofreactioninthemildgrumblingsthatarose。Heknewthesemenwellfromhislongexperiencewiththem。Althoughtheneedforstruggleagainstthetirelessdynamicsoftheriverwasasinsistentasever；

althoughitseemedcertainthatamoment’scessationofeffortwouldpermittheenemyanirretrievablegain，hecalledahaltonthewholework。

"Boys，"saidhe，irrelevantly，"let’shaveasmoke？"

Hesettheexamplebythrowinghimselffulllengthagainstaslantingpileandmostleisurelyfillinghispipe。Themenstaredamoment；thenfollowedhisexample。Agreatpeaceofeveningfilledthesky。Thehorizonlaylowandblackagainsttheafterglow。

Beneathittherivershonelikesilver。Onlythegroaning，theheaveandshruggingofthejam，andthelowthreateninggurgleofhurryingwatersremindedthetoil—wearymenoftheenemy’scontinuedactivity。OverbeyondtheriseoflandthatlaybetweentheriverandStearn’sBayoucouldbeseenthecloudofmingledsmokeandsteamthatmarkedtheactivitiesofthedredge。Fortenminutestheyrestedinthesolaceoftobacco。Ordewasapparentlymoreateasethananyoftherest，buteachinstantheexpectedtohearthepremonitoryCRACKthatwouldsoundtheendofeverything。Finallyheyawned，knockedtheashesfromhispipe，andgottohisfeet。

"Now，"saidhe，anewringinhisvoice，"comeonandlet’sgetsomethingDONE！"

Theyrespondedtoaman。

XL

Bymidnightthewaterseemedtohavegonedownslightly。Halfthecrewsnatchedalittlesleep。Forseveralhoursmoretheissuehungaggravatinglyinequilibrium。Then，withtheopeningofthechannelintoStearn’sBayoutheheaviestpressurewasrelieved。Forthemomenttheacutedangerpointwaspassed。

Ordespentthenexttwodaysinstrengtheningthedefences。Themenwereabletotaketheirquotaofmealsandofsleep。Merelytheworkinghourswerelongerthanusual。Ordehimselfsleptlittle，andwasstillpossessedbyafeverishactivity。Thefloodcontinuedataboutthesamevolume。Untilthewatershouldsubside，thedangercouldnotbeconsideredcompletelyoverwith。

InthesefewdaysofcomparativeleisureOrdehadtimetolookabouthimandtoreceivenews。ThejamhadbeensuccessfullyheldattheironrailroadbridgeaboveRedding；butonlybythemoststrenuousefforts。Bracesofoakbeamshadbeenslantedwheretheywoulddothemostgood；chainsstrengthenedtheweakerspots；andontopofalltonaftertonofrailroadironheldthewholeimmovably。Nolanhadenjoyedtheadvantageofa"floating"jam；ofconvenientfacilitiesincidenttoalargecity；andofanarousedpublicsentimentthatprofferedhimallthehelphecoulduse。Monrovia，littlevillagethatitwas，hadnotgraspedthesituation。Reddingsawitclearly。Thelossofthetimberalone——representingsomemillionsofdollars’worthofthesawedproduct——wouldmeanfailureofmillcompanies，ofbanksholdingtheirpaper，andsooffirmsinotherlinesofbusiness；andbesideswouldthrowthousandsofmenoutofemployment。Furthermore，whatwasquiteasserious，shouldtheironbridgegiveway，thewoodenbridgesbelowcouldhardlyfailtogoout。RailroadcommunicationbetweeneasternandwesternMichiganwouldbeentirelycutoff。Foraseasonindustryofeverydescriptionwouldbepracticallyparalysed。ThereforeNolanhadallthehelpherequired。Everydeviceknownwasemployedtostrengthenthejam。Foronlyafewhourswastheresultindoubt。ThenastheCLARIONjubilantlyexpressedit，"It’sahundreddollarstoanoldhatsheholds！"