things better or differently, discussing minute expedients with the
blacksmith, the carpenter, the cook.

He was not without his troubles. First he had not enough men; the snow
lacked, and then came too abundantly; horses fell sick of colic or
caulked themselves; supplies ran low unexpectedly; trees turned out
"punk"; a certain bit of ground proved soft for travoying, and so on. At
election-time, of course, a number of the men went out.

And one evening, two days after election-time, another and important
character entered the North woods and our story.

Chapter III

On the evening in question, some thirty or forty miles southeast of
Radway's camp, a train was crawling over a badly laid track which led
towards the Saginaw Valley. The whole affair was very crude. To the
edge of the right-of-way pushed the dense swamp, like a black curtain
shutting the virgin country from the view of civilization. Even
by daylight the sight could have penetrated but a few feet. The
right-of-way itself was rough with upturned stumps, blackened by fire,
and gouged by many and varied furrows. Across the snow were tracks of
animals.

The train consisted of a string of freight cars, one coach divided
half and half between baggage and smoker, and a day car occupied by two
silent, awkward women and a child. In the smoker lounged a dozen men.
They were of various sizes and descriptions, but they all wore heavy
blanket mackinaw coats, rubber shoes, and thick German socks tied at the
knee. This constituted, as it were, a sort of uniform. The air was so
thick with smoke that the men had difficulty in distinguishing objects
across the length of the car.

The passengers sprawled in various attitudes. Some hung their legs over
the arms of the seats; others perched their feet on the backs of the
seats in front; still others slouched in corners, half reclining.
Their occupations were as diverse. Three nearest the baggage-room
door attempted to sing, but without much success. A man in the corner
breathed softly through a mouth organ, to the music of which his seat
mate, leaning his head sideways, gave close attention. One big fellow
with a square beard swaggered back and forth down the aisle offering to
everyone refreshment from a quart bottle. It was rarely refused. Of the
dozen, probably three quarters were more or less drunk.

After a time the smoke became too dense. A short, thick-set fellow
with an evil dark face coolly thrust his hee