To Thorpe, who had walked on ahead with his foreman, it seemed that he
had never been away. There was the knoll; the rude camp with the deer
hides; the venison hanging suspended from the pole; the endless broil
and tumult of the clear north-country stream; the yellow glow over
the hill opposite. Yet he had gone a nearly penniless adventurer; he
returned at the head of an enterprise.

Injin Charley looked up and grunted as Thorpe approached.

"How are you, Charley?" greeted Thorpe reticently.

"You gettum pine? Good!" replied Charley in the same tone.

That was all; for strong men never talk freely of what is in their
hearts. There is no need; they understand.

Chapter XXXI

Two months passed away. Winter set in. The camp was built and inhabited.
Routine had established itself, and all was going well.

The first move of the M. & D. Company had been one of conciliation.
Thorpe was approached by the walking-boss of the camps up-river. The man
made no reference to or excuse for what had occurred, nor did he pretend
to any hypocritical friendship for the younger firm. His proposition was
entirely one of mutual advantage. The Company had gone to considerable
expense in constructing the pier of stone cribs. It would be impossible
for the steamer to land at any other point. Thorpe had undisputed
possession of the shore, but the Company could as indisputably remove
the dock. Let it stay where it was. Both companies could then use it for
their mutual convenience.

To this Thorpe agreed. Baker, the walking-boss, tried to get him to sign
a contract to that effect. Thorpe refused.

"Leave your dock where it is and use it when you want to," said he.
"I'll agree not to interfere as long as you people behave yourselves."

The actual logging was opening up well. Both Shearer and Thorpe agreed
that it would not do to be too ambitious the first year. They set about
clearing their banking ground about a half mile below the first dam; and
during the six weeks before snow-fall cut three short roads of half
a mile each. Approximately two million feet would be put in from
these--roads which could be extended in years to come--while another
million could be travoyed directly to the landing from its immediate
vicinity.

"We won't skid them," said Tim. "We'll haul from the stump to the bank.
And we'll tackle only a snowroad proposition:--we ain't got time to
monkey with buildin' sprinklers and plows this year. We'll make a lit