d the drive, and made a camp wherever expediency
demanded.

"Lively, boys, lively!" shouted Thorpe. "She'll be down on us before we
know it!"

Above the soft creaking of dead branches in the wind sounded a steady
roar, like the bellowing of a wild beast lashing itself to fury. The
freshet was abroad, forceful with the strength of a whole winter's
accumulated energy.

The men heard it and their eyes brightened with the lust of battle. They
cheered.

Chapter XLVI

At the banks of the river, Thorpe rapidly issued his directions. The
affair had been all prearranged. During the week previous he and his
foremen had reviewed the situation, examining the state of the ice, the
heads of water in the three dams. Immediately above the first rollways
was Dam Three with its two wide sluices through which a veritable flood
could be loosened at will; then four miles farther lay the rollways
of Sadler & Smith, the up-river firm; and above them tumbled over a
forty-five foot ledge the beautiful Siscoe Falls; these first rollways
of Thorpe's--spread in the broad marsh flat below the dam--contained
about eight millions; the rest of the season's cut was scattered for
thirty miles along the bed of the river.

Already the ice cementing the logs together had begun to weaken. The ice
had wrenched and tugged savagely at the locked timbers until they had,
with a mighty effort, snapped asunder the bonds of their hibernation.
Now a narrow lane of black rushing water pierced the rollways, to boil
and eddy in the consequent jam three miles below.

To the foremen Thorpe assigned their tasks, calling them to him one by
one, as a general calls his aids.

"Moloney," said he to the big Irishman, "take your crew and break that
jam. Then scatter your men down to within a mile of the pond at Dam Two,
and see that the river runs clear. You can tent for a day or so at West
Bend or some other point about half way down; and after that you had
better camp at the dam. Just as soon as you get logs enough in the pond,
start to sluicing them through the dam. You won't need more than four
men there, if you keep a good head. You can keep your gates open five or
six hours. And Moloney."

"Yes, sir."

"I want you to be careful not to sluice too long. There is a bar just
below the dam, and if you try to sluice with the water too low, you'll
center and jam there, as sure as shooting."

Bryan Moloney turned on his heel and began to pick his way down str