e glad you made our camp this night than any other.
Maybe I'd ha' got through someways, but I don't know just how. We're
down over fifty on our cut, an', by the holy snakes, I can't hand you
why."

Bull put his coloured handkerchief away, and removed the pea-jacket
which he had worn under his furs.

"Don't worry," he said with apparent unconcern. "I can hand it you.
That's why I'm here."

The camp-boss waited. He eyed his chief with no little anxiety. He had
looked for an angry outburst.

Bull pulled up a chair. He flung the litter of books it supported on to
the already crowded table and sat down. Then he filled his pipe and lit
it with a hot coal from the stove.

"Here," he said, "I'll tell you. I've been the round of four camps. I've
been over a month on the trail, and I've heard just the same tale from
every camp-boss we employ. I've three more camps to visit besides yours,
and when I've made them maybe I'll get the sleep I'm about crazy for.
Night and day I've been on the dead jump for a month following the trail
of a red-hot gang that's going through our forests. If I come up with
them there's going to be murder."

He spoke quietly without a sign of emotion. But the light in his hot
eyes was almost desperate.

"I want to hand you the story so you'll get it all clear," he went on
after a moment. "So I'll start by telling you how we stand at the mill.
Get this, an' hold it tight in your head, and the rest'll come clear as
day. Sachigo's right on top. We've boosted it sky high on to the top of
the world's pulp trade. In less than twelve months we'll have grabbed
well-nigh the whole of this country's pulp industry, and we'll beat the
foreigners right back over the sea to their own country. The Skandinavia
folk are rattled. They know all about us and they've done their best to
buy us out of the game. We turned 'em down cold, and they're mad--mad as
hell. It means they're in for the fight of their lives. So are we. And
we know Peterman an' his gang well enough to know what that means. It's
'rough an' tough.' Everything goes. If they can't gouge our eyes they'll
do their best to chew us to small meat. But we've got 'em every way.
This forest gang is sent by the Skandinavia. If they can't smash us by
fire or labour trouble next year'll see us floated into a seventy
million dollar corporation with the whole Canadian wood-pulp industry
lying right in the palms of our hands. That's the reason for the things
doing."