u take lively, full-muscled
animals, and they are always bucking and quarreling--trying to see which
one is the best. Take two young, fat steers they'll lock horns at the
drop of a hat. It's animal spirits, Nan. They feel that they've got
to let off steam. Where muscle and pluck count for what they do in the
lumber camps, there's bound to be more or less ructions."

Perhaps this might be; but Nan was dreadfully sorry, nevertheless, that
Uncle Henry had this trouble with Mr. Gedney Raffer. The girl feared
that there had been something besides "letting off steam" in the
challenge her uncle had thrown down to his enemy, or to the men that
enemy could hire to attack him.

The timber sledges soon began to drift back, for some of the logs had
been cut before the big storm, and had only to be broken out of the
drifts and rolled upon the sleds with the aid of the men's canthooks. It
was a mystery at first to Nan how they could get three huge logs, some
of them three feet in diameter at the butt, on to the sled; two at the
bottom and one rolled upon them, all being fastened securely with the
timber-chain and hook.

How the horses strained in their collars to start the mighty load! But
once started, the runners slipped along easily enough, even through the
deep snow, packing the compressible stuff in one passage as hard as ice.
Nan followed in this narrow track to the very bank of the river where
the logs were heaped in long windrows, ready to be launched into the
stream when the waters should rise at the time of the spring freshet.

Tom managed his team alone, and unloaded alone, too. It was marvelous
(so Nan thought) that her cousin could start the top log with the great
canthook, and guide it as it rolled off the sled so that it should lie
true with timbers that had been piled before. The strain of his work
made him perspire as though it were midsummer. He thrust the calks on
his bootsoles into the log and the shreds of bark and small chips flew
as he stamped to get a secure footing for his work. Then he heaved
like a giant, his shoulders humping under the blue jersey he wore, and
finally the log turned. Once started, it was soon rolled into place.

Nan ran into the cook shed often to get warm. Her uncle was busy with
the boss of the camp, so she had nobody but the cook and his helper to
speak to for a time. Therefore it was loneliness that made her start
over the half-beaten trail for the spot where the men were at work,