ls they were anchored to
bunches of piles driven deep, and bound at the top. An unbroken palisade
of piles constituted the outer boundaries of the main boom. At the upper
end of them perched a little house whence was operated the mechanism of
the heavy swing boom, capable of closing entirely the river channel.
Thus the logs, floating or driven down the river, encountered this
obstruction; were shunted into the main booms, where they were
distributed severally into the various pocket booms; and later were
released at the lower end, one lot at a time, to the river again. Thence
they were appropriated by the mill to which they belonged.

Bobby did not as yet understand the mechanism of all this. He saw merely
the brown logs, and the distant blue water, and the hut wherein he knew
dwelt machinery and a good-natured, short, dark man with a short, dark
pipe, and the criss-cross floating sidewalks, and the men with long pike
poles and shorter peavies moving here and there about their work. And he
liked it.

But now the chore boy appeared to take charge of the horses. Mr. Orde
lifted Bobby down, and immediately walked away with the River Boss,
leaving with Bobby the parting injunction not to go out on the booms.

Bobby, left to himself, climbed laboriously, one steep step at a time,
to the elevation of the roofless porch before the mess house. The floor
he examined, as always, with the greatest interest. The sharp caulks of
the rivermen's shoes had long since picked away the surface, leaving it
pockmarked and uneven. Only the knots had resisted; and each of these
now constituted a little hill above the surrounding plains, Bobby always
wished that either his tin soldiers could be here or this well-ordered
porch could be at home.

The sun proving hot, he peeped within the cook-house. There long tables
flanked each by two benches of equal extent, stretched down the dimness.
They were covered with dark oil-cloth, and at intervals on them arose
irregular humps of cheese cloth. Beneath the cheese cloth, which Bobby
had seen lifted, were receptacles containing the staples and condiments,
such as stewed fruit, sugar, salt, pepper, catsup, molasses and the
like. Innumerable tin plates and cups laid upside down were guarded by
iron cutlery. It was very dark and still, and the flies buzzed.

Beyond, Bobby could hear the cook and his helpers, called cookees. He
decided to visit them; but he knew better than to pass through the
dining