'Tis a mad trick," muttered the men.

"I'm not telling him to go, but I won't forbid him," said the foreman,
with emphasis. "And if 'twas any other man I'd not let him try, but
when Olof says he'll do a thing it's safe enough to be done. Sure you
can do it, lad?"

"Sure as can be. Where's the axe?"

He took the axe, and his pole, and balanced his way across to the
rock, gliding like a shadow, up and down as the piled stems led.

"He's pluck enough," said one.

"He's mad to try it," murmured some of the others sullenly.

The shadow had reached the rock. He laid the pole down at his feet,
gave one glance upstream, and stood ready. The axe-head flashed in the
air, the echo of the stroke rang from the steep banks. A second blow,
and a third--and then dead silence for a moment.

The men on the shore stood bending forward, straining their eyes to
see.

The shadow by the rock stood up, grasping his pole, thrust the point
lightly into one of the tangled baulks, and pressed with his left hand
against the haft. The right hand went up once more, the axe flashed
and fell. A thud as the blade came down, and a faint rushing sound....

The men on the bank held their breath and leaned forward again.

The shadow turned once more and cast a long, searching glance up the
stream. The right arm swung high, the axe flashed again....

A shrill, seething roar, like that of a rocket, was heard. The mass of
timber crashed and groaned, the water thundered like a beast in fury.

The shadow darted like an arrow over the shifting logs, slanting
upstream and towards the shore. He was half across the fairway now,
the pole swung round, the lithe body made a lightning turn, and he was
borne downstream at a furious pace.

Suddenly he lost his footing, fell, and disappeared.

"Good God!" cried the men.

"What did I say?"

"I ought never to have let him go!"

The timber crashed and the water roared, the great logs rose and fell
and tumbled one over another. Dark shadows hurried aimlessly hither
and thither on the banks.

"Downstream, lads, down!" cried the foreman.

"Ready to give a hand if he's carried inshore. Out with the boat,
quick!"

Shadows hurrying downstream....

"He's up again!" came a sudden shout from the farther shore. All
stopped.

And true enough, the daring lumberman was up again, hopping like a
bird from one racing log to another as they thrust and elbowed their
way down the rapids, rising and falling as in a l