of his friends, a Government official armed with full
powers to investigate held an informal court of inquiry in the big
store shed, at which most of the neighboring ranchers were present.
Geoffrey and Thomas Savine, who brought a lawyer with him, awaited the
proceedings with some impatience.

"I have nothing to do with any claim for damages. If necessary, the
sufferers can appeal to the civil courts," announced the official. "My
business is to ascertain whether, as alleged, the way these operations
are conducted endangers the occupied, and unappropriated Crown lands in
this vicinity. I am willing to hear your opinions, gentlemen,
beginning with the complainants."

Rancher Hudson was the first to speak, and he said:

"No sensible man would need much convincing that it's mighty bad for
growing crops to have a full-bore flood turned loose on them. What's
the use of raising hay and potatoes for the river to wash away? And
it's plain that what has just happened is going to happen again.
Before Savine began these dykes the river spread itself all over the
lower swamp; now the walls hold it up, and each time it makes a hole in
them, our property's most turned into a lake. I'm neither farming for
pleasure nor running a salmon hatchery."

There was a hum of approval from the speaker's supporters, whose
possessions lay near the higher end of the valley, and dissenting
growls from those whose boundaries lay below. After several of the
ranchers from the lower valley had spoken the official said:

"I hardly think you have cited sufficient to convince an unprejudiced
person that the works are a public danger. You have certainly proved
that two holdings have been temporarily flooded, but the first speaker
pointed out that this was because the river was prevented from
spreading all over the lower end of the valley, as it formerly did.
Now a portion of the district is already under cultivation, and even
the area under crop exceeds that of the damaged plots by at least five
acres to one."

There was applause from the men whose possessions had been converted
into dry land, and Hudson rose, red-faced and indignant, to his feet
again.

"Has Savine bought up the whole province, Government and all? That's
what I'm wanting to know," he rejoined indignantly. "What is it we pay
taxes to keep you fellows for? To look the other way when the rich man
winks, and stand by seeing nothing while he ruins poor settlers'
hard-won hol