mented the gravel of its banks,
and further bound them with roots of grasses and willows. Again, to
avoid expensive fluming the ditch wound sinuously around the flanks of
several steep sidehills, and to disturb existing sidehill ditches is to
invite slides, which necessitate flumes. He made up his mind to enlarge
the ditch before another season, but meanwhile he had to depend on it.
So he took every drop of water it would carry. The creek was high, a
muddy torrent, and he set the water gate of his intake so that the ditch
should run rap full, but no spill, and thus cause washouts along its
banks.

One morning in the gray of dawn Angus awoke. The wind which had blown
all night seemed to have lulled. He heard Gus pass his door on the way
to the stables, but as he was dressing the big Swede returned. He
pounded on Angus' door.

"Hey, gat oop!" he cried. He stuck his head inside, his eyes round and
goggling. "We ent gat no watter!" he announced.

"The devil we haven't!" Angus exclaimed. "What's wrong?"

"Ay be goldarn if Ay know. She's yoost oft. Mebbe dae ditch ban plug."

"Glom a shovel for me and get an ax and pick and I'll be right with
you," Angus told him.

Dressing hastily, he struck the main ditch behind the house. It was dry,
save for little pools in which water lingered. They crossed the rear
fence, finding no obstruction, and followed the ditch until it struck
the sidehill section. Then Gus who was in the lead, stopped with an
oath.

"By Yudas Priest!" he ejaculated, "dae whole dam' sidehill ban vash to
hal!"

Pushing past him, Angus surveyed the damage. Where the ditch had run was
a raw, gaping wound in the hillside. Hundreds of tons of gravel, earth
and small bowlders had slid down on it. The far end of the ditch vomited
water upon the mass. Even as they looked a few yards of hillside
undermined by its rush came down upon the broken end, blocking the
water. This, backed up, began to pour over the banks of the ditch.

Left to itself the whole ditch would wash away. Circling the break, both
men took the trail to the intake. The water gate was wide open. The high
water of the creek was hurrying through in a swift flood, far more than
the ditch could carry. They threw their weight on the lever and shut it
off.

"Who opened it this far on that water?" Angus demanded.

"Ay ent been near him," Gus replied. "Mebbe dae Engelschman monkey med
him."

It was most unfortunate. In other years the ditch had ca