one basket, and it's a mean trick of you
to hire out for filthy lucre to kick that basket."

"What do ye mane?" asked the Rough Red, fixing his twinkling little eyes
on Orde.

"You don't mean to tell me," countered Orde, glancing down at the
other's rubber-shod feet, "that this crew has been sent up here just to
break out those measly little rollways?"

"Thim?" said the Rough Red. "Thim? Hell, NO! Thim's my bodyguard. They
can lick their weight in wild cats, and I'd loike well to see the gang
of highbankers that infists this river thry to pry thim out. We weren't
sint here to wurrk; we were sint here to foight."

"Fight? Why?" asked Orde.

"Oh, I dunno," replied the Rough Red easily. "Me boss and the blank of a
blank blanked blank that's attimptin' to droive this river has some sort
of a row."

"Jimmy," said Orde, "didn't you know that I am the gentleman last
mentioned?"

"What!"

"I'm driving this river, and that's my dam-keeper you've got hid away
somewhere here, and that's my water you're planning to waste!"

"What?" repeated the Rough Red, but in a different tone of voice.

"That's right," said Orde.

In a tone of vast astonishment, the Rough Red mentioned his probable
deserts in the future life.

"Luk here, Jack," said he after a moment, "here's a crew of white-water
birlers that ye can't beat nowheres. What do you want us to do? We're
now gettin' four dollars a day AN' board from that murderin' ould
villain, Heinzman, SO WE CAN AFFORD TO WURRK FOR YOU CHEAP."

Orde hesitated.

"Oh, please do now, darlint!" wheedled the Rough Red, his little eyes
agleam with mischief. "Sind us some oakum and pitch and we'll caulk yure
wanigan for ye. Or maybe some more peavies, and we'll hilp ye on yure
rollways. And till us, afore ye go, how ye want this dam, and that's the
way she'll be. Come, now, dear! and ain't ye short-handed now?"

Orde slapped his knee and laughed.

"This is sure one hell of a joke!" he cried.

"And ain't it now?" said the Rough Red, smiling with as much
ingratiation as he was able.

"I'll take you boys on," said Orde at last, "at the usual wages--dollar
and a half for the jam, three for the rear. I doubt if you'll see much
of Heinzman's money when this leaks out."

XXIV

Thus Orde, by the sheer good luck that sometimes favours men engaged in
large enterprises, not only frustrated a plan likely to bring failure to
his interests, but filled up his crews. It may be remarked