do you mean?"

"What I say. A young fellow calling himself Dr. Bailey came into this
camp three days ago, raised the biggest kind of a row, laid up Craigin
with a broken head, and took charge of the camp." Maclennan stood in
amazement looking from Haines to the General Manager.

"Dr. Bailey? You mean Bailey from No. 1? What has he got to do with it?
And how did Craigin come to allow him?"

"Ask Craigin," replied Haines.

"What have you got in there, Doctor?" asked Mr. Fahey.

"Diphtheria patients."

"How many?"

"Well, we began with eight three days ago and we've ten to-day."

"Well, this knocks me out," said Maclennan. "Where's Craigin, anyway?"

"He's down in his own room in bed."

Maclennan turned and got into the sleigh. "Come on, Fahey," he said,
"let's go down. Something extraordinary has happened. You can't believe
that fellow Haines. What are you laughing at?"

Fahey was too much of an Irishman to miss seeing the humour of any
situation. "I can't help it, Maclennan. I'll bet you a box of cigars
that man Bailey is an Irishman. He must be a whirlwind. But it's no
laughing matter," continued the General Manager, sobering up. "This has
a very serious aspect. There are a whole lot of men sick in our camps.
You contractors don't pay enough attention to your health."

"Health! When you're driving us like all possessed there's no time to
think of health."

"I tell you, Maclennan, it's bad policy. You have got to think of
health. The newspapers are beginning to talk. Why, look at that string
of men you met going out. Of course, the great majority of them never
should have come in. Hundreds of men are here who never used either
shovel or axe. They cut themselves, get cold, rheumatism, or something;
they're not fit for their work. All the same, we get blamed. But my
theory is that every camp should have an hospital, with three main
hospitals along this branch. There's one at Macleod. It is filled,
overflowing. A young missionary fellow, Boyle, has got one running out
at Kuskinook supported by some Toronto ladies. It's doing fine work,
too; but it's overflowing. There's a young lady in charge there, a Miss
Robertson, and she's a daisy. The trouble there is you can't get the
fellows to leave, and I don't blame them. If ever I get sick send me to
her. I tell you, Maclennan, if we had two or three first-class men,
with three main hospitals, a branch in every camp, we'd keep the health
department in first-class