ig. The water had now reached within five feet of
the top: the rise was slower, showing that the volume had lessened; the
soakage, too, was helping, but the water still gained. The bottom of the
trench, cut transversely across the road bed of the "fill," out of which
the dirt was still flying from scores of willing shovels, had reached
the height of the flood line. It was wide enough and deep enough to take
care of the slowly rising overflow and would relieve the pressure on the
whole structure; but the danger was not there. What was to be feared was
the scour on the down-stream--far side--slope of the "fill." This also,
was of loose earth: too great a gulch might mean total collapse.

To lessen this scour MacFarlane had looted a carload of plank switched
on to a siding, and a gang of men in charge of Jack,--who had now
reached his Chief's side,--were dragging them along the downstream slope
to form sluices with which to break the force of the scour.

The top of the flood now poured into the mouth of the newly dug trench,
biting huge mouthfuls of earth from its sides in its rush; spreading the
reddish water fan-like over the down-stream slope: first into gullies;
then a broad sluiceway that sunk out of sight in the soft earth; then
crumblings, slidings of tons of sand and gravel, with here and there
a bowlder washed clean; the men working like beavers,--here to free a
rock, there to drive home a plank, the trench all the while deepening,
widening--now a gulch ten feet across and as deep, now a canon through
which surged a solid mass of frenzied water.

With the completion of the first row of planking MacFarlane took up a
position where he could overlook all parts of the work. Every now and
then his eyes would rest on a water-gauge which he had improvised from
the handle of a pick; the rise and fall of the wet mark showing him both
the danger and the safety lines. He seemed the least interested man
in the group. Once in a while he would consult his watch, counting the
seconds, only to return to the gauge.

That thousands of dollars' damage had so far been done did not seem to
affect him in the least. Only when Jack would call out that everything
so far was solid on the main "fill" did his calm face light up.

Tightening his wide slouch hat farther down on his head, he drew up
the tops of his high-water boots and strode through the slush to the
pick-handle. His wooden record showed that half an hour before the water
h