a man never at
best strong, and now enfeebled by severe pain and illness! Some
magnificent timber had been found a couple of miles inland, situated
not too far from the Coho. The experts had already felled, stripped,
and sawed into logs the huge trees. To Dennis and others remained the
arduous labour of guiding, with the help of windlasses, these immense
logs to the river, whence they would descend in due time to the inlet,
there to be joined together into vast rafts, later on again to be
towed to their destination. Of all labour, this steering of logs
through dense forest to their appointed waterway is the hardest and
roughest. Dennis, of course, wore thick gloves, but in spite of these
his hands were mutilated horribly, because he lacked the experience to
handle the logs with discretion. Even the best men are badly knocked
about at this particular job, and the duffers are very likely to be
killed outright.

At the end of ten lamentable days Dennis came to the conclusion that
Tom Barker wanted to kill him by the Chinese torture of Ling, or death
by a thousand cuts. More than one of the boys said: "Why don't you get
what dough is comin' to ye and skip?" Dennis shook his head. Not being
able to explain to himself why he stayed, he held his tongue, and thus
gained a reputation for grit which lightened other burdens. Jim
Doolan, the big Irishman, was of opinion that Dennis Brown was little
better than a denied baby with a soft spot in his head, but he
admitted that the cow-puncher was "white," and obviously bent upon
self-destruction. By this time the camp knew that the boss was taking
an unholy interest in Dennis, although he continued to treat him with
derisive civility. The rage he couldn't suppress was vented upon the
dog. And Dennis never saw the poor beast kicked or beaten without
reflecting: "He does that to Mamie when nobody ain't lookin'." In his
feeble fashion he tried to interfere. Dollars to Tom Barker were
dearer than cardinal virtues, and he had never been known to refuse an
opportunity to make a bit on any deal. Dennis offered to buy the dog.

"What's he worth?" said Tom, thrusting out his jaw.

"I'll give five for him."

"Five? For a dog that I've learned to love? Not much!"

"Ten?"

"Nope!"

"Fifteen?"

Tom laughed.

"You ain't got money enough to buy him," he said. "I'm going to have
more fun than a barrel o' monkeys out o' this yere dog, and don't you
forget it!"

After this Dennis, the S