en built for sawing the
logs. Marco was astonished at the number of these mills, the quantity of
logs which lay in the booms, and the vast piles of boards which had
accumulated in some of the sawing villages.

At one of these villages, where he and Forester stopped to spend the
night, they went out in the evening to see the mills. The mills were
lighted by little fires of pitch-pine knots, which made a bright flame
and gave a fine light. These little fires were built upon slabs, which
Marco thought was very dangerous. The slabs, however, though they looked
dry, were really very wet, being thoroughly soaked with water within,
having been sawed from logs which had been for a long time floating in
the river.

The beam, to which the saw was attached in each mill, as it ascended and
descended with the saw, passed across these lights with a rapid motion,
which made the lights appear and disappear, in regular succession, in a
very beautiful manner.

Forester and Marco clambered into one of these mills. They had to make
their way over slabs, boards and heaps of rubbish of various kinds, and
the floor of the mill seemed to be made of boards and planks, laid
loosely and with many open places, in which, when Marco looked down, he
saw dark and frightful abysses, where he could hear the water dashing,
and, now and then, could get a glimpse of the foam.

Of course, both Forester and Marco advanced very carefully. When they
had entered, they found but one man tending the mill. He was seated on a
square block of wood, near the fire, eating some bread and cheese. As
Forester and Marco advanced towards him, he looked up and bade them good
evening.

"Will you allow us to come in and see the mill?" said Forester.

"By all means," said the millman.

The millman here looked around at the log which he was then sawing, and
he observed that it was time for him to attend to it. So he put down his
bread and cheese upon the block, and went towards the saw. Forester and
Marco both turned to see what he was going to do.

The log was lying upon a long frame, which frame seemed to be mounted
upon some sort of trucks, for it advanced slowly, by a steady motion,
against the saw. As the saw was constantly moving up and down with great
force, the log was sawed as it advanced. It had now advanced so far that
the log had been sawed nearly through, from end to end. When it had gone
a little farther, the millman pulled a handle, and stopped the motio