“Seems to me you have a lot of ’em around here,” Jack growled. “I was only passing the time of day.”
“It makes no difference. You know my orders. Stay out of the pit, and away from the miners.”
“Okay,” Jack agreed, deciding to make no issue of the matter.
He ambled down to the edge of a deep but swift flowing stream some distance from the camp but within the cleared area. A log bridge, made by felling a tall tree, spanned the torrent. He started to cross, but had taken scarcely three steps on the precarious footing when Rhodes again descended upon him.
“Hey, you!” the engineer shouted.
Startled, Jack nearly lost his balance. Retreating to shore, he waited for Rhodes to come up.
“Stay in camp!” the engineer ordered. “Don’t go wandering around.”
“I merely intended to cross the stream,” Jack replied, nettled. “I hope I have better sense than to go roaming the wilds without leaving a trail.”
“No one is allowed across the river.”
“Then why the bridge? Decoration?”