"Mr. B'asco expect de work and we must do it," said the foreman. "Nobody lak to see de work fall behind. Work up dare, den, an' show what you can a-do." And the men did work up, although not without growling.
At first Dale and Owen were placed among the barkers and sawyers, but as soon as Larson heard that they had chopped down trees in Maine, he let them try their skill on some of the smaller trees to be cut. They went to work with all the skill they could command, doing exactly as they had seen the other fellers do, and when the first tree came down the foreman nodded approvingly.
"Dat's putty goot," he said. "Not so queek as I like, but maybe it goes queeker by an' by, hey?"
"It will go quicker after we are used to it," answered Owen.
He was sorry that they had not been placed in the yard where Andy Westmore and Bruce Howard were located. But there was no choice in the matter, and he and Dale accepted what was offered to them without hesitation.
"If we don't, Mr. Wilbur may think we're a couple of cranks," said Dale. "As he was kind enough to pay our car-fare out here, we ought to do all we can to please him."
"I shan't say a word—at least not this season," answered Owen.
One day was very much like another, until one afternoon Ulmer Balasco paid a visit to the yard. He held a short, earnest talk with Larson, and then ordered that about half of the timber cut should be taken up to where the flume was rapidly approaching completion.
"But you said dat dat timber was needed on dare pig railroad contract," Owen heard Larson say.
"Never mind, Larson; do as I've ordered," answered Ulmer Balasco sharply. "I'll take care of the contract. And there is no use of your working the men to death. If you don't take care you'll have them either quitting altogether, or striking for higher wages."