"Yes. And since he's more afraid after dark he has probably had his warning. But we're not to take any chances."
Having given his new orders to Jesse, who was to be in charge during their absence, they struck into the woods upon the other side of the Creek for the appraisal of a part of the strip known as the "Upper Reserve." From an attitude of suspicion and sneering contempt Peter's companion had changed to one of indifference. The unfailing good humor of the new superintendent had done something to prepare the ground for an endurable relation between them. Like Beth Cameron Shad had sneered at the word "forester." He was the average lumberman, only interested in the cutting down of trees for the market—the commercial aspect of the business—heedless of the future, indifferent to the dangers of deforestation. Peter tried to explain to him that forestry actually means using the forest as the farmer uses his land, cutting out the mature and overripe trees and giving the seedlings beneath more light that they may furnish the succeeding crop of timber. He knew that the man was intelligent enough, and explained as well as he could from such statistics as he could recall how soon the natural resources of the country would be exhausted under the existing indifference.
"Quite a bit of wood here, Mister—enough for my job," said Shad.
But after a while Peter began to make him understand and showed him what trees should be marked for cutting and why. They came to a burned patch of at least a hundred acres.
"Is there any organized system for fighting these fires?" Peter asked.
"System! Well, when there's a fire we go and try to put it out——" laughed Wells.
"How do the fires start?"
"Campers—hunters mos'ly—in the deer season. Railroads sometimes—at the upper end."
"And you keep no watch for smoke?"
"Where would we watch from?"