“You have made a good impression, and that man’s favorable opinion may mean great things to you. I shouldn’t wonder if you cashed a good many big pay drafts before we have finished with you.”
“I hope so,” I answered grimly. “At present we are rather poorer than when we commenced the work, and whomever the new railroad benefits it has done only harm to us. That, however, is in no way your fault, and having started we’re going on to see the end of it.”
“Good man!” said the surveyor with a significant smile. “I shouldn’t be too previous. You have six days to straighten up your business;” and after a brief conference with Harry I departed for Fairmead and Winnipeg.
Our few cattle were thriving among the herds of our neighbors, to whom we made over our stock of prairie hay. The homestead would doubtless take care of itself until we were ready to return there, as prairie homesteads often have to do; while, whether it was owing to Jasper’s eloquence or to other causes, I found our remaining creditors both reasonable and willing to meet us as far as they could. So I came back with a satisfactory report, and the same evening we gathered those who worked for us about the tent, and when we had handed each a roll of dollar bills Harry laid the position before them.
“We sunk all that was left in this contract,” he said, “and now when we are transferred to British Columbia we set out almost empty-handed, with the wrong kind of balance. It seems only fair I should tell you this frankly. If you decide to come with us we will, if all goes well, 133 pay at present rates for the services of men and teams. On the other hand, if there is any unforeseen difficulty we may have nothing to pay with, and if any one wishes to go back to his holding I should only say he’s sensible. We, however, shall hold on as long as we have a dollar left.”
“It’s a toss-up,” added Johnston. “You take your chances, and get what you can, facing the music pleasantly like the rest of us if you get nothing, which seems quite probable. Now don’t jump over the edge of a ravine like the giddy antelope, but put your heads together and think about it.”
There was a laugh from one of the men, who conferred apart, and another said: “We’re coming along. There’s no work for men or horses here in winter, and we’ve neither money nor credit to sow in spring. Besides, we’ve taken your money, you have treated us fairly, and it strikes us as mean to back down on you now. So we’re open to take the chances, and all we ask is that the chances should figure either way. If you’re cleaned out, we get nothing; if you win we want to come in. No; we’ve no use for a sliding scale to fight each other on, and I guess we’ll take Contractor Lorimer’s word he’ll do the square thing.”
“I give it,” I said simply.
“We thank you;” and when they went away I felt the weight of a double responsibility.
“I congratulate you on your leadership of the hard-up company,” said Johnston lightly. “This is the kind of thing that appeals to me—nothing to lose and all to win, and determined men who can do anything with axe and saw and horseflesh to back one. So it’s loose guy, up peg, on saddle, and see what future waits us in the garden of the Pacific slope—in mid-winter.”