"I believe it is quite a durable wood," said Forester. "At any rate, the stumps last a very long time in the ground. I have heard it said that there are some stumps in the state of Maine with the old mark of G. R. upon them."
"What does G. R. mean?" asked Marco.
"Georgius Rex," replied Forester,—"that is, George, the king. If there are any such, the mark on them means that they belonged to the king of England, before this country was separated from England. In those days, the king's workmen went into the forests to select and mark the trees which were to be cut down for the king's use, and these marks were left upon the stumps."
"And how long ago was that?" asked Marco.
"O, it must have been sixty or seventy years ago. But I can hardly believe that the stumps would last as long as that."
"I mean to ask some of the men, when I get up in the woods, how long the stumps do last," said Marco.
"They last very long, I know," said Forester. "The people, after getting tired of waiting to have them rot out, tear them up with machines, and make fences of them."
"I don't see how they can make fences of stumps," said Marco.
"They put them in a row, with the roots in the air," replied Forester. "They make a funny-looking fence."
Just at this time Marco perceived a large town coming into view before them, which, Forester told him, was Bath. There were several ships building along the shore of the river.