The boys grabbed canthooks and helped put the log in place upon the carriage. The girls looked on with interest, for the working of a sawmill with a disk-saw of this size is not uninteresting.
“But that log’s got a hollow in it, Mr. Polk,” advised Tavia, the sharp-eyed.
“I know it, Miss. But the grain of the wood’s so straight, and the hollow’s so small, that I believe we’re going to get some mighty fine planks out of it, just the same,” replied the sawyer.
“Ask him about Tom Moran,” begged Dorothy, sotto-voce.
“Just wait till he gets this log on the carriage. Now it goes!” exclaimed the interested Tavia.
The saw struck the hollow place the first clip, the outside slab was cut off, and out of the hollow flopped something that made the girls scream.
“A snake!” gasped Dorothy.
“Maybe it’s an eel,” said Tavia.
But quick-eyed Nat jumped for it and held up the flopping creature. It was a beautiful brook trout more than two feet long.
“Great find, boy!” declared Mr. Polk. “The law ain’t off until April first; but I reckon that’s your kill.”