“Why, there’s a platform around that stump,” observed Phil, in surprise.
“That is for the sawyers. It would take too long to chop these trees down, so we saw them.”
“But why build a platform? Why not stand on the ground?” inquired the boy.
“Because the bases of these trees are often rotted so that the timber is worthless for five, sometimes ten, feet,” explained the foreman.
“Oh, look, there comes the cable,” cried Ted, pointing to where several men were pulling on a lead-wire to which was attached a three-inch twisted steel rope.
Quickly the jacks seized the cable and made it fast to a log near the tree just felled.
“Ready?” called one of them.
“Ready!” replied the others.
Putting a tin whistle to his lips, the first man blew three times. From the distance came an answering toot, followed by the mighty whirring. With a sharp hum the cable tightened, and then the huge log, weighing many tons, started through the woods, hurdling everything in its path as it was drawn along with irresistible power.
“We’ll follow the log,” said Steve, but so fast did it travel that the boys were obliged to trot to keep pace with it.