"I don't know," replied the riverman, "but I wouldn't lay around and wait."
"Why don't some of you fellows go out there and storm the fort, if you feel that way?" asked Bob.
"Why?" demanded the riverman, "I won't let any boss stump me; but why in hell should I go out and get my hide full of birdshot? If this outfit don't know enough to get its drive down, that ain't my fault."
Bob had seen enough of the breed to recognize this as an eminently characteristic attitude.
"Well," he remarked comfortably, "somebody'll be down from the mill soon."
The riverman turned on him almost savagely.
"Down soon!" he snorted. "So'll the water be 'down soon.' It's dropping every minute. That telegraft of yours won't even start out before to-morrow morning. Don't you fool yourself. That Twin Falls outfit is just too tickled to do us up. It'll be two days before anybody shows up, and then where are you at? Hell!" and the old riverman relapsed into a disgusted silence.
Considerably perturbed, Bob hunted up Larsen.
"Look here, Larsen," said he, "they tell me a delay here is likely to hang up this drive. Is that right?"
The old man looked at his interlocutor, his brow wrinkled.