. He rasped his rough
palms together nervously. At last he rose and tip-toed into the main
camp. All the men were asleep, snoring with the lusty heartiness of a
tired lumber crew. The colonel advanced cautiously to Hackett's
bunk, and stirred that worthy with his finger until the man awoke. He
beckoned, and Hackett followed him into the pen.

"Hackett," said he, "yeh have worked for me a good many years."

"Yes, colonel."

"I've let yeh have money on a mortgage for one or two little favors
yeh've done me."

"Yes."

Hackett began to grow pale.

"Now I'll lift that whole mortgage for another favor--an' don't get
scared. I sha'n't ask yeh to do any more'n I propose to do myself."
Ward had noted the look of alarm on the man's face. "If we're both in it
neither can say anything. I took yeh along with me last night and to-day
so's yeh could hear how that young fool insults me on my own land."

"I heard what he said, colonel, an' no man can blame ye for feelin' put
out."

Ward looked at him steadily for a moment.

"Listen to me. Few words when there's work to do: that's my motto. I've
done the thinkin' part of this thing. What I want you for is to help on
the work."

The man stared with stupid inquiry.

"Hackett, here's my plan. You and I don't want to hurt that man. We
can't afford to hurt him. But he's on my hands, an' he won't back down,
an' it puts me in a hard place--a mighty hard place, Hackett. You heard
what passed between us? Now he's got to be put out of this camp an'
shoved where he can't blab this thing round about. Why, he's half got
that fool of a Connick on his side already.

"The only thing, Hackett, is for you to take him across into that
Tumble-dick camp an' keep him there--keep him there! Tie him to a beam
and feed him like yeh would a pup. Keep him there till he weakens an'
quits, or till I can think up some plan further. It'll give me time,
Hackett."

"'Tain't any extra sort of job for me, Colonel Ward!" grumbled Hackett
"I've got to watch that critter day in an' day out, an' Tumble-dick
camp is all o' twenty miles from here, or from any other camp, for that
matter."

"That's why I want him there, Hackett. We'll tie him on a moose sled,
an' you start in an hour, whilst the men are still asleep. I'll break a
window out of the wangan, an' on this crust there'll be no foot-tracks.
It'll be thought he broke out and ran away--an' that'll be his own
lookout."

His voice became low and husky