the boys thought perhaps you'd notify the sheriff."

But Parker remembered his instructions. Reporting his predicament to the
sheriff would mean sowing news of the Sunkhaze situation broadcast in
the papers.

"It isn't a matter for the sheriffs," he replied shortly. "We'll
consider that the men are hired to transport material and not to fight.
We can only wait and see what will happen. But, Mank, I think that when
the pinch comes you will find that my men can be as loyal to me, even
if I am a stranger, as Ward's men are to the infernal old tyrant who has
abused them all these years. I'm going to believe so at any rate."

He turned away and started out of doors into the crisp morning. "I'm
going to believe that last as long as I can," he muttered.

"It'll help to keep me from running away."

He found his crew gathered in the railroad yard near the heaps of
unloaded material for construction. The men eyed him a bit curiously and
rather sheepishly.

"I know how you stand, men," he said cheerily. "I don't ask you to
undertake any impossibilities. I simply want help in getting this stuff
across Spinnaker Lake. Let's at it!"

His tone inspired them momentarily.

They were at least dauntless toilers, even if they professed to be
indifferent soldiers.

The sleds or skids were drawn up into the railroad yard by hand and
loaded there. Then they were snubbed down to the lake over the steep
bank. On the ice the "train" was made up.

Even Parker himself was surprised to find what a load the little
locomotive could manage. He made four trips the first day and at dusk
had the satisfaction of beholding many tons of rails, fish-plates and
spikes unloaded and neatly piled in the yarding place at the Spinnaker
end of the carry.

Between trips, while the men were unloading, he had opportunity to
extend his right-of-way lines for his swampers and attend to other
details of his engineering problem.

'Twas a swift pace he set!

He dared to trust no one else in the cab of the panting "Swamp Swogon"
as engineer, and rushed back from his lines when the fireman signalled
with the whistle that they were ready for a return trip. It may readily
be imagined that with duties pressing on him in that fashion Parker had
little time in which to worry about the next move of Colonel Ward. And
the men worked as zealously as tho they too had forgotten the menace
that threatened in the north.

In three days fully half the weight of material h