tin pail was pressed into
service as a smudge-kettle. Every evening about dusk, when the insects
first began to emerge from the dark swamps, Charley would build a tiny
smoky fire in the bottom of the pail, feeding it with peat, damp moss,
punk maple, and other inflammable smoky fuel. This censer swung twice or
thrice about the tent, effectually cleared it. Besides, both men early
established on their cheeks an invulnerable glaze of a decoction of pine
tar, oil, and a pungent herb. Towards the close of July, however, the
insects began sensibly to diminish, both in numbers and persistency.

Up to the present Thorpe had enjoyed a clear field. Now two men came
down from above and established a temporary camp in the woods half a
mile below the dam. Thorpe soon satisfied himself that they were picking
out a route for the logging road. Plenty which could be cut and travoyed
directly to the banking ground lay exactly along the bank of the stream;
but every logger possessed of a tract of timber tries each year to get
in some that is easy to handle and some that is difficult. Thus the
average of expense is maintained.

The two men, of course, did not bother themselves with the timber to be
travoyed, but gave their entire attention to that lying further back.
Thorpe was enabled thus to avoid them entirely. He simply transferred
his estimating to the forest by the stream. Once he met one of the men;
but was fortunately in a country that lent itself to his pose of hunter.
The other he did not see at all.

But one day he heard him. The two up-river men were following carefully
but noisily the bed of a little creek. Thorpe happened to be on the
side-hill, so he seated himself quietly until they should have moved
on down. One of the men shouted to the other, who, crashing through a
thicket, did not hear. "Ho-o-o! DYER!" the first repeated. "Here's that
infernal comer; over here!"

"Yop!" assented the other. "Coming!"

Thorpe recognized the voice instantly as that of Radway's scaler. His
hand crisped in a gesture of disgust. The man had always been obnoxious
to him.

Two days later he stumbled on their camp. He paused in wonder at what he
saw.

The packs lay open, their contents scattered in every direction. The
fire had been hastily extinguished with a bucket of water, and a frying
pan lay where it had been overturned. If the thing had been possible,
Thorpe would have guessed at a hasty and unpremeditated flight.

He was abo