ot the slightest effort to save
themselves? In the village below men were still working in their
forges, whose chimneys belched forth fiery smoke, and the sound of their
hammer-blows could be heard above the roar of the river. Women were
busy with their household tasks; some boys were playing in the streets,
damming up the gutters and shrieking with joy when their dams broke. A
few provident souls had driven their cattle to the neighboring hills;
but neither themselves nor their children had they thought it necessary
to remove. The fact was, nobody believed that the dams would break, as
they had not imagination enough to foresee what would happen if the dams
did break.

Bonnyboy was wet to the skin, and his knees were a trifle shaky from
exhaustion. He had been cutting down an enormous mast-tree, which was
needed for a prop to the dam, and had hauled it down with two horses,
one of which was a half-broken gray colt, unused to pulling in a team.
To restrain this frisky animal had required all Bonnyboy's strength,
and he stood wiping his brow with the sleeve of his shirt. Just at that
moment a terrified yell sounded from above: "Run for your lives! The
upper dam is breaking!"

The engineer from the top of the log-pile cast a swift glance up the
valley, and saw at once from the increasing volume of water that the
report was true.

"Save yourselves, lads!" he screamed. "Run to the woods!"

And suiting his action to his words, he tumbled down from the log pile,
and darted up the hill-side toward the forest. The other men, hearing
the wild rush and roar above them, lost no time in following his
example. Only Bonnyboy, slow of comprehension as always, did not obey.
Suddenly there flared up a wild resolution in his face. He pulled out
his knife, cut the traces, and leaped upon the colt's back. Lashing
the beast, and shouting at the top of his voice, he dashed down the
hill-side at a break-neck pace.

"The dam is breaking!" he roared. "Run for the woods!"

He glanced anxiously behind him to see if the flood was overtaking him.
A great cloud of spray was rising against the sky, and he heard the
yells of men and the frenzied neighing of horses through the thunderous
roar. But happily there was time. The dam was giving way gradually,
and had not yet let loose the tremendous volume of death and desolation
which it held enclosed within its frail timbers. The colt, catching the
spirit of excitement in the air, flew like the win