and now he had
come. Moreover, his object was plain. The wall was underpinned,
supported by timbers, and if a log that bore much weight were cut, the
stones would fall and bring down the rest. One could not hear an ax at
the camp, the falling wall would sweep away the chips, and the fellow,
stealing back, would join the men the noise brought out. Jim thought
he could get near him by using the rocks and trees to cover his
advance, but the other could hide among them if he were alarmed, and it
might be prudent to let him get to work. The stealthy figure avoided
the moonlight.

The thud of the ax echoed across the woods, and Jim, taking care that
he had a dark background, went cautiously down hill. He did not carry
a pistol. On the whole, he thought one was safer without a gun, but he
had brought a thick wooden bar with an iron point that they used for
rolling logs. Getting behind a tree, he stopped near the wall. The
regular strokes of the ax indicated that the other was not disturbed,
and Jim, looking down from higher ground, could see the upper part of
his body as he swung the tool. The sharp blows implied that he was
chopping hard.

After measuring the distance, Jim sank down and crawled to the top of
the wall. Since the other had an ax, surprise would be a useful, and
perhaps necessary, advantage in the attack. Jim meant to attack; there
was no use in talking before the fellow was in his power. As he crept
forward a few stones rolled down the hill. He wondered what had
disturbed them, but thought it imprudent to turn round, and lay quiet
for a few moments, when the chopping stopped. He could not see the man
now, because he was hidden by the top of the wall.

The chopping began again, and Jim, crawling a few feet, seized the
stones on the edge and threw himself over just after the ax came down.
He fell upon the man and tried to seize him, but although both were
shaken by the collision, the other avoided his grasp and staggered
back. Jim followed and, swinging his bar, struck with all his
strength. The other caught the blow on the curved shaft of the ax, and
Jim's hands were badly jarred. The vibration of the hard wood numbed
his muscles, his fingers lost their grip. It looked as if he had been
clumsy and rash, for the advantage was now with his antagonist, because
the ax was longer than the bar. Moreover, the Canadian bushman is
highly skilled in the use of the dangerous tool. For all that, Jim