follow the plain
grade of the road. After a time the moon crept over the zenith, and at
once the forest took on a fairylike strangeness, as though at the touch
of night new worlds had taken the place of the vanished old. Somewhere
near midnight, his body shivering with the mountain cold, his legs stiff
and chafed from the long, unaccustomed riding, but his mind filled with
the wonder and beauty of the mountain night, Bob drew rein beside the
corrals. After turning in his horse, he walked through the bright
moonlight to Welton's door, on which he hammered.

"Hey!" called the lumberman from within.

"It's I, Bob."

Welton scratched a match.

"Why in blazes didn't you come up in the morning?" he inquired.

"I've found out another and perhaps important hole we're in."

"Can we do anything to help ourselves out before morning?" demanded
Welton. "No? Well, sleep tight! I'll see you at six."

Next morning Welton rolled out, as good-humoured and deliberate as ever.

"My boy," said he. "When you get to be as old as I am, you'll never stir
up trouble at night unless you can fix it then. What is it?"

Bob detailed his conversation with Plant.

"Do you mean to tell me that that old, fat _skunk_ had the nerve to
tell you he was going to send a ranger to look at our permit?" he
demanded.

"Yes. That's what he said."

"The miserable hound! Why I went to see him a year ago about crossing
this strip with our road--we had to haul a lot of stuff in. He told me
to go ahead and haul, and that he'd fix it up when the time came. Since
then I've tackled him two or three times about it, but he's always told
me to go ahead; that it was all right. So we went ahead. It's always
been a matter of form, this crossing permit business. It's _meant_ to be
a matter of form!"

After breakfast Welton ordered his buckboard and, in company with Bob,
drove down the mountain again. Plant was discovered directing the
activities of several men, who were loading a light wagon with
provisions and living utensils.

"Moving up to our summer camp," one of them told Bob. "Getting too hot
down here."

Plant received them, his fat face expressionless, and led them into the
stuffy little office.

"Look here, Plant," said Welton, without a trace of irritation on his
weatherbeaten, round countenance. "What's all this about seeing a permit
to cross those government sections? You know very well I haven't any
permit."

"I have been informed by my men th