They felled their trees accurately over the mark, and their axe work was
fairly clean, but it took them some time to finish the job.

But some of the others made heavy weather. Young Elliott was the worst.
It was soon evident that he had probably never had any but a possible
and casual wood-pile axe in his hand before. The axe rarely hit twice in
the same place; its edge had apparently no cutting power; the handle
seemed to be animated with a most diabolical tendency to twist in
mid-air. Bob, with the wisdom of the woods, withdrew to a safe distance.
The others followed.

Long after the others had finished, poor Elliott hacked away. He seemed
to have no definite idea of possible system. All he seemed to be trying
to do was to accomplish some kind of a hole in that tree. The chips he
cut away were small and ragged; the gash in the side of the tree was
long and irregular.

"Looks like somethin' had set out to _chaw_ that tree down!" drawled a
mountain man to his neighbour.

But when the tree finally tottered and crashed to the ground it fairly
centred the direction stake!

The bystanders stared; then catching the expression of ludicrous
astonishment on Elliott's face, broke into appreciative laughter.

"I'm as much surprised as you are, boys," said Elliott, showing the
palms of his hands, on which were two blisters.

"The little cuss is game, anyhow," muttered California John to Thorne.

"It was an awful job," confided the other; "but I marked him something
on it because he stayed with it so well."

Toward sunset Bob said farewell, expressing many regrets that he could
not return on the morrow to see the rest of the examinations. He rode
back through the forest, thoughtfully inclined. The first taste of the
Western joy of mere existence was passing with him. He was beginning to
look upon his life, and ask of it the why. To be sure, he could tell
himself that his day's work was well done, and that this should suffice
any man; that he was an integral part of the economic machine; that in
comparison with the average young man of his age he had made his way
with extraordinary success; that his responsibilities were sufficient to
keep him busy and happy; that men depended on him--all the reasons that
philosophy or acquiescence in the plan of life ultimately bring to a
man. But these did not satisfy the uneasiness of his spirit. He was too
young to settle down to a routine; he was too intellectually restless to
be c