et long, and was set some thirty feet
out in the river.

Parallel to the front and about fifty feet behind it was the wall of the
shed. It was pierced by four doors, all of which were closed, but out
of each of which ran a line of narrow gauge railway. These lines
were continued to the front of the wharf and there connected up by
turn-tables to a cross line, evidently with the idea that a continuous
service of loaded trucks could be sent out of one door, discharged, and
returned as empties through another. Stacks of pit-props stood ready for
loading between the lines.

"Seems a sound arrangement," Hilliard commented as they made their
inspection.

"Quite. Anything I noticed before struck me as being efficient."

When they had seen all that the wharf appeared to offer, they walked
round the end of the shed. At the back were a number of doors, and
through these also narrow gauge lines were laid which connected with
those radiating to the edge of the clearing. Everywhere between the
lines were stacks of pit-props as well as blocks and cuttings. Three
or four of the doors were open, and in front of one of them, talking to
someone in the building, stood a man.

Presently he turned and saw them. Immediately they advanced and Hilliard
accosted him.

"Good-morning. We are looking for Mr. Coburn. Is he about?"

"No, monsieur," the man answered civilly, "he has gone into Bordeaux. He
won't be back until the afternoon."

"That's unfortunate for us," Hilliard returned conversationally. "My
friend and I were passing up the river on our launch, and we had hoped
to have seen him. However, we shall get hold of him later. This is a
fine works you have got here."

The man smiled. He seemed a superior type to the others and was
evidently a foreman.

"Not so bad, monsieur. We have four saws, but only two are running
today." He pointed to the door behind him as he spoke, and the two
friends passed in as if to have an idle look round.

The interior was fitted up like that of any other sawmill, but the same
element of design and efficiency seemed apparent here as elsewhere. The
foreman explained the process. The lopped trunks from the wood came in
by one of two roads through a large door in the center of the building.
Outside each road was a saw, its axle running parallel to the roads. The
logs were caught in grabs, slung on to the table of the saws and, moving
automatically all the time, were cut into lengths of from seven to t