rned to the young man.

"Mr. Landover is one of the owners of this steamship line, Percival."

"So I understand, sir."

"He notified me this morning that he will see that I am dismissed from
the service if I continue to support this silly, suicidal plan to build
a camp on shore."

"Yes, sir. And you?"

"I promptly tendered my resignation as master of this vessel," answered
the Captain.

"You did?" cried Percival, dismayed.

"To take effect when I have tied her safely up to her pier in New York,"
said the old man, striking the rail with his fist.

"Great!" cried Percival.

"He has just come to me with the complaint that you have threatened to
throw him overboard. Is that true, Percival?"

"Yes, sir,--in a way. I mentioned an alternative."

"Mr. Landover is no better than any of the rest of us. You will proceed
to throw him overboard, Percival, if he refuses to do his share of the
work."

Percival gulped, and then saluted.

"Orders, sir?"

"Orders!"

The young man started away, but the Captain called him back.

"What are you going to do after you have had him thrown into the water?"

"Why, dammit all," exclaimed Percival, "what can I do but jump in and
save his life? You don't suppose I'd let him drown, do you? And, God
knows, nobody else would save it. They want to tar and feather him, as
it is, or lynch him, or make him walk the plank."

CHAPTER II.

The first of the two boats came alongside, and men began to go clumsily,
even fearfully down the ladders. Throughout the early stages of activity
on shore, the passengers and crew went out in shifts, so to speak.
Percival and others experienced in construction work had learned that
efficiency and accomplishment depend entirely upon the concentration
of force, and so, instead of piling hundreds of futile men on shore to
create confusion, they adopted the plan of sending out daily detachments
of fifty or sixty, to work in regular rotation until all available
man power had been broken in and classified according to fitness and
strength. For example, certain men developed into capable wood-choppers,
while others were useless in that capacity. Each successive draft,
therefore, had its choppers, its strippers, its haulers, its "handy
men,"--and its water-boys. Moreover, this systematic replacement of
toilers made it possible for those who were not accustomed to hard,
manual labour to recover from the unusual tax on strength and endurance.

I