something coming," declared Tom.

Hippy fastened a hand on Hindenburg's collar, and Joe threatened the
bear with a club until he slunk away and disappeared, then, to their
amazement, Peg Tatem stamped into camp, followed by a group of
lumberjacks.

The Overland Riders gazed questioningly at his scowling face. Tom Gray
was the only member of the outfit who knew him, but they instantly
recognized the foreman of Section Forty-three, from the descriptions of
him given by Tom and Joe Shafto, who now stood glaring angrily at him
through her big horn glasses.

Tom greeted the newcomer cordially.

"Won't you sit down and have a snack with us?" he asked.

"Don't want nothin' t' eat with the likes of ye, thankee," growled Peg.

"Oh, that's all right, old top," observed Hippy cheerfully. "We aren't
particularly eager to have a rough-neck sit down to mess with us."

"Hold yer tongue, ye cheap dude!" snarled Peg, shaking the heavy stick,
that he carried as a cane, at Lieutenant Wingate.

"Don't get rough," grinned Hippy. "What do you want here anyway?"

The lumberjacks, who had accompanied the foreman, halted a few paces to
the rear of their superior, and neither their appearance nor their
expressions were reassuring.

"What is it you wish?" demanded Tom.

"What ye got to say about this?" snorted Peg, taking in the burned area
with a sweep of his stick.

"As a forester, I am very sorry that this has happened, though it was
through no fault of ours," answered Tom.

"Ye lie!" exploded the foreman.

"Tatem, you will please drop that sort of talk here. Remember there are
ladies present. Besides, I don't take that word from anyone. I said, the
fire occurred through no fault of ours. A tree fell on our campfire and
scattered the embers, and, before we realized it, the forest was on
fire. We worked all night and all the forenoon trying to head the fire
off, which we finally succeeded in doing. Had we not done our part, this
whole section would long since have been entirely burned off. Why are
you taking it upon yourself to come here and interfere with us?"

"Why? Ye bloomin' idiot! I'm talkin' because ye've burned off a few
hundred thousand feet of timber from our section. That's why, and yer
goin' to pay for every stick of it. Do ye git me?"

"Oh, perfectly, perfectly," interjected Hippy.

"Your section, did you say?" demanded Tom.

"That's what I said," leered Peg.

"You are mistaken. This is not your section. It