is possible that you may
have intended to crowd your boundaries and steal a few thousand feet of
state timber, but so far as its belonging to you or to the people you
represent, I know better."

"Ye--ye say I'm a thief?" demanded Peg, the words seeming to stick in
his throat.

"No. You may intend to be one, but I have not said that you are. You may
be for all that I know. If you have nothing more sensible to say than to
accuse us of burning your property, move on! Before you go, however, I
wish to say that I believe that, if the truth were to come out, you know
more about what caused that fire, and how it was caused, than anyone
else. You know what I mean, Peg Tatem."

Only Hippy understood to what Tom Gray referred. That Peg Tatem did,
Lieutenant Wingate had not the least doubt, for the foreman's face
flushed a violent red under his tan, and his eyes narrowed, as he
gripped his club-like cane.

"Get out of here, you and your jacks!" commanded Tom savagely.

"Yes, skip, vamoose, articulate your joints. In other words, shoo!"
jeered Hippy. "If I ever see you around our camp again I'll slap your
wrist. What!"

Peg Tatem, throwing his weight on the clumsy piece of wood that did duty
as a leg, made an almost unbelievable leap towards Tom Gray and brought
his club-cane down with all the powerful strength that the man
possessed.

"I'll kill ye fer that!" raged the foreman of Forty-three as his club
descended.

CHAPTER XII

A SHOT FROM THE FOREST

Tom leaped back and the stick hit the ground instead of the mark that it
was intended to reach.

Before the foreman could recover himself, Tom Gray was upon him, and a
blow from the Overlander Rider's fist sent Peg Tatem reeling, but before
Tom could follow up his advantage, the lumberman collected himself and
began leaping around Tom, now striking with the club, then kicking out
with the wooden leg. It was impossible to get close enough to the fellow
to give him the knock-out blow that Captain Gray was hoping to land on
his adversary.

Thus far neither side had made a move to interfere with the combatants,
but a movement on the part of the lumberjacks, a gradual edging up,
warned Hippy that his opportunity to get into the scrimmage was near at
hand.

"Prepare to defend yourselves, girls," he said in a tone that carried to
their ears only. "If the worst comes, shoot! Tom and I may get knocked
out, for these fellows are tougher than the trees they cut."

"