. Now what have you to say for yourself, Tom Gray?"

"I was waiting to inquire what sort of a deal you made."

"Say, folks! Had it not been for Willy Horse I should not have got the
property at all. That chief with the iron toes is a shrewd old duffer.
He has owned the property for some years, and all that time the Hiram
Dusenbery Company has been trying, by fair means or otherwise, to buy it
of him, but Old Iron-Toe put the price so high that they preferred to
wait, hoping that when he got hard up he might be willing to sell for
less."

"Did he know that timber-thieves had been helping themselves to trees?"
questioned Elfreda.

"No. Willy told him. Willy saw the chief first and the deal really was
made before I even saw the old fellow. Well, we smoked a pipe of peace
together and he didn't say a word for a whole hour after I was
introduced. Finally he grunted:

"'You Big Friend Willy Horse. Big Friend me, too. What you give?'

"I told him to make his own price and I would consider it--that I wished
to take no advantage, nor did I desire to pay a price that would not
leave me a profit. Well, we sat and the chief smoked for another hour.

"'You give ten thousand money. You give one-eighth what you make to
Chief Iron-Toe. You Big Friend.'

"'It's a bargain!' I said, just like that. Old Iron-Toe handed me his
pipe again. I took another pull at it. Bah! It was awful. It nearly
strangled me, but it sealed the compact. We went to the county seat
where the property was transferred to Wingate & Gray and the deed filed,
after which I gave him my check for ten thousand dollars."

Tom, who had been doing some rapid figuring while Lieutenant Wingate was
speaking, glanced up, smiling.

"I don't know how you did it, but you have a wonderful bargain. There is
a fortune in those trees."

"I didn't do it at all. Willy Horse did it, and he is going to have the
best job that can be dug up for him, provided my influence has weight
with the firm of Wingate & Gray. Tom, it's up to you, now. You are the
brains of this establishment. Go to it. I've done my share so far as it
has gone."

"You have, indeed. How is the equipment being brought in?"

"By mule teams. I reckon, too, that they will have a fine tune getting
in here on the trail that leads to the Dusenbery Company's works above
our section and--"

"I say, Mister Lieutenant, do I understand ye to say that a pa'cel of
lumberjacks is comin' here?" interrupted Joe Shafto.