him; or perhaps, more simply, Orde's attitude toward him at that
time had won him over to the young man's side. At any rate, as soon
as he understood that Orde was now in business for himself, he
readily came to an agreement. Thereupon Orde's crew built a new
sluiceway and gate far enough down to assure a good head in the pond
above. Other dam owners farther down the stream also signed
agreements having to do with supplying water over and above what the
law required of them. Above one particularly shallow rapid Orde
built a dam of his own.

All this took time, and the summer months slipped away. Orde had
fallen into the wild life as into a habit. He lived on the river or
the trail. His face took on a ruddier hue than ever; his clothes
faded to a nondescript neutral colour of their own; his hair below
his narrow felt hat bleached three shades. He did his work, and
figured on his schemes, and smoked his pipe, and occasionally took
little trips to the nearest town, where he spent the day at the
hotel desks reading and answering his letters. The weather was
generally very warm. Thunder-storms were not infrequent. Until the
latter part of August, mosquitoes and black flies were bad.

About the middle of September the crew had worked down as far as
Redding, leaving behind them a river tamed, groomed, and harnessed
for their uses. Remained still the forty miles between Redding and
the Lake to be improved. As, however, navigation for light draught
vessels extended as far as that city, Orde here paid off his men. A
few days' work with a pile driver would fence the principal shoals
from the channel.

He stayed over night with his parents, and at once took the train