it from the Laguna Grande Lumber Company's roundhouse; and that
operation, in view of the fact that Pennington's night watchman would
be certain to hear the engine leaving, offered difficulties.

Throughout the afternoon, after having sent his orders in writing to
the woods-boss, via George Sea Otter (for he dared not trust to the
telephone), be waited in his office for a telephone-call from the
logging-camp as to what action the engine-crew had taken. He could
not work; he could not think. He only knew that all depended upon the
success of his coup to-night. Finally, at a quarter of six, Curtis,
his woods-boss rang in.

"They're staying here all night, sir," he reported.

"House them as far from the log-landing as possible, and organize a
poker-game to keep them busy in case they don't go to bed before
eight o'clock," Bryce ordered. "In the meantime, send a man you can
trust--Jim Harding, who runs the big bull-donkey, will do--down to
the locomotive to keep steam up until I arrive."

He had scarcely hung up, when Buck Ogilvy came into the office.
"Well?" he queried casually.

"Safe-o, Buck!" replied Bryce. "How about your end of the contract?"

"Crowbars, picks, shovels, hack-saws to cut the rails, lanterns to
work by, and men to do the work will be cached in your lumber-yard by
nine o'clock, waiting for the rails to arrive."

Bryce nodded his approval, "Then I suppose there's nothing to do but