Arrived at the booms Captain Marsh shook the loose water from his
legs.
"All right, sir," he reported to Orde. "I ran 'em ashore yonder."
Orde looked up, brushing the hair from his eyes. He glanced in the
direction of the cornfield, and a quick grin flickered across the
absorbed expression of his face.
"I should think you did," said he briefly. "I guess that'll end the
excursion business. Now take Number Two up below the swing; and
then run down and see if you can discover Tom. He went somewhere
after piles about an hour ago."
Down river the various mill owners were busy with what men they had
left in stringing defences across the river in case Orde's works
should go out. When Orde heard this he swore vigourously.
"Crazy fools," he spat out. "They'd be a lot better off helping
here. If this goes out, their little booms won't amount to a whiff
of wind."
He sent word to that effect; but, lacking the enforcement of his
personal presence his messages did not carry conviction, and the
panic-stricken owners continued to labour, each according to his
ideas, on what Orde's clearer vision saw to be a series of almost
comical futilities. However, Welton answered the summons. Orde
hailed his coming with a shout.
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