Bannon was leaning on the rail, his face away from Peterson. After a while he spoke thoughtfully. "Well, that cinches it. I guess he meant to hold us up, anyway, but now he knows we're a good thing." "How's that? I don't see," said Peterson; but Bannon made no reply. "What did he have to offer the next time he came around? More in the same friendly way? When was it?" "Just this afternoon. Why, he said he was afraid we'd have a strike on our hands." "He ought to know," said Bannon. "Did he give any reason?" "Yes, he did. You won't mind my speaking it right out, I guess. He said the men didn't like you, and if you wasn't recalled they'd likely strike. He said they'd work under me if you was recalled, but he didn't think he could keep 'em from going out if you stayed. That ain't what I think, mind you; I'm just telling you what he said. Then he kind of insinuated that I ought to do something about it myself. That made me tired, and I told him to come to you about it. I said you was the boss here now, and I was only the foreman of the night shift." Until that last sentence Bannon had been only half listening. He made no sign, indeed, of having heard anything, but stood hacking at the pine railing with his pocket-knife. He was silent so long that at last Peterson arose to go. Bannon shut his knife and wheeled around to face him. "Hold on, Pete," he said. "We'd better talk this business out right here." "Talk out what?" "Oh, I guess you know. Why don't we pull together better? What is it you're sore about?" "Nothing. You don't need to worry about it." "Look here, Pete. You've known me a good many years. Do you think I'm square?" "I never said you wasn't square." "You might have given me the benefit of the doubt, anyway. I know you didn't like my coming down here to take charge. Do you suppose I did? You were unlucky, and a man working for MacBride can't afford to be unlucky; so he told me to come and finish the job. And once I was down here he held me responsible for getting it done. I've got to go ahead just the best I can. I thought you saw that at first, and that we'd get on all right together, but lately it's been different." "I thought I'd been working hard enough to satisfy anybody."