"What you think about yourself and what I may think about you are two different things," retorted Flagg, with insolence. "Looks to me like you had got the Big Laugh over in your section. You have probably noticed what I just did in a case of that sort." "I took it all in, sir." "Well, what then?" "They are not laughing with us or against us over in the Tomah, Mr. Flagg. They all know what happened, and that we fought the Comas fair and square as long as we could keep on our feet. It was a trick that licked us. Craig held out the Walpole heir on us." "I know about it; I manage to get most of the news." Flagg started to go on his way, but Ward put his clutch on the autocrat's arm. "Pardon me, Mr. Flagg, but you're going to hear what I have to ask of you." Mere apologetic suit would not have served with Flagg. He found this bold young man patterning after the Flagg methods in dealings with men. The boldness of the grip on his arm gained more effectively than pleading. "Ask it. I'm in a hurry." "You have fired Kyle. I want his place." "Well, I'll be----" "You needn't be, sir. I'm a Latisan and I have bossed our drives. I have brought along a bunch of my own men who have bucked white water with me and are with me now in standing up for the principle of the independents. Allow me to say that luck is with you. Here's your chance to get hold of a man who can put heart and soul into this fight you're going to make." "And now go on and tell me how much you admire me," suggested Flagg, sarcastically. "I can't do that, sir. I'm going to tell you frankly I don't relish what I have heard about you. It's for no love of you that I'm asking for a chance to go up against the Comas people. It's because you're hard--hard enough to suit me--hard enough to let me go to it and show the Three C's they can't get away with what they're trying to do up here through Rufus Craig." "All right. You're hired. You've got Ben Kyle's job," stated Flagg. Latisan was not astonished by this precipitate come-about. He was prepared for Flagg's tactics by what he had set himself to learn about the autocrat's nature--quick to adjudge, tenacious in his grudges, inflexible in his opinion, bitterly ruthless when he had set himself in the way his prejudices selected. "You have seen what happened to Kyle. Can you govern yourself accordingly?" Flagg in his turn had set his grip on Ward's arm. "Yes, sir!" "I'll kick you out just as sudden as I kicked him if anything happens to make men give you the grin. Can you start north with me in the morning?" "Now or in the morning; it makes no difference to me, sir." Flagg shifted his hand from Ward's arm to the young man's shoulder and propelled him back a few paces toward the crowd in front of the tavern. "Listen, one and all! Here's my drive boss. He's old John Latisan's grandson. If that isn't introduction enough, ask questions about old John from those who remember him; this chap is like his grandfather."