And wasn’t he the boy with the nerve! Standing there on the porch of the hospital, right under the very noses of the bosses, making a union speech to them, and the bosses never daring to touch him! The crowd, realising this situation, went wild with delight. The English-speaking men shouted assent to his words; and those who could not understand, shouted because the others did. They did not want fighting--of course not! Fighting would not help them! What would help them was to get together, and stand a solid body of free men. There would be a union committee, able to speak for all of them, to say that no man would go to work any more until justice was secured! They would have an end to the business of discharging men because they asked for their rights, of blacklisting men and driving them out of the district because they presumed to want what the laws of the state awarded them! SECTION 6. How long could a man expect to stand on the steps of a company building, with a super and a pit-boss at his back, and organise a union of mine-workers? Hal realised that he must move the crowd from that perilous place. “You’ll do what I say, now?” he demanded; and when they agreed in chorus, he added the warning: “There’ll be no fighting! And no drinking! If you see any man drunk to-night, sit on him and hold him down!” They laughed and cheered. Yes, they would keep straight. Here was a job for sober men, you bet! “And now,” Hal continued, “the people in the hospital. We’ll have a committee go in and see about them. No noise--we don’t want to disturb the sick men. We only want to make sure nobody else is disturbing them. Some one will go in and stay with them. Does that suit you?” Yes, that suited them. “All right,” said Hal. “Keep quiet for a moment.” And he turned to the superintendent. “Cartwright,” said he, “we want a committee to go in and stay with our people.” Then, as the superintendent started to expostulate, he added, in a low voice, “Don’t be a fool, man! Don’t you see I’m trying to save your life?” The superintendent knew how bad it would be for discipline to let Hal carry his point with the crowd; but also he saw the immediate danger--and he was not sure of the courage and shooting ability of book-keepers and stenographers. “Be quick, man!” exclaimed Hal. “I can’t hold these people long. If you don’t want hell breaking loose, come to your senses.” “All right,” said Cartwright, swallowing his dignity. And Hal turned to the men and announced the concession. There was a shout of triumph.