“Ye will pick out three men ye kin trust and go down the river till ye git ter the rips. It’s only about two miles down. Ye know the water’s mighty fast thar where the river narrows and if we kin git a jam thar they’ll pile up till it’ll take all of a week ter get ’em started agin.” “But how we goin’ ter start a jam thar?” “Sure and it’ll be aisy enough. Ye’ll find a scow jest forninst a big pine thot’s so big ye can’t miss it. The water’s only two or three fate deep out in the middle thar, and there’s some mighty big rocks out thar. Now all ye have ter do is ter git out thar wid yer peaveys and build up a pier like of rocks. Build it up till thar’s only about three or four inches of water running over it an’ it’ll do the trick all right.” “Huh, talk’s cheap, an’ aisy,” the other sneered. “I spose as how ye think it’ll be a reg’lar picnic wirkin’ in the ice water out thar.” “Don’t I know it’ll be cold,” Murphy snapped. “Ye dont think as how I’m expectin’ ye ter do it fer nuttin,’ does yez? It’ll be twenty dollars fer yez and ten fer each of the men, if ye git a jam thar. Take it or lave it.” “Now ye’re sayin’ sumpin’,” the man replied more enthusiastically. “I’ll take the job an’ we’ll make ’em jam up all right.” “All right,” Pat said, and Bob could hear him moving as though about to leave the shed. “Guess it’s about time I was making a get-away,” he thought as he moved carefully off toward a thick clump of pines a short distance from the shed. As soon as he was certain that he was out of sight from the camp the hoot of an owl sounded through the woods. The sound was repeated three times and as the third hoot ended Jack, who was sitting on a log, a few feet from the door of the camp, whispered to Rex, who was beside him. “Listen. I think that’s Bob.” A moment later the cry came again, whoo, whoo, whoo—whoo, whoo, whoo—whoo, whoo, whoo. “That’s Bob and he wants us,” Jack asserted, all doubt gone. “Now follow me and be mighty careful. Just walk about slowly as though we were not going anywhere in particular,” he whispered as he got to his feet. Taking hold of Rex’s arm he led him slowly about among the groups of men talking carelessly. Little by little the two worked away until they were some distance from the camp. It was nearly dark by this time and Jack felt sure that he had aroused no suspicions in the minds of any of the men. “We’ll stand here and talk a few minutes till it gets a bit darker,” he said. In another five minutes he felt safe in making a break and with a word to Rex, he quickly led the way off from the river. “Just wait a minute, and I’ll find out where he is,” he said after they had gone a few yards into the thick woods. “Whoo, whoo, whoo.” “Whoo, whoo, whoo.” “He’s right over there,” Jack declared as he turned to the left. “Got away all right, did you?” Bob’s voice greeted them close at hand. “Sure. What’s up?”