“Blacksmith’s helper, eh?” he said. “That’s good; that’s awfully good! Well, old man, I don’t care what you hired out for, or what your right name is; you’re a developed human being and you’ll be somebody to talk to when these brutes grow too tiresome.” He turned to Jerry, the driver. “Well?” he said curtly. “She’s in the office now,” he said. “All right.” Reivers turned and went briskly toward the gate. “Turn Mr. Treplin over to Campbell. You’ll live with Campbell, Treplin,” he called over his shoulder, as he went through the gate. “And you hit the back trail, Jerry, right away.” As Jerry swung the team around Toppy saw that Reivers was going toward the office with long, eager strides. CHAPTER V—TOPPY OVERHEARS A CONVERSATION Old Campbell, the blacksmith, had knocked off from the day’s work when, a few minutes later, Toppy stepped from the sleigh before the door of the shop. “Go through the shop to that room in the back,” said Jerry. “You’ll find him in there.” And he drove off without another word. Toppy walked in and knocked at a door in a partition across the rear of the shop. “Come in,” spluttered a moist, cheery voice, and Toppy entered. The old blacksmith, naked to the waist and soaped from shoulders to ears, looked up from the steaming tub in which he was carefully removing every trace of the day’s smut. He peered sharply at Toppy, and at the sight of the young man’s good-natured face he smiled warmly through the suds. “Come in, come in. Shut the door,” he cried, plunging back into the hot water. “I tak’ it that you’re my new helper? Well—” he wiped the suds from his eyes and looked Toppy over—“though it’s plain ye never did a day’s blacksmithing in your life, I bid ye welcome, nevertheless. Ye look like an educated man. Well, ’twill be a pleasure and an honour for me to teach ye something more important than all ye’ve learned before—and that is, how to work. “I see ye cam’ withoot baggage of any kind. Go ye now across to the store before it closes and draw yerself two blankets for yer bunk. By the time you’re back I’ll have our supper started and then we’ll proceed to get acqua’nted.” “Tell me!” exploded Toppy, who could hold in no longer. “What kind of a man or beast is this Reivers? Why, I just saw him deliberately break a man’s leg out there in the yard! What kind of a place is this, anyhow—a penal colony?” Campbell turned away and picked up a towel before replying. “Reivers is a great man who worships after strange gods,” he said solemnly. “But you’ll have plenty of time to learn about that later. Go ye over to the store now without further waiting. Ye’ll find them closed if ye dally longer; and then ye’ll have a cold night, for there’s no blankets here for your bunk. Hustle, lad; we’ll talk about things after supper.”