"Including the men at the creek, on the railroad, and on the river below, we have two hundred and seventy-five hands. We had over three hundred, but, as I said before, Mr. Balasco cut down the number." The train of trucks and flat cars soon hauled up at a yard, and the two young lumbermen jumped to the ground and made their way into the neighboring forest, from which came the steady ring of the fellers' axes and the hum of the sawyers' long-bladed saws. The forest was one of fir, with trees running up to six and seven feet in diameter, and covered with rough bark half a foot thick. "Here is where cutting down a tree is real work," remarked Owen, as they neared the spot. Not far away two fellers had just reached a tree that was to be brought down, and they watched the workmen with keen interest, for the tree was a magnificent specimen of Douglass fir, as large as any in the neighborhood. It stood with a circle of smaller trees around it. "They are going to have trouble bringing that down without hurting one of the little trees," said Owen. "Perhaps not, Owen. Let us watch and see how they do it." At the start, the two fellers cut notches into the lower part of the trunk about a foot from the gnarled roots, which sprawled in all directions. Into these notches they inserted bits of board and wedged them in tightly. When thus wedged, each board formed a tiny platform upon which a feller could stand and work with ease. The next attack on the tree was the cutting of a long, deep notch, called a kerf, about three feet above the standing places of the fellers. This kerf extended nearly halfway around the tree, and the center was next cut in deeply, to correspond with the two outer ends. The kerf finished to the satisfaction of the head feller, both now set to work with a long saw on the opposite side of the tree, and cut in almost as deeply as the kerf cut. Then the saw was brought around to the kerf, and this was deepened until the cuts on both sides of the tree almost met. "This is getting interesting," said Owen. "That tree will be down in a minute more." The head feller had measured and cut the kerf with accuracy, directly opposite to a small opening between the small trees that surrounded the monarch to be laid low. Now he called for several steel wedges, and these were driven into the kerf with sledge hammers. The tree was now beginning to totter, and word was sent out to "clear the brush and stand from under!" "Easy now, Jerry!" cried the head feller. "Easy!" He gave another heavy blow on his side. "Now another, Jerry! One more.... Wait." He struck out himself, twice. "Now, one more, both together!" The sledges came down, and the tree groaned and shivered. Another blow, and both fellers leaped from the platforms and darted out of harm's way. Then over went the tree, slowly at first, and then with increased speed, straight between the smaller trees, to strike the ground with a boom that could be heard a long way off.