minor supplies. It was managed by Charlie and his two cookees by
means of pike-poles and a long sweep at either end. The pike-poles
assured progress when the current slacked; the sweeps kept her head-
on when drifting with the stream.

Charlie's temperament was pessimistic at best. When the wanigan was
to be moved, he rose fairly to the heights of what might be called
destructive prophecy.

The packing began before the men had finished breakfast. Shortly
after daylight the wanigan, pushed strongly from shore by the pike-
poles, was drifting toward the chute. When the heavy scow
threatened to turn side-on, the sweeps at either end churned the
water frantically in an endeavour to straighten her out. Sometimes,
by a misunderstanding, they worked against each other. Then
Charlie, raging from one to the other of his satellites, frothed and
roared commands and vituperations. His voice rose to a shriek. The
cookees, bewildered by so much violence, lost their heads
completely. Then Charlie abruptly fell to an exaggerated calm. He
sat down amidships on a pile of bags, and gazed with ostentatious
indifference out over the pond. Finally, in a voice fallen almost
to a whisper, and with an elaborate politeness, Charlie proffered a
request that his assistants acquire the sense God gave a rooster.
Newmark, who had elected to accompany the wanigan on its voyage,
evidently found it vastly amusing, for his eyes twinkled behind his
glasses. As the wanigan neared the sluice through which it must
shoot the flood-water, the excitement mounted to fever pitch. The
water boiled under the strokes of the long steering oars. The air
swirled with the multitude and vigour of Charlie's commands. As
many of the driving crew as were within distance gathered to watch.