what it meant. It was the hand of the trust--disguised under a
veneer of Canadian promoters. They called us 'aliens'--American
'money-grabbers' robbing Canadians of what justly belonged to
them. They aroused two-thirds of the press against us, and yet--"

The lines in Whittemore's face softened. He chuckled as he pulled
out his pipe and began filling it.

"They had to go some to beat the old man, Greggy. I don't know
just how Brokaw pulled the thing off, but I do know that when we
won out three members of parliament and half a dozen other
politicians were honorary members of our organization, and that it
cost Brokaw a hundred thousand dollars! Our opponents had raised
such a howl, calling upon the patriotism of the country and
pointing out that the people of the north would resent this
invasion of foreigners, that we succeeded in getting only a
provisional license, subject to withdrawal by the government at
any time conditions seemed to warrant it. I saw in this no blow to
my scheme, for I was certain that we could carry the thing along
on such a square basis that within a year the whole country would
be in sympathy with us. I expressed my views with enthusiasm at
our final meeting, when the seven of us met to complete our plans.
Brokaw and the other five were to direct matters in the south; I
was to have full command of affairs in the north. A month later I
was at work. Over here"--he leaned over Gregson's shoulder and
placed a forefinger on the map--"I established our headquarters,
with MacDougall, a Scotch engineer, to help me. Within six months
we had a hundred and fifty men at Blind Indian Lake, fifty
canoemen bringing in supplies, and another gang putting in
stations over a stretch of more than a hundred miles of lake