And there was much to be done,
many specific orders to give the Lark, before he dared leave.
Upon the dam itself he put a hundred men to work. The remaining
hundred and fifty he set to building the great flume which was to
carry the stored water for five hundred yards along the ridge, then
into the cut in the crest of the ridge and into Dam Number Two. He saw
that he must have more horses, more plows and scrapers. But for the
present he could do without them. There was blasting to be done upon
the rugged wall of the canon, there were tall pines bunched in groves,
many of which must come down before the flume could be completed or
the ditch made. And men with axes and crowbars and giant powder were
set to their tasks.
Everywhere he went the Lark dogged his heels, listening intently to
the orders which his superior gave him.
"The main thing," Conniston told him, when he had outlined the work as
well as he could, "is to keep your men working! Don't lose any time.
I'll be back as soon as I can make it, some time to-morrow, and if you
don't know how to handle anything that comes up put your men on
something else. The dam has got to be made, the flume has got to be
built, the cut has to be dug, a lot of trees and boulders have to come
out. You will have enough to keep you busy."
"Do you know, Mr. Conniston," Jimmie Kent told him, as they sat down
together for a bite of lunch, "I've got a hunch.
Pages:
277
278
279
280
281
282
283
284
285
286
287
288
289
290
291
292
293
294
295
296
297
298
299
300
301