It was a "faute de mieux," in which one would give an honest day's work, and no more.
As has been hinted, even the inexperienced newcomer noticed the lack of enthusiasm, of unity.

Had he known the loyalty, devotion, and adoration that a thoroughly competent man wins from his "hands," the state of affairs would have seemed even more surprising.

The lumber-jack will work sixteen, eighteen hours a day, sometimes up to the waist in water full of floating ice; sleep wet on the ground by a little fire; and then next morning will spring to work at daylight with an "Oh, no, not tired; just a little stiff, sir!" in cheerful reply to his master's inquiry,--for the right man! Only it must be a strong man,--with the strength of the wilderness in his eye.
The next morning Radway transferred Molly and Jenny, with little Fabian Laveque and two of the younger men, to Pike Lake.

There, earlier in the season, a number of pines had been felled out on the ice, cut in logs, and left in expectation of ice thick enough to bear the travoy "dray." Owing to the fact that the shores of Pike Lake were extremely precipitous, it had been impossible to travoy the logs up over the hill.
Radway had sounded carefully the thickness of the ice with an ax.
Although the weather had of late been sufficiently cold for the time of year, the snow, as often happens, had fallen before the temperature.
Under the warm white blanket, the actual freezing had been slight.
However, there seemed to be at least eight inches of clear ice, which would suffice.
Some of the logs in question were found to be half imbedded in the ice.
It became necessary first of all to free them.

Young Henrys cut a strong bar six or eight feet long, while Pat McGuire chopped a hole alongside the log.