It had been quite recently built, as Tom Gray found upon examining the spiles and comparing their age with those of the lower dam.
"This looks to me like a fine piece of timber," he announced with a sweeping gesture that took in the great trees that surrounded them.

"We will cruise as far as we can before dark and go over the rest of the section to-morrow." "And you believe 'pirates' are trying to hog all they can of it, do you ?" questioned Hippy.
"There can be no doubt of it.

We have evidence of that." "Suppose some one should step in and buy the section--what then ?" "It would serve the robbers right," declared Tom Gray with emphasis.
"What is the section worth ?" "Too much money for us.

Say fifty to seventy-five thousand dollars, or even more if it is owned by private persons.

If the state owns it, the latter figure probably would be about what one would have to pay for the timber rights." "At the latter price how much could a fellow expect to clear on the deal ?" persisted Hippy.
Tom said it would depend upon whether one sold the logs delivered at the mill, or worked them into lumber at his own mill.