Chapter IX
In the deep gully six miles from the home- stead Randal and Moggers were stumping. It was three years since Randal had helped there at the felling of slim birch and great totara and matai, and afterwards put a firestick through the raffle of broken tree-ferns and earth-laid branches. A few dead writhed spars lay over the gully-sides yet, although the most had been drawn for the fencing; and all along the bottom, stumps raised their venom- ous heads in derision for the men who wrought with them.
Mogger had worked on a dredge once. He came out of the six-foot hole round a birch- root and made comparisons.
"... which it carried the old complicated 'and machinery, too. But it was a fool ter this bloomin' kind o' organ'sm. An' sech a waste of a hole, when as the brute is out," he added, spitting into it thoughtfully, "Cud bury lots o' folk in there. Yer cud so."
"Two grandads and a granny?" suggested Randal, changing his hands on the axe-shaft,
and descending with a slide into the pit again.
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