56 THE LOG OF A TIMBER CRUISER 
. It was curious to note, as each one’s individual at- 
titude was revealed, how variously the facts and 
phenomena of life were interpreted. Bob and Bert 
and Brown were frankly materialists. A lifetime of 
labour, a constant struggle with men and circum- 
stances, had dealt them the strength and limitations 
._ of their type. Courage, energy, self-reliance—these 
they possessed to an admirable degree. But be- 
yond the world of obvious things, into the realm of 
the abstract or the spiritual, they had no conscious 
desire to penetrate. Of such matters they would 
not even argue, but remained indifferent if those 
subjects were broached, smilingly intrenched behind 
the seeming invulnerability of sense experience. 
Horace, when permitted, gave us the conventional 
theories concerning any subject upon the tapis. But 
his ideas were so obviously second-hand, mere re- 
productions of the thoughts of others, that we made 
use of his knowledge more as a matter of reference 
or as a basis for argument than for any intrinsic 
value it might possess. 
Wallace and Ewing seldom joined in the talk. 
Wallace was far more interested in a girl back Hast 
than in any entertainment we could offer. All his 
time outside working hours was devoted to a silent 
contemplation of her excellencies. We never looked 
for much from him, therefore, save a smiling, ab- 
sent-minded acquiescence whenever directly ap- 
pealed to. 
Nor did Ewing enter extensively into any of our 
