Personally, Fortescue was known but to the very few, but his methods were
known to all. He paid them generously, but he ruled them with a rigid
discipline that knew no relaxation. It was murmured that Fletcher
Hill--the hated police-magistrate--was at his back, for he never failed
to visit the mine when his duty took him in that direction, and there was
something of military precision in its management which was strongly
reminiscent of his forbidding personality. It was Fletcher Hill who meted
out punishment to the transgressors who were brought before him at the
police-court at Trelevan, and his treatment was usually swift and
unsparing. No prisoner ever expected mercy from him.
He was hated at the mine with a fierce hatred, in which Fortescue had
but a very minor share. It was recognized that Fortescue's methods were
of a decent order, though his lack of personal interest was resented,
and also his friendship with Fletcher Hill, which some even declared to
be a partnership. The only point in his favour was the fact that Bill
Warden knew the man and never failed to stand up for him. For some reason
Warden possessed an enormous influence over the men. His elevation
to the sub-managership had been highly popular, and his projected
promotion to the post of manager, now filled by Harley, gave them immense
satisfaction. He had the instincts of a sportsman and knew how to handle
them, and a personality, that was certainly magnetic, did the rest.
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