the protesters as the machines moved closer, cutting, stacking and quickly hauling away the lumber. A protester arrived with news the RCMP had arrived and met with security officials, who said the situation was under control. The sun began to set behind the trees and the temperature started to drop. Some of the protesters had come prepared to spend the night. "We've been here every night since the work started," said one of the women as she laid out her sleeping bag. The heavy equipment finished its work for the evening, at least near the stream. The tracked machines made a metallic grinding sound as they crossed the steel bridge over the stream and headed up the opposite bank toward the main work site. Several members of the group decided it was time to pack up and head to Charlottetown. There was little more they would be able to accomplish safely after dark. As the group reached the top of the clear-cut hill, they looked back. They saw a smoldering fire with a couple of people left to tend it. Machines still worked on the distant, opposing hilltop. Their worksite now lit by a dozen floodlights. Their movement echoed across the valley.