CHAPTER XX
GETTING AT THE BOTTOM OF THINGS
"What is it, Jack?" asked Percival as he joined Jack a short distance from the group of men now standing idly about.
"They have sent some one to intercept Blaisdell. I have already sent young Smith, or at least he has taken the hint and gone off himself. He will get there, but I think we had better send some one to help Ken."
"You are sure, Jack?"
"Yes, I saw the man slip away. Here are Art and Harry. They will go."
Harry Dickson and Arthur Warren now came up, and Jack quickly told them what he expected and asked them to follow Blaisdell and assist him if necessary, both the boys slipping away without being noticed by the party of men collected at the little station house and now talking among themselves and paying no attention to the boys.
Percival got all the boys together, including those who were not of the surveying party but had merely come along to see the work started, and said to them:
"It is my opinion that these men have been influenced by some one who has been telling them a lot of lies, and maybe for the purpose of getting money out of us. They don't any of them look over intelligent, and I don't believe there is a regular farmer among them. They are squatters, I believe, and don't own half an acre of land among them. We don't want to have a fight with them, and I believe the doctor will settle the whole affair without any trouble as soon as he comes back with Blaisdell."
Meantime Harry and Arthur had hurried on along the path through the woods and it was not long before they heard the sound of voices ahead of them, and hastened on, expecting that Blaisdell was in trouble.
In a short time they came upon the boy, with his back against a tree and a defiant look in his face, saying at that moment:
"If you fellows attempt to touch me you will get hurt. You have no business to detain me and you will get the worst of it."
"What are you doing to that boy?" cried Arthur, hurrying forward. "If you want this matter settled, why don't you let him alone and allow him to go and get the doctor and have this matter arranged satisfactorily?"
The arrival of two extra boys where they had expected to deal with only one rather surprised the men, and one of them said with a growl:
"How do you know we was goin' to do anything to him? We've got traps an' snares here, an' we thought he was goin' to meddle with 'em. We gotter look arter our property."
"It is not the time for setting snares," said Arthur. "We know what you are up to. Get ahead, Ken. We'll keep these fellows from following you. They are a bad lot, but we will take care of them."
The two boys had picked up stout sticks, and they now advanced upon the men so as to give Blaisdell a chance to get away.
The men fell back, being natural cowards, and one of them now said to the boys in sullen tones:
"What you makin' such a fuss about, anyhow? We was only foolin' with the boy. We wasn't goin' to hurt him none."
"Well, I don't think you will," replied Harry as Blaisdell set off toward the camp of the Hilltop boys, knowing that the two would be able to take care of the men.
"How did you men get the idea that your farms were going to be injured?" asked Arthur. "Who gave you that notion?"
"Bill said so," replied one.
"Who is Bill? Is he the big man that did the most of the talking just now? He does not look as if he knew very much."
"Yes, Bill's a big feller."
"Well, Bill had better study up a bit before he goes to making trouble for people. Where is his farm, anyhow? Has he got one?"
"Ah, you talk too much!" growled the man as he walked toward the station,
Shortly after the return of Harry and Arthur Blaisdell, a dozen boys came running in, the former saying:
"Here we are, boys. The doctor is coming as fast as he can. You have not had any fight since I went away? Young Smith got there ahead of me and some of the boys had already started before I got there, so I did not go all the way, but came back with them to see the fun."
Dr. Wise, all in black and wearing big spectacles came up soon and asked Percival and Jack who were the men who had made the trouble at the branch.
Jack pointed out the big man and the doctor said to him:
"What is the matter, my man? Why do you wish to oppose this work? We do not intend any harm to you or to any one. The railroad company has given me full authority to make a survey and to build a branch road. What is your objection?"
"It'll hurt our farms," growled Big Bill.
"Who told you that?"
"Phil Watts, that feller yonder."
"How did you learn this, Watts?" asked the doctor.
"Jim Jenkins told me."
"Well, well, this seems to be all hearsay information," muttered the doctor. "Where is Jenkins? We must learn where he got his information. Who is Jenkins?"
"That's me," said one of the men who had hung back.
"And who told you that we were going to hurt your farms by building the branch road? I do not know of any farms in this section, and if there were any it would help rather than injure them by giving you a chance to get your produce to market sooner. Who told you that it would injure them, Jenkins? I want to get at the bottom of this affair."
"Well, I wasn't the only one what was told it," growled Jenkins, glaring around at his companions, "though it's been put up to me as if I started it. Bill Calthorpe heard it as well as me, an' so did Phil Watts. We was all told it together."
The big man did not seem to like this admission and moved uneasily, first on one foot and then on the other.
"Yes, yes, but who was the person who told you?" asked the doctor a little impatiently. "We want to get at the first person who gave this information. Was it one of yourselves or a stranger? Do you actually know the person who told you this?"
"No, I don't," growled Jenkins, "but I can tell you this, and that is that he was a big young feller and had a uniform under his coat which come open while he was talkin', so's I could see it plain; an' if it wasn't the same identical uniform them boys wear, I'll eat my hat!"
"Do you see him now?" asked the doctor.
Jenkins looked around and Bill Calthorpe and the other squatters did the same, the first speaker's admission not being denied by any of them.
"No, he ain't here now," said Jenkins.
"Was he here at all to-day?" suddenly asked Billy Manners in a tone that brought attention upon him in an instant.
"Yes, he was!" said Jenkins doggedly, and all the boys gave a gasp.