"And so this was what you sent to us for?" said Jack. "You might have known you would get nothing. Come, Dick. Come, Billy. There is no use wasting any more time on these fellows."
"You look out that we don't go on our own hook and stop your workin' the branch," snarled Calthorpe. "We can make trouble for you and we——-"
"Herring cannot have paid them anything for what they did," remarked Percival as they walked back toward the middle of the camp. "That is like him, to promise them something for a service and then forget all about it. I don't believe he ever intended to pay them."
"That's nothing new for Pete," said Billy. "The man or boy who relies on that fellow keeping his word is going to get left."
The work was resumed the next morning and progressed rapidly, many of the boys from the camp who were not of the surveying party coming to see how things were getting on.
Then, greatly to the disgust of the Hilltoppers, Peter Herring and some of his cronies came along and stopped to watch the surveyors.
"I thought we would see him before long, Dick," said Jack in a low tone to Percival. "He could not stay away."
"Huh! surveying, are you?" sneered Herring. "Much you know about such things! Fine old railroad you fellows could build."
"I wouldn't want to ride on it, would you, Pete?" asked Merritt. "The only time it would go smooth would be when the cars was off the track."
"I thought you were at Saratoga," said Percival.