By keeping well up on the heights they were able to trace the grade of the Overland Central back to the point where it entered the upper canyon, and beyond that, along the southern edge of the valley of the Yellow Dog to the “enemy’s” newest material and supply camp.
Under cover of the forest on the steep slope just above the camp they were able to note the great piles of material that had been brought up, and even while they looked, another laden train was nosing its way into one of the several side-tracks. Also, from their elevated lookout they could see the completed track winding among the sandstone buttes all across the circular valley, disappearing finally under the northward cliffs.
Dick grunted.
“I ought to have a leather medal,” he said; “for forgetting to bring my field-glass along this morning. If we’d had it back yonder on top of the Nose we wouldn’t have mistaken that piece of track for a wagon road.” Then as a new complication suddenly struck him: “Heavens to Betsy, Larry! Do you see what we’re in for now? To get to the upper canyon we’ll have to cross their track—at grade! And that means a crossing fight that may easily hold us back for days and days!”
Once more Larry had been sketching; this time making a rough bird’s-eye map of the valley, with the O. C. line running across it, and the location of the big material camp carefully marked.
“That’s all,” he said at last, buttoning the note-book into his pocket. “Now comes the real tug of war. It’s five o’clock and worse, and we’ve got at least six or seven miles of mighty hard tramping ahead of us before we can break in with our news. How are you fixed for it?”
Dick stretched his legs with a groan.
“I don’t believe I’ve got more than half as many joints as I started out with this morning,” he said with a grin. “But I’m game; the gamest thing you know.”
To prove it he laid hold of the big round boulder beside which he had been crouching and drew himself up. To his shocked astonishment the big rock tilted slowly under his pull, and he had barely time to spring quickly aside before the boulder turned completely over and went bounding and crashing down the slope like a small avalanche, gathering a following of smaller stones as it went, and heading directly for the busy camp at the slope foot.
“Great Peter!—you’ve done it now!” Larry exploded; then: “Up with you and run for it—if you don’t want to be nabbed and chucked into some hole with Blaisdell and Olsen!”