"And if the flow keeps on increasing," the engineer reasoned, "it will give us a water supply in spite of all Molick can do. Guess I'll let matters take their course for a while."
He said as much to Dave in a low voice, and the two rode away. They had seen all they needed to.
"Dad can pasture here again soon," said the young cowboy.
"Yes," assented the engineer, "I guess we don't need to worry much. There'll be more water than Molick can impound unless he raises a big concrete dam, and before he can do that we'll have legally established our own rights, I think."
They resumed their way to the valley to measure the water there, and for some time were kept busy, Dave helping his friend make the calculations.
"Well, there isn't as much as I thought there'd be," was the comment of the engineer, "but every little helps. We'll make a different section of this a year from now. If it wasn't for Molick standing out against the irrigation scheme we'd have the whole of Rolling River Valley in it."
"Is there any way of forcing him?" asked Dave.
"There may be, after he sees what he's missing."
Together they rode home in the early evening. Now that the work of the day was over Dave's mind went back to the scene of the morning, when he had handled his baby garments and the cork jacket. His manner must have been strange and distracted, for Mr. Bellmore said:
"What's the matter, Dave? You act as though you had lost your last friend."