“They’re good fellows, anyway, and honest,” Tom rejoined.
“Give some of ’em leveling work out on Section Nineteen,” suggested ’Gene, apparently seized with a sudden thought. “Then compare their field notes with mine, and see how far out they are.”
“I happen to know all about your leveling notes on Nineteen,” Reade retorted rather significantly.
“What do you mean?” flared Black.
“Just before Mr. Thurston was taken ill, as it happened, Hazelton and I took a leveling instrument out on Nineteen one day and ran your sights over after you.”
“So that’s why you ‘fired’——-” began Black, his thoughts moving swiftly. Then, realizing that he was about to say too much, he went on: “What did you find wrong with my sights on Nineteen?”
“I didn’t say that anything was wrong with your work,” Reade rejoined. “What I was about to say was that, if I put any of the students at leveling on Nineteen, by way of test, I shall have my own notes with which to compare theirs.”
“Humph!” muttered the fellow. Then shaking with anger, he walked away from the young chief.
“Now, Black knows that much against himself,” smiled Reade inwardly. “He doesn’t yet know, however, that I heard him talking with Bad Pete.”
Though he was pretending to take things easily, Tom’s head was all but whirling with the many problems that presented themselves to him. To get away from it all for a while Tom strolled a short distance out of camp, seating himself on the ground under a big tree not far from the trail.