Reade passed over the book containing them. From an inner pocket Rutter drew out his own field note book. Before another minute had passed Tom had opened his eyes very wide.
“Your field notes are all straight, my boy. If you’ve made any errors, then I’ve made the same.”
“You’ve already been over this work that we’ve been doing?” demanded Tom, feeling somewhat abashed.
“Of course,” nodded the older and more experienced engineer. “You don’t for a moment suppose we’d trust you with original work until we had tried you out, do you? We have all the field notes for at least three miles more ahead of here. Hazelton!”
“Coming,” said Harry, after jotting down his last observations and the distance.
“Let me see your last notes, Hazelton,” directed Rutter. “Yes; your work is all right.”
“What do you know about this, Harry?” laughingly demanded Reade.
“I’ve suspected for the last two hours that Mr. Rutter was merely trying us out over surveyed courses,” laughed Harry.
“If you don’t know how to do anything other than transit work,” Rutter declared, “the chief can use all your time at that. He’ll be pleased when I tell him that you’re at least as good surveyors as I am. And, Reade, I see from your notes that you knew how to measure across a pond that your chainmen couldn’t ford.”
“Mr. Price taught me that trick, back in Gridley,” Tom responded.