“We’ve got to have it, haven’t we?” Tom urged. “It will be the first thing that the doctor will call for.”
“Then he should bring it with him,” returned Rutter.
“Would you want the doctor to be hampered with a ton or so of ice!” asked Reade.
“Would we need that much?” Rutter seemed hopelessly ignorant in such matters.
“I imagine we’d want a lot of it,” Tom answered. “By the way, Mr. Rutter——-”
“Well?” Jack inquired.
Tom was on the point of giving a hint of what he had heard in the gully during the meeting between Black and Bad Pete. Then, on second thought, the cub engineer decided to hold that news for the ear of Mr. Thurston alone.
“What were you going to say?” pressed Rutter.
“Probably Hazelton has told you,” Tom continued, “that you’re in charge here until Mr. Thurston arrives.”
“Yes; and I’m mighty glad that the chief will be here before daylight tomorrow,” returned Jack. “I may be a fair sort of engineer, but I’m not cut out for a chief engineer.”