"I will do so as soon as I am ordered," he responded, respectfully.
"All right," returned Reade. "I'll give you the order. Clear this stuff out and get it up in the ore cage. Clear this tunnel floor with all the speed you comfortably can."
"Perhaps the senor will explain?" suggested the foreman.
"These caballeros are the new engineers in charge of the mine," said Dr. Tisco.
"Ah! So? Then if Pedro Gato will only give the order—" began the foreman.
"If Pedro Gato gives you any orders," Tom suggested, briskly, "you will ignore them. Pedro Gato is no longer connected with the mine."
"Not connected?" gasped the foreman, who plainly doubted his ears.
"No," broke in Don Luis. "You will take no more orders from Gato. These caballeros are the engineers, and they are in charge. You heard the order of Senor Reade. You will clean out this tunnel, sending the ore above to the dump."
"It shall be done," cried the foreman, bowing low before the mine owner.
"And now, Senor Tomaso, if it suits you, we will go to another tunnel," proposed Don Luis.