"Come on, Roger," called Adrian, as soon as he had done his part of the morning's work about the farm, "let's go up by the spring, and see where the salt mine is. Cracky! I wish I'd been along when you went fishing on dry land. I'll bet I'd fired a stone at Ranquist."
"I wish you had been along," said Roger. "Your father would not have signed then. But I thought I was acting for the best."
"Of course you did. It isn't your fault," replied Adrian.
The two boys walked up the hill, and were soon at the place. On the way Roger was wondering whether Mr. Vanter had come out. He remembered his instructions, to pretend not to recognize the surveyor. As the lads approached the spring they could hear through the trees, the noise of men digging, and voices in conversation. The click of spades and shovels was plainly audible.
"They're at it already!" exclaimed Adrian. "Hurry up, and let's see 'em get the salt out."
"I guess they won't reach it very soon," said Roger. "It's about twenty-five feet under the surface."
The boys quickened their steps, and soon came to the open glade. Three men were busy at work, two of them laborers, while the third was a familiar figure to Roger, who gave a start of surprise as he recognized Mr. Vanter directing operations. But even in the intense excitement of the moment, Roger did not forget his promise, and he was prepared to show by no sign that he had ever seen the surveyor before.
"Why, there's a new man," said Adrian, as he caught sight of Mr. Vanter. "I thought, at first, it was Mr. Dudley or Mr. Ranquist, but it isn't. I wonder who he is. Anyhow, let's see what they are doing."
The cousins watched the laborers with great interest. Mr. Vanter glanced up and saw Roger, but, though he gave just the faintest smile, to show he knew his young friend, he made no motion to indicate that the order of last night was not to be obeyed, so Roger kept silent.
The two laborers were digging a sort of inclined shaft, sinking it about the place where Mr. Ranquist had drilled the small hole. Their picks and shovels made the brown dirt fly, and Mr. Vanter urged them on, as though they were working against time. The boys watched for perhaps ten minutes, when there came a sound, as if some one was approaching. The next instant Mr. Dudley and Mr. Ranquist appeared on the scene. Roger started in surprise, wondering what would happen now, but Mr. Vanter gave no indication that he saw the engineers, and the laborers kept on digging.