After some time had passed the chainmen had “chained” the whole distance between Tom’s stake and the rod resting on the next stake.  Now the rodman, after making a close measurement, signaled back.  Nine downward sweeps of his right arm signified nine chains; next the movements of his arm signaled the forty-four links of a tenth chain.  Then seven movements of the left hand across in front of the eyes, and Reade knew that stood for seven-tenths of a link.  Hence on the page of his field note book Tom wrote the distance between the stakes as nine chains and forty-four and seven-tenths links.

“That’s good,” nodded Rutter, who had been watching every move closely.  The forty-four signaled by the rodman’s left arm, instead of being made up of forty-four downward strokes, had consisted of four such strokes, followed by a pause, and then four more strokes.

“I’ll go along and see you get the course and distance to the third rod,” said Rutter.

This course and distance, too, in time, had been measured and carefully noted by Reade.

“You’ll get along all right, if you pay strict attention and don’t become confused or careless,” nodded Jack Rutter.  “Now, I’ll write ‘Reade’ on this starting stake of yours, and I’ll write Hazelton on your friend’s starting stake.  After you’ve surveyed to Hazelton’s starting stake let your rodman bring you forward until you overhaul me.”

“Very good, sir,” nodded Tom coolly.

Rutter and Harry moved along the trail, leaving Tom with his own “gang.”

“Nothing very mentally wearing in this job,” reflected Tom, when he found himself left to his own resources.  “All a fellow has to do is to keep his head clear, be faithful and exactly honest with his work, and move with all the speed that good, straight work will allow.”

So Reade moved ahead, getting courses and distances to five more stakes.  Then, as he reached the sixth, he gazed ahead and smiled.  A mountain pond lay right in his straight path to the seventh stake.

“Can that pond be easily forded?” Reade asked the nearer chainman.

“No, sir; it’s about ten feet deep in the centre.”

Tom smiled grimly to himself.

“Rutter didn’t say anything about this to me,” Tom muttered to himself.  “He put this upon me, to see how I’d get over an obstacle like an unfordable pond.  Well, it’s going to take a lot of time but I’ll show Mr. Jack Rutter!”

Accordingly, Reade allowed his chainmen to proceed measuring until they were fairly close to the pond.  Then he went forward to the metal stake that had just been driven.  From this stake he laid out a new course to the north and at exact right angles with the proper course, sending his chainmen forward with markers.  When he had thus passed the end of the pond Reade took another course at exactly right angles to the northerly course, but now going westerly.  This he extended until it passed the pond by a few