“They’re all wrong,” Reade rejoined quietly.

“All?” echoed Blaisdell, opening his eyes very wide.

“Yes, sir; everyone of them.”

“Come, come, Reade!” remonstrated the acting chief.  “Don’t try to amuse yourself with me.  All of the sights can’t be wrong.”

“But they are, sir.  Hazelton and I have been over them most carefully in the field.  Here are our notes, sir.  Look them over and you’ll find that Section Nineteen calls for three or four times as much excavating as Black’s notes show.”

“This is strange!” mused Blaisdell, after comparing the two sets of notes.  “I can’t credit it.  Reade, you and Hazelton are very young—–­mere cubs, in fact.  Are you sure that you know all you owlet to know about leveling?”

“Mr. Blaisdell, I’ll answer you by saying, sir, that though Hazelton and I are nothing but cubs, we have the success of this railroad building game at heart.  We’re deeply in earnest.  We’ll work ourselves to our very bones in order to see this road get through in time.  I don’t ask you, sir, to take our word about these sights, but we both beg you, sir, to go out with a gang of men and go over some of the work yourself.  Keep on surveying, sir, until you’re satisfied that Black is wrong and that Hazelton and I are right.  You know what it would mean, sir, if we’re right and you don’t find it out in time.  Then you simply couldn’t get the cut through Section Nineteen in time and the S.B. & L. would lose its charter.”

“By Jove, you’re right,” muttered Blaisdell uneasily, as he slowly stood up.  “Reade, I’m going to take men and go out, carrying your notes and Black’s.  Let me warn you, however, that if I find that Black is right and you’re wrong, then it will give you two cubs such a black eye that the chief will run you out of camp.”

“If we had made any such gigantic blunder as that,” returned Tom firmly, “then we’d deserve to be run out.  We wouldn’t have the nerve to put in another night in camp.”

“Hey, you, don’t unsaddle those ponies.  Hold yourselves ready to go out,” called Blaisdell from the doorway of the tent.

“Will you give us our orders on drawing before you go, sir?” asked Reade.

“No,” smiled Blaisdell.  “If you’ve made a blunder out on Nineteen, then you’re not to be trusted with drawing.  Wait until I return.  Take it easy until then.”

“Very good.”

“And—–­Reade!”

“Yes, sir.”

“Neither you nor Hazelton are to let a word cross your lips regarding the disagreement over Section Nineteen.”

“You’ll never have any trouble, sir, over our talking when we ought not to do it,” promised Reade.

Two minutes later the assistant engineer rode out with a pair of rodmen whom he picked up on the way to Nineteen.

“What happened?” asked Harry, coming into the big tent.

Tom told him all that had taken place, adding the caution that nothing was to be said about the matter for the present.