The work here was in reality so simple that men like Ben and the Lark grasped it quickly.  Conniston had little trouble in seeing readily what was to be done.  The details Truxton furnished him.

When noon came they ate with the men.  And at one o’clock Truxton called Ben and the Lark aside and told them shortly that Conniston was the new engineer and that they were to take orders from him.  Whereupon Conniston took upon himself the responsibility of “bossing” a hundred men, the biggest responsibility which he had ever taken upon his care-free shoulders.

He had seen the slow, measuring glances which both of his two foremen had bestowed upon him when Truxton told them; knew that they accepted him as their overseer because they took orders from Truxton, but saw in their faces that they reserved judgment of him personally until such time as they could see how much or how little he knew.  He was not greatly in fear of the outcome.  The work was running so smoothly, there were so few possible difficulties to come up now, that it seemed to him that all he had to do was to stand and watch.

And at first he did little but watch and, as Truxton had suggested, try to study his men.  He saw that both the Lark and Ben said very few words, that when they did speak they barked out short, explosive commands surcharged with profanity, that when they interfered there was a good reason for it, that their commands were obeyed without hesitation and without question.  Not once in two hours did either of them so much as look toward him.  And the long processions of men and horses came and went, scooped and dumped their big scraper-loads, and swung back into the ditch, each man of them moving like a machine.

It was after three o’clock when he noticed something which he would have seen before had he been used to the work and the men.  He saw the long string of scrapers come to a halt for perhaps two minutes; saw that the cause of the halt was a big Northlander who had stopped just as he came upon the bank and was working over at race-chain which seemed to be causing trouble.  In a moment he started up again, the other scrapers began to move, and Conniston dismissed the matter as of no consequence.  This was the gang over which Ben was foreman.  He glanced quickly at the big Englishman and saw that his eyes were upon the Northlander.  Again, not twenty minutes later, came a second brief stoppage, again the Swede was working over a trace-chain—­and now Ben had swung about and was striding toward Conniston.

“Hi say there,” he said, as he came to Conniston’s side.  “Bat says Hi’m to take horders off you.  Do you want me to ’andle those Johnnies?  Hor do you figure on a-stepping in?  Hi?”

“What do you mean?” demanded Conniston, a bit puzzled.  “I haven’t interfered with you, have I?”

“No.  Hi just want to know, you know.  Hi ’andle ’em my wi, hor Hi quit, you know.”

“You are to do just as you have always done,” Conniston told him, shortly.  “If you can handle them, all right.  Go to it.  If you need any help—­What’s the matter?”