d induce them to return.

Some of them said they had worked long enough and were tired, needing a
rest. Others declared they had money enough and did not want more. Even
two more sols a week would not induce them to return.

And many were frankly afraid. They said so, declaring that if they went
back to the tunnel some unknown devil might carry them off under the
earth.

Job Titus and his brother, who could speak the language fairly well,
tried to argue against this. They declared the tunnel was perfectly
safe. But one native worker, who had been the best in the gang, asked:

"Where um men go?"

The contractors could not answer.

"It's a trick," declared Walter. "Our rivals have induced the men to go
on strike in order to hamper us with the work so they'll get the job."

But the closest inquiry failed to prove this statement. If Blakeson &
Grinder, or any of their agents, had a hand in the strike they covered
their operations well. Though diligent inquiry was made, no trace of
Waddington, or any other tool, could be found.

Tom, who had some sort of suspicion of the bearded man on the steamer,
tried to find him, even taking a trip in to Lima, but without avail.

The tunnel work was at a standstill, for there was little use in
setting off blasts if there were no men to remove the resulting piles
of debris. So, though Tom was ready with some specially powerful
explosive, he could not use it.

Efforts were made to get laborers from another section of the country,
but without effect. The contractors heard of a big force of Italians
who had finished work on a railroad about a hundred miles away, and
they were offered places in the tunnel. But they would not come.

"Well, we may as well give up," said Walter, despondently, to his
brother one day. "We'll never get the tunnel done on time now."

"We still have a margin of safety," declared job. "If we could get the
men inside of a couple of weeks, and if Tom's new powder rips out more
rock, we'll finish in time."

"Yes, but there are too many ifs. We may as well admit we've failed."

"I'll never do that!"

"What will you do?"

But Job did not know.

"If we could git a gang of min from the ould sod--th' kind I used t'
work wit in N'Yark," said Tim Sullivan, "I'd show yez whot could be
done! We'd make th' rock fly!"

But that efficient labor was out of the question now. The tunnel camp
was a deserted place.

"Come on, Koku, we'll go hunting," said Tom one