down the road that led in front of the
Swift homestead.

"He's chasing some one, Tom," called Mr. Damon.

"Yes, I see he is. But who?"

"I can't see any one," reported Mr. Damon, who had run down to the
gate, at which his horse was still standing. Mr. Damon had washed the
dirt from his hands and face, and was wearing one of Mr. Swift's coats
in place of his own split one.

Tom joined the eccentric man and together they looked down the road
after the running Mr. Titus. They were in half a mind to join him, when
they saw him pull up short, raise his hands as though he had given over
the pursuit, and turn back.

"I guess he got away, whoever he was," remarked Tom. "We'll walk down
and meet Mr. Titus, and ask him what it all means."

Shortly afterward they came up to the contractor, who was breathing
heavily after his run, for he was evidently not used to such exercise.

"I beg your pardon, Tom Swift, for leaving you and Mr. Damon in such a
fashion," said Mr. Titus, "but I had to act quickly or lose the chance
of catching that rascal. As it was, he got away, but I think I gave him
a scare, and he knows that I saw him. It will make him more cautious in
the future."

"Who was it?" asked Tom.

"Well, I didn't have as close a look as I could have wished for," the
contractor said, as he walked back toward the house with Tom and Mr.
Damon, "but I'm pretty sure the face that peered in at us through the
library window was that of Isaac Waddington."

"And who is he, if it isn't asking information that ought not be given
out?" inquired Mr. Damon.

"Oh, no, certainly. I can tell you," said the contractor. "Only
perhaps we had better wait until we get back to the house.

"Since one of their men was seen lurking around here there may be
others," went on Mr. Titus, when the three were once more seated in the
Swift library. "It is best to be on the safe side. The face I saw, I'm
sure, was that of Waddington, who is a tool of Blakeson & Grinder,
rival tunnel contractors. They put in a bid on this Andes tunnel, but
we were lower in our figures by several thousand dollars, and the
contract was awarded to us.

"Blakeson & Grinder tried, by every means in their power, to get the
job away from us. They even invoked the aid of some Peruvian
revolutionists and politicians, but we held our ground and began the
work. Since then they have had spies and emissaries on our trail,
trying their best to make us fail in our work, so th