ee
this spot again."

"I'm not thinking at all of the money," Reade retorted lightly yet
seriously. "I don't care about the money at present. Nothing will ever
satisfy me in life again until I've beaten the Man-killer fairly and
squarely. It's the one thing I think about by day and dream of at
night."

"I know it," sighed Harry half pityingly.

"Well, what else should we think about?" Tom demanded in a low voice.
"Harry, we have the very job, the identical problem, that has thrown
down nearly a dozen engineers of fine reputation. Why, boy, this
place may be out on the blazing desert, and there may be a dozen
discouragements every hour, but we've the finest chance, the biggest
unsolved problem in engineering that we could possibly have. It's
glorious."

Tom's eyes glowed.

"Go away," grinned Hazelton mischievously, "or I'll catch some of your
enthusiasm."

"You don't need any of it," Reade retorted laughingly. "You've tons of
enthusiasm stowed away for future use. You know you have."

"I suppose I have enough enthusiasm," Harry admitted, "but I should
like to do some actual work. I ride out on the sands every day and sit
looking on while the real work is being done. This problem of conquering
the Man-killer is growing monotonous. I'm tired of pegging away at the
same old task day in and day out."

"Not quite as bad as that," Tom declared. "There's always something
a bit new. If you want work to do right now, ride over and show those
teamsters where you want them to put the logs that they're bringing up."

This was far too little to satisfy Harry's longing for "doing things,"
but with a grunt he turned his horse's head and jogged away at a trot.

Tom moved in under the shade of the tree.

"Harry doesn't know enough to appreciate a good thing when he has it,"
softly laughed Tom, grateful for the scant bit of shade. "Neither does
he yet know that often times the brain works best when the body is at
rest."

Just then Tom heard a sudden shout from the distance, followed by a
chorus of excited voices.

Instantly the young engineer's gaze turned toward the lately filled-in
edge of the big sink.

A hundred feet beyond the light platform where some laborers had been
working Reade beheld only the head and shoulders of one of the workmen.

"The foolish fellow--to go out so far beyond where the men are allowed
to go!" gasped the young chief engineer, setting spurs to his horse.

In a few moments Tom had reached