Hazelton had been fitting themselves to become civil
engineers. They began their real work in the east, and had made good in
sterner work in the mountains in Colorado.

Our readers all know how Tom and Harry opened their careers in Colorado
by becoming "cub engineers" with one of the field camps of the S. B. &
L. railroad. Taken only on trial, they had rapidly made good, and had
earned the confidence of the chief engineer in charge of the work. When,
owing to the sudden illness of both the chief engineer and his principal
assistant the road's work had been crippled, Tom and Harry had had the
courage as well as the opportunity to take hold, assume the direction,
and complete the building of the S. B. & L. within the time required by
the road's charter.

Had the young engineers failed, the S. B. & L., under the terms granted
by the state, might have been seized and sold at public auction. In that
case, the larger, and rival road, the W. C. & A., stood ready to buy out
the S. B. & L. and reap the profits that the latter road had planned
to earn. Not only had the young engineers succeeded in overcoming all
natural obstacles, but, in a series of wonderful adventures, they had
defeated the plots of agents of the W. C. & A. From that time on Tom and
Harry had been famous in Colorado railroad circles.

After the S. B. & L. had been finished and put in operation, Tom Reade
had remained with the railroad for several months, still serving as
chief engineer, with Harry Hazelton as his trusted and dependable
assistant.

Now, at last, they had been lured away from the S. B. & L. by the offer
of a new chance to overcome difficulties of the sort that all
fighting engineers love to encounter. The Arizona, Gulf & New Mexico
Railroad--more commonly known as the A., G. & N. M.--while laying its
tracks in an attempt at record-beating, had come afoul of the problem
of the quicksand, as already outlined. Three different sets of engineers
had attempted the feat of filling up the quicksand, only to abandon it.

There was little doubt that the Colthwaite Construction Company, a
contracting firm with years of successful experience, could have,
"stopped" the quicksand, but this Chicago firm wanted far more money for
the job than the railroad people felt they could afford to spend.

So, in a moment of doubt, and harassed by troubles, one of the directors
of the A., G. & N. M. had remembered the names and the performances
of Tom and Harry. Thi