were getting on.

Then, greatly to the disgust of the Hilltoppers, Peter Herring
and some of his cronies came along and stopped to watch the surveyors.

"I thought we would see him before long, Dick," said Jack in a low
tone to Percival. "He could not stay away."

"Huh! surveying, are you?" sneered Herring. "Much you know about
such things! Fine old railroad you fellows could build."

"I wouldn't want to ride on it, would you, Pete?" asked Merritt.
"The only time it would go smooth would be when the cars was off
the track."

"I thought you were at Saratoga," said Percival.

"So I was, but it was too slow there."

"So you thought you'd come here and make trouble for us?"

"Huh! I only got here just now. Me and a friend was motoring and
heard that there were some surveyors around, and we came to watch
them."

"Then you were not talking to Jenkins and Calthorpe and the other
squatters and telling them that we wanted to ruin their farms?"

"Don't know what you're talking about!" blustered Herring, but Jack
saw him turn color and knew that he had been taken by surprise.
"Who are Jenkins and Calthorpe?"

"And you have not been anywhere near this place till just now?"
asked Jack quietly.

"No, of course I haven't! I told you I just came."

"Then how about this?" and the boy suddenly thrust the print Billy
had taken right under the bully's nose. "What were you saying to
Jenkins when Billy snapped this? Jenkins said a boy who answered
to your description told them that we would ruin their farms."

Herring flushed deeply and seemed utterly taken aback, it being
clear that he had not suspected the existence of this picture,
which was the clearest kind of evidence against him.

He tried to snatch it out of Jack's hand, but the boy was too quick
for him and drew it back, saying:

"What were you saying to Jenkins at the time that picture was
snapped, Herring?"

"I was telling him that there was no use to bother you about the
surveying," growled Herring. "Why would I want to get 'em to
trouble you for? It was nothing to me what you did."

"But just now you said that you had not seen Jenkins and did not
know him. This shows that you must have done so, and in fact
Jenkins himself said that one of our boys, a big fellow-----"

"Ah, what do I care what he said?" growled Herring, turning quickly
and walking toward the road, followed by his companions.

They did not see him again and were not troubled by J