nted
us to sign for you would hardly answer the purpose with shrewd
American investors. That report goes back too far; it covers
too many points that you might be supposed to know were true,
but which engineers who had been here but a few weeks could hardly
be expected to know at first hand. Do you see the point that
I am raising?"

Don Luis deliberated for a few moments.

"I think I do see the point, Senor Reade. You mean that the report
will not do."

"So," Tom continued, "Hazelton and I don't feel that we ought
to sign that report. However, we will get up and sign for you
a report that will answer in every way, and this new report will
be satisfactory. If you will let your driver take Nicolas up
to the house, Nicolas can bring the typewriting machine from your
office, and some stationery with it. We can set the machine up
on the camp table, and within the next two hours we can agree
upon a satisfactory report, which I will write out on the machine."

"And you will sign the new report--when?"

"Just as soon as we have it written out in form that will suit you."

"You will want the big ledger for facts?" asked Montez.

"No," smiled Tom; "because the ledger doesn't contain facts anyway.
We can invent just as good statements without any reference to
the ledger."

Don Luis laughed softly. Then he turned to his secretary.

"My good Carlos, see that Nicolas knows what he is going after.
Then let him go in the car."

Nicolas sped away in the automobile. Presently he was back, with
the typewriting machine and an abundance of stationery.

Tom quickly fitted a sheet of heavy bond paper to the carriage
of the typewriter.

"Now, let us agree," asked Tom, "on what the report is to contain."

Slowly at first, then more rapidly, the matter was planned. Tom
winced a bit, as he made up some tables of alleged output of the
mine supposed to have come under his own observation and Harry's.
But he wrote it all down with lead pencil and afterwards copied
it on the machine.

At the end of three hours the report was finished. Tom read it
all over slowly to Don Luis. As Tom laid down each page Dr. Tisco
picked it up to scan it.

At last the infamously lying document had been read through and
approved.

"Let us have the end of it over with quickly," begged Tom, producing
and shaking his fountain pen. He affixed his signature. Hazelton
did the same.

"So far, good," declared Don Luis, passing the complete,