Tom started with astonishment.

"My friend," he remarked, "Baron Munchausen never had anything
on you!"

"Careful, Reade! Don't pass the lie," ordered the chief engineer
sternly. "I shall look fully into this matter, but at present
I'm inclined to believe that you're more at fault than is Black.
Return to the tent and start your drawing over again."

There was a smile again on Tom's face as he turned back to make
his spoiled work good.

Mr. Thurston went back to his inspection of the ponies. Later,
the chief engineer was able to pick up some details of the trouble
from Jake Wren, who had seen Black reach for his revolver.

"Understand two things, Mr. Black," said the chief briskly. "In
the first place, it is not expected that the engineers of this
corps will find any real cause for fighting. Second, I will tolerate
no pistol nonsense here."

Then he went back to Tom Reade and spoke to him more quietly.

"Reade, if Black doesn't turn out to be a valuable man here he
won't last long. If he is a good man, then you will find it necessary,
perhaps, to use a little tact in dealing with him. Did you notice
what snapping black eyes the man has? Men with such black eyes
are usually impulsive. Remember that."

"I never thought of that before, sir," Tom admitted dryly. "I
really didn't know that people with black eyes are impulsive.
This I do know, however, people who are too impulsive generally
get black eyes!"

CHAPTER IX

"DOCTORED" FIELD NOTES?

There was no more trouble---immediately. When the other engineers
heard of the row---which news they obtained through Jake, not
from Reade---they soon made it plain to 'Gene Black that Tom Reade
was a favorite in the corps. Black was therefore treated with
a coldness that he strove hard to overcome.

In the matter of being a capable civil engineer 'Gene Black speedily
proved himself efficient. Assistant Chief Engineer Blaisdell
soon reported at headquarters that the new member of the corps
was an exceedingly valuable man. Black was therefore placed at
the head of a leveling squad that obtained the field notes from
which were to be estimated the cost of making excavations in several
cuts that must be made ere the coming tracks could be laid.

In the days that passed Tom and Harry saw little of the field
work. They were kept at the chief's tent. Hence Reade had but
little to do with 'Gene Black, which may have been fortunate,
as Tom still retain