rush and make a live, galloping start with your new responsibilities,
I'm afraid I'll go wild and assault you violently!"

"Ha, ha, ha!" Jack laughed loudly.

"Here, stop that cackling," ordered Reade in the same low voice
that he had been using. "Let's get away from the chief's tent.
We'll disturb him with our noise."

Dr. Gitney, entering the big tent five minutes later, found Mr.
Thurston very much awake, for he had heard the low-voiced conversation
outside the tent. Mr. Thurston was not quite as ill as was Blaisdell,
and had not as yet reached the stage of delirium.

"Doctor, I want you to summon the engineer corps here," begged
the patient.

"When you're better," replied the doctor, with a hand on the sick
man's pulse.

"Doc, you'd better let me have my way," insisted Mr. Thurston
in a weak voice. "If you don't, you'll make me five times more
ill than I am at present."

Watching the fever glow in the man's face deepen, and feeling
the pulse go up several beats per minute, Dr. Gitney replied:

"There, there, Thurston. Be good, and I'll let you have three
minutes with your engineers."

"That's all I ask," murmured the sick man eagerly.

Dr. Gitney went outside and rounded them up. All were present
except 'Gene Black, who, according to Matt Rice, had taken a little
walk outside of camp.

"I hope you'll soon be better, sir," began Rutter, as the engineers
gathered at the cot of their stricken chief.

"Don't say anything unnecessary, and don't waste my time," begged
Mr. Thurston. "Rutter, do you feel equal to running this field
corps until either Blaisdell or I can take charge again?"

"No, I don't chief," replied Jack. "I've sent a wire to Howe, urging
him to come here and take charge."

"Howe can't come," replied the chief. "If he does, the construction
work will go to pieces. This corps will have to be led by someone
now present."

Morris and Rice gazed eagerly at their chief. Butter showed his
relief at being allowed to hack out from full control.

As for Timothy Thurston, he let his gaze wander from face to face.

"Reade!" he almost whispered.

"Yes, sir!" answered Tom, stepping gently forward. "What can
I do for you, sir?"

"Reade," came in another whisper, "can you---have you the courage
to take the post of acting chief?"

Several gasps of astonishment broke on the air, but the greatest
gasp of all came from Reade himself.

"I think you need a little sleep now, sir," urged