me," grimaced Reade.

"You young cub, you may laugh for a day or two more!" muttered
Black, with another shake of his fist.

"If that's meant for me, I'm much obliged, I'm sure," thought
Reade. "Laughing is always a great pleasure for me."

"It's your turn now," continued Black, in the same low, passionate
tone, "but I'll soon have you blocked---or else under the sod!"

"Oho!" reflected the young acting chief engineer, not without
a slight shudder. "Is assassination in the plans of the people
behind 'Gene Black's treachery? Or is putting me under the sod
merely an addition that Black has made for his own pleasure?"

The plotter, still unaware of the eavesdropper, had now turned
and was walking down the trail. He was now so far from camp that
he did not need to be soft-footed.

Out of the shadow, after a brief pause, stole Tom Reade.

"If Black is going to meet anyone tonight I'd better be near to
the place of meeting. I might hear something that would teach
me just what to do to checkmate the plotters against us."

For fully half a mile the chase continued. Two or three times Reade
stepped against some slight obstacle in the darkness, making a
sound which, he feared, would travel to the ears of Black. But
the latter kept on his way.

Finally 'Gene Black halted where three trees grew in the form
of a triangle and threw a dense shadow. In the same instant the
young chief engineer dropped out of sight behind a boulder close
to the path.

Black's low, thrilling whistle sounded. A night bird's call answered.
Soon afterwards, another form appeared, and Tom, peering anxiously,
was sure that he recognized the man whom he expected to see---Bad
Pete.

What Tom heard came disjointedly---a few words here and there,
but enough to set him thinking "at the rate of a mile a minute,"
as he told himself.

Up the trail came the pair, after some minutes. Tom crouched
flat behind his boulder.

"Great! I hope they'll halt within a few feet and go on talking
about the things that I want to hear---_must_ hear!" quivered Reade.

It was provoking! Black and Bad Pete passed so close, yet the
only sound from either of them, while within earshot, was a chuckle
from Pete.

"That's right! Laugh," gritted disappointed Tom. "Laughing is in
your line! You're planning, somehow, to put the big laugh over the
whole line of the S.B. & L. railroad. If I could only hear a little
more I might be able to turn the laugh on yo