"Well, we'll try you out, until you either make good or convince
us that you can't," agreed the chief engineer, without any show
of enthusiasm. "You may show them where they are to live, Mr.
Blaisdell, and where they are to mess. In the morning you can
put these young men at some job or other."

The words sounded like a dismissal, but Blaisdell lingered a moment.

"Mr. Thurston," he smiled, "our young men ran, first thing, into
Bad Pete."

"Yes?" inquired the chief. "Did Pete show these young men his
fighting front?"

Blaisdell repeated the dialogue that had taken place between Tom
and Bad Pete.

The chief listened to his assistant in silence. Tom flushed slightly
under the penetrating glance Mr. Thurston cast upon him during
the recital.

When the assistant had finished, the chief merely remarked: "Blaisdell,
I wish you could get rid of that fellow, Bad Pete. I don't like
to have him hanging about the camp. He's an undesirable character,
and I'm afraid that some of our men will have trouble with him.
Can't you get rid of him?"

"I'll do it if you say so, Mr. Thurston," Blaisdell answered quietly.