"You don't for a moment suppose we'd trust you with original work
until we had tried you out, do you? We have all the field notes
for at least three miles more ahead of here. Hazelton!"

"Coming," said Harry, after jotting down his last observations
and the distance.

"Let me see your last notes, Hazelton," directed Rutter. "Yes;
your work is all right."

"What do you know about this, Harry?" laughingly demanded Reade.

"I've suspected for the last two hours that Mr. Rutter was merely
trying us out over surveyed courses," laughed Harry.

"If you don't know how to do anything other than transit work,"
Rutter declared, "the chief can use all your time at that. He'll
be pleased when I tell him that you're at least as good surveyors
as I am. And, Reade, I see from your notes that you knew how
to measure across a pond that your chainmen couldn't ford."

"Mr. Price taught me that trick, back in Gridley," Tom responded.

Suddenly Jack Rutter sprang to his feet sniffing vigorously.

"Boys," he announced, "an adventure is coming our way. Can you
guess what it is?"

Tom and Harry gazed at him blankly.