"But, Glover, what's that got to do with this fruit? Confound your
tunnel, what I want is a track. By heavens, if it's going to take
three days to get one in we might as well dump a hundred cars of fruit
into the river now--and Bucks is looking to you to save them."
"Looking to me?" echoed Glover, raising his brows. "What's the matter
with Agnew?"
"Oh, hang Agnew!"
"If you like. But he is in charge of this division. I can't do
anything discourteous or unprofessional, Callahan."
"You are not required to."
"It looks very much as if I am being called in to instruct Agnew how to
do his work. He is a perfectly competent engineer."
"That point has been covered. Bucks had a long talk with Agnew over
the wire last night. He is needed all the time at the Blackwood bridge
and he is relieved here when you arrive. Now what's the matter with
you?"
"Nothing whatever if that is the situation. I'd much rather keep out
of it, but there isn't work enough here for two engineers.
"What do you mean?"
"This isn't very bad."
"Not very bad! Well, how much time do you want to put a track in here?"
Glover's eyes were roaming up and down the cañon. "How much can you
give me?" he asked.
"Till to-night."
Glover looked at his watch. "Then get two hundred and fifty men in
here inside of an hour."
"We've picked up about seventy-five section men so far, but there
aren't two hundred and fifty men within a hundred miles."
Glover pointed north. "Ed Smith's got two hundred men not over three
miles from here on the irrigation ditch."
"That only shows I've no business in this game," remarked Callahan,
looking at Morris Blood. "This is where you take hold."
Blood nodded. "Leave that to me. Let's have the orders all at once,
Ab. Say where you want headquarters."
The engineer stretched a finger toward the point of rocks across the
cañon. "Right above the Cat's Paw."
"Tell Bill Dancing to cut in the wrecking instrument and put an
operator over there for Glover's orders," directed Blood, turning to
Smith Young.
"I'm off for something to eat," said Callahan, "and by the way, what
shall I tell Bucks about the chances?"
"Can you get Ed Smith's outfit?" asked Glover, speaking to Blood.
"Well, I know you can--Ed's a Denver man." He meditated another
moment; "We need his whole outfit, mind you."
"I'll get it or resign. If I succeed, when can you get a train
through?"
"By midnight." Callahan staggered. Glover raised his finger. "If you
back off the ledge they will need a new general superintendent."
"By midnight?"
"I think so."
"You can't get your rock in by that time?"