we ought to be."

"Aren't you?"

"Practically, yes. There was no set limit of work to be done for the
intermediate payments. We bonded ourselves to have the tunnel done at a
certain date.

"If we fail, we lose a large sum, and if we get it done ahead of time
we get a big premium. There was no question as to completing a certain
amount of footage before we received certain payments. But Senor
Belasdo, the government representative, claims that we will not be done
in time, and therefore he is holding back money due us. I'm sure the
rival contractors have set him up to this, because he was always decent
to us before.

"Another matter, too, makes me suspicious. We have tried to raise money
in New York to tide us over while the government is holding up our
funds here. But our New York office is meeting with difficulties. They
report there is a story current to the effect that we are going to
fail, and while that isn't so, you know how hard it is to borrow money
in the face of such rumors. We are doing all we can to fight them, of
course, and maybe we'll beat out our rivals yet.

"But that isn't all. I'm sure some one is on the ground here trying to
make trouble among our workers. I never knew so many men to leave, one
after another. It's keeping the employment agency in Lima busy
supplying us with new workers. And so many of them are unskilled. They
aren't able to do half the work of the old men, and poor Tim Sullivan
is in despair."

"You think some one here is causing dissensions and desertions among
your men?"

"I'm sure of it! I've tried to ferret out who it is, but the spy, for
such he must be, keeps his identity well hidden."

Tom thought for a moment. Then he said:

"Mr. Titus, with your permission, I'll see if I can find out about this
for you."

"Find out what, Tom?"

"What is causing the men to leave. I don't believe it's the scare about
the ten missing ones."

"Nor do I. That's past and gone. But how are you going to get at the
bottom of it?"

"By keeping watch. I've got nothing to do now for the next week. We've
just set off a big blast, and I've got the powder for the following one
all ready. The men will be busy for some time getting out the broken
rock. Now what I propose to do is to go in the tunnel and work among
them until I can learn something.

"I can understand the language pretty well now, though I can't speak
much of it. I'll go in the tunnel every day and find out what's going
on.