he held options on the land; yet he had a strong desire to see this
surveying corps and talk with the men about their work.

Thus it happened that Glen was in camp when the surveyors came--he
stayed at Spencer's request to engineer the billy-cart. The engineers
were young fellows, not overly clean; perhaps it was not to be expected
in following such work. They were genial enough to the few people who
were in camp. At first they did not seem inclined to pay much attention
to Spencer, but after he had asked them one or two questions they began
to take notice.

"Where are you running your levels for the Vinegar Creek survey?" asked
Spencer.

"Running what?" said one.

"Oh, levels," said the other. "We haven't got to that yet."

"Find it rather hard to carry your lines through all that brush, don't
you?"

"We will if we have to do it."

"What elevation do you work from?"

"We ain't quite decided. You see, we only just made camp. Mebbe we'll
work up here first."

"You'll have to see Mr. Newton about that," said Spencer.

"We'll see him," said the spokesman. "We're going to look along up this
creek a piece, now."

"Think perhaps you'll start your survey at an obtuse angle or an angle
of sixty degrees, which?" asked Spencer gravely.

"Sixty degrees," replied the man, as if glad to get off so easily.

"Now, I'm quite sure they're no engineers," said Spencer to Glen as the
two men followed Matt along the bank of Buffalo Creek. "I rather thought
they weren't from the start, which is why I asked such foolish
questions. Well, that relieves my anxiety about competition."

"What do you reckon they are?" asked Glen.

"Two farmer boys who want to work Matt for something, I suppose. We
ought to warn him to be on guard, but really I think a few lessons will
do Matt lots of good."

"He did me a good turn yesterday," said Glen. "I'd like to put him
next."

"You can try it," agreed Will. "But Matt is one of the class of people
who would rather be fooled than warned."

Glen ran along after the trio. The noise of his approach caught Matt's
ear and he turned with a look of disgust on his face.

"You aren't in on this," he exclaimed angrily. "These two men are my
friends and our business is private."

"I just wanted to tell you something, Burton," said Glen. "I'll go back
as soon as I've said it."

"Fire away," instructed Matt. "The quicker you get rid of it and go the
way you came, the better."

"Come over here an