hink Bad Pete is a coward, young man?" returned the
chief.

"If driven into a corner I'm pretty sure he'd turn out to be one,
sir," Tom went on earnestly. "A coward is a man who's afraid.
If a fellow isn't afraid of anything, then why does he have to
carry firearms to protect himself?"

"I don't believe that would quite apply to Pete," Mr. Thurston
went on. "Pete doesn't carry a revolver because he's afraid of
anything. He knows that many other men are afraid of pistols,
and so he carries his firearms about in order that he may enjoy
himself in playing bully."

"I can drive him out of camp," Tom insisted. "All I'll wait for
will be your permission to go ahead."

"If you can do it without shooting," replied the chief, "try your
hand at it. Be careful, however, Reade. There are plenty of
good natural lead mines in these mountains."

"Yes---sir?" asked Reade, looking puzzled.

"Much as we'd like to see Pete permanently out of this camp, remember
that we don't want you to give the fellow any excuse for turning
you into a lead mine."

"If Peter tries anything like that with me," retorted Tom solemnly,
"I shall be deeply offended."

"Very good. Take the young men along with you, Blaisdell. I'll
hear your report on them tomorrow night."

The assistant engineer took Tom and Harry over to a seven by nine
tent.

"You'll bunk in here," he explained, "and store your dunnage here.
There are two folding cots in the tent, as you see. Don't shake
'em out until it's time to turn in, and then you'll have more
room in your house. Now, come on over and I'll show you the mess
tent for the engineers."

This Blaisdell also showed them. There was nothing in the tent
but a plain, long table, with folding legs, and a lot of camp
chairs of the simplest kind.

"What's that tent, Mr. Blaisdell?" inquired Harry, pointing to
the next one, as they came out of the engineers' mess.

"Mess tent for the chainmen and rod men laborers, etc.," replied
their guide. "Now, the fellows will be in soon, and supper will
be on in half an hour. After you get your dunnage over to your
tent amuse yourselves in any way that you care to. I'll introduce
you to the crowd at table."

Tom and Harry speedily had their scanty dunnage stored in their
own tent. Then they sat down on campstools just outside the door.

"Thurston didn't seem extremely cordial, did he?" asked Hazelton
solemnly.

"Well, why should he be cordial?" Tom demanded.