lescope.
"Now, take your reading."

This showed the course by the compass, and was expressed in degrees,
minutes and seconds. The poor reading of a course is one of the
frequent faults of new or careless engineers.

"Here is a magnifier for the vernier," continued Rutter, just
after Tom had started to make his reading.

"Thank you; I have a pretty good one of my own," Tom answered,
diving into one of his pockets and bringing to light a small but
powerful reading glass with an aplanatic lens.

"You carry a better magnifier than I do," laughed Rutter. "Hazelton,
do You carry a pocket glass?"

"Yes, sir," nodded Harry "I have one just like Reade's."

"Good! I can see that you youngsters believe in good tools."

Tom in the meantime was busy with the vernier of his transit.
This is an ingenious device for showing the smaller divisions
into which the circles of the compass are divided. Tom quickly
jotted down his field note in degrees, minutes and seconds. One
chainman now held an end of a hundred-link chain at the nail head
on the stake, while a second man started toward the rodman, unfolding
the chain as he went.

Tom remained over his transit. The traveling chainman frequently
glanced back for directions from Reade whether or not he was off
the course of a straight line to the next stake.

Soon the chain-bearer was a little to the left of the line.

Tom held a hand over the telescope of the transit, moving it very
slowly to the right. The chain-bearer, glancing slowly back,
stepped slowly to the right of the course until Tom's hand fell
abruptly. Then the chain-bearer stopped, knowing that he was
on the right line. A metal stake, having a loop at the top from
which fluttered a marker of red flannel, the man stuck upright
in the ground. Tom took a peep, signaling so gently that the
man moved the stake just half an inch before Reade's hand again
fell.

"That stake is right; go ahead," ordered Tom, but he said it not by
word of mouth, but merely with a slight gesture of pushing forward.

"You've been well trained, I'll bet a hat," smiled Butter. "I
can tell that by the practiced way that you signal. O'Brien!"

"Yes, sir," answered another chainman, stepping forward.

"Take Thane with you, and carry Mr. Hazelton's transit to Grizzly
Ledge. Mr. Hazelton and I will be there presently."

Two more chainmen started away.

Now, both of Tom's chainmen started forward, the rear one moving
to the firs