ily. "Come on, friends!"

He rallied his own force of seven men and started toward the door.

"Of course you can try to get away," Reade warned the fellow. "But the
effort will cost you all broken heads, to say the least. I have placed
you all under arrest for breaking the laws of Alabama, and, before we'll
let you go, we'll break a few bones for each of you."

Outside the workmen of the camp were thronging by this time. Doubtless,
had they dared, two or three score of these men would have fought in
behalf of the gamblers and bootleggers, but far more than that number
would have rallied under Tom Reade's banner, for it is human nature to
flock to the banner of the leader who is resolute and unafraid. Besides,
there were the foremen, all of them good, hard hitting men.

"Oh, well," sneered Hawkins, "let it go at that, Reade. We'll have our
day in court tomorrow, and then. I guess we'll find our innings."

"Yes," chuckled Tom, "and when you get your innings you'll be wild to swap
them for outings---for the innings will be in jail."

"Don't push my temper too far," cautioned Hawkins with a scowl.

"Let it go as far as you like, always being ready to take the
consequences," Tom smiled genially.

There followed a period of tense waiting. After nearly a half an hour of
this a 'bus arrived, with four police officers from Blixton in it. Tom
Reade preferred his charges against the gamblers and bootleggers. The
officers had no choice but to take them, so the late troublemakers, now
amid jeers and hoots from many of the workmen, were led outside and into
the 'bus.

"You'll hear from this!" hissed Hawkins, in the young chief engineer's ear.

"I believe you," nodded Tom thoughtfully.

After the police and their prisoners had gone Tom led his own party back
to the house.

"You'd better get to bed now, Harry," Reade advised his chum. "There can
be no telling how soon I'll need to call you up, and you ought to have
some sleep first."

"You look for trouble to break to-night?" Harry asked.

"Between now and daylight," said Tom simply.

"Whee! I'd like to stay up with you."

"You might find more fun that way, Harry, but the work to-morrow would
suffer, and work is more important than mere fun," Tom answered.

Nor was Tom to be disappointed in his expectation that the worst trouble
yet experienced would break loose that night.

CHAPTER XIII

WISHING IT ON MR. SAMBO

"Oho!" breathed young Reade,