The Young Engineers in Nevada | Page 8

my friend here has informed me," answered Reade, nodding in the direction of the stout man in black. "Yet there seems to be a good deal of difference in opinion as to which is really the right side. But just wait until Jim and his friends get here. They'll be able to set us all straight and there won't be any need for doing any rough work like shooting."
"Dolph, we'd better shoot up the whole crowd, including the cheeky young one, before Jim Ferrers and his crowd gits here," propose one of the quartette.
"Jim Ferrers will be awfully displeased, you do," drawled Tom. "Do you know Jim? He has a reputation, I believe, for being rather sore on folks who shoot up his friends."
"I'll do it for you, anyway, kid!" growled one of the four, leveling his rifle.
But their leader struck the weapon up angrily just before the shot barked out.
"Who's having Fourth of July around here?" called a laughing voice from some distance down the rising path at the rear of the quartette. The four men turned quickly, but Tom had recognized joyfully the tones of Harry Hazelton's voice.
"You keep out of here, stranger!" ordered one of the quartette gruffly.
"Don't you do anything of the sort, Harry!" roared Reade's voice. "You keep right on an join us."
"Did you hear my advice?" insisted the leader of the four, holding his rifle as though would throw the butt to his shoulder.
"Yes," said Hazelton, calmly, "but I also heard my senior partner's order. He and I stick together. Gangway, please."
Harry was cool enough as he rode his horse at a walk past the men. Hazelton will never understand how near death he was at that moment. But there had been a few whispered words between the men, and they had allowed him to ride by.
"What's the game here, Tom?" Harry called cheerily. "Any real excitement going on?"
"No." Tom shook his head. "Just a little misunderstanding over a question of fact."
"Then I see that the lie hasn't been passed," grinned Hazelton. "The ground isn't littered at all."
He rode up to his chum, displaying no curiosity.
That the automobile party had been much cheered by the arrival of the young engineers was wholly apparent. For the same reason the four men appeared to be a good deal less certain of themselves.
"I guess there isn't going to be any real trouble," spoke Reade carelessly. "But there's a question at issue that I feel it would be impertinent in me to try to settle, so I've sent for Jim Ferrers to bring over the whole crowd."
Though Harry couldn't imagine where Ferrers's "crowd" was, he wisely held his tongue.
At the same time an earnest conference was going on among the four men. They spoke in low whispers.
"Jim Ferrers, alone, we could handle," declared the leader. "But if Jim has a crowd back of him things won't go our way when it come to the shooting."
"Let's start it before Ferrers's party gets here," growled another of the sullen ones.
"We would be tracked down and shot at by Ferrers and a crowd," argued the leader. "Things are too warm for us here, just now. In a case like this remember that a fellow lasts longer when he does his shooting from ambush and at his own time. We won't let this Dunlop crowd fool us out of our rights, but we'll have to choose a better time---and fight from ambush at that."
It was soon plain that this view prevailed among the quartette. As they turned to move away, the leader remarked:
"We'll leave you for a while, Dunlop, but don't image you've won. Don't get any notion that you'll ever win. You'll hear from us again."
"And you'll hear a plenty as long as your hearing remains good," snarled another of the men.
The four disturbers, turning their backs, started down the sloping trail.
"Oh, but I'm glad we've seen the last of them!" shuddered one of the women of the Dunlop party.
"Don't be deceived into thinking that the last has been seen of that crew, madam," spoke Tom Reade gently. "Those fellows will be heard from again, and at no very distant hour, either. Mr. Dunlop---I believe that is your name, sir?"
The stout man bowed.
"Mr. Dunlop," Reade went on, earnestly, "I urge you to get these women and the child away from here as soon as you can. Also any of the men who may happen to have no taste for fighting. I don't believe you'll see those four men in the open any more, but there'll be more than one shot fired from ambush. You surely won't expose these women and the child any further!"
"But, Father," broke in one of the women, tremulously, "if we leave, it will take one of your two fighting men to run the car. Think how weak