"You"ll know what I mean before long," Tom murmured. "I signaled to Dr. Gitney to follow me as soon as he could."
"How does it seem to know that you have only to beckon and that men must follow?" laughed Joe Grant. It is doubtful whether Tom, gazing at the chief"s big tent, even heard.
Presently Dr. Gitney stepped outside and came toward them.
"Doctor," began Tom, "will you give me your word of honor that Mr. Thurston is in his right mind?"
"He certainly impresses me as being so," the physician replied.
"You fully believe that he knew just what he was doing?" Tom insisted.
"I do, Reade. But why should you care? You have the reins in your own hands now."
"I wish to keep the reins there," Tom returned quickly. "Still I don"t want to hold the power for an instant if there is reason to believe that Mr. Thurston didn"t know what he was doing."
"If that is all you required of me, Reade, rest easy and go ahead with the big trust that has been placed in your hands," replied Dr. Gitney.
"Then help me to get a few things out of the chief"s tent that we shall need," replied Tom.
"Tell me what the things are," rejoined the physician, "and I"ll pa.s.s them out. I don"t want one of you in there, or Thurston will soon be as delirious as Blaisdell is, poor fellow."
By stealth, drawing tables and instruments, several boxes of maps, books and papers and other necessary articles were taken from Mr. Thurston tent without awaking the sick man.
These were removed to a tent that was not occupied at the moment.
"Supper"s ready, folks," announced Bob, the cook"s helper, stepping softly through camp.
Tom joined the other engineers, taking a few hasty mouthfuls.
Hardly had the party gathered in the mess tent when "Gene Black, bright and cheery, stepped in swiftly, nodding here and there.
"Well, Rutter, I take it you are running the camp from now on?"
asked Black.
"Guess just once more," replied Jack.
"Who is, then?"
"Mr. Reade."
Black gulped, then grinned.
"The cub? That"s good!"
Black leaned back on his stool, laughing loudly.
"But who _is_ going to boss the camp?" insisted Black, after he had had his laugh.
"Mr. Reade!" flung back the other engineers in one voice.
"What have you to say to this, cub?" asked "Gene Black, turning to Tom.
"Mr. Thurston placed me in charge because no one else would a.s.sume the responsibility," smiled Tom good-humoredly.
"Then you"re going to stay boss for the present?"
"Unless Mr. Thurston changes his mind."
"Oh, what a fool I was to be away this afternoon!" groaned Black to himself. "I could have gotten this chance away from a cub like Reade. Oh, but my real task would have been easy if I had been here on deck, and had got Thurston to turn matters over to me. Reade will be easy! He"s only a cub---a b.o.o.by. Even if he proved shrewd---well, I have at my disposal several ways of getting rid of him!"
Then, aloud, Black went on:
"Reade, I"m a candidate for the post of acting a.s.sistant chief engineer."
"That goes to Rutter, if he"ll take it," replied Tom, with a smile.
"Oh, I"ll take it," nodded Jack Rutter. "I can follow orders, when I have someone else to give them."
Tom was intentionally pleasant with "Gene Black. He intended to remain pleasant---until he was quite ready to act.
Immediately after supper Tom ordered one of the chainmen to saddle a pony and be ready to take a message back to the telegraph service that was rapidly overtaking them.
"I want you to be sure to get a receipt for the message from the operator," Tom explained. "Direct the operator to get the message through to New York at once."
"What"s the use?" demanded the chainman. "It"s night in New York, the same as it is here. If the message goes through at any time tonight it will do."
"I didn"t ask you that," Tom replied quietly. "I told you to instruct the operator, from me, to send the message at once.
Then, if there is any delay on the way, the message will still be in New York in the morning when the company"s offices open."
Then Tom Reade went to the new headquarters" tent, seated himself at the desk and picked up a pen.
"Whew!" he muttered suddenly. "This message is going to be harder to write than I thought! When the president of the S.B. & L. gets my telegram, informing him that a cub is in command here, he"ll blow up! If he recovers he"ll wire me that he"s sending a grown man for the job!"
CHAPTER XIII
BLACK TURNS OTHER COLORS
Through the night Tom Reade managed to get some sound sleep.
Had he been less exhausted physically the excitement caused by his sudden and dizzying promotion might have interfered with his rest. As it was, he slept like a log, though, by his own orders, he was called twice in the night to be informed as to the condition of the two sick men.
In the morning a male nurse for whom Dr. Gitney had arranged arrived in camp. Thereafter the physician had a little opportunity for rest.
Mr. Thurston reached the delirium stage in his illness that forenoon.