"Sit down and chat with us until you tire of our company," urged Harry Hazelton.
So Montez and Tisco dropped into the campstools again. They tried to chat on various topics, but conversation proved a failure.
"We will go, now," said Don Luis, rising twenty minutes later.
"But, senores, we shall hope to see you daily until our investors arrive and then all the time."
"You will find us always at your command, Don Luis," Tom remarked, cordially.
"Ah, my good Carlos," murmured Don Luis, as the Mexican pair sped homeward in the car, "for once you made a bad guess. You insisted that the Gringos would hold out and would not serve me. You have seen my patience and my firmness win over their foolish, stubborn objections."
"But they still hope to trick you, my patron," suggested Dr. Tisco.
"Doubtless, now, their intention is to serve you until they can escape; then they plan to get back to the United States and furnish the testimony on which the American investors can sue you in the courts for the return of the purchase money on a charge of fraud."
"There, again, the Gringos can meet only defeat," chuckled Don Luis, his lips to his secretary"s ears. "As soon as the sale is made I shall see to it that our pair of young American engineers are promptly done to death!"
CHAPTER XXI
THE FINAL TOUCH OF TRAGEDY
On the day announced, at about eleven in the morning, two automobiles reached Don Luis"s home. Besides the mine owner the cars contained nine other travelers, all Americans.
These were the investors who were expected to buy _El Sombrero_ at a price of two and a half million dollars.
Over at the camp Tom and Harry saw the party arrive. They could see the travelers being served with refreshments on the veranda.
"There"s the crowd, Harry. And here"s a car, coming this way, undoubtedly for us. Now, we"ve got to go over there for our first practice as bunco men."
Harry Hazelton made an unpleasant grimace. "I feel like a scoundrel of the worst sort, but it can"t be helped," he muttered.
The car was soon at hand. Tom and Harry were dressed and ready.
Though their clothing suggested the field engineer, they were none the less dressed with a good deal of care. They entered the tonneau of the automobile and started on their way to help put the mine swindle through.
"Here are my engineers, gentlemen," smiled Don Luis, "and at least three of your number, I believe, are well acquainted with Messrs.
Reade and Hazelton."
Tom ascended the steps, feeling rather weak in the knees. Then the young engineers received one of the severest jolts of their lives.
Three of the gentlemen in that group, both young men knew well.
They were President Haynes, General Manager Ellsworth and Director Hippen of the A.G.& N.M. Railroad. These gentlemen Tom and Harry had served in railroad work in Arizona, as told in "_The Young Engineers in Arizona_."
Now, in a flash, it was plain to both young Americans why Don Luis had wanted them, especially, to report favorably concerning _El Sombrero_ Mine. President Haynes and his a.s.sociates in the A.G.& N.M. R.R. had every reason in the world to trust the young engineers, who had served them so faithfully on another occasion.
These gentlemen would believe in anything that Reade and Hazelton backed with their judgment.
"You?" cried Tom, with a start, as President Haynes held out his hand. Then, by a mighty effort, Reade recovered himself and laughed easily.
"This is a pleasant surprise, Mr. Haynes! And you, Mr. Ellsworth, and you, Mr. Hippen."
"And we"re equally surprised to find you here, Reade, and you, Hazelton," rejoined President Haynes. "But we feel more at home, already. You know, Reade, we"re quite accustomed to looking upon anything as an a.s.sured success when you"re connected with it."
"And, in its way, this mine is the biggest success we"ve backed yet," Tom declared readily.
Don Luis Montez, though he was keenly watchful, was delighted so far.
"What do you really think of this mine, Reade?" broke in Mr. Ellsworth.
"Is it all that a careful investor would want?"
"If you"re getting what I think you are," Tom answered, "you"re getting a lot more, even, than you might be led to expect. _El Sombrero_, if it includes the limits that I suppose the tract does, will be worth a great deal more than you are paying for it."
"The limits?" asked Mr. Ellsworth, keenly. "Don"t you really know, Reade, what the limits of the property are?"
"Why, that is a matter to which I haven"t given much attention, so far," answered Tom, with disarming candor. "But, if we can have a map of this part of the country, I"ll quickly mark off the limits on which I think you should insist."
Don Luis caught at this readily.
"My good Carlos," Don Luis directed, turning to his secretary, "place in Senor Reade"s hands a map of this part of the country."
"A map of your possessions only, Don Luis?" asked Dr. Tisco.
"A map of my possessions, of course," agreed Don Luis.
The map was brought, a large one, and spread on the table.
"Now, perhaps," suggested Tom, "the tract I am about to mark off on this map is a larger one than Don Luis had intended to include in the sale, but let us see what Don Luis will have to say."
With Harry"s help Reade marked off on the map a tract containing about forty-four hundred acres. This was fully twice as large as the tract Don Luis had planned to deed with _El Sombrero_.
However, as Don Luis reckoned all this wild mountain land to be worth not more than twenty-five cents an acre, he did not care about Tom"s liberality in the matter of real estate.
"We will have these limits ruled in with red ink," Montez proposed, "and the deed shall cover the limits so indicated. Yes; I will sell that whole tract of rich mineral land to you, gentlemen, for two million and a half of dollars."
"Then," declared Tom Reade, "you will find that you will not regret your purchase, gentlemen."
"You are confident of that, Reade?" asked President Haynes, anxiously.
"I am more than confident," Tom declared, promptly. "I am as certain of what I state as ever an engineer can be of anything."
"If we were alone," thought Don Luis Montez, exultantly, "I would take off my hat to this young Gringo, Reade. He is a far more accomplished liar than I can ever hope to be. And these Americanos are becoming convinced all ready."
"Do you agree with your a.s.sociate, Hazelton?" inquired Mr. Ellsworth.
"Absolutely," Harry proposed. "I have been watching Tom Reade to see if he was making the statement emphatic enough to suit my ideas.
Gentlemen, the property we have staked off on this map is a good investment one that will soon make the American financial markets ring."
"I"m satisfied, on Reade and Hazelton"s report," declared Mr. Haynes.
"I know these young men, and I"d trust my life or my fortune to their honesty or their judgment alike."