GETTING AT THE BOTTOM OF THINGS
"What is it, Jack?" asked Percival as he joined Jack a short distance
from the group of men now standing idly about.
"They have sent some one to intercept Blaisdell. I have already sent
young Smith, or at least he has taken the hint and gone off himself.
He will get there, but I think we had better send some one to help Ken."
"You are sure, Jack?"
"Yes, I saw the man slip away. Here are Art and Harry. They will go."
Harry Dickson and Arthur Warren now came up, and Jack quickly told
them what he expected and asked them to follow Blaisdell and assist
him if necessary, both the boys slipping away without being noticed
by the party of men collected at the little station house and now
talking among themselves and paying no attention to the boys.
Percival got all the boys together, including those who were not of
the surveying party but had merely come along to see the work started,
and said to them:
"It is my opinion that these men have been influenced by some one
who has been telling them a lot of lies, and maybe for the purpose
of getting money out of us. They don't any of them look over
intelligent, and I don't believe there is a regular farmer among
them. They are squatters, I believe, and don't own half an acre
of land among them. We don't want to have a fight with them, and I
believe the doctor will settle the whole affair without any trouble
as soon as he comes back with Blaisdell."
Meantime Harry and Arthur had hurried on along the path through the
woods and it was not long before they heard the sound of voices
ahead of them, and hastened on, expecting that Blaisdell was in
trouble.
In a short time they came upon the boy, with his back against a tree
and a defiant look in his face, saying at that moment:
"If you fellows attempt to touch me you will get hurt. You have
no business to detain me and you will get the worst of it."
"What are you doing to that boy?" cried Arthur, hurrying forward.
"If you want this matter settled, why don't you let him alone and
allow him to go and get the doctor and have this matter arranged
satisfactorily?"
The arrival of two extra boys where they had expected to deal with
only one rather surprised the men, and one of them said with a growl:
"How do you know we was goin' to do anything to him? We've got
traps an' snares here, an' we thought he was goin' to meddle with
'em. We gotter look arter our property."
"It is not the time for setting snares," said Arthur. "We know what
you are up to. Get ahead, Ken. We'll keep these fellows from
following you. They are a bad lot, but we will take care of them."
The two boys had picked up stout sticks, and they now advanced upon
the men so as to give Blaisdell a chance to get away.
The men fell back, being natural cowards, and one of them now said
to the boys in sullen tones:
"What you makin' such a fuss about, anyhow? We was only foolin' with
the boy. We wasn't goin' to hurt him none."
"Well, I don't think you will," replied Harry as Blaisdell set off
toward the camp of the Hilltop boys, knowing that the two would be
able to take care of the men.
"How did you men get the idea that your farms were going to be
injured?" asked Arthur. "Who gave you that notion?"
"Bill said so," replied one.
"Who is Bill? Is he the big man that did the most of the talking
just now? He does not look as if he knew very much."
"Yes, Bill's a big feller."
"Well, Bill had better study up a bit before he goes to making
trouble for people. Where is his farm, anyhow? Has he got one?"
"Ah, you talk too much!" growled the man as he walked toward the
station,
Shortly after the return of Harry and Arthur Blaisdell, a dozen
boys came running in, the former saying:
"Here we are, boys. The doctor is coming as fast as he can. You
have not had any fight since I went away? Young Smith got there
ahead of me and some of the boys had already started before I got
there, so I did not go all the way, but came back with them to see
the fun."
Dr. Wise, all in black and wearing big spectacles came up soon and
asked Percival and Jack who were the men who had made the trouble
at the branch.
Jack pointed out the big man and the doctor said to him:
"What is the matter, my man? Why do you wish to oppose this work?
We do not intend any harm to you or to any one. The railroad
company has given me full authority to make a survey and to build
a branch road. What is your objection?"
"It'll hurt our farms," growled Big Bill.
"Who told you that?"
"Phil Watts, that feller yonder."
"How did you learn this, Watts?" asked the doctor.
"Jim Jenkins told me."
"Well, well, this seems to be all hearsay information," muttered
the doctor. "Where is Jenkins? We must learn where he got his
information. Who is Jenkins?"
"That's me," said one of the men who had hung back.
"And who told you that we were going to hurt your farms by building
the branch road? I do not know of any farms in this section, and
if there were any it would help rather than injure them by giving
you a chance to get your produce to market sooner. Who told you
that it would injure them, Jenkins? I want to get at the bottom
of this affair."
"Well, I wasn't the only one what was told it," growled Jenkins,
glaring around at his companions, "though it's been put up to me as
if I started it. Bill Calthorpe heard it as well as me, an' so did
Phil Watts. We was all told it together."
The big man did not seem to like this admission and moved uneasily,
first on one foot and then on the other.
"Yes, yes, but who was the person who told you?" asked the doctor
a little impatiently. "We want to get at the first person who gave
this information. Was it one of yourselves or a stranger? Do you
actually know the person who told you this?"
"No, I don't," growled Jenkins, "but I can tell you this, and that
is that he was a big young feller and had a uniform under his coat
which come open while he was talkin', so's I could see it plain;
an' if it wasn't the same identical uniform them boys wear, I'll
eat my hat!"
"Do you see him now?" asked the doctor.
Jenkins looked around and Bill Calthorpe and the other squatters
did the same, the first speaker's admission not being denied by
any of them.
"No, he ain't here now," said Jenkins.
"Was he here at all to-day?" suddenly asked Billy Manners in a tone
that brought attention upon him in an instant.
"Yes, he was!" said Jenkins doggedly, and all the boys gave a gasp.