The Boy Scouts at the Panama Canal Part 23

"You haven't told us yet just what it was that happened?" he said.

"Yes, what was it?" put in Fred.

"Oh, nothing to speak of but an explosion of fifteen pounds of dynamite about as close to us as I'd care to have such a thing happen," said the engineer grimly.

"Gee whiz! As bad as that!" exclaimed Merritt looking aghast. "Why we might all have been----"

"Hoisted sky-high. Oh, you don't need to tell me that. That careless fellow Ram left one of his cans of dynamite lying on the ground not far from the test hole. I didn't notice it and he didn't either, I guess, till he shot the well. Then just as that column of stones and stuff was sky-hooting up, I happened to see that can lying there. It gave me a turn, I tell you. I figured out what would happen if a rock ever hit and we standing where we were."

"What would have happened?" asked Tubby innocently, his eyes like two saucers.

"Happened! Why we'd all have had through tickets to Kingdom Come, that's what would have happened."

"But you haven't told it all," exclaimed Rob, who had just comprehended something. "Boys, that weight that fell on us was Mr. Raynor's body. He just shoved us in front of him and shielded us with his own body. He saved our lives."

"That's what I call being a real hero," cried Fred.

"Three cheers and a tiger for Mr. Raynor!" yelled Merritt.

"Pshaw! You drop that now!" protested the engineer. "I just fell on you because I couldn't help it, I reckon."

"We know better than that, don't we, fellows?" cried Rob.

"You bet we do," was the response given with deep conviction and unanimity.

"Well, say no more about it," begged the engineer. "I promised to take good care of you and I was almost responsible for getting you injured, so I guess we're quits."

As Mr. Raynor had to visit other parts of the workings, and also to take samples of the earth blown up by Ram's unlucky blast, the boys bade him good-bye soon after.

"Well, so long," he said. "I hope you'll drop in and see me some time if you are going to be about here long. I may have something else interesting to show you."

The boys said they would. Then up came Ram Chunda, grinning like a monkey.

"Me velly solly," he said, "white sahib no be mad. You come see me some time, eh?"

"Yes, we'll come and see you when you're in your little casket or else get our lives insured first, you--you anarchist you!" sputtered Tubby.

The engineer had advised them not to climb the ladders but to walk along the foot of the dam till they reached a place where a flight of steps had been moulded in the concrete. Accordingly, after leaving him they trudged along at the foot of the gigantic stone cliff, looking up every now and then to marvel at its height and ma.s.siveness.

They found plenty to look at and were in no hurry. That is, none of them was in a hurry but Tubby, who was keen to find out if it was not time to go back to Mr. Mainwaring's bungalow for dinner.

It was hot work walking, and they paused frequently. At length they came to a place where a small tree at the foot of the dam afforded a patch of shade.

"Let's sit down and rest a while," said Fred. "I'm tuckered out."

"Wish this was a cocoanut tree," said Tubby as they reclined in the grateful bit of shade. "I'd climb it and get all you fellows something to eat."

"Or blow us up," laughed Fred mischievously.

"Say, fellows," said Rob presently, "look up above us on the top of the dam. There's a big concrete mixing machine up there."

"Hope they don't drop anything down on us," said Fred apprehensively.

"Not much danger of that, I just saw a man peeking down at us. They would warn us if we were in danger."

"I don't know, those n.i.g.g.e.rs are none too careful. Remember that fellow Ram; he came pretty near ramming us," punned Fred.

"Look out!" yelled Merritt suddenly.

But he was too late. A bucket full of liquid cement came spattering down on them, going all over their uniforms and making them sad sights indeed.

Luckily the stuff was almost as thin as water or they might have been injured.

Rob looked up and gave an indignant shout. A mocking face peered over the edge of the parapet and grinned jeeringly at him. As he saw this countenance Rob gave a violent start and fairly staggered backward.

It was the face of Jared Applegate into which he had looked. It was his hand that had thrown the bucket of liquid cement over them, ruining their uniforms.

"Fellows!" shouted Rob in high excitement.

But Jared's face had vanished as swiftly as it had appeared.

CHAPTER XXIII.

ALONG THE CHAGRES.

"Well, did you ever!! Jared of all people!"

"What on earth is he doing here?"

"That's plain enough," was Rob's reply to the last exclamation, which had proceeded from Tubby following Rob's hasty recital of what he had seen on the top of the dam.

"That's plain enough," he repeated. "Jared is a pretty slick sort of article, or, at any rate, the men with whom he is in league are cunning and clever. What better place could Jared be, watched as he is, than holding down a job as a ca.n.a.l worker, bossing some small undertaking? Who would ever dream of looking for him in such a position?"

"That's so," agreed Fred, "and then, too, he gets a chance to survey the ground thoroughly and lay plans for whatever sort of deviltry that gang is up to. Maybe Alverado and Estrada are working on menial jobs, too, with the same end in view."

"Quite likely," replied Rob, "and also that mysterious chap we've seen with Jared on several occasions. Anyhow, our duty now is plain enough. We must make all haste back to Mr. Mainwaring and report to him what we have discovered."

"Let's get some of this mess cleaned off us first," said the practical Merritt. "We look more like drowned rats than Scouts, in our present plight."

The boys set to work trying to remove the traces of the ducking that had been given them by the malignant Jared, who had undoubtedly recognized them. Had they known that he was actually on the lookout for them, they would have been much astonished. Yet such was the case, as will appear before long.

Luckily the mixture of cement that had been doused over them was a very watery one, the rinsings of a cement bucket, in fact, so that in a short time the hot sun had dried out most of the traces of their adventure.

But Mr. Mainwaring greeted them with exclamations of astonishment.

"What in the world have you lads been up to now," he exclaimed half laughingly as they rejoined him, "taking a swim with your uniforms on?"