But I had to do both. There were several young men, and
if they weren't drunk they certainly were rude. I never saw them
before, but I think they must belong to the mining company that was
run out of Sonora by rebels. Mrs. Carter was telling me. Anyway,
these young fellows were Americans. They stretched themselves
across the walk and smiled at me. I had to go out in the road. One
of them, the rudest, followed me. He was a big fellow, red-faced,
with prominent eyes and a bold look. He came up beside me and
spoke to me. I ran home. And as I ran I heard his companions
jeering.
"Well, to-day, just now, when I was riding up the valley road I came
upon the same fellows. They had instruments and were surveying.
Remembering Dick, and how he always wished for an instrument
to help work out his plan for irrigation, I was certainly surprised
to see these strangers surveying--and surveying upon Laddy's plot of
land. It was a sandy road there, and Jose happened to be walking.
So I reined in and asked these engineers what they were doing.
The leader, who was that same bold fellow who had followed me,
seemed much pleased at being addressed. He was swaggering--too
friendly; not my idea of a gentleman at all. He said he was glad to
tell me he was going to run water all over Altar Valley. Dad, you
can bet that made me wild. That was Dick's plan, his discovery,
and here were surveyors on Laddy's claim.
"Then I told him that he was working on private land and he'd better
get off.
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