“What? That little scratch?” demanded Rutter scornfully. “Don’t count me as a wounded man, Reade. There are some firearms in this camp. I want to get the men armed, as far as the weapons will go, and then I want to go back and smoke out the miserable rascals!” “It won’t be wise, Jack,” Tom continued coolly. “You’ll find that there are too many of the enemy. Besides, you won’t have to fatigue yourselves by going back over the trail. The scoundrels will be here, before long. They doubtless intend to wipe out the camp.” “Assassins coming to wipe out the camp?” almost exploded President Newnham. “Reade, this is most extraordinary!” “It is---very,” Tom assented dryly. “But who can the villains be?” “A picked-up gang of gun-fighters, sent here to blow this camp off the face of the earth, since that is the only way that the backers of the rival road can find to set us back,” Tom rejoined. “If they drive us away from here, they’ll attack the construction force next!” CHAPTER XVI SHUT OFF FROM THE WORLD Five horsemen belonging to the field party rode in furiously, Matt Rice at their head. “It’s a shame,” yelled Rice, as he threw himself from his horse. “I’d have stayed behind---so would the others---if we had had rifles with us. The scoundrels kept up a fire at a quarter of a mile range. Then we passed the men who are carrying Reynolds---they’re almost here now---but it wouldn’t have done any good for us to stand by them. We’d have made the other party only a bigger mark. Where are the revolvers, Reader? We’ve got to make a stand here. We can’t run away and leave our camp to fall into their hands.” “We’re not going to run away,” said Reade grimly. “But I’ll tell you what a half dozen of you can do. Hustle for shovels and dig a deep hole here. This gentleman is Mr. Newnham, president of the company that employs us. If the camp is attacked we can’t afford to have the president of the road killed.” “Mr. Newnham would do far better to ride down the trail as fast as he can go, and try to join the construction camp,” offered Rutter. The president of the S.B. & L. had been silent during the last few exciting moments. But now he opened his mouth long enough to reply very quickly: “Mr. Newnham hasn’t any thoughts of flight. I am not a fighting man, and never saw a shot fired in anger in my life, but I’m going to stand my ground in my own camp.” “Dig the hole, anyway,” ordered Tom. “We’ll want a safe place to put young Reynolds. We can’t afford to leave him exposed to fire.” “Where are the revolvers?” Rice insisted, as others started to get shovels and dig in a hurry. “Oh, never mind the revolvers,” replied Tom. “We won’t use ’em, anyway. We can’t, for they wouldn’t carry far enough to put any of the enemy in danger.” “Mr. Reade,” remarked Mr. Newnham, in a quiet undertone, “does it occur to you that you are making no preparations to defend the camp! That, in fact, you seem wholly indolent in the matter?”