While there they had encountered Dick Prescott and Greg Holmes, their old school chums, at that time cadets at the United States Military Academy.

The doings of the four old chums at that time in Gridley are set forth fully in "_Dick Prescott's Third Year At West Point_." During the weeks spent East, Tom and Harry had taken almost their first steps in the study of metallurgy.

They had succeed in mastering the comparatively simple art of assaying gold and silver.
So now, with the summer past, we find our young engineers out in Nevada, taking a little more rest just because no new engineering task of sufficient importance had presented itself.
"If we're going to be engineers out West, though, Harry, we simply must know a good deal about assaying precious metals," Tom had declared.
So, though the chums were "taking a rest," as they phrased it, they had brought with them a small furnace and the rest of the outfit for assaying minerals in small quantities.
Today, however, was altogether too fine for thoughts of work.

Just after breakfast Harry Hazelton had borrowed the only horse in camp, belonging to Jim Ferrers, their cook and guide, and had ridden away for the day.
Barely had Hazelton departed when Alf Drew, hungry, lonely and wistful, had happened along.

He asked for "a job." There really wasn't one for him, but good-natured Reade created one, offering five dollars a month and board.
"No telling, young man, how long the job will last," Tom warned him.
"We may at any hour break camp and get away." But Alf had taken the job and gratefully.