Ran shining steel rails upon which were mounted tapering structures of steel, from which cables crossed the gorge, carrying great buckets of concrete for the work below. Heavy walls were growing out of the depths. "The ships will come up out of the sea through this cut," Peter explained. "Then they'll climb the hill," scorned Jimmie. "They will stop down there," said Peter, "and the lock gates will be closed, and the water will lift them to the level of the lake." "I don't see no lake," observed the skeptical Jimmie. "The lake will lie where the low land is, over there," replied Peter, pointing. "The Gatun dam will block the water and make a lake 85 feet above sea level, covering one hundred and sixty-four square miles of earth." "So the most of the canal will be lake?" asked the boy. "Quite a lot of it," was the reply. "And if any one should blow up the dam, after it gets on its job, the ships would have to climb a ladder if they got over to Panama," he exclaimed. "Something like that," Peter said. "Where is the Gatun dam?" asked Jack. "It is going up over there," Peter replied, pointing out a low, broad ridge which appeared to link two hills together. "That is what will make the inland sea, and that is the lump of earth we came here to look after." "It is a busy place night and day," Ned said. "See the electric towers and wires? Work never stops." "Something like His Nobbs," grinned Jimmie. "I wonder if he has had any sleep since he struck our trail?" "I haven't seen him since we left the train," Jack said. "Perhaps he has delivered us over to the Panama division of the Anti-Canal Benevolent Society. In that case, we shall see no more of him." After a time the boys strolled over to a neat little hotel on the principal street of the town, and there saw Lieutenant Gordon, who strolled up to Ned, just
