But he did tell a straight story about the sneak they
made; and there wasn't a shot fired on either side, so Ramos wasn't
shot then. I'll bank on Willy's word for that."
XXVII
White promptly made good his promise concerning the ditches. Within a
week his dredger had eaten its way through sawgrass, water and muck
from the headwaters of the Chokohatchee to Deer Key, digging a broad,
main drainage canal through the middle of Payne's thousand acres of
drowned land. Higgins' calculations proved themselves in practice, and
the big ditch soon drew off the bulk of the surface water on the track.
The work of cutting the small lateral canals progressed rapidly with
the smaller ditching machine. White worked his men in two shifts, and
kept his shovels at work day and night. He made no effort to conceal
the reason for his haste.
"I took the job, and I'll see it through," said he, "but outside of
collecting my money the best part of this job to me will be when I wind
it up and get out."
"Still," retorted Higgins, to whom the statement was made, "you don't
look exactly like a man troubled with cold feet."
But White would not permit himself to be drawn out.
"I'll be glad when I look back from my tug and see Gumbo Key behind me;
that's all I'm saying.
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