Chapter Eight.

Chapter Eight.On Guard.It seemed as if it had all been a dream when I awoke and found Uncle Bob was shaking me.“Come, young fellow,” he cried; “breakfast’s ready.”I did not feel ready for my breakfast if it was, especially a breakfast of bread and meat with no chair, no table, no cloth, no tea, coffee, or bread and butter.Such a good example was shown me, though, that I took the thick sandwich offered to me, and I was soon forgetting my drowsiness and eating heartily.We were not interrupted, and when we had ended our meal, went round the place to see what was to be done.The first thing was placing the property that could be claimed by the men close by the gate ready for them, and when this was done Piter and I walked up and down the yard listening to the steps outside, and waiting to give a signal if any of the men should come.No men came, however, and there was not a single call till afternoon, when a sharp rapping at the gate was answered by two of my uncles, and the dog, who seemed puzzled as to the best pair of legs to peer between, deciding at last in favour of Uncle Bob’s.To our surprise, when the gate was opened, there were no men waiting, but half a dozen women, one of whom announced that they had came for their masters’ “traps,” and the said “traps” being handed to them, they went off without a word, not even condescending to say “Thank you.”“Come,” said Uncle Bob, after the various things had been carried off, and Piter had stood looking on twitching his ears and blinking at them, as if he did not war with women, “Come, we’ve won the game.”“Don’t be too sure, my boy,” said Uncle Dick.“But they have, given up.”“Given up expecting to use the works. But what are they going to do in revenge?”“Revenge!”“Yes. You may depend upon it we are marked men, and that we shall have to fight hard to hold our own.”As the day went on—a day busily spent in making plans for the future of our factory, we had one or two applications from men who were seeking work, and if we had any doubt before of how our coming was to be received, we realised it in the yells and hootings that greeted the men who came in a friendly spirit.Uncle Dick went off directly after breakfast to see about the machinery waiting at the railway being delivered, and it was late in the afternoon before he returned.“One of us will have to stay always on the premises for the present,” he said, “so I have ordered some furniture and a carpenter to come and board up and make that corner office comfortable. We must make shift.”The matter was discussed, and finally it was settled that two of our party were to be always on the premises, and until we were satisfied that there was no more fear of interference, one was to keep watch half the night with the dog, and then be relieved by the other.“We shall have to make a man of you, Cob,” said Uncle Jack. “You must take your turn with us.”“I’m ready,” I replied; and very proud I felt of being trusted.Of course I felt nervous, but at the same time rather disappointed, for everything went on in the most business like way. Carpenters and fitters were set to work, and, helped by the indomitable perseverance and energy of my uncles, a great deal of fresh machinery was soon in position. New shafts and bands, a new furnace for preparing our own steel after a fashion invented by Uncle Dick. New grindstones and polishing-wheels, new forges with tilt-hammers, and anvils.By degrees I found what was going to be our chief business, and that was the production of cutlery of a peculiar temper especially for surgical instruments and swords, Uncle Dick having an idea that he could produce blades equal to Damascus or the finest Spanish steel.The days glided by with the works growing more complete, and each night half our party on guard at Fort Industry, as Uncle Bob christened the place. And though the couple who had slept at the lodgings went down to the place every morning feeling nervous, and wondering whether anything had happened in the night, it was always to find that all was going on perfectly smoothly, and that there was nothing to mind.Piter had a kennel just inside the entry, and as each new hand was engaged he was introduced to the dog, who inspected him, and never afterwards so much as growled.Uncle Dick took the lead, and under his orders the change rapidly took place.There was one hindrance, though, and that occurred in connection with the furnaces, for the chimney-shaft needed some repair at the top. This, however, proved to be an easy task, scaffolding not being necessary, projecting bars answering the purpose of the rounds of a ladder having been built in when the shaft was erected, with this end in view.At last everything was, as Uncle Dick called it, complete for the present. There was a good supply of water, and one morning the furnace was lit, so were the forges, and step by step we progressed till there was quite a busy scene, the floors and rafters in the forge and furnace building glowing and seeming turned to gold; while from out of the chimney there rose every morning a great volume of smoke that rolled out and bent over, and formed itself into vast feathery plumes.I could hardly believe it true when it was announced that we had been down in Arrowfield a month: but so it was.But little had been done beyond getting the machinery at the works ready for work to come; now, however, some of the projects were to be put in action.“For,” said Uncle Dick, “if we should go on forging and grinding as other manufacturers do, we only enter into competition with them, and I dare say we should be beaten. We must do something different and better, and that’s why we have come. To-morrow I begin to make my new tempered steel.”Uncle Dick kept his word, and the next morning men were at work arranging fire-bricks for a little furnace which was duly made, and then so much blistered steel was laid in a peculiar way with so much iron, and a certain heat was got up and increased and lowered several times till Uncle Dick was satisfied. He told me that the colour assumed by the metal was the test by which he judged whether it was progressing satisfactorily, and this knowledge could only come by experience.Everything was progressing most favourably. The men who had been engaged worked well; we had seen no more of those who had had to vacate the works, and all was as it should be. In fact our affairs were so prosperous that to me it seemed great folly for watch to be kept in the works night after night.I thought it the greatest nonsense possible one night when I had been very busy all day, and it had come to my turn, and I told Uncle Jack so.“Those fellows were a bit cross at having to turn out,” I said. “Of course they were, and they made a fuss. You don’t suppose they will come again?”“I don’t know, Cob,” said Uncle Jack quietly.“But is it likely?” I said pettishly.“I can’t say, my boy—who can? Strange things have been done down in Arrowfield by foolish workmen before now.”“Oh, yes!” I said; “but that’s in the past. It isn’t likely that they will come and annoy us. Besides, there’s Piter. He’d soon startle any one away.”“You think then that there is no occasion for us to watch, Cob?”“Yes,” I cried eagerly, “that’s just what I think. We can go to bed and leave Piter to keep guard. He would soon give the alarm.”“Then you had better go to bed, Cob,” said Uncle Jack quietly.“And of course you won’t get up when it comes to your turn.”“No,” he said; “certainly not.”“That’s right,” I cried triumphantly. “I am glad we have got over this scare.”“Are you?” he said dryly.“Am I, Uncle Jack! Why, of course I am. All is locked up. I’ll go and unchain Piter, and then we’ll go and get a good night’s rest.”“Yes,” he said; “you may as well unchain Piter.”I ran and set the dog at liberty, and he started off to make the circuit of the place, while I went back to Uncle Jack, who was lighting the bull’s-eye lantern that we always used when on guard.“Why, uncle,” I said wonderingly; “we sha’n’t want that to-night.”“I shall,” he said. “Good-night!”“No, no,” I cried. “We arranged to go to bed.”“You arranged to go to bed, Cob, but I did not. You don’t suppose I could behave so unfairly to my brothers as to neglect the task they placed in my hands.”He did not say any more. It was quite sufficient. I felt the rebuff, and was thoroughly awake now and ashamed of what I had proposed.Without a word I took the lantern and held out my hand.“Good-night, Uncle Jack!” I said.He had seemed cold and stern just before. Now he was his quiet old self again, and he took my hand, nodded, and said:“Two o’clock, Cob. Good-night!”I saw him go along the great workshop, enter the office and close the door, and then I started on my rounds.It was anything but a cheerful task, that keeping watch over the works during the night, and I liked the first watch from ten to two less than the second watch from two to six, for in the latter you had the day breaking about four o’clock, and then it was light until six.For, however much one might tell oneself that there was no danger—no likelihood of anything happening, the darkness in places, the faint glow from partly extinct fires, and the curious shadows cast on the whitewashed walls were all disposed to be startling; and, well as I knew the place, I often found myself shrinking as I came suddenly upon some piece of machinery that assumed in the darkness the aspect of some horrible monster about to seize me as I went my rounds.Upon the other hand, there was a pleasant feeling of importance in going about that great dark place of a night, with a lantern at my belt, a stout stick in my hand, and a bull-dog at my heels, and this sensation helped to make the work more bearable.On this particular night I had paced silently all about the place several times, thinking a good deal about my little encounter with Uncle Jack, and about the last letters I had had from my father. Then, as all seemed perfectly right, I had seated myself by the big furnace, which emitted a dull red glow, not sufficient to light the place, but enough to make it pleasantly warm, and to show that if a blast were directed in the coals, a fierce fire would soon be kindled.I did not feel at all sleepy now; in fact, in spite of the warmth this furnace-house would not have been a pleasant place to sleep in, for the windows on either side were open, having no glass, only iron bars, and those on one side looked over the dam, while the others were in the wall that abutted on the lane leading down to the little river.Piter had been with me all through my walk round, but, seeing me settle down, he had leaped on to the hot ashes and proceeded to curl himself up in a nice warm place, where the probabilities were that he would soon begin to cook.Piter had been corrected for this half a dozen times over, but he had to be bullied again, and leaping off the hot ashes he had lowered his tail and trotted back to his kennel, where he curled himself up.All was very still as I sat there, except that the boom and throb of the busy town where the furnaces and steam-engines were at work kept going and coming in waves of sound; and as I sat, I found myself thinking about the beauty of the steel that my uncles had set themselves to produce; and how, when a piece was snapped across, breaking like a bit of glass, the fracture looked all of a silvery bluish-grey.Then I began thinking about our tall chimney, and what an unpleasant place mine would be to sit in if there were a furious storm, and the shaft were blown down; and then, with all the intention to be watchful, I began to grow drowsy, and jumping up, walked up and down the furnace-house and round the smouldering fire, whose chimney was a great inverted funnel depending from the open roof.I grew tired of walking about and sat down again, to begin thinking once more.How far is it from thinking to sleeping and dreaming? Who can answer that question?To me it seemed that I was sitting thinking, and that as I thought there in the darkness, where I could see the fire throwing up its feeble glow on to the dim-looking open windows on either side, some great animal came softly in through the window on my left, and then disappeared for a few moments, to appear again on my right where the wall overlooked the lane.That window seemed to be darkened for a minute or two, and then became light again, while once more that on my left grew dark, and I saw the figure glide out.I seemed, as I say, to have been thinking, and as I thought it all appeared to be a dream, for it would have been impossible for any one to have crept in at one window, passing the furnace and back again without disturbing me.Yes; I told myself it was all fancy, and as I thought I told myself that I started awake, and looked sharply at first one window, and then at the other, half expecting to see someone there.“I was asleep and dreaming,” I said to myself; and, starting up impatiently, I walked right out of the furnace-house across the strip of yard, and in at the door, making Piter give his stumpy tail a sharp rapping noise upon the floor of his kennel.I went on all through the grinding workshop, and listened at the end of the place to the water trickling and dripping down in the great water-floored cellar.That place had an attraction for me, and I stood listening for some minutes before walking back, thoroughly awake now.I was so used to the place that I had no need to open the lantern, but threaded my way here and there without touching a thing, and I was able to pass right through to the upper floor in the same way.Everything was correct, and Uncle Jack sleeping soundly, as I hoped to be after another hour or so’s watching.I would not disturb him, but stole out again, and along the workshop to the head of the stairs, where I descended and stooped to pat Piter again before looking about the yard, and then walking slowly into the warm furnace-house.Then, after a glance at the windows where I had fancied I had seen someone creep in, I sat down in my old place enjoying the warmth, and once more the drowsy sensation crept over me.How long it was before I dropped asleep I can’t tell, but, bad watchman that I was, I did drop asleep, and began dreaming about the great dam miles away up the valley; and there it seemed to me I was fishing with a long line for some of the great pike that lurked far down in the depths.As I fished my line seemed to pass over a window-sill and scraped against it, and made a noise which set me wondering how large the fish must be that was running away with it.And then I was awake, with the perspiration upon my forehead and my hands damp, listening.It was no fishing-line. I was not by the great dam up the river, but there in our own furnace-house, and something was making a strange rustling noise.For some few moments I could not tell where the noise was. There was the rustling, and it seemed straight before me. Then I knew it was there, for immediately in front on the open fire something was moving and causing a series of little nickers and sparkles in the glowing ashes.What could it be? What did it mean?I was so startled that I was ready to leap up and run out of the place, and it was some time before I could summon up courage enough to stretch out a hand, and try to touch whatever it was that moved the glowing ashes.Wire!Yes; there was no doubt of it—wire. A long thin wire stretched pretty tightly reached right across me, and evidently passed from the window overlooking the lane across the furnace and out of the window by the side of the dam.What did it mean—what was going to happen?I asked myself these questions as I bent towards the furnace, touching the wire which glided on through my hand towards the window by the dam.It was all a matter of moments, and I could feel that someone must be drawing the wire out there by the dam, though how I could not tell, for it seemed to me that there was nothing but deep water there.“Some one must have floated down the dam in a boat,” I thought in a flash; but no explanation came to the next part of my question, what was it for?As I bent forward there wondering what it could mean, I began to understand that there must be some one out in the lane at the other end of the wire, and in proof of this surmise I heard a low scraping noise at the window on my right, and then a hiss as if someone had drawn his breath in between his lips.What could it mean?I was one moment for shouting, “Who’s there?” the next for turning on my bull’s-eye; and again the next for running and rousing up Uncle Jack.Then I thought that I would shout and call to Piter; but I felt that if I did either of these things I should lose the clue that was gliding through my hands.What could it mean?The wire, invisible to me, kept softly stirring the glowing ashes, and seemed to be visible there. Elsewhere it was lost in the black darkness about me, but I felt it plainly enough, and in my intense excitement, hundreds of yards seemed to have passed through my hand before I felt a check and in a flash knew what was intended.For, all at once, as the wire glided on, something struck against my hand gently, and raising the other it came in contact with a large canister wrapped round and round with stout soft cord.What for?I knew in an instant; I had read of such outrages, and it was to guard against them that we watched, and kept that dog.I had hold of a large canister of gunpowder, and the soft cord wrapped around it was prepared fuse.I comprehended too the horrible ingenuity of the scheme, which was to draw, by means of the wire, the canister of gunpowder on to the furnace, so that the fuse might catch fire, and that would give the miscreants who were engaged time to escape before the powder was fired and brought the chimney-shaft toppling down.For a moment I trembled and felt ready to drop the canister, and run for my life.Then I felt strong, for I knew that if I kept the canister in my hands the fuse could not touch the smouldering ashes and the plan would fail.But how to do this without being heard by the men who must be on either side of the furnace-house.It was easy enough; I had but to hold the canister high up above the fire, and pass it over till it was beyond the burning ashes and then let it continue its course to the other window.It was a great risk, not of explosion, but of being heard; but with a curious feeling of reckless excitement upon me I held up the canister, stepping softly over the ash floor, and guiding the terrible machine on till the danger was passed.Then stealing after it I climbed gently on to the broad bench beneath the clean window, and with my head just beneath it touched the wire, and waited till the canister touched my hand again.I had made no plans, but, urged on by the spirit of the moment, I seized the canister with both hands, gave it a tremendous jerk, and with my face at the window roared out:“Now, fire! Fire! Shoot ’em down!”I stood on the work-bench then, astounded at the effect of my cry.Behind me there was a jerk at the wire, which snapped, and I heard the rush of feet in the lane, while before me out from the window there came a yell, a tremendous splash, and then the sound of water being beaten, and cries for help.At the same moment Piter came rushing into the furnace house, barking furiously, and directly after there was the noise of feet on the stairs, and Uncle Jack came in.“What is it, Cob? Where’s your light?” he cried.I had forgotten the lantern, but I turned it on now as I tucked the canister beneath my arm.“There’s a man or two men drowning out here in the dam,” I panted hoarsely; and Uncle Jack leaped on to the bench by my side.“Give me the lantern,” he cried; and, taking it from my wet hands, he turned it on, held it to the open window, and made it play upon the surface of the dam.“There are two men there, swimming to the side,” he cried. “Stop, you scoundrels!” he roared; but the beating noise in the water increased. One seemed to get his footing and held out his hand to his companion in distress. The next minute I saw that they had gained the stone wall at the side, over which they clambered, and from there we heard them drop down on to the gravel stones.“They’re gone, Cob,” said my uncle.“Shall we run after them?” I said.“It would be madness,” he replied. “Down, Piter! Quiet, good dog!”“Now what’s the meaning of it all?” he said after turning the light round the place. “What did you hear? Were they getting in?”“No,” I said; “they were trying to draw this canister on to the fire with the wire; but I heard them and got hold of it.”Uncle Jack turned the light of the bull’s-eye on to the canister I held, and then turned it off again, as if there were danger of its doing some harm with the light alone, even after it had passed through glass.“Why, Cob,” he said huskily, “did you get hold of that?”“Yes, I stopped it,” I said, trembling now that the excitement had passed.“But was the fuse alight?”“No,” I said; “they were going to draw it over the fire there, only I found it out in time.”“Why, Cob,” he whispered, “there’s a dozen pounds of powder here wrapped round with all this fuse. Come with me to put it in a place of safety: why, it would have half-wrecked our works.”“Would it?” I said.“Would it, boy! It would have been destruction, perhaps death. Cob,” he whispered huskily, “ought we to go on watching?”“Oh, Uncle Jack,” I said, “I suppose I am foolish because I am so young!”“Cob, my boy,” he said softly; “if you had been ten times as old you could not have done better than you have done to-night. Here, let’s place this dreadful canister in the water chamber: it will be safer there.”“But the men; will they come again?”“Not to-night, my lad. I think we are safe for a few hours to come. But what of the future, if these blind savages will do such things as this?”

It seemed as if it had all been a dream when I awoke and found Uncle Bob was shaking me.

“Come, young fellow,” he cried; “breakfast’s ready.”

I did not feel ready for my breakfast if it was, especially a breakfast of bread and meat with no chair, no table, no cloth, no tea, coffee, or bread and butter.

Such a good example was shown me, though, that I took the thick sandwich offered to me, and I was soon forgetting my drowsiness and eating heartily.

We were not interrupted, and when we had ended our meal, went round the place to see what was to be done.

The first thing was placing the property that could be claimed by the men close by the gate ready for them, and when this was done Piter and I walked up and down the yard listening to the steps outside, and waiting to give a signal if any of the men should come.

No men came, however, and there was not a single call till afternoon, when a sharp rapping at the gate was answered by two of my uncles, and the dog, who seemed puzzled as to the best pair of legs to peer between, deciding at last in favour of Uncle Bob’s.

To our surprise, when the gate was opened, there were no men waiting, but half a dozen women, one of whom announced that they had came for their masters’ “traps,” and the said “traps” being handed to them, they went off without a word, not even condescending to say “Thank you.”

“Come,” said Uncle Bob, after the various things had been carried off, and Piter had stood looking on twitching his ears and blinking at them, as if he did not war with women, “Come, we’ve won the game.”

“Don’t be too sure, my boy,” said Uncle Dick.

“But they have, given up.”

“Given up expecting to use the works. But what are they going to do in revenge?”

“Revenge!”

“Yes. You may depend upon it we are marked men, and that we shall have to fight hard to hold our own.”

As the day went on—a day busily spent in making plans for the future of our factory, we had one or two applications from men who were seeking work, and if we had any doubt before of how our coming was to be received, we realised it in the yells and hootings that greeted the men who came in a friendly spirit.

Uncle Dick went off directly after breakfast to see about the machinery waiting at the railway being delivered, and it was late in the afternoon before he returned.

“One of us will have to stay always on the premises for the present,” he said, “so I have ordered some furniture and a carpenter to come and board up and make that corner office comfortable. We must make shift.”

The matter was discussed, and finally it was settled that two of our party were to be always on the premises, and until we were satisfied that there was no more fear of interference, one was to keep watch half the night with the dog, and then be relieved by the other.

“We shall have to make a man of you, Cob,” said Uncle Jack. “You must take your turn with us.”

“I’m ready,” I replied; and very proud I felt of being trusted.

Of course I felt nervous, but at the same time rather disappointed, for everything went on in the most business like way. Carpenters and fitters were set to work, and, helped by the indomitable perseverance and energy of my uncles, a great deal of fresh machinery was soon in position. New shafts and bands, a new furnace for preparing our own steel after a fashion invented by Uncle Dick. New grindstones and polishing-wheels, new forges with tilt-hammers, and anvils.

By degrees I found what was going to be our chief business, and that was the production of cutlery of a peculiar temper especially for surgical instruments and swords, Uncle Dick having an idea that he could produce blades equal to Damascus or the finest Spanish steel.

The days glided by with the works growing more complete, and each night half our party on guard at Fort Industry, as Uncle Bob christened the place. And though the couple who had slept at the lodgings went down to the place every morning feeling nervous, and wondering whether anything had happened in the night, it was always to find that all was going on perfectly smoothly, and that there was nothing to mind.

Piter had a kennel just inside the entry, and as each new hand was engaged he was introduced to the dog, who inspected him, and never afterwards so much as growled.

Uncle Dick took the lead, and under his orders the change rapidly took place.

There was one hindrance, though, and that occurred in connection with the furnaces, for the chimney-shaft needed some repair at the top. This, however, proved to be an easy task, scaffolding not being necessary, projecting bars answering the purpose of the rounds of a ladder having been built in when the shaft was erected, with this end in view.

At last everything was, as Uncle Dick called it, complete for the present. There was a good supply of water, and one morning the furnace was lit, so were the forges, and step by step we progressed till there was quite a busy scene, the floors and rafters in the forge and furnace building glowing and seeming turned to gold; while from out of the chimney there rose every morning a great volume of smoke that rolled out and bent over, and formed itself into vast feathery plumes.

I could hardly believe it true when it was announced that we had been down in Arrowfield a month: but so it was.

But little had been done beyond getting the machinery at the works ready for work to come; now, however, some of the projects were to be put in action.

“For,” said Uncle Dick, “if we should go on forging and grinding as other manufacturers do, we only enter into competition with them, and I dare say we should be beaten. We must do something different and better, and that’s why we have come. To-morrow I begin to make my new tempered steel.”

Uncle Dick kept his word, and the next morning men were at work arranging fire-bricks for a little furnace which was duly made, and then so much blistered steel was laid in a peculiar way with so much iron, and a certain heat was got up and increased and lowered several times till Uncle Dick was satisfied. He told me that the colour assumed by the metal was the test by which he judged whether it was progressing satisfactorily, and this knowledge could only come by experience.

Everything was progressing most favourably. The men who had been engaged worked well; we had seen no more of those who had had to vacate the works, and all was as it should be. In fact our affairs were so prosperous that to me it seemed great folly for watch to be kept in the works night after night.

I thought it the greatest nonsense possible one night when I had been very busy all day, and it had come to my turn, and I told Uncle Jack so.

“Those fellows were a bit cross at having to turn out,” I said. “Of course they were, and they made a fuss. You don’t suppose they will come again?”

“I don’t know, Cob,” said Uncle Jack quietly.

“But is it likely?” I said pettishly.

“I can’t say, my boy—who can? Strange things have been done down in Arrowfield by foolish workmen before now.”

“Oh, yes!” I said; “but that’s in the past. It isn’t likely that they will come and annoy us. Besides, there’s Piter. He’d soon startle any one away.”

“You think then that there is no occasion for us to watch, Cob?”

“Yes,” I cried eagerly, “that’s just what I think. We can go to bed and leave Piter to keep guard. He would soon give the alarm.”

“Then you had better go to bed, Cob,” said Uncle Jack quietly.

“And of course you won’t get up when it comes to your turn.”

“No,” he said; “certainly not.”

“That’s right,” I cried triumphantly. “I am glad we have got over this scare.”

“Are you?” he said dryly.

“Am I, Uncle Jack! Why, of course I am. All is locked up. I’ll go and unchain Piter, and then we’ll go and get a good night’s rest.”

“Yes,” he said; “you may as well unchain Piter.”

I ran and set the dog at liberty, and he started off to make the circuit of the place, while I went back to Uncle Jack, who was lighting the bull’s-eye lantern that we always used when on guard.

“Why, uncle,” I said wonderingly; “we sha’n’t want that to-night.”

“I shall,” he said. “Good-night!”

“No, no,” I cried. “We arranged to go to bed.”

“You arranged to go to bed, Cob, but I did not. You don’t suppose I could behave so unfairly to my brothers as to neglect the task they placed in my hands.”

He did not say any more. It was quite sufficient. I felt the rebuff, and was thoroughly awake now and ashamed of what I had proposed.

Without a word I took the lantern and held out my hand.

“Good-night, Uncle Jack!” I said.

He had seemed cold and stern just before. Now he was his quiet old self again, and he took my hand, nodded, and said:

“Two o’clock, Cob. Good-night!”

I saw him go along the great workshop, enter the office and close the door, and then I started on my rounds.

It was anything but a cheerful task, that keeping watch over the works during the night, and I liked the first watch from ten to two less than the second watch from two to six, for in the latter you had the day breaking about four o’clock, and then it was light until six.

For, however much one might tell oneself that there was no danger—no likelihood of anything happening, the darkness in places, the faint glow from partly extinct fires, and the curious shadows cast on the whitewashed walls were all disposed to be startling; and, well as I knew the place, I often found myself shrinking as I came suddenly upon some piece of machinery that assumed in the darkness the aspect of some horrible monster about to seize me as I went my rounds.

Upon the other hand, there was a pleasant feeling of importance in going about that great dark place of a night, with a lantern at my belt, a stout stick in my hand, and a bull-dog at my heels, and this sensation helped to make the work more bearable.

On this particular night I had paced silently all about the place several times, thinking a good deal about my little encounter with Uncle Jack, and about the last letters I had had from my father. Then, as all seemed perfectly right, I had seated myself by the big furnace, which emitted a dull red glow, not sufficient to light the place, but enough to make it pleasantly warm, and to show that if a blast were directed in the coals, a fierce fire would soon be kindled.

I did not feel at all sleepy now; in fact, in spite of the warmth this furnace-house would not have been a pleasant place to sleep in, for the windows on either side were open, having no glass, only iron bars, and those on one side looked over the dam, while the others were in the wall that abutted on the lane leading down to the little river.

Piter had been with me all through my walk round, but, seeing me settle down, he had leaped on to the hot ashes and proceeded to curl himself up in a nice warm place, where the probabilities were that he would soon begin to cook.

Piter had been corrected for this half a dozen times over, but he had to be bullied again, and leaping off the hot ashes he had lowered his tail and trotted back to his kennel, where he curled himself up.

All was very still as I sat there, except that the boom and throb of the busy town where the furnaces and steam-engines were at work kept going and coming in waves of sound; and as I sat, I found myself thinking about the beauty of the steel that my uncles had set themselves to produce; and how, when a piece was snapped across, breaking like a bit of glass, the fracture looked all of a silvery bluish-grey.

Then I began thinking about our tall chimney, and what an unpleasant place mine would be to sit in if there were a furious storm, and the shaft were blown down; and then, with all the intention to be watchful, I began to grow drowsy, and jumping up, walked up and down the furnace-house and round the smouldering fire, whose chimney was a great inverted funnel depending from the open roof.

I grew tired of walking about and sat down again, to begin thinking once more.

How far is it from thinking to sleeping and dreaming? Who can answer that question?

To me it seemed that I was sitting thinking, and that as I thought there in the darkness, where I could see the fire throwing up its feeble glow on to the dim-looking open windows on either side, some great animal came softly in through the window on my left, and then disappeared for a few moments, to appear again on my right where the wall overlooked the lane.

That window seemed to be darkened for a minute or two, and then became light again, while once more that on my left grew dark, and I saw the figure glide out.

I seemed, as I say, to have been thinking, and as I thought it all appeared to be a dream, for it would have been impossible for any one to have crept in at one window, passing the furnace and back again without disturbing me.

Yes; I told myself it was all fancy, and as I thought I told myself that I started awake, and looked sharply at first one window, and then at the other, half expecting to see someone there.

“I was asleep and dreaming,” I said to myself; and, starting up impatiently, I walked right out of the furnace-house across the strip of yard, and in at the door, making Piter give his stumpy tail a sharp rapping noise upon the floor of his kennel.

I went on all through the grinding workshop, and listened at the end of the place to the water trickling and dripping down in the great water-floored cellar.

That place had an attraction for me, and I stood listening for some minutes before walking back, thoroughly awake now.

I was so used to the place that I had no need to open the lantern, but threaded my way here and there without touching a thing, and I was able to pass right through to the upper floor in the same way.

Everything was correct, and Uncle Jack sleeping soundly, as I hoped to be after another hour or so’s watching.

I would not disturb him, but stole out again, and along the workshop to the head of the stairs, where I descended and stooped to pat Piter again before looking about the yard, and then walking slowly into the warm furnace-house.

Then, after a glance at the windows where I had fancied I had seen someone creep in, I sat down in my old place enjoying the warmth, and once more the drowsy sensation crept over me.

How long it was before I dropped asleep I can’t tell, but, bad watchman that I was, I did drop asleep, and began dreaming about the great dam miles away up the valley; and there it seemed to me I was fishing with a long line for some of the great pike that lurked far down in the depths.

As I fished my line seemed to pass over a window-sill and scraped against it, and made a noise which set me wondering how large the fish must be that was running away with it.

And then I was awake, with the perspiration upon my forehead and my hands damp, listening.

It was no fishing-line. I was not by the great dam up the river, but there in our own furnace-house, and something was making a strange rustling noise.

For some few moments I could not tell where the noise was. There was the rustling, and it seemed straight before me. Then I knew it was there, for immediately in front on the open fire something was moving and causing a series of little nickers and sparkles in the glowing ashes.

What could it be? What did it mean?

I was so startled that I was ready to leap up and run out of the place, and it was some time before I could summon up courage enough to stretch out a hand, and try to touch whatever it was that moved the glowing ashes.

Wire!

Yes; there was no doubt of it—wire. A long thin wire stretched pretty tightly reached right across me, and evidently passed from the window overlooking the lane across the furnace and out of the window by the side of the dam.

What did it mean—what was going to happen?

I asked myself these questions as I bent towards the furnace, touching the wire which glided on through my hand towards the window by the dam.

It was all a matter of moments, and I could feel that someone must be drawing the wire out there by the dam, though how I could not tell, for it seemed to me that there was nothing but deep water there.

“Some one must have floated down the dam in a boat,” I thought in a flash; but no explanation came to the next part of my question, what was it for?

As I bent forward there wondering what it could mean, I began to understand that there must be some one out in the lane at the other end of the wire, and in proof of this surmise I heard a low scraping noise at the window on my right, and then a hiss as if someone had drawn his breath in between his lips.

What could it mean?

I was one moment for shouting, “Who’s there?” the next for turning on my bull’s-eye; and again the next for running and rousing up Uncle Jack.

Then I thought that I would shout and call to Piter; but I felt that if I did either of these things I should lose the clue that was gliding through my hands.

What could it mean?

The wire, invisible to me, kept softly stirring the glowing ashes, and seemed to be visible there. Elsewhere it was lost in the black darkness about me, but I felt it plainly enough, and in my intense excitement, hundreds of yards seemed to have passed through my hand before I felt a check and in a flash knew what was intended.

For, all at once, as the wire glided on, something struck against my hand gently, and raising the other it came in contact with a large canister wrapped round and round with stout soft cord.

What for?

I knew in an instant; I had read of such outrages, and it was to guard against them that we watched, and kept that dog.

I had hold of a large canister of gunpowder, and the soft cord wrapped around it was prepared fuse.

I comprehended too the horrible ingenuity of the scheme, which was to draw, by means of the wire, the canister of gunpowder on to the furnace, so that the fuse might catch fire, and that would give the miscreants who were engaged time to escape before the powder was fired and brought the chimney-shaft toppling down.

For a moment I trembled and felt ready to drop the canister, and run for my life.

Then I felt strong, for I knew that if I kept the canister in my hands the fuse could not touch the smouldering ashes and the plan would fail.

But how to do this without being heard by the men who must be on either side of the furnace-house.

It was easy enough; I had but to hold the canister high up above the fire, and pass it over till it was beyond the burning ashes and then let it continue its course to the other window.

It was a great risk, not of explosion, but of being heard; but with a curious feeling of reckless excitement upon me I held up the canister, stepping softly over the ash floor, and guiding the terrible machine on till the danger was passed.

Then stealing after it I climbed gently on to the broad bench beneath the clean window, and with my head just beneath it touched the wire, and waited till the canister touched my hand again.

I had made no plans, but, urged on by the spirit of the moment, I seized the canister with both hands, gave it a tremendous jerk, and with my face at the window roared out:

“Now, fire! Fire! Shoot ’em down!”

I stood on the work-bench then, astounded at the effect of my cry.

Behind me there was a jerk at the wire, which snapped, and I heard the rush of feet in the lane, while before me out from the window there came a yell, a tremendous splash, and then the sound of water being beaten, and cries for help.

At the same moment Piter came rushing into the furnace house, barking furiously, and directly after there was the noise of feet on the stairs, and Uncle Jack came in.

“What is it, Cob? Where’s your light?” he cried.

I had forgotten the lantern, but I turned it on now as I tucked the canister beneath my arm.

“There’s a man or two men drowning out here in the dam,” I panted hoarsely; and Uncle Jack leaped on to the bench by my side.

“Give me the lantern,” he cried; and, taking it from my wet hands, he turned it on, held it to the open window, and made it play upon the surface of the dam.

“There are two men there, swimming to the side,” he cried. “Stop, you scoundrels!” he roared; but the beating noise in the water increased. One seemed to get his footing and held out his hand to his companion in distress. The next minute I saw that they had gained the stone wall at the side, over which they clambered, and from there we heard them drop down on to the gravel stones.

“They’re gone, Cob,” said my uncle.

“Shall we run after them?” I said.

“It would be madness,” he replied. “Down, Piter! Quiet, good dog!”

“Now what’s the meaning of it all?” he said after turning the light round the place. “What did you hear? Were they getting in?”

“No,” I said; “they were trying to draw this canister on to the fire with the wire; but I heard them and got hold of it.”

Uncle Jack turned the light of the bull’s-eye on to the canister I held, and then turned it off again, as if there were danger of its doing some harm with the light alone, even after it had passed through glass.

“Why, Cob,” he said huskily, “did you get hold of that?”

“Yes, I stopped it,” I said, trembling now that the excitement had passed.

“But was the fuse alight?”

“No,” I said; “they were going to draw it over the fire there, only I found it out in time.”

“Why, Cob,” he whispered, “there’s a dozen pounds of powder here wrapped round with all this fuse. Come with me to put it in a place of safety: why, it would have half-wrecked our works.”

“Would it?” I said.

“Would it, boy! It would have been destruction, perhaps death. Cob,” he whispered huskily, “ought we to go on watching?”

“Oh, Uncle Jack,” I said, “I suppose I am foolish because I am so young!”

“Cob, my boy,” he said softly; “if you had been ten times as old you could not have done better than you have done to-night. Here, let’s place this dreadful canister in the water chamber: it will be safer there.”

“But the men; will they come again?”

“Not to-night, my lad. I think we are safe for a few hours to come. But what of the future, if these blind savages will do such things as this?”

Chapter Nine.Drowning an Enemy.I did not sleep that morning, but kept watch with Uncle Jack, and as soon as the men came to work I hurried off to Mrs Stephenson’s to tell the others of the night’s adventures.Half an hour later they were with me at the works, where a quiet examination was made, everything being done so as not to take the attention of the work-people, who were now busy.We had first of all a good look round outside, and found that beneath the window of the furnace-house there were some half dozen great nails or spikes carefully driven into the wall, between the stones, so as to make quite a flight of steps for an active man, and across the window lay a tangled-together length of thin wire.We did not stop to draw out the nails for fear of exciting attention, but strolled back at once into the works.And now once for all, when I saywe, please to understand that it is not out of conceit, for my share in our adventures was always very small, but to avoid uncling you all too much, and making so many repetitions of the names of Uncle Dick, Uncle Jack, and Uncle Bob.I saw several of the men look up from their work as we went through the grinding-shop, but they went on again with their task, making the blades they ground shriek as they pressed them against the swiftly revolving stones.“They must know all about it, Uncle Bob,” I whispered, and he gave me a meaning look.“Yes,” he said softly; “that’s the worst of it, my lad. Master and man ought to shake hands and determine to fight one for the other; but, as you see, they take opposite sides, and it is war.”We went next into the wheel-pit and had a look round, after which Uncle Jack spoke aloud to the man who acted as general engineer, and said he thought that the great axle wanted seeing to and fresh cleaning.The man nodded, and said gruffly that he would see to it, and then, as he turned away, I saw him wink at one of the men grinding at a stone and thrust his tongue into his cheek.Just then he caught my eye, his countenance changed, and he looked as foolish as a boy found out in some peccadillo, but the next instant he scowled at me, and his fierce dark eyes said as plainly as if they spoke:“Say a word about that and I’ll half kill you.”I read the threat aright, as will be seen; and, turning to follow my uncles, I saw that the man was coming on close behind me, with a look in his countenance wonderfully like that with which he was being followed by Piter, who, unobserved, was close at his heels, sniffing quietly at his legs and looking as if he would like to fix his teeth in one or the other.Seeing this I stopped back, half expecting that Piter, if left behind, might be kicked by the man’s heavy clogs. The others did not notice my absence, but went on out of the grinding-shop, and the engineer came close up to me, stooping down as I waited, and putting his face close to mine.“Look here, mester,” he began in a low threatening tone, “do you know what’s meant by keeping thy tongue atween thy teeth?”“Yes,” I cried; and in the same breath, “Mind the dog! Down, Piter! Down!”The man made a convulsive leap as he caught sight of the dog, and his intention was to alight upon the frame-work of one of the large grindstones close by his side—one that had just been set in motion, but though he jumped high enough he did not allow for the lowness of the ceiling, against which he struck his head, came down in a sitting position on the grindstone, and was instantly hurled off to the floor.This was Piter’s opportunity, and with a low growl and a bound he was upon the man’s chest. Another moment and he would have had him by the throat, but I caught him by the collar and dragged him off, amidst the murmur of some, and the laughter of others of the men.I did not want to look as if I was afraid, but this seemed to be a good excuse for leaving the grinding-shop, and, holding on by Piter’s collar, I led him out.Just before I reached the door, though, I heard one of the men say to his neighbour—heard it plainly over the whirr and churring of the stones:“I’ve know’d dawgs poisoned for less than that.”“What shall I do?” I asked myself as soon as I was outside; but the answer did not come. I could only think that my uncles had trouble enough on their hands, and that though it was very evident that the men at work for them were not very well affected, it was not likely that we had any one who would wilfully do us an injury.After all, too, nobody had threatened to poison the dog; it was only a remark about what had been known to happen.All this had taken but a very short time, and by the time I had joined my uncles they were just entering the office on the upper floor that looked over the dam.There were several men at work here at lathes and benches, and their tools made so much noise that they did not notice my entrance, closely followed by the dog; and so it was that I found out that they, too, must have known all about the cowardly attempt of the night, for one said to another:“Didn’t expect to be at work here this morning; did you, mate?”“No,” growled the man addressed; “but why can’t they leave un aloan. They pay reg’lar, and they’re civil.”“What do you mean?” said the first speaker sharply. “You going to side wi’ un! What do we want wi’ a set o’ inventing corckneys here!”Just then he caught sight of me, and swung round and continued his work, while I walked straight to the office door and went in, where Uncle Jack was just opening a window that looked out upon the dam.“Yes,” he said, “here we are.”He pointed to a sort of raft formed of a couple of planks placed about five feet apart and across which a dozen short pieces of wood had been nailed, forming a buoyant platform, on which no doubt our enemies had floated themselves down from the head of the dam, where there was a timber yard.“All plain enough now,” said Uncle Jack, grinding his teeth. “Oh, if I could have had hold of those two fellows by the collar when they fell in!”“Well,” said Uncle Bob, “what would you have done—drowned them?”“Not quite,” said Uncle Jack; “but they would have swallowed a great deal more water than would have been good for them.”“Never mind about impossible threats,” said Uncle Dick. “Let’s examine the powder canister now.”This was taken from its resting-place during the time the men were at breakfast and carried into the office, where the dangerous weapon of our enemies was laid upon the desk and examined.It was a strong tin canister about ten inches high and six across, and bound round and round, first with strong string and afterwards loosely with some soft black-looking cord, which Uncle Dick said was fuse; and he pointed out where one end was passed through a little hole punched through the bottom of the canister, while the loosely-twisted fuse was held on by thin wire, which allowed the soft connection with the powder to hang out in loops.“Yes,” said Uncle Dick; “if that is good fuse, the very fact of any part touching a spark or smouldering patch of ash would be enough to set it alight, and there is enough, I should say, to burn for a quarter of an hour before it reaches the powder. Yes, a good ten pounds of it,” he added, balancing the canister in his hands.“But it may be a scare,” said Uncle Bob: “done to frighten us. We don’t know yet that it is powder.”“Oh, we’ll soon prove that,” cried Uncle Jack, taking out his knife.“Uncle! Take care!” I cried in agony, for I seemed to see sparks flying from his knife, and the powder exploding and blowing us to atoms.“If you are afraid, Cob, you had better go back home,” he said rather gruffly, as he cut the fuse through and tore it off, to lie in a little heap as soon as he had freed it from the wire.Then the string followed, and the canister stood upright before us on the desk.“Looks as harmless as if it were full of arrow-root or mustard,” said Uncle Bob coolly. “Perhaps, after all, it is a scare.”I stood there with my teeth closed tightly, determined not to show fear, even if the horrible stuff did blow up. For though there was no light in the room, and the matches were in a cupboard, I could not get out of my head the idea that the stuffmightexplode, and it seemed terrible to me for such a dangerous machine to be handled in what appeared to be so reckless a way.“Lid fits pretty tight,” said Uncle Jack, trying to screw it off.“Don’t do that, old fellow,” said Uncle Dick. “It would be grinding some of the dust round, and the friction might fire it.”“Well, yes, it might,” replied Uncle Jack. “Not likely though, and I want to examine the powder.”“That’s easily done, my boy. Pull that bit of fuse out of the hole, and let some of the powder trickle out.”“Bravo! Man of genius,” said Uncle Jack; and he drew out the plug of fuse that went through the bottom of the canister.As he did this over a sheet of paper a quantity of black grains like very coarse dry sand began to trickle out and run on to the paper, forming quite a heap, and as the powder ran Uncle Jack looked round at his brother and smiled sadly.“Not done to frighten us, eh, Bob!” he said. “If that stuff had been fired the furnace-house and chimney would have been levelled.”“Why, Cob,” said Uncle Dick, laying his hand affectionately upon my shoulder. “You must be a brave fellow to have hauled that away from the furnace.”“I did not feel very brave just now,” I said bitterly. “When Uncle Jack began to handle that tin I felt as if I must run away.”“But you didn’t,” said Uncle Bob, smiling at me.“Is that gunpowder?” I said hastily, so as to change the conversation.“No doubt of it, my lad,” said Uncle Jack, scooping it up in his hand, so that it might trickle through his fingers. “Strong blasting powder. Shall I fire some and try?”“If you like,” I said sulkily, for it was, I knew, said to tease me.“Well, what’s to be done, boys?” said Uncle Jack. “Are we going to lay this before the police? It is a desperate business!”“Desperate enough, but we shall do no good, and only give ourselves a great deal of trouble if we go to the law. The police might trace out one of the offenders; but if they did, what then? It would not stop the attempts to harm us. No: I’m of opinion that our safety lies in our own watchfulness. A more terrible attempt than this could not be made.”“What shall we do with the powder, then?” asked Uncle Bob; “save it to hoist some of the scoundrels with their own petard?”“Oh, of course if you like,” said Uncle Jack. “Fancy Bob trying to blow anybody up with gunpowder!”“When he can’t even do it with his breath made into words.”“Ah! Joke away,” said Uncle Bob; “but I want to see you get rid of that horrible stuff.”“We don’t want to save it then?” said Uncle Jack.“No, no; get rid of it.”“That’s soon done then,” said Uncle Jack, tying a piece of the cord round the canister; and, going to the open window, he lowered it down over the deep water in the dam, where it sank like a stone, and drew the cord after it out of sight.“There,” he cried, “that will soon be so soaked with water that it will be spoiled.”“Who’s that,” I said, “on the other side of the dam? He’s watching us.”“Squintum the grinder. What’s his name—Griggs. Yes, I shouldn’t be a bit surprised if that scoundrel had a hand—”“Both hands,” put in Uncle Bob.“Well, both hands in this ugly business.”“But couldn’t you prove it against him?” I said.“No, my lad,” said Uncle Jack; “and I don’t know that we want to. Wretched misguided lumps of ignorance. I don’t want to help to transport the villains.”We had drawn back from the window to where there was still a little heap of powder on the desk as well as the fuse.“Come, Bob,” said Uncle Jack; “you may not be quite convinced yet, so I’ll show you an experiment.”He took about a teaspoonful of the powder, and placed it in a short piece of iron pipe which he laid on the window-sill, and then taking the rest of the explosive, he gave it a jerk and scattered it over the water.Then taking about a yard of the black soft cord that he said was fuse, he tucked one end in the pipe so that it should rest upon the powder, laid the rest along the window-sill, and asked me to get the matches.“Now,” he said, “if that’s what I think—cleverly made fuse, and good strong powder—we shall soon see on a small scale what it would have done on a large. Strike a match, Cob.”I did as I was told, feeling as if I was going to let off a very interesting firework, and as soon as the splint was well alight I was about to hold the little flame to the end of the fuse, but Uncle Jack stopped me.“No,” he said, “I want to see if a spark would have lit it. I mean I want to see if just drawing the canister over the remains of the furnace-fire would have started the fuse. That’s it, now just touch the end quickly with the match.”There was only a little spark on the wood, and no flame, as I touched the side of the fuse.The effect was instantaneous. The soft black-looking cord burst into scintillations, tiny sparks flew off on all sides, and a dull fire began to burn slowly along the fuse.“Capitally made,” said Uncle Jack. “That would have given the scoundrels plenty of warning that the work was well done, and they would have been able to get to a distance before the explosion took place.”“And now we shall see whether the powder is good,” said Uncle Dick.“But how slowly it burns!” said Uncle Bob.“But how surely,” I had it on my lips to say.I did not speak though, for I was intently watching the progress of the sparks as they ran along the fuse slowly and steadily; and as I gazed I seemed to see what would have gone on in the great dark building if I had not been awakened by the scraping sound of the canister being hauled over bench and floor.I shuddered as I watched intently, for the fuse seemed as if it would never burn through, and even when, after what in my excitement seemed a long space of time, it did reach the iron pipe, though a few sparks came from inside, the powder did not explode.“Uncle Bob’s right!” I cried with an intense feeling of relief; “that was not powder, and they only tried to frighten us.”Puff!There was a sharp flash from each end of the iron tube, and one little ball of white smoke came into the office, while another darted out into the sunny morning air.“Wrong, Cob,” said Uncle Jack. “Splendidly-made fuse and tremendously-strong powder. We have had a very narrow escape. Now, lads, what’s to be done?”“What do you say, Jack?” said Uncle Dick.“Do our duty—be always on the watch—fight it out.”“That’s settled,” said Uncle Dick. “Now let’s get to work again. Cob, you can come and see us cast some steel ingots if you like.”“Cast!” I said.“Yes, cast. You know what that is?”“Yes, of course.”“But you never saw it liquid so that it could be poured out like water.”“No,” I said, as I followed him, wondering whether I had not better tell him that I had overheard a strange remark about poisoning a dog, and ask if he thought there was any risk about Piter, who seemed to grow much uglier every day, and yet I liked him better.The end of it was that I saw the steel lifted out of the furnace in crucibles and poured forth like golden-silver water into charcoal moulds, but I did not speak about the dog.

I did not sleep that morning, but kept watch with Uncle Jack, and as soon as the men came to work I hurried off to Mrs Stephenson’s to tell the others of the night’s adventures.

Half an hour later they were with me at the works, where a quiet examination was made, everything being done so as not to take the attention of the work-people, who were now busy.

We had first of all a good look round outside, and found that beneath the window of the furnace-house there were some half dozen great nails or spikes carefully driven into the wall, between the stones, so as to make quite a flight of steps for an active man, and across the window lay a tangled-together length of thin wire.

We did not stop to draw out the nails for fear of exciting attention, but strolled back at once into the works.

And now once for all, when I saywe, please to understand that it is not out of conceit, for my share in our adventures was always very small, but to avoid uncling you all too much, and making so many repetitions of the names of Uncle Dick, Uncle Jack, and Uncle Bob.

I saw several of the men look up from their work as we went through the grinding-shop, but they went on again with their task, making the blades they ground shriek as they pressed them against the swiftly revolving stones.

“They must know all about it, Uncle Bob,” I whispered, and he gave me a meaning look.

“Yes,” he said softly; “that’s the worst of it, my lad. Master and man ought to shake hands and determine to fight one for the other; but, as you see, they take opposite sides, and it is war.”

We went next into the wheel-pit and had a look round, after which Uncle Jack spoke aloud to the man who acted as general engineer, and said he thought that the great axle wanted seeing to and fresh cleaning.

The man nodded, and said gruffly that he would see to it, and then, as he turned away, I saw him wink at one of the men grinding at a stone and thrust his tongue into his cheek.

Just then he caught my eye, his countenance changed, and he looked as foolish as a boy found out in some peccadillo, but the next instant he scowled at me, and his fierce dark eyes said as plainly as if they spoke:

“Say a word about that and I’ll half kill you.”

I read the threat aright, as will be seen; and, turning to follow my uncles, I saw that the man was coming on close behind me, with a look in his countenance wonderfully like that with which he was being followed by Piter, who, unobserved, was close at his heels, sniffing quietly at his legs and looking as if he would like to fix his teeth in one or the other.

Seeing this I stopped back, half expecting that Piter, if left behind, might be kicked by the man’s heavy clogs. The others did not notice my absence, but went on out of the grinding-shop, and the engineer came close up to me, stooping down as I waited, and putting his face close to mine.

“Look here, mester,” he began in a low threatening tone, “do you know what’s meant by keeping thy tongue atween thy teeth?”

“Yes,” I cried; and in the same breath, “Mind the dog! Down, Piter! Down!”

The man made a convulsive leap as he caught sight of the dog, and his intention was to alight upon the frame-work of one of the large grindstones close by his side—one that had just been set in motion, but though he jumped high enough he did not allow for the lowness of the ceiling, against which he struck his head, came down in a sitting position on the grindstone, and was instantly hurled off to the floor.

This was Piter’s opportunity, and with a low growl and a bound he was upon the man’s chest. Another moment and he would have had him by the throat, but I caught him by the collar and dragged him off, amidst the murmur of some, and the laughter of others of the men.

I did not want to look as if I was afraid, but this seemed to be a good excuse for leaving the grinding-shop, and, holding on by Piter’s collar, I led him out.

Just before I reached the door, though, I heard one of the men say to his neighbour—heard it plainly over the whirr and churring of the stones:

“I’ve know’d dawgs poisoned for less than that.”

“What shall I do?” I asked myself as soon as I was outside; but the answer did not come. I could only think that my uncles had trouble enough on their hands, and that though it was very evident that the men at work for them were not very well affected, it was not likely that we had any one who would wilfully do us an injury.

After all, too, nobody had threatened to poison the dog; it was only a remark about what had been known to happen.

All this had taken but a very short time, and by the time I had joined my uncles they were just entering the office on the upper floor that looked over the dam.

There were several men at work here at lathes and benches, and their tools made so much noise that they did not notice my entrance, closely followed by the dog; and so it was that I found out that they, too, must have known all about the cowardly attempt of the night, for one said to another:

“Didn’t expect to be at work here this morning; did you, mate?”

“No,” growled the man addressed; “but why can’t they leave un aloan. They pay reg’lar, and they’re civil.”

“What do you mean?” said the first speaker sharply. “You going to side wi’ un! What do we want wi’ a set o’ inventing corckneys here!”

Just then he caught sight of me, and swung round and continued his work, while I walked straight to the office door and went in, where Uncle Jack was just opening a window that looked out upon the dam.

“Yes,” he said, “here we are.”

He pointed to a sort of raft formed of a couple of planks placed about five feet apart and across which a dozen short pieces of wood had been nailed, forming a buoyant platform, on which no doubt our enemies had floated themselves down from the head of the dam, where there was a timber yard.

“All plain enough now,” said Uncle Jack, grinding his teeth. “Oh, if I could have had hold of those two fellows by the collar when they fell in!”

“Well,” said Uncle Bob, “what would you have done—drowned them?”

“Not quite,” said Uncle Jack; “but they would have swallowed a great deal more water than would have been good for them.”

“Never mind about impossible threats,” said Uncle Dick. “Let’s examine the powder canister now.”

This was taken from its resting-place during the time the men were at breakfast and carried into the office, where the dangerous weapon of our enemies was laid upon the desk and examined.

It was a strong tin canister about ten inches high and six across, and bound round and round, first with strong string and afterwards loosely with some soft black-looking cord, which Uncle Dick said was fuse; and he pointed out where one end was passed through a little hole punched through the bottom of the canister, while the loosely-twisted fuse was held on by thin wire, which allowed the soft connection with the powder to hang out in loops.

“Yes,” said Uncle Dick; “if that is good fuse, the very fact of any part touching a spark or smouldering patch of ash would be enough to set it alight, and there is enough, I should say, to burn for a quarter of an hour before it reaches the powder. Yes, a good ten pounds of it,” he added, balancing the canister in his hands.

“But it may be a scare,” said Uncle Bob: “done to frighten us. We don’t know yet that it is powder.”

“Oh, we’ll soon prove that,” cried Uncle Jack, taking out his knife.

“Uncle! Take care!” I cried in agony, for I seemed to see sparks flying from his knife, and the powder exploding and blowing us to atoms.

“If you are afraid, Cob, you had better go back home,” he said rather gruffly, as he cut the fuse through and tore it off, to lie in a little heap as soon as he had freed it from the wire.

Then the string followed, and the canister stood upright before us on the desk.

“Looks as harmless as if it were full of arrow-root or mustard,” said Uncle Bob coolly. “Perhaps, after all, it is a scare.”

I stood there with my teeth closed tightly, determined not to show fear, even if the horrible stuff did blow up. For though there was no light in the room, and the matches were in a cupboard, I could not get out of my head the idea that the stuffmightexplode, and it seemed terrible to me for such a dangerous machine to be handled in what appeared to be so reckless a way.

“Lid fits pretty tight,” said Uncle Jack, trying to screw it off.

“Don’t do that, old fellow,” said Uncle Dick. “It would be grinding some of the dust round, and the friction might fire it.”

“Well, yes, it might,” replied Uncle Jack. “Not likely though, and I want to examine the powder.”

“That’s easily done, my boy. Pull that bit of fuse out of the hole, and let some of the powder trickle out.”

“Bravo! Man of genius,” said Uncle Jack; and he drew out the plug of fuse that went through the bottom of the canister.

As he did this over a sheet of paper a quantity of black grains like very coarse dry sand began to trickle out and run on to the paper, forming quite a heap, and as the powder ran Uncle Jack looked round at his brother and smiled sadly.

“Not done to frighten us, eh, Bob!” he said. “If that stuff had been fired the furnace-house and chimney would have been levelled.”

“Why, Cob,” said Uncle Dick, laying his hand affectionately upon my shoulder. “You must be a brave fellow to have hauled that away from the furnace.”

“I did not feel very brave just now,” I said bitterly. “When Uncle Jack began to handle that tin I felt as if I must run away.”

“But you didn’t,” said Uncle Bob, smiling at me.

“Is that gunpowder?” I said hastily, so as to change the conversation.

“No doubt of it, my lad,” said Uncle Jack, scooping it up in his hand, so that it might trickle through his fingers. “Strong blasting powder. Shall I fire some and try?”

“If you like,” I said sulkily, for it was, I knew, said to tease me.

“Well, what’s to be done, boys?” said Uncle Jack. “Are we going to lay this before the police? It is a desperate business!”

“Desperate enough, but we shall do no good, and only give ourselves a great deal of trouble if we go to the law. The police might trace out one of the offenders; but if they did, what then? It would not stop the attempts to harm us. No: I’m of opinion that our safety lies in our own watchfulness. A more terrible attempt than this could not be made.”

“What shall we do with the powder, then?” asked Uncle Bob; “save it to hoist some of the scoundrels with their own petard?”

“Oh, of course if you like,” said Uncle Jack. “Fancy Bob trying to blow anybody up with gunpowder!”

“When he can’t even do it with his breath made into words.”

“Ah! Joke away,” said Uncle Bob; “but I want to see you get rid of that horrible stuff.”

“We don’t want to save it then?” said Uncle Jack.

“No, no; get rid of it.”

“That’s soon done then,” said Uncle Jack, tying a piece of the cord round the canister; and, going to the open window, he lowered it down over the deep water in the dam, where it sank like a stone, and drew the cord after it out of sight.

“There,” he cried, “that will soon be so soaked with water that it will be spoiled.”

“Who’s that,” I said, “on the other side of the dam? He’s watching us.”

“Squintum the grinder. What’s his name—Griggs. Yes, I shouldn’t be a bit surprised if that scoundrel had a hand—”

“Both hands,” put in Uncle Bob.

“Well, both hands in this ugly business.”

“But couldn’t you prove it against him?” I said.

“No, my lad,” said Uncle Jack; “and I don’t know that we want to. Wretched misguided lumps of ignorance. I don’t want to help to transport the villains.”

We had drawn back from the window to where there was still a little heap of powder on the desk as well as the fuse.

“Come, Bob,” said Uncle Jack; “you may not be quite convinced yet, so I’ll show you an experiment.”

He took about a teaspoonful of the powder, and placed it in a short piece of iron pipe which he laid on the window-sill, and then taking the rest of the explosive, he gave it a jerk and scattered it over the water.

Then taking about a yard of the black soft cord that he said was fuse, he tucked one end in the pipe so that it should rest upon the powder, laid the rest along the window-sill, and asked me to get the matches.

“Now,” he said, “if that’s what I think—cleverly made fuse, and good strong powder—we shall soon see on a small scale what it would have done on a large. Strike a match, Cob.”

I did as I was told, feeling as if I was going to let off a very interesting firework, and as soon as the splint was well alight I was about to hold the little flame to the end of the fuse, but Uncle Jack stopped me.

“No,” he said, “I want to see if a spark would have lit it. I mean I want to see if just drawing the canister over the remains of the furnace-fire would have started the fuse. That’s it, now just touch the end quickly with the match.”

There was only a little spark on the wood, and no flame, as I touched the side of the fuse.

The effect was instantaneous. The soft black-looking cord burst into scintillations, tiny sparks flew off on all sides, and a dull fire began to burn slowly along the fuse.

“Capitally made,” said Uncle Jack. “That would have given the scoundrels plenty of warning that the work was well done, and they would have been able to get to a distance before the explosion took place.”

“And now we shall see whether the powder is good,” said Uncle Dick.

“But how slowly it burns!” said Uncle Bob.

“But how surely,” I had it on my lips to say.

I did not speak though, for I was intently watching the progress of the sparks as they ran along the fuse slowly and steadily; and as I gazed I seemed to see what would have gone on in the great dark building if I had not been awakened by the scraping sound of the canister being hauled over bench and floor.

I shuddered as I watched intently, for the fuse seemed as if it would never burn through, and even when, after what in my excitement seemed a long space of time, it did reach the iron pipe, though a few sparks came from inside, the powder did not explode.

“Uncle Bob’s right!” I cried with an intense feeling of relief; “that was not powder, and they only tried to frighten us.”

Puff!

There was a sharp flash from each end of the iron tube, and one little ball of white smoke came into the office, while another darted out into the sunny morning air.

“Wrong, Cob,” said Uncle Jack. “Splendidly-made fuse and tremendously-strong powder. We have had a very narrow escape. Now, lads, what’s to be done?”

“What do you say, Jack?” said Uncle Dick.

“Do our duty—be always on the watch—fight it out.”

“That’s settled,” said Uncle Dick. “Now let’s get to work again. Cob, you can come and see us cast some steel ingots if you like.”

“Cast!” I said.

“Yes, cast. You know what that is?”

“Yes, of course.”

“But you never saw it liquid so that it could be poured out like water.”

“No,” I said, as I followed him, wondering whether I had not better tell him that I had overheard a strange remark about poisoning a dog, and ask if he thought there was any risk about Piter, who seemed to grow much uglier every day, and yet I liked him better.

The end of it was that I saw the steel lifted out of the furnace in crucibles and poured forth like golden-silver water into charcoal moulds, but I did not speak about the dog.

Chapter Ten.“’Night, Mate.”As it happened, Mr Tomplin came in that evening, and when he asked how matters were progressing at the works, Uncle Dick looked round and seemed to be asking his brothers whether he should speak.“Ah! I see,” said Mr Tomplin; “they have been up to some tricks with you.”“Tricks is a mild term,” said Uncle Jack bitterly.“They have not tried to blow you up?”“Indeed but they did!” said Uncle Jack fiercely; “and if it had not been for the coolness and bravery of my nephew there the place would have been destroyed.”“Tut! Tut! Tut!” ejaculated Mr Tomplin; and putting on his spectacles he stared at me in the most provoking way, making me feel as if I should like to knock his glasses off.“Is it customary for your people here to fire canisters of gunpowder in the workshops of those who are newcomers?”“Sometimes,” said Mr Tomplin coolly.“But such things would destroy life.”“Well, not always life, my dear sir,” said Mr Tomplin, “but very often great bodily injury is done.”“Very often?”“Well, no, not very often now, but we have had a great many trade outrages in our time.”“But what have we done beyond taking possession of a building for which we have paid a large sum of money?”“It is not what you have done, my dear sirs; it is what you are about to do. The work-people have got it into their heads that you are going to invent some kind of machinery that will throw them out of work.”“Nothing of the kind, my dear sir. We are trying to perfect an invention that will bring a vast deal of trade to Arrowfield.”“But you will not be able to make them believe that till the business comes.”“And before then, I suppose, we are to be killed?”Mr Tomplin looked very serious, and stared hard at me, as if it was all my fault.“My dear sirs,” he said at last, “I hardly know how to advise you. It is a most unthankful task to try and invent anything, especially down here. People are so blindly obstinate and wilful that they will not listen to reason. Why not go steadily on with manufacturing in the regular way? What do you say, my young friend?” he added, turning to me.“Why not ask the world to stand still, sir?” I exclaimed impetuously. “I say it’s a shame!”He looked very hard at me, and then pursed up his lips, while I felt that I had been speaking very rudely to him, and could only apologise to myself by thinking that irritation was allowable, for only last night we had been nearly blown up.“Would you put the matter in the hands of the police?” said Uncle Dick.“Well, you might,” said Mr Tomplin.“But you would not,” said Uncle Bob.“No, I don’t think I should, if it were my case. I should commence an action for damages if I could find an enemy who had any money, but it is of no use fighting men of straw.”Mr Tomplin soon after went away, and I looked at my uncles, wondering what they would say. But as they did not speak I broke out with:“Why, he seemed to think nothing of it.”“Custom of the country,” said Uncle Bob, laughing. “Come, Dick, it’s our turn now.”“Right!” said Uncle Dick; but Uncle Jack laid hold of his shoulder.“Look here,” he said. “I don’t like the idea of you two going down there.”“No worse for us than for you,” said Uncle Bob.“Perhaps not, but the risk seems too great.”“Never mind,” said Uncle Dick. “I’m not going to be beaten. It’s war to the knife, and I’m not going to give up.”“They are not likely to try anything to-night,” said Uncle Bob. “There, you two can walk down with us and look round to see if everything is all right and then come back.”“Don’t you think you ought to have pistols?” said Uncle Jack.“No,” replied Uncle Dick firmly. “We have our sticks, and the dog, and we’ll do our best with them. If a pistol is used it may mean the destruction of a life, and I would rather give up our adventure than have blood upon our hands.”“Yes, you are right,” said Uncle Jack. “If bodily injury or destruction is done let them have the disgrace on their side.”We started off directly, and I could not help noticing how people kept staring at my uncles.It was not the respectably-dressed people so much as the rough workmen, who were hanging about with their pipes, or standing outside the public-house doors. These scowled and talked to one another in a way that I did not like, and more than once I drew Uncle Dick’s attention to it, but he only smiled.“We’re strangers,” he said. “They’ll get used to us by and by.”There was not a soul near the works as we walked up to the gate and were saluted with a furious fit of barking from Piter, who did not know our steps till the key was rattled in the gate. Then he stopped at once and gave himself a shake and whined.It was growing dusk as we walked round the yard, to find everything quite as it should be. A look upstairs and down showed nothing suspicious; and after a few words regarding keeping a sharp look-out and the like we left the watchers of the night and walked back.“Cob,” said Uncle Jack as we sat over our supper, “I don’t like those two poor fellows being left there by themselves.”“Neither do I, uncle,” I said. “Why not give up watching the place and let it take its chance?”“Because we had such an example of the safety of the place and the needlessness of the task?”“Don’t be hard on me, uncle,” I said quickly. “I meant that it would be better to suffer serious loss than to have someone badly injured in defending the place.”“You’re right, Cob—quite right,” cried Uncle Jack, slapping the table. “Here, you make me feel like a boy. I believe you were born when you were an old man.”“Nonsense!” I said, laughing.“But you don’t talk nonsense, sir. What are you—a fairy changeling? Here, let’s go down to the works.”“Go down?” I said.“To be sure. I couldn’t go to bed to-night and sleep. I should be thinking that those two poor fellows were being blown up, or knob-sticked, or turned out. We’ll have them back and leave Piter to take care of the works, and give him a rise in his wages.”“Of an extra piece of meat every day, uncle?”“If you had waited a few minutes longer, sir, I should have said that,” he replied, laughing; and taking his hat and stick we went down the town, talking about the curious vibrations and throbbings we could hear; of the heavy rumbling and the flash and glow that came from the different works. Some were so lit up that it seemed as if the windows were fiery eyes staring out of the darkness, and more than once we stopped to gaze in at some cranny where furnaces were kept going night and day and the work never seemed to stop.As we left the steam-engine part behind, the solitary stillness of our district seemed to be more evident; and though we passed one policeman, I could not help thinking how very little help we should be able to find in a case of great emergency.Uncle Jack had chatted away freely enough as we went on; but as we drew nearer to the works he became more and more silent, and when we had reached the lane he had not spoken for fully ten minutes.Eleven o’clock was striking and all seemed very still. Not a light was visible on that side, and the neighbouring works were apparently quite empty as we stood and listened.“Let’s walk along by the side of the dam, Cob,” said Uncle Jack. “I don’t suppose we shall see anything, but let’s have a look how the place seems by night.”I followed close behind him, and we passed under the one gas lamp that showed the danger of the path to anyone going along; for in the darkness there was nothing to prevent a person from walking right into the black dam, which looked quite beautiful and countrified now, spangled all over, as it was, with the reflections of the stars.I was going to speak, but Uncle Jack raised his hand for me to be silent, and I crept closer to him, wondering what reason he had for stopping me; and then he turned and caught my arm, for we had reached the end of the dam where it communicated with the river.Just then two men approached, and one said to the other:“Tell ’ee, they changes every night. Sometimes it’s one and the boy, sometimes two on ’em together. The boy was there last night, and— Hullo! ’Night, mate!”“’Night!” growled Uncle Jack in an assumed voice as he slouched down and gave me a shake. “Coom on, wilt ta!” he said hoarsely; and I followed him without a word.“I tried it, Cob,” he whispered as we listened to the retreating steps of the men. “I don’t think they knew us in the dark.”“They were talking about us,” I said.“Yes; that made me attempt to disguise my voice. Here, let’s get back. Hark! There’s the dog. Quick! Something may be wrong.”We set off at a trot in the direction that the men had taken, but we did not pass them, for they had gone down to their right; but there was no doubt existing that the affairs at the works were well known and that we were surrounded by enemies; and perhaps some of them were busy now, for Jupiter kept on his furious challenge, mingling it with an angry growl, that told of something being wrong.

As it happened, Mr Tomplin came in that evening, and when he asked how matters were progressing at the works, Uncle Dick looked round and seemed to be asking his brothers whether he should speak.

“Ah! I see,” said Mr Tomplin; “they have been up to some tricks with you.”

“Tricks is a mild term,” said Uncle Jack bitterly.

“They have not tried to blow you up?”

“Indeed but they did!” said Uncle Jack fiercely; “and if it had not been for the coolness and bravery of my nephew there the place would have been destroyed.”

“Tut! Tut! Tut!” ejaculated Mr Tomplin; and putting on his spectacles he stared at me in the most provoking way, making me feel as if I should like to knock his glasses off.

“Is it customary for your people here to fire canisters of gunpowder in the workshops of those who are newcomers?”

“Sometimes,” said Mr Tomplin coolly.

“But such things would destroy life.”

“Well, not always life, my dear sir,” said Mr Tomplin, “but very often great bodily injury is done.”

“Very often?”

“Well, no, not very often now, but we have had a great many trade outrages in our time.”

“But what have we done beyond taking possession of a building for which we have paid a large sum of money?”

“It is not what you have done, my dear sirs; it is what you are about to do. The work-people have got it into their heads that you are going to invent some kind of machinery that will throw them out of work.”

“Nothing of the kind, my dear sir. We are trying to perfect an invention that will bring a vast deal of trade to Arrowfield.”

“But you will not be able to make them believe that till the business comes.”

“And before then, I suppose, we are to be killed?”

Mr Tomplin looked very serious, and stared hard at me, as if it was all my fault.

“My dear sirs,” he said at last, “I hardly know how to advise you. It is a most unthankful task to try and invent anything, especially down here. People are so blindly obstinate and wilful that they will not listen to reason. Why not go steadily on with manufacturing in the regular way? What do you say, my young friend?” he added, turning to me.

“Why not ask the world to stand still, sir?” I exclaimed impetuously. “I say it’s a shame!”

He looked very hard at me, and then pursed up his lips, while I felt that I had been speaking very rudely to him, and could only apologise to myself by thinking that irritation was allowable, for only last night we had been nearly blown up.

“Would you put the matter in the hands of the police?” said Uncle Dick.

“Well, you might,” said Mr Tomplin.

“But you would not,” said Uncle Bob.

“No, I don’t think I should, if it were my case. I should commence an action for damages if I could find an enemy who had any money, but it is of no use fighting men of straw.”

Mr Tomplin soon after went away, and I looked at my uncles, wondering what they would say. But as they did not speak I broke out with:

“Why, he seemed to think nothing of it.”

“Custom of the country,” said Uncle Bob, laughing. “Come, Dick, it’s our turn now.”

“Right!” said Uncle Dick; but Uncle Jack laid hold of his shoulder.

“Look here,” he said. “I don’t like the idea of you two going down there.”

“No worse for us than for you,” said Uncle Bob.

“Perhaps not, but the risk seems too great.”

“Never mind,” said Uncle Dick. “I’m not going to be beaten. It’s war to the knife, and I’m not going to give up.”

“They are not likely to try anything to-night,” said Uncle Bob. “There, you two can walk down with us and look round to see if everything is all right and then come back.”

“Don’t you think you ought to have pistols?” said Uncle Jack.

“No,” replied Uncle Dick firmly. “We have our sticks, and the dog, and we’ll do our best with them. If a pistol is used it may mean the destruction of a life, and I would rather give up our adventure than have blood upon our hands.”

“Yes, you are right,” said Uncle Jack. “If bodily injury or destruction is done let them have the disgrace on their side.”

We started off directly, and I could not help noticing how people kept staring at my uncles.

It was not the respectably-dressed people so much as the rough workmen, who were hanging about with their pipes, or standing outside the public-house doors. These scowled and talked to one another in a way that I did not like, and more than once I drew Uncle Dick’s attention to it, but he only smiled.

“We’re strangers,” he said. “They’ll get used to us by and by.”

There was not a soul near the works as we walked up to the gate and were saluted with a furious fit of barking from Piter, who did not know our steps till the key was rattled in the gate. Then he stopped at once and gave himself a shake and whined.

It was growing dusk as we walked round the yard, to find everything quite as it should be. A look upstairs and down showed nothing suspicious; and after a few words regarding keeping a sharp look-out and the like we left the watchers of the night and walked back.

“Cob,” said Uncle Jack as we sat over our supper, “I don’t like those two poor fellows being left there by themselves.”

“Neither do I, uncle,” I said. “Why not give up watching the place and let it take its chance?”

“Because we had such an example of the safety of the place and the needlessness of the task?”

“Don’t be hard on me, uncle,” I said quickly. “I meant that it would be better to suffer serious loss than to have someone badly injured in defending the place.”

“You’re right, Cob—quite right,” cried Uncle Jack, slapping the table. “Here, you make me feel like a boy. I believe you were born when you were an old man.”

“Nonsense!” I said, laughing.

“But you don’t talk nonsense, sir. What are you—a fairy changeling? Here, let’s go down to the works.”

“Go down?” I said.

“To be sure. I couldn’t go to bed to-night and sleep. I should be thinking that those two poor fellows were being blown up, or knob-sticked, or turned out. We’ll have them back and leave Piter to take care of the works, and give him a rise in his wages.”

“Of an extra piece of meat every day, uncle?”

“If you had waited a few minutes longer, sir, I should have said that,” he replied, laughing; and taking his hat and stick we went down the town, talking about the curious vibrations and throbbings we could hear; of the heavy rumbling and the flash and glow that came from the different works. Some were so lit up that it seemed as if the windows were fiery eyes staring out of the darkness, and more than once we stopped to gaze in at some cranny where furnaces were kept going night and day and the work never seemed to stop.

As we left the steam-engine part behind, the solitary stillness of our district seemed to be more evident; and though we passed one policeman, I could not help thinking how very little help we should be able to find in a case of great emergency.

Uncle Jack had chatted away freely enough as we went on; but as we drew nearer to the works he became more and more silent, and when we had reached the lane he had not spoken for fully ten minutes.

Eleven o’clock was striking and all seemed very still. Not a light was visible on that side, and the neighbouring works were apparently quite empty as we stood and listened.

“Let’s walk along by the side of the dam, Cob,” said Uncle Jack. “I don’t suppose we shall see anything, but let’s have a look how the place seems by night.”

I followed close behind him, and we passed under the one gas lamp that showed the danger of the path to anyone going along; for in the darkness there was nothing to prevent a person from walking right into the black dam, which looked quite beautiful and countrified now, spangled all over, as it was, with the reflections of the stars.

I was going to speak, but Uncle Jack raised his hand for me to be silent, and I crept closer to him, wondering what reason he had for stopping me; and then he turned and caught my arm, for we had reached the end of the dam where it communicated with the river.

Just then two men approached, and one said to the other:

“Tell ’ee, they changes every night. Sometimes it’s one and the boy, sometimes two on ’em together. The boy was there last night, and— Hullo! ’Night, mate!”

“’Night!” growled Uncle Jack in an assumed voice as he slouched down and gave me a shake. “Coom on, wilt ta!” he said hoarsely; and I followed him without a word.

“I tried it, Cob,” he whispered as we listened to the retreating steps of the men. “I don’t think they knew us in the dark.”

“They were talking about us,” I said.

“Yes; that made me attempt to disguise my voice. Here, let’s get back. Hark! There’s the dog. Quick! Something may be wrong.”

We set off at a trot in the direction that the men had taken, but we did not pass them, for they had gone down to their right; but there was no doubt existing that the affairs at the works were well known and that we were surrounded by enemies; and perhaps some of them were busy now, for Jupiter kept on his furious challenge, mingling it with an angry growl, that told of something being wrong.

Chapter Eleven.Pannell’s Pet.“Who’s there?”“All right—open the door! Cob and I have come down to see how you are getting on,” said Uncle Jack.The gate was unlocked and a stout iron bar that had been added to the defences taken down.“Why, what brings you two here?” cried Uncle Dick. “What’s the matter?”“That’s what we want to know. How long has the dog been uneasy?”“For the past hour. I had gone to lie down; Bob was watchman. All at once Piter began barking furiously, and I got up directly.”“Let’s have another look round,” said Uncle Jack.“Here, Piter!” I cried; “what’s the matter, old fellow?”The dog whined and laid his great jowl in my hand, blinking up at me and trying to make his savage grin seem to be a pleasant smile; but all at once he started away, threw up his head, and barked again angrily.“What is it, old fellow?” I said. “Here, show us them. What is it?”Piter looked at me, whined, and then barked again angrily as if there was something very wrong indeed; but he could only smell it in the air. What it was or where it was he did not seem to know.We had a good look round, searching everywhere, and not without a great deal of trepidation; for after the past night’s experience with the powder it was impossible to help feeling nervous.That’s what Uncle Jack called it. I felt in a regular fright.“Everything seems quite satisfactory,” Uncle Jack was fain to say at last. And then, “Look here, boys,” he cried, “Cob and I have been talking this matter over, and we say that the works must take care of themselves. You two have to come back with us.”“What! And leave the place to its fate?” said Uncle Dick.“Yes. Better do that than any mishap should come to you.”“What do you say, Bob?”“I’ve a very great objection to being blown up, knocked on the head, or burned,” said Uncle Bob quietly. “It’s just so with a soldier; he does not want to be shot, bayoneted, or sabred, but he has to take his chance. I’m going to take mine.”“So am I,” said Uncle Dick.“But, my dear boys—”“There, it’s of no use; is it, Bob?” cried Uncle Dick. “If we give way he’ll always be bouncing over us about how he kept watch and we daren’t.”“Nonsense!” cried Uncle Jack.“Well, if you didn’t,” said Uncle Bob, “that cocky consequential small man of a boy, Cob, will be always going about with his nose in the air and sneering. I shall stay.”“Then we will stay with you.”My uncles opposed this plan, but Uncle Jack declared that he could not sleep if he went back; so the others gave in and we stayed, taking two hours turns, and the night passed slowly by.Every now and then Piter had an uneasy fit, bursting out into a tremendous series of barks and howls, but there seemed to be no reason for the outcry.He was worst during the watch kept by Uncle Jack and me after we had had a good sleep, and there was something very pathetic in the way the poor dog looked at us, as much as to say, “I wish I could speak and put you on your guard.”But the night passed without any trouble; the men came in to their work, and with the darkness the fear seemed to have passed away. For there in the warm sunshine the water of the dam was dancing and sparkling, the great wheel went round, and inside the works the grindstones were whizzing and the steel being ground was screeching. Bellows puffed, and fires roared, and there was theclink clankof hammers sounding musically upon the anvils, as the men forged blades out of the improved steel my uncles were trying to perfect.Business was increasing, and matters went so smoothly during the next fortnight that our troubles seemed to be at an end. In one week six fresh men were engaged, and after the sluggish times in London, where for a couple of years past business had been gradually dying off, everything seemed to be most encouraging.Some of the men engaged were queer characters. One was a great swarthy giant with hardly any face visible for black hair, and to look at he seemed fit for a bandit, but to talk to he was one of the most gentle and amiable of men. He was a smith, and when he was at the anvil he used almost to startle me, he handled a heavy hammer so violently.I often stood at the door watching him seize a piece of steel with the tongs, whisk it out of the forge with a flourish that sent the white-hot scintillations flying through the place, bang it down on the anvil, and then beat it savagely into the required shape.Then he would thrust it into the fire again, begin blowing the bellows with one hand and stroke a kitten that he kept at the works with his unoccupied hand, talking to it all the time in a little squeaking voice like a boy’s.He was very fond of swinging the sparkling and sputtering steel about my head whenever I went in, but he was always civil, and the less I heeded his queer ways the more civil he became.There was a grinder, too, taken on at the same time, a short round-looking man, with plump cheeks, and small eyes which were often mere slits in his face. He had a little soft nose, too, that looked like a plump thumb, and moved up and down and to right and left when he was intent upon his work. He was the best-tempered man in the works, and seemed to me as if he was always laughing and showing his two rows of firm white teeth.I somehow quite struck up an acquaintance with these two men, for while the others looked askant at me and treated me as if I were my uncle’s spy, sent into the works to see how the men kept on, Pannell the smith and Gentles the grinder were always ready to be civil.My friendliness with Pannell began one morning when I had caught a mouse up in the office overlooking the dam, where I spent most of my time making drawings and models with Uncle Bob.This mouse I took down as abonne bouchefor Pannell’s kitten, and as soon as he saw the little creature seize it and begin to spit and swear, he rested upon his hammer handle and stopped to watch it.Next time I went into the smithy he did not flourish the white-hot steel round my head, but gave it a flourish in another direction, banged it down upon the anvil, and in a very short time had turned it into the blade of a small hand-bill.“You couldn’t do that,” he said smiling, as he cooled the piece of steel and threw it down on the floor before taking out another.“Not like that,” I said. “I could do it roughly.”“Yah! Not you,” he said. “Try.”I was only too eager, and seizing the pincers I took out one of the glowing pieces of steel lying ready, laid it upon the anvil and beat it into shape, forming a rough imitation of the work I had been watching, but with twice as many strokes, taking twice as long, and producing work not half so good.When I had done he picked up the implement, turned it over and over, looked at me, threw it down, and then went and stroked his kitten, staring straight before him.“Why, I couldn’t ha’ done a bit o’ forging like that when I’d been at it fower year,” he said in his high-pitched voice.“But my uncles have often shown me how,” I said.“What! Can they forge?” he said, staring very hard at me.“Oh, yes, as well as you can!”He blew hard at the kitten and then shook his head in a dissatisfied way, after which it seemed as if I had offended him, for he seized his hammer and pincers and began working away very hard, finishing a couple of the steel bill-hooks before he spoke again.“Which on ’em ’vented this here contrapshion?” he said, pointing to an iron bar, by touching which he could direct a blast of air into his fire without having the need of a man or boy to blow.“Uncle John,” I said.“What! Him wi’ the biggest head?”I nodded.“Yes; he said that with the water-wheel going it was easy to contrive a way to blow the fires.”“Humph! Can he forge a bill-hook or a scythe blade?”“Oh, yes!”“Who’s ’venting the noo steel?”“Oh, they are all helping! It was Uncle Richard who first started it.”“Oh, Uncle Richard, was it?” he said thoughtfully. “Well, it won’t niver do.”“Why?”“Snap a two, and never bear no edge.”“Who says so?”“Traäde,” he cried. “Steel was good enough as it weer.”Just then, as luck had it, Uncle Jack came into the smithy, and stood and watched the man as he scowled heavily and flourished out the hot steel as if he resented being watched.“You are not forging those hand-bills according to pattern, my man,” said Uncle Jack, as he saw one finished, Pannell beating the steel with savage vehemence, and seeming as if he wished it were Uncle Jack’s head.“That’s way to forge a hand-bill,” said the man sourly.“Your way,” said Uncle Jack quietly. “Not mine. I gave you a pattern. These are being made of a new steel.”“Good for nought,” said the man; but Uncle Jack paid no heed, assuming not to have heard the remark.“And I want them to look different to other people’s.”“Do it yoursen then,” said the great fellow savagely; and he threw down the hammer and pincers.“Yes, perhaps I had better,” said Uncle Jack, rolling up his white shirt-sleeves, after taking off his coat and throwing it to me.I saw Pannell glower at the pure white skin that covered great muscles as big and hard as his own, while, after unhooking a leather apron from where it hung, the lever was touched, the fire roared, and at last Uncle Jack brought out a piece of white-hot steel, banged it on the anvil, and rapidly beat it into shape.Every stroke had its object, and not one unnecessary blow fell, while in a short time he held in the water, which hissed angrily, a hand-bill that was beautifully made, and possessed a graceful curve and hook that the others wanted.“There,” said Uncle Jack. “That’s how I want them made.”The man’s face was set in a savage vindictive look, full of jealous annoyance, at seeing a well-dressed gentleman strip and use the smith’s hammer and pincers better than he could have used them himself.“Make me one now after that pattern,” said Uncle Jack.It seemed to me that the giant was going to tear off his leather apron furiously and stride out of the place; but just then Uncle Jack stretched out his great strong hand and lifted up Pannell’s kitten, which had sprung upon the forge and was about to set its little paws on the hot cinders.“Poor pussy!” he said, standing it in one hand and stroking it with the other. “You mustn’t burn those little paws and singe that coat. Is this the one that had the mouse, Cob?”Just as I answered, “Yes,” I saw the great smith change his aspect, pick up the still hot hand-bill that Uncle Jack had forged, stare hard at it on both sides, and then, throwing it down, he seized the pincers in one hand, the forge shovel in the other, turned on the blast and made the fire glow, and at last whisked out a piece of white-hot steel.This he in turn banged down on the anvil—stithyhe called it—and beat into shape.It was not done so skilfully as Uncle Jack had forged his, but the work was good and quick, and when he had done, the man cooled it and held it out with all the rough independence of the north-countryman.“Suppose that may do, mester,” he said, and he stared at where Uncle Jack still stroked the kitten, which made a platform of his broad palm, and purred and rubbed itself against his chest.“Capitally!” said Uncle Jack, setting down the kitten gently. “Yes; I wouldn’t wish to see better work.”“Aw raight!” said Pannell; and he went on with his work, while Uncle Jack and I walked across the yard to the office.“We shall get all right with the men by degrees, Cob,” he said. “That fellow was going to be nasty, but he smoothed himself down. You see now the use of a master being able to show his men how to handle their tools.”“Yes,” I said, laughing; “but that was not all. Pannell would have gone if it had not been for one thing.”“What was that?” he said.“You began petting his kitten, and that made him friends.”I often used to go into the smithy when Pannell was at work after that, and now and then handled his tools, and he showed me how to use them more skilfully, so that we were pretty good friends, and he never treated me as if I were a spy.The greater part of the other men did, and no matter how civil I was they showed their dislike by having accidents as they called them, and these accidents always happened when I was standing by and at no other time.For instance a lot of water would be splashed, so that some fell upon me; a jet of sparks from a grindstone would flash out in my face as I went past; the band of a stone would be loosened, so that it flapped against me and knocked off my cap. Then pieces of iron fell, or were thrown, no one knew which, though they knew where, for the place was generally on or close by my unfortunate body.I was in the habit of frequently going to look down in the wheel chamber or pit, and one day, as I stepped on to the threshold, my feet glided from under me, and, but for my activity in catching at and hanging by the iron bar that crossed the way I should have plunged headlong in.There seemed to be no reason for such a slip, but the men laughed brutally, and when I looked I found that the sill had been well smeared with fat.There was the one man in the grinders’ shop, though, whom I have mentioned, and who never seemed to side with his fellow workers, but looked half pityingly at me whenever I seemed to be in trouble.I went into the grinding-shop one morning, where all was noise and din, the wheels spinning and the steel shrieking as it was being ground, when all at once a quantity of water such as might have been thrown from a pint pot came all over me.I turned round sharply, but every one was at work except the stout grinder, who, with a look of disgust on his face, stood wiping his neck with a blue cotton handkerchief, and then one cheek.“Any on it come on you, mester?” he said.“Any come on me!” I cried indignantly—“look.”“It be a shaäm—a reg’lar shaäm,” he said slowly; “and I’d like to know who throwed that watter. Here, let me.”He came from his bench, or horse as the grinders call their seat, and kindly enough brushed the water away from my jacket with his handkerchief.“Don’t tak’ no notice of it,” he said. “They’re nobbut a set o’ fullish boys as plays they tricks, and if you tell on ’em they’ll give it to you worse.”I took his advice, and said nothing then, but naturally enough, spoke to my uncles about it when we were alone at night.“Never mind,” said Uncle Dick. “I daresay we shall get the fellows to understand in time that we are their friends and not their enemies.”“Yes,” said Uncle Jack; “they are better. I dare say it will all come right in time.”It was soon after this that I went into the grinding-shop one day while the men were at dinner, and going to the door that opened into the wheel chamber, which always had a fascination for me, I stood gazing down into its depths and listening to the splashing water.“Iver try to ketch any o’ them long eels, Mester Jacob?” said a familiar voice; and, starting and looking back, I saw that Gentles, the fat little grinder, was sitting down close to his wet grindstone eating his dinner, and cutting it with a newly ground knife blade forged out of our new steel.“Eels, Gentles!” I said. “I didn’t know there were any there.”“Oh, but there are,” he said; “straänge big ’uns. You set a line with a big bait on, and you’ll soon hev one.”“What, down there by the wheel?”“Ay, or oop i’ the dam. Plenty o’ eels, lad, theer.”“I’ll have a try,” I said eagerly, for the idea of catching one or two of the creatures was attractive.From that I got talking to the man about his work, and he promised to let me have a few turns at grinding.“On’y, what am I to say if thee coots theesen?” he cried with a chuckle.“Oh, but you’ll show me how to do it without!” I said laughing.“Nay, but what’s good o’ thee wanting to grind? Want to tak’ work out o’ poor men’s hands?”“Nonsense!” I cried angrily. “Why, Gentles, you know better than that. All I want is to understand thoroughly how it is done, so that I can talk to the men about their work, and show them if it isn’t right.”“Oh!” he said in a curious tone of voice. “Well, you coom any time when watter-wheel’s going, and I’ll show thee all that I know. ’Tain’t much. Keeps men fro’ starving.”“Why, Gentles,” I cried; “you drew three pounds five last week, and I saw you paid.”“Three pun’ five! Did I?” he said. “Ah, but that was a partic’lar good week. I’ve got a missus and a lot o’ bairns to keep, and times is very bad, mester.”“I’m sorry for it,” I said; and I went away and had a look in the books as soon as I reached the office, to find that Master Gentles never drew less than three pounds a-week; but I did not remind him of it, and during the next few days he very civilly showed me how his work was done—that is, the knack of holding and turning the blades, so that I rapidly acquired the way, and was too busy to notice the peculiar looks I received from the other men.Of course I know how that I was a mere bungler, and clumsy, and slow in the extreme; but at the time I felt as if I must be very clever, and there was something very satisfactory in seeing a blackened hammered blade fresh from the forge turn bright and clean in my hands, while the edge grew sharp and even.It was playing with edged tools with a vengeance, but I did not understand it then.

“Who’s there?”

“All right—open the door! Cob and I have come down to see how you are getting on,” said Uncle Jack.

The gate was unlocked and a stout iron bar that had been added to the defences taken down.

“Why, what brings you two here?” cried Uncle Dick. “What’s the matter?”

“That’s what we want to know. How long has the dog been uneasy?”

“For the past hour. I had gone to lie down; Bob was watchman. All at once Piter began barking furiously, and I got up directly.”

“Let’s have another look round,” said Uncle Jack.

“Here, Piter!” I cried; “what’s the matter, old fellow?”

The dog whined and laid his great jowl in my hand, blinking up at me and trying to make his savage grin seem to be a pleasant smile; but all at once he started away, threw up his head, and barked again angrily.

“What is it, old fellow?” I said. “Here, show us them. What is it?”

Piter looked at me, whined, and then barked again angrily as if there was something very wrong indeed; but he could only smell it in the air. What it was or where it was he did not seem to know.

We had a good look round, searching everywhere, and not without a great deal of trepidation; for after the past night’s experience with the powder it was impossible to help feeling nervous.

That’s what Uncle Jack called it. I felt in a regular fright.

“Everything seems quite satisfactory,” Uncle Jack was fain to say at last. And then, “Look here, boys,” he cried, “Cob and I have been talking this matter over, and we say that the works must take care of themselves. You two have to come back with us.”

“What! And leave the place to its fate?” said Uncle Dick.

“Yes. Better do that than any mishap should come to you.”

“What do you say, Bob?”

“I’ve a very great objection to being blown up, knocked on the head, or burned,” said Uncle Bob quietly. “It’s just so with a soldier; he does not want to be shot, bayoneted, or sabred, but he has to take his chance. I’m going to take mine.”

“So am I,” said Uncle Dick.

“But, my dear boys—”

“There, it’s of no use; is it, Bob?” cried Uncle Dick. “If we give way he’ll always be bouncing over us about how he kept watch and we daren’t.”

“Nonsense!” cried Uncle Jack.

“Well, if you didn’t,” said Uncle Bob, “that cocky consequential small man of a boy, Cob, will be always going about with his nose in the air and sneering. I shall stay.”

“Then we will stay with you.”

My uncles opposed this plan, but Uncle Jack declared that he could not sleep if he went back; so the others gave in and we stayed, taking two hours turns, and the night passed slowly by.

Every now and then Piter had an uneasy fit, bursting out into a tremendous series of barks and howls, but there seemed to be no reason for the outcry.

He was worst during the watch kept by Uncle Jack and me after we had had a good sleep, and there was something very pathetic in the way the poor dog looked at us, as much as to say, “I wish I could speak and put you on your guard.”

But the night passed without any trouble; the men came in to their work, and with the darkness the fear seemed to have passed away. For there in the warm sunshine the water of the dam was dancing and sparkling, the great wheel went round, and inside the works the grindstones were whizzing and the steel being ground was screeching. Bellows puffed, and fires roared, and there was theclink clankof hammers sounding musically upon the anvils, as the men forged blades out of the improved steel my uncles were trying to perfect.

Business was increasing, and matters went so smoothly during the next fortnight that our troubles seemed to be at an end. In one week six fresh men were engaged, and after the sluggish times in London, where for a couple of years past business had been gradually dying off, everything seemed to be most encouraging.

Some of the men engaged were queer characters. One was a great swarthy giant with hardly any face visible for black hair, and to look at he seemed fit for a bandit, but to talk to he was one of the most gentle and amiable of men. He was a smith, and when he was at the anvil he used almost to startle me, he handled a heavy hammer so violently.

I often stood at the door watching him seize a piece of steel with the tongs, whisk it out of the forge with a flourish that sent the white-hot scintillations flying through the place, bang it down on the anvil, and then beat it savagely into the required shape.

Then he would thrust it into the fire again, begin blowing the bellows with one hand and stroke a kitten that he kept at the works with his unoccupied hand, talking to it all the time in a little squeaking voice like a boy’s.

He was very fond of swinging the sparkling and sputtering steel about my head whenever I went in, but he was always civil, and the less I heeded his queer ways the more civil he became.

There was a grinder, too, taken on at the same time, a short round-looking man, with plump cheeks, and small eyes which were often mere slits in his face. He had a little soft nose, too, that looked like a plump thumb, and moved up and down and to right and left when he was intent upon his work. He was the best-tempered man in the works, and seemed to me as if he was always laughing and showing his two rows of firm white teeth.

I somehow quite struck up an acquaintance with these two men, for while the others looked askant at me and treated me as if I were my uncle’s spy, sent into the works to see how the men kept on, Pannell the smith and Gentles the grinder were always ready to be civil.

My friendliness with Pannell began one morning when I had caught a mouse up in the office overlooking the dam, where I spent most of my time making drawings and models with Uncle Bob.

This mouse I took down as abonne bouchefor Pannell’s kitten, and as soon as he saw the little creature seize it and begin to spit and swear, he rested upon his hammer handle and stopped to watch it.

Next time I went into the smithy he did not flourish the white-hot steel round my head, but gave it a flourish in another direction, banged it down upon the anvil, and in a very short time had turned it into the blade of a small hand-bill.

“You couldn’t do that,” he said smiling, as he cooled the piece of steel and threw it down on the floor before taking out another.

“Not like that,” I said. “I could do it roughly.”

“Yah! Not you,” he said. “Try.”

I was only too eager, and seizing the pincers I took out one of the glowing pieces of steel lying ready, laid it upon the anvil and beat it into shape, forming a rough imitation of the work I had been watching, but with twice as many strokes, taking twice as long, and producing work not half so good.

When I had done he picked up the implement, turned it over and over, looked at me, threw it down, and then went and stroked his kitten, staring straight before him.

“Why, I couldn’t ha’ done a bit o’ forging like that when I’d been at it fower year,” he said in his high-pitched voice.

“But my uncles have often shown me how,” I said.

“What! Can they forge?” he said, staring very hard at me.

“Oh, yes, as well as you can!”

He blew hard at the kitten and then shook his head in a dissatisfied way, after which it seemed as if I had offended him, for he seized his hammer and pincers and began working away very hard, finishing a couple of the steel bill-hooks before he spoke again.

“Which on ’em ’vented this here contrapshion?” he said, pointing to an iron bar, by touching which he could direct a blast of air into his fire without having the need of a man or boy to blow.

“Uncle John,” I said.

“What! Him wi’ the biggest head?”

I nodded.

“Yes; he said that with the water-wheel going it was easy to contrive a way to blow the fires.”

“Humph! Can he forge a bill-hook or a scythe blade?”

“Oh, yes!”

“Who’s ’venting the noo steel?”

“Oh, they are all helping! It was Uncle Richard who first started it.”

“Oh, Uncle Richard, was it?” he said thoughtfully. “Well, it won’t niver do.”

“Why?”

“Snap a two, and never bear no edge.”

“Who says so?”

“Traäde,” he cried. “Steel was good enough as it weer.”

Just then, as luck had it, Uncle Jack came into the smithy, and stood and watched the man as he scowled heavily and flourished out the hot steel as if he resented being watched.

“You are not forging those hand-bills according to pattern, my man,” said Uncle Jack, as he saw one finished, Pannell beating the steel with savage vehemence, and seeming as if he wished it were Uncle Jack’s head.

“That’s way to forge a hand-bill,” said the man sourly.

“Your way,” said Uncle Jack quietly. “Not mine. I gave you a pattern. These are being made of a new steel.”

“Good for nought,” said the man; but Uncle Jack paid no heed, assuming not to have heard the remark.

“And I want them to look different to other people’s.”

“Do it yoursen then,” said the great fellow savagely; and he threw down the hammer and pincers.

“Yes, perhaps I had better,” said Uncle Jack, rolling up his white shirt-sleeves, after taking off his coat and throwing it to me.

I saw Pannell glower at the pure white skin that covered great muscles as big and hard as his own, while, after unhooking a leather apron from where it hung, the lever was touched, the fire roared, and at last Uncle Jack brought out a piece of white-hot steel, banged it on the anvil, and rapidly beat it into shape.

Every stroke had its object, and not one unnecessary blow fell, while in a short time he held in the water, which hissed angrily, a hand-bill that was beautifully made, and possessed a graceful curve and hook that the others wanted.

“There,” said Uncle Jack. “That’s how I want them made.”

The man’s face was set in a savage vindictive look, full of jealous annoyance, at seeing a well-dressed gentleman strip and use the smith’s hammer and pincers better than he could have used them himself.

“Make me one now after that pattern,” said Uncle Jack.

It seemed to me that the giant was going to tear off his leather apron furiously and stride out of the place; but just then Uncle Jack stretched out his great strong hand and lifted up Pannell’s kitten, which had sprung upon the forge and was about to set its little paws on the hot cinders.

“Poor pussy!” he said, standing it in one hand and stroking it with the other. “You mustn’t burn those little paws and singe that coat. Is this the one that had the mouse, Cob?”

Just as I answered, “Yes,” I saw the great smith change his aspect, pick up the still hot hand-bill that Uncle Jack had forged, stare hard at it on both sides, and then, throwing it down, he seized the pincers in one hand, the forge shovel in the other, turned on the blast and made the fire glow, and at last whisked out a piece of white-hot steel.

This he in turn banged down on the anvil—stithyhe called it—and beat into shape.

It was not done so skilfully as Uncle Jack had forged his, but the work was good and quick, and when he had done, the man cooled it and held it out with all the rough independence of the north-countryman.

“Suppose that may do, mester,” he said, and he stared at where Uncle Jack still stroked the kitten, which made a platform of his broad palm, and purred and rubbed itself against his chest.

“Capitally!” said Uncle Jack, setting down the kitten gently. “Yes; I wouldn’t wish to see better work.”

“Aw raight!” said Pannell; and he went on with his work, while Uncle Jack and I walked across the yard to the office.

“We shall get all right with the men by degrees, Cob,” he said. “That fellow was going to be nasty, but he smoothed himself down. You see now the use of a master being able to show his men how to handle their tools.”

“Yes,” I said, laughing; “but that was not all. Pannell would have gone if it had not been for one thing.”

“What was that?” he said.

“You began petting his kitten, and that made him friends.”

I often used to go into the smithy when Pannell was at work after that, and now and then handled his tools, and he showed me how to use them more skilfully, so that we were pretty good friends, and he never treated me as if I were a spy.

The greater part of the other men did, and no matter how civil I was they showed their dislike by having accidents as they called them, and these accidents always happened when I was standing by and at no other time.

For instance a lot of water would be splashed, so that some fell upon me; a jet of sparks from a grindstone would flash out in my face as I went past; the band of a stone would be loosened, so that it flapped against me and knocked off my cap. Then pieces of iron fell, or were thrown, no one knew which, though they knew where, for the place was generally on or close by my unfortunate body.

I was in the habit of frequently going to look down in the wheel chamber or pit, and one day, as I stepped on to the threshold, my feet glided from under me, and, but for my activity in catching at and hanging by the iron bar that crossed the way I should have plunged headlong in.

There seemed to be no reason for such a slip, but the men laughed brutally, and when I looked I found that the sill had been well smeared with fat.

There was the one man in the grinders’ shop, though, whom I have mentioned, and who never seemed to side with his fellow workers, but looked half pityingly at me whenever I seemed to be in trouble.

I went into the grinding-shop one morning, where all was noise and din, the wheels spinning and the steel shrieking as it was being ground, when all at once a quantity of water such as might have been thrown from a pint pot came all over me.

I turned round sharply, but every one was at work except the stout grinder, who, with a look of disgust on his face, stood wiping his neck with a blue cotton handkerchief, and then one cheek.

“Any on it come on you, mester?” he said.

“Any come on me!” I cried indignantly—“look.”

“It be a shaäm—a reg’lar shaäm,” he said slowly; “and I’d like to know who throwed that watter. Here, let me.”

He came from his bench, or horse as the grinders call their seat, and kindly enough brushed the water away from my jacket with his handkerchief.

“Don’t tak’ no notice of it,” he said. “They’re nobbut a set o’ fullish boys as plays they tricks, and if you tell on ’em they’ll give it to you worse.”

I took his advice, and said nothing then, but naturally enough, spoke to my uncles about it when we were alone at night.

“Never mind,” said Uncle Dick. “I daresay we shall get the fellows to understand in time that we are their friends and not their enemies.”

“Yes,” said Uncle Jack; “they are better. I dare say it will all come right in time.”

It was soon after this that I went into the grinding-shop one day while the men were at dinner, and going to the door that opened into the wheel chamber, which always had a fascination for me, I stood gazing down into its depths and listening to the splashing water.

“Iver try to ketch any o’ them long eels, Mester Jacob?” said a familiar voice; and, starting and looking back, I saw that Gentles, the fat little grinder, was sitting down close to his wet grindstone eating his dinner, and cutting it with a newly ground knife blade forged out of our new steel.

“Eels, Gentles!” I said. “I didn’t know there were any there.”

“Oh, but there are,” he said; “straänge big ’uns. You set a line with a big bait on, and you’ll soon hev one.”

“What, down there by the wheel?”

“Ay, or oop i’ the dam. Plenty o’ eels, lad, theer.”

“I’ll have a try,” I said eagerly, for the idea of catching one or two of the creatures was attractive.

From that I got talking to the man about his work, and he promised to let me have a few turns at grinding.

“On’y, what am I to say if thee coots theesen?” he cried with a chuckle.

“Oh, but you’ll show me how to do it without!” I said laughing.

“Nay, but what’s good o’ thee wanting to grind? Want to tak’ work out o’ poor men’s hands?”

“Nonsense!” I cried angrily. “Why, Gentles, you know better than that. All I want is to understand thoroughly how it is done, so that I can talk to the men about their work, and show them if it isn’t right.”

“Oh!” he said in a curious tone of voice. “Well, you coom any time when watter-wheel’s going, and I’ll show thee all that I know. ’Tain’t much. Keeps men fro’ starving.”

“Why, Gentles,” I cried; “you drew three pounds five last week, and I saw you paid.”

“Three pun’ five! Did I?” he said. “Ah, but that was a partic’lar good week. I’ve got a missus and a lot o’ bairns to keep, and times is very bad, mester.”

“I’m sorry for it,” I said; and I went away and had a look in the books as soon as I reached the office, to find that Master Gentles never drew less than three pounds a-week; but I did not remind him of it, and during the next few days he very civilly showed me how his work was done—that is, the knack of holding and turning the blades, so that I rapidly acquired the way, and was too busy to notice the peculiar looks I received from the other men.

Of course I know how that I was a mere bungler, and clumsy, and slow in the extreme; but at the time I felt as if I must be very clever, and there was something very satisfactory in seeing a blackened hammered blade fresh from the forge turn bright and clean in my hands, while the edge grew sharp and even.

It was playing with edged tools with a vengeance, but I did not understand it then.

Back to IndexNext