The boys hardly spoke as they made their way towards the engine-house,
from whence came a loud hissing noise, and on hearing this, Joe
exclaimed excitedly,--
"He's there."
For answer Gwyn ran to the door, and entered, hardly knowing what he was
about to do, but with the feeling that this man was a natural enemy,
whom it was his duty to attack; and, like a true comrade, Joe followed
closely at his heels.
The hissing noise increased as they approached the door; and, fully
alive as he was to the danger of meddling with steam, Gwyn's heart began
to beat a little faster, for he felt that they were too late; that the
mischief had been done, the steam was escaping, and that if they entered
the house, it might be at the expense of a terrible scalding.
All else was silent, and as they reached the doorway of the place, the
shrill, shrieking noise was piercing, and made their words difficult to
hear.
"He has broken something, or turned on the steam, so that it may escape,
Joe," said Gwyn. "Shall we go in and try to put it right?"
"If we must. But where's the engine-driver?--where's the stoker?"
Gwyn looked round, to see that the people were crowding about the shaft
where the great pump was to be set in motion and where work-people were
busy still trying to get it ready. Hammers were clinking, spanners and
screw wrenches rattling on nuts, and the work in progress was being
patiently watched, the engine-house and boilers being for the time
unnoticed.
"Perhaps he's here, after all," said Gwyn at last, with a gasp. "Shall
we go in?"
Joe hesitated while you might have counted ten, and he looked
despairingly round, as if in the hope of seeing something that would
check him and render the venture unnecessary, for there was the sound as
of a thousand snakes hissing wildly, and to one unused to the behaviour
of engine boilers all this seemed preliminary to a terrible explosion,
with possible death for those who went inside.
"Yes, we must go in," said the boy at last; and as Gwyn made one effort
to summon his courage, and dashed through the door, he followed.
The noise was now almost deafening, and at a glance they saw that the
steam was escaping furiously from the two long boilers at the end
farthest from where they stood, but the new bright engine, with its
cylinders, pistons, rods, cranks, driving-wheel, governor, and
eccentric, seemed to be perfectly safe.
"He has been in and driven a pickaxe into each of the boilers," cried
Joe. "They'll blow up together. Shall we run?"
The boy's words were almost drowned by the fierce hissing, which was now
mingled with a deep bass formed by a loud humming, throbbing sound such
as might be made by a Brobdingnagian tea-kettle, just upon ready for
use. Then came loud cracking and spitting sounds, and the dull roar of
big fires.
But the man of whom they were in search was invisible, and Gwyn walked
quickly round to the other side of the engine and looked sharply down
that side of the long building.
Joe followed.
It was darker here, and the steam which filled the open roof, and was
passing out of a louvre, hung lower, so that the far end was seen
through a mist. "Not here," said Gwyn. "Think we could stop the steam
escaping?"
"Don't know," shouted back Joe. "Sha'n't we be scalded to death?"
"Let's go and try."
That was enough for Joe, who felt as if he would have given anything for
the power to rush out, but seemed held there by his companion's example.
"Go on, then," he panted out; and Gwyn had taken a couple of steps into
the hot vapour, his heart throbbing violently with the great dread of
ignorance, when, beyond the mist which was looking light in front of the
door at the far end, there was a heavy, quick step. They could see a
dark, shadowy figure, which looked of gigantic proportions through the
hanging steam, and heard the crackling and crushing of coal under its
feet, as it descended the stone steps into the stoke hole. This was
followed by the rattling of an iron bar, quickly used, the rattle and
clang of an iron door being thrown open, when a sudden glare of
brilliant light turned the cloud of steam from grey to ruddy gold.
"Hullo! there," shouted a voice, evidently from the door by which the
boys had entered; and in an instant there was a rush of feet, the
crackling of the coal on the granite steps, and they saw the dark shadow
once more, as it darted out through the far door.
At the same instant there were heavy steps going along on the other side
of the boilers to the stoke hole, a loud exclamation heard above the
hissing and shrieking of the steam. Then came the crackling of the coal
dust, the rattle of an iron implement, the furnace was closed with a
clang, and the steam between the boys and the far door changed back to
grey once more.
The next instant, as they went on, they were face to face with the big
bluff engine-driver, who shouted at them.
"Oh! it's you two young gents is it? Well, all I've got to say is that
if you're to come here meddling and playing your larks, someone else may
tend the bylers, for I won't."
"We haven't done anything," cried Gwyn, hotly.
"What!" roared the man, "when I come and ketched you fooling about with
that furnace door! Do you know that you might have made the fire rage
away if you got stoking hard, and perhaps blow up the whole place.
There's too much pressure on now."
"Will you let me speak!" cried Gwyn angrily. "We came in because
something was wrong, and no one near to see to the steam."
"Yes, there now; I only just went to that clumsy lot at the pump, to see
if they meant to start it to-day, because, if they didn't soon, I should
have to damp down. Twelve o'clock, they said, and as I told Sam
Hardock, there was I ready for them, but I s'pose he means twelve
o'clock to-morrow. And when I comes back, I find you young gents
playing the fool. D'yer want a big burst?"
"No," cried Gwyn, who had striven twice to stop the indignant flow of
words. "I tell you we came in because something was wrong--to try and
stop--"
"Wrong? Yes, you meddling with the furnace."
"We did not, I tell you."
"What? Well, if you young gents can't tell a good slumper, I'm a
Dutchman. Why, I heard you at the furnace door, and as soon as I
shouted, I hears you both roosh up the steps. Then I came round, and
here you are. Better say you didn't leave the door open."
"I do say so," shouted Gwyn, who had hard work to make himself heard
above the steam.
"Oh, all right, then. You're the governors' sons. Burst the bylers if
you like; they aren't mine."
"Will you listen?" cried Gwyn.
"Why, I am a-listening, aren't I?" cried the man. "All right, it warn't
you, then, and it must ha' been one o' they big Cornish tom-cats."
"Don't talk like a donkey," cried Gwyn, who had lost his temper now. "I
tell you we came in because something was wrong."
"Very," said the man.
"The steam was hissing horribly, as you hear it now. Aren't you going
to try and stop it?"
"Stop it?" said the man. "What for? Want me to blow the place up?"
"Of course not; but I want you to stop up those holes."
"You don't know what you're talking about, squire, or else it's to throw
me off the scent."
"I know the steam's escaping horribly."
"Yes; all waste, through them not finishing that pump."
"Then try and stop it."
"Stop it? Don't I tell you there's too much pressure on as it is?"
"It's the safety valves open, Ydoll," said Joe, with his lips to his
companion's ear.
"Oh!" ejaculated Gwyn, as he grasped the truth. "I thought something
was wrong."
"I know something was wrong, and without thinking, young squire," said
the man. "But you take my advice, and don't you meddle with anything
here again."
"I have told you we did not touch anything; but I suppose it's no use to
talk to you," said Gwyn, warmly.
"No, sir, not a bit," replied the man, gruffly; "and I shall speak to
the governors about you two coming meddling."
"And I shall speak to my father about your not being here taking care of
the engines," said Gwyn, as a parting shot. "If you had been at your
duty, no one would have had a chance to meddle. So we will see what he
says."