"I did," said Uncle Jack. "It was the tap made by a ladder that has
been reared against a house."
I made the light play against the top of the wall and along it from end
to end.
Then Uncle Jack took it and examined the top, but nothing was visible
and saying it was fancy he handed the lantern to me, when all at once
there was a double thud as of two people leaping down from the wall; and
as I turned the light in the direction from which the sounds came there
was our squinting enemy, and directly behind him a great rough fellow,
both armed with sticks and charging down upon us where we stood.
I heard my uncles draw a long breath as if preparing for the fight.
Then they let their sticks fall to their sides, and a simultaneous roar
of laughter burst forth.
It did not take a minute, and the various little changes followed each
other so quickly that I was confused and puzzled.
One moment I felt a curious shrinking as I saw the faces of two savage
men rushing at us to drive us out of the place; the next I was looking
at their backs as they ran along the yard.
For no sooner did Piter see them than he made a dash at their legs,
growling like some fierce wild beast, and showing his teeth to such good
effect that the men ran from him blindly yelling one to the other; and
the next thing I heard was a couple of splashes in the dam.
"Why, they're trying to swim across," cried Uncle Dick; and we at once
ran to the end of the yard to where it was bounded by the stone-bordered
dam.
"Show the light, Cob," cried Uncle Jack; and as I made it play upon the
water there was one man swimming steadily for the other side, with Piter
standing at the edge baying him furiously, but the other man was not
visible.
Then the surface of the water was disturbed and a hand appeared, then
another, to begin beating and splashing.
"Why, the fellow can't swim," cried Uncle Jack; and catching his
brother's hand he reached out, holding his stick ready for the man to
grasp.
It was an exciting scene in the darkness, with the ring of light cast by
the lantern playing upon the dark surface of the water, which seemed to
be black rippled with gold; and there in the midst was the distorted
face of the workman, as he yelled for help and seemed in imminent danger
of drowning.
He made two or three snatches at the stick, but missed it, and his
struggles took him farther from the edge into the deep water close by,
where the wall that supported the great wheel was at right angles to
where we stood.
It was a terribly dangerous and slippery place, but Uncle Jack did not
hesitate. Walking along a slippery ledge that was lapped by the water,
he managed to reach the drowning man, holding to him his stick; and then
as the fellow clutched it tightly he managed to guide him towards the
edge, where Uncle Dick knelt down, and at last caught him by the collar
and drew him out, dripping and half insensible.
"Down, dog!" cried Uncle Dick as Piter made a dash at his enemy, who now
lay perfectly motionless.
Piter growled a remonstrance and drew back slowly, but as he reached the
man's feet he made a sudden dart down and gave one of his ankles a pinch
with his trap-like jaws.
The effect was instantaneous. The man jumped up and shook his fist in
our faces.
"Yow'll get it for this here," he roared. "Yow threw me in dam and then
set your dawg at me. Yow'll hev it for this. Yow'll see. Yow'll--"
"Look here," said Uncle Bob, mimicking the fellow's broad rough speech,
"hadn't yow better go home and take off your wet things?"
"Yow pitched me in dam and set dawg at me," cried the fellow again.
"Go home and get off your wet things and go to bed," said Uncle Jack,
"and don't come worrying us again--do you hear?"
"Yow pitched me in dam and set dawg at me," cried the man again; and
from the other side of the pool the man who had swum across and been
joined by some companions yelled out:
"Gi'e it to un, Chawny--gi'e it to un."
"Yow pitched me in dam and set dawg--"
"Look here," roared Uncle Bob, "if you're not out of this place in half
a minute I will pitch you in the dam, and set the dog at you as well.
Here, Piter."
"Give's leg over the wall," growled the man.
"No. Go out of the gate," said Uncle Jack; and standing ready to avoid
a rush we opened the gate in the wall and let the fellow go free.
We got him out and escaped a rush, for the little crowd were all up by
the side of the dam, whence they could see into the yard; but as we sent
Chawny, as he was called, out through the gate, and he turned to stand
there, dripping, and ready to shake his fist in our faces, they came
charging down.
Uncle Bob banged the door to, though, as our enemy repeated his angry
charge:
"Yow pitched me in dam and set dawg at me."
Then the door was closed and we prepared for the next attack from the
murmuring crowd outside.
But none came, and the voices gradually grew fainter and died away,
while, taking it in turns, we watched till morning began to break
without any farther demonstration on the part of the enemy.
"We're safe for this time, boys," said Uncle Dick.
"Now go and have a few hours' rest. I'll call you when the men come."
We were only too glad, and ten minutes later we were all asleep on some
shavings and straw in the upper workshop, while Uncle Dick and Piter
kept guard.