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?"