Rash--cruel--unwise. Well, I'm afraid it was all those, but I was only
a boy, and I was stung by the injustice and cowardly cruelty of the
outrages perpetrated on us by the men who earned their bread in our
works; and hence it was, that, instead of feeling any compunction in
doing what I proposed, I was delighted with the idea, and longed for an
opportunity to put it in force.
I was, then, very eager to begin, for the present calm, I felt sure, was
only going before the storm, and after what I had found out I was
anxious to be ready.
Pannell did not keep me waiting long.
Two days after I had made my plans with him I went into his smithy, and
in answer to my inquiring look he said, in a heavy, unmoved way:
"Theer's summut for you hung up i' the forge chimney. She goes hard,
but theer's a steel bar 'long wi' her as you can prise down the spring
till she's set. On'y mind thysen, lad--mind thysen."
"And will it hold a man, Pannell?" I cried.
"Ay; this here's noo pattern. I haven't got into it yet I've got a rare
lot of 'em to do."
"But tell me," I whispered, "will it?"
"Think this here noo steel's better than owd fashion stoof?" he said.
"Bother the steel!" I said, speaking lower still. "I want you to tell
me whether--"
"Bull-poop's gettin' too fat, Mester Jacob," said Pannell. "Don't give
'im so much meat. Spoils a dorg. Give un bones as he can break oop and
yeat. That's the stoof for dorgs. Gives un such a coat as never was."
"Will you tell me?" I began, angrily.
"Nay, I wean't tell thee nowt," he growled. "I've telled thee enew as
it is. Tek it when I'm not here, and good luck to thee!"
I could get no more from him, for he would not say another word about
the trap, so I waited impatiently for the night so that I might smuggle
it from the forge chimney into my desk.
When the time came it was quite absurd how many hindrances there were to
my little task. I did not want to set it that night. I only wanted to
get it in safety to my desk; but first there were men hanging about the
smithies as if they were watching me; then there were my uncles; and
lastly, there was Gentles, who made signs that he wished to speak to me,
and I didn't care to say anything to the sleek, oily fellow, who only
wanted to what he called make it up.
At last, though, everyone had gone but Uncle Jack, who was busy writing
a letter or two, and I was to wait for him, and we were going back
together.
I slipped off to the smithy, and just as I was half-way there I turned
quickly round, feeling quite cold, and as if I was found out, for I
heard a curious yawning noise behind me.
It was only Piter, who looked up in my face and gave his tail a wag, and
then butted his great head against my leg, holding it tightly there as
if it was so heavy that he was glad to give it a rest.
I went on at once impatiently, and Piter's head sank down, the dog
uttering a low, discontented whine on being left. I glanced up at the
wall, half expecting to see some one looking over and watching me; then
up at the windows, fearing that one of the men might still be left.
But all was perfectly quiet, and though I half anticipated such an
accident there was no one seated on the top of either of the great
chimney-shafts in the neighbourhood watching me with a telescope.
I had a few more absurdly impossible ideas of this kind as I went along
the yard, feeling horribly guilty and ready to give up my undertaking.
The very silence and solitariness of the place startled me, but I went
on and turned in at the open door of the smithy where Pannell worked,
and breathed more freely as I looked round and saw that I was alone.
But to make sure I stepped up on to the work-bench and looked out of the
window, but there was nothing but the dam to be seen there, and I leaped
down and climbed on to the forge, with the coal-dust crushing under my
feet, gave a last glance round, and was about to peer up the
funnel-like, sheet-iron chimney, when there was a loud clang, and I
bounded down, with my heart beating furiously.
I stamped my foot directly after and bit my lips angrily because I had
been such a coward, for I had moved a pair of smiths' tongs when I
stepped up, and they had slid off on to the ground.
"I'm doing what I ought not to do," I said to myself as I jumped on to
the forge again, "but now I've gone so far I must go on."
I peered up in the dark funnel and could see nothing, but I had come
prepared, and striking a match I saw just before me, resting on a sooty
ledge, the object of my quest.
I lifted it down, astounded at its size and weight, and found that it
was an exact imitation of the rat-trap, but with blunt teeth, and a
short steel lever with a point like a crowbar was attached to it by
means of a bit of wire.
It was enormous, and I quite trembled at the idea of carrying it to the
office; but after a sharp glance out of the doorway I took hold of the
trap by the iron chain bound round it, and walked quickly to my own
place, hoping that even if I had been seen, the watcher would not have
been able to make out what I was carrying.
There was not much room to spare when I had laid the great trap in my
desk, the lid of which would only just shut down over it; but once
safely there, and with the key in the lock ready for me to turn if I
heard steps, I had a good look at my treasure.
I was nervous now, and half repentant, for the instrument looked so
formidable that I felt that I should not dare to use it.
I had a good look though, and found that it was very complete with chain
and ring, and that the lever had a head to it like a pin, evidently so
that after it had been used, it could be placed through the ring at the
end of the chain, and driven down to act as a peg in the ground.
I had hardly arrived at all this when I heard Uncle Jack's cough, and
hastily closing the desk and locking it, I went to meet him.
"Sorry to keep you waiting so long, my boy," he said; "but I wanted to
send word to your father how we are going on."
It was on the second night that I put my plan into practice.
I had thought it all well out, and inspected my ground, which was just
below the wall, pretty close to the edge of the dam, where I had seen
some marks which had made me suspicious.
So as soon as Uncle Bob had gone to lie down, and I had begun my half of
the watch, I fastened up Piter, took out my heavy trap, carried it down
to the edge of the dam, and carefully felt the wall for the place I had
marked by driving in a little nail.
I soon found it, placed my trap exactly beneath it, and wrenching down
the spring by means of the lever, I tried to set it.
I had practised doing this in my own place, and could manage it pretty
well, but in the darkness and excitement that troubled me now, it proved
to be an exceedingly difficult job. Twice I managed to get it set, and
was moving away when it went off with a startling clang that made me
jump, and expect to see Uncle Bob come running out, especially as the
dog set up a furious bark.
I quieted Piter though each time, and went and tried again till I
managed my task, having to take great care that I did not hoist myself
with my own petard, for it was a terribly dangerous engine that I was
setting, though I did not think so then.
It was now set to my satisfaction, and being quite prepared with a big
hammer, my next task was to drive in the lever like a peg right through
the ring and up to the head, so that if I did catch my bird, there would
be no chance of his getting away.
I felt about in the dark for a suitable place, and the most likely
seemed to be just at the extent of the five feet of chain, which reached
to the edge of the dam, where, between two of the big stones of the
embankment, I fancied I could drive in the lever so that it could not be
drawn out.
So taking the steel bar with the sharp edge I ran it through the ring,
directed the point between two blocks of stone, and then began to drive.
As I said I was well prepared, having carefully thought out the whole
affair, and I had bound several thicknesses of cloth over the head of
the hammer like a pad so as to muffle the blows, and thus it was that I
was able to drive it home without much noise.
At first it went in so easily that I was about to select a fresh place,
but it soon became harder and firmer, and when I had done and felt the
head it was quite immovable, and held the ring close down to the stones.
My idea had been to cover the trap with a handful or two of hay, but it
was so dark that I thought I would leave it, as it was impossible to see
it even from where I looked. I left it, meaning to come the next
morning and set it free with a file, for I did not want to take up the
peg, and I could get another for lever and join the chain with a strong
padlock the next time.
It was about eleven o'clock when I had finished my task, and I did not
know whether to be pleased or alarmed. I felt something like a boy
might who had set a bait at the end of a line to catch a crocodile, and
was then very much alarmed for fear he should have any luck.
I crept away and waited, thinking a great deal about Piter, and what
would be the consequences if he walked over the trap, but I argued that
the chances were a hundred thousand to one against his going to that
particular spot. Besides, if I left him chained up Uncle Bob was not
likely to unloose him, so I determined to run the risk, and leave the
trap set when I went off guard.
The time went slowly by without any alarm, and though I went now and
then cautiously in the direction of my trap it had not been disturbed,
and I came away more and more confident that it was in so out of the way
a part of the yard that it might be there for weeks unseen.
I felt better after this, and at the appointed time called Uncle Bob,
who took his watch, and when he called me in the morning the wheel was
turning, and the men were coming up to their work.
"I thought you were tired, Cob, so I let you lie till the last moment."
I was so stupid and confused with sleep that I got up yawning; and we
were half-way back home before, like a flash, there came to me the
recollection of my trap.
I could not make an excuse and go back, though I tried hard to invent
one; but went on by my uncle's side so quiet and thoughtful that he made
a remark.
"Bit done up, Cob! You ought to have another nap after dinner."
"Oh, I'm all right, uncle," I said, and I went on home with him to have
steel-traps for breakfast and think of nothing else save what they had
caught.
For I felt perfectly sure that someone had come over the wall in the
night--Stevens I expected it would prove to be--and had put his foot
right in the trap, which had sprung, caught him by the leg, and cut it
right off, and I felt sure that when I got back I should find him lying
there where he had bled to death.
The next thing that struck me was that I was a murderer, and that I
should be tried and condemned to death, but respited and sentenced to
transportation for life on account of my youth.
With such thoughts as these rushing through my brain it was not likely
that I should enjoy the breakfast with the brown and pink ham so nicely
fried, and the eggs that were so creamy white, and with such yolks of
gold.
I did _not_ enjoy that breakfast, and I was feverishly anxious to get
back to the works, and though first one and then another advised me to
go and lie down, I insisted upon going.
I was all in a tremble as I reached the gate, and saw old Dunning's
serious face. I read in it reproach, and he seemed to be saying to me,
"Oh, how could you do it?" Seemed, for what he did say was, "Nice
pleasant morning, Mester Jacob!"
I told a story, for I said, "Yes, it is," when it was to me the most
painful and miserable morning I had ever experienced; but I dared not
say a word, and for some time I could not find an opportunity for going
down the yard.
Nobody ever did go down there, unless it was to wheel a worn-out
grindstone to a resting-place or to carry some broken wood-work of the
machinery to throw in a heap. There was the heap of coal and the heap
of slack or coal-dust, both in the yard; but those who fetched the coal
and slack fetched them from this side, and they never went on the other.
The last time I could recall the men going down there to the dam, was
when we threw in Piter to give him a bath.
Piter! Had he been let loose? The thought that had come of him was
startling, but easily set right, for there was the bull-dog fast asleep
in his kennel.
Then there was Stevens!
The thought was horrible. He ought to be in the grinding-shop, and if
he were not--I knew!
It would have been easy to go and look, but I felt that I could not, and
I walked back to the gate and spoke to old Dunning.
"All the men come yet?" I said.
"No, Mester Jacob, they hevn't all come yet," he said.
I dare not ask any more. All had not come, and one of those who had not
come was, of course, Stevens, and he was lying there dead.