But there was nothing to see yet, and the brick was replaced, the fire
roared once more, and for what must have been quite another quarter of
an hour we waited before the doctor took out the brick again.
It was now possible to make out what seemed to be a regular ring red-hot
in the midst of so much glowing ember with which the pot was filled; and
into this the doctor thrust the poker, to find that it passed through
what was light as feathers.
"I must be gentle," he said quietly, as he thrust the poker lower, till
he could gently tap the bottom of the pot.
"It's quite sound," he said, as he gave the poker a stirring motion and
ended by withdrawing it.
"I think we may let out the fire," he said; and we proceeded to bear
away the slates we had used for screens, and then to take down the
glowing bricks one by one, and toss them into the yard.
This done, I proposed throwing a bucket of water over the heap of
embers, in the midst of which stood the pot.
"No, thank you, young wisdom," said Doctor Chowne. "I should like to
have some result to show your father when he comes back. If you did
what you say, the pot would fly all to pieces, and where would our work
be then?"
"I say, Doctor Chowne," I said, looking at him rather wistfully, "I wish
I knew as much as you do."
"Learn then," he said. "I did not know so much once upon a time."
As he spoke, he slowly and carefully drew the ashes down from about the
pot, and as they were spread about the brilliant glow began to give
place to a pale grey feathery ash, which flushed red, and then yellow,
whenever the air was disturbed, while the earthen pot that had been
red-hot changed slowly to a dull drab.
"There, Sep," said the doctor, "that pot will take pretty well an hour
to get thoroughly cool, so we may as well go and have some dinner. What
do you say?"
"I was thinking, sir," I said, "that if there is any metal in that pot
now, it would be something like the lead when we are casting sinkers for
fishing. Why couldn't we lift the pot with the tongs, and pour out
what's at the bottom and run it into a mould."
"Have you got a mould, Sep?" he said.
"Yes, sir; three different sizes--up here on the shelf."
I went to a corner of the back kitchen, and reached down three dusty
clay moulds, one of which the doctor took and set upon the floor.
"You are right," he cried. "There, take your tongs, and we'll catch
hold of the pot together, and set it out here. Then, both together,
mind, we'll pour out what there is into the mould."
It was easy enough. We each got a good hold of the pot, lifted it out
with its glowing feathery charcoal ashes half filling it, and then,
after setting it down to get a more suitable hold, we tilted it
sidewise, and then more and more and more, but nothing came out save
some glowing ashes, which fell beyond the mould in a tiny heap.
"Higher still, Sep, higher, higher," the doctor kept on saying; and we
tilted it more and more; but still nothing came till, just as we were
about to turn it upside down, there was a flash of something bright and
silvery, and a tiny drop of fluid metal ran out on to the mould, and
down the side.
"That's it. Up with it, Sep. A little more this side. Now then."
Up went the bottom of the pot higher still, and out came a little rush
of glowing charcoal, and directly after a bit of heavy clinker, and that
was all.
"Oh, I say, doctor," I cried, "what a pity!"
"Pity, my lad! I don't think so. Here, let me do it."
He lifted up the piece of hard clinker and set it upon the slate slabs
by itself, and then taking hold of the mould with the tongs, he raised
it and gave it a tap or two on the floor, to get rid of the feather ash,
and I could see that there was what seemed to be a piece of thin lead
beginning in a sort of splash running to the edge in a thread, then down
the side of the mould, to finish off in a little round fat button of
metal.
"Hah! I don't think we've done so badly after all, Sep," he said, as he
placed the mould upon the table; "but first of all, brush those embers
lightly aside, and let's see if there is anything left."
I took a wisp of birch and did as I was told, but there was nothing to
be seen, and when the doctor took the pot out into the yard, and
carefully examined it, he found nothing there, and brought the little
clay vessel back.
"You must take care of that pot, Sep," he said. "It is nothing to look
at, but a thing which will stand fire in that way may prove valuable.
Now, then, my lad, bring that bit of refuse, and we will go in and have
some dinner. These things will be quite cool by the time we have done."
We carried our treasures into the parlour, and, to Kicksey's great
delight, had a wash and our dinner, while she obtained leave to clear
away what she was pleased to call our "mess."
But the doctor did not let the dinner pass without carefully examining
the rugged piece of metal and the button, and then the piece of refuse,
the remains of the broken-up specimen.
For my part I was not at all dazzled by the result of our experiment,
and at last, with my mouth full of jam and bread and cream, I said:
"But that's only a shabby little bit to get out of all those bits I
broke up, isn't it, sir?"
"Do you think so, Sep?" he replied smiling.
"Yes, sir!"
"Well, I think quite differently. We put in rough stony uncleansed ore,
and we have got out this piece. If there's plenty of it in the sides of
the Gap, my boy, and it is properly worked, your father will be a rich
man from the produce of the lead alone; and I feel pretty sure," he
continued, as he examined the scrap of metal through his glass, "that
there is a great deal of silver in this as well. Here, what are you
doing?" he cried.
"I was looking to see if father was coming," I cried, as I turned back
at the door.
"You need not look," he said quietly, "for it will be three hours at the
least before he can get back. The pony must have a rest at the town."
I came back slowly, for I felt that what the doctor said was true, and
it seemed to be all so curious that our bit of mischief should turn out
so strangely that I did what was a very unusual thing for me in those
days, sat down and thought.
The piece of metal was lying before me, and I took it up and examined
it, turning it over and over in my hands, while I could not keep a
strong feeling of doubt from creeping in.
"Perhaps the doctor is wrong," I said to myself, and this may be worth
nothing at all; and as I thought in this fashion, I longed for my father
to come back, so as to hear what he had to say about the value of the
metal. For in those days I had a very frank loyal feeling towards my
father, and a belief in his being about the best man anywhere in the
neighbourhood, and that he knew better than anybody else.
The silence in the room was broken by the entrance of Kicksey to take
away; and as she did so she took the opportunity of informing us that
she had cleared everything away, and that the kitchen was as clean once
more as a new pin.
As I have before said, the doctor, as my father's old friend and
companion, was quite at home in our house, and, after refreshing himself
with a pinch of snuff, he proceeded to have some tobacco in another
form, for he went to the corner cupboard and got out the jar and a long
pipe, which he filled and lit, and then sat there in silence, watching
the piece of rugged metal.
As he sat watching the metal and surrounding himself with smoke, I sat
and watched him, till it became so tiresome and dull that I rose quietly
at last, and stole out into the garden and had a look at the sea, all
aglow now with the evening sunshine, and looking curiously like the
burning charcoal when it had been spread out on the kitchen floor.
It was very beautiful, but I had watched that too often, so I crossed
the garden and went out into the lane to see if I could find anything
amusing there.
For it seemed to me that it might be very nice for my father to have
found a mine of lead and silver, and that it would be very interesting
to see it dug out and melted, as we had melted those pieces that day--of
course in a large way; but I did not feel as if I wanted to be rich, and
I would a great deal rather then have been wandering out there on the
cliff with Bob Chowne or Bigley Uggleston, when I heard a shout, and,
looking in the direction, there, high up on the cliff path, and coming
towards me with long strides, was my last-named school-fellow.
"Hallo, Big!" I shouted, running towards him; "where are you going?"
"Coming to look after you," he said. "Why didn't you come over again?"
"Because I was wanted at home," I replied. "You might have come over to
me."
"I couldn't. I didn't like to. Father was put out this morning,
because he saw you and your father on our grounds."
"Your grounds!" I said. "Oh, come, that is a good one."
"Well, father always talks about it as if all the Gap belonged to him.
What were you doing there?"
"Having a walk," I was obliged to say.
"Oh, well, you might have stopped."
"Didn't I tell you my father wanted me," I replied in a pettish way.
"I've only just got out again."
"I've been waiting at home to see if my father would come back. He
started off to walk to Barnstaple."
"Your father has?" I cried involuntarily. "Why, that's where my father
has gone."
"What! To Barnstaple, Sep?"