Patience Wins Part 22

"No, I don't think I should, if it were my case. I should commence an action for damages if I could find an enemy who had any money, but it is of no use fighting men of straw."

Mr Tomplin soon after went away, and I looked at my uncles, wondering what they would say. But as they did not speak I broke out with:

"Why, he seemed to think nothing of it."

"Custom of the country," said Uncle Bob, laughing. "Come, d.i.c.k, it's our turn now."

"Right!" said Uncle d.i.c.k; but Uncle Jack laid hold of his shoulder.

"Look here," he said. "I don't like the idea of you two going down there."

"No worse for us than for you," said Uncle Bob.

"Perhaps not, but the risk seems too great."

"Never mind," said Uncle d.i.c.k. "I'm not going to be beaten. It's war to the knife, and I'm not going to give up."

"They are not likely to try anything to-night," said Uncle Bob. "There, you two can walk down with us and look round to see if everything is all right and then come back."

"Don't you think you ought to have pistols?" said Uncle Jack.

"No," replied Uncle d.i.c.k firmly. "We have our sticks, and the dog, and we'll do our best with them. If a pistol is used it may mean the destruction of a life, and I would rather give up our adventure than have blood upon our hands."

"Yes, you are right," said Uncle Jack. "If bodily injury or destruction is done let them have the disgrace on their side."

We started off directly, and I could not help noticing how people kept staring at my uncles.

It was not the respectably-dressed people so much as the rough workmen, who were hanging about with their pipes, or standing outside the public-house doors. These scowled and talked to one another in a way that I did not like, and more than once I drew Uncle d.i.c.k's attention to it, but he only smiled.

"We're strangers," he said. "They'll get used to us by and by."

There was not a soul near the works as we walked up to the gate and were saluted with a furious fit of barking from Piter, who did not know our steps till the key was rattled in the gate. Then he stopped at once and gave himself a shake and whined.

It was growing dusk as we walked round the yard, to find everything quite as it should be. A look upstairs and down showed nothing suspicious; and after a few words regarding keeping a sharp look-out and the like we left the watchers of the night and walked back.

"Cob," said Uncle Jack as we sat over our supper, "I don't like those two poor fellows being left there by themselves."

"Neither do I, uncle," I said. "Why not give up watching the place and let it take its chance?"

"Because we had such an example of the safety of the place and the needlessness of the task?"

"Don't be hard on me, uncle," I said quickly. "I meant that it would be better to suffer serious loss than to have someone badly injured in defending the place."

"You're right, Cob--quite right," cried Uncle Jack, slapping the table.

"Here, you make me feel like a boy. I believe you were born when you were an old man."

"Nonsense!" I said, laughing.

"But you don't talk nonsense, sir. What are you--a fairy changeling?

Here, let's go down to the works."

"Go down?" I said.

"To be sure. I couldn't go to bed to-night and sleep. I should be thinking that those two poor fellows were being blown up, or k.n.o.b-sticked, or turned out. We'll have them back and leave Piter to take care of the works, and give him a rise in his wages."

"Of an extra piece of meat every day, uncle?"

"If you had waited a few minutes longer, sir, I should have said that,"

he replied, laughing; and taking his hat and stick we went down the town, talking about the curious vibrations and throbbings we could hear; of the heavy rumbling and the flash and glow that came from the different works. Some were so lit up that it seemed as if the windows were fiery eyes staring out of the darkness, and more than once we stopped to gaze in at some cranny where furnaces were kept going night and day and the work never seemed to stop.

As we left the steam-engine part behind, the solitary stillness of our district seemed to be more evident; and though we pa.s.sed one policeman, I could not help thinking how very little help we should be able to find in a case of great emergency.

Uncle Jack had chatted away freely enough as we went on; but as we drew nearer to the works he became more and more silent, and when we had reached the lane he had not spoken for fully ten minutes.

Eleven o'clock was striking and all seemed very still. Not a light was visible on that side, and the neighbouring works were apparently quite empty as we stood and listened.

"Let's walk along by the side of the dam, Cob," said Uncle Jack. "I don't suppose we shall see anything, but let's have a look how the place seems by night."

I followed close behind him, and we pa.s.sed under the one gas lamp that showed the danger of the path to anyone going along; for in the darkness there was nothing to prevent a person from walking right into the black dam, which looked quite beautiful and countrified now, spangled all over, as it was, with the reflections of the stars.

I was going to speak, but Uncle Jack raised his hand for me to be silent, and I crept closer to him, wondering what reason he had for stopping me; and then he turned and caught my arm, for we had reached the end of the dam where it communicated with the river.

Just then two men approached, and one said to the other:

"Tell 'ee, they changes every night. Sometimes it's one and the boy, sometimes two on 'em together. The boy was there last night, and-- Hullo! 'Night, mate!"

"'Night!" growled Uncle Jack in an a.s.sumed voice as he slouched down and gave me a shake. "Coom on, wilt ta!" he said hoa.r.s.ely; and I followed him without a word.

"I tried it, Cob," he whispered as we listened to the retreating steps of the men. "I don't think they knew us in the dark."

"They were talking about us," I said.

"Yes; that made me attempt to disguise my voice. Here, let's get back.

Hark! There's the dog. Quick! Something may be wrong."

We set off at a trot in the direction that the men had taken, but we did not pa.s.s them, for they had gone down to their right; but there was no doubt existing that the affairs at the works were well known and that we were surrounded by enemies; and perhaps some of them were busy now, for Jupiter kept on his furious challenge, mingling it with an angry growl, that told of something being wrong.

CHAPTER ELEVEN.

PANNELL'S PET.

"Who's there?"

"All right--open the door! Cob and I have come down to see how you are getting on," said Uncle Jack.

The gate was unlocked and a stout iron bar that had been added to the defences taken down.