The Boy Scouts at the Panama Canal Part 22

"Ever see them shoot an oil well?" asked the engineer, as he peered about looking for a suitable hole to start on.

The boys shook their heads. They had heard of the operation but had never had an opportunity to witness such a proceeding.

"Now is your chance then," said Mr. Raynor. "Ram," calling to the Hindoo, "we try 'um this fellow number one shot."

The Hindoo nodded and, carrying his armful of explosives, hurried to his boss's side.

"Gee! This is only Number One," muttered Tubby in an alarmed undertone.

"Don't be a scare-cat, Tubby," laughed Merritt, although his own heart was beating a bit fast.

"Scare-cat nothing. I--I guess I'll go home to dinner. Once is quite enough to be blown up in one morning," quoth the fat youth, "besides, I promised my mother I wouldn't get into danger."

"I guess over-eating is the only danger you'll be in," chortled Fred.

Tubby looked pained but said nothing. With round eyes he began to watch the proceedings of the Hindoo "dynamite man."

The latter cautiously lowered into the hole selected several of his tin cylinders. The rest of the operation, as Mr. Raynor had explained, would be similar to that of shooting an oil well. That is to say, a heavy cylindrical iron weight would be dropped on the explosive ma.s.s at the bottom of the hole, causing it to detonate.

With as much care now as if he were handling eggs, Ram lowered the final cylinder of dynamite into the hole. Then he attached a long string to the weight and gave a shout.

"Get back to a safe distance, boys," cried Mr. Raynor, running toward them.

They needed no second warning, but beat a rapid retreat toward the great concrete rampart of the dam.

"I'd climb over to the other side if I had the time," Tubby declared, feeling perhaps that he would be safe enough behind that man-made cliff.

At last all was in readiness. Some laborers near at hand, glad of any excuse to drop work, laid down their shovels to see what would happen when the "Go-devil," as they called it, was set off.

Mr. Raynor gave a look behind him at Ram who was crouching low at quite a distance from the hole.

"All right!" he shouted.

Ram gave the string a jerk and dropped it. Then he too started sprinting toward the boys.

"He's dropped it!" exclaimed Mr. Raynor. "Watch it now!"

It seemed to the boys as if Ram, swiftly as he ran, would never get to a place of safety. Their hearts fairly stood in their mouths as they watched him running like a greyhound.

Suddenly came a subdued roar. The earth shook. The solid ground trembled as if it had been a jelly. A second later, from the mouth of the hole there shot a mighty column of earth, stones and smoke. It was accompanied by a screaming, whistling sound and then came the detonation of a mighty roar. Up and up shot the column as if it meant to pierce the blue sky.

The workmen shouted and ran for places of safety.

Suddenly Mr. Raynor, who had been watching with hawk-like eyes, gave a sharp, commanding cry:

"Run, boys! Run for your lives! After me!"

For an instant they hesitated. Why should they run? There appeared to be no danger. At the distance that they were from the spouting column it did not appear possible that they would be in jeopardy from it even when it collapsed and came crashing to earth.

"What's the matter?" cried Rob.

"Don't stop to ask questions. Run! Run! Run, I tell you!" roared the engineer.

CHAPTER XXII.

THE BOYS MEET AN OLD ACQUAINTANCE.

The boys needed no further urging. Taking to their heels they ran like so many scared jackrabbits after the engineer. Tubby, his fat, stumpy legs working like piston rods, was in the lead.

"I knew something was going to bust," he yelled, as he sprinted along, "and it has!"

Suddenly Mr. Raynor, who was heading apparently for a piled-up ma.s.s of rocks, stopped and glanced back.

"Too late! Duck!" he shouted the next instant.

Down flopped the boys, but as they threw themselves face downward they felt as if they were being lifted from the ground by a giant hand and then slammed down again. It seemed almost as if a heavy weight had been hurled down on them.

Then came a terrific, blasting roar and blinding flash as if a huge gun had been set off quite close to them.

The fearful concussion and their lack of knowledge of what was happening scared and shocked them half out of their wits. Gravel and small rocks fell about them. If it had not been for their broad-brimmed Scout hats, which protected the back of their heads, they would have been cut and bruised by the hail of debris.

"You can get up now," came Mr. Raynor's voice presently, "but I don't mind saying that that was about as narrow a squeak as I've ever experienced."

"It sure _was_ a test hole," muttered Tubby; "it tested me all right and I don't want any more of it."

"What on earth happened?" demanded Rob, brushing dirt and dust from his uniform.

"That's what I'd like to know," said Fred.

"I thought the world was coming to an end," declared Merritt.

"Or a giant cocoanut was blowing up," murmured Tubby.

At that moment Ram came running up. He looked embarra.s.sed and dabbed at a small cut on his forehead with a handkerchief.

"Him hurte you?" he asked rather anxiously, looking askance at Mr.

Raynor.

"More good luck than thanks to you that we were not all killed," declared the engineer angrily. "What made you do it, you rascal?"

"Me very sorry. Ram forget," said the man contritely.

But his repentance had no effect on the thoroughly angry engineer. He told the man that he was too grossly careless to work on the dynamite gang and ordered him to report at his office that night and be a.s.signed to some other work.

Tubby nodded sagely as he heard this. He was confirmed, it seemed, in his opinion that the man had been careless and he felt like telling the engineer so. But Rob asked a question.