_ CHAPTER FIFTEEN. IN THE ENGINE-HOUSE
The boys hardly spoke as they made their way towards the engine-house, from whence came a loud hissing noise, and on hearing this, Joe exclaimed excitedly,--
"He's there."
For answer Gwyn ran to the door, and entered, hardly knowing what he was about to do, but with the feeling that this man was a natural enemy, whom it was his duty to attack; and, like a true comrade, Joe followed closely at his heels.
The hissing noise increased as they approached the door; and, fully alive as he was to the danger of meddling with steam, Gwyn's heart began to beat a little faster, for he felt that they were too late; that the mischief had been done, the steam was escaping, and that if they entered the house, it might be at the expense of a terrible scalding.
All else was silent, and as they reached the doorway of the place, the shrill, shrieking noise was piercing, and made their words difficult to hear.
"He has broken something, or turned on the steam, so that it may escape, Joe," said Gwyn. "Shall we go in and try to put it right?"
"If we must. But where's the engine-driver?--where's the stoker?"
Gwyn looked round, to see that the people were crowding about the shaft where the great pump was to be set in motion and where work-people were busy still trying to get it ready. Hammers were clinking, spanners and screw wrenches rattling on nuts, and the work in progress was being patiently watched, the engine-house and boilers being for the time unnoticed.
"Perhaps he's here, after all," said Gwyn at last, with a gasp. "Shall we go in?"
Joe hesitated while you might have counted ten, and he looked despairingly round, as if in the hope of seeing something that would check him and render the venture unnecessary, for there was the sound as of a thousand snakes hissing wildly, and to one unused to the behaviour of engine boilers all this seemed preliminary to a terrible explosion, with possible death for those who went inside.
"Yes, we must go in," said the boy at last; and as Gwyn made one effort to summon his courage, and dashed through the door, he followed.
The noise was now almost deafening, and at a glance they saw that the steam was escaping furiously from the two long boilers at the end farthest from where they stood, but the new bright engine, with its cylinders, pistons, rods, cranks, driving-wheel, governor, and eccentric, seemed to be perfectly safe.
"He has been in and driven a pickaxe into each of the boilers," cried Joe. "They'll blow up together. Shall we run?"
The boy's words were almost drowned by the fierce hissing, which was now mingled with a deep bass formed by a loud humming, throbbing sound such as might be made by a Brobdingnagian tea-kettle, just upon ready for use. Then came loud cracking and spitting sounds, and the dull roar of big fires.
But the man of whom they were in search was invisible, and Gwyn walked quickly round to the other side of the engine and looked sharply down that side of the long building.
Joe followed.
It was darker here, and the steam which filled the open roof, and was passing out of a louvre, hung lower, so that the far end was seen through a mist. "Not here," said Gwyn. "Think we could stop the steam escaping?"
"Don't know," shouted back Joe. "Sha'n't we be scalded to death?"
"Let's go and try."
That was enough for Joe, who felt as if he would have given anything for the power to rush out, but seemed held there by his companion's example.
"Go on, then," he panted out; and Gwyn had taken a couple of steps into the hot vapour, his heart throbbing violently with the great dread of ignorance, when, beyond the mist which was looking light in front of the door at the far end, there was a heavy, quick step. They could see a dark, shadowy figure, which looked of gigantic proportions through the hanging steam, and heard the crackling and crushing of coal under its feet, as it descended the stone steps into the stoke hole. This was followed by the rattling of an iron bar, quickly used, the rattle and clang of an iron door being thrown open, when a sudden glare of brilliant light turned the cloud of steam from grey to ruddy gold.
"Hullo! there," shouted a voice, evidently from the door by which the boys had entered; and in an instant there was a rush of feet, the crackling of the coal on the granite steps, and they saw the dark shadow once more, as it darted out through the far door.
At the same instant there were heavy steps going along on the other side of the boilers to the stoke hole, a loud exclamation heard above the hissing and shrieking of the steam. Then came the crackling of the coal dust, the rattle of an iron implement, the furnace was closed with a clang, and the steam between the boys and the far door changed back to grey once more.
The next instant, as they went on, they were face to face with the big bluff engine-driver, who shouted at them.
"Oh! it's you two young gents is it? Well, all I've got to say is that if you're to come here meddling and playing your larks, someone else may tend the bylers, for I won't."
"We haven't done anything," cried Gwyn, hotly.
"What!" roared the man, "when I come and ketched you fooling about with that furnace door! Do you know that you might have made the fire rage away if you got stoking hard, and perhaps blow up the whole place. There's too much pressure on now."
"Will you let me speak!" cried Gwyn angrily. "We came in because something was wrong, and no one near to see to the steam."
"Yes, there now; I only just went to that clumsy lot at the pump, to see if they meant to start it to-day, because, if they didn't soon, I should have to damp down. Twelve o'clock, they said, and as I told Sam Hardock, there was I ready for them, but I s'pose he means twelve o'clock to-morrow. And when I comes back, I find you young gents playing the fool. D'yer want a big burst?"
"No," cried Gwyn, who had striven twice to stop the indignant flow of words. "I tell you we came in because something was wrong--to try and stop--"
"Wrong? Yes, you meddling with the furnace."
"We did not, I tell you."
"What? Well, if you young gents can't tell a good slumper, I'm a Dutchman. Why, I heard you at the furnace door, and as soon as I shouted, I hears you both roosh up the steps. Then I came round, and here you are. Better say you didn't leave the door open."
"I do say so," shouted Gwyn, who had hard work to make himself heard above the steam.
"Oh, all right, then. You're the governors' sons. Burst the bylers if you like; they aren't mine."
"Will you listen?" cried Gwyn.
"Why, I am a-listening, aren't I?" cried the man. "All right, it warn't you, then, and it must ha' been one o' they big Cornish tom-cats."
"Don't talk like a donkey," cried Gwyn, who had lost his temper now. "I tell you we came in because something was wrong."
"Very," said the man.
"The steam was hissing horribly, as you hear it now. Aren't you going to try and stop it?"
"Stop it?" said the man. "What for? Want me to blow the place up?"
"Of course not; but I want you to stop up those holes."
"You don't know what you're talking about, squire, or else it's to throw me off the scent."
"I know the steam's escaping horribly."
"Yes; all waste, through them not finishing that pump."
"Then try and stop it."
"Stop it? Don't I tell you there's too much pressure on as it is?"
"It's the safety valves open, Ydoll," said Joe, with his lips to his companion's ear.
"Oh!" ejaculated Gwyn, as he grasped the truth. "I thought something was wrong."
"I know something was wrong, and without thinking, young squire," said the man. "But you take my advice, and don't you meddle with anything here again."
"I have told you we did not touch anything; but I suppose it's no use to talk to you," said Gwyn, warmly.
"No, sir, not a bit," replied the man, gruffly; "and I shall speak to the governors about you two coming meddling."
"And I shall speak to my father about your not being here taking care of the engines," said Gwyn, as a parting shot. "If you had been at your duty, no one would have had a chance to meddle. So we will see what he says." _