It was a lovely autumn morning with the wind from the country side, and as I hurried up and off to the works there was a feeling in the air that seemed to tempt me away to the hills and vales, and made me long for a change.
"I"ll see if one of them won"t go for a day," I said to myself; and hopeful of getting the holiday, and perhaps a run up to the great dam, I reached the works before the men.
"Well done, industrious!" cried Uncle Bob, who opened the gate to me.
"You are first."
"That"s right," I said. "No, it isn"t. Where"s Uncle d.i.c.k? Why, you look pale."
"Uncle d.i.c.k isn"t awake," he said quickly. "Fact is, Cob, I"ve had a scare. As you say, I found that they"d been at Piter again. The poor dog has been drugged, and that must mean something wrong."
Sure enough, poor Piter lay fast asleep and breathing heavily; but after our last experience we did not feel so despondent about bringing him to again, so, leaving him in his kennel where he had crept, we roused Uncle d.i.c.k and told him.
"We can"t look round now," he said. "The men are coming in to their work, but we shall soon hear if there is anything wrong. The bands again, I expect."
Just then we heard the noise made by the drawing of the sluice, the wheel went plashing round, the shaft rumbled, connections were being made, and in a very few minutes the first grindstone was sending forth its loud churring noise.
Then there was more and more, and at last the works were in full swing.
"There"s nothing wrong, then, with the bands," said Uncle d.i.c.k; and then we waited, wondering what trick had been played, till about an hour had pa.s.sed, during which the same remedies as were tried before were put into force with poor old Piter, and he recovered sufficiently to wag his tail.
Just about that time Uncle Jack arrived, and was put in possession of our fresh trouble.
"And you can find nothing wrong?" he said.
"Nothing."
"Have you looked under the desks, and in the cupboards?"
"We"ve quietly searched everywhere," replied Uncle Bob earnestly.
"Then we must go on as usual," said Uncle Jack. "There, you two go home: Cob and I will chance the risks."
"It may have been an attempt to get rid of the dog," I said, "and nothing more."
"That"s what I"ve been thinking," said Uncle Jack; and soon after we were left alone.
Towards mid-day I went down to have a chat with Pannell, and to ask him how he had got on during his long illness.
"Tidy," he said sourly. "There was the club helped me, but the mesters did most."
"What! My uncles?"
"Ay, didn"t you know?" he cried, busying himself about lighting a smaller forge at the back of the first.
I shook my head.
"Paid me pound a-week all the time I was badly, my lad."
"And very kind of them too," I said warmly.
"Ay, "twas. Felt at times, lad, as if I warn"t worth the money, that I did."
Just then Stevens made his appearance, crossing from the grinders" shop to one of the smithies at the end; and as he went along at some distance I saw him look curiously over at where I was standing talking to Pannell.
"Theer it is again," said the latter. "You mean well, lad, and it"s very kind on you; but I shall hev it "fore long on account o" talking to thee."
"Oh, surely not!" I cried angrily. "The men will never be such cowards as to attack you for that."
"Men weant, but trade will," said Pannell. "Mates can"t do as they like about it. Look ye yonder; what did I say?"
He nodded in the direction of Stevens, who had returned directly, stopped opposite the smithy, but at some distance, and as soon as I looked up he began to signal to me to go to him.
I never liked the man, for he always seemed to dislike me, and I gave him the credit of being one of the active parties in the outrages that had been committed upon us. But I remembered what our plans were to be--frank, straightforward, and fearless--and I walked right up to Stevens, whose brow was lowering and full of menace.
"Here, I want a word with you," he said fiercely.
"All right, Stevens!" I said. "What is it?"
"Come over here," he replied, "and I"ll tell ye."
He led the way along the yard to the other side of the great coal heap, which lay there ma.s.sive and square, through its sides being carefully built up with big blocks of coal.
We were quite out of sight there, and, as I thought, how easy it would be for him to knock me down with one of the lumps.
I was perfectly cool though, till he suddenly seized me by the jacket.
I struck up at his hand, but he held on tightly, and there was a curious smile on his face as he said:
"Nay, you don"t, lad; I"m stronger than thou."
"What do you want?" I cried, making a virtue of necessity and standing firm.
"What do I want, eh?" he said slowly. "Oh, just a word or two wi" thee, my lad. There, you needn"t call thee uncle."
"I was not going to call him," I retorted. "Why should I?"
"Because you"re scarred about what I"m going to do to thee."
"No, I"m not," I replied boldly; "because you daren"t do anything unless it"s in the dark, when you can attack a man behind his back."
He winced at this and scowled, but turned it off with a laugh.
""Tack a what?" he said.
"A boy, then," I cried. "I know I"m a boy; but I meant people generally."
"Nivver you mind that," he said. "You don"t understand trade. But joost you look there. Yow"ve been saying I did some"at to the dog."