CHAPTER IV.
"WHAT HAVE YOU HEARD?"
What was to be done now?
"This is a greater bother than any of the others," said Alfy. "I expect I shall have to wade or swim now, if I can. Then I must run to the village in my wet things. But how shall I get back to the house?
Bother the tub, I say! However did it get loose?"
The reason was that he had not fastened it very firmly; but then he did not expect he would be so long in the tree, nor did he think the current of the water would have such influence.
But the tub had gone, and he must do the best he could without it.
From his perch in the tree he could obtain a clear view of the flood.
The muddy water glistened in the bright sunshine, as though trying to look pleasant.
The house was, as we have said, in a hollow, or depression of the ground, and the flood, Alfy could see distinctly, came from some way behind the house, and flowed round and past it; but whence it came, or whither it went, he could not discover.
"It can"t come from the river," he said thoughtfully, "for that is in a different direction. I cannot imagine what causes it."
Sundry things he noticed were floating on its surface.
Here was a quant.i.ty of hay, sailing slowly and solidly along in a fairly compact ma.s.s; farther on a little yellow straw flashed in the sunshine; not far off again pieces of wood floated; and then, curiously enough, a little tin hand-bowl bobbing about quite pertly, as it was borne along. That tin bowl gave him an idea.
"I know!" he cried; "I will ask Mansy and Edie to send off the old tin bath to me from the house."
Thereupon he shouted loudly to attract their attention.
At first they did not answer, and he could hear various sounds, indicating that Mansy was endeavouring to repair some of the mischief done by the flood. "They are busy," he said, and again he cried, louder this time than before.
His shouts attracted Edie"s attention, and she hastened to the window, where her exclamation of surprise soon brought the others. "Bless the boy!" exclaimed Mansy, "however did he get there? Where"s the tub?"
"Can you send me the old bath?" he cried.
The girls disappeared hastily from the window, and Mansy cried again: "You are never going to get into that bath, Master Alfy, sure_ly_!"
"Oh! I can manage it," he replied briskly, "if you can send it down to the tree. Tell them to put a pole or something in it, dear Mansy, for me to paddle it with."
"You must be quick, Alfy, and get us some provisions," urged Mansy, "or I don"t know what we shall do. We shall get starved!"
Alfy laughed in the gaiety of his heart. He was a merry, cheerful, plucky little lad, who could not talk religion, but strove to act it.
Nelson"s grand words, "England expects every man to do his duty," was his motto, unexpressed though it was.
"Never fear, Mansy," he cried, "I"ll be back in good time. You shall have plenty to cook and eat to-day!"
Then Mansy disappeared from the window, and Alfy soon heard sounds, as though the bath were being brought along. It was a somewhat high-backed sitz bath, which had seen some service in the family.
Splash!
Over it went from the window, and of course it fell bottom-upwards!
"Ah-h-h!" he cried, "what a mull! Now I shall have to wait here a long time till it is righted. Take care, please; don"t let it float away!"
he shouted.
He soon saw that quick-witted Edie had hastened below to the table, which had remained as it was placed last evening, and stretching out of the window with a broom, which was the handiest and most efficient thing she could readily find, was holding the bath to the house.
In answer to Alfy"s cries, Mansy went down to help Edie, and then the others following, they all endeavoured to turn the bath top upwards.
This task they at length accomplished, with the help of one or two more brooms; and having fastened string round it to prevent its escape, it was launched with a vigorous push in Alfy"s direction. It floated pretty buoyantly on the water, though its high back seemed to make it a little top-heavy.
Well was it that the strange craft had been tethered, or it might have floated provokingly just out of Alfy"s reach; but, with a little pulling and guidance by means of the string, it was coaxed near enough to Alfy, so that he could throw in his tin with the cord attached, and persuade it to float right under the tree.
In a very short time he had cautiously descended and dropped into his novel boat. Yes, it floated still, though his weight caused it, of course, to sink deeper in the water. Perhaps, however, it was less liable to overturn, for its load ballasted it, and rendered it less top-heavy.
With a loud "Hurrah!" he pushed off smartly from the tree, and giving one wave of the hand to those watching him from the house, turned his attention to navigating his strange craft to the sh.o.r.e.
Now, for a paddle Edie had put in a long broom-handle, and grasping this in the middle, he plied it alternately one side and then the other.
Strange use for a broom-handle; but the occupants of the Island House never expected to be caught by a flood like this, so they had to do the best they could. "Hullo! I must look out for that ma.s.s of hay!" said Alfy. "That I shall call an iceberg; or, no, a whale I think. Out of the way, whale!" he cried, pushing it off briskly with his indispensable broom-handle.
Hard though he worked, he made but slow progress, his craft was so unwieldy and difficult to manage. "I wonder where the tub is!" he cried. "Why, actually there, stranded against the hedge! The tub was better than the bath. I"ve a good mind to go after that tub and bring both to land."
And this the plucky little fellow accomplished. He was becoming quite expert in the use of the paddles, and, of course, as soon as he came to the hedge-top, he was able to propel the bath along more quickly. He fastened the tub and bath together, and then transferring himself to the former, set to work to bring both to the bank. He found it a difficult task, but he persevered, and in a short time was successful.
At last he leaped on dry land. With a triumphant shout, he attracted the attention of Mansy and his sisters to his success, and then, after firmly mooring his fleet--as he called the tub and the bath--he set off quickly for the village.
Now, his way led him soon beside a tall hedge. And, as he was hastening along, he became aware of voices on the other side. At first he paid little attention, but then a word or two about the flood struck his ear. "If I could see them," he said, "I would ask how it was caused." But--what was one voice saying?
"If I told what I knew about your neglecting your duty, you would catch it hot, I can tell you."
"But you won"t tell, I"m sure," replied the other.
"I don"t know so much about that."
"I didn"t mean to," whined the other.
"Didn"t mean to! Of course you didn"t. Still you did it. And this here ter"ble flood is the result. You was in drink, you know you was; and you was careless, and didn"t do your dooty. You ought to have watched, and given the alarm, and the banks might have been mended, and the flood saved."
Alfy heard every word distinctly. There was an opening in the hedge a little farther on, and the voices seemed to be going towards it, even as he was himself.
"Who"d have thought," said the second man apologetically, "that that stout wall would have burst."
"You may be thankful it didn"t burst the other side," answered the first man, "and the water flooded Tarn"ick. It"s bad enough as it is, coming to the village; but it would have been very much worse then."
So this was the cause of the flood. The reservoir which supplied the populous town of Tarnwick had burst, and its contents had poured down towards the village. And had the village suffered at all? Alfy was anxious to know. And how had the man neglected his duty, and caused the flood?
The lad was now near the opening in the hedge, and he suddenly, but distinctly, saw the two men whom he had heard talking. He did not recognise either of them; but, at sight of him, they started in surprise, and stopped at once, and looked at him strangely, as though to ask what he had heard.
Alfy walked straight on, past the opening in the hedge, as though the men were not there, and on through the pleasant field. But the faces of those men were impressed on his mind, and he felt he should know them again.