Patience Wins: War in the Works

by George Manville Fenn

  CHAPTER TWO.

  A FIERY PLACE.

  No time was lost. The agreements were signed, and Uncle Dick packed uphis traps, as he called them, that is to say, his books, clothes, andmodels and contrivances, so as to go down at once, take possession ofthe works, and get apartments for us.

  I should have liked to go with him, but I had to stay for another week,and then, after a hearty farewell, we others started, my father, mother,and sister seeing us off by rail; and until I saw the trees, hedges, andhouses seeming to fly by me I could hardly believe that we were reallyon our way.

  Of course I felt a little low-spirited at leaving home, and I was alittle angry with myself for seeming to be so glad to get away fromthose who had been so patient and kind, but I soon found myself arguingthat it would have been just the same if I had left home only to go tosome business place in London. Still I was looking very gloomy whenUncle Jack clapped me on the shoulder, and asked me if I didn't feellike beginning to be a man.

  "No," I said sadly, as I looked out of the window at the flyinglandscape, so that he should not see my face. "I feel more as if I wasbeginning to be a great girl."

  "Nonsense!" said Uncle Bob; "you're going to be a man now, and help us."

  "Am I?" said I sadly.

  "To be sure you are. There, put that gloomy face in your pocket andlearn geography."

  They both chatted to me, and I felt a little better, but anything butcheerful, for it was my first time of leaving home. I looked at thelandscape, and the towns and churches we passed, but nothing seemed tointerest me till, well on in my journey, I saw a sort of wooden towerclose to the line, with a wheel standing half out of the top. There wasan engine-house close by--there was no doubt about it, for I could seethe puffs of white steam at the top, and a chimney. There was a greatmound of black slate and rubbish by the end; but even though the railwayhad a siding close up to it, and a number of trucks were standingwaiting, I did not realise what the place was till Uncle Jack said:

  "First time you've seen a coal-pit, eh?"

  "Is that a coal-pit?" I said, looking at the place more eagerly.

  "Those are the works. Of course you can't see the shaft, because that'sonly like a big square well."

  "But I thought it would be a much more interesting place," I said.

  "Interesting enough down below; but of course there is nothing to see atthe top but the engine, cage, and mouth of the shaft."

  That brightened me up at once. There was something to think about inconnection with a coal-mine--the great deep shaft, the cage going up anddown, the miners with their safety-lamps and picks. I saw it all inimagination as we dashed by another and another mine. Then I began tothink about the accidents of which I had read; when men unfastened theirwire-gauze lamps, so that they might do that which was forbidden in amine, smoke their pipes. The match struck or the opened lamp set fireto the gas, when there was an awful explosion, and after that theterrible dangers of the after-damp, that fearful foul air which no mancould breathe for long and live.

  There were hundreds of thoughts like this to take my attention as weraced on by the fast train till, to my surprise, I found that it wasgetting dark, and the day had passed.

  "Here we are close to it," said Uncle Jack; "look, my lad."

  I gazed out of the window on our right as the train glided on, to seethe glare as of a city on fire: the glow of a dull red flickered anddanced upon the dense clouds that overhung the place. Tall chimneysstood up like black stakes or posts set up in the reflection of openfurnace doors. Here a keen bright light went straight up through thesmoke with the edges exactly defined--here it was a sharp glare, there adull red glow, and everywhere there seemed to be fire and reflection,and red or golden smoke mingled with a dull throbbing booming sound,which, faintly heard at first, grew louder and louder as the trainslackened speed, and the pant and pulsation of the engine ceased.

  "Isn't something dreadful the matter?" I said, as I gazed excitedlyfrom the window.

  "Matter!" said Uncle Jack laughing.

  "Yes, isn't the place on fire? Look! Look! There there!"

  I pointed to a fierce glare that seemed to reach up into the sky,cutting the dense cloud like millions of golden arrows shot from somemighty engine all at once.

  "Yes, I see, old fellow," said Uncle Jack. "They have just tapped afurnace, and the molten metal is running into the moulds, that's all."

  "But the whole town looks as if it were in a blaze," I said nervously.

  "So did our works sometimes, didn't they? Well, here we are in a townwhere there are hundreds upon hundreds of works ten times as big asours. Nearly everybody is either forging, or casting, or grinding. Theplace is full of steam-engines, while the quantity of coal that is burnthere every day must be prodigious. Aha! Here's Uncle Dick."

  He had caught sight of us before we saw him, and threw open thecarriage-door ready to half haul us out, as he shook hands as if we hadnot met for months.

  "That's right," he cried. "I _am_ glad you've come. I've a cabwaiting. Here, porter, lay hold of this baggage. Well, Cob, what doyou think of Arrowfield?"

  "Looks horrible," I said in the disappointed tones of one who is tiredand hungry.

  "Yes, outside," said Uncle Dick; "but wait till you see the inside."

  Uncle Dick was soon standing in what he called the inside ofArrowfield--that is to say the inside of the comfortable furnishedlodgings he had taken right up a hill, where, over a cosy tea-table withhot country cakes and the juiciest of hot mutton chops, I soon forgotthe wearisome nature of our journey, and the dismal look of the town.

  "Eat away, my boys," cried Uncle Dick. "Yeat, as they call it here.The place is all right; everything ready for work, and we'll set to withstout hearts, and make up for lost time."

  "When do we begin, uncle--to-morrow?"

  "No, no: not till next Monday morning. To-morrow we'll have a look overthe works, and then we'll idle a bit--have a few runs into the countryround, and see what it's like."

  "Black dismal place," I said dolefully.

  "Says he's tired out and wants to go to bed," said Uncle Jack, givinghis eye a peculiar cock at his brothers.

  "I didn't," I cried.

  "Not in words, my fine fellow, but you looked it."

  "Then I won't look so again," I cried. "I say, don't talk to me as if Iwere a little boy to be sent to bed."

  "Well, you're not a man yet, Cob. Is he, boys?"

  Uncle Dick was in high spirits, and he took up a candle and held itclose to my cheek.

  "What's the matter?" I said. "Is it black? I shouldn't wonder."

  "Not a bit, Cob," he said seriously. "You can't even see a bit of thefinest down growing."

  "Oh, I say," I cried, "it's too bad! I don't pretend to be a man atsixteen; but now I've come down here to help you in the new works, yououghtn't to treat me as if I were a little boy."

  "Avast joking!" said Uncle Dick quietly, for the comely landlady came into clear away the tea-things, and she had just finished when there was adouble knock at the front door.

  We heard it opened, and a deep voice speaking, and directly after thelandlady came in with a card.

  "Mr Tomplin, gentlemen," she said. "He's at the door, and I was to saythat if it was inconvenient for you to see him to-night, perhaps youwould call at his office when you were down the town."

  "Oh, ask him in, Mrs Stephenson," cried Uncle Dick; and as she left theroom--"it's the solicitor to whom I brought the letter of introductionfrom the bank."

  It was a short dark man in black coat and waistcoat and pepper-and-salttrousers who was shown in. He had little sharp eyes that seemed toglitter. So did his hair, which was of light-grey, and stood up allover his head as if it was on white fire. He had not a particle of hairon his face, which looked as if he was a very good customer to thebarber.

  He shook hands very heartily with all of us, nodding pleasantly thewhile; and when he sat down he took out a brown-and-yellow silkhandkerchi
ef and blew his nose like a horn.

  "Welcome to Yorkshire, gentlemen!" he said. "My old friends at the banksend me a very warm letter of recommendation about you, and I'm at yourservice. Professional consultations at the usual fee, six and eight orthirteen and four, according to length. Friendly consultations--Thankyou, I'm much obliged. This is a friendly consultation. Now what can Ido for you?"

  He looked round at us all, and I felt favourably impressed. So did myuncles, as Uncle Dick answered for all.

  "Nothing at present, sir. By and by we shall be glad to come to you forlegal and friendly advice too."

  "That's right," said Mr Tomplin. "You've taken the Rivulet Works, Ihear."

  "Yes, down there by the stream."

  "What are you going to do?--carry on the old forging and grinding?"

  "Oh, dear, no!" said Uncle Dick. "We are going in for odds and ends,sir. To introduce, I hope, a good many improvements in several branchesof the trades carried on here, principally in forging."

  Mr Tomplin drew in his lips and filled his face with wrinkles.

  "Going to introduce new inventions, eh?" he said.

  "Yes, sir, but only one at a time," said Uncle Jack.

  "And have you brought a regiment of soldiers with you, gentlemen?"

  "Brought a what?" said Uncle Bob, laughing.

  "Regiment of soldiers, sir, and a company of artillerymen with a coupleof guns."

  "Ha! Ha! Ha!" laughed Uncle Dick, showing his white teeth. "MrTomplin means to besiege Arrowfield."

  "No, I don't, my dear sir. I mean to turn your works into a fort todefend yourselves against your enemies."

  "My dear sir," said Uncle Jack, "we haven't an enemy in the world."

  "Not at the present moment, sir, I'll be bound," said Mr Tomplin,taking snuff, and then blowing his nose so violently that I wondered hedid not have an accident with it and split the sides. "Not at thepresent moment, gentlemen; but as soon as it is known that you are goingto introduce new kinds of machinery, our enlightened townsmen willdeclare you are going to take the bread out of their mouths and destroyeverything you make."

  "Take the bread out of their mouths, my dear Mr Tomplin!" said UncleJack. "Why, what we do will put bread in their mouths by making morework."

  "Of course it will, my dear sirs."

  "Then why should they interfere?"

  "Because of their ignorance, gentlemen. They won't see it. Take myadvice: there's plenty to be done by clever business men. Start somesteady manufacture to employ hands as the work suggests. Only usepresent-day machinery if you wish to be at peace."

  "We do wish to be at peace, Mr Tomplin," said Uncle Bob; "but we do notmean to let a set of ignorant workmen frighten us out of our projects."

  "Hear, hear!" said Uncle Dick and Uncle Jack; and I put in a small"hear" at the end.

  "Well, gentlemen, I felt it to be my duty to tell you," said MrTomplin, taking more snuff and making more noise. "You will haveattacks made upon you to such an extent that you had better be in thebush in Queensland among the blacks."

  "But not serious attacks?" said Uncle Jack. "Attempts to frighten us?"

  "Attempts to frighten you! Well, you may call them that," said MrTomplin; "but there have been two men nearly beaten to death withsticks, one factory set on fire, and two gunpowder explosions during thepast year. Take my advice, gentlemen, and don't put yourself inopposition to the workmen if you are going to settle down here."

  He rose, shook hands, and went away, leaving us looking at each otheracross the table.

  "Cheerful place Arrowfield seems to be," said Uncle Dick.

  "Promises to be lively," said Uncle Jack.

  "What do you say, Cob?" cried Uncle Bob. "Shall we give up, befrightened, and run away like dogs with our tails between our legs?"

  "No!" I cried, thumping the table with my fist. "I wouldn't befrightened out of anything I felt to be right."

  "Bravo! Bravo! Bravo!" cried my uncles.

  "At least I don't think I would," I said. "Perhaps I really am a cowardafter all."

  "Well," said Uncle Dick, "I don't feel like giving up for such a thingas this. I'd sooner buy pistols and guns and fight. It can't be so badas the old gentleman says. He's only scaring us. There, it's teno'clock; you fellows are tired, and we want to breakfast early and goand see the works, so let's get to bed."

  We were far enough out of the smoke for our bedrooms to be beautifullywhite and sweet, and I was delighted with mine, as I saw what a snuglittle place it was. I said "Good-night!" and had shut my door, when,going to my window, I drew aside the blind, and found that I was lookingright down upon the town.

  "Oh!" I ejaculated, and I ran out to the next room, which was UncleDick's. "Look!" I cried. "Now you'll believe me. The town is onfire."

  He drew up the blind, and threw up his window, when we both looked downat what seemed to be the dying out of a tremendous conflagration--dyingout, save in one place, where there was a furious rush of light right upinto the air, with sparks flying and flickering tongues of flame dartingup and sinking down again, while the red and tawny-yellow smoke rolledaway.

  "On fire, Cob!" he said quietly. "Yes, the town's on fire, but in theproper way. Arrowfield is a fiery place--all furnaces. There's nothingthe matter, lad."

  "But there! There!" I cried, "where the sparks are roaring and rushingout with all that flame."

  "There! Oh! That's nothing, my boy. The town is always like this."

  "But you don't see where I mean," I cried, still doubting, and pointingdown to our right.

  "Oh, yes! I do, my dear boy. That is where they are making theBessemer steel."