CHAPTER XIX
FACING A GREAT PERIL
Bob Jarvis was after him with a bound.
The lads had seen a little tongue of flame creeping up the sides of thebag on the back of the Italian.
Mr. Penton saw it also, as did the president of the company. The two menunderstood the situation as fully as did the lads themselves, but theothers of the company were laughing and chatting, unmindful of the direperil that was threatening them. Mr. Carrhart and Mr. Penton half rosefrom their seats, their faces blanching noticeably.
Steve by this time had reached the Italian burden-bearer. Stretchingforth his hands, he grasped the bag, giving it a powerful tug. TheItalian toppled over backwards, the loop slipping over his head, leavingthe sack and its contents in the hands of Steve Rush.
In the meantime the attention of the visitors had been attracted. Theydiscovered all at once that something unusual was taking place.
"Hello, what's this--a fight?" cried Mr. Cary.
Those who knew did not answer. They stood with pale faces, wide-eyed,watching the efforts of the Iron Boys.
No sooner had Steve gotten possession of the bag than the Italian leapedto his feet. With an angry imprecation, he sprang at Steve, knife inhand.
But Jarvis was watching him. The boy made a leap, landing a powerfulblow with his fist on the back of the Italian's head. The man collapsedin a heap. Bob was down on his knees beside his companion in an instant.Steve had thrown the burning bag into the gutter extending along thetrack, where there trickled a little stream of water that had beenturned a dull red by the iron ore. There was little water there, butRush was scooping up what there was of the water and mud, and with itpatting out the fire in the sack.
Bob began doing the same, but now little flames were starting up allover the bag.
"Beat it out with your hands!" cried Steve. "It's getting the best ofus. If it reaches the fuses, we're done for!"
"Skip, Steve; let me do it."
Rush did not answer. He was beating a tattoo on the bag, now and thengrabbing up a handful of mud and water to soothe the hands which werealready quite badly burned.
"It's out," announced Bob at last.
The Iron Boys' prompt action had prevented the fuses from igniting. Allthis had occupied but a few seconds. Instinctively the visitors realizedthat something was wrong, but they did not understand what thatsomething was.
Steve rolled the bag over two or three times, soaking it as well as hecould with the little water at hand. He then opened the mouth of thesack, emptying the contents into the gutter and soaking that with water.This done, he threw the sack away and straightened up, his face flushedfrom his exertions.
The Italian was just getting to his feet unsteadily, but there was anangry light in his eyes.
Steve pointed to the sack.
"How did that happen?" demanded the lad.
"Me not know," was the answer, with a shrug of the shoulders. "Why youhit me?"
"Why did I hit you?" repeated Bob. "If I hadn't you'd been sailingskyward by this time."
The Italian started away, muttering sullenly. Steve stepped forward,laying a restraining hand on the man's arm.
"Wait a minute. I want to talk with you."
Mr. Carrhart sat down on the bench rather heavily, wiping theperspiration from his forehead.
"Now, Carrhart, perhaps you will tell us the meaning of this remarkablescene," said Mr. Cary. "Something is up. I have a suspicion."
"Yes, you are right; something is up--or _was_. Do you gentlemen knowwhat was in that bag that you saw on fire just now?"
"No."
"It was dynamite," said the president in an impressive tone.
"Dynamite!" exclaimed the visitors in one voice.
"Yes. How much was there in the bag, Mr. Penton?" asked Mr. Carrhart.
"I should judge there were a dozen charges; about fifty pounds, I shouldsay."
The blanched faces of the visitors evidenced their understanding.
"Enough to blow us into kingdom come," added the superintendent.
"Then--then those boys have saved our lives?"
"They have," said Mr. Penton.
"Yes, and that act of theirs is sufficient to earn for them the Medal ofHonor. I never knew of a braver act," added the president. "Rush, comehere! Jarvis, I want you, too."
The boys obeyed the command, Steve leading the unwilling Italian aroundthe chutes to the platform, where he stood him against the wall.
"You stay there until you are wanted!" ordered the boy, at which Mr.Penton nodded his approval.
The visitors crowded forward, expressing their admiration at the braveryof the Iron Boys, at the same time plying them with eager questions.
"How did you ever have the courage to do it?" questioned one man.
"Because I didn't want to be blown up," answered Steve simply, at whichthe tension was relieved and everyone laughed.
"What I should like to know," exclaimed Mr. Carrhart, "is how thisaffair occurred--how did that bag of dynamite chance to catch fire?"
"From the Italian's candle, of course," said Mr. Cary. "I always haveconsidered those open lights dangerous, especially where high explosivesare used. We should have enclosed lights, the same as they do in thecoal mines."
"What do you think about it, Rush?" asked the president, turning to theyoung man inquiringly.
"It did not catch from the man's candle, sir," answered the ladconfidently.
"You think not?"
"I am sure of it, sir."
"What makes you think it did not?"
"Because the candle was on the front of his cap. It is there now, as youcan see for yourself. The fire, when I first saw it, was burning at thebottom of the bag on the man's back. I do not see, by any stretch of theimagination, how the candle could have fired the cloth."
"You're right."
"Mr. Penton, would you like to question the man?" asked Steve, noddingtoward the Italian.
"Yes. Come here, Dominick."
The Italian obeyed with sullenness.
"How did this thing happen, Dominick?"
"Me not know."
"You did not have your candle in your hand at any time, did you?"
"Me have candle in hat."
"Was it there when you picked up the bag?"
"Yes."
"You are sure of that?"
"Me sure."
"May I ask a question?" inquired Steve.
"Certainly."
"Did you pass or meet anyone just before you reached the chutes here?"
"Me not meet any one."
"I don't understand this at all," said Mr. Penton. "Dominick istrustworthy, so far as I am aware. At least no charges ever have beenmade against him."
"He seemed to me to be pretty handy with his knife," suggested thepresident. "I shouldn't want to trust a man very far who acted that way,would you, Rush?"
"Well, no, sir; but I shouldn't accuse him of setting fire to a bag ofdynamite, then calmly shouldering the bag and marching off. At least,not unless he was determined to commit suicide."
There was a hearty laugh, this time at the expense of the president.
"There's good logic in that, at any rate," agreed Mr. Carrhart.
Steve was studying the face of the Italian keenly. This Mr. Carrhartobserved and nodded significantly to Superintendent Penton. But Stevecould not make up his mind that Dominick was in any way to blame forwhat had barely missed being a great disaster.
Both lads were puzzled. They could not understand it at all.
"Perhaps a spark dropped from the trolley wire, thus firing the bag,"suggested the superintendent, after briefly turning the question over inhis mind.
"That is a plausible explanation," said Mr. Carrhart, "and for want of abetter one we shall have to let it go at that. Yes, I think that must bethe explanation."
The party decided that they had seen enough of the Cousin Jack for oneday. Some of the officials were more anxious to get out of the placethan they cared to
admit. They were not used to having their luncheonsinterrupted by fifty-pound sacks of dynamite catching fire.
Each, before leaving, stepped up and shook hands with the Iron Boys.
"I want to see you before I leave the range," said Mr. Carrhart as hebade Steve good-bye.
"Yes, sir," answered the boy, touching his hat, as he stepped to oneside to permit the visitors to pass around the chute.
"We must do something for those boys," said Mr. Cary to the president.
"Yes," agreed Mr. Carrhart.
"They are doing something for themselves, gentlemen," returned thesuperintendent. "They are not lads to need much help. They are the kindwho carve out their own futures."
* * * * *
"Well, they've gone," announced Bob, stamping the dirt from his shoes."What do you think of it?"
"Of the fire--the burning bag, you mean?"
"Yes."
"I think it was a mighty queer occurrence."
"So do I," agreed Jarvis, "and it's my opinion that it will bear lookinginto."
"Where's Dominick?"
"He sneaked away when the others left. But he is of no use to us. Heknows nothing about this affair, beyond what we all saw. We must lookbeyond him for the cause of the fire. Well, I'm off."
The lads separated for the time being and went off about their duties.But the thought of the fired bag kept recurring to Steve Rush. He turnedthe matter over and over in his mind, yet without being able to reachany definite conclusion regarding it.
"I wish I knew," he mused. "It is not my business, however, to inquireinto the affair unless I have orders to do so."
He was to receive his orders sooner than he imagined, and hisinvestigations were eventually to develop some startling factsconcerning conditions in the Cousin Jack Mine.
The Iron Boys in the Mines; or, Starting at the Bottom of the Shaft Page 19
