Part 2 (1/2)
Now, although Harry was only an articled pupil, he knew quite enough about railway engineering to be perfectly well aware that the elaborate measurements which Butler had instructed him to take were absolutely unnecessary, the accurate detere would eventually have to be thrown across--being all that was really required Yet he made no demur, for he had already seen that it would be possible to take as ht be required, with absolute accuracy and ease, by the execution of about a quarter of an hour's preli, he commenced this bit of preliminary work, Butler rushed out of his tent and interrupted hi?” he harshly deotten that I ordered you to , before doing anything else?”
”No, sir,” answered Harry, ”I have not forgotten I a the necessary preli the necessary preliminary work?” echoed Butler ”What do you mean? I don't understand you”
”Then permit me to explain,” said Harry suavely ”I have ascertained that, by placing the theodolite over that peg yonder,”--pointing to a newly driven peg soet an uninterrupted view of the _quebrada_ fro a series of vertical and horizontal angles froe, can measure the contour of the two sides, at the point crossed by the survey line, with the nicest accuracy”
”How do you mean?” demanded Butler
Harry proceeded to elaborate his explanation, patiently describing each step of the intended operation, andit perfectly clear that the elaborate series of unnecessary measurements demanded could be secured with the most beautiful precision
”But,” objected Butler, ”when you have taken all those angles you will have done only part of the work; you will still have to calculate the length of the vertical and horizontal lines subtended by them--”
”A matter of about half an hour's work!” interjected Harry
”Possibly,” agreed Butler ”But,” he continued, ”I do not like your plan at all; I do not approve of it; it is amateurish and theoretical, and I won't have it A o down the _quebrada_ at the end of a rope, o”
”That is one way certainly,” assented Harry; ”but, with all submission, Mr Butler, I venture to think that it will not be nearly so accurate as er If the rope should happen to be cut in its passage over the sharp edge of that rock--”
”Look here,” interrupted Butler, ”if you are afraid, you had better say so, and I will do the work myself But I should like you to understand that timid people are of no use to me”
The taunt was unjust, for Harry was not afraid; but he was convinced that his own plan was far and away the more expeditious and the er at all; while it was patent to even the dullest coer attaching to the other, inas should happen to the rope, the person suspended by it must inevitably be precipitated to the bottom, where a mountain stream roared as it leaped and boiled and foamed over a bed of enormous boulders
Had Esob been ten years older than he actually was he would probably not have hesitated--while disclai in the nature of cowardice--to express very strongly the opinion that where there were twoa certain task, one of the a human life, it was the imperative duty of the person hom the decision rested to select the safer method of the two, particularly when that method offered equally satisfactory results with the other But, being merely a lad, and as yet scarcely certain of hi also that his future prospects were absolutely at Butler's mercy, to make or mar as he pleased, Harry contented hi as fear, and expressed his readiness to perforht choose to approve At the same time he confessed his inability to understand precisely how the required measurements were to be taken, and requested instructions
”Why,” explained Butler ih for a baby to understand You will be lowered over the cliff edge and let down the cliff face exactly five feet at a time As it happens to be absolutely cal accurately plumb; all that you will have to do, therefore, will be to measure the distance from your rope to the face of the rock, at every five feet of drop, and you will then have the particulars necessary to plot a contour of the cliff face, from top to bottom You will do this on both sides of the _quebrada_, and then measure the width across at the top, which will enable us to produce a perfectly correct section of the gorge”
”But how am I to measure the distance from the rope to the cliff face?”
demanded Harry ”For, as you will have observed, sir, the rock overhangs at the top, and the gorge widens considerably as it descends”
”You can do your -rod,” answered Butler tersely; ”and if one is not long enough, tie two together”
”Even so,” persisted Harry, ”I fear I shall not be able to e--”
”Will you, or will you not, do as you are told?” snapped Butler ”If you cannot e with two rods, I will devise some other plan”
”Very well, sir,” said Harry ”If you are quite detero What rope is it your pleasure that I shall use?”
”Take the tent ropes,” ordered Butler ”You will have an aether Make a seat for yourself in the end, and then ths, so that we may know exactly how ing-rods together, and you will find that you will e splendidly”
Harry had his doubts, for to his ownfor such a purpose Moreover, the clips upon thely aard; still, since it see his professional prospects, he chose the for his preparations for what he could not help regarding as a distinctly hazardous experi, and in about twenty ht of the rope about his body, and the two joined ranging-rods in his hand, quite ready to be lowered down the face Then two peons whom he had specially selected for the task, drew in the slack of the rope, passed a complete turn of it round an iron bar driven deep into a rock crevice, and waited for the coround, with his head projecting over the edge of the cliff, to watch and regulate the descent Then Harry, fully realising, perhaps for the first time, the perilous nature of the enterprise, laid hie