Part 20 (2/2)

”I daresay you're right, Max; it has often struck me as a curious fact that, when one is cross or grumpy, he is apt to think all the rest of the world is also cross or grumpy. By the way, that reminds me--though I don't see why it should remind me, seeing that the two things have no connection--that Coppet came to me last night saying he had discovered a slight leak in the dam. We'd better look to it now, as the rain seems to have moderated a little.”

We went out forthwith, and found Coppet already on the spot, gazing at a small rill of water which bubbled up from behind a ma.s.s of rock that jutted out from the cliff and formed a support for the beams of our dam.

”Something wrong there, Coppet,” said Lumley, inspecting the place carefully.

”Oui, monsieur--it is true.”

”Can you guess where it comes through?” I asked.

”Vraiment, monsieur, I know not, but surely the dam it is quite strong.”

”Strong!--of course it is, unnecessarily strong,” said I, looking up at its edge, over which the water, rendered muddy by the rains, flowed in a considerable volume. ”What think you, Lumley?”

I asked my friend's opinion somewhat anxiously, because I observed that he seemed to examine the place with unusually grave looks.

”Max,” he said at last, ”your engineering is defective. It is true that the beams and stuffs of which the dam is composed could resist all the weight or force of water that can be brought to bear on them--even an untrained eye like mine can see that--but you had not observed that this ma.s.s of rock, against which the whole affair rests, has got a crack in it, so that it is partially, if not altogether, detached from the cliff.

No doubt it is a large heavy ma.s.s, but the strain upon it must be very severe, and its stability depends on its foundations.”

”The foundations seem secure enough,” said I, looking down.

”True, but natural foundations are sometimes deceptive, and that bubbling spring may be quietly was.h.i.+ng these away. We must use a little art here. Go, Coppet,” he added, turning to the carpenter, ”fetch all the men, and your tools, and as many heavy timbers as you can readily lay hands on. Come, Max, help me to lift this one.”

The decision of Lumley's manner and the energetic way in which he threw off his coat and set to work, convinced me that he thought danger of some sort was impending. I therefore followed his example, and set to with a will.

We fixed a heavy log in front of the suspected ma.s.s of rock, placing its end against the centre of the ma.s.s, and sinking the other end into the ground--having previously, however, sunk a strong crossbeam into the ground to bear the pressure of that end.

”This of itself,” said my chief, ”will go far to avert evil, but we will adopt your tactics, Max, and, by giving it superabundance of strength, make a.s.surance doubly sure.”

In pursuance of this plan, he ordered the men to plant several ponderous logs in the same position as the first beam, over which other logs were thrown crosswise, and the whole was weighted with heavy stones.

During our operations, which occupied us all till evening, the rain increased tenfold, and at last came down in absolute sheets, flooding our dam to such an extent that it overflowed nearly all round the brim in pretty solid cataracts of dirty water, which brought down branches and leaves and other debris from the higher parts of the stream.

I was gratified to see, however, that our embankment showed no symptoms of weakness, and felt a.s.sured that the powerful structure we had just set up was more than sufficient to prevent any rupture in the rock itself. Comforted by these thoughts, Lumley and I returned to the hall in a burst of thunder, lightning, and rain--thoroughly saturated, and in a condition to do ample justice to the sea-biscuit, fried salt-pork, hung whitefish and tea, which Salamander had prepared for supper.

Blondin, being a polite, intelligent fellow as well as our foreman, was privileged to take his meals with us, besides occupying one of our four rooms. In consequence of this we conversed chiefly in the patois French of the country, for the worthy man was not deeply learned in English.

Salamander messed with the men in their own house, after preparing and spreading our meals.

”What say you to a game of chess?” said Lumley to me, after the tea-things had been carried away by Blondin.

”By all means,” I replied, going to a corner cupboard, in which we kept miscellaneous articles, and bringing out the chess-board.

This board and its men, by the way, merit pa.s.sing remark, for they were fas.h.i.+oned by our chief entirely, and very neatly, out of the pith of a bush, the name of which I forget; and, on the voyage, many an hour that might otherwise have been tedious we whiled away with this interesting game. I knew nothing of it when we began, but Lumley taught me the moves, and I soon picked up enough of the game to enable me to fight a fairish battle before being beaten. At first Lumley always won, and was wont to signalise his victory by the expression of a modest hope that the tables would be turned ere long. That hope--whether genuine or pretended--was not long of being gratified, for as my mind by degrees began to grasp the mysteries of chess, I succeeded in winning a game now and then.

On this particular night, however, the tables were turned literally, and in a way that we little expected.

<script>