CHAPTER SEVEN.
A USEFUL ALLY.
"Take no notice," said Uncle Dick.
We listened, and I laughed as I heard the rattling noise made by a keyas if our friend was trying to get in, after which he seemed to realisewhat had been done, and went away grumbling fiercely.
"Now for a quiet look round upstairs," said Uncle Dick; and all beingquiet and we in possession we turned in at the dark door to inspect ourfort.
There was something creepy and yet thoroughly attractive in thebusiness. The place looked dark and romantic in the gloom; there was aspice of danger in the work, and the excitement made my blood seem todance in my veins.
"Hallo!" I cried, as we were entering the door; "there's somethingwrong," for I heard a rustling noise and a dull thud as if someone hadjumped down from a little height.
At the same moment we found out how useful Piter was going to be, for hestarted off with a furious rush, barking tremendously, and as wefollowed him to the end of the yard we were in time for a scuffle, asavage burst of expressions, and then my heart, which had been throbbingfuriously, seemed to stand still, for there was a howl, a tremendoussplash, then silence.
"Quick, boys!" cried Uncle Jack. "Here, join hands. I'll go in andfetch him out. Take the light, Cob."
I gladly seized the lantern and made the light play on the surface ofthe water where it was disturbed, and as I did so Piter came up from theedge whining softly and twitching his little stump of a tail.
Then a head and shoulders appeared, and the surface of the dam wasbeaten tremendously, but so close to the edge that by standing on thestonework and holding by Uncle Bob's hand Uncle Jack was able to stretchout his stick to the struggling man, to have it clutched directly, andthe fellow was drawn ashore.
He gave himself a shake like a dog as soon as he was on dry land, andstood for a moment or two growling and using ugly language that seemedto agree with his mouth.
Then he turned upon us.
"Aw right!" he said, "I'll pay thee for this. Set the dawg on me, youdid, and then pitched me into the watter. Aw reight! I'll pay thee forthis."
"Open the gate, Bob," said Uncle Jack, who now took the fellow by thecollar and thrust him forward while I held the light as the man went onthreatening and telling us what he meant to do.
But the cold water had pretty well quenched his fierce anger, and thoughhe threatened a great deal he did not attempt to do anything till he wasby the gate, where a buzz of voices outside seemed to inspirit him.
"Hey, lads!" he cried, "in wi' you when gate's opened."
"Take care," whispered Uncle Dick. "Be ready to bang the gate. We musthave him out. Here, Piter."
The dog answered with a bark, and then our invader being held ready thegate was opened by me, and the three brothers thrust the prisoner theywere going to set at liberty half-way out.
Only half-way, for he was driven back by a rush of his companions, whohad been aroused by his shouting.
The stronger outside party would have prevailed no doubt had not ourfour-footed companion made a savage charge among the rough legs, withsuch effect that there was a series of yells from the front men, whobecame at once on our side to the extent of driving their friends back;and before they could recover from the surprise consequent upon thedog's assault, the gate was banged to and locked.
"Show the light, and see where that fellow came over the wall, Cob,"whispered Uncle Dick; and I made the light play along the top, expectingto see a head every moment. But instead of a head a pair of handsappeared over the coping-stones--a pair of great black hands, whosenails showed thick and stubby in the lantern light.
"There, take that," said Uncle Dick, giving the hands a quick tap withhis stick. "I don't want to hurt you, though I could."
By that he meant do serious injury, for he certainly hurt the owner ofthe hands to the extent of giving pain, for there was a savage yell andthe hands disappeared.
Then there was a loud scuffling noise and a fresh pair of handsappeared, but they shared the fate of the others and went out of sight.
"Nice place this," said Uncle Bob suddenly. "Didn't take returntickets, did you?"
"Return tickets! No," said Uncle Jack in a low angry voice. "What!Are you tired of it already?"
"Tired! Well, I don't know, but certainly this is more lively thanCanonbury. There's something cheerful about the place. Put up yourumbrellas, it hails."
I was nervous and excited, but I could not help laughing at this, forUncle Bob's ideas of hailstones were peculiar. The first that fell wasa paving-stone as big as a half-quartern loaf, and it was followed byquite a shower of the round cobbles or pebbles nearly the size of a fistthat are used so much in some country places for paths.
Fortunately no one was hit, while this bombardment was succeeded byanother assault or attempt to carry the place by what soldiers call a_coup de main_.
But this failed, for the hands that were to deal the _coup_ receivedsuch ugly taps from sticks as they appeared on the top of the wall thattheir owners dropped back and began throwing over stones and angry wordsagain.
Only one of our assailants seemed to have the courage to persevere, andthis proved to be our old friend. For as I directed the light along thetop of the wall a pair of hands appeared accompanied by the usualscuffing.
Uncle Dick only tapped them, but possibly not hard enough, for the armsfollowed the hands, then appeared the head and fierce eyes of the man wehad found asleep.
"Coom on, lads; we've got un now," he shouted, and in another minute hewould have been over; but Uncle Dick felt it was time for strongermeasures than tapping hands, and he let his stick come down with such asharp rap on the great coarse head that it disappeared directly, and ayelling chorus was succeeded by another shower of stones.
We went into shelter in the doorway, with Piter playing the part ofsentry in front, the dog walking up and down looking at the top of thewall growling as he went, and now and then opening and shutting histeeth with a loud snap like a trap.
On the other side of the wall we could hear the talking of the men,quite a little crowd having apparently assembled, and being harangued byone of their party.
"So it makes you think of Canonbury, does it, Bob?" said Uncle Jack.
"Well, yes," said my uncle.
"It makes me feel angry," said Uncle Jack, "and as if the more thesescoundrels are obstinate and interfere with me, the more determined Ishall grow."
"We must call in the help of the police," said Uncle Dick.
"And they will be watched away," said Uncle Jack. "No, we must dependupon ourselves, and I dare say we can win. What's that?"
I listened, and said that I did not hear anything.
"I did," said Uncle Jack. "It was the tap made by a ladder that hasbeen reared against a house."
I made the light play against the top of the wall and along it from endto end.
Then Uncle Jack took it and examined the top, but nothing was visibleand saying it was fancy he handed the lantern to me, when all at oncethere was a double thud as of two people leaping down from the wall; andas I turned the light in the direction from which the sounds came therewas our squinting enemy, and directly behind him a great rough fellow,both armed with sticks and charging down upon us where we stood.
I heard my uncles draw a long breath as if preparing for the fight.Then they let their sticks fall to their sides, and a simultaneous roarof laughter burst forth.
It did not take a minute, and the various little changes followed eachother so quickly that I was confused and puzzled.
One moment I felt a curious shrinking as I saw the faces of two savagemen rushing at us to drive us out of the place; the next I was lookingat their backs as they ran along the yard.
For no sooner did Piter see them than he made a dash at their legs,growling like some fierce wild beast, and showing his teeth to such goodeffect that the men ran from him blindly yelling one to the other; andthe next thing I heard was a couple of splashes in
the dam.
"Why, they're trying to swim across," cried Uncle Dick; and we at onceran to the end of the yard to where it was bounded by the stone-bordereddam.
"Show the light, Cob," cried Uncle Jack; and as I made it play upon thewater there was one man swimming steadily for the other side, with Piterstanding at the edge baying him furiously, but the other man was notvisible.
Then the surface of the water was disturbed and a hand appeared, thenanother, to begin beating and splashing.
"Why, the fellow can't swim," cried Uncle Jack; and catching hisbrother's hand he reached out, holding his stick ready for the man tograsp.
It was an exciting scene in the darkness, with the ring of light cast bythe lantern playing upon the dark surface of the water, which seemed tobe black rippled with gold; and there in the midst was the distortedface of the workman, as he yelled for help and seemed in imminent dangerof drowning.
He made two or three snatches at the stick, but missed it, and hisstruggles took him farther from the edge into the deep water close by,where the wall that supported the great wheel was at right angles towhere we stood.
It was a terribly dangerous and slippery place, but Uncle Jack did nothesitate. Walking along a slippery ledge that was lapped by the water,he managed to reach the drowning man, holding to him his stick; and thenas the fellow clutched it tightly he managed to guide him towards theedge, where Uncle Dick knelt down, and at last caught him by the collarand drew him out, dripping and half insensible.
"Down, dog!" cried Uncle Dick as Piter made a dash at his enemy, who nowlay perfectly motionless.
Piter growled a remonstrance and drew back slowly, but as he reached theman's feet he made a sudden dart down and gave one of his ankles a pinchwith his trap-like jaws.
The effect was instantaneous. The man jumped up and shook his fist inour faces.
"Yow'll get it for this here," he roared. "Yow threw me in dam and thenset your dawg at me. Yow'll hev it for this. Yow'll see. Yow'll--"
"Look here," said Uncle Bob, mimicking the fellow's broad rough speech,"hadn't yow better go home and take off your wet things?"
"Yow pitched me in dam and set dawg at me," cried the fellow again.
"Go home and get off your wet things and go to bed," said Uncle Jack,"and don't come worrying us again--do you hear?"
"Yow pitched me in dam and set dawg at me," cried the man again; andfrom the other side of the pool the man who had swum across and beenjoined by some companions yelled out:
"Gi'e it to un, Chawny--gi'e it to un."
"Yow pitched me in dam and set dawg--"
"Look here," roared Uncle Bob, "if you're not out of this place in halfa minute I will pitch you in the dam, and set the dog at you as well.Here, Piter."
"Give's leg over the wall," growled the man.
"No. Go out of the gate," said Uncle Jack; and standing ready to avoida rush we opened the gate in the wall and let the fellow go free.
We got him out and escaped a rush, for the little crowd were all up bythe side of the dam, whence they could see into the yard; but as we sentChawny, as he was called, out through the gate, and he turned to standthere, dripping, and ready to shake his fist in our faces, they camecharging down.
Uncle Bob banged the door to, though, as our enemy repeated his angrycharge:
"Yow pitched me in dam and set dawg at me."
Then the door was closed and we prepared for the next attack from themurmuring crowd outside.
But none came, and the voices gradually grew fainter and died away,while, taking it in turns, we watched till morning began to breakwithout any farther demonstration on the part of the enemy.
"We're safe for this time, boys," said Uncle Dick.
"Now go and have a few hours' rest. I'll call you when the men come."
We were only too glad, and ten minutes later we were all asleep on someshavings and straw in the upper workshop, while Uncle Dick and Piterkept guard.