ly; and the next moment he was down
on his knees, rapidly examining the connections, valve, piston, and rod.
"Yah!" he roared, savagely. "The pins are left out here."

Clang went a box, as he threw up a lid in the front, snatched out a
screw hammer and a copper pin, and then, tap, tap, tap, some half-dozen
sharply given blows were heard, the hammer was thrown with a crash back
into the box, and the man's hoarse, harsh voice rose in an angry roar.

"Now, then, put your backs into it! Pump!"

_Clink, clank_! _Clink, clank_! _Clink, clonk_! _Clink, clunk_!

There was a whistling sound as the water forced the wind out of the
leather tubes, rushed along spurting in fine threads out of a score of
tiny holes, and from the joints where they were not tightly screwed up,
and then, just as, seeing what was about to happen, Manners rushed
forward and grasped the copper branch, a fountain as of golden rain
darted out of the glistening branch, rose higher and higher, making the
flames hiss and steam, and a roar of triumph rose above the thudding,
steady clank of the engine, now doing well its work, while the
north-country man who had spoken jeeringly before shouted lustily--

"Three cheers, boys, for good old Boil O!"

CHAPTER FIFTEEN.

IT'S A MYSTERY.

There was a desperate fight now for about a quarter of an hour between
man's two best slaves--fire and water; and John Willows looked anxiously
on, asking himself the question, which was to win. At the end of the
above-mentioned time, in spite of the inflammable nature of the old
building, the matter was no longer in doubt. The men worked away nobly
at the clanging pumps, and every now and then in her eager excitement,
some sturdy, strong-armed woman made a run forward to thrust husband or
brother aside and take his place, working with a will, and sending quite
a hissing deluge to flood the untouched parts of the roof, and gradually
fight back the flames foot by foot, till their farther progress was
stopped, and the rest was easy.

All through the fight, Manners held his post right in the forefront, his
face shining in the golden glow as he distributed the water. Will and
Josh kept close up after the books had been saved, always ready to help,
and bringing refreshment, while Drinkwater raged about like some
lunatic, thrusting the men here and there, urging them on to pump
faster, and nearly getting himself crushed over and over again, as he
dodged about with a sm