t, and they're all knocked down and the water
in."

"Knocked down!" cried the squire.

"Ay," cried another of the men, "far as we could see; one's smashed to
bits, and brickwork's all ploughed up."

"Come along!" said the engineer. "Two of you run on first and get
lanthorns."

The big labourer and another went off back with a heavy trot, and the
party were advancing again when a heavy step was heard behind.

"Who's that?" said Tom.

"Me, lad, me," came back in the thick hearty voice of the wheelwright.
"What's amiss?"

They told him.

"I was straange and fast asleep," he said, "and didn't hear nowt; but my
missus wakkened me, and I come on."

"Ay, bud it wakkened me, neighbour," said Dave, who was busy
administering to himself a pill. "I've slep' badly since I had that
last touch of ager, and I thowt some un was broosting in the wall, and
as soon as I jumped up and looked out, the plaace seemed alive, for all
the birds in the fen were flying round and round, and you could hear
their wings whistling as they flew away. I was scarred."

Half an hour later they were picking their way along the embankment at
the side of the great drain, now once more filled with salt water, while
when they reached the mouth, where a peculiar dank saline odour was
perceptible, the two men who had been flitting before them with
lanthorns like a couple of will-o'-the-wisps, went cautiously down the
crumbling bank, followed by the engineer, and the mischief done was at
once plain to see.

Apparently a powerful blast of powder had been placed in the hollow of
the stone-work, where the mechanism for opening and closing the great
sluice-gates was fixed, and the result of the explosion was a huge chasm
in the stone, and one of the gates blown right off, leaving the way for
the water free.

A dead silence fell upon the group as the engineer took one of the
lanthorns and carefully examined the damage, the squire holding the
other light, and peering forward in the darkness till the engineer
climbed back to his side.

"They've managed it well," he said bitterly.

"Well!" cried the squire angrily. "I'm not a harsh man, but I'd give a
hundred pounds down to see the wretch who did this lying dead in the
ruins."

"Ay, mester," said Hickathrift in a low hoarse voice; "it be a shaame.
Will it spoil the dreern, and stop all the work?"

"Ay," said Dave, as he stood leaning upon his pole, which he had brought
over his shoulder; "will i