ery thick.

The streets looked very miserable as we advanced, leaving behind us the
noise and roar and glow of the panting machinery which every now and
then whistled and screamed as if rejoicing over the metal it was cutting
and forming and working into endless shapes. There behind us was the
red cloud against which the light from a thousand furnaces was glowing,
while every now and then came a deafening roar as if some explosion had
taken place.

I glanced down at Piter expecting to see him startled, but he was
Arrowfield born, and paid not the slightest heed to noise, passing
through a bright flash of light that shot from an open door as if it
were the usual thing, and he did not even twitch his tail as we walked
on by a wall that seemed to quiver and shake as some great piece of
machinery worked away, throbbing and thudding inside.

"Here we are at last," said Uncle Dick, as we reached the corner of our
place, where a lamp shed a ghastly kind of glow upon the dark triangular
shaped dam.

The big stone building looked silent and ghostly in the gloom, while the
great chimney stood up like a giant sentry watching over it, and placed
there by the men whom it was our misfortune to have to dislodge.

We had a perfect right to be there, but one and all spoke in whispers as
we looked round at the buildings about, to see in one of a row of houses
that there were lights, and in a big stone building similar to ours the
faint glow of a fire left to smoulder till the morning. But look which
way we would, there was not a soul about, and all was still.

As we drew closer I could hear the dripping of the water as it ran in by
the wheel where it was not securely stopped; and every now and then
there was an echoing plash from the great shut-in cave, but no light in
any of the windows.

"Come and hold the bag, Jack," whispered Uncle Dick; and then laughingly
as we grouped about the gate with the dog sniffing at the bottom: "If
you see a policeman coming, give me fair warning. I hope that dog will
not bark. I feel just like a burglar."

Piter uttered a low growl, but remained silent, while Uncle Dick opened
the gate and we entered.

As soon as we were inside the yard the bag was put under requisition
again, a great screw-driver taken out, the lantern lit, and with all the
skill and expedition of one accustomed to the use of tools, Uncle Dick
unscrewed and took off the lock, laid it aside, and fitted on, very
ingeniously,