CHAPTER XXII. THE BOYS MEET AN OLD ACQUAINTANCE.
The boys needed no further urging. Taking to their heels they ran like somany scared jackrabbits after the engineer. Tubby, his fat, stumpy legsworking like piston rods, was in the lead.
"I knew something was going to bust," he yelled, as he sprinted along,"and it has!"
Suddenly Mr. Raynor, who was heading apparently for a piled-up mass ofrocks, stopped and glanced back.
"Too late! Duck!" he shouted the next instant.
Down flopped the boys, but as they threw themselves face downward theyfelt as if they were being lifted from the ground by a giant hand andthen slammed down again. It seemed almost as if a heavy weight had beenhurled down on them.
Then came a terrific, blasting roar and blinding flash as if a huge gunhad been set off quite close to them.
The fearful concussion and their lack of knowledge of what was happeningscared and shocked them half out of their wits. Gravel and small rocksfell about them. If it had not been for their broad-brimmed Scout hats,which protected the back of their heads, they would have been cut andbruised by the hail of debris.
"You can get up now," came Mr. Raynor's voice presently, "but I don'tmind saying that that was about as narrow a squeak as I've everexperienced."
"It sure _was_ a test hole," muttered Tubby; "it tested me all right andI don't want any more of it."
"What on earth happened?" demanded Rob, brushing dirt and dust from hisuniform.
"That's what I'd like to know," said Fred.
"I thought the world was coming to an end," declared Merritt.
"Or a giant cocoanut was blowing up," murmured Tubby.
At that moment Ram came running up. He looked embarrassed and dabbed at asmall cut on his forehead with a handkerchief.
"Him hurte you?" he asked rather anxiously, looking askance at Mr.Raynor.
"More good luck than thanks to you that we were not all killed," declaredthe engineer angrily. "What made you do it, you rascal?"
"Me very sorry. Ram forget," said the man contritely.
But his repentance had no effect on the thoroughly angry engineer. Hetold the man that he was too grossly careless to work on the dynamitegang and ordered him to report at his office that night and be assignedto some other work.
Tubby nodded sagely as he heard this. He was confirmed, it seemed, in hisopinion that the man had been careless and he felt like telling theengineer so. But Rob asked a question.
"You haven't told us yet just what it was that happened?" he said.
"Yes, what was it?" put in Fred.
"Oh, nothing to speak of but an explosion of fifteen pounds of dynamiteabout as close to us as I'd care to have such a thing happen," said theengineer grimly.
"Gee whiz! As bad as that!" exclaimed Merritt looking aghast. "Why wemight all have been----"
"Hoisted sky-high. Oh, you don't need to tell me that. That carelessfellow Ram left one of his cans of dynamite lying on the ground not farfrom the test hole. I didn't notice it and he didn't either, I guess,till he shot the well. Then just as that column of stones and stuff wassky-hooting up, I happened to see that can lying there. It gave me aturn, I tell you. I figured out what would happen if a rock ever hit andwe standing where we were."
"What would have happened?" asked Tubby innocently, his eyes like twosaucers.
"Happened! Why we'd all have had through tickets to Kingdom Come, that'swhat would have happened."
"But you haven't told it all," exclaimed Rob, who had just comprehendedsomething. "Boys, that weight that fell on us was Mr. Raynor's body. Hejust shoved us in front of him and shielded us with his own body. Hesaved our lives."
"That's what I call being a real hero," cried Fred.
"Three cheers and a tiger for Mr. Raynor!" yelled Merritt.
"Pshaw! You drop that now!" protested the engineer. "I just fell on youbecause I couldn't help it, I reckon."
"We know better than that, don't we, fellows?" cried Rob.
"You bet we do," was the response given with deep conviction andunanimity.
"Well, say no more about it," begged the engineer. "I promised to takegood care of you and I was almost responsible for getting you injured, soI guess we're quits."
As Mr. Raynor had to visit other parts of the workings, and also to takesamples of the earth blown up by Ram's unlucky blast, the boys bade himgood-bye soon after.
"Well, so long," he said. "I hope you'll drop in and see me some time ifyou are going to be about here long. I may have something elseinteresting to show you."
The boys said they would. Then up came Ram Chunda, grinning like amonkey.
"Me velly solly," he said, "white sahib no be mad. You come see me sometime, eh?"
"Yes, we'll come and see you when you're in your little casket or elseget our lives insured first, you--you anarchist you!" sputtered Tubby.
The engineer had advised them not to climb the ladders but to walk alongthe foot of the dam till they reached a place where a flight of steps hadbeen moulded in the concrete. Accordingly, after leaving him they trudgedalong at the foot of the gigantic stone cliff, looking up every now andthen to marvel at its height and massiveness.
They found plenty to look at and were in no hurry. That is, none of themwas in a hurry but Tubby, who was keen to find out if it was not time togo back to Mr. Mainwaring's bungalow for dinner.
It was hot work walking, and they paused frequently. At length they cameto a place where a small tree at the foot of the dam afforded a patch ofshade.
"Let's sit down and rest a while," said Fred. "I'm tuckered out."
"Wish this was a cocoanut tree," said Tubby as they reclined in thegrateful bit of shade. "I'd climb it and get all you fellows something toeat."
"Or blow us up," laughed Fred mischievously.
"Say, fellows," said Rob presently, "look up above us on the top of thedam. There's a big concrete mixing machine up there."
"Hope they don't drop anything down on us," said Fred apprehensively.
"Not much danger of that, I just saw a man peeking down at us. They wouldwarn us if we were in danger."
"I don't know, those niggers are none too careful. Remember that fellowRam; he came pretty near ramming us," punned Fred.
"Look out!" yelled Merritt suddenly.
But he was too late. A bucket full of liquid cement came spattering downon them, going all over their uniforms and making them sad sights indeed.Luckily the stuff was almost as thin as water or they might have beeninjured.
Rob looked up and gave an indignant shout. A mocking face peered over theedge of the parapet and grinned jeeringly at him. As he saw thiscountenance Rob gave a violent start and fairly staggered backward.
It was the face of Jared Applegate into which he had looked. It was hishand that had thrown the bucket of liquid cement over them, ruining theiruniforms.
"Fellows!" shouted Rob in high excitement.
But Jared's face had vanished as swiftly as it had appeared.