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The Weathercock: Being the Adventures of a Boy with a Bias, a fiction by George Manville Fenn |
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Chapter 29. Trying An Experiment |
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_ CHAPTER TWENTY NINE. TRYING AN EXPERIMENT "Pray, pray, be careful, Vane, my dear," cried Aunt Hannah, the next afternoon, when the new propeller had been carefully lifted on to the miller's cart, and the inventor rushed in to say good-bye and ask the doctor and his aunt to come down for the trial, which would take place in two hours' time exactly. Then he followed the cart, but only to be overtaken by the rector's other three pupils, Macey announcing that Mr Syme was going to follow shortly. Vane did not feel grateful, and he would have rather had the trial all alone, but he was too eager and excited to mind much, and soon after the boat was drawn up to the side of the staging, at the end of the dam, the ponderous affair lifted from the cart, and the miller came out to form one of the group of onlookers. "Why, hey, Vane Lee, my lad, she's too big enew. She'll sink the boat." "Oh, no," cried Vane. "It looks heavier than it is." "Won't be much room for me," said the miller, with a chuckle. "You mustn't come," cried Vane in alarm. "Only Macey and I are going in the boat. We work the pedals and hand cranks. This is only an experiment to see if it will go." "Hey bood she'll goo reight enew," said the miller, seriously, "if I get in. Reight to the bottom, and the mill 'll be to let." There was a roar of laughter at this, and Macey whispered:-- "I say, Weathercock, if they're going to chaff like this I shall cut off." "No, no, don't be a coward," whispered back Vane; "it's only their fun. It don't hurt." "Oh, doesn't it. I feel as if gnats were stinging me." "That theer boat 'll never carry her, my lad," said the miller. "It will, I tell you," cried Vane, firmly. "Aw reight. In wi' her then, and when she's at the bottom you can come and fish for her. It's straange and deep down there." "Now then, ready?" cried Vane after a due amount of preparation. An affirmative answer was given; the frame-work with its cranks was carefully lifted on to the platform and lowered into the boat's stern, which it fitted exactly, and Vane stepped in, and by the help of a screw-hammer fitted some iron braces round the boat, screwed them up tightly. The machine was fairly fixed in its place and looked extremely top-heavy, and with Vane in the stern as well, sent the boat's gunwale down within four inches of the surface and the bows up correspondingly high. By this time the rector and the Little Manor people had arrived, while quite a little crowd from the town had gathered to stand on the edge of the dam and for the most part grin. "There," said Vane as he stood up covered with perspiration from his efforts. "That's about right. In a boat made on purpose the machine would be fitted on the bottom and be quite out of the way." "Couldn't be, lad," said the miller. "But goo on, I want to see her move." "Wish there was another boat here, Gil," said Distin. "You and I would race them." "Let them talk," said Vane, to encourage Macey, who looked very solemn, and as he spoke he carefully examined the two very small paddles which dropped over each side, so arranged that they should, when worked by the cranks and hand levers, churn up the water horizontally instead of vertically like an ordinary paddle wheel. There were a good many other little things to do, such as driving in a few wedges between the frame-work and side of the boat, to get all firmer, but Vane had come provided with everything necessary, and when he could no longer delay the start, which he had put off as long as possible, and when it seemed as if Macey would be missing if they stopped much longer, the lad rose up with his face very much flushed and spoke out frankly and well, explaining that it was quite possible that his rough machine would not work smoothly at first, but that if the principle was right he would soon have a better boat and machine. Hereupon Gilmore cried, "Hooray!" and there was a hearty cheer, accompanied by a loud tapping of the rector's walking stick, on the wooden gangway. "Now, Vane, lad, we're getting impatient," cried the doctor, who was nearly as anxious as his nephew. "Off with you!" "Well said, doctor," cried the miller; "less o' the clapper, my lads, and more of the spinning wheels and stones." "Ready, Macey?" whispered Vane. "No," was whispered back. "Why?" "I'm in such an awful stew." "Get out. It's all right. Now then. You know. Come down and sit in your place steadily." Macey stepped down into the boat, which gave a lurch, and went very near the water, as far as the gunwale was concerned. "Hi theer; howd hard," cried the miller; "he's too heavy. Coom out, lad, and I'll tak thy place." There was another roar of laughter at this. "Oh, I say, Mr Round, don't chaff us or we can't do it," whispered Vane to the jolly-looking great twenty-stone fellow. "Aw reight, lad. I'll be serious enew now. Off you go! Shall I give you a shove?" "No," said Vane. "I want to prove the boat myself. Now, Macey, you sit still till I've worked her round even, and then when I say off, you keep on stroke for stroke with me." "All right," cried Macey, and Vane began to work his crank and paddle on the boat's starboard side with the result that they began to move and curve round. Then, applying more force and working hard, he gave himself too much swing in working his lever, with the result that his side rose a little. In the midst of the cheering that had commenced the little horizontal paddle came up level with the surface, spun round at a great rate, and sent a tremendous shower of spray all over those on the gangway, Distin getting the worst share, and in his effort to escape it nearly going off into the dam. "You did that on purpose," he roared furiously, his voice rising above the shout of laughter. "Oh, I've had enough of this," said Macey. "Let me get out." "No, no, sit still. It's all right," whispered Vane. Then, aloud, "I didn't, Dis, it was an accident. All right, Aleck, keep the boat level. Now we're straight for the river. Work away." Macey tugged at his lever and pushed with his feet; his paddle now revolved, and though the boat swayed dangerously, and Aunt Hannah was in agony lest it should upset, the paddles kept below the surface, and cheer after cheer arose. For the two lads, in spite of the clumsiness and stiffness of the mechanism, were sending the boat steadily right out of the dam and into the river, where they ran it slowly for some four hundred yards before they thought it time to turn, and all the while with a troop of lads and men cheering with all their might. "Sit steady; don't sway," said Vane, "she's rather top-heavy." "I just will," responded Macey. "She'd be over in a moment. But, I say, isn't it hard work?" "The machinery's too stiff," said Vane. "My arms are," said Macey, "and I don't seem to have any legs." "Never mind." "But I do." "Stop now," said Vane, and the boat glided on a little way and then the stream checked her entirely, right in the middle. "That's the best yet," said Macey, with a sigh of relief. But there was no rest for him. "Now," cried Vane, "we're going back." "Can't work 'em backwards." "No, no, forward," said Vane. "I'll work backwards. Work away." Macey obeyed, and a fresh burst of cheers arose as, in obedience to the reverse paddling, the boat turned as if on a pivot. Then as soon as it was straight for the mill, Vane reversed again, and accompanied by their sympathisers on the bank and working as hard as they could, the two engineers sent the boat slowly along, right back into the pool, and by judicious management on Vane's part, alongside of the wooden staging which acted as a bridge to the mill on its little island. Here plenty more cheers saluted the navigators. "Bravo! bravo!" cried the rector. "Well done, Vane," cried the doctor. "Viva," shouted Distin, with a sneering look at Vane, who winced as if it had been a physical stab, and he did not feel the happier for knowing that the cheers were for nothing, since he did not want Macey's words to tell him that his machine was a failure from the amount of labour required. "Why, I could have taken the boat there and back home myself with a pair of sculls, and nearly as fast again," whispered the boy. It was quite correct, and Vane felt anything but happy, as he stepped on to the top of the camp-shed, where the others were. "Can't wark it by mysen," said the miller. "Won't join me, I suppose, doctor?" "Any one else, not you," said the doctor, merrily. "Come," said the rector, "another trial. Gilmore, Distin, you have a turn." "All right, sir," cried Gilmore, getting into the boat; "come on, Dis." "Oh, I don't know," said the young creole. "He's afraid," said Macey, mischievously, and just loud enough for Distin to hear. The latter darted a furious look at him, and then turned to Gilmore. "Oh, very well," he said in a careless drawl. "I don't mind having a try." "It'll take some of the fat conceit out of him, Weathercock," said Macey, wiping his streaming brow. "Oh, I say, I am hot." Gilmore had taken off his jacket and vest before getting into the boat. Distin kept his on, and stepped down, while Vane held the boat's side from where he kneeled on the well-worn planks. "Take off your things, man," said Gilmore, as Distin sat down. "Work the levers steadily, Gil," said Vane. "All right, old fellow." "I dare say we can manage; thank you," said Distin, in a low, sarcastic tone, meant for Vane's ears alone, for, saving the miller, the others were chatting merrily about the success of the trial. "It does not seem to be such a wonderfully difficult piece of performance." "It isn't," said Vane, frankly. "Only trim the boat well she's top-heavy." "Thank you once more," said Distin, as he took off jacket and vest, and began to fold them. "I'll give her head a push off," said Vane, taking up the boat-hook and beginning to thrust the boat's head out so that the fresh engineers could start together. "Thank you again," said Distin, sarcastically, as the bows went round, and Vane after sending the prow as far as he could, ran and caught the stern, and drew that gently round till the boat was straight for the river and gliding forward. "Ready, Dis?" said Gil, who had hold of his lever, and foot on the treadle he had to work. "One moment," said Distin, rising in the boat to place his carefully folded clothes behind him, and it was just as Vane gave the boat a final thrust and sent it gliding. "Give us a shout, you fellows," cried Gilmore. "Steady Dis!" he roared. "Hooray!" came from the little crowd. "Oh, what a lark!" shouted Macey, but Aunt Hannah uttered a shriek. Vane's thrust had not the slightest thing to do with the mishap, for the boat was already so crank that the leverage of Distin's tall body, as he stood up, was quite enough to make it settle down on one side. As this disturbed his balance, he made a desperate effort to recover himself, placed a foot on the gunwale, and the next moment, in the midst of the cheering, took a header right away into the deep water, while the boat gradually continued its motion till it turned gently over, and floated bottom upwards, leaving Gilmore slowly swimming to the side, where he clung to the camp-shedding laughing, till it seemed as if he would lose his hold. "Help! help!" cried Aunt Hannah. "All right, ma'am," said the miller, snatching the boat-hook from Vane. "Mr Distin! Mr Distin," shrieked Aunt Hannah. The miller literally danced with delight. "Up again directly, ma'am," he said, "only a ducking, and the water's beautifully clean. There he is," he continued, as Distin's head suddenly popped up with his wet black hair streaked over his forehead, and catching him deftly by the waistband of his trowsers with the boat-hook, the miller brought the panting youth to the gangway, and helped him out. "You did that on purpose," cried Distin, furiously; but the miller only laughed the more, and soon after the boat had been drawn to its moorings, and righted, it was chained up, so that it should do no more mischief, the miller said. That brought the experiment to a conclusion, and when the machine had been taken back dry to the workshop, as it had been proved that it was only labour in a novel way and much increased, Vane broke it up, and the doctor, when the bills were paid, said quietly: "I think Vane will have a rest now for a bit." _ |
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