“Don’t know,” shouted back Joe. “Sha’n’t we be scalded to death?”
“Let’s go and try.”
That was enough for Joe, who felt as if he would have given anything for the power to rush out, but seemed held there by his companion’s example.
“Go on, then,” he panted out; and Gwyn had taken a couple of steps into the hot vapour, his heart throbbing violently with the great dread of ignorance, when, beyond the mist which was looking light in front of the door at the far end, there was a heavy, quick step. They could see a dark, shadowy figure, which looked of gigantic proportions through the hanging steam, and heard the crackling and crushing of coal under its feet, as it descended the stone steps into the stoke hole. This was followed by the rattling of an iron bar, quickly used, the rattle and clang of an iron door being thrown open, when a sudden glare of brilliant light turned the cloud of steam from grey to ruddy gold.
“Hullo! there,” shouted a voice, evidently from the door by which the boys had entered; and in an instant there was a rush of feet, the crackling of the coal on the granite steps, and they saw the dark shadow once more, as it darted out through the far door.
At the same instant there were heavy steps going along on the other side of the boilers to the stoke hole, a loud exclamation heard above the hissing and shrieking of the steam. Then came the crackling of the coal dust, the rattle of an iron implement, the furnace was closed with a clang, and the steam between the boys and the far door changed back to grey once more.
The next instant, as they went on, they were face to face with the big bluff engine-driver, who shouted at them.
“Oh! it’s you two young gents is it? Well, all I’ve got to say is that if you’re to come here meddling and playing your larks, someone else may tend the bylers, for I won’t.”
“We haven’t done anything,” cried Gwyn, hotly.
“What!” roared the man, “when I come and ketched you fooling about with that furnace door! Do you know that you might have made the fire rage away if you got stoking hard, and perhaps blow up the whole place. There’s too much pressure on now.”