“The joke was, I went to help a man who swims better than I. No doubt you noted he pulled me into the willows.”
“I imagine Steve wanted the boys to note it,” said Austin dryly. “Another time, you must wait until the whistle blows.”
He let Kit go, and Kit, starting for the forge, gave Bill the spanner.
“I got it, but the job was harder than I thought.”
“Looks like that,” the smith agreed. “Did Steve put you in the river?”
“I put Steve in,” Kit replied modestly. “Then I thought I ought to go after him. I didn’t know he could swim.”
“You have surely got some gall,” said the smith with a hoarse laugh, and resumed his hammering.
Kit noted the laugh. Although he had not known Bill laugh before, the fellow was human; but he had begun to shiver and he pulled off his wet clothes. The forge was very hot and the garments he did not pull off would soon dry. Kit could not put on other clothes because his trunk had not yet arrived.
CHAPTER XV
KIT MAKES PROGRESS
For two or three weeks Kit was strenuously, and on the whole happily, occupied at the forge. When the sun was on the roof the iron shack got very hot, and sometimes the labor was severe, but Kit was interested and the pay was good. His trunk, broken by the baggage gang, had arrived, and in the cool evenings to put on clean clothes and play the violin for an attentive audience was some relief. Then he liked the smith. Bill was sternly quiet and admitted he had no use for politeness. As a rule, when he did talk, his remarks were aggressive, but he was a skilful workman and asked from his helper nothing he himself did not undertake.