As they approached the adit Watson came to meet them. He was a short, wiry man, clad in wet, soil-stained overalls. Andrew indicated the drainage trench.
"There seems to be a good deal of water in the mine."
"That's so," said Watson. "We want to get rid of it. I've several boys in the sump, baling it up with coal-oil cans."
"You mean the five-gallon drums you get your kerosene in?" Andrew asked in surprise. "Why don't you order a pump?"
"We've got half of one and the engine's fixed. Guess we'll get the rest when Mappin's ready."
"I'll send down word about it to the Landing."
"You needn't. One of the river bosses is up here; he's getting his dinner now."
"But dinner has been finished some time."
"That don't count. We had pork to-day and the Mappin man figured he'd like trout, so I had to tell Yan Li to cook him some. If you want your plant brought up, you have to be civil to the transport people."
The color swept into Andrew's face.