'I 'll try. He may be more amiable than he was last night.'
Hoole perambulated the village for some time before he discovered what he sought. At last, however, within a narrow enclosure behind the huts, he noticed a young man sitting on a frame-like chair, and vigorously working two long sticks up and down. A low fence prevented Hoole from seeing the object of these energetic movements, but a little smoke and an acrid smell like that which comes from a blacksmith's forge drew him nearer, and looking over the fence, his eyes gleamed at what he saw.
In front of the native stood two long cylinders of bamboo, about three feet high. From a hole in the base of each ran a thin bamboo pipe; the two pipes converged and met at a small heap of glowing charcoal, which burnt more brightly with each thrust of the sticks as the native worked them alternately up and down in the cylinders. Hoole jumped over the fence, and eagerly examined this primitive forge. At the lower end of each of the sticks was fastened a huge bunch of feathers, resembling a mop; and these, pumped up and down, caused a considerable draught, by means of which the smith blew his fire to a heat sufficient to soften iron.
'Eureka!' cried Hoole, exulting.
He dashed back to the chief's enclosure, got his permission to have the forge brought within the wall, and in half an hour was busily engaged in the preliminary work of repairing the water jacket.
'It will be done by this evening,' he explained to Trentham. 'To-morrow I 'll be off to Wilhelmshafen or any other old place where I can find a white man, and then----'
'There 's enough petrol?'
'Enough for the flight out; I 'll get more when I land. Say, though, we shall have to take the machine to the sea. She can't run off, has only floats. That's a pity--waste of time, not to speak of the risk of coming up against the Germans.'
'But there 's an opportunity of getting the machine carried to the sea without a special journey. I 've heard some news while you were away. It appears that some sort of ceremony inaugurating the new chief is to take place at our old wreck to-night. All these Frenchified men are going with him in procession, with a certain number of the other fellows. We must get him to let his men carry the 'plane at the same time.'
'They go down the chimney?'