“This is how they turned the trick, Chot,” said Rick, as they walked out on a plank bridge over the dam, and saw where the wooden gates had been put in. The gates, of which there were two sets, slid up and down in grooves and could be raised or lowered by long wooden levers.
“This is how it works!” exclaimed Chot. “Look, Rick, when they want water down in their camp they open the gates on the right and close them on the left.”
“You said it!” cried Rick. “And when they want to let water run down to Uncle Tod’s camp they would have to close the right gates and open the left ones.”
“But they don’t want to let water run down to Uncle Tod’s camp—that’s just the trouble,” said Chot.
“It’s part of the trouble, but not all,” went on Rick. “Why did they put gates in here if, sometime, they didn’t want to let water run down the underground tunnels as it used to?”
“I don’t quite get that,” said Chot.
“Well, here is my notion,” proceeded Rick. “Here, you, Ruddy! Come back!” ordered his master, for the setter, sensing that he was not to be held in such restraint as heretofore, was nosing about more freely.
The dog obediently came to his master and Rick went on with what he started to say.
“It’s like this, I think,” he resumed. “These miners, whoever they are, struck some such pay streak as Uncle Tod did, but they needed water to work it. They couldn’t get water to their place with Lost River running where it was, and so they changed the course of the stream. They built this dam right where it curves and that was easy. But they must have had an idea that, sometime, they’d want to turn the water back again into the tunnel, so they made these gates. Then all they have to do is to open one set and close the other and the trick is done.”
“But why would they want to turn the water back into the tunnel?” asked Chot.