He climbed the well curbing and put one foot on the edge of the bucket, which was a little way below the top of the curbing, or elevated wooden rim about the well. The rope was wound around a wooden roller, or windlass, to the end of which a crank was made fast. And there was a ratchet catch to prevent the rope from unwinding and letting the bucket down into the well until such time as the person drawing was ready. This catch now prevented Ted from dropping down into the well.
The curly-haired little boy steadied himself on the edge of the bucket by holding to the rope above his head. He looked down into the well. It was deep and black, but there was no water in it, so Ted did not hesitate.
“All right, Jan! Let me down!” he called to his sister.
Already he was a little way down the shaft of the well, for the rope was partly unwound and the bucket perhaps two feet below the top of the curbing when Ted took his place.
Janet loosened the catch of the windlass and then, holding to the handle with all her strength, let it slowly revolve. It would have gotten out of control, and would have whirled around very fast, for Ted was much heavier than a bucket of water, only the affair was old, rusted and stiff. So, after all, Ted was quite safely lowered.
Down and down he went into the black depths of the old, dry well.
“It’s lots of fun, Jan!” he called up. “You’d better come down next time!”
“I don’t want to. You can,” answered his sister.
“Now I’m all the way down. I’m standing on the bottom!” called up Ted. “I’m going to dig for diamonds!”
Jan could see that there was no longer a strain on the rope. The handle turned freely. Suddenly it gave a little quiver, Jan saw the rope slip loose from around the windlass and then, as the end of it fell down the well, the little girl screamed: