“Yes,” said Rollo—“but,——there, I think we’ve got enough now. If you’ll be wheeling it along, I’ll go and get some fire.”
So James wheeled the wheelbarrow along towards the gate, and Rollo went into the house after some fire. He found that the lantern was not there, for Jonas had carried it into the pasture; and as Dorothy said that it would not be safe for him to carry any coals out, on such a windy day, he took some matches of the kind that take fire by being rubbed against any thing hard, and went along after James.
Rollo had intended to ask Jonas to cut him some turf, to cover his charcoal bed with; but he had not done it yet, and so he got a spade to carry along with him, thinking that he and James could cut the turf themselves. The spade was rather heavy to carry, and so he took hold of the handle, and dragged it along, letting the blade trail upon the ground. He overtook James at the great gate.
They passed through the gate, and went on, James trundling the wheelbarrow, and Rollo following him with the spade. At last, they came to the place where Rollo had determined to have his charcoal bed. It was a smooth piece of grass ground, a short distance beyond the garden, and so far from any fence that there was no danger of setting the fences on fire. It was, in fact, a very suitable place. Rollo had selected it with great discretion.
“And now,” said Rollo, “the first thing is to dig up some turf. We want some large pieces of turf.”
“What for?” said James.
“Why, to cover up our charcoal with.”
“What do you want to cover it up for?” said James. “Besides, I should think you would want to make it, before you cover it up.”
“Why, that is the way we make it,” said Rollo; “we have to cover the wood up with turf.”