“Then we could make the fire burn just as slowly as we pleased,” said James.
“Yes,” said Rollo; “let us go and get a watering-pot. We can get back before it burns up again.”
“Well,” said James; “and we’ll carry up the wheelbarrow and the spade.”
So Rollo took the wheelbarrow, and James the spade, and they walked along towards the house, talking about what they should do with their gunpowder when they had got it made. They came at length to a narrow place in the walk, where James walked on before, Rollo following him with the wheelbarrow. Rollo trundled the wheelbarrow along very close to James’s heels, and so James, to avoid it, ran on. Rollo followed, pursuing him, and so James, to escape, ran off upon the grass, to get out of Rollo’s way. But Rollo still followed him, both boys making the air resound with shouts of laughter, until, at length, James, finding that he was still pursued, turned around, and planted the blade of the spade upon the ground, just before the wheel of the wheelbarrow. The wheel ran up against it, and was stopped, and thus James was protected.
The boys amused themselves in this way for some time, entirely forgetting about their watering-pot. After satisfying themselves, however, with this fun, they began to move along towards the house. They found Rollo’s little watering-pot, and they carried it to the pump to fill it with water. They got into a great frolic at the pump, too. James would hold the watering-pot, while Rollo pumped, and then, when it was full he made believe try to sprinkle Rollo, to pay him, as he said, for running over him with his wheelbarrow. Rollo would run off around the yard, and James after him, holding up the watering-pot, with the spout elevated, ready to discharge a shower of water upon him, if he could only get near. When he got pretty near, he would tip up the watering-pot, and out would pour the water in a great number of curving jets, which spouted out towards Rollo, as he ran. When the water from the watering-pot was exhausted by this operation, they would go back to the pump, and fill it again. In the mean time, the wood of their charcoal bed was all burning away.
It was an hour, in fact, before they got back to the charcoal bed; and when they reached it, it was a mere bed of embers and ashes. The combustion, instead of having been slow, had gone on with great violence and rapidity, and the wood was entirely consumed. Rollo and James looked upon it for a few minutes in silence.
“We’ll put it out now, at any rate,” said Rollo; and he took the watering-pot out of James’s hand, and began to pour the water upon the burning bed before him. It made a great hissing and steaming; and, when he had done, the boys had before them plenty of hot mud, made of ashes and water, but no charcoal.
QUESTIONS.
What preparations did James and Rollo make for their charcoal bed? Did they find it difficult or easy to cut the turf? How did they arrange the wood? Did Rollo begin right to cover the wood with turf? What was the first difficulty which he encountered? What tool would have been best for cutting the turf into the right form? What tool did Rollo attempt to use instead? What was the difficulty in the operation of it? What plan was at length proposed for checking the combustion, instead of putting on a tight covering of turf? Why did they leave their work and go to the house? What detained them on this expedition? In what condition did they find the charcoal bed on their return?