"Clank, clank, clank!" sounded the steel mall as it beat against the end of the bar held by Steve.
"Tap lighter," ordered the boy.
The sound of the blows grew fainter.
"That will do. We can poke out the opening after we step to one side. We shall then——"
"Bang!"
The mall struck the end of the dolly a terrific blow. The bar was driven through the thin shell of dolmite right into the hot metal of the furnace.
Like a projectile the dolly was wrenched from the hands of the Iron Boy. It was shot through the air, right past him at tremendous speed.
Steve was about to shout, "Stop it!" but he was too late. The bar of iron was soaring out over the mill yard. The head melter's voice was raised above the din.
"Who did that? Who hit that bar?"
But Steve did not hear. For a brief second after the escape of the dolly he stood still on the bushing. With an angry hiss a stream of white hot metal shot past his head as though projected through the nozzle of a hose. It was a narrow escape, for, if the metal had struck him in the face, it would have gone clear through him.