“You see,” said Mr Rawlings, in apology, “I undertook too big an enterprise with the little capital I had: and, consequently, have been unable to work it properly. Indeed,” he continued confidentially, “if we don’t hit upon a good lead soon I shall have to give up, for my funds now will hardly suffice to pay the hands what I promised them; and if we continue working, I should have to get more stores and planks, and lots of things, which I certainly cannot afford unless we strike visible gold.”
“I have a few hundred dollars of my own—” began Ernest; but Mr Rawlings stopped him at once.
“No, no, my dear fellow,” said he impulsively, “your natural kindness of heart shall not lead you into throwing away your hard-earned money on my venture. I shall sink or swim on my own bottom, as the saying goes, although I thank you sincerely all the same. But about the mine,” he continued, veering away from the delicate subject, “I’m sorry we haven’t got a steam-engine; but that was all Seth’s fault. He would believe that a mine could be pumped out as easily as a vessel’s bilge.”
“That’s me,” said Seth, not a whit annoyed at the imputation. “I hate them donkey enjines. They mostly chokes the pumps, and I’d liefer any day have hand gear an’ a decent crew to clear ship with.”
“Well, whether you like it better or not,” said Ernest Wilton, with good humour and good sense combined, “you haven’t one, and we’ll have to make the best of a bad bargain.”
“That’s so!” said Seth, with much satisfaction apparently.
“And that being the case,” continued the young engineer, “we’ll teach our enemy to beat itself, or in other words, make water fight water.”
“Jerusalem!” exclaimed Seth admiringly. “How on airth will you get to do that, mister?”
“Look before you,” said Ernest Wilton, pointing to the foaming stream that was dashing along the valley. “Look at the waste of energy there! Why, with a good undershot wheel that water-power is worth more than a hundred additional hands at the pumps.”
If Seth had looked at the speaker admiringly before, no words could express his pleased astonishment now. He seemed to glow all over with gratification.