And Challoner repeated for him: so many barrels of cement, so many barrels of sand, and so much stone. But when he was again alone, he said half aloud:—
"So, that's all there is to the concrete business!"
Challoner little knew.
The very first day that he watched the mixing process, he discovered that the mixer had put in too much rock and too much sand—and too little cement.
"Look here!" cried Challoner, "you've made a mistake! Two more barrels of cement go in there—do you understand?"
But the mixer merely grinned.
"Two more barrels of cement, I told you," persisted Challoner. The head-superintendent had given him his instructions, and Challoner meant to see that they were properly carried out.
Another grin from the mixer was all the satisfaction that he received. Instantly, Challoner leaped up on the platform and stood over the mixer. At that, the man waved his arm; his signal brought not the head-superintendent, but the general foreman of the work, who demanded gruffly:—
"What's the trouble here?"
Challoner explained in a few words.