Undercover - Steam Power - Book 5

Part 11 - Velocity, violence and horrible noise

Alfie lit a stump of a candle from the embers of the boiler fire and we found a wooden bucket of water and several pieces of lumber and arranged these with a few empty coal baskets about the floor and then we huddled against the boiler brickwork - the water in the boiler was still warm - and settled down to wait. By this time it was nearly dark and the place was dead silent until the door creaked open and we saw a shower of sparks as someone struck a flint for a lantern. 

 This illuminated two men just as one of them bumped into the wooden prop holding the bucket above the door. The bucket hit one of the men on the head and the water extinguished the lantern.

'Dan,' one of them whispered urgently. 'Dan . . . are y' alright.'

Dan groaned. 'Sod! Summat 'it me 'ead . . . Le' me set awhile.'

'Where be the lantern?'

'Dunno, Nate . . . And I dropped the flint too. 'elp me find it.'

I flapped a rope, dangling from the beam, against the cylinder. It made an eerie tapping and there was another crash followed by curses as Dan or Nate fell over one of the baskets. 

 'Bloody hell,' Dan said with a quaver. 'Wha' wa' zat?' Miguel hit the underside of the copper boiler with a steel fire rake. The boom reverberated with a dull resonance.

'Er, D- Dan . . . there's summat in 'ere.'

'I don't like this Nate.' Dan's teeth were chattering together. 

 'Le's bugger off afore summat evil 'appens.' 

 A high pitched ululation echoed around the building. The effect was so unearthly I felt my skin crawl even though I knew it was Alfie with his head inside the furnace door.

 A series of thuds, bangs and vulgar words recorded Dan and Nate's blind, erratic progress back to the door which they threw open before they crashed out into the night and battered their way through the coal basket maze outside. We helped them on the way with a chorus of wolf howls accompanied by Miguel on the boiler drum and then we groped our way back to Mr Hornblower's house with the news.

Late the next morning, we were all at the engine house for the ceremonial inauguration of the engine. Mr Hornblower's wife was there with Megan and Mr and Mrs Watt. Denny, Alfie, Licia, Miguel and I were all standing around looking elegant in our borrowed clothes and everyone in village including all the miners and their families had come for cake and beer. 

 The engine crew had already fired the boiler and the steam was boiling off nicely. The ceremony was short and simple. Mrs Hornblower cut a ribbon at the doorway and Mr Hornblower opened the steam valve to start the engine.   With a roar the engine creaked into action.

'The velocity, violence, magnitude and horrible noise of the engine gives universal satisfaction to all beholders . . . believers or not,' Mr Watt shouted to Mr Hornblower above the cheers and applause.