Fighting the Flames by Robert Michael Ballantyne (read novels website txt) 📖

up," said one.

"Pickford said he couldn't help laughing after he got 'em out, at the remembrance o' their faces. When he first went in they was all sound asleep in the top floor, for the smoke was only beginnin' to show there, an' the surprise they got when he jump in among 'em an' shouted was wonderful to behold."

"Not so wonderful," observed Bill Moxey, "as the surprise I seed a whole man-o'-war's crew get by consequence o' the shout o' one of her own men."

"When was that? Let's hear about it, Bill," said Corney, stuffing down the tobacco in his pipe, and firing a battery of cloudlets into the air.

"We was in the Red Sea at the time," said Moxey, clearing his throat, "layin' at anchor, and a precious hot time we had of it. There was never a cloud a'most in the sky, and the sun was nigh hot enough to fry the decks off the ship. Cook said he'd half a mind to try to roast a junk o' beef at it, but I never heard that he managed that. We slep' on deck o' nights, 'cause you might as well have tried to sleep in a baker's oven as sleep below. The thing that troubled us most at that time was a tiger we had on board. It did kick up such a shindy sometimes! We thought it would break its cage an make a quid o' some of us. I forget who sent it to us--p'raps it was the Pasha of Egypt; anyhow we weren't sorry when the order was given to put the tiger ashore.

"Well, the same day that we got rid o' the tiger we was sent aboard a Malay ship to flog one o' the men. He'n bin up to some mischief, an' his comrades were afraid, I s'pose, to flog him; and as the offence he had committed was against us somehow (I never rightly understood it myself), some of us went aboard the Malay ship, tied him up, an' gave him two dozen.

"That night the whole ship's company slep' on deck as usual--officers as well--all but the cap'n, who had gone ashore. It was a _tremendous_ hot night, an' a good deal darker than usual. There was one man in the ship named Wilson; but we called him Bob Roarer, because of a habit he had of speakin' an' sometimes roarin' in his sleep. Bob lay between me an' the purser that night, an' we slep' on all right till it was getting pretty late, though there was two or three snorers that got their noses close to the deck an' kep' up a pretty fair imitation of a brass band. Suddenly Bob began to dream, or took a nightmare or somethin', for he hit straight out with both fists, givin' the purser a tap on the nob with his left, an' diggin' his right into my bread-basket with such good will that he nearly knocked all the wind out o' me, at the same time he uttered a most appallin' yell.

"The confusion that followed is past description.

"Some of us thought it was the tiger had broke loose,--forgettin' that it had been sent ashore. Bob sneaked off the moment he found what he'd done, and the purser, thinkin' it was pirates, grabbed the first he could lay hold of by the throat, and that was me, so to it we went tooth an' nail, for I had no notion who was pitchin' into me, it was so dark. Two of the men in their fright sprang up the main shrouds. Two others, who were asleep in the main-top, were awoke by the row, looked down on the starboard side, an' saw the two comin' up. Thinking it was the friends of the Malay who had been flogged coming to be revenged, they ran down the port shrouds like mad, and one o' them rushed along the port-deck, stickin' his feet into the bread-baskets of all the sleepers that hadn't been woke by the yell, rousin' them up an' causin' them to roar like bo'suns. The row woke the cook, who was a nigger; he, thinkin' it was a sudden jollification, seized one o' the coppers an' began to beat it with an iron spoon. This set up the quartermaster, who rushed along the starboard deck, trampin' upon the breasts and faces of all and sundry. The gunner thought it was the tiger, and took to the top of the awning; while the doctor and bo's'n's-mate they jumped over the side, and hung on by ropes up to their waists in water!

"At the worst o' the confusion the cap'n came aboard. We didn't see him, but he ordered silence, an' after a while we discovered that there was no reason whatever for the shindy. It wasn't till a long time afterwards that we found out the real cause of the false alarm; but the only man that got no fright that night, and kep' quite cool, was the man who set it all agoin'--Bob Roarer."

"_What_ a feller you are, Bill, to talk blarney," said Corney, rising and knocking the ashes out of his pipe; "sure, aither yer father or yer mother must have bin an Irishman."

"Blarney or no blarney, them's the facts," said Moxey, yawning, "an' I'm off to bed."

"Ditto," said Frank, stretching himself.

The two tressels, which were always removed from the room during the day, had been brought in, and were by this time occupied by Mason and Williams, whose duty it was to keep watch that night. Baxmore, the sub-engineer of the station, sat down at the desk to read over the events of the day, and the others rose to leave.

"By the way, Baxmore," said Dale, "what was that false alarm at 2 p.m. when I was down at Watling Street?"

"Only a chemist in Kensington, who, it seems, is mad after makin' experiments, and all but blew the roof off his house with one of 'em."

"Ah! only smoke, I suppose," said Dale.

"That was all," said Baxmore, "but there was sitch a lot of it that some fellows thought it was a fire, an' came tearin' down here wi' the news, so we had a ride for nothing."

"If I'm not mistaken you'll have a ride for something ere long," observed Dale, turning his head aside, while he listened attentively. "Hold on, lads, a minute!"

There was a sound of wheels in the distance, as if some vehicle were approaching at a furious pace. On it came, louder and louder, until it turned the corner of the street, and the horses' feet rattled on the stones as they were pulled up sharp at the station. Instantly the bell was rung violently, and a severe kicking was bestowed on the door.

It is needless to say that the summons was answered promptly. Some of the men quietly resumed the helmets they had just hung up, well knowing that work lay before them.

A cabman darted through the door the instant it was opened, shouting--

"Fire!"

"Where?" asked Dale.

"Forth Street, Holborn, sir!" cried the cabman. Again, for the third time that night, the order was given to "get her out." While this was being done, Baxmore took a leathern purse from the cupboard, and gave the cabman a shilling for being first to "give the call."

As the men were already accoutred, the engine left the station on this occasion in less than five minutes. The distance was short, so the pace was full speed, and in an incredibly short space of time they drew up in front of a large, handsome shop, from the first-floor windows of which thick smoke and a few forked flames were issuing.


CHAPTER THIRTEEN.


WILD DOINGS AND DARING DEEDS.

Quick though they were, however, in reaching the scene of the fire, the escape was there before them. It had a shorter way to travel, and was already pitched, with its head resting against a window of the second floor, and the fly ladder raised to the third.

The people who had crowded round the building at the first alarm of fire, were looking on as if in suspense, and the firemen knew that Conductor Forest, or one of his lion-hearted comrades, was inside, doing his noble and dangerous work. But they had no time to pay attention to what was going on.

While some of the firemen got the engine into play, the others ran in a body to the front-door of the burning house, the lower part of which was a coach-builder's warehouse. It was a heavy double door, locked and barred, and the owner had not yet arrived with the key. It was evident that the fire had originated in one of the upper floors, for there was no light in the wareroom.

"Get the pole-axe," said Dale, as soon as he found the door was fast.

Frank Willders sprang off at the word, and returned with an axe of the largest size attached to a handle nearly four feet long.

"Drive it in, Willders," said Dale.

Frank's powerful blows at once thundered on the massive door; but they fell on it in vain, for it was unusually strong. Seeing this, Dale ran back to the engine, and got out the pole.

"Come, lay hold some of you!" said he. Immediately eight firemen, Frank and Dale being at the front, charged the door like a thunderbolt with this extemporised battering-ram. It gave way with a prodigious crash, and the whole party fell over each other into the warehouse.

There was a burst of laughter from themselves, as well as from the crowd; but in another moment they were up and swarming through the premises among the smoke, searching for a point of attack.

"Send the branch up here," cried Mason, coughing violently.

"Sure, my peepers is out entirely!" gasped Corney, rushing to the window for air; while showers of water fell on his head, for the engine was already in full play.

Just then there was a noise outside, as if men were disputing violently. Dale guessed at once what it was, and ran down the staircase, calling out as he passed: "Here, Willders, Corney, Baxmore, lend a hand, will you?"

On reaching the engine, they found about a dozen roughs of the lowest character, disputing fiercely as to which of them was to pump the engine! As each man received one shilling an hour for this work, it became a desirable means of earning a good night's wages to these broad-shouldered rascals; who, in their anger, and in spite of the police, and the solitary fireman who superintended the engine, had actually caused the men already at work to cease pumping.

We may remark in passing, that this would not have been the case, but for the police force, from some unknown cause, being not very strong at that fire, and having an excited and somewhat turbulent crowd to keep in order. As a general rule, the police of London are of the most essential service at fires; and not a few of them have obtained the medals of the Society for the protection of life from fire, and other rewards for gallantry displayed in saving life at the risk of their own lives.

On the present occasion, however, the few policemen present could barely hold their ground against such a band of