MEMORIES OF THE 



the fast-moving arms, which ran close to the abutment on one side 

 and some timbers on the other. The water came up in the bottom 

 of the wheel and made their running more and more difficult. 



I took it all in in a second. Allen was up at the ditch, 

 whiter than a ghost, apparently unable to speak or stir. I 

 clambered up a short post of one of the bents which was to sup- 

 port the flume when built, and on which lay the planks across 

 which the water was shooting against the wheel. I had no 

 sooner got onto this plank platform than the water took me off 

 my feet and slid me against the running wheel. The buckets 

 were so built that they did not catch my feet, and, fortunately 

 for both myself and the boys, there was but little space between 

 the end of the planks and the wheel, or I would have been 

 ground up and gone down under the wheel in a jiffy. 



The screams in the wheel continued, although I could not 

 now see the boys. I thought fast, and getting over to the edge 

 of the platform on the bent nearest the wheel, caught hold of 

 and rolled off a big piece of black ash timber which had been 

 laid there to keep the water from spilling off the side. I threw 

 it off as if it had been but a scantling. I then got hold of the 

 outer plank, and lifting, as I thought, a ton or more, moved it 

 along and shoved it around off the bents on which it laid. Then 

 I moved another and another plank in a similar manner, until 

 the hole was opened up wide enough so the rush of water fell 

 down and short of the wheel. 



When it stopped the boys were in a foot or more of water in 

 the bottom of the wheel, completely out of breath and white as 

 death. The back-water in the wheel-pit and my timely efforts 

 had saved them. They came out of their cage too scared and 

 too much exhausted even to abuse the fool Englishman who had 

 so nearly taken their lives " hin fun." 



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