“O dear me!” said Rollo. “I can’t cut the turf fast enough to cover it.”
“Shovel up some earth, and put on,” said James.
[Illustration: SO ROLLO BEGAN TO SHOVEL UP THE EARTH.—Page 81.]
So Rollo began to shovel up the earth from the place which he had made bare by taking off the turf, and to throw it upon the fire. This had an immediate effect in suppressing the flames which were breaking out; and by continuing to throw on earth, he at length got the fire fairly subdued. The earth did not cover the heap. It slid down among the interstices of the wood, and smothered the fire, so that pretty soon Rollo thought that the fire was burning slowly enough to make charcoal.
“If we had some water in a watering-pot, that would be better,” said James.
“Then we could make the fire burn just as slowly as we pleased,” said James.
“Yes,” said Rollo; “let us go and get a watering-pot. We can get back before it burns up again.”
“Well,” said James; “and we’ll carry up the wheelbarrow and the spade.”
So Rollo took the wheelbarrow, and James the spade, and they walked along towards the house, talking about what they should do with their gunpowder when they had got it made. They came at length to a narrow place in the walk, where James walked on before, Rollo following him with the wheelbarrow. Rollo trundled the wheelbarrow along very close to James’s heels, and so James, to avoid it, ran on. Rollo followed, pursuing him, and so James, to escape, ran off upon the grass, to get out of Rollo’s way. But Rollo still followed him, both boys making the air resound with shouts of laughter, until, at length, James, finding that he was still pursued, turned around, and planted the blade of the spade upon the ground, just before the wheel of the wheelbarrow. The wheel ran up against it, and was stopped, and thus James was protected.
The boys amused themselves in this way for some time, entirely forgetting about their watering-pot. After satisfying themselves, however, with this fun, they began to move along towards the house. They found Rollo’s little watering-pot, and they carried it to the pump to fill it with water. They got into a great frolic at the pump, too. James would hold the watering-pot, while Rollo pumped, and then, when it was full he made believe try to sprinkle Rollo, to pay him, as he said, for running over him with his wheelbarrow. Rollo would run off around the yard, and James after him, holding up the watering-pot, with the spout elevated, ready to discharge a shower of water upon him, if he could only get near. When he got pretty near, he would tip up the watering-pot, and out would pour the water in a great number of curving jets, which spouted out towards Rollo, as he ran. When the water from the watering-pot was exhausted by this operation, they would go back to the pump, and fill it again. In the mean time, the wood of their charcoal bed was all burning away.