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Updated: June 4, 2025
"Why, boys," said Mr Marston after a long examination, "this might be the body of someone who lived as long back as the date when that old galley was in use." "So long back as that!" cried Dick, looking curiously at the strange figure, whose head was fully six feet below the surface of the bog. "Got a-walking across in the dark, and sinked in," said Bargle gruffly.
"I wouldn't be such a coward," cried Dick. "Theer! Hear that, mester! I knowed he wouldn't. He'd hev come up to me and hit me a doubler right in the chest fair and square, and said, `now, then, come on!" "Then someone did strike you when you were asleep, Bargle, eh?" "Dunno, mester; I s'pose so. Looks like it, don't it?" "Yes, my man, very much so.
"Hey! and you needn't take no steps again it, mester. I shall lay hold on him some day, and when I do Hah!" He stretched out a huge fist in a menacing way that promised ill to his assailant. "But do you know who it was?" said the engineer. "It warn't him," growled Bargle, smiling at Dick. "He wouldn't come and hit a man when he's asleep. Would you, mate?"
That evening the squire and Mr Marston went over to the works to see how matters were progressing, to find all satisfactory, and the night passed quietly enough; but at breakfast the next morning, when some of the best of the tench appeared fried in butter, a messenger came over to see the engineer on his way to the town for the doctor, to announce that Hez Bargle, the big delver, who had been leader of the party who came over so fiercely about the attack upon Mr Marston, had been found that morning lying in the rough hovel where he slept alone, nearly dead.
"It will make a job for the carpenters and the masons; but if the madman, or the man with the brains of a mischievous monkey, thinks he is going to stop our great enterprise by such an act as this, he is greatly mistaken. You, Bargle, be here to meet me at daylight with a double gang.
A couple of days later Bargle was sitting up smoking, when the engineer entered the reed-thatched hut, in company with Dick. "Hallo, youngster!" growled the great fellow, with a smile slowly spreading over his rugged face, and growing into a grin, which accorded ill with his bandaged head; "shak' hands!"
Bargle grew better; Mr Marston's wound healed; and these troubles were forgotten in the busy season which the fine weather brought. For the great drain progressed rapidly in the bright spring and early summer-time. There were stoppages when heavy rains fell; but on the whole nature seemed to be of opinion that the fen had lain uncultivated for long enough, and that it was time there was a change.
The ice cracked and splintered, but it seemed to bear him, and in less than a minute he was out of sight, but Bargle could hear him for a long time." "Well, it wasn't me, Mr Marston," said Tom, laughing. "I was skating along with Dick, but it was neither of us. We went to another fire."
"It was because he is so big that he did not catch him, Richard Winthorpe," said the engineer coldly. "The ice bore the person who fired the places, because he was skating." "Skating!" cried Dick, flushing up. "Yes, skating!" said Mr Marston. "Bargle says that the man hobbled over the ground in his skates, but as soon as he reached the ice he went off like a bird.
The engineer entered the shelter it did not deserve the title of cottage and the squire and Dick followed, to find the man nearly insensible, and quite unable to give any account of how the affair had happened. The men were questioned, but knew nothing beyond the fact that they had parted from him as usual to go to their own quarters, Bargle being the only one who lodged alone.
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