"Yes, but something hit me and knocked me over. I remember getting a whack something like that described by Bob, only I wasn't struck in the same place." "I hit you," spoke up the head melter. "You did?" "Yes. There wouldn't have been so much as a grease spot left of you, by this time, if I hadn't." "What did you hit me with?" "I threw the dolly at you, and it did the business. It knocked you plumb over on your back. The cast was right on top of you when I let go the dolly. You know the rest." "Then you saved my life, too, Mr. Peel?" "Well, something of that sort," grinned the head-melter. "We're both entitled to hero medals, you see," added Bob. "Thank you; I owe you both one for that. Well, Mr. Peel I am ready to go to work. How about you, Bob?" Jarvis glanced up to where the ladder disappeared in the veil of smoke high above them. "If I had an elevator I'd be all right, but I'll try it." "You need not go up if you don't feel like it," said the melter. "I will send one of the furnace men up to finish your trick, if you wish." "No, I'll go myself. There won't be any trouble about getting down. I can fall down, but the difficulty will be in climbing that ladder with the skin all off my hands. Say, those rungs are hot. Why don't you cool them off?" "We'll play the hose on you while you are going up if you want." "You'd better not, if you know what is good for you. If you even breathe on me I'll fall off. Well, here goes!" Rush, followed his companion to the foot of the ladder. "Are you sure you are all right, Bob?" he asked anxiously. "No; I am not all right, but I'm right enough to beat this game. I can't do any more than break my neck, and I guess that isn't breakable. We have had our initiation ceremonies; now maybe we'll go along for a time without anything happening. Here goes!" Bob, with evident effort, began climbing. Once he seemed to lose his grip and Steve, believing he was going to fall, started to run up the ladder. "Quit that!" howled Jarvis, feeling the vibration on the ladder. "What are you trying to do--throw me off?" "I thought perhaps you needed some help." "I'll tell you when I do. What I want most just now is to be let alone." Rush stepped back to the platform, but he remained standing there until finally Jarvis disappeared in the cloud of smoke and gas up near the top of the blast furnace. Then he turned back to the furnace work. "What next, Mr. Peel?" he asked. "Well, if you think you can get out of the way quick enough, you can begin to patch up the gutters again." The hot metal train had long since pulled away over the bridge, on its way to the mills, where the ingots would either be rolled in their crude state or placed in the open-hearth furnaces to be transformed into ingots of steel. "I guess I can keep out of the way, now that I know what to keep out of the way of."