All at once Rush broke away from the head melter, darted to the iron ladder, and, regardless of the rain of coke, began running up the ladder. The boy got blow upon blow over head and shoulders, as the stuff beat down upon him, but he kept his head down and pluckily kept on up the ladder. "Come back!" roared Pig-Iron, darting from cover at the risk of his life. But Steve was too far up the ladder to be seen from below. The head melter again bellowed his command to Rush to return. In the meantime the boy had reached the top. Jarvis was not there. Steve cried out to him, but there was no response. With a catch in his breath, Rush turned and slid down the ladder to the base of the furnace. His head was cut and bleeding from the flying coke, and his shoulders were wounded in many different places. Steve staggered rather than walked over to the stove where he dropped down. "Well, he ain't there, is he?" demanded Pig-Iron. "No; he isn't there. Where--where do you think he is?" "Most likely out in the yard somewhere. As soon as this black shower is over we'll go look for him. He's done for. Too bad, but them things will happen." "I don't believe it!" answered the Iron Boy explosively. "It will take more than a hang-over to kill Bob Jarvis. You'll find he is all right. But, if that is so, I don't understand why he did not answer me when I called." "I told you so. No use to cry over spilled coke. We'll pick him up pretty quick." "There, the shower is letting up. Shall we go, now?" demanded Steve impatiently. The melter stretched forth a hand, drawing it back quickly. "Not yet! I don't propose to get my head cracked just for the sake of being in a hurry." "Well, I am going, whether you are or not." Rush crawled from under the stove and straightened up. The metal was still running from the furnace, most of it having spilled off into the yard, for instantly the hang-over occurred the train crew had fled. They knew full well what was coming, and every man of them instantly took to cover. The metal ran over the first ladle. Instantly the car under the ladle caught fire. In a few minutes the whole train was on fire. The engineer, who had deserted his post with the rest of them, rushed back at the risk of his life, uncoupled his engine and started it away, thus saving the engine from being seriously damaged. Rush raised his voice in a long shout for his companion. "Bo-o-b! O-h-h-h, Bob!" "Hi, hi, catch me down there!" howled a voice from the air. It sounded right over the head of Steve Rush. Pig-Iron Peel heard it, too, and darted out. The two men glanced up into the air. They saw a human form shooting down one of the wire braces that extended up to the top of the stove to steady the metal chimney around which there was a network of the wires. "It's Bob!" howled Rush beside himself with joy. "Help me catch him." It _was_ Bob, and he was descending at a rate of speed altogether too fast for either comfort or safety.