"No; didn't I tell you I flew again? I'm getting to be an expert. First I flew over in the open-hearth building and landed on a girder. This time I tried a more ambitious flight, landing on a hot stove. All the stuff from the eruption fell down on me and woke me up after a little. I nearly fell off trying to reach the guy-wire that I knew was there. You know the rest. I took a slide down the wire that would have made a Japanese performer turn pale. Then you and I had a collision." "Well," laughed Steve, "it's all over now, you can get back to work." "What? Up there again?" "Of course." "No, siree! Not for Robert Jarvis. He knows when he has had enough. He can get into enough trouble right down here on the ground floor. He doesn't have to perch on the edge of a crater looking for trouble. Did anything happen down here?" "What did happen?" questioned Steve, turning to the head melter. "Flare-back and----" "What caused it?" "I don't rightly know--" "I know that your man on the rear end of the dolly nearly put an end to me by that last blow he struck with the mall. Whatever possessed him to do it!" "He must have misunderstood you. That was a close call. Did the juice burn you?" "It scorched my cheek a little as it went by," laughed Rush. "What's that? Did you get singed again?" demanded Jarvis. "Yes; a little. But we must expect those things in the steel mills." "Hello, what's the matter over there?" cried Bob, running to the edge of the platform and looking down at the burning cars of the hot metal train. Pig-Iron explained that a flare-back had flooded the place with molten metal, setting everything inflammable on fire. The front of the furnace had been blown out and the platform was littered with debris, brick, sheet-iron, metal that was still glowing and which would continue to glow for hours before it became cold and gray. The place looked a wreck, though conditions were not nearly as bad as appeared to the inexperienced eye. There was little that could be done to clear away until the metal had cooled. In the meantime, the head melter had sent one of his men to make a report of the occurrence to the superintendent of that division. "We will move over to number three. That is nearly ready to tap," announced Peel. "If you don't mind I should like to ask a question or so before we start in," said Steve. "Sure thing. What is it?" "Did you see who was handling the mall when the dolly was hit that hard blow that did the business?" "No. Why?" "I should like to know." "We will find out mighty quick. Say, you fellows over there, who was plugging the dolly?" "Don't know," answered a voice. "It was the relief man, Kalinski," answered another. CHAPTER XIX RUSH MAKES A SUGGESTION "Kalinski!" exclaimed both boys. "Come here!" commanded Peel. The Pole came forward sulkily. "Did you hit that dolly the whack that drove it through the dam?" Kalinski nodded. "Why did you do that?" "He told me to," pointing to Steve.