There was no time to wait for help, the powder grains crunched under his feet, and ran little zigzag, fizzy lines of fire like a miniature inferno as the sparks caught them; at any moment it might reach the kegs, and then--Regan flung himself along the alleyway to the rear tier of cases, they were small ones here, though piled twice the height of his head--if he could wrench them away, he could get at the burning case below! Regan bent, strained at the cases--they were light and moved--he heaved again to topple them over--and then, as a rasping, ripping sound reached him from above, he let go his hold to jump back--too late. A heavy casting, that had been placed on top of the cases, evidently for economy of space, came hurtling downward, struck Regan on the head, glanced to his shoulder and arm, slid with a thump to the ground--and Regan dropped like a log. A minute, perhaps two, it had all taken--no more. Noodles, crouched down against a case just inside the door, had seen the master mechanic rush by him; and Noodles, too, had seen the flame and smelt the smoke. Noodles' first impulse was to make his escape, his next to see if he could not turn this unexpected intervention of fate to his own account anent the master mechanic. Noodles heard Regan moving about, and he stole silently in that direction; then Noodles heard the heavy thump of iron, the softer thud of Regan's fall, and something inside him seemed to stop suddenly, and his face went very white. "Mr. Regan! Mr. Regan!" he stammered out. There was no answer--no sound--save an ominous crackle of burning wood. Noodles stole further forward--and then, as he reached the spot where Regan lay, he stood stock-still for a second, petrified with fear--but the next instant, screaming at the top of his voice for help, he threw himself upon Regan, pounding frantically with the flat of his hands at the master mechanic's shoulder, where the other's coat was beginning to blaze. Somehow, Noodles got this out, and then, still screaming for help, began to drag Regan away from the side of the blazing case. But Regan was a heavy man--almost too much for Noodles. Noodles, choking with the smoke, his eyes fascinated with horror as they fixed, now on the powder kegs--whose unloading, in company with a dozen other awe-struck boys, he had watched a few days before--now on the sparkling, fizzing grains of powder upon the floor, tugged, and wriggled, and pulled at the master mechanic.