Drawsboy! what does she drawcorks? inquires Frank.
No! replied Willie, with a look of supreme contempt; nothin so low; she draws faces an pictures likelikea schoolmaster, and, added Willie, with a sigh, shes bin an drawed all the spirit out o this here buzzum.
She must have left a good lot o combustible matter behind, however, if theres such a fire raging in it. Who may this pretty fire-raiser be?
Her name is Emma Ward, and she blongs to a Miss Tippet, to whom shes related somehow, but I dont know where she got her, nor whos her parents. This same Miss Tippet is some sort of a relation o Mr Auberly, who sent me to her with a note, and she has sent me with another note to her brother near London Bridge, who, I spose, will send me with another note to somebody else, so Im on my way down to see him. I thought Id look in to ask after you in passin, and cheer you on to dooty.
A violent fit of somewhat noisy coughing from one of the men at the fireplace attracted Willies attention at this point in the conversation.
Wot a noisy feller you are, Corney, remarked one of the men.
Faix, retorted Corney, its noisy youd be too av ye had the cowld in yer chist that I have. Sure, if ye had bin out five times in wan night as I wos on Widsenday last, wid the branch to howld in a smoke as ud choke Baxmore hisself (an its well known he can stand amost anything), not to spake o the hose bustin right betune me two feet.
Come, come, Paddy, said Dale, interrupting; dont try to choke us, now; you know very well that one of the fires was only a cut-away affair; two were chimneys, and one was a false alarm.
True for ye! cried Corney, who had a tendency to become irascible in argument, or while defending himself; true for ye, Mister Dale, but they was alarms for all that, false or thrue, was they not now? Anyhow they alarmed me out o me bed five times in a night as cowld as the polar ragions, and the last time was a raale case o two flats burnt out, an four hours work in iced wather.
There was a general laugh at this point, followed by several coughs and sneezes, for the men were all more or less afflicted with colds, owing to the severity of the weather and the frequency of the fires that had occurred at that time.
Theres some of us can sing chorus to Corney, observed one of the group. I never saw such weather; and it seems to me that the worse the weather the more the fires, as if they got em up a purpose to kill us.
Bill Moxey! cried another, youre always givin out some truism with a face like Solomon.
Well, Jack Williams, retorted Moxey, its more than I can say of you, for you never say anything worth listenin to, and you couldnt look like Solomon if you was to try ever so much.Youre too stoopid for that.
I say, lads, cried Frank Willders, what dye say to send along to the doctor for another bottle o cough mixture, same as the first?
This proposal was received with a general laugh.
Hell not send us more o that tipple, you may depend, said Williams.
No, not av we wos dyin, said Corney, with a grin.
What was it? asked Williams.
Didnt you hear about it? inquired Moxey. Oh, to be sure not; you were in hospital after you got run over by the Baker Street engine. Tell him about it, Corney. It was you that asked the doctor, wasnt it, for another bottle?
Corney was about to speak, when a young fireman entered the room with his helmet hanging on his arm.
Is it go on? he inquired, looking round.
No, its go back, young Rags, replied Baxmore, as he refilled his pipe; it was only a chimney, so youre not wanted.
Can any o you fellers lend me a bit o baccy? asked Rags. Ive forgot to fetch mine.
Here you are, said Dale, offering him a piece of twist.
Hant ye got a bit o hard baccy for the tooth? said Rags.
Will that do? asked Frank Willders, cutting off a piece from a plug of cavendish.
Thankee. Good afternoon.
Young Rags put the quid in his cheek, and went away humming a tune.
In explanation of the above incident, it is necessary to tell the reader that when a fire occurred in any part of London at the time of which we write, the fire-station nearest to it at once sent out its engines and men, and telegraphed to the then head or centre station at Watling Street. London was divided into four districts, each district containing several fire stations, and being presided over by a foreman. From Watling Street the news was telegraphed to the foremens stations, whence it was transmitted to the stations of their respective districts, so that in a few minutes after the breaking out of a fire the fact was known to the firemen all over London.
As we have said, the stations nearest to the scene of conflagration turned out engines and men; but the other stations furnished a man each. Thus machinery was set in motion which moved, as it were, the whole metropolis; and while the engines were going to the fire at full speed, single men were setting out from every point of the compass to walk to it, with their sailors caps on their heads and their helmets on their arms.
And this took place in the case of every alarm of fire, because fire is an element that will not brook delay, and it does not do to wait to ascertain whether it is worth while to turn out such a force of men for it or not.
In order, however, to prevent this unnecessary assembling of men when the fire was found to be trifling, or when, as was sometimes the case, it was a false alarm, the fireman in charge of the engine that arrived first, at once sent a man back to the station with a stop, that is, with an order to telegraph to the central station that the fire turns out to be only a chimney or a false alarm, and that all hands who have started from the distant stations may be stopped. The stop was at once telegraphed to the foremen, from whom it was passed (just as the call had been) to the outlying stations, and this second telegram might arrive within quarter of an hour of the first.
Of course the man from each station had set out before that time, and the stop was too late for him, but it was his duty to call at the various fire stations he happened to pass on the way, where he soon found out whether he was to go on or to go back.
If no telegram had been received, he went on to the fire; sometimes walking four or five miles to it, at not less than four miles an hour. On coming up to the scene of conflagration, he put on his helmet, thrust his cap into the breast of his coat, and reported himself to the chief of the fire brigade (who was usually on the spot), or to the foreman in command, and found, probably, that he had arrived just in time to be of great service in the way of relieving the men who first attacked the flames.
If, on the other hand, he found that the stop had been telegraphed, he turned back before having gone much more than a mile from his own station, and so went quietly home to bed. In the days of which we write the effective and beautiful system of telegraphy which now exists had not been applied to the fire stations of London, and the system of stops and calls, although in operation, was carried out much less promptly and effectively by means of messengers.
Some time before the entrance of Willie Willders into the King Street station the engine had been turned out to a fire close at hand, which proved to be only a chimney on fire, and which was put out by means of a hand-pump and a bucket of water, while Moxey was sent back with the stop to the station. The affair was over and almost forgotten, and the men had resumed their pipes, as we have seen, when young Rags entered and was told to go back.
Some time before the entrance of Willie Willders into the King Street station the engine had been turned out to a fire close at hand, which proved to be only a chimney on fire, and which was put out by means of a hand-pump and a bucket of water, while Moxey was sent back with the stop to the station. The affair was over and almost forgotten, and the men had resumed their pipes, as we have seen, when young Rags entered and was told to go back.
Apologising for this necessary digression, we return to Joe Corney.
The fact was, said he, that we had had a fearful time of it that winterblowin great guns an snow nearly every night, an what wi heat at the fires an cowld i the streets, an hot wather pourin on us at wan minnit an freezin on us the nixt, amost every man Jack of us was coughin an sneezin, and watherin so bad at our eyes an noses, that I do belave if wed held em over the suction-pipes we might ha filled the ingins without throublin the mains at all. So the doctor he said, says he, Lads, Ill send ye a bottle o stuff asll put ye right. An sure enough down comes the bottle that night when we was smokin our pipes just afther roll-call. It turned out to be the best midcine ever was. Musha! says I, heres the top o the marnin to ye, boys! Baxmore he smacks his lips when he tastes it, opens his eyes, tosses off the glass, and holds it out for another. Howld on; fair play! cried Jack Williams, so we all had a glass round. It was just like lemonade or ginger-beer, it was. So we sat down an smoked our pipes over it, an spun yarns an sung songs; in fact we made a jollification of it, an when we got up to turn in there warnt a dhrop left i the bottle.
Youd better go to the doctor for another bottle, says Moxey, as he wint out.
I will, says I; Ill go i the marnin.
Sure enough away I goes i the marnin to Doctor Offley. Doctor, says I, howldin out the bottle, we all think our colds are much the better o this here midcine, an I comed, av ye plaze, for another o the same.
Musha! but ye should ha seen the rage he goes off into. Finished it all? says he. Ivery dhrop, doctor, says I, at wan sittin. At that he stamped an swore at me, an ordered me away as if Id bin a poor relation; an says he, Ill sind ye a bottle to-night asll cure ye! Sure so he did. The second bottle would have poisond a rat. It lasted us all six months, an I do belave yell find the most of it in the cupboard at this minnit av ye look.
Come, Willie, said Frank, while the men were laughing at the remembrance of this incident. Im going down your way and will give you a convoy. We can take a look in at the gymnastics as we pass, if you choose.
All right, Blazes, come along. So saying they left the station, and set off at a brisk pace in the direction of the City.
Chapter Nine
Auctions and Gymnastics
As the brothers drew near to the busy region of the City which lies to the north of London Bridge; Frank turned aside into one of the narrow streets that diverge from the main thoroughfare.
Where are ye goin? inquired Willie.
There was a fire here last night, said Frank; I want to have a look at the damage.
A fire! exclaimed Willie. Why, Blazes, it strikes me theres bin more fires than usual last night in London.
Only two, lad.
Only two! How many would you have? asked Willie with a laugh.
Dont you know, said Frank, that we have about four fires every night? Sometimes more, sometimes fewer. Of course, we dont all of us turn out to them; but some of the brigade turn out to that number, on an average, every night of the year.
Are ye jokin, Frank?
Indeed I am not. I wish with all my heart I could say that I was joking. Its a fact, boy. You know I have not been long in the force, yet Ive gone to as many as six fires in one night, and we often go to two or three. The one we are going to see the remains of just now was too far from us for our engine to turn out; but we got the call to send a man on, and I was sent. When I arrived and reported myself to Mr Braidwood, the two top floors were burnt out, and the fire was nearly got under. There were three engines, and the men were up on the window-sills of the second-floor with the branches, playin on the last of the flames, while the men of the salvage-corps were getting the furniture out of the first floor. Conductor Brown was there with his escape, and had saved a whole family from the top floor, just before I arrived. He had been changed from his old station at the West End that very day. Hes a wonderful fellow, that conductor! Many a life he has saved; but, indeed, the same may be said of most of the men in the force, especially the old hands. Here we are, lad. This is the house.
Frank stopped, as he spoke, in front of a ruined tenement, or rather, in front of the gap which was now strewn with the charred and blackened débris of what had once been a house. The street in which it stood was a narrow, mean one, inhabited by a poor, and, to judge from appearance, a dissipated class. The remains of the house were guarded by policemen, while a gang of men were engaged in digging among the ruins, which still smoked a little here and there.
What are they diggin for? asked Willie.
I fear they are looking for dead bodies. The house was let out to lodgers, and swarmed with people. At first it was thought that all were saved; but just before I was ordered home after the fire was got under, some one said that an old man and his grandchild were missing. I suppose theyre looking for them now.
On inquiring of a policeman, however, Frank learned that the remains of the old man and his grandchild had already been found, and that they were searching for the bodies of others who were missing. A little beyond the spot where the fire had occurred, a crowd was gathered round a man who stood on a chair haranguing them, with apparently considerable effect, for ever and anon his observations were received with cries of Hear, hear, and laughter. Going along the middle of the narrow street, in order to avoid the smell of the old-clothes-shops and pawnbrokers, as well as the risk of contact with their wares, Frank and Willie elbowed their way through the crowd to within a few yards of the speaker.
What is he? inquired Frank of a rather dissipated elderly woman.
Hes a clown or a hacrobat, or somethink of that sort, in one of the theatres or music-alls. Hes bin burnt out o his ome last night, ans a-sellin off all hes been able to save, by hauction.
Come; now, ladies an gents, cried the clown, taking up a rather seedy-looking great-coat, which he held aloft with one hand, and pointed to it with the other, Whos agoin to bid for this ere garmenta hextra superfine, double-drilled, kershimere great-coat, fresh from the looms o Tuskanyat least it was fresh from em ten years ago (that was when my grandfather was made Lord Mayor of London), an its bin renewing its youth (the coat, not the Lord Mayor) ever since. Its more glossy, I do assure you, ladies and gents, than wen it fust comed from the looms, by reason of the pile havin worn off; and youll obsarve that the glossiness is most beautiful and brightest about the elbows an the seams o the back. Who bids for this ere venerable garment? Six bob? Come now, dont all bid at once. Who said six bob?