Chapter Sixteen. My Patient the Carpenter
How was this? I exclaimed. There, shut the door, we dont want a crowd in here.
It was Harry Linney got teasing him, sir, and betting him he couldnt climb up the outside of the church tower.
And he climbed up and fell, eh? I said, going on with my examination.
Yes; thats it, said one of the men, staring.
How stupid! I exclaimed. Men like you to be always like a pack of boys.
Is he killed, doctor? said another in awestruck tones.
Killed? no; I replied, but he has broken his left arm, and yes no yes his collar-bone as well.
Poor old chap, said a chorus of sympathising
and about how wed heard as Steeple Jack, as he called himself, had undertaken to do Upperthorpe steeple, as is thirty feet lower than ours, and had got the money and gone off.
I thought he was a rogue, said Billy Johnson. He looked like it; drinking sort of fellow. Tell you what, Im game to do it any time you like.
Not you, says Joey Rance. It aint in you.
Aint it, says Billy, tightening his belt, and then
My good man, says the Rector, I couldnt think of allowing it.
You see, ours was a splendid spire, standing altogether a hundred and seventy feet six inches high; and as it says in the old history, was a landmark and a beacon to the country for miles round. There was a square tower seventy feet high, and out of this sprang the spire, tapering up a hundred feet, and certainly one of the finest in the county.
Oh, Id let him go, sir, says Joey: he can climb like a squirrel.
Or a tom-cat, says another.
More like a monkey, says Sam Rowley, our wicket-keeper.
Never mind what I can climb like, says Billy. Im game to do it; so here goes.
But if you do get up, said the Rector, you will want tools to take off and oil the weathercock, and you cant carry them.
Just then a message came from the house that the Rector was wanted, and he went away in a hurry: and no sooner had he gone than there was no end of chaff about Billy, which ended in his pulling up his belt another hole, and saying
Im going.
And what are you going to do when you get up there?
Nothing, he says, but tie the rope up to the top of the spire, and leave it for some of you clever chaps to do the work.
What rope shall you use? I said.
The new well rope, says Billy. Its over two hundred feet long.
Cricketing was set aside for that day, for Joey Rance went off and got the rope, coming back with it coiled over his arm, and throwing it down before Billy in a defiant sort of way, as much as to say
There, now lets see you do it.
Without a word, Billy picked up the coil of rope and went in at the belfry door, to come out soon after on the top of the tower, and then, with one end of the rope made into a loop and thrown over his shoulders, he went to one edge of the eight-sided spire and began to climb up from crocket to crocket, which were about a yard apart, and looking like so many ornamental knobs sticking out from the sides.
We gave him a cheer as he began to go up, and then sat on the grass wondering like to see how active and clever the fellow was as he went up yard after yard climbing rapidly, and seeming as if hed soon be at the top.
The whole of the village turned out in a state of excitement, and we had hard work to keep two brave fellows from going up to try at other corners of the spire.
Hell do it hell do it! was the cry over and over again.
And it seemed as if he would, for he went on rapidly till he was within some thirty feet of the top; when all of a sudden he seemed to lose his hold, and came sliding rapidly down between two rows of crockets, faster and faster, till he disappeared behind the parapet of the tower.
We held our breath, one and all, as we saw him fall, and a cold chill of horror came upon us. It was not until he had reached the top of the tower that we roused ourselves to run to the belfry door, and began to go up the newel staircase to get to the poor fellow, whom we expected to find half-dead.
Hallo! cried Billys voice, as we got half-way up the corkscrew, Im coming down.
Aint you hurt, then? cried Joey Rance.
No, not much, said Billy, as we reached him by one of the loopholes in the stone wall. Got some skin off, and a bit bruised.
Why, we thought you were half killed, we said.
Not I, he replied, gruffly; the rope caught over one of the crockets, and that broke my fall a bit.
Going to try again? said Joey, with a sneer.
No, I aint going to try again, neither, said Billy gruffly. I left the rope up at the top there, thinking you were so clever youd like to go.
Oh, I could do it if I liked, said Joey.
Only you darent, said Bill, rubbing his elbows, and putting his lips to his bleeding knuckles.
Darent I? said Joey.
Without another word he pushed by Billy, and went on steadily up towards the top of the tower.
I hope hell like it, said Billy, chuckling. It aint so easy as he thinks. Lets go down. Im a good bit shook, and want a drop of brandy.
Poor fellow, he looked rather white when we got down; and to our surprise on looking up, on hearing a cheer, there was Joey hard at work, with the rope over his shoulder, climbing away, the lads cheering him again and again as he climbed higher and higher,