"I don't understand the thing," he said to Jake. "The guard-rail's heavy
and I watched the smith make the clamps we fixed it with. One claw went
over the rail, the other under the flange of the metal that formed the
track, and sudden pressure would jamb the guard down. Then, not long
before the accident, I hardened up the clamp."
"You hit it on the back?"
"Of course. I'd have loosened the thing by hitting the front."
"That's so," Jake agreed, somewhat dryly. "We'll look for the clamps in
the morning. But you didn't seem very anxious to get out of the way."
"I expect I forgot to thank you for warning me. Anyhow, you know----"
"Yes, I know," said Jake. "You didn't think about it; your mind was on
your job. Still, I suppose you see that if you'd been a moment later
you'd have been smashed pretty flat?"
Dick gave him a quick glance. There was something curious about Jake's
tone, but Dick knew he did not mean to emphasize the value of his
warning. It was plain that he had had a very narrow escape, but since one
must be prepared for accidents in heavy engineering work, he did not see
why this should jar his nerves. Yet they were jarred. The danger he had
scarcely heeded had now a disturbing effect. He could imagine what would
have happened had he delayed his leap. However, he was tired, and perhaps
rather highly strung, and he got up.
"It's late, and we had better go to bed," he said.