of such a catastrophe as
this."

We had no right, for to us the flood, exhausted and spread by its
eight-mile race, had been our saving, the greater part of our
destruction being by fire, for which we should have recompense; while
for the poor creatures who had been in an instant robbed of home and in
many cases of relatives, what recompense could there be!

The loss of life was frightful, and the scenes witnessed as first one
poor creature and then another was discovered buried in sand and mud
after being borne miles by the flood, are too painful to record.

Suffice it that the flood had swept down those eight miles of valley,
doing incalculable damage, and leaving traces that remained for years.
The whole of the loss was never known, and till then people were to a
great extent in ignorance of the power that water could exercise. In
many cases we stood appalled at the changes made high up the valley, and
the manner in which masses of stonework had been swept along. Stone was
plentiful in the neighbourhood and much used in building, and wherever
the flood had come in contact with a building it was taken away bodily,
to crumble up as it was borne along, and augment the power of the water,
which became a wave charged with stones, masses of rock, and beams of
wood, ready to batter into nothingness every obstacle that stood in its
way.

"It seems impossible that all this could be done in a few minutes," said
Uncle Dick.

"No, not when you think of the power of water," said Uncle Jack quietly.
"Think of how helpless one is when bathing, against an ordinary wave.
Then think of that wave a million times the size, and tearing along a
valley charged with _debris_, and racing at you as fast as a horse could
gallop."

We came back from the scene of desolation ready to make light of our own
trouble, and the way in which my uncles worked to help the sufferers
down in the lower part of the town gave the finishing touches to the
work of many months.

There was so much trouble in the town and away up the valley, so much
suffering to allay, that the firing of our works by the despicable
scoundrels who worked in secret over these misdeeds became a very
secondary matter, and seemed to cause no excitement at all.

"But you must make a stir about this," said Mr Tomplin. "The villains
who did that deed must be brought to justice. The whole affair will
have to be investigated, and I'm afraid we shall have to begin by
arresting