oarse shout from Ewen and the boys released the pulley chain
while Miller slapped the regulator between the guide rods. As the three
young men again threw themselves upon the chain and forced the regulator
into place, the crucial moment had arrived. The controlling valve of the
regulator was open, of course, and as the rushing gas was again
concentrated into one stream, a new fiery jet shot upward. But the
lateral streams had been controlled and again Ewen applied the wrench to
thread the regulator to the first cap. Once he failed and then the
threads caught. With a yell of victory the veteran gas man threw himself
against the long wrench again.

"You've got 'er!" exclaimed Colonel Howell as he sprang to Ewen's side
and joined him in screwing the regulator into place. Even before he spoke
there was a renewed roar in the trench beneath and a new volume of gas
poured upward.

"Fill 'er in!" shouted Paul. "The big rocks first." And then, while the
newly confined gas still shot upward through the regulator in a screaming
stream of fire, six pairs of hands, including those of the energetic
Philip, hurled a collected heap of rocks to the bottom of the trench and
around the new opening.

"This ain't goin' to stop the flow," explained Colonel Howell to Norman
and Roy, as all panted in their work, "but it's Paul's idea, and I think
he's put it over."

"Now for the dirt!" shouted Paul, who was leading in the work. With
shovels and pieces of board, the excavated material was rapidly dumped
into the trench. With each new shovelful of material, the escape of gas
from the trench became less and the roar from the open regulator became
more deafening. When at last only an odor of gas escaped from the newly
packed trench, Paul exclaimed:

"Plenty of water dumped in here ought to make a solid cake of ice around
the opening and that ought to fix us till spring anyway."

"The cleverest idea you've yet given us!" exclaimed Colonel Howell, as
all paused for breath. "Now, go over and finish your job. Turn off the
regulator."

Proudly enough, Paul sprang to the roaring gusher and gave the protected
valve wheel a few quick turns. Instantly the flow was shut off and
silence followed. The young Austrian had made good.

Many other mechanical details had to be seen to but the great problem had
been solved and all were elated. The main work accomplished, Colonel
Howell and the young men retired to the cabin, where, as soon as the
excitemen