“Are you going to mend the dyke?” he asked.

“We’re gan to try,” said one.  “I reckon we’ll not can hoad her up if beck rises much.”

“She’ll rise three or four feet,” said Kit.  “Is nobody else coming?”

“Neabody we ken aboot.  Mr. Osborn sent to Allerby first thing, but miller wadn’t let him have a man.”

Kit thought hard.  Bell had given up the mill and his successor had a dispute with Hayes.  To repair the dyke properly would be a long and expensive business, since there were a number of weak spots, but a dozen men, working hard, might perhaps strengthen the threatened part sufficiently to bear the strain.  Clearly, if they were to be of use, they must be found and set to work at once.  In a sense, the risk was Osborn’s, who would pay for his neglect, but the flood might damage his tenants’ fields, and even if the damage were confined to Osborn’s, Kit hated to see crops spoiled.

“You had better begin,” he said.  “I’ll try to get help.”

“Mayhappen folks will come for you, though they wadn’t for t’ maister,” one replied.  “We’ll need aw you can get before lang.”

Kit set off as fast as he could walk and, stopping for a minute at Ashness, sent his men.  Then he went on to Allerby and at first found the farmers unwilling to move, but after some argument they went with him to the mill.

“We’ll hear what miller has to say,” one remarked.  “He kens maist aboot the job, sin’ he had t’ mend t’ lade when Hayes refused.  For aw that, mending dyke is landlord’s business.”

“I’ll not stir a hand to save Osborn’s crops,” the miller declared when he met them at the door.  “His oad rogue o’ an agent promised me he’d build up brocken lade, but when time came I had to do’t mysel’.”

Two of the others grumbled about promises Hayes had not kept, and then Kit said, “All this is not important.  I don’t ask you to mend the dyke for Osborn’s sake but yours.  If the beck breaks through and runs down to Allerby, it will spoil all the hay and fill the mill-lead with rubbish.”

“Then we’ll get compensation.  Landlord’s bound to keep dyke in order.”

Kit smiled.  “You’ll get nothing, unless you go to law and I don’t know if you’ll get much then.  Hayes is clever and the dispute would be expensive.  You’ll certainly find it cheaper to mend the dyke.”

They pondered this, until the miller made a sign of agreement.

“I’ll not can say you’re wrang.  I’m coming with my two men.”

Kit told him to bring a horse and cart and the party set off for the threatened bank.  The beck had risen while Kit was away and stones and soil slipped down into the flood.  An angry turmoil indicated that the current had rolled the rubbish into a dam.

“We’ve gotten our job,” said the miller as he drove in his spade.