human
Cut dead! said Eves with a grin.
gpt
A good thing too; I loathe the fellow. Poor old Trenchard will be wretched all the rest of the day. I wonder why he always looks so hang-dog when Noakes is about? He couldn’t look worse if Noakes was his landlord and he couldn’t pay the rent. And upon my word, Noakes has cheek enough for two. I saw him prodding the cattle the other day as if he owned ’em, or would like to. What do you think about it?
human
Eh? about Noakes? I wasn’t thinking of him, said Templeton.
gpt
I was wondering whether we couldn’t do something to help save the old man’s crops.
human
Well, old chap, if you can invent rain——
gpt
Don’t be an ass. Of course I can’t. But I don’t see why we shouldn’t irrigate, as they do in India.
human
We haven’t got an Indus, and the river down there is too far away, and below this level. You can’t make water run up-hill.
gpt
But there’s the brook just at the edge of the field, behind that ridge. All we’ve to do is to divert it.
human
My good man, it’s miles below the top of the ridge. Besides, there’s not much water at the best.
gpt
There’s enough. We should have to build a dam, of course. Then the water would collect till it rose to the height of the ridge and flowed over, and we could carry it over the fields through small drains. You see, the stream runs straight to the sea; there are no fishing rights to consider, and it’s not used for mills or anything of that sort.
human
A jolly back-aching job, digging drains and what not. No chance of a rag. Still, the idea’s good enough, and I’d like to see old Trenchard more cheerful. You had better see what he says about it.