“Do! it’s enuff to drive me cracked, aw do declare!  Here have aw had a lot o’ chaps leadin watter to this old well for monny an’ monnya day, so as we can pump it as we want it into that long field, an’ aw’m blowed if summat hasn’t getten to th’ valve or summat, an’ ther willn’t a drop come.”

“Why what will yo have to do nah!” sed Jack.

“Do I what can aw do?  Ther’s nowt for it nah but for somdy to goa daan an’ set it reight, an’ aw’m far to old for sich a job’.”

“If that’s all,” sed Jack, “aw think aw con scrammel daan that pipe; ha deep is is it?”

“It’s nobbut abaat fifty feet, an’ ther’s a gooid flange to rest on at ivery two yards, but aw hardly dar let thi try, for tha maks si’ch a mess o’ iverything.”

“Dooant yo freeat abaat that; aw’ll goa daan, just see.”

“Well, mind what tha’rt dooin’, for ther’s a gooid deeal o’ watter in nah.”  Jack began to slide daan, one length at a time, an in a bit he called aght “all reight.”

“C’an ta raik th’ valve,” sed his uncle.

“Eea, but aw cannot stir it unless yo send me a hammer daan.”

“Well, stop thear wol aw fotch one, an’ aw’ll lower it daan wi’ a bit o’ band.”  An’ away he ran to th’ bottom o’th’ next held for a hammer.  He’d getten abaaf hauf way daan, when up comes another looad o’ watter, drawn bi two horses, an’ two men wi’ em.

“This’ll be my last looad to-day, Jeffry,” sed one to his mate.

“An’ aw’m glad on it,” sed Jeffry; “aw wonder if th’ gaffer’s getten th’ valve altered yet; he wor sayin’ summat abaat it when aw coom wi’ th’ last barrel.”

“Aw can’t say, aw’m sure; but another barrelful can’t mak soa mich difference, whether he has or net, soa here goas.”  As sooin as he sed that, he knocked a gurt bung aght o’th’ back o’th’ barrel, an a stream as thick as mi leg began paarin daan th’ well.  It wor a gooid job for Jack ‘at he happened to be claspin his arms raand th’ pipe, for if he hadn’t he’d ha’ been swum ovver th’ heead, an’ noa mistak; an’ as it wor, he could hardly get a bit o’ breeath, for th’ watter seemed to spreead aght like a sheet, an drive all th’ air aght.  He did try to shaat once or twice, but it wor noa use, for th’ watter made sich a din wol nubdy could hear him.

It didn’t tak th’ uncle aboon three or four minits to fotch th’ hammer, an’ as he war comin with it he saw this wattercart bein emptied into th’ well, an’ his heart gave ovver beeatin for abaat a minit; then he set up sich a shaat, an’ ran at sich a speed, wol th’ chaps wondered what could be to do.  “Hold on!” he sed, “for goodness sake, hold on!  Didn’t yo know ‘at my neffy wor i’th’ well?” “Noa bi th’ heart did we!” an’ th’ barrel wor bunged up in a crack, an’ th’ uncle bawled daan th’ well as laad as he could, “Jack, if tha’rt draanded spaik!  He’s deead sure enuff,” he said; “one on yo goa daan an’ see if yo con bring up his body.”  Just then coom a saand o’ summat knockin th’ pipe at th’ bottom, an’ th’ uncle called aght, “Jack, whear are ta?”