The Winged Watchman, Chapter 3 - Parachutes

Raina is sick and unable to be visited. Father and Dirk help with harvesting and are paid in food. Joris shows Hendrik around the mill and they talk about the windmill's functions. Joris demonstrates a trick with the windmill wings. They explore the mill and Joris explains how the water flows in and out. Father allows them to go in a boat and they witness a plane crash and parachutes landing. They watch German soldiers search for the aviators and Hendrik falls into the water, unable to swim. Joris saves him and they return home. Hendrik feels ashamed for lying. Chapter 3 Parachutes Raina was too ill to be visited for a while, though Dirk, Jan, and Joris called often at the doctor's to inquire about her. It was harvest time, and because the mill only worked intermittently on account of the dry weather, Father and Dirk, Jan, helped with the harvesting. They were paid in food, which came in handy. Mother spent her days preserving, salting, and drying whatever Father brought in. Joris helped her, and minded Trixie. One fine afternoon, Hendrik turned up at the mill, as he had promised. "'Here I am!' he cried, with Nero. Freya barked happily when she saw the other dog. She had grown a lot. Hendrik exclaimed over it. "'She's a good watchdog already,' boasted Joris. "'She even barks when the wind changes. Father says she is a born miller's dog.' "'Why should she bark when the wind changes?' asked Hendrik, puzzled. "'Well, naturally, it means the sails have to be adjusted,' said Joris, looking as if Hendrik had asked this stupid question. "'The mill can't go if the sails aren't in the eye of the wind.' "'Show me the mill,' begged Hendrik. An eager gleam in his eye, Joris knew that to Hendrik his ordinary home seemed a romantic place. Leaving Freya to make friends with Nero, he led Hendrik around the millyard, pointing out one thing and another. "'That's our summer house,' he said when they came to a small brick building behind the mill. "'Mother cooks there, except in winter, when it's too cold. Father's workshop is in there, too. Look what Dirk Jan and I made.' Of course, Dirk Jan did most of it, and Father helped. "'Oh,' Hendrik gasped as he saw the tiny model of a windmill, which stood on a wooden stand and worked bravely, though it was only three feet high. "'It's not everything,' he murmured. So it had. "'Even a real thatch, made of the rushes that bordered the canal.' "'Mother grinds wheat in it,' said Joris. He did not say that Father used it to make electricity for their hidden radio set. "'We learned a lot from it,' Joris went on. "'That's why Dirk Jan wants to build real mills when he grows up. But I'd rather do what Father does.' "'I'd like to be a miller, too,' said Hendrik, looking up at the watchman. He saw the little ornamented beard hanging from the flat front out of which the wing was projected. On it was a picture of a trumpeting angel and a date, 1758. "'Do you know you can see for miles around when you climb into one of the wings?' said Joris. "'Can you climb into one?' asked Hendrik eagerly. "'Oh, let's.' He was running towards the whirling sails, but Joris grabbed him by the shirt. "'Are you crazy?' he shouted. "'The mill is working. Those things can kill you. They've got to be still before you can climb them. I'll show you a trick, though.' Father did not like Joris to play with the wings, but he could not resist showing off before Hendrik. "'Every miller's son has, at one time or another, done this simple trick. Wait till one of the wings is coming down. Grab it. Let it carry you for a while, and jump off before it goes up too high.' Joris did this and awaited Hendrik's admiration, but Hendrik did not know the skill involved. "'Why did you jump off? Why didn't you go all the way round?' he asked. "'Blech!' Joris spluttered with indignation. "'Go all the way round? You'd have to be a circus man. You'd have to turn all the time to keep your head up. Or otherwise, you'd go upside down and maybe fall on your head and break your neck. You don't know anything.' "'Let me try it,' said Hendrik eagerly. Now Joris was really angry. "'Do you think you could do it when I can't?' he pulled Hendrik away. "'Father never lets anyone come near the wings the way they used to. It's much too dangerous. I'll show you the rest.' Hendrik followed reluctantly. The wings fascinated him. He looked with a distracted eye at the gauge Joris showed him just in front of the arch where the ditch water was drawn into the mill. Joris explained that you could read on that gauge how high the water was in the folder and whether the mill should work. "'Where does the water come out again?' asked Hendrik. "'First it goes through the gallery, under the mill, and there it is, scooped up on the scoop wheel and thrown into the canal. The canal is too high for the water to flow in by itself. "'Come, I'll show you.' The boys ran around the mill to the other side, past the big wheel which was fastened with long poles to the cap of the mill. "'That's the wheel you wind the cap with,' said Joris. "'And that rope is the brake. Now come and look at the water. "'It was a pretty sight to see the wild foaming stream leave the mill "'and swirl into the drainage canal where it made a little rowboat bob up and down.' "'Are you allowed in the boat?' asked Hendrik. "'Sure. Would you like to come?' "'I'd love it!' said Hendrik eagerly. "'What a place to live. Wind and water, boats and miniature windmills. It was a paradise. "'The Schindlerhaus farm, with its cattle and pigs, suddenly seemed very dull. "'Ask father,' said Joris, running into the mill. "'Father, come outside with Joris.' "'Interested in our mill?' he asked. "'Well, it's a wonderful machine, all right. "'The windmills have made our country,' he said. "'After Lieghouter invented the movable cap, "'the whole mill no longer had to be turned with each change of the wind, "'so we could build big, powerful mills and reclaim our lakes. "'Now we are starting on the Zuiderzee.' "'The Zuiderzee!' "'I thought they'd finished that already,' said Hendrik. "'Oh, no. There is still a lot more ground to be won. "'But I hear you want to go into the boat, Hendrik?' "'Yes, please.' said Hendrik. "'Can you swim?' "'Uh-huh.' "'All right, then. "'I don't allow anyone in the boat who can't swim,' said father. "'I learned to swim inside the mill, didn't I, father?' "...boasted Joris. "'Father Gron." "'Yes,' he said. "'You used to climb over the scoop wheel when the brake was on, "'and you splashed away in the gallery. "'Well, go along then, boys, and remember, "'take off your clogs and the boat. "'The oars are in the summerhouse.' "'Joris was handy with the boat. "'He rowed in it since he was seven. "'It was just a nice size, painted blue and white.' "'Hendrik was rather clumsy getting in.' "'He rocked the boat. "'Put your foot in the middle,' warned Joris. "'With well-aimed strokes, "'he pulled the boat out of the turbulent water "'into the calm canal. "'A heron flew out of the reeds and slapped huge wings. "'The sun glittered back from the water, "'flickering in the space.' "'Let's row to the giant.' "'Your old mill,' suggested Joris. "'The old mill, mysterious and withdrawn, fascinated him.' "'Is it used for anything?' he asked. "'I don't think so,' said Hendrik. "'That's why I'm sure it's haunted.' "'Joris rowed slowly, resting from time to time "'as he gazed at the old mill. "'They were drifting along peacefully "'in the sky. "'Bombers came soaring through the blue, "'more and more bombers. "'There was a noise of anti-aircraft guns. "'The peaceful sky was rimmed with exploding shells. "'One of the bombers was hit. "'It reeled, burst into flames, "'and started to come down, "'scattering parts as it fell. "'It seemed to come right by the boat. "'Both boys ducked unconsciously, "'but it flew over their heads, "'some burning wreckage falling with a hiss into the water. "'It went for quite a distance still, "'then it dropped into Nur-dir-nar-Poldor. "'There were several explosions, "'which sent up fountains of fire. "'Four parachutes drifted "'like helpless white bubbles in the sky. "'They floated off, "'in the direction of the burning plane, "'and also landed somewhere "'in the Nur-dir-nar-Poldor. "'Joris rowed towards the shore "'and moored the boat in a willow tree. "'The boys scrambled up the dike "'and stood watching the spectacle. "'It's too far,' said Joris, disappointed. "'We can't help the Tommies.' "'You couldn't do it anyway,' warned Hendrik. "'You'd be shot if they caught you.' "'It had been a secret dream of Joris's "'for a long time to help someone escape, "'preferably a soldier.' "'You see, the Germans have come already,' said Hendrik. "'And so they had. "'One moment there were none, "'and the next moment there were swarms. "'Where had they come from?' wondered Joris. "'They surrounded the plane, "'seeming like little ants in the distance, "'but little ants with a big bite. "'Now they spread, looking for the aviators.' "'Joris prayed silently. "'Let them get away, God. "'Please let them get away.' "'His prayers seemed to have been answered. "'The soldiers rung about, but no aviators were captured. "'The boys watched for a while. "'The soldiers were looking everywhere "'and were walking towards the old giant. "'Let's get back on the boat,' begged Hendrik. "'All right,' said Joris, gliding down the dike again, "'loosening the painter. "'Get in now.' "'He saw that Hendrik was doing it wrong again. "'In the middle!' he shouted. "'But Hendrik had again rocked the boat, "'this time worse. "'Joris and Hendrik could swim ashore with a few strokes, "'but Hendrik did not swim. "'Help!' he cried and went under the water. "'With a shock, Joris realized that Hendrik had lied. "'He could not swim. "'At once he jumped into the water himself "'and dragged Hendrik out. "'It was so near shore, it did not matter, "'but what if it had happened in the midstream?' "'Some German soldiers had heard the shouting "'and came running. "'They probably hoped to find an aviator "'who looked disappointed when they saw only two wet boys. "'They said something heavy-hitting German. "'The two boys shrugged their shoulders "'and the soldiers went on their way again. "'Hendrik was safely in the boat now. "'We'd better go home, otherwise it will dry us,' said Joris. "'He wrote swiftly. "'He felt ashamed for his friend. "'What would father say? "'Hendrik would have to confess that he had told a lie, "'that Joris underestimated Hendrik's inventive powers. "'You didn't have to pull me out,' he was saying. "'I was just fooling. "'I was imagining I was one of those aviators "'and had landed in the canal "'and couldn't get my parachute off quick enough. "'I couldn't believe it. "'He heard Hendrik's cry of panic. "'Hendrik's is nice enough,' he decided. "'But he's not to be trusted.'"