The four drill trucks had parked in their assigned spots and were readying to begin, one at a time, in case something went wrong or the ground shifted. After the holes were finished, the trucks would then switch out to their pumping gear and get to work. The whole crew was standing on the scaffolding around the pit, waiting anxiously for a sign of anything. It was a long process, and one of the trucks ended up having to move because they were hitting rock, but eventually, all four of them were pumping water out.
“Four different tunnels,” Scott said in awe.
“Or a couple big ass ones,” Mark stated, arms folded as he watched one drill closely. “I wonder if any of them feed into the swamp, with the way it keeps refilling itself.”
“The bog is fresh water,” Dad answered, shaking his head. “We know that this is salt, from the ocean.”
“How long until we can get down there into the pit?” I butted in. “Will it take long to drain?”
Glancing down into the hole, Dad shrugged. “We’ll have to look in the morning and see how it’s doing. I can’t tell any difference right now.”
“I’ll check that the hoses are draining fine,” Scott offered, stepping off the scaffolding and heading in the direction of the runoff. “Make sure we aren’t spewing anything into the ocean that shouldn’t be there.”
“Thanks, Scott,” Dad called after him, raising a hand in farewell. “Well, Sammy. Ready to call it a night?”
“Let’s go home and sleep so we can come out here and find out what’s going on.” I laughed.
“Treasure bug,” Mark smirked, stepping down as well. “It’s got you good!”
“As long as it gives me a treasure worth the trouble, I’m fine with it.” I grinned.
“See you tomorrow,” he said to both of us, walking over to his car.
“Does anyone need to stay and watch the pump?” I asked, suddenly wondering about the work crews.
“It can run through the night on its own,” Dad explained. “The crews will go back to the shop, save two guys to help make sure everything is working right. They’re staying at a hotel here. We’ll come out first thing and check on it all. Hopefully, we’ll have an empty hole to dig in!”
Swept Away (The Swept Away Saga, Book One) Page 10