But I have a
different plan in mind now.
"I'm going to try to find a wooden building we can charge
as we did the masonry factory. I want to smash up a barn,
and I'll have to pick out an old one for choice, for in
these war days we must conserve all we can, even old barns."
"What's the idea of using a barn, Tom?"
"Well, I want to test the tank under all sorts of
conditions--the same conditions she'll meet with on the
Western front. We've proved that a brick and stone factory
is no obstacle."
"Then how could a flimsy wooden barn be?"
"Well, that's just it. I don't think that it will, but it
may be that a barn when smashed will get tangled up in the
endless steel belts, and clog them so they'll jam. That's
the reason I want to try a wooden structure next."
"Do you know where to find one?"
"Yes; about a mile from here is one I've had my eyes on
ever since I began constructing the tank. I don't know who
owns it, but it's such a ramshackle affair that he can't
object to having it knocked into kindling wood for him. If
he does holler, I can pay him for the damage done.
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