The Emerald Key - By Christopher Dinsdale Page 0,58

jug of milk was laid out on a side table. While Jamie ate, Mr. Kessler shook his head in disbelief.

“Jamie, when I saw you standing outside my shop window with the ancient text in your hands, I almost fainted in disbelief. I thought everything had been lost in the awful fire. I’m still in shock that we have lost our parliament building. And all of those precious books … gone forever.”

“It makes me think back to the library at Alexandria,” said Jamie.

Mr. Kessler nodded. “Two thousand years later, I can see that we’re no better than the Romans. And to think that you both almost died in that inferno. Beth, well done to think of the sewer system! You are a brilliant young woman!”

She blushed. “I’ve been called lots of things, but never smart.”

“Well, you’ll be hearing a lot more of that in the future, I’m sure,” praised Mr. Kessler.

“She will indeed,” agreed Jamie. “We’ d both be dead if it wasn’t for her quick thinking.”

Jamie and Beth looked at each other knowingly. They had decided not to tell Mr. Kessler about the attempted murder.

“I think I’m getting closer to solving the mystery of your brother’s sketch,” added the bookkeeper.

Jamie and Beth leaned in to look at the open books on the table.

“These tiny measurements along the side of the staggered rectangles are measurements in feet, so the structure that Ryan sketched is, in fact, a huge project. And with the picture of a typical Great Lakes boat at the base of the sketch, I’ve come to the conclusion that it must be a diagram of a lock system.”

“A lock?” queried Beth. “Like the one you find on a door?”

“No, a different type of lock,” Mr. Kessler explained. “The word ‘lock’ is also used to describe a method of raising a boat to a higher elevation in a man-made canal so that it can avoid any rapids found in a natural waterway.”

“So why then does the title here say a mountain and not rapids?” asked Beth.

“A great question,” replied Mr. Kessler. “Why would anyone in their right mind want to lift a boat over a mountain? The logical starting point in searching for an answer would be to find all of the recent or proposed canal projects in this part of North America. Here, take a look at these books, Beth.”

He passed her several books with drawings of waterways and labelled canals. Jamie stretched over for a closer look. “This one here is the Rideau Canal. It connects Kingston to Bytown, and it opened only ten years ago. Although there is an impressive drop in the topography here at Jones Falls, I think it would be a stretch to call this particular landform a mountain.”

Mr. Kessler pointed to a second book. “This book shows a diagram of the Erie Canal in the United States, not too far from the border with Canada West. Again, it is a very impressive piece of engineering, joining the Great Lakes to the Hudson River, which flows south to New York City, but really, nothing in the canal’s vicinity even hints at a mountainous environment. Right here in Montreal, there are dreams of bypassing the Lachine rapids with a series of canals. Still, the land surrounding the southern shore of Montreal is as flat as can be.”

“Which brings us to this project,” said Jamie, tapping a third book.

“Right. This is a diagram of the Welland Canal. It is a vital water link between Lake Ontario and Lake Erie, and it allows sailors to avoid the dangerous waters that flow over Niagara Falls. The first attempt to build a canal around Niagara Falls began in 1825. It involved using a long series of wooden doors and beam boxes to raise a boat up and over the rising topography of the local area. Horses then pulled the ships along the length of the canal until the journey to Lake Erie was complete.”

“Wait!” said Beth. “I’ve heard of the Welland Canal! A few months ago, I was sent to search all of the orphanages in Montreal for older boys who were strong enough to work on its construction.”

Mr. Kessler nodded. “I remember the papers mentioning that there are a large number of Irish labourers working on that particular canal project.”

Jamie smiled. “And the interesting thing about the Welland Canal is that it does take a boat over a mountain.”

“What?” exclaimed Beth.

Jamie pointed to a map of Canada. “Between Lake Ontario and Lake Erie is the Niagara Escarpment. Looking