but far from feeling despondent he gripped his spanner firmly and laid about him with vigour , wreaking havoc to the everlasting delight of the laughing , hysterical machines , who sent forth their wireless subordinates to tidy up the myriad pieces and redeposit them in the machines ' raw material bins that they might crunch , labour , heave , strain , retch and eject these foul assemblages once more into the fray .