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Sappers and Miners; The Flood beneath the Sea, a novel by George Manville Fenn |
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Chapter 24. Anxious Times |
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_ CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR. ANXIOUS TIMES An hour glided by and not a sound was heard from below. Then another hour, and the boys began to grow impatient. "Why, the place must be very big," said Gwyn, after straining over the rail and looking down for some time. "Shall I shout?" "Couldn't do no harm," said Dinass; and Gwyn hailed several times, and then gave place to Joe, who was beginning to look uncomfortable. But the second series of shouting produced nothing but a dull smothered echo, and the lad spoke quite hoarsely when he turned to Gwyn, who was looking angrily at Dinass and the engineer, both of whom sat coolly enough close to the skep shaft, waiting the signal to lift. "Think there's anything wrong?" said Joe in a whisper to the engineer. "Oh, no, the place is big. See what a while it took to pump it out." "But there may be deep holes here and there, and it would be horrible if they had slipped down one." "They wouldn't all slip down a hole. If one did, the others would come for help. No; they're thoroughly exploring the place and chipping off specimens. I daresay they'll bring up quite a load." "I hope so," said Joe, solemnly, and Gwyn, who felt very uncomfortable, tried to cheer him up, but in a low voice, so that the others should not hear. "I say, how strange it is that if anyone doesn't come back when you expect him you are sure to think he has met with an accident." "I don't, if they've only gone out," said Joe, with a shiver. "This isn't like that. This place seems to me now quite awful." "Pooh! I say, I believe you'd go down and look for them if you might." "Yes," said Joe, quickly; "I shouldn't like to, but I would." "I wonder what it's like down below--all long, narrow passages roughly-cut through the rock," said Gwyn; "they wouldn't cut so carefully as they do now." "No, as they say, the old people would only cut where the lode of ore ran, of course. But I hope there's nothing wrong." "Of course you do; so do I. What's the good of fidgeting." Joe did not say what was the good of fidgeting, but he fidgeted all the same; and Gwyn noted, as the time went on, that his companion looked quite hollow-cheeked, while at the same time he felt a peculiar sinking sensation that was very much like dread; and at last, as over two hours and a-half had passed, he began to feel that something ought to be done. Joe not only felt, but said so, and frowned angrily as he spoke. "It's too bad," he said; "those two sit there as coolly and contentedly as if nothing could be the matter. I say, Dinass," he cried aloud, "do you think there is anything wrong?" "No, sir," said the man, coolly, "I don't. They're only having a good long prowl. You'll hear 'em shout to be taken up directly." But the boys did not feel satisfied, and hung about the opening, growing more and more uneasy, though Gwyn kept the best face on the matter. "Don't you fidget," he said, "father was only joking, of course, about time; but he knew they'd be down a long while, and he meant to be. They're all right." "They're not all right," said Joe, quickly. "They can't be, or we should have heard from them. They've either fallen down some hole, or the roof has come down and crushed them, or they've lost their way in some wild out-of-the-way part of the mine. Let's call for volunteers, and go down and search for them." "Hush! Be quiet! Don't be hysterical," whispered Gwyn; "there's no need to call for volunteers. I feel sure I know what it means; this old mine must be very big, perhaps winds about for miles in all directions; and they're only having a good long hunt now they are down. They'd laugh at us if we were to send volunteers." "Send volunteers down!" said Joe. "Well, lead them then. Wait a bit and see." "They've been overcome by choke-damp." "Nonsense! that's only in coal pits. Don't let these two see what a fright we're in." "Don't see that you're in any fright," said Joe, bitterly. "You take it coolly enough." "Outside," said Gwyn; "perhaps I feel as much as you do, only I don't show it. Joe, I wouldn't have my mother know about this for all the world--it would frighten her to death; and if we get talking about volunteers going down, someone is sure to go and tell her that we're in trouble, and she'll come on." "But we must do something; they may be dying for want of help." "Don't," whispered Gwyn, angrily; "you're as bad as a girl; try and think about how they are situated. Perhaps there are miles of passages below there, and they would be hours wandering about. Of course they go slowly." "Couldn't be miles of passages," said Joe, piteously. "Think the mine's very big, Dinass?" said Gwyn, quietly. "Oh, yes, sir, bigger than I thought for." "Some mines are very far to the end, aren't they?" "Miles," said the man calmly, and Gwyn gave his companion a nudge. "I've been in some of 'em myself. Why, I know of one long 'un--an adit as goes from mine to mine to get rid of the pumpings--and it's somewhere about thirty miles." "Hear that, Joe?" whispered Gwyn. "Yes, I hear," said the lad, breathlessly. "I don't say there's anything of the kind here, of course; but I know one place where there's more than sixty miles o' workings, and it would take some time to go all over that, wouldn't it?" The boys were silent, and the engineer went on. "Oh yes, that's right enough," he said; "and to my mind it's rather bad for any folk strange to go down a mine they know nothing about." Joe started violently. "You see it's all noo to 'em," continued the engineer, "and they may wander away into places they know nothing about, and never find their way out again." "Gwyn!" groaned Joe. "Hush! Be quiet!" was whispered back. "I have heard of such things." "But that was in deserted mines," said Gwyn, sharply. "Yes, I believe it was in deserted mines, now you say so, sir." "Of course it was, Joe, where nobody knew that they had gone down." "How could they have gone down without anyone knowing?" cried Joe. "There must have been someone to let them down." "Nay, they might have been venturesome and gone down by ladders, same as the old ones used to be from sollar to sollar." "What's a sollar?" said Gwyn, more for the sake of saying something than from a desire to know. "What you calls platforms or floors," said Dinass. "Well, I will say one thing; I do hope the guv'nors haven't lost their way." "Of course, mate," said the engineer; "so do I; but if I was you young gents, I should begin to feel a little uncomfortable about them below." "We are horribly," cried Joe, wildly. "Exactly so, sir, for you see it must be getting on for four hours since they started." "Nay, not so much as that," cried Dinass. "I didn't say it was, mate--I only said it was getting on for four hours. There mayn't be nothing wrong, but there may be; and there wouldn't be no harm in doing something now. What do you say to getting some of the lads to go? They was talking about it when I went outside, as I told mate Dinass here--didn't I, my son?" "Ay, you did--What do you say, Mr Gwyn?" "It is time to act," cried Joe, excitedly. "Yes," said Gwyn, as he drew a deep breath, "we must do something. Get lanthorns and candles." "Shall I call to some of the men, sir," said Dinass, "and hear what they say?" The answer came from the doorway, where three or four heads appeared, and one of the owners said: "I say, mates, aren't it time we heerd something about them as is gone down?" "Yes," said Gwyn, firmly; "we're going down to see. Will you come with me, Joe?" The boy's lips parted, though no words came; but he put out his hand and gripped his companion's fast. "Get lights, some of you, quick!" cried Gwyn; and a murmur was heard outside, a murmur that increased till it was a loud cheer; and then, distinctly from outside, a voice was heard to say,-- "Hear that, mates? The young masters are going down." And as if to endorse this, Grip, who had suddenly grown excited, burst into a loud bark. _ |
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