Delaware inquirer. (Wilmington, Del.) 1859-18??, 1859-05-21

perate spring, he drew himself up by tn
hands, and plunged into the passage. Urget
by the dread of the coming explosion he rush
ed eagerly onward, and just as the roar of til,
blast filed his ears he fell headlong forward
INTO a sheet of water, which spread about thre,
feet below the extremity of the passage. II,
sank heneath the surface, and when he rose
confused and breathless, it was to find him
self floating in utter darkness, without the
slightest idea of the point by which he had
entered, and with hardly chance of discover
ing the opening which lay so high above the
water. more horrible situation can hardly
be conceived. Still, even in this extremity,
hope did not desert him. After some rehec-
tion, he fixed upon the direction in. which he
Judged the passage to lie, and swan carefully
towards it. He was soon convinced, by the
space passed over, that he was mistaken in
his Judgment but considering it better to
keep on until he found the wall than to waste
his strength in swimming about at random,
he proceeded steadily forward for a distance,
as he judged, of nearly two hundred yards.
AT length he encountered the wall, which rose
perpendicularly far above his head, as lac
foun by the splash of the water which he
threw against it. Coasting along it, and oc-
casionally touching it with one hand he ad-
vanced for about a hundred yards further, by
which time his limbs were becoming stiff and
benumbed in the ice-cold water, and his heart
had almost failed him. But he was. not des-
tined to perish thus. He suddenly came upon
a passage, the opening ofswhich was a little
lower than the surface of the water. 1t was
evident from this fact, as well as from the
size of the passage, that it could not be that
by which he had entered. However, it offer
ed him at least respite from death, and he
promptly availed himself of it. After sitting
motionless for time to recover from the ex-
haustion of his recent efforts, he rose and pro-
ceeded to explore the passage. 1t proved to
be sort of vaulted chamber, of about his OWE
height, and Just wide enough for him to touch
its sides with his outstretched hands. A soul
cheering idea suddenly flashed upon his mind.
There was a tradition of an ancient socabon, or
adit which had been driven at vast expense
through the mountain, to effect the drainage
of the old mine of San Adrian. When the
mine was abandoned, the adit, of course, was
no longer attended to; its external opening
became closed up, and, in the space of more
than two hundred years which had passed,
its precise locality-indeed, everything but
the mere fact of its existence-was forgotten.
Manuel well remembered to have one day
heard Don Jayne say to Mexican gentleman,
who accompanied him on former visit to the
Of the old socabon an inestimable service, as it
would, probably save the company an inn
mense expense for drainage in their new
works.
The further the miner advanced the more
assured he became of the truth of his suppo-
,ition, The adit was-as from its situation il
must necessarily be-of great length; and
Manuel walked, as he supposed, nearly five
hundred yards before reaching the extremity.
The water all the way was just up to his an
Sles, and he thought he could perceive at
times that it had slight current in the direc-
lion in which he was going. The passage was
closed, as he had anticipated, by solid mass
Of earth and stones, which he at once set
about removing. Making good use of his
ong knife, he worked indefatigably for more
han an hour. AT last he struck the roots of
tree, circumstance which assured him that
he was approaching the surface. The convic-
ion gave him renewed strength. He cut with
Ills knife, and dug with his torn and bleeding
lands, until, Mt length, a lucky push loosened
i large stone which was enclosed between two
If the roots of the tree. It fell forward, and
he bright rays of heaven poured in upon his
lazzled and enchanted vision. He felt thrill
If delight such as one 'entombed before his
ime might experience when the doors of his
epulchre flew outward, and gave him back
,nce more to warmth and light. With lit
lie additional labor he enlarged the aperture,
Until he was able to force himself through it.
But what was his astonishment, when at
engtllshe stood under the open sky, to find
hat he was in the exact spot in which he had
AIKEN his noontide meal only few hours be-
ore!
A moments consideration cleared up the
MYSTERY. The fountain was no natural spring,
IL. ,,Ia nf aNyit ha
rhich slowly accumulated in the mine, and
through the mass of rocks, earth,
nd vegetation, that closed the entrance of
he adit. So exact however, was its resem-
lance to an ordinary mountain spring, that
his was no doubt, the main cause of the To- |
atty of the old s0cdbOu having fallen into OBJ
vion since nobody, of course, dreamed of
boxing for il in the vicinity of a fountain. Il |
ras clear to the young miner that he had
lade discovery Of great Importance to the
ompany. With this thought in his mind, |
nd eager to inform his friends OF his wonder
IL escape, he set ont at once up the pa0un-
lin.
He was fated, however, not to reach the
ulera without encounterinS yet another very
smarkable adventure. But before describing
his, it will be necessary to relate briefly tho
vents that had occurred at the shaft during
lynne, after laboring for nearly an hour in
Is useless search, and being excessively puz-
ed by the complete disappearance of the
1dy, which he could in no plausible way nc
,unt for, had left the task for further exam
Iation to the miners, and ascended the shaft
great perplexity. Presently new cause
distress and anxiety came to disturb him.
he news of the dreadful accident, as it was
,nsidered, had spread to the village of San
drian, and reached at last poor Marguerite.
urrying in a frenzy of agonized excitement
p the mountain, she suddenly presented
srseif before the director, as he was walking
p and down the gdlera, with his hands be-
md him. in the true English style of moody
editation.
aWhere is my husband--1ny Manuel?" she
;olaimed, III peremtory tone. ~ know lie
hore with you. II is all joke to frigltcn
e. What have l done, that yen should
ish to torment me in this wayi Tell me,
nor, for charity, where is my husband -
" Would to God that it were q joke, my .
,ar young woman l'' replied the director.
1t is, unhappily, too true,"
Margarita, Notwithstanding the agitation of
II mind, saw that he spoke in earnest. Her '
oughts Immediately took another direction. !
Dead! dead!p she exclaimed land J
wv did he die! Who has killed him! 1t
,vef was his own fault. No, my Manuel I
as not drunkard. My Manuel was not
ckless. If he died. it was not by his own
md. Show me the murderer, that | may
Il for vengeance OH him"
"My poor child" replied the director,
there is no murderer. There was CARELESS
,ss, but no crime"
"Never tell me that, Don Sayme," rcplied1
10 excited women, all her Creole blood flush
6 in her cheek and sparkling in her eyes.
My Manuel was no sot, no mailman, to I
row away his life like Pedro Bravo. If he