Weekly Calaveras chronicle., 1866-08-11
MoKELUMNE HILL, sCALAVERAs COUNTY, CAL

suppose the earth caved in, where should
we be No doubt the first crush in
would do it, and there'd be an end of
workmen and foreman ; but there SEEM
ed something VERY awful in the idea O.
being buried alive. Big as the opening
was, when / went to work it made me
shudder; there was the earth thrown
out; there was the rope at the side /;
there was the boarding round; there it
was, for al the world like big grave,
same as I'd stood by on a little scale
the day before; and, feeling a bit low
spirited, it almost seemed as though 1
was going down into my own, never to
come up any more. r..r-=. ..-.,..s,
Very stoopid and foolish ideas, says
you-far- fetched ideas. Very likely,
but that's what | thought; and there
are times when men has VERY strange
ideas and l tell you for a fact that
something struck me when went down
that hole, that I shouldn't come up
it again; and I didn't, either. Why,
the very feel O the cold, damp place
made you think O. being buried, and
when a few bits of earth came and rat
tied down on the stage above my head,
as soon as the first start was over, it
seemed to me SO like the rafting O the
earth but few hours before on a little
coffin, that something fell with a pat
upon my bright trowel, which, if it had
been left, would ha' been spot O. rust
Nothing like work to put fellow to
rights, and soon found that 1 was feel
ing better, and the strokes O. my trowel
went ringing away down the sewers,
as I cut the bricks in half; and after a
bit, | felt almost inclined to whistle !;
but l didn't, for l kept on thinking Of
that solitary face At home-the face
that always frightened when l went
back, and had made such man of me
as | felt was-for it was enough to
make any man vain to be thought so
much of. And when l thought how
dull she'd be looking at the drawers
where all the little things were kept !;
and then-well, I'm not ashamed of it,.
if l am great hulking fellow-I took
care that nobody saw what was doing,
while | had a look at little bit of
shoe as l had in my pocket.
I didn't go home to dinner, for it was
too far off; so had my snack, and
then went to it again directly along with
two more, for we was on the piece. We
had some beer sent down to us, and at
it we went until it was time to leave
off and l must say 1 was glad of it,
ard didn't much envy the fresh gang
coming on to work all night, though it
might just as we'll have been night with
us. I was last down, aud had just put
my foot on the last round of the ladder,
when | heard something falling, as it
hit and Jared the boards upwards; and
then directly after, what seemed to be a
brick caught me on the head, and be-
fore | knew where | was, l was off the
little platform, splash down in the cold
rushing water that took me off and away
yards upon yards before l got my head
above it, and then l was SO confused
and half-stunned that I let it 60 under
again, and had been carried ever so far
before, half-drowned, gained my legs,
and leaned painting and blinded against
the Shiny wall. ~.
There | stood for at least ten minutes
|. should suppose, shuddering and hor-
rifed, with the thick darkness all
around, the Shiny, muddy bricks against
my hands, the cold; rushing water be-
meath HE, and my mind in that con-
fused state that for few minutes long
er did not know what l was going to
do next, and wanted to persuade myself
that it was all dream, and should
wake up directly. All at once, though,
| gave jump, and instead o. being cold
with the water dripping from me, I
turned all hot and burning, and then
again cold and shuddery; for I had
felt something crawling on my shoulder
and then close against my bare neck,
when I gave the jump and heard close
by me light splash in the water-a
splash which echoed through the hol-
low place, while, half frig htened, the
beasts that fancied must be in swarms
around me, half wrung from me cry
of fear and agony, l yelled out-
"Ra.sp' l5a ~
Rats they were, for above the hollow
wash-wash, hurry-hurry, wash-wash,
hurry hurry of the water, l could hear
little splashes and scufling by me
along the sides of the brick work You
may laugh at peoples hair standing on
end, but sI know then there was a
creeping, tingling sensation in the roots
of mine, as though sand was trucking
amongst it; cloud seemed to come
over my mind, and for few moments
l believe / was mad with fear and it
was only by setting my teeth hard and
clenching my fists that l kept from
shrieking. However, l was soon better
and ready to laugh at myself as I rec
objected that / could only be little
way from the spot where the men work.
ed; SO l began to wade along, with the
water here about up to the middle. All
at once | stopped and thought about
where l was at work. sl5 sii as,
(which way did the water rum"
My head turned hot and my temples
throbbed with the thought. If l went
the wrong way I should be lost, lost in
this horrible darkness, to sink, at last,
into the foul, black stream, to be drown
ed and devoured by rats, or else be
choked by the foul gases that must be