The Portland daily press., 1883-12-25
as would cheer the heart OF the London poor,

while wages were not so bad
| Every now and then 1 had to stop and kick
the snow off my boot soles, for it collected in
| hard balls, so as to make my walking harder;
then, not having the town lights to guide me-
| [ found I'd wandered bit out of the track, SC
| that the ground grew rougher and rougher
and more than once 1 stumbled. The wind
beat worse than ever; the snow blinded so, that
| could not look out for the lights of the vii
| lage; and at last began to think that I'd done
a foolish thing in trying to make short cut
But then one is always slow about owning tc
! being in the wrong; so L blundered and STUN
bled on but at last, after walking for some
| time, was obliged to own to myself that was
| lost in the snow.
'Stuff and nonsensel' says the next min
ute, and then / has a look round to try and
make out where was, for / knew every foot
| OF 1T almost; but nothing could see but SLOW
| falling almost like in sheet all around me, Sc
that 1 could only see few feet each way
while the snow where stood was nearly up to
my knees. 1 listened, but there was nothing
to be heard but the wbistling of the wind; ]
/ shouted, but the cry sounded muffled and
| close just if l had been in a cupboard then ]
walked a little one way, then turned aud went
another; aud at last, to my horror / found
that was regularly confused, and could not
make out in which direction lay town or viii
| lage. while the snow covered in every footmark
in very few minutes.
| Now, / did not feel alarmed. only bothered
anu COuluE0u; IOr I6lb sure JlaJ, II Kept on
walking, must come to some place or another
which | knew, unless walked right out on to
| the great waste, where | might go for miles
and miles without finding a house; but / was
| hardly likely to get there, and the thing
most cared for Was my poor gal at home get
ting upset about me, and thinking that I'd
stopped in the town drinking with some
mates, being Christmas eve. when I'd promised
her over and over again most faithfully that
I'd always have my drop of beer at home.
There's no danger, that's one comfort" /
said, "unless / run bang into the canal; nd
even then | shall know where / am" J. says,
$50 that won't be such very serious matter +;
and then l tried again to make out where
was, but the snow came down more than ever;
and at last, feeling worried and cross, / started
off afresh as hard as 1 could go, when all at
once let go of my stick, for I felt one foot
slipping, and, as felt it go, fearful thought
came across my mind. With an agoniZed cry,
l tried to recover myself; but, from leaning for
ward to face the wind this was impossible and
and then shrieking OUT
"My God, it's the old pitl' was falling and
rolling downtown into the black darkness.
Ii was like being in some horrible dream,
and for moment | fancied it might be; but
no. there was falling faster and faster for a
length of time that seemed without end, as /
waited for the coming crash when I reached
the bottom--to be found afterwards a muti-
lated corpse.
l thought all tais, and much more, as / fell
down the sloping shaft of the old pit; and then
came tremendous splash as / was plunged
down beneath the icy water which reared and
Numbered in my ears.
[ had been down pit after pit in my time
working in the shafts at the wood casing,
making new or repairing the old, perhaps
halfway down, hanging in cage; Or had
been working ct the traps and doors in the
most dangerous parts, whore You might hear
the gas Kissing through between the seams of
black slaty shale; but never before knew so
hldeous a sense of fear as came over me, when,
rising to the surface of the water, l struck
out. as if by instinct, for the side, and then,
cllnglng to the roughened wall with one hand
and with the other thrust into sort of hole,
remained for few seconds painting and half
mad, up to my neck in the cold water, while
the darkness was terrible.
1t is impossible to describe the horrible
thoughts that came huTryin through my mind
as if to unnerve me-thoughts of foul choking
gases, of fearful things swimming abo ut in the
black water, or of horrid monsters lurking in
its terrible depths, ready to drag me under
and drown me; but worse still, as | began to
recover myself little, were the calmer
thoughts of the length of time / could hold on
there without becoming numbed, and then
slipping off and drowning [ shouted and the
sound went ochoing up the shaft with horri-
Bile unearthly tone that made me tremble. /
cried again and again, until was hoarse, but
knew all the while that it was useless, for
there was not cottage for at least a mile, and
then terror seemed to get the better of me, as /
felt that there, in the midst of that fearful
darkness, must drown, and then sink to the
bottom of this old, old, worn'out coal-pit;
while no one, not even my poor wife, would
know of my fate.
With the thoughts of my wife came thoughts
of the pleasant scene had so lately gazed up
on, when something almost like sob seemed
to come from my heart, and then came weak
despairing tears; but reused up, and shouted
~ in ornAo Oain hoo y -
and see the mouth of the pit, but, though i'm
agination peopled the darkness with horrors,
there was nothing around but the intense
blackness; while, to add to my despair and
terror, | could feel that my hands were slowly
slipping from their hold
Gould any man have heard me down there,
two hundred feet below the mouth, it must
have been very fearful, for during the next
minute was sbrieking for aid, giving vent to
the most unearthly yells, praying aloud and
crying for mercy; and then, hoarse and worn
out, l felt that must sink back, and did,
shrieking and struggling savagely for life, till
the cold water gurgled over my mouth and
choked back my cry. Then, for few minutes
was beating the water franticly, as a dog
BEATS 1t when it cannot swim; but my nerve
seemed to come once MORE and even then, in
the midst of that horror and despair, could
not help thinking of myself as being like a rat
in well, as l swan round by the side, trying
to find place to hold on by.
l swan slowly along, striking my right hand
against the side at every stroke, but after
few strokes, it did not touch anything; and
then, striking out more boldly, / swan on,
turning to the right with ray of hope in my
heart, for l knew that was on the level of
one of the old veins, and, though swimming
farther into the bowels of the earth, yet [ had
not the horrible depth of the shaft under me,
while knew that, before long, 1 should find
bottom for my feet.
All at once my hand touched the side; then
| raised one up, and could touch the roof; and
then, after q few more strokes, / let my feet
down slowly, and found the bottom, but the
water was to my lip; still, by swimming and
middle; and now, pausing to rest for while,
leaned up against the side and, in the re-
action that came on again, cried weakly, and
like the Departing wretch / was.
BY degrees the heavy painting of my heart
grew less painful, while, heated with the exer-
ton, did not feel the cold; bur soon an icy
chill crept over me as / stood there listening to
the low echoing drip, drip, drip of the water
far away to my right. Racking thoughts, too,
oppressed me, and, desp airing, felt that there
was no chance of my being discovered since,
to keep alive, l must penetrate farther into
the mine, though even from where [ was
then, it was doubtful whether my voice could
be heard.
| knew very we'll where / was, and that very
lutte traffic lay by the old pits mouth; while
the next day being Christmas made the
chances less. But would not my wife give the
alarm, AID would not there be a search?
Surely, thought, there must be hope yet; and
then in disconnected, half-wild way tried
to offer up prayer for succor. Not Standing
not with my hand resting upon the wall, but
kneeling with the water rising to my neck
and | rose again stronger and better able to
think.
And now began to look within, and to