The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1886-08-18
THE MASTER OF THE MINES /!
BY ROBERT BUCHANAN.
looSTISuxp PROM orr LAsr 1ssuE.l
CHAPTER VII.

| and | was not content till | had explored
every Granny and familiarized myself with
the mining art or science. Eager for infor-
nation, | read every book on the subject that
/ could buy or borrow, and in a short time
could have passed pretty stiff examination
as an engineer.
/ must now pass over, at one swift bound,
a lapse of eight years. During hat time,
had exchanged the duties of clerk for that of
assistant overseer, and then, on the death Of
Mr. Redruth, for those of oyerseer-in-ehief.
Behold me- then, at twenty-five years of
age, the mainstay of the Pendragon house
hold; changed somewhat, for
Mature doth s1bdue itself
| To what it works on, ike the dyer's hand;"
rough, robust, full of strength and its rude
| pride In my twenty-second year occurred
| and event which was destined to exercise no
little influence over my whole future life.
As / approach the chronieling of this event.
my heart beats and my hand trembles, and
| the fitful passion of those far-off days awak-
ems trOublously again.
was standing one day on the cliffs, close
| to the mouth of the mine, when l saw two
figures coming from the direction of the viii
| lage. One was my cousin Annie, now a
comely young woman; the other was young
! George Redruth, whom had scarcely set
! eyes upon since the time of his father s
DEATH
They were talking earnestly, and did not
seem at first to notice me; but presently
saw Annie give a startled look in my direc-
tion, and afterward they approached togeth-
er Now, don't know how it happened
it was instinct, | suppose, or something of
that sort-but never, from the moment of our
| first meeting as boys had tbeen able to re-
| gard George Redruth with any feeling but
one of excessive irritation and dislike. His
fiippant, patrOniZing manner had something
/ TO do with it; so perhaps had his good looks,
! for his worst enemy could not have denied
that he was superbly handsome. AS
glanced at his pale, beautifully formed face,
at his slight graceful figure, at his elegant
dress, was plainly conscious of my own
physical inferiority. Though was strongly
built and not ill-favored, wind and weather
had worked their will on me. and L was
rough, | knew, as my daily occupation.
He strolled up carelessly, swinging his
cane, and smoking cigar.
'Ah, Trelawney," he said, with nod,
'y0ur cousin Annie has been telling Ile that
there are complaints, again, about the out
/ lying shafts of the mine. SO I'm going down
1 to have look round.''
Very well, SIR l replied, wondering in
my own mind why Annie had chosen to
make herself the mouth-piece of the men,
81 suppose it's safe enough?" he said, after
/ moment. you know, though | am a
mine-owner, don't know much about the
business; L used to leave all that TO the gov
/ ernor"
alt is only right" was my reply, ''that you
4 should judge its safety for yourself. Ii any
/ thing happened, you would be responsible"
II don't know about that" he said, sharp
/ and if there's danger
'sThere isr' interposed
swell, then, 1 pay you for facing it and
| reporting upon it, One can't be both en-
| ployer and servant too!'
/ was about to retort somewhat angrily,
/ for the manner of his speech was even more
/ insufferable than its matter, when l met
/ Annie's entreating eyes. and refrained.
'.Mr. George" she said quickly, lis anx-
| ious that nothing should 90 wrong"
'Of course [ am," cried the young man,
/ with curious laugh. Il know what flood
| ing the mine means-any amount of expense,
| perhaps ruin; for if the sea once got fairly
in-whew! it would be bad job for me-"
''And for the men," 1 said, frowning.
''And for the men, of course; but it is their
living and no doubt they know how to look
after themselves. Be good enough to make
dI ISduy. 1IcldNuty, lOI III SOiIlS uOWu di
once. suppose there is a dress handy?'
| answered in the affirmative, and walked
off toward the office. Looking back over my
shoulder, saw him glance after me, and
| then, with a contemptuouS laugh, say some
thing to Annie My blood boiled angrily,
and my cheeks grew crimson. [ could have
turned back and struck him in the face.
Close TO the office, found my uncle, who
| hah an6
| who was covered with the rust of the COP
peras earth. l told him the young master
was going down, and he was delighted.
Hes brave lad. Master Jarge." he cried,
"a fine brave lad! I'll gaw wi 'un, and shaw
'un where the wall be breaking down."
Presently. Redruth came along, and fol-
! lowed me into the office, where several wool.
en- costumes were hanging. He laughed
gayly as he transformed himself into miner.
When the transformation was complete. he
still looked the gentleman; and, in spite OF
myself, still felt the irritating sense of my
own inferiority
My uncle led the way down the trap, show
ing infinite care and tenderness for the young
master, who followed him, while came last
The earth soon swallowed us, and the only
light we had was the light of the candles
stuck upon our persons and in our hats
From ladder to ladder we went, till we
reached the central platform, where we
paused to take breath. Then down we crep'
again. till we reached the lowest galleries,
and became conscious of the gnome-like hg
ures at work in the submarine darkness. My
uncle still led the way. stopping from time
TO time to pilot Redruth over awkward stones
and dangerous trapholes. Our progress was
now very slow. Walking, STOPPING, crawl
ing, climbing, descending, we proceeded
now crossing black abysses, thinly covered
with quakng planks; past wild figures kneet
ing or lying. and laboring with short pick
axes at the ore; and as we went, the ro3l
which had been in our ears from the begin
ming deepened, while the solid rocks above
US seemed quaking in the act to fall.
At last my uncle paused and wiped hi:
brow. We were all three now completely
disfigured-with earth, mud, tallow, rust
and iron drippings.
Where the deuce are we now?' asked thu
young master.
''Whar, Master Jarge?" repeated my uncle
with friendly grin. Right dawn unde
| sac"
Redruth glanced at me.
How far down, Trelawney?"
Twenty fathoms under the sea level, sir
and three hundred feet, or more, out beyont
low-water mark"
"Well, where's the damage? 1t all seem.
snug enough
He was certainly very cool, though he hat
} not been underground more than once o
twice in his life. and I wondered to mysei
! whether his ins0uciancc came from brayad'
or sheer stupidity.
, "Come this way, Master Jarger' said m,
uncle, crawling forward, until we reached ;
narrow space with just ro0n for two of US t
stand abreast. Suddenly, we found ourselve
ankle deep in water, and at the same tim
thick drops like heavy rain fell from tn
rocks above us.
Ny uncle reached up with his hands, an
. touched the roof, which was partially fort
) fed with wood and cement
D II plugged this var last night, Maste
| Jarge,n he explained, s'the salt water wer
streaming in like fall.
ii As he spoke, the roar deepened to crash
, and we could distinctly hear the sea GRIND
: ing On the pebbles, right above our heads.
seemed monaentarily as if the whole fabric @
| the rock would break in, under the fiux an
: refiux of the rolling waves.
/ saw Redruth start back, and glance tt
Q ward the gallery down which we had cons
Q But he recovered his sang froid in mt
5 ment-
2 1.-THE deucer' he muttered How THO
> is the ceiling here, Trelawney?r
9 six feet at tine thiekest, sir. at the THU
!. nest where you see the wooden plug. NJ
!. more than three"
: Young Redruth looked up again, and tai
: ing candle from his person. examined til
: rock It was actually percolated with SCI
water oozing through the solid granitic mas
and covered with green and glistenlng ooze
but through all the dampnrss and sIimine.
q the Sfr5r><S of p1lre conper ran in rich bar
4 forming part of the finest and most precios
+ lode in the whole mine
.Why, it's almost solid ore, ? he said.
ssIrs Master Iarrfa y rsfnrnnd my rrnnI