The Red Cloud chief., 1890-01-17

= VIZ tAtbs w Na'htns tbF " WA khN
srA whca would h. ever ,ouSh another.
and What pitfalls mishs Ito ~t~ss~~n-
Tho air ~As chillIng ami smcl, sai.
rhury, and watrr coald h. heard tfiek.
ling and drcpping With . hollow drvary
ssand. Ra, h.. IA no; lingvr, q, with
hand >uli va the pillar. he peat .
fce, forward. 10 did not es,ae down
agon aay thing. 81 rcns strvsch-A cas
his lc. . litilr morv and yet nse, With
ne,hins Drawing hts tSs tsos ~
struck against . sharp edge. Thea he
sAt down and Eel, 9th hts hand.
Horrors he wss on the bfiak u .
pr~cipicc, aud there was ~ ,cilins he~
deep I, might hc.
sitting dc~n. With his icg~ hanging
over. he could nc, iuucb bottom; lying
prone he ccuid not reach IL with his
arms extended. Trvmsllnsly ko lot
himsel. down, and hung by his hands,
bat bis fcot found NJ ~ lag place lie
drew himself UP again and "a, DOM Ia
think.
The thought 81 tsrains hack never
once came ~ him. tails thing had tccr
undertaken. and u was IA b- carried
through Tony did No, say "a himself,
"tf possible hc simply meant ,c do ~.
Who're he sal the coal ~As oFumhici
up, and his hand played -unoenscioasly
among this los- pieces
Suddenly he remembered oncr seeing
his father drop Astoa~ doana 'cAve.in."
aud that his father had said 4, ~As .
very deep hole, because ~ the long ,ino
they lad la walt Ia ~ the s,ons ,ouch
bottom - he ,cok q hit 81 coai in his
hand, held Il over the ledge and dt,yt-d
IT. Instantly there came back q iit,le
sharp cllnk tia, sounded very ncar.
Not . moment ~ss to be Lost Again
hc let himself down ~ his hands. ,oal
. Ion. breath. lot ~. and tell about
four inches,
After another long hrcath ~ rclio,.
Tony began exploring IN his hands and
knees. lie did 4, intend "a risk falling
Oh any higher lodges. The rcor sull
slop"d downward. and Tony almost
walked on his head ~ he crawlcd along.
Presently he bumped up asains, another
pillar, or sas 4, the aid, walls He fclt
carefully along Tor somc distance. aud
decided that IL was the wall. then rislas
up from bis knees, which ~as rrAmy~d
and cut. he vcntured Ia walk. az rather.
creep, fr.lin. the wall all the while
With bis hands. which gave him . cor
tain sense Of s.curi,,.
III he yot felt 49, N 81 ANY mouiru,
he might step into q hole, and be- aid
step Into deep pools ~ water, getting
wet up Ia his knees, and sometimes he
stumbled oSor r,slagmi,ss curious
rine"d formations made by ~st"r drop.
ping upon the mine floor but by dint
Of pluck he gained Roadway.
Also. he began Ia grow used la Oh.
utter blachncss, 80 b" found that how.
ever ncciful the ~"n." ~ Sigh, soems,
there are other senses that viii take lie
place. Nc ~as certainly kept ON the
alert. To guard hi. fscc from SHARP
projection. ~ tho vail. Ia and a .afo
footing before ever he dared plan, q
foot waving his log lrforc him ~ =
measuring worm waves iis head si.,e
all. IA keep frow swallowing Tho ring
Tony's mind sud body were veil vcu.
pied, even though his cycs ~ere of ~
use to him.
lie now felt sse from the nd of Lis
Footsteps this: ..a hsd loft the greet o,~n
chamber With ~. pillars. aud had IN.
tered he esaeSsy. ~ corridor. ~hieh
connected this old mine With tho no~
one. iie knew. for he had hesrd his
father cay ~, hat, this vans~Ay ~ss
forkod ~ . certain point. leading In one
direction dow Into tho working mln~.
and In the other direction bringing one
out upon ,h. surface ~ tn. ground
How ~As Tony to cboo~o IA" right
way. ~h.n he d,d no, hno. Whether tho
working vein led IA tho right ~ To u.
lett
This din,rUl'y ~a. = serious one, Tor.
although he could not &c, hofsl.s.l,
Loaf, he could oo, lose much precious
time. However, he thought that ~ III.
worst rsms he nigh, meets miner In
tho nev gang~sy Who ~ouid shos him
thu way out
~ no took heart and pl"ided on
~sriy ITS hearing ss. uncomior,Abiy
sharp. Every noise seemed important.
and nov asd then came . sosnd ~hirb
mad. his heart thamp o. .ss r<sot-
ling. sometimes succeeded ~ . falling
sound. snd :, broash, "a 1osy's mind all
,bA, he had ever heard ~ miners barisI
hrncs,h falls ~ coal.
This old mine hsd lssi many ~ i,s
sspfprts Sometimes tho huge plilsrs
he'd tss~n ''sobtssd. 81 ~ 10 called by the
miners. ~ho bs,sd TO 500 -, much god
cosl wasted. and siso found 1, sssier
mining than DRILLING Into . soiii
''bresst" Then .hsy sosla neglect H.
pa, In WOODEN props. os ~hrre ,tsy di
pu, them In, thess p'oJs .osld decay.
ssi then the vail overhead sIt~&ay
c,sst-d ~ the action ~ sprinrs, .suld
tsmbl. In ny sheer. unsupported s.ishi
Tony felt ssd ksd gs-si rsssons
10 fs.l-,sst Of say moment, b. ~Ss
likely 10 b crushed ny tons ~ onsl ssi
rD
The sas~ sac sos e~,nns aft sss
cuIny, .. 10 ths rs.e shsa m arh ts,,ss
den upon ny msn ssd msIes. 40 hc
shosgki he mSss 10 nssrtnr the fors
90 sis~. ,bs, vlthast kn0~tns it. b. ksi
"n.srss tbs nee gsag~sy.
He agisssred HE stops . little. ssa 10
ano,aos tum,<A his hssS
against Q srest sosl~s As.yr. ssA 81 IA.