The morning call., 1893-11-26


was Jealous of the interest displayed 10 the
youthful engineer and all his works by
Edith Tangler. The truth was that BIRD
had fallen in love with Edith Tangl ler. He
was not attached TO us. He had been
travelling on his own account In the north
and had fingered on at Nauog on account
of Miss Tangler.
OF course we had known for months that
that vague possibility called a some
thing" had existed between George CRATER
and Edith Tangler. but Mrs. Tanger had
been strong in opposition. and MIS-. IAN
gler was person of whom all wise men
are 10 this day afraid. Mrs. Tangler is
sort, even in heaven. When this lady
perceived Birds peBchant she got morally
behind Bird and pushed, and things began
to look rather black for Crater. Then
came the trouble and we had 10 evacuate.
When Bates announced that there WAS
something moving in countermine B we
smiled rather incredulously. Counterm;ne
was not completed. 1t only ran a dis
tance of twenty yards from our wall, and
| think most of us looked upon il as a lad
of Crater. The other mine. A, in fact
was in the same condition. and only one
man worked at each during the day. But
Crater took the thing quite seriously.
Before Bates had time to right about face
Crater had slipped past him. We were
left smoking. Bird. by the way, was not
in the room. 1t was nearly midnight and
we imagined that be had gone To bed.
IA mongoose or mole" suggested one
man. sleeply.
Nothing else" replied another, would
be likely to go into couptermine B. |
looked in to-day. It's about the size OF
big drain pipe"
After that we sat smoking in silence,
waiting for Crafer TO come back. l sup
pose We slept in our chairs.
When Crater left us it appears that he
went straight to the mouth of conntermine
b. One or two men were assembled there.
whispering among themselves. When
Crater came they stood aside, watching
his face with their beady, dog-like eyes.
At first he listened. A man, by tho way,
who works underground gets wonderfully
keen in his hearing. George Crater
foosened his revolver and crept on hands
and knees into the darkness OF the tunnel.
l tell tho tale as he told it to me, ana
George Crater was not exactly verbose
man. He merely detailed the facts with
out pausing to comment on MS own 1eel-
ings, as some men would have loved TO do.
He went along slOwly-reck0ning the
distance as he penetrated into the dark
ness by the number of steps be took. The
tunnel was about feet high. and Crater
was a little over 6 feet, so be must have
been rather cramped. Long before he
reached the end he heard the sound of
somebody working. not in ccunte.mne b.
but in another tunnel close at hand-a tun-
mel that would meet c0untermlne b at an
obtuse angle.
Crater struck light and went quickly
back TO the mouth Of the couniermne.
where he gave some instructions TO Bates
and borrowed that evil-looking arm,
kookery, from one of the GOorkbas. With
the mine alone. There was. he explained
10 the eager and bloodthirsty Bates. only
room for two To fight in that mine.
| often wish that Crater had been a
more expansive man. 1t would be inter-
eSting 10 know something OF the thoughts
of that man sitting there alone in counter
mine b. in the dark, m0ppng his face (fOr
the atmosphere was stifiing), waiting while
his enemy picked HIS way through the
soft. powdery earth. Whether. for in
stance, he was surprised at this sign OF all
unexpected science in the savage warfare
waged against US, or whether IL was no
more than he had anticipated. He GER
tainly was strangely persistent n bout those
two countermnes-now that / think of 1t.
Moreover. he was man of Jealously
guarded lheOries-I never pay much at
tention to men whose theories are always
hanging out to air. CRATER always oo-
lected To initiating upcounLry native labor
In the art OF mining and blasting Tor the
construction Of roads.
lie sat in countermine B for nearly an
hour, and then the soft, Dowdrry earth
began to fall upon his head. The other
miner was working at higher level. Sud-
denly there was a larger fall of debris, and
two men were fighting for their lives in
the dark. They rolled over each other,
half choked by earth and the s,IfllnG heal
George Crater had dropped his knife. and
he had no hand to spare 10 look for it.
Every second he expected TO feel the grisly
touch of cold steel. But the wild JOY of
81 ho4 hnD So,, g.
one. have ever tasted-was upon him. He
remembered old schOolboy tricks, and
wrestled as il the other man was unarmed.
10 the half-torgOiten science OF the gym
nasium he added the sterner schooling Of
his later life, and spared not his unseen
foe. Then he felt his adversary's fingers
al his eyes, and with fierce Joy he gripped
the palpitating throat.
For 4 second it was mere trial of
strength, and then George Crater seemed
to come back TO life from some dim land
betwiXt life and death. The blood was
trickling from his lips. He felt as il he
had fallen from some great height. He
stumbled to his knees, and, grnping.
touched the face of man-hs adversary
desd.
He took the body beneath the arms and
dragged 1t backward to the mouth of tun-
mel. 1t was essential that the mine be
cleared for the passage OF the men who
had to occupy and hold it.
l was awakened from half slumber by
Georges voice, and / remember still the
singular break in it which brought me to
my senses like cry of pain.
You chaps" he said. i've killed Bird"
We stood looking at him in silent horror
He was covered from head to foot with
red powdery earth. His clothes were torn :;
his face, scratched aud bleeding, had more
anguish 10 it than [ have ever seen in a
human cOuntenance.
We went out with him, and IL was my
duty to certify that Bird had been killed
by strangulation. l have never seen the
body of a hanged man. but imagine that
George Crafer's strong fingers had the same
effect as rope and drop. The spinal
column was severed.
The whole thing was mystery, and one
of the questions L should like answered in
the hereafter is, What was Bird Of the
Guides doing in that mine?" A singular
item OF evidence was the fact that he was
dressed in his pajaInas. he had actually
gone to bed before he had 1crep: ut past
our sentiDels. The enemy had abandoned
their earthworks. Had Bird discovered
this? We knew that he was mbitiGus.
DE was anxious to distinguish himself by
hook or crook Had he discovered that the
hillmen were leaving. and, with fool
hardy courage conceived the idea of
creeping out Of their lines where he act