The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1903-03-06
THE EIGHTH SHOT.
BY MATT HAMILTON.

deliberately kicked him heavily in the
ribs and sent him. rolling breathleS1ly,
between the others.
Forgetting everything but the one
object in view. deaf to the cries beh nd
him. realizing that His safety-for at
that moment he was rot a hero and had
no thought but for his own preserva-
tion-depended upon his quickness and
the quality of the fuse in that dark
hole, he plunged down into IL. black
ness.
His candle fickered and threatened
to 90 out. 1t was now or never. he
realized.
STOPPING over the first black line.
now burning f~earfully close to the
rock. with one quick slash of the keen
blade, he severed it below the s ark
that was eating it's way down the CEN
ter.
But the remaining seven! Could he
do I in time? The thought flashed like
lightning through his bran. The fuse
might last, anG again, it might burn
beyond reach before ne could accom-
pIish his object. Then? He did not
stop to consider that.
Even now, his hand did rot trambla
and his thoughts were perfectly clear.
The determine ton vas strong in him
not to die there like a rat in a trap
and his knife slashed viciously thrcugh
the faint slit Of light shed by his I'M
certain candle. Once. in his anxiety,
he drew the sharp blade across his out
stretched left hand. The hot, squirting
blood flowed UNDECIDED.
Almost indiscernable lay the st~i-gs
Of fuse against the gray-biack rocky
hottnr, &c he -ar,nh+ +I4~, 800 -,;xl
terrible eagerness. He heard them,
beneath his feet, kissing family, like
unseen serpents. His eyes were tram
ing in their sockets, cleaning with
feaful intensity. They shifted he~o an1
there like Goals. as the diminishing
light grew sickly Ino wan.
Again and again his knife f1nshnd.
grated across the face OF the rock. and
the dark trains fell severed before it.
Six" he exclaimed to himself. when
he came upon the last two. He had
set them himself.
With the end so near. came q rush
of new courage. But the coll sweat
stood out on his brow; his lips, dry and
b%lOodless scare opened for the quick,
painting breath. as he clutched his knife
for another stroke.
God in heaveni In the waverfng
light he m~isjudged the distance and the
blade snapped off close to hilt AGAINST
the jagged rock. F1inging the useless
weapo from him. he seized the fuse in
his right hand Now his iron norve
was breaking and he trembled like a
frightened woman One nightly tug
and the death-carrying line was torn
from it's tamping of clay.
One more W. him and death!
But where was it? Surely it must be
there at his feet. He remembered p ac-
ing the blast. but now his brain was
whirling madly and his eyes were eyes
that saw strangely. He r1lf raised
himself and the candle snuffed itself
out against the wall.
A swift rush of horror swept over
him. as he realized the end had come.
"Oh, God! Oh, Cod" he cried il the
dry. choking voice Of a child in heart
rending fear.
Then something seemed to snap in
his brain. He whirled and fell sense
less. 1t were better so. when the end
should come.
: s. = $
i've minute later an engineer in a
state of collapse had adjusted the trou-
BILE above and hoisted three sobbing.
budding, fear-crazed Italians to he
surface.
"Pierson? They knew not. He had
disappeared. They were safe-the Vir-
gin a heard their prayers. Oh, yes.
the blasts"
Tuning in disgust from their incoher-
ent rawlings. Hendricks, who had chanc-
ed down the mountain to ascertain how
the sinking progressed, wheeled around
to the night shift of the New Era. who
had stopped wonderingly on their way
past. and said quietly:
Men, something is wrong at the
bottom of the shaft. There's eight shots
thai haven't gone off and one Of our
mems down there. dead or alive. We
must investigate at once. 1. want a
volunteer-no married man, remember.
We may not come back" he finished.
significantly. They were miners. and
knew.
Hadn't we better wait awhile?"
asked one, hes~itatingly. IF they're
hanging fire, you know
If you're afraid, I'll go alone. ans
| wered Hendricks, quickly, turning to
shaft.
, "Bedad, an yell not" cried burIy
Patsy Harrigan, noted as the heaviest
| vi liIhcI III ASiilCI III IIC Ill
Dim wild ye." Down dumped his dim
ner pail. There's nayther chick nor
child depindin' on me-"
Thank you. Harrigan," and their
hands met.
The cage dropped down into the
black pit again. Neither man spoke.
Above, the men of the night shift stood
about the mouth of the shaft and dis
cussed the situation in awed whispers
The sun sank over the mountain and
twilight fell fast.
By the light of their candles, once al
the bottom. the superintendent and
Harrigan saw ar a glance what had
happened.
He's only tainted, 1 guess, Patsy
said the super" Cad, but he had
nerve! tut 'em all holy heaven, no!
Here's a missed hole. 1t wouldn't have
happened like that once in a thousand
years. Must have broken his knife and
lost his head at the last minute" He