The Holbrook news., 1922-12-22
CHAPTER xvIl-continued.

CHAPTER xvIl-continued.
 H.
 Again a moan from the man on tht bed. and at last a slight resistance tt the sting of the batteries. An houl passed. two; gradually Harry came tC himself, to stare about him in a won dering, vacant manner and then tt fasten his eyes upon Fairchild. Hs seemed to be struggling for speech. fol coordination of ideas. Finally, after many minutes
 That's you, Boy?
 "Yes. Harry"
 "But where are wef , We're In a hospital. and you're knocked out. Don't you know where you've beenr'
 "I don't know anything since l slid down the wall"
 "Since you what7"
 But Harry had lapsed into semi consciousness again. And 1t was no, until late in the night after the rescue following a few hours of rest forced upon him by the interne, that Fair child once more could converse with his stricken partner.
 Its something I'll lave to show you to explain" said Harry. "I can't tel you about 1t. You know where that little Assure is in the 'anging wall away back In the stopeT
 "Yes."
 "Weli. that's 1t. That's where l gol out"
 But what happened before that"
 What didn't 'appen7" asked Harry with a painful grin. Everything ir the world 'appened. I-but what did the assay show?"
 Fairchild reached forth and laid 6 hand on the brawny one of his part uer.
 "We're rich, Harry" he said, "richel than I ever dreamed we could be. The ores as good as that of the Silver Queen!"
 "The bloody 'ell 1t is!' Then Harry dropped back on his pillow for long time and simply grinned at the cell ing. Somewhat anxious, Fairchild leaned forward, but his partners eyes were open and smiling. "rm just let. ting it sink in" he announced, and Fairchild was silent, saving his ques- tions until ''it' had sunk. Then:
 "You were saying something about that fissure?"
 "But there is other things first After you went to the assayers, fooled around there in the chamber and I thought I'd just take a flyer and blow up them 'oles that I'd drilled in the 'anging wall at the same time that I shot the other So I put in the powder and fuses, tamped 'em down and then thinks, thinks I, that there's somebody moving around In the drift But didn't pay any attention to It. you know. I was busy and all that and you often 'ear noises that sound funny. So I set 'em off-that Is, lii the fuses and started to run. We'll, I 'adn't any more'n started when bloeyy-y-y. right in front of me, the whole world turned upside down. and felt myself knocked back into the chamber. And there was them fuses All of 'em burning. We'll, I managed to pull out the one from the foot wall and stamp it out, but didn't ave time to get at the others. And the only place where there was a chance for me was clear at the end of the cham bet. Already I was bleeding like a stuck hog where a whole 'arf noun thin 'ad it me on the cad. and l dfdrt know much what was doing. just wanted to get be'ind something that's all I could think of. So shied for that Assure in the rocks and cfawled back in there. trying to squeeze as far along as I could And 'ere's the funny part of it-I kept on 0eingi"
 You what?"
 Kept on going. I'd always thought ft was just a place where the 'anging wall 'ad slipped, and that 1t stopped . few feet back. But It don't-it goes 0o. I crawled along 1t as fast as l could-I was about woozy, anyway and by and by 'eard the shots go of be'ind me. But there wasn't any use fn going back-the tunnel was caved la. So kept on.
 "After while, I ran into a stream of water that came out of the inside of the I'll somewhere, and I took a drink. It gave me a bit of strength. And then kept on some more-until all of a sudden. I slipped and fell, just when I was beginning to see dyelight. And that's all I know. 'Ow long ave l been gone?"
 Long enough to make me gray headed" Fairchild answered with a little laugh. Then his brow furrowed "You say you slipped and fell just as you were beginning to see daylight?"
 "Yes. It looked like 1t was reflected from below. somewyes."
 Fairchild nodded.
 'Tsn't there quite spring right by Crazy Laura's house?"
 "Yes; It keeps going all year there's a current and 1t don't freeze up. It comes out like it was water fall-and there's roaring noise be find 1t"
 'Then that's the explanation. You followed the Assure until 1t joined the natural tunnel that the spring has made through the hills. And when you reached the waterfall-well, you fell with it."
 ssput ,ou- did I oat ,ara2p
 Briefly Fairchild told him, while Harry paved at his still magnificent mustache. Robert continued:
 "But the times not ripe yet, Harry to spring 1t. We've got to find out