Year: 1861

passages, ana on all SIDES deep caves
from which the coal had been dug. The
men were all at the further end of the
mine, hewing out the solid mountain,
unconscious of danger. Hubert quickly
made his way along the dark passage,
followed by the swift spreading water,
and soon reached his felow-workmen
with the dreadful intelligence. 1t was
a moment of panic, when each would
have rushed to certain death in vain
effort to save himself. But looking firm
sly into their ghastly faces, the master
poke few courageous sentences:


"Follow my words, lads, and be quick
our picks may save MS 2"


Then came few steady, quick COM
mands, to hollow new chamber above
the level tho water would probabl reach.
The men obeyed in silence, though each
knew not but that he might be digging
his own grave. A hundred pair of hands
soon finished the work, and into the cave
a hundred men crowded to wait for death,
or an almost impossible chance for relief


The water gradually filed all the old
avenues and chambers, and then seemed
stayed. Never was q situation more
dreadful. Not more than days provis-
ions had been saved, and already two or
three Of their number had been killed by
the falling rocks while hastily digging
the new chamber. The long dismal hours
with no change to mark them, brought
the advance Of almost certain death.


Courage, bravo Hubert God who
saw thy noble sacrifice, will help these?"


The terrified friends and townsmen,
on hearing Victor's dreadful news, ran
wildly about in hopeless panic. But
soon, guided by the message Hubert had
sent, they commenced working new
shaft as near as possible to the spot
where the haplcss men might be. Five
days and nights they toiled, digging
deeper into the solid side of the noun
tain.


at is vain task said the men. But
the women cried "Do not cease God
will help us ~


At length, on the morning of the sixth
day, the mulfied sound of blows from
within met the ears Of the shaft. A sig
nal ran along the rope, and told the news
to the waiting multitude above, who rent
the air with Joyful shouts. Soon com
munication was made. They were saved
at least some were saved


Who can imagine the feelings uf the
unfortunate men, buried for five days and
nights without food, when first the day
cleaned in upon them, revealing a hu-
man face


OF the hundred who had been impris-
ioncd, over seventy survived. and with
them Hubert. Without him, indeed,
probably no one would have been sparel
to tell tho story.


This noble act, done in a place and at
a moment when no praise of man could
have been looked for, echoed throughout
Europe, and obtained the praise and graf.
itude of tho world. The ten thousand
miners of Liege hailed their fellow labor
er with delight and pride. Napoleon
heard and admired in his palace in Paris,
and sent reward to the peasant noble
men. He sent him his Cross Of Honor,
the mark which all the high and great
coveted, and, better still, offered him
pension which raised him above want for
the rest of his life


When God unfolds in heaven the secret
charity of men, many such heroes shall
stand revealed, whom the earth and the
waves have covered sending no testimony
to the world. "Their Father who secth
in secret shal! reward them openly"