Year: 1868

b0aL lNt6rUdl railway COulpduy ID dIWdy .
breaking somethin'; and up their dirty,
dangerous tunnel 1 don't go tonight. You
can tell them that from me, if you like"


I did not insist further, for l saw that the
man was more than half drunk, and per-
fectly incapable of doing the work re-
quired. So instead of sending the railway
company his message, | prepared to go
myself Having donned an old coat, and
seized the few tools thought necessary, l
set out for the station.


I was in no very good hunlor as | ira
versed the few streets which separated me
from the terminus. | had been looking
forward to quiet walk in the evening,
and was annoyed at losing it; was dis
gusted at Jacob Voosh for getting drunk,
and was provoked at having to do dis
agreeable work. The tunnel was, as
Jacob had said, both dirty and dangerous,
and was as nasty piece of excavation as
ever had been planned and completed by
human ingenuity. TWAS situated close to
the station, and my acquaintance with it
mad hitherto been confined to contemplate
ing it from the platforms, or passing
through it in the trains, and [ was not at
all gratified by the prospect of penetrating
it on foot. Had it been an ordinary, level,
respectable tunnel, such as we are accus-
toned to nowadays, | should not have
cared; but it was an antique affair of enor
nous length, and was constructed upon a
steep incline; so that it was necessary to
raise and lower trains through it by means
of endless wire ropes worked by station
ary engine at the other end. Hence the
necessity for perfect telegraphic commu-
nication between the station and the
engine house, and hence the anxiety to
have the broken wire mended at once.


WhenI got to the terminus, the station
master was extremely glad to see me, and
handing me lamp, started me on my soil
tary way. l thought at the time that he
might have sent some one to accompany
me; but as he did not volunteer any such
escort, proceeded alone.


The further went, the less liked. it.
For the first hundred yards or so, while
the daylight lasted, it was endurable; but
as the tunnel curved away into the earth,
and the little ring of light at the entrance
was no longer discernible, dreadful feel
ing of loneliness and sort Of buried alive
sensation crept over me. wished that I
had never undertaken the task, but since
had done so, determined to accomplish
it. The lamp which / carried gave me
barely sufficient light to see my way, for
the dull-colored earth and the sooty roof
and walls of the tunnel drank in it's feeble
rays. Still I plodded on, following the
shining rails and the rusty wire ropes, and
every now and then stopping to test the
tunnel-wire, only to find the communica-
ton perfect. At last, after long and
weary tramp, pale glimmer Of sunlight
appeared in the distance, and I hurried on
towards it, fancying that had reached
the other end, and that there was no break
in the tunnel-wire after all. [ soon
reached the speck of daylight, and found
myself, not in the outer world, but at the
bottom of ventilating shaft. That shaft
was neither more nor less than huge
chimney to permit the escape of the smoke
and steam which gathered in. the tunnel
but it had visible connection with the
world above-ground, and l was glad to see
the bright autumn sky at the top once
more. For minute or two stood gazing
at the begrimed walls, down which the
setting sunbeams struggled, and then once
more plunged into the darkness.


Now the way became more hideous and
difficult than before. The soil above
seemed to be damp, and water oozed drip
pingly through the brick roof, and ran in
great sooty streaks into putrid side-drains.
These drains sent forth nauseous smell,
and swarmed with bloated water-rats,
which scampered into their holes as I ap-
preached the walls, and peered out at me
as applied my testing apparatus to the
telegraph wires. The loathsome brutes,
used to the laundering rush of locomo-
tives, treated me with contemptuous curl
osity. A damp and chilly wind blew
through the tunnel, and to add to my
troubles, the permanent way was under
repair The shingle had been thrown out
from between the sleepers, and lay in loose
heaps in the six-foot space, rendering walk
ing difficult and slow. Still plodded on,
and at length found what had so long and
diligently sought.


A sickening wretched loneliness crept
over me, sometimes leaving me for lit
tie while, and then returning with re-
doubled power. I tried to drive it away
and be hopeful; but as 1 mechanically
pulled at my pipe, a series of ghostly
figures possessed my imagination in spite
Of myself. saw my two night-clerks
swiftly writing as the instruments clicked
off the messages. / beheld Jacob Voosh
in the dingy public house quaffing foaming
draughts from his pewter, and rapidly adj
vancing towards senseless drunkenness;
pictured my father reading and resting by
his great country fireside after the labours
of the day, and l followed my punchy
landlady as she moved about grumbling at
my delay. But l was only interested in
them in as far as they were connected with
myself. Danger had made my thoughts
selfish, and as / fancied them at their or
binary occupations, my constantly recur-
ring thought was: "How surprised and
anxious they would be if they knew that
l am sitting in the dark ON the damp
earth in the middle Of the Northshire
Railway Company's tunnelp Then my
brain conjured up another set of phan-
TOMS | beheld the station platform, on
which the officials paced up and down
wondering at my stay. I saw the south
mail standing in the station-the steam
Kissing from the engine, the men waiting
for the signal to start, and the passengers
thrusting their heads out of the windows
and grumbling at their detention.
watched the gathering of the search-party.
L contemplated it as it set out, and |
almost fancied that heard the shouts OF
men as they travelled the road had already
come-when a sound broke upon me
which filled me with an awful fear.


Slowly at first, and then more quickly,
the wire ropes began to run over the
grooVed. guiding wheels, and as l heard
them clang in narrow sockets, knew
that / had been forgotten, and that the
traffic was resumed. Instinctively turned
to flee-but where! This horrible tunnel
which seemed likely to be my grave, had
none of the little retreats so common as
those in modern days, or if it had had
not noticed them, and could never find
them by cropping in darkness. Were tC
-. I