Year: 1870




can mine, in order to rescue work
man who had been buried there:


"In the breathless silence which
followed, George descended slowly,
and the yellow flame aared red and
redder, as he disappeared; and the
fearful hush was only broken by the
cylinder, as the cord slowly unwound.
Oozing water and loosening earth
showered upon him by seconds, out
of the black darkness; and Shiny rep
tiles looked forth from their crevices {;
hairy spiders darted out and glared
on him with their eight thousand eyes !;
a shining black scorpion made jump
for the basket as it swung past his
lair, and, missing his expected prey,
he fixed his deadly fangs into a
harmless golden lizard which was
watching the light on tiny shelf of
the rock, and the bright little fellow
saw nothing more. George under
stood we'll the certain death he had
escaped, and he fixed his thoughts on
the danger he was seeking, dashing
aside, with resolute will, the image of
Ohio Groenveldt, which kept intrud-
ing itself; banishiDg also, with heart
sick sob, the pretty face of sweet
Ruthie in the Horseshoe. If the
matches were fred-then his minutes
were counted that was all, and his
ecJe was free.


"He touched the lower levcl, ,leaped
quickly from the basket, and ran wea-
rily and swiftly in quest of the pega-
dor, shouting and whistling as he ad-
vanced. In a boveda or vaulted
chamber he stopped short-the man.
gled head of the poor wretch was al
most beneath his foot, the matches
close grasped in his clenched hand ;
and leaping across the still body, he
pursued his search. He came upon
the trains in the new gallery, FIVE of
them unfred. Somehow the work had
been carelessly or improperly done,
and the two first had exploded before
the rest were laid; and the horrible
mingling of sulphurous odorS and
burnt flesh, loaded the thick air; and
bits Of rock were scattered all around
the place. George took up the body
in his arms and carried it down to the
shaft and laid it at its mouth, and
covered the shattered face with his
handkerchief, and turned back to his
work. As he hurried past the bova-
da, he heard a scratching, shuffiing
noise. mixed with squealing and
squeaking, which sounded Oddly
enough in the echoing chamber, and
stout fellow as he was,he nearly shud-
dered to find himself surrounded by
hundreds Of rats, who gamboled
about him and ran over him with
every sign of delighted welcome
The lowest level had been unworked
for month or so, and these creatures
were rejoiced to see humanity once
more. That rats inhabit the deepest
of the mines is well known, but how
they subsist is not so clearly ascer-
tained. After little civilized creep
ing of his flesh, George sat down on
a tram to observe what they would
be at. They climbed up, and filed in
squads, leaping dozen lengths at
time, standing upright and playing
their forefeet like professional boxers,
catching each other by the tail, mix
ing up in grotesque antics, till he rose
to go toward the blast, when they fol-
| lowed him, and marched in platoons
beside and behind him. As soon as
he began laying the trains, however,
they vanished; they knew all about
gunpowder, and scampered off. He
fired the slow matches-six of them
and hastened from the death at his
back. As he neared the shaft, he
came again upon his friends-the rats,
but they had forgotten him. They
had discovered the body of the poor
pegador, and struggled around and
over it, tearing and devouring; and
the basket had gone up out of Georges
reach. He saw it by the light of his
candle slowly ascending. The tre-
mendous power he put forth for his
life could not enable him to leap high
enough to seize it. The commotion
the rats had made scrambling about
it had been mistaken by those at the
top for a signal and-the fatal match
es were slowly firing behind him in
the new gallery. Just one instant the
blood stopped in his heart, and sparks
kindlod in his eyes; then his cool
courage returned, and he set off to
undo his work. He neared the trains
with lightning swiftness; he tore up
| the kindling threads one two three !
six he was safe and after an in
stant's deep breath he started back,
hoping to find the basket in its place
again-of course they must instantly
send it down, when they found there
was no explosion and that it had come
up empty; but new peril awaited
him-his candle was burning low,an
he must dare the rats so as to be at
the mouth before darkness overlook
him. He shouted and clapped his
hands, and the horrible noise he was
approaching ceased for an instant
but before ne reached them his taper
fiickered up and expired in its socket,
leaving him in a thick darkness that
might be felt, and his dreadful neigh
bors between him and the rope. No
human voice could reach the upper
world; and he slowly felt his way,
keeping close to the side of the gal
lery. Twenty or thirty steps he made
in safety, and then he set his foot up
on yielding body, and hastily with
drew it. With a squeal of rage, the
rat he had wounded set his teeth into
his leg, and his fellows swarmed upon
him to avenge their comrade. Keep
ing one hand upon the wall, he pushed
on; still there was no bucket, and his
utmost efforts could not hold his enc.
mics long at bay. He thought he
must be close to the mouth, but could
see no light. His hands were cover
ed with blood, his legs had already
many wounds from the sharp teeth
seeking his life; he struck out desper-
} ately and pushed them of, and ground
them under bis feet. Glancing up in