Year: 1872

hncW tnat he would have been drowned


and then thought of tho rats, and shiv


cred again as | trod upon something that


felt to me like bone.


knew better, though directly, for thai


which l had kicked against was a hoe


handle which man in front had let sir


from his hand, he himself slipping dowr


ulrectly after, with a hard splash, into


the water


Here, get him upw cried the foreman


savagely, "and take him back to that


wholel What ours you men are! You're


as bad as If there was real danger. Sup


pose you were down in a fiery mine"
he men muttered little, and then
while two helped the nervous man out


we all went forward, the foreman chat


ting away cheerily the while, so as tC


keep the others from thinking about what


had taken place. He pointed out the
overflow places, where, when the sewer
got too full, part of the water would
run down to tho rivor, and then he showed


us how clean and smooth the brick face


of the sewer was. TO this man he busilv
explained that the faint bad smell was


not injurious; and to that he related how


many scores of times he had been along


TINS same part of the sewers but in spite


OF all his CHEEKY ways, and the occasional


stoppage for smoke and glass of bran


py, the men were terribly nervous, and


waded on In slow, half.hearted way.


And it was dismal work. Now there


was scare of some ones light going out,


and though we had plenty more, the men


were in regular shiver of suspense till


the lamp was trimmed and we were 60
ing on again. Then there was an alarm
OF rats, because some one had seen half a
dozen go swimming down the black
stream, after scuflling out of one of the
side drains and soon after one of those
IN 'front.' gave sort of yell, dropped his
lantern with splash, and swore that we
were going wrong, that we had lost our
way, and that we should never get out Of
the horrible place alive


lie was great, siX-foot, broad-shoul-
dered fellow who said this, but it was
half sobbed out, and his nerve was so
gone that the poor chap was as hysterical
as girl.


For few moments l thought there
would be a regular rush back, and if
there had, life must have been lost.
crowded as we were in that narrow hole,
with hard work to keep our footing as
the stream rushed by us for the sewers
are round at the bottom as well as arched
at the top, many of them being shaped
ike an egg, with the thin part at the bot
tom.


The foreman was ready for them
though, and lie roared out to them


Stop! How can we be going wrong if
we follow the stream? That must take
us rightr


This checked the men, who saw the
sense of what he said, and as soon as he
mad got them once more journeying slow
ly on


What big babies you fellows arew he
exclaimed, you're as readily scared as
ilcck of sheep. You forget that there are
ways out all along here, where man
could call for help even if too weak to
raise the gratings."


Nobody spoke, for the blackness of the
place seemed to oppress everybody, and
we crawled on along the wet Shiny, un-
ierground channel. The smell was bad.
out not so bad as l had expected, and
here was very little work for us to do,
@e Gs6ed S the wit Whole fshg,S SSvpg zig pretty
ers; but every now and then some one
stopped and began to sniff, as if he could
tell that there was foul air there-the foul
gas that no one can breathe and livel


L should think we had been wading On
for about an hour, when one of the men
ahead said that there was very peculiar
smell on in front, not like the regular
sewer smells, but strange, suflocating
odor.


The foreman was twenty yards behind,
peering into a side sewer, when this was
said, and he did not hear it.


There's been CANNON enough of that
sort" said one of the new men, who had
lad little more Dutch courage out of
he brandy bottle than was good for him.
Look here if the light will burn it's all
light"


Poor fellowl he had only half learned
his lesson, and did not know that we were
rayeling right under where the chemical
works piled their trade, sending all sorts |
d poisonous refuse into the sewer to give |
1ut explosive gases. AS he spoke he un- |
astened his lantern and took out the |
lght and at the same moment Iheard the |
oreman behind-"Take care therel gasl |
,or GODS sake, quick-every man-hoods |
ioWn, for your livesm


was nearest to him and initiated him, |
IN the instant dragging the Indiarubber |
lood down over my face, and dashiEp |
lown beneath the filthy water, but not SO |
quickly but that saw what seemed to be |
binding flash of lightning run along |
he sewer, making every brick distinct: |
hen the water was rushing overmy head, |
md l bent down till was all but suffo, |
'ated: Once / raised my head, |
matched n breath that was sitting |
n its foul heat, and then / dashed |
Town again and held out as long
IS could, knowing as l did that the gas
lad fired; and then from feeling hot l |
hlvered with cold, as l wondered wheth- |
II any of my mates were killed, and
whether | should get out alive!
tream %


l turned in dizzy way to follow the
.oice, but as l did so felt something


utch my leg, and as bent down there in
ne horrible darkness-ten times as black
fter that scorching, binding fiash-I
ouched hand, helped some one to stag
er up, and then, with the water stream
ng oil us, and the air choking us at every
reath and making my ears sing, we stag
cred along.


How far that was, / don't know, for it
all mixed up in a confused troubled
fay, and was like one walking in his
leep till felt my hand seized, and some
ne, knew directly after to be the fore
nan, half led, half pushed me and the
nan who clung to me, into one of the
penings, where, in machine-like sort of
'ay, we CLIMBED up into the light, when
rolled down on the pavements, and Law
alf stupid for few minutes.


The voice of our foreman, though.
oused me, and knowing what / did, /
'ent down again and helped him and
lree more, and among us we got the rest
p-four OF them horribly burned by the
xplosion, and the rest so badly scared
nat it was mercy they got out alive.


said the rest but there was one miss
lg. upon the foreman counting us over;
nd then, calling to us to follow, he ran
Ike mailman down the street to the
ext opening, where the secret of the ex-
losion lay before us-the trap was shut,
nd the foul gas made by the chemicals
ould not escape.
l heard him grind his teeth as he drag
ed 1t up, and after it the grating, when it
as as he hoped; the missing man--an
d man-had made for this place and
imbed up, we getting il open just in ,
me to save his life, for he was nearly
liipQ. and did not rnpoUor for