"`Look here,' he says; `I was hunting for cracks when I slipped down
here.' "I looked, and I saw a narrow crack, 'bout a foot wide, nearly covered
with furze.
"`Now, listen,' he says, and he kneeled down and shouted, and, sure
enough, there was a bit of a groan came up.
"`Echo!' I says.
"`No,' he says. `Listen again,' and he shouted, and there was a sort of
answer.
"`They're here,' he says excitedly. `Hi! Juno, Juno!' The dog came
rushing up, and we put her to the hole or crack, and she darted into it,
went down snuffling, and came back again barking. We sent her down
again, and then she didn't come back, and when we called we could hear
her barking, but she didn't come to us, and at last we felt that she
couldn't get back.
"`What's to be done?' said the ganger. `We can't get down there.' "`Dig down,' I says.
"`No, no,' says he. `If we do we shall smother them.' "`That boy, then, you sot to look out--send him down.' "`Go and bring him,' says the ganger; `and--oh, we have no rope. Bring
the reins; they're strong and new.' "Five minutes after, the boy was up with us, and he said he'd go down if
we'd put the reins round him like a rope, and so we did, and after we'd
torn some furze away he got into the hole feet first, and wriggled
himself down till only his head was out.
"`Goes down all sidewise,' he says, `and then turns round.' "`Will you go, my lad? The dog's down there, and we'll hold on to the
reins, and have you out in a minute, if you shout.' "`And 'spose the sand falls?' "`Why, we've got the reins to trace you by, and we'll dig you out in a
jiffy,' I says.
"`All right!' he says, and he shuffled himself down and went out of
sight, and he kept on saying, `all right! all right!' and then all at
once, quickly, `I've slipped,' he says, as if frightened. `There's no
bottom. I'm over a big hole.' "Just then, my lad, the rein had tightened, but we held on.
"`Pull me up!' he says, and we pulled hard, and strained the reins a
good deal, and at last he come up, looking hot and scared.
"`I couldn't touch bottom,' he says, `and the dog began to bark loudly.' "`I see,' says the ganger, `the dog slipped there, and can't get out.
We must have a rope; you, Ike, take the reins, and drive down to the
village and get a stout cart-rope. Bring two.' "The landlord of the inn had just come up, and he said he'd got plenty,
and he'd go with me, and so he did, and in a quarter of an hour we'd
been down and driven back with two good strong new ropes.