"There was no more digging going on, it was no use; but while we'd been
gone they'd chopped away the furze, cutting through it with spades, so
that the hole, which was a big crack, was all clear.
"`Now, then,' says Old Brownsmith's brother, `go down again, my boy.
With this stout rope round we can take care of you,' but the boy shook
his head, he'd been too much scared last time.
"`Who'll go?' says the ganger. `A sovereign for the man who goes down
and fetches them up.' "The chaps talked together, but no one moved.
"`It'll cave in,' says one of 'em.
"`You must cut a way down, Ike,' says the ganger. `I'm too stout, or
I'd go down myself.' "`Nay,' I says, `if they're down there, and you get digging, you'll bury
'em. P'r'aps I could squeedge myself down. Let's try.' "So they ties the rope round me, and I lets myself into the hole, which
was all sand, and roots to hold it a bit together.
"`It's a tight fit,' I says, as I wriggled myself down with my face to
the ganger, but I soon found that wouldn't do, and I dragged myself out
again and took off my boots, tightened my strap, and went down the other
way.
"That was better, but it was a tight job going all round a corner like a
zigger-me-zag, as you calls it, or a furnace chimney; and as I scrouged
down with my eyes shut, and the sand and stones scuttling down after me,
I began to wonder how I was going to get up again.
"`Here!' I shouts, `I shall want two ropes. See if you can reach down
the other.' "I put up my hand as far as I could reach, and the thin boy put a loop
round his foot and come down, shutting out the light, till he could
reach my hand, and I got hold of the second rope, and went scuttling
farther, till all at once I found it like the boy had said--my legs was
hanging and kicking about.
"`Here's in for it now,' I says to myself; and I wondered whether I
should be buried; but I shouts out, `Lower away,' and I let myself
slide, and then there was a rush of falling sand and I was half
smothered as I swung about, but they lowered down, and directly after I
touched bottom with my feet, and Juno was jumping about me and barking
like mad.
"`Found 'em?' I heard the ganger shout from up in daylight, and I began
to feel about for you; and, Lor'! there has been times when I've longed
for a match, when I've wanted a pipe o' tobacco; but nothing like what I
longed then, so as to see where I was, for it was as black as pitch.