"But I felt about with the dog barking, and followed to where she was,
and feeling about, I got hold of you two boys cuddled up together as if
you was asleep, and nearly covered up with sand.
"I puts my hands to my mouth, and I yells out as loud as I could: `I've
got 'em!' and there came back a `Hooray!' sounding hollow and strange
like, and then I s'pose it was the sand had got in my eyes so as they
began to water like anything.
"But I knelt down trembling all over, for I was afraid you was both
dead, and I can't a-bear touching dead boys. I never did touch none,
but I can't a-bear touching of 'em all the same.
"Then I felt something jump up in my throat, as if I'd swallowed a new
potato, only upside down like, other way on, you know, the tater coming
up and not going down for when I got feeling you about you was both
warm.
"`Out o' the way, dog,' I says, for she kept licking of you both, and I
feels to find out which was you, and soon found that out, because Shock
had such a rough head; and then I says to myself, `Which shall I send up
first?' "I did think o' sending Shock, so as to make him open the hole a bit
more; but I thought p'raps the top'd fall in with sending the first one
up, and you was more use than Shock, so I made the rope, as was loose,
fast round your chest, and then I shouts to 'em as I lifted you up.
"`Haul steady,' I shouts, and as the rope tightened hoisted you more and
more, till you went up and up, and I was shoving your legs, then your
feet, and then you was dragged away from me, and I was knocked down flat
by 'bout hunderd ton o' sand coming on my head. I didn't weigh it, so
p'r'aps there warn't so much.
"I was made half stupid; but I heerd them cheering, and I knowed they'd
got you out, for they shouted down the hole for the next, and I had to
drag the rope I had out of the sand before I fastened it round Shock,
who give a bit of a groan as soon as I touched him, and I wished I'd
heerd you groan too.
"`Haul away,' I shouted, and I walked right up a heap of sand, as they
hauled at Shock, and as soon as they'd dragged him away from me, and he
was going up, I jumped back, expecting some more sand to fall, and so it
did, as they hauled, whole barrowfuls of it.