His heart was beating fast, and his hands were warm, but though I spoke
to him over and over again, in the darkness, there was no answer, and
with a cry of despair I threw myself on my knees, when all at once he
shouted:

"Hullo!"

"Shock," I cried, "I'm here."

"What yer do that for?" he cried fiercely.

"I didn't do anything."

"Yes, yer did," he cried. "Yer threw a lump o' sand on my head. I'm
half blind, and my ears is full. Just wait till I gets hold on yer,
I'll pay yer for it."

Then he began panting, and spitting, and muttering about his eyes, and
at last--"Here, where are yer?"

"I'm here, close by you," I said. "Don't you understand? The sand has
fallen and shut us in."

There was silence for a few minutes--a terrible painful silence to me,
as I felt that I was face to face with death. Then Shock seemed to have
grasped the situation, for he said coolly enough:

"Like the rabbuds. Well, we shall have to get out."

"Yes, but how?" I cried.

"Same's they do. Scratch yer way, and make a hole. I don't mind, do
you?"

"Mind!" I said, "it's horrible."

"Is it?" he replied quietly. "Why?"

"Don't you see--"

"No," he said sharply, "not werry well. I can a little."

"But I mean, don't you understand?" I cried in an awe-stricken choking
voice, "that if we don't get out soon, we shall die."

"What, like when you kills a rabbud or a bird?"

"Yes."

"Get out!" he cried in contemptuous tones. "I hadn't finished my
rabbud, and my eyes is half full of sand still."

"Never mind the rabbit," I said angrily, "let's try and dig our way
out."

"Let Ikey do it," he said, "he's got the shovels."

"But will he find out where we are," I cried, for I must own to being
terribly unnerved, and ready to marvel at Shock's coolness.

"Why, of course he will," said Shock. "I say, don't you be frightened.
You don't mind the dark, do you?"

"I don't mind the dark," I replied, "but it's horrible to be shut in
here."

"Why, it's only sand," he said, "only sand, mate."

"But it nearly smothered you," I cried. "It would have smothered you if
I hadn't pulled you out."

"Yes, but that was because it fell atop of my head and held me down,
else it wouldn't. I thought it was your games."

I had never heard Shock talk like this before. Our mutual distress
seemed to have made us friends, and I felt ready to shake hands with him
and hold on by his arm.

"I say," he cried, his voice sounding, like