r square, on which lay _nothing_.

You will probably exclaim in your heart, reader, "What! do miners
sometimes work for a month, and receive only two shillings, or _nothing_
as wages?"

Ay, sometimes; but it is their own seeking if they do; it is not forced
upon them.

There are three classes of miners--those who work on the surface,
dressing ore, etcetera, who are paid a weekly wage; those who work on
"tribute," and those who work at "tut-work." Of the first we say
nothing, except that they consist chiefly of balmaidens and children--
the former receiving about 18 shillings a month, and the latter from 8
shillings to 20 shillings, according to age and capacity.

In regard to "tributers" and "tut-workers," we may remark that the work
of both is identical in one respect--namely, that of hewing, picking,
boring, and blasting the hard rock. In this matter they share equal
toils and dangers, but they are not subjected to the same remunerative
vicissitudes.

When a man works on "tribute" he receives so many shillings for every
twenty shillings' worth of ore that he raises during the month, as
already explained. If his "pitch" turns out to be rich in ore, his
earnings are proportionably high; if it be poor, he remains poor also.
Sometimes a part of the mineral lode becomes so poor that it will not
pay for working, and has to be abandoned. So little as a shilling may
be the result of a "tributer's" work for a month at one time, while at
another time he may get a good pitch, and make 100 pounds or 200 pounds
in the same period.

The "tutman" (or piecework man), on the other hand, cuts out the rock at
so much per fathom, and obtains wages at the rate of from 2 pounds, 10
shillings to 3 pounds a month. He can never hope to make a fortune, but
so long as health and strength last, he may count on steady work and
wages. Of course there is a great deal of the work in a mine which is
not directly remunerative, such as "sinking" shafts, opening up and
"driving" (or lengthening) levels, and sinking "winzes." On such work
tutmen are employed.

The man who works on "tribute" is a speculator; he who chooses
"tut-work" is a steady labourer. The tributer experiences all the
excitement of uncertainty, and enjoys the pleasures of hope. He knows
something, too, about "hope deferred;" also can tell of hope
disappointed; has his wits sharpened, and, generally, is a smart fellow.
The tut-worker knows nothing of this, his pay bein