ming sound which brought people flocking out of their houses with
white faces. Some of them had heard it before--all knew what it meant.
From the colliers' cottages poured forth women, shrieking and
wailing,--women who bore children in their arms and had older ones
dragging at their skirts, and who made their desperate way to the pit
with one accord. From houses and workshops there rushed men, who coming
out in twos and threes joined each other, and forming a breathless
crowd, ran through the streets scarcely daring to speak a word--and all
ran toward the pit.

There were scores at its mouth in five minutes; in ten minutes there
were hundreds, and above all the clamor rose the cry of women:--

"My mester's down!"

"An' mine!"

"An' mine!"

"Four lads o' mine is down!"

"Three o' mine!"

"My little un's theer--th' youngest--nobbut ten year owd--nobbut ten
year owd, poor little chap! an' ony been at work a week!"

"Ay, wenches, God ha' mercy on us aw'--God ha' mercy!" And then more
shrieks and wails, in which the terror-stricken children joined.

It was a fearful sight. How many lay dead and dying in the noisome
darkness below, God only knew! How many lay mangled and crushed, waiting
for their death, Heaven only could tell!

In five minutes after the explosion occurred, a slight figure in
clerical garb made its way through the crowd with an air of excited
determination.

"Th' parson's feart," was the general comment.

"My men," he said, raising his voice so that all could hear, "can any of
you tell me who last saw Fergus Derrick?"

There was a brief pause, and then came a reply from a collier who stood
near.

"I coom up out o' th' pit an hour ago," he said, "I wur th' last as coom
up, an' it wur on'y chance as browt me. Derrick wur wi' his men i' th'
new part o' th' mine. I seed him as I passed through."

Grace's face became a shade or so paler, but he made no more inquiries.

His friend either lay dead below, or was waiting for his doom at that
very moment. He stepped a little farther forward.

"Unfortunately for myself, at present," he said, "I have no practical
knowledge of the nature of these accidents. Will some of you tell me how
long it will be before we can make our first effort to rescue the men
who are below?"

Did he mean to volunteer--this young whipper-snapper of a parson? And if
he did, could he know what he was doing?

"I ask you," he said, "because I wish to offer myself as a volun