companion a nudge.
"I've been in some of 'em myself. Why, I know of one long 'un--an adit
as goes from mine to mine to get rid of the pumpings--and it's somewhere
about thirty miles."

"Hear that, Joe?" whispered Gwyn.

"Yes, I hear," said the lad, breathlessly.

"I don't say there's anything of the kind here, of course; but I know
one place where there's more than sixty miles o' workings, and it would
take some time to go all over that, wouldn't it?"

The boys were silent, and the engineer went on.

"Oh yes, that's right enough," he said; "and to my mind it's rather bad
for any folk strange to go down a mine they know nothing about."

Joe started violently.

"You see it's all noo to 'em," continued the engineer, "and they may
wander away into places they know nothing about, and never find their
way out again."

"Gwyn!" groaned Joe.

"Hush! Be quiet!" was whispered back.

"I have heard of such things."

"But that was in deserted mines," said Gwyn, sharply.

"Yes, I believe it was in deserted mines, now you say so, sir."

"Of course it was, Joe, where nobody knew that they had gone down."

"How could they have gone down without anyone knowing?" cried Joe.
"There must have been someone to let them down."

"Nay, they might have been venturesome and gone down by ladders, same as
the old ones used to be from sollar to sollar."

"What's a sollar?" said Gwyn, more for the sake of saying something than
from a desire to know.

"What you calls platforms or floors," said Dinass. "Well, I will say
one thing; I do hope the guv'nors haven't lost their way."

"Of course, mate," said the engineer; "so do I; but if I was you young
gents, I should begin to feel a little uncomfortable about them below."

"We are horribly," cried Joe, wildly.

"Exactly so, sir, for you see it must be getting on for four hours since
they started."

"Nay, not so much as that," cried Dinass.

"I didn't say it was, mate--I only said it was getting on for four
hours. There mayn't be nothing wrong, but there may be; and there
wouldn't be no harm in doing something now. What do you say to getting
some of the lads to go? They was talking about it when I went outside,
as I told mate Dinass here--didn't I, my son?"

"Ay, you did--What do you say, Mr Gwyn?"

"It is time to act," cried Joe, excitedly.

"Yes," said Gwyn, as he drew a deep breath, "we must do something. Get
lanthorns and candles."

"Shall I call to some of the me