of the lead. From the
darkness beyond came the sound of water trickling to a lower level.

"Are all here, and no one hurt?" he asked.

"Hoover and Young, and everybody, and not one scratched," responded the
fire-boss. "You were the one nearest hurt.

"You were a mighty plucky youngster," he added, "to come through that
water up there."

Wilson interrupted a chorus of hearty assent. "What happened to Hoover
and Young at the pipe?" he inquired. "That mystified everybody outside."

"They both caught it coming down, but Hoover lost his hold trying to
change hands for tapping, and Young dropped the knife he was knocking
with, and slipped fishing for it," the fire-boss explained.

Meantime at the entrance to the mine, a half hour having passed without a
knocking on the pipe to announce the arrival inside of the young
operator, anxiety began to be felt for his safety also. When another half
hour had passed, and there was still no response to frequent tappings of
inquiry, the mine-boss, Bartlett, began to stride up and down before the
blocked entrance. "I shouldn't have allowed him to go in," he muttered
repeatedly. "He was only a boy."

When at length Muskoka Jones reappeared on the scene, and with him the
operator from Ledges, Bartlett met them with a gloomy face. At that very
moment, however, there was a shout from the men gathered about the
pumping-pipe. "He's knocking!" cried a voice.

Bartlett, Muskoka and the Ledges operator went forward on the run. The
latter dropped to his knees and placed his ear to the pipe. At the quick
smile of comprehension which came into his face a great cheer went up. It
was immediately stilled by a gesture from the operator, and in tense
silence he caught up a stone, tapped back a signal, then read aloud
Wilson's strangely telegraphed words of the safety of the men below,
their situation, and the means to be taken to reach them.

And just at sunset the bedraggled but joyful, cheering party of rescuers
and rescued emerged from the entrance--Wilson to a reception he will
remember as long as he lives.

The most important result of Wilson's courage and resourcefulness,
however, was an interview Alex Ward had that evening at Exeter with the
division superintendent. Following a recital of Wilson's feat at the
mine, Alex added: "You said last week, Mr. Cameron, that I might suggest
a third operator for the Yellow Creek construction 'advance guard' of
operators. I'd like to suggest Jenning