not the
bottom under the sea. At another time Captain Jan took me to that
submarine cavern where, as I have said, no sound ever reaches the ear
from the world above. There is, however, a level close under the sea
where the roar of Ocean is distinctly heard. It is in a part of
Botallack Mine named Wheal Cock. It was very rich in copper ore, and
the miners worked at the roof of it so vigorously, that they began to
fear it would give way. One of them, therefore, in order to ascertain
what thickness of solid rock still lay between them and the sea, bored a
small hole upwards, and advanced about three feet or so before the water
rushed in. Of course they had a wooden plug ready and stopped up the
hole. But, as it was dangerous to cut away any more of the roof, they
were finally obliged unwillingly to forsake that part of the mine.

This occurred some thirty years before my visit, yet when I went to see
the place, I found the wooden plug still hard and fast in the hole and
quite immoveable. As I stood and listened I could well understand the
anxiety of the miners, for at the upward rush of each wave, I could hear
the rattle of the boulders overhead, like monster cannon balls, and a
repetition of the thunder when the waves retreated.

On our way up the ladders we stopped several times to rest. At such
times Captain Jan related various anecdotes illustrative of mining life.

"This is a place," said he, on one occasion, "which reminds me of a man
who was always ready to go in for dangerous work. His name was Old
Maggot. He was not really old, but he had a son named after himself,
and his friends had to distinguish him from the young Maggot."

So saying, Captain Jan trimmed his candle with nature's own pair of
snuffers--the finger and thumb--and proceeded as follows:

"Some time ago the miners in Botallack came to an old deserted mine that
was full of water--this is what miners call a `_house of water_.' The
ore there was rich, but the men were afraid to work it lest they should
come suddenly on the old mine and break a hole through to it--in other
words `_hole to that house of water_.' They stopped working at last,
and no one seemed willing to run the risk of driving the hole and
letting out the water. In this difficulty they appealed to Old Maggot,
who at once agreed to do it. The old mine was about three-quarters of a
mile back from the sea-shore, but at that time it could only be got at
by entering the _ad