intervals. He turned into one
of them. The sides were rough and crumbling, and it came abruptly to an
end. He soon retraced his steps, but paused when he had regained the
meeting of the ways. Something was approaching along the main tunnel. He
took the wisest course, and crouched within the shelter of the side
gallery. A crimson pointed snout, a huge paddling foot, and a dark
shapeless mass passed in quick succession before his eyes, and vanished
in the darkness.

As it swept by, the foot caught the crumbling edge of his retreat,
covering him with a shower of light mould. For the second time he
experienced the sickening, paralyzing agony of fear. This was succeeded by
an irresistible impulse to break cover. He sprang into the main shaft once
more, determined to take advantage of the first outlet. A shadowy blue
glimmer shone before him, and he quickened his pace towards it. Suddenly
the light was extinguished, the walls of the tunnel seemed to cave in
around him, in front of him he heard a dull, choking gasp, and he found
his nose in contact with a warm, palpitating velvet body.

This time his nerve failed him completely, and he lay absolutely
motionless, conscious, with only a dull indifference, that death stared
him in the face. But death seemed slow in coming, and, as he lay, his
indifference changed to a fierce longing, first for a speedy end of it
all, then for life at any price. Slowly and with difficulty he lifted his
head; the dark mass lay silent alongside of him, and the faint movements
had ceased. He could trace the creature's hind foot, it was rigid and
cold. Then the truth burst upon him. He had nothing to fear--the owner
of the foot was dead.

Still, he could scarcely move his limbs, for the soil lay thick and heavy
around him. After a prolonged effort he disengaged his fore feet, and
started to scratch himself free. On one side of him lay the dead body; he
worked vigorously along it. He was checked, however, by an obstacle beyond
his strength. The body was enclosed by a tight-fitting ring, and on this
he could make no impression.

Fastening his tiny fingers in the fur on one side, and scraping with his
free fore-paw on the other, he forced his way upwards. The soil grew
lighter above him, and in a few minutes he had reached the upper air, and
lay panting on the surface.

He then tried to pick up his position. The mole-run had brought him
some two hundred yards, nearly to the edge of the marshland. Ac