oop nor how thou'lt
long for the air and play wi' lads o' thy own age. I believe, Jack,
quite believe that thou be'st in arnest on it, and I know well that when
thou dost begin thou'lt stick to 't. But it were better to wait till
thou know'st what 'tis thou art undertaking."

Jack felt that there was a good deal in what his mother said. "Very
well, mother. 'Twant make no differ to me, but oi'll do as th' asks me."

CHAPTER IV.

THE VAUGHAN PIT.

Among the group of men and boys assembled round the mouth of the Vaughan
pit on the 7th of June were two little lads, Jack Simpson and Harry
Shepherd, who were to make the descent for the first time. The boys were
fast friends. Harry was the taller but was slighter than Jack, and far
less sturdy and strong. Both were glad that they were to go into the
pit, for although the life of a gate-boy is dull and monotonous, yet in
the pit villages the boys look forward to it as marking the first step
in a man's life, as putting school and lessons behind, and as raising
them to a position far in advance of their former associates.

Nowadays the law has stepped in, and the employment of such mere
children in the mines is forbidden, but at that time it had not been
changed, and if a boy was big enough to shut a door he was big enough to
go into a mine.

"Dost feel skeary, Jack?" Harry asked.

"Noa," Jack said; "what be there to be skeary aboot? I bean't afeard of
the dark, and they say in time 'ee get used to it, and can see pretty
nigh loike a cat. There be dad a calling. Good-bye, Harry, I'll see thee
to-night."

The yard of the Vaughan resembled that of other large collieries. It was
a large space, black and grimy, on which lines of rails were laid down
in all directions; on these stood trains of waggons, while here and
there were great piles of coal. In the centre rose up a lofty
scaffolding of massive beams. At the top of this was the wheel over
which a strong wire rope or band ran to the winding engine close by,
while from the other end hung the cage, a wooden box some six feet
square. At the corner of this box were clips or runners which fitted on
to the guides in the shaft and so prevented any motion of swinging or
swaying. So smoothly do these cages work that, standing in one as it is
lowered or drawn up, only a very slight vibration or tremor tells that
you are in motion. Near the square house in which stood the winding
engine was another precisely similar occup