rned back into the
air-way, "I'll take this light in, an' pick things up a bit, an' quit.
Maybe I'll catch ye before ye get to the plane."

"All right! I'll go slow. Hurry up; everybody else has gone out, you
know."

After a moment Ralph heard Conway pushing the empty car up the
chamber, then he climbed up on his trip, took the reins, said,
"giddep" to Jasper, and they started on the long journey out. For
some reason it seemed longer than usual this night. But Ralph did not
urge his beast. He went slowly, hoping that Conway would overtake him
before he reached the plane.

He looked back frequently, but Mike, as every one called him, was not
yet in sight.

The last curve was reached, and, as the little trip rounded it,
Ralph's attention was attracted by a light which was being waved
rapidly in the distance ahead of him. Some one was shouting, too. He
stopped the mule, and held the cars back to listen, but the sound
was so broken by intervening pillars and openings that all he could
catch was: "Hurry! hurry--up!" He laid the whip on Jasper's back
energetically, and they went swiftly to the head of the plane. There
was no one there when he reached it, but half-way down the incline he
saw the light again, and up the broad, straight gallery came the cry
of danger distinctly to his ears.

"Hurry! hurry! The breaker's afire! The shaft's a-burnin'!--run!"

Instinctively Ralph unhitched the mule, dropped the trace-chains,
and ran down the long incline of the plane. He reached the foot,
rounded the curve, and came into sight of the bottom of the shaft.
A half-dozen or more of men and boys were there, crowding in toward
the carriage-way, with fear stamped on their soiled faces, looking
anxiously up for the descending carriage.

"Ralph, ye're lucky!" shouted some one to the boy as he stepped
breathless and excited into the group. "Ye're just in time for
the last carriage. It'll not come down but this once, again. It's
a-gettin' too hot up there to run it Ye're the last one from the end
chambers, too. Here, step closer!"

Then Ralph thought of Conway.

"Did Mike come out?" he asked. "Mike Conway?"

As he spoke a huge fire-brand fell from the shaft at their feet,
scattering sparks and throwing out smoke. The men drew back a little,
and no one answered Ralph's question.

"Has Mike Conway come out yet?" he repeated.

"Yes, long ago; didn't he, Jimmy?" replied some one, turning to the
footman.

"Mike Conway? no it was