to the water
himself.

"He'll drag down the rubbish!" cried Pages.

"Let him at least have his freedom," said the professor.

He had seen me go down by letting myself slide on my back. He wanted to
do the same, but I was light, whilst he was heavy. Scarcely was he on
his back than the coal gave way beneath him and, with his legs stretched
out and his arms striking into space, he slipped into the black hole.
The water splashed up to where we were. I leaned forward ready to go
down, but Uncle Gaspard and the professor each grasped me by the arm.

Half dead, and trembling with horror, I drew myself back.

Time passed. The professor was the only one who could speak with
courage. But our depression finally made his spirits droop. Our hunger
had become so great that we ate the rotten wood about us. Carrory, who
was like an animal, was the most famished of all; he had cut up his
other boot and was continually chewing the pieces of leather. Seeing
what hunger had led us to, I must confess that I began to have terrible
fears. Vitalis had often told me tales of men who had been shipwrecked.
In one story, a crew who had been shipwrecked on a desert island where
there was nothing to eat, had eaten the ship's boy. Seeing my companions
in such a famished state I wondered if that fate was to be mine. I knew
that the professor and Uncle Gaspard would never eat me, but of Pages,
Bergounhoux, and Carrory, especially Carrory with his great white teeth
which he dug into the leather of his boot, I was not quite so sure.

Once, when I was half asleep, I had been surprised to hear the professor
speak in almost a whisper, as though he was dreaming. He was talking of
the clouds, the wind, and the sun. Then Pages and Bergounhoux began to
chatter with him in a foolish manner. Neither waited for the other to
reply. Uncle Gaspard seemed hardly to notice how foolish they were. Were
they all gone mad? What was to be done?

Suddenly, I thought I would light a lamp. To economize we had decided
only to have a light when it was absolutely necessary. When they saw the
light they apparently regained their senses. I went to get some water
for them. The waters were going down!

After a time they began to talk strangely again. My own thoughts were
vague and wild, and for long hours and perhaps days we laid there
chattering to one another foolishly. After a time we became quieter and
Bergounhoux said that before dying we should put down our last wishe