h, I thought it was a cut; but I'd forgotten all about it when I come
to again in the dark, and couldn't make it out. My head was all of a
swim like, and I couldn't recklect anything about what had happened, nor
make out where I was, only that I was in the dark. All I could
understand was that my head was aching awful and swimming round and
round, and I seemed to have been fast asleep for hours and hours, and
that I had woke up. That was all."

"Well, go on," said the sergeant, in obedience to a hint from Roby.

"Yes, direckly," said the man. "I'm trying to think, but my head don't
go right. It's just as if some sand had got into the works. Ah, it's
coming now. It was like waking up and finding myself in the dark, and
not knowing how I got there."

"Well, you said that before," said the sergeant gruffly.

"Did I, sergeant? Well, that's right; and I tried to get up, but I
couldn't stand, my head swam so. Then I got on my hands and knees, and
began to crawl to the ladder; and I went on and kept stopping on account
of my head, till I knocked against my helmet and put it on, and began
crawling again, thinking I must be where I'd lain down and gone to
sleep. Then I went on again for ever so long till I could go no
farther, for I was in a place where the rock came down over my head so
that I could touch it; but it was all narrow-like, and I was so tired
that I lay down, got out my pipe, lit up, and had a smoke."

"What next?" said the sergeant, exchanging glances with Roby and
Dickenson, who were listening.

"That's all," said the man quietly. "So I'll just have a nap to set my
head right. It's a touch of fever, I think."

"Stop a moment, my lad," said Roby. "Can't you recollect what came
next?"

"No, sir," said the man drowsily. "Oh yes, I do. I know I began
crawling again without my helmet after I'd smoked a pipe of tobacco--for
the hard rim hurt my head--and went on and on for hours, till I thought
I could hear water running; and then in a minute I was sure, and I made
for it, for at that time I was so thirsty I'd have given anything for a
drink to cool my hot, dry throat. Yes, it's all coming back now. I
crept on till all at once the water falling sounded loud, and the next
moment I was sinking down sidewise into a deep place where I was hanging
across a stone to get at the water in the dark, and couldn't. It was
just like a nightmare, sergeant, that it was, and I felt my head go down
and my leg