-rescue man is
trained all right. It was in one of those drills that I got hurt."

"Oh," cried Eric, disappointed, "I thought it was a real accident!"

"It was," his friend answered. "I said it was during a drill, not at
one. It was in Central Pennsylvania. The contest was going ahead in good
shape, when a chap came tearing down the road in a wagon, his horses on
the gallop.

"'Explosion in the Eglinton, Shaft Three!' he called as soon as he got
within hearing. 'There's hundreds of men caught!'

"Everybody looked at me. I wasn't a government man, and I was only there
because I had trained most of the teams. I'm willing enough to be the
whole thing, but after all I've got some gumption, and I wasn't going to
take hold of something that needed an experienced man's handling. There
was one old operator there, on one of the judging committees. He'd been
watching me closely. 'Mr. Barnett,' I said hurriedly, 'will you take
charge?'

"I tell you, Eric, you should have seen his face change! He jumped
forward with a cheer. With a word here, an order there, in two minutes'
time he had that wagon off again with two rescue teams fully equipped,
himself leading, and I was heading all the rest of the men on a steady
dog-trot to the place. Old man Barnett was a leader, all right!

"When we got to the mine shaft, it was surrounded by women, some crying,
but most of them silent. The two rescue crews had been working like
fiends, and work was needed, too.

"I didn't see how I could be much use, anyway. The miners were 'way
ahead of me. I haven't had enough experience underground. Just the same,
as soon as Barnett saw me, he shouted,

"'Down with you, boy!' and down I had to go.

"As I passed him, I said,

"'Mr. Barnett, I don't know much about the practical end of this!'

"'I know ye don't,' he answered grimly, 'ye don't have to. But men
always need a leader. Get on down!'

"As soon as the bucket rattled me to the bottom of the shaft, I fixed on
my apparatus, ready to start with the rest of my team. I'd been through
that mine once and the comment I'd heard at the pit mouth had told me
where the trouble was, so we started off boldly.

"We went 'way in and met one of the parties coming out with a stretcher.
We were near enough to make signs to them, just visible in the dull
gloom of dimly burning safety lamps when, woof! down came a mass of
roof. I saw it coming and dodged back, but not quite in time, for a
chunk of coal cau